The Cultivator's Reborn to 1970s
Chapter 53

Chapter 53: 53

Lan Tian casually broke off a piece and munched away, the ’crack crack’ crunching sounds filling the air. Grandma Sun just happened to see her from the kitchen and called out to stop her from eating any more, lest she get a stomachache later.

"How come you’re so greedy, putting anything you find into your mouth? It’s freezing cold yet you still eat such icy things. Don’t come crying about a stomachache tonight!" Lan Tian turned her head towards the kitchen, showing the ice pop in her hand to Grandma Sun, "I’ll just have one, won’t eat too much."

’Crack crack’ munching on the crisp ice, she made her way to the backyard to look after her Gathering Spirit Grass. The weather turned bitterly cold quite suddenly; she didn’t know if the delicate Spirit Grass had been frozen or not.

The vegetable patch in the backyard was covered with a thick layer of snow, and even the bamboo covers were laden with a thick blanket of snow. Lan Tian trudged through the snow, deep in one step and shallow in the next, leaving a trail of footprints with a ’crunch crunch’ sound.

She swept off the snow from the top, lifted the cover, and saw that the Gathering Spirit Grass was doing well; its leaves were verdant and jade-like. After months of being watered with Lan Tian’s spiritual energy, the Gathering Grass had grown about two centimeters taller—almost a decade’s worth of growth.

The vegetables nearby the Gathering Spirit Grass were also thriving well with a tinge of spiritual energy within them, larger than the other vegetables. Lan Tian nodded in satisfaction, feeling very pleased. She covered the Gathering Spirit Grass back up and returned to the front yard. The day she could eat Spiritual Vegetables should not be far off.

It snowed continuously for a week, with the extreme snowfall almost reaching up to adults’ thighs, and it was impossible for children to walk through—stepping in would cause them to vanish from sight.

School was canceled for a few days, to the delight of the children. The villagers cleared the snow from their doorsteps, creating a path for easy travel.

Time flew by, and two more months passed. It was the end of the year, with schools closing for the winter holidays. Finally, Lan Tian no longer had to mix with a bunch of little brats; her steps were light with relief.

Mo Junhua joined the army with full enthusiasm and spent three months training in the new recruits’ company; he was busy with various training and learning the army’s regulations. He couldn’t fulfill the promise of writing a letter to Lan Tian once a month.

After the three-month training for new recruits was over, Mo Junhua performed excellently and was assigned to a running infantry company. Once there, he was busy again, learning new knowledge, practicing with various firearms, and intense training drills.

With just over twenty days left until the New Year, Mo Junhua hasn’t seen the child for months and feared she had already forgotten him. Look, they hadn’t seen each other in months, and the kid hadn’t written him a letter at all. Mo Junhua was struck with temporary amnesia; if he didn’t write a letter back, how would Lan Tian know his address to write to him?

He felt if he didn’t write a letter back soon, the child would soon forget even what he looked like. The thought of it made his heart feel stuffed. Tonight, there was no training, and while everyone else in the dorm entertained themselves, Mo Junhua sat at the desk, pen in hand, unsure what to write.

They say distance fades the deepest feelings. Mo Junhua felt the exact opposite; not seeing her for months, the child’s image was deeply etched into his brain, burrowed into his heart, rooted and germinating in his soul, causing him to go to sleep thinking of her every night. He thought of her happy face, her sulking and ignoring him, her pouting and acting coquettish, her scornful and disdainful expressions...

Most of the soldiers in the army were from rural areas, barely literate, and had to ask others to write letters home for them. This fact deeply moved Mo Junhua and solidified his resolve to learn cultural studies.

However, three months was a limited timeframe; with daytime training and evening study, even with Mo Junhua’s hard work and diligence, there was only so much he could learn.

"Squad leader, writing a letter?" asked a recruit who had been in the same company as Mo Junhua from the new recruits’ training and was assigned with him, peeking over and seeing that the paper was still blank, inevitably teasing him.

"Who are you writing to? Fussing and fumbling all night long, can’t put pen to paper, could it be to your sweetheart? Share with your brother, how does your girl look like? Is she pretty? Is she as beautiful as Dr. Zhang from the Sanitation Department?" The last question was whispered close to Mo Junhua’s ear, along with a glance at the dorm to avoid attracting others’ attention.

Mo Junhua gave him a disdainful look, "What are you thinking about? What sweetheart? A dog can’t spit out ivory tusks. It’s been months since I arrived, and I haven’t written to my family yet. They must be worried, wondering how I’m doing in the army. It’s been months since I’ve seen the girl, wonder how much she has grown?"

"You’re writing to your family?" The new recruit clearly didn’t believe him. To write a family letter, taking all night with such a flirtatious expression, who’s he kidding?

"Yes, yes, yes, you say it’s for the family then it’s for the family. But I have to remind you, squad leader, lights out is in half an hour."

Mo Junhua looked at the small clock on the desk; it was almost ten-thirty. Lights out in half an hour, if he didn’t finish the letter tonight, he wouldn’t know when he would get another chance to rest. He quickly reviewed in his mind what he wanted to write and rapidly filled five big pages. Two were for his family, and three were for Lan Tian, each placed in separate envelopes. He was incredibly fast, done in minutes.

The new recruit glanced over with confusion. The letter was filled with drawings every few words, some parts even had XXs—it was almost like a Heavenly Book. If the squad leader’s family could understand this letter, then they must be gods. If he received such a letter, he would toss it away immediately; full of drawings and text, it was too much for the brain to handle.

"Squad leader, how about I help you write it?" the recruit suggested.

"Go, go, go, get back to reading your book," Mo Junhua dismissed him.

Mo Junhua carefully folded the letter, meticulously placed it into the envelope, sealed it, and kept it close to his body. He planned to hand it over to the political commissar after tomorrow’s training, ensuring that the girl would receive it before the New Year.

Mo Junhua wasn’t wrong; Lan Tian indeed had already forgotten about him, not having the time to remember him.

What was Lan Tian doing? She was busy—previously occupied with cultivation, and now with preparing New Year’s goods. This was her first New Year since her rebirth, with her uncle, aunt, and grandma all present. For Lan Tian, it was a particularly special year.

The snow finally stopped after half a month, and strangely enough, the sun came out in the morning. The family got up early to take Wang Guiyu’s ox cart to town to buy New Year’s supplies.

Half a month ago, the day it started snowing, Lan Tian had entered the Qi Cultivation Second Level. Her cultivation speed was much faster than in her previous life, and Lan Tian guessed it might be related to her not losing her Primordial Yin. She remembered reading in a Jade Scroll that female cultivators faced more difficulties than male cultivators in their practice.

Female cultivators who lost their Primordial Yin before reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage would find cultivation even more difficult afterward. If their talent was inadequate, they might spend their entire life in the Qi Cultivation Stage; with better talent, they might reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. To advance to the Golden Core Stage, they would need a stroke of immense luck or consume heavenly treasures.