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墨書 Inktalez
Shen Muhan silently held her close, resting his forehead against hers.
The snow had fallen for a full half month, and it took another ten days for it to melt away. Finally, after nearly a month, the skies cleared up. Fortunately, the Rapeseed was frost-resistant; as soon as the snow melted, the Rapeseed flowers bloomed vibrantly, filling the air with a light floral fragrance. Honey bees danced joyfully among the yellow blossoms all day long.
On this day, Xia Muxin finally stepped outside, carefully supported by Shen Muhan. Bathed in warm sunlight, she admired the colorful blooms around her.
"The fields are all in bloom now; once the Rapeseed is harvested, we can plant something else."
A gentle smile graced Xia Muxin's lips, and a maternal glow brightened her features. Although the child had yet to be born and their own fields were already sufficient, she couldn't let the newly cleared hundred acres go to waste. She thought about planting corn, Black Beans, Soybeans, and peanuts—perfect crops for spring planting. With the supermarket expanding, these would surely find a market.
"Yes, whatever you want to plant, just let me know. The baby will be born in four months; you shouldn't overexert yourself. It's not good for your health."
Four months ago, Xia Muxin had been unable to eat or move much. Now, however, she was a different person—able to eat and sleep well and even be a bit mischievous. She found herself staying up late at night and no longer feared the cold. During the snowmelt period it was manageable, but since yesterday when the sun came out, she had switched to a lighter quilt. Yet even at night she would wake up sweating. Shen Muhan worried that she might fall ill from overheating and would often get up in the middle of the night to find her another blanket. It wasn't until he brought out an autumn quilt that she could finally sleep soundly.
At that moment, hearing her worry about what to do with the land after harvesting the Rapeseed made him immediately voice his concerns.
"I know; I'm just mentioning it. I won't overdo it."
Xia Muxin understood better than anyone how exhausted Shen Muhan was during this time, so she didn't want to add to his burdens.
The workshop had resumed operations after being shut down for over a month due to the weather. Many goods were running low in the supermarket because of the rain and snow; most townsfolk had been relying on it for supplies. Just yesterday, Xia Tieshu went to the supermarket and reported that most of the shelves were nearly empty. As soon as work resumed, they worked through the night to catch up on production and had already sent a batch of goods early this morning.
"Muxin! What are you doing out here?"
Yan Zhouwan approached with surprise as he spotted Xia Muxin. Behind him were Er Dan and her brother Xia Tieshu, followed by their father. Yan Zhouwan looked at Xia Muxin with curiosity.
He held a thick bundle of rope in his hands while Er Dan and Xia Tieshu each pulled a cart behind them. They exchanged puzzled glances upon seeing Xia Muxin and Shen Muhan together.
After all, everyone was worried about Xia Muxin's condition. The snow had just melted, and although the sun was out, the temperature was still quite low. Most people were dressed warmly.
Xia Muxin wore loose clothing that Aunt Xia had personally sewn for her after she became pregnant. At this moment, her noticeably rounded belly, combined with her slender frame, made her look quite pitiful.
It seemed that this child had suffered the most since the pregnancy began. Aunt Xia had secretly wiped away tears several times. Every woman experienced pregnancy, and Aunt Xia had seen it year after year, but none had been like Xia Muxin, who couldn't even step outside and was restricted from eating properly.
"The weather is nice today; you should go out for a walk. Are you going to collect firewood?"
Xia Muxin replied with a smile.
With the snow melted, there should be plenty of branches that had been weighed down by the snow. It was a perfect time to gather firewood. She had seen a few people heading out earlier, but they were only carrying shoulder poles and ropes without pulling a cart. Even Yan Zhouwan was involved in something else.
"Be careful; the road is still wet. Don't catch a cold."
Seeing Shen Muhan there too, Yan Zhouwan didn't know what else to say and offered her careful reminders.
Xia Muxin nodded with a smile and then greeted a few others who were with her.
Shen Muhan was worried that she would tire from standing outside for too long, so once Summer Forest and the others walked far enough away, he coaxed Xia Muxin to go back home.
Meanwhile, Yan Zhouwan followed several men from the family into the mountains all day long, though no one knew what they were doing. Shen Muqing was busy with construction work on their house that had been delayed due to the snow; as soon as it melted, he rushed off to take care of things.
