Chapter 9: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 9 Perception (Part 1)
After drinking the chicken soup and eating most of the raspberries, the four of them finally felt somewhat satiated. By the time Mo Yan finished cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, the two younger siblings had already snuggled up and fallen asleep.
After folding and packing the dry clothes into the bundle, Mo Yan lay down beside Mo Xin, seizing the opportunity to rest. They would need to continue their journey when the sun wasn't as scorching in the afternoon.
Mo Qingze watched his three sleeping children with a slight smile, unable to resist reaching out to touch their heads. However, when his hand brushed against Mo Yan's face, which bore a striking resemblance to that person, his hand involuntarily stiffened, and his eyes flashed with a mix of coldness, resentment, and hatred.
After about half an hour, Mo Qingze saw that the sun outside was no longer as intense, so he woke the three children up. With everything packed, the family set out towards the direction of the capital city.
...
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on the Mo family's side this time. They hadn't walked far before they left the small mountain range, but as night fell, they hadn't found a place to rest.
It wasn't safe to travel at night, and it was easy to lose one's way. Mo Qingze decided against continuing the journey. Seeing the sky aglow with wildfires to the west and knowing it wouldn't rain at night, he chose a place near a water source for the family to rest.
After walking for over two hours continuously, Mo Qingze was feeling exhausted, not to mention Mo Yan and her two younger siblings. The food they had eaten at noon had already been depleted, and now they were all loudly grumbling about their empty stomachs.
Mo Qingze went to fetch water from the pond, while Mo Yan took the two younger ones to gather firewood nearby. There weren't many trees in this area, but they managed to find enough firewood for a meal.
While gathering firewood, Mo Yan initially thought of sending the two younger ones away so she could enter the space to check, but the two insisted on staying with her, leaving her with no chance to enter the space.
With only six wild chicken eggs and a small portion of raspberries left, which weren't enough to fill the four of them, Mo Yan and Mo Qingze each only had a bowl of soup to ensure the two younger ones could eat their fill.
When midnight arrived and Mo Qingze and his two sons were sound asleep, Mo Yan, who had been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes. She carefully removed Mo Xin's arm from her waist and quietly slipped away, walking a fair distance before stopping.
Listening intently and hearing nothing unusual in the surroundings, she finally entered the space with a sense of relief.
Upon entering, Mo Yan immediately sensed that the aura in the space had become richer since she left yesterday. She took a few deep breaths and felt a refreshing coolness rush to her brain, dissipating much of the fatigue from the journey. She circled the small plot of land and joyfully discovered that the Chinese cabbage had grown more than ten centimeters, lush and green, ready for picking. The radish leaves had also sprouted about two fingers in length, indicating that they would have radishes to eat in another day or two. The tomato stems had grown even faster, already a foot long, but it would still be at least three days before they bore fruit. As for the rice, wheat, and corn, they were all growing well, but their growth cycles were longer, so it would be a while before they could be harvested.
Thinking about having Chinese cabbage from the space to eat tomorrow, Mo Yan felt delighted. She wasn't in a hurry to pick the cabbage now; after all, one night's work in the space was equivalent to four or five days outside, and the cabbage would grow even more by then. She leisurely leaned against the jade platform for a while before stepping out of the space.
Quietly returning to the resting place, she saw the two younger siblings huddled together tightly, with the clothes that had covered them earlier now lying on the ground. She covered them again and gently hugged them before finally falling asleep herself.
The next morning, Mo Yan was awakened by hunger.
Seeing the eastern sky beginning to lighten, Mo Yan slapped her flat stomach helplessly. Seeing the other three still sound asleep, she decided to find a place to get the Chinese cabbage out first. They would continue their journey today, and without a full stomach, where would they find the energy?
