Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 67 - 60: The Miraculous Rice Seeds

Chapter 67: Chapter 60: The Miraculous Rice Seeds

Zhu Shijun managed to find some time to take Xiao Xian to Dongnan Miao Village, and brought some pears to the Great Wizard and the Li Family for them to taste.

The old man had a purpose in giving pears. This year, when he surveyed the mountains and managed the rice fields, he realized that if Ge Village wanted to overcome poverty, they had to start with agriculture. Ge Village’s natural conditions were poor; during years with abundant rainfall, they couldn’t store water, and in drier years, the fields easily suffered from drought. The villagers’ grain harvest had been poor in the past, and the low survival rate of crops was all related to the unevenness of rainfall.

Unfortunately, the Red Locust Great Wizard, who really made the decisions in Miao Village, absolutely refused to allow the villagers of Ge Village to build a dam nearby. Zhu Shijun and the village chief personally visited a number of times, only to be turned away by Red Locust at the door.

After several such visits, Zhu Shijun noticed that the Red Locust Great Wizard seemed quite fond of Xiao Xian, occasionally asking after her and even inviting her to visit the village more often.

Being asked so many times, Zhu Shijun started to feel jealous; after all, she was his own granddaughter, and it was unpleasant to think of her associating with an odd old Miao Clan woman.

After the New Year, during several dispersals, Zhu Shijun went to Miao Village a few times and didn’t see Li Ye. It wasn’t until this visit to deliver pears that Yezi’s mother mentioned that Yezi had gone to study at a temple.

Hearing this by the side, Xiao Xian secretly thought it was not good. Yezi’s mother’s words were not just a subtle reminder to Zhu Shijun, but also a suggestion that it was time for Xiao Xian to go to school as well. Sure enough, the old man started to inquire about the situation of the unique temple primary school over in Black Mountain.

Many Miao people in Dongnan Miao Village didn’t like interacting with Han people, but they didn’t shun the temple on the other side of Black Mountain.

The temple was initially funded and built by the ancestors of the Miao people as a way to pray for favorable weather and good harvests.

During the wars, it sheltered many local Miao people and, after liberation, when the monks left, the temple fell into disuse.

About a decade ago, a young monk who graduated from Emei Mountain Buddhist College became both the abbot and chanting monk of the temple.

Gradually, he started to interact with the villagers from both villages. The monk, being over forty and well-educated, and possessing beautiful calligraphy skills, was very much loved by the mountain folk.

"Yezi has started to go to school since spring; several kids from the village have followed him there. If Xiao Xian goes, she’ll probably be the youngest student in the class," said Yezi’s mother, who truly liked Xiao Xian. This trip had another purpose; the engraved plum bracelet made by Li Quqi was ready. Even Yezi’s mother, so used to her husband’s craftsmanship, couldn’t help but praise it.

The exquisite bracelet, carved with fifty to sixty buds of plum blossoms of various sizes, was so elegantly light in its silvery-white plum engravings that it wasn’t overwhelming to wear.

With the future in mind, knowing that Xiao Xian was still a child and that she would grow, Li Quqi designed the bracelet with a gap, allowing the size of the bracelet to be adjusted freely.

At the opening, instead of ordinary round beads, there were two butterflies, perfectly matching the beautiful scene of butterflies frolicking among the plum blossoms.

What truly bothered Zhu Shijun was that Li Quqi and his wife refused to take any money for the bracelet, insisting that it was a gift for Xiao Xian.

When they left Southeast Mountain Village, it happened that they ran into Li Ye and his friends returning from studying at the temple. Li Ye, carrying a backpack embroidered by the Miao family, kept his distance from Xiao Xian, seemingly afraid she would laugh at him.

His behavior made Zhu Shijun think that Li Ye had learned to be sensible at the temple, and he became even more determined to send Xiao Xian to study there in a few days.

On the way back to Miao Village, passing by White Dragon Pond, the clear green water of the lake reflected the early spring woods, not a trace of the Evil Flood Dragon to be seen.

Entering the boundary of Ge Village, the grandfather and granddaughter saw a figure standing and waiting at the entrance from afar.

The figure’s hair was blown messy by the wind, the face beaming with a smile—it was San Gouzi, who had just gone to town in the morning.

Upon seeing them, San Gouzi cheerfully waved and greeted, "Old Master, Xiao Xian, you’re back."

"Uncle San Gouzi, how did you get back so fast?" Xiao Xian knew that San Gouzi had taken a truckload of pears down the mountain today. He had mentioned before he left that there were few people in Bai Family Ancient Town, and he was worried the pears wouldn’t sell for a good price and planned to go to the city to sell them. But how could he be back so quickly if he went to the city?

"Just after I started driving, someone bought the pears," San Gouzi said, his smile stretching to his ears when he spoke of the earlier sale.

In order not to damage the pears in the truck, San Gouzi drove carefully until he reached the part of the road along Chishui River. There, he encountered several liquor transport vehicles.

Zhu Shijun had mentioned before that Moutai Wine was made using water from Chishui River, and indeed there were numerous vehicles from all across the country buying wine in Guizhou. San Gouzi ran out of gas halfway through the journey and had to find a gas station to refuel. Lined up behind his truck was a procurement vehicle from Yunnan Kunming Hotel, with a purchasing manager from a four-star hotel onboard.