Clearly, Xia Muxin rarely saw them interact. It wasn't until the fifth day after the snow melted that she sat in the yard soaking up the sun when she heard hurried breaths and footsteps approaching. Turning her head, she saw Shen Muqing rushing toward her with Yan Zhouwan in his arms, her skirt stained with blood. Yan Zhouwan was chattering away about something until Shen Muqing shouted at her to be quiet. She fell silent immediately and closed her eyes, ignoring everyone around her.
Xia Muxin could clearly see Shen Muqing's frustration and helplessness.
At that moment, instead of feeling worried, Xia Muxin felt a sense of relief.
Eventually, Shen Muqing carried Yan Zhouwan into her room and sternly pulled Shen Muhan away with a grim expression. When Shen Muhan came back out, he looked equally troubled. Only then did Xia Muxin step forward to ask:
"What happened? Is Yan Zhouwan okay?"
She shouldn't have asked, but the moment she did, Shen Muhan felt a surge of anger. Gritting his teeth, he replied:
"That was a female Hero. What could possibly happen? She killed a venomous snake herself, and its blood splattered all over her. Shen Muqing is such a nerve; she insisted on saying that she was seriously injured and dragged me to see it. In the end, her skirt was soaked in blood. Of course, I had to lift the hem of her skirt to see what was going on, but before I could even see the wound, that lunatic Shen Muqing punched me. And your good friend Yan Zhouwan was there laughing, both of them are crazy..."
Pfft...
Not just Yan Zhouwan; even Xia Muxin couldn't help but burst into laughter at that moment.
Who would have thought that the dignified Uncle Shen would have a day where he was made a fool of, and by his own brother no less? Who wouldn't laugh if they heard about it?
Shen Muhan turned his head away in frustration. He had tried to help but ended up being treated like a fool, and now even his wife was laughing at him. From now on, he decided he would never get involved with Shen Muqing's antics again.
"Alright, don't be angry. After all, it's someone else's business. What would you do if another man lifted your wife's skirt?"
Seeing that he was genuinely upset, Xia Muxin playfully wrapped her arms around his and curiously asked.
"I'd chop off his hands and feed him to the fish, then toss him into the mountains."
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin shrugged and smiled:
"Well then, your brother has completely fallen under our Yan Zhouwan's spell. It's such a pity I couldn't witness their interactions during this time; I wonder how he got captured."
Shen Muhan twitched his lips; he wasn't interested in other people's love stories.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the rapeseed harvest. Xia Muxin's belly had grown to over seven months, round like a ball, yet she felt great. Everyone looked at her round belly and speculated that it might be twins again. This time, Shen Muhan felt completely fulfilled; he declared that having one child was enough. With two kids now, looking at Xia Tieshu's two children made him start to feel a headache. Who said children were the cutest? With Xue Er's three Little Carrot Heads added in, each one crying daily made his ears buzz for half an hour.
The rapeseed harvesting was entrusted to Xia Tieshu and Second Uncle Erdan; with them around, everything was taken care of.
As the rapeseed was harvested, families began sowing seeds again. In just over a month, they would be planting in the fields once more.
The entire village was bustling with activity.
Xia Muxin felt that no matter how large the piece of land she had bought was, it would never be enough to store all her belongings. So, once the rapeseed harvest was over and there was nowhere to put it, she discussed with Shen Muhan and decided to build a large room behind the house, similar to a factory, specifically for storing grains and other items.
Everyone in the family agreed enthusiastically. It would be best to build several floors; that way, there would be more space for storage. Otherwise, if things continued to pile up in the house, there would be no room left to move.
Once they made the decision, Xia Tieshu sprang into action. He rallied a dozen eager young villagers to get started. In less than half a month, the building was completed. Once it was finished, they began moving everything over, freeing up space in the house.
As the seeds were sown, every household started plowing their fields. In early spring, the fields needed to be plowed twice: once to remove weeds and once to mix in the soil. This way, the fertilizer could be evenly distributed when sown.
At Xia Muxin's suggestion, edamame and black beans were planted along the ridges of the fields. Everyone agreed with her suggestion; this method would maximize land use and yield a double harvest.
Before transplanting rice seedlings, Xia Muxin had people plant her rapeseed field first.
The crops mainly consisted of peanuts, edamame, black beans, and corn that she had proposed cultivating.
The elderly and children in the village all pitched in because Xia Muxin had contracted the work to someone who would then pay everyone for their labor. To save time, every able-bodied person helped out. In this village, even young children were accustomed to working in the fields; tasks like planting were neither technical nor overly strenuous. Thus, within ten days, all one hundred acres were planted.
Just as they finished planting, everyone began preparing for transplanting rice seedlings.
However, what worried everyone was that once the seedlings were transplanted, it stopped raining. In previous years, irrigation wasn't necessary during the first half of the year; however, this year was different. It was still spring, but the sun was particularly scorching and the soil looked dry. Within ten days, every household started thinking of ways to irrigate their fields.
Xia Muxin had previously arranged for water from a canal that was no longer usable because Donghe's water level had dropped sharply and continued to decrease daily.
This situation alarmed everyone in the village.
This year seemed likely to be a drought year. Xia Muxin quickly instructed her family to dig wells and asked Village Chief Yang Dadong to inform every household that they should at least dig one well. If it turned out to be a severe drought year, having a well would ensure a water source for at least one season. No one would have to worry about dying of thirst. She also advised everyone not to sell their recently harvested crops; otherwise, they might find themselves unable to fill their own stomachs when prices skyrocketed at rice and oil shops.
As word spread from one person to another, everyone believed Xia Muxin's words and found them reasonable. Thus, each village began digging wells for themselves. Despite their limited resources, they managed to dig wells nonetheless.
Everything was as Xia Muxin had said. After the seedlings were planted, not a single drop of rain fell for three consecutive months. Xia Muxin arranged for her family to enclose their fish pond, selling what they could and turning the rest into Wine-Pickled Fish. After all, with the dry weather, the crops would yield nothing. Therefore, before that, Xia Muxin had her family prepare Napa Cabbage as pickled vegetables, spicy kimchi, and sun-dried radish greens. By the end of the year, they also had plenty of cured meats at home, weighing several hundred pounds—enough to last them a year without issue.
So even in the midst of a severe drought, with four wells at home and by conserving water, they could still manage to get through this hardship.
However, what she did not expect was that the drought affected not only Zhushan County but many other places as well. It was said that shops in Town had already closed down, and due to the lack of water, Workshops had also ceased operations. The supermarket had been completely emptied half a month ago and had no choice but to shut its doors. Shen Muqing had left for the border two weeks ago after hearing from Yan Zhouwan that there were movements there; perhaps they intended to take advantage of this natural disaster in Tianli Kingdom.
Now what troubled her was that refugees were pouring into the village day by day—not one by one but in large groups. Fortunately, the crops on their hundred acres would not mature until the second half of the year; otherwise, they would have resorted to eating them raw.
Donghe could already see the dried-up mud. The river was filled with sun-dried fish and shrimp, but the villagers dared not collect them because there were too many refugees, most of whom were fighting over food and eating it raw.
Xia Muxin's belly was already nine months along. She knew Shen Muhan was worried about the border; she had suggested he go take a look there, but he was unwilling—more precisely, he couldn't bear to leave her behind. Currently, among Ming Yi's group of over ten people, only Ming Qi and Ming Peng remained here while Shen Muhan stayed close to her. Ming Qi and Ming Da were stationed outside to guard against refugees breaking in. Even Golden Python's family had mobilized; those refugees still feared Golden Python's family and kept their distance.
With nearly twenty mouths to feed at home, it was a daily challenge. Songzi returned a month ago because there was no water left to cook rice at school. Everyone who could afford it had headed towards Kyoto, where it was said rainwater was abundant; however, security there was strict. Most who came here were ordinary folks without power or money—some brought children while others came alone. Every time Xia Muxin saw this scene, her feelings became complicated.
Natural disasters have been unavoidable throughout history; those in power would hardly intervene much and would later claim that relief supplies had been distributed long ago. However, this was a water shortage—not something that could be solved by merely transporting rice and oil. Even if they resorted to eating raw food, starvation would still ensue.
"Husband," she said, "isn't Kyoto abundant with rain? Why not concentrate efforts to create a river? At the very least, it would ensure everyone has enough water to drink."
She had heard from Ming Qi yesterday that floods had struck Kyoto, scattering many who sought refuge. The rain continued to pour down; many villages were partially submerged now with countless casualties that couldn't even be counted.
If she remembered correctly, Kyoto lay to the north while they were situated in the east—there wasn't even a connecting river between them. This led to one side suffering from drought while the other faced flooding.
If only they could connect the branches and redirect the water flow from there to here—it would be beneficial for both sides.
"That's a good idea," Shen Muhan replied. "But opening up that branch would require an immense amount of manpower and resources; the court would never allocate such funds. Moreover, this situation has already become irreversible; even if we wanted to start now, it would be too late."
Shen Muhan had considered this issue early on and sent a letter to Kyoto asking his father to present this matter in court. However, two months had passed without any news. It later became clear that the national treasury was empty and Zhao Weiran's faction had just been toppled; ministers were anxious and preoccupied with their own safety rather than national affairs.
Now that things had reached this point, it was too late for both the Retired Emperor and Tian Ming Rui to take action.
Moreover, irreparable mistakes had already been made; this year's national treasury would inevitably remain empty.
The common people had nothing to harvest, so how could they pay taxes? Even if you dragged them all off to prison or executed them, they still wouldn't be able to produce anything.
Moreover, after this lesson, they would surely understand better what it meant to love the people as one’s own children. In this world, there are many things that cannot be bought with money, just like the most ordinary of all—water!
“It’s not too late. We have enough food at home now. With four wells, we also have plenty of water. Let’s cook porridge every day; we can soak the rice first to save time. And we shouldn’t waste the water used for soaking the rice. As long as no one dies, we’ll eat whatever we can. Each person can have a bowl a day to maintain the most basic energy levels; anything more than that is not feasible. Besides, in two months, the corn will be ripe, and that will last us for a while longer. Husband, do you have the ability to persuade the court to take action now?”
Shen Muhan was taken aback by Xia Muxin's thoughts and found himself at a loss for words.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, “I’ll give it a try.”
In truth, he really wanted nothing more to do with court affairs. After realizing that his previous letter had yielded no results, he sent another letter expressing his disdain for Tian Ming Rui. Not only did he look down on him now, but Jiao Jiao also seemed to think very little of him. He had been completely controlled by the Retired Emperor, that old immortal; who knew when someone might directly conspire against him?
If such a day ever came and if that person turned out to be a wise ruler, he would absolutely not intervene or say a word in support.
Thus, Shen Muhan sent another letter asking Ming Qi to make a trip. Fearing that he might go hungry or thirsty on the way, Xia Muxin prepared enough provisions and water for him to take along. On the eighth day, Ming Qi returned in a disheveled state and reported that the Retired Emperor had suddenly fallen ill due to external pressures. Sister Tang was rushed over that night but could not be saved. The next day, Tian Ming Rui issued an edict to begin digging rivers and canals.
Meanwhile, Xia Muxin's household continued distributing porridge for eight full days. Many of the refugees were farmers who had been born into poverty; upon seeing such kindness, they began coming over to help—gathering firewood, tending the fire, and distributing porridge. With each bowl served, they witnessed the continuation of life.
The villagers were deeply moved as well; they started drinking porridge at home and brought any surplus grain they had to Xia Family—every little bit helped.
Finally, after enduring for more than half a month, on June 14th, Xia Muxin tripped on her way to the toilet and fell, causing stomach pain and disturbing her pregnancy.
Shen Muhan was extremely worried and held her tightly in their humble home while sending someone to fetch a midwife.
Among the refugees, everyone knew that Xia Muxin was a great benefactor and was pregnant. Upon hearing about her fall, they all knelt down in prayer for her safety and that of her child. In their haste, several middle-aged women among the refugees claimed to be midwives.
Shen Muhan was a doctor but was completely unfamiliar with childbirth matters. Regardless of whether what they said was true or not, he welcomed them all inside. Soon after, anguished cries filled the room.
Shen Muhan stood outside the door, his fists clenched tightly, his tall frame trembling, every muscle in his body tense.
Ming Qi and Ming Peng had never seen their leader like this; their eyes were filled with worry and moisture.
However, Xia Muxin's cries had persisted for a full day and night, while the Xia Family had kept vigil outside for just as long. Blood was carried out in basin after basin, yet no news came through.
"Wow..."
"Boom..."
Then, at the stroke of noon on the fifteenth day, a loud cry pierced the air—the sound of a newborn baby. Shen Muhan's body went rigid, his clothes soaked with sweat. He tried several times to push the door open, but was stopped by the midwife guarding the entrance.
In that moment, all he felt was worry and heartache; even his temper seemed to have vanished.
Yet as the baby's cries echoed, a wave of emotion swept over the crowd, and soon everyone was weeping together.
At the same time as the child's cries rang out, thunder rumbled in the sky, and without any warning, torrential rain began to pour down.
- End of Chapter -
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