Chapter 49: Not Scared So Easily

It was precisely because of this that, during the last drought when water had to be fought over, even though the people from Xiaxin Village came in great numbers, they dared not force their way, and the moment they heard Bai Xi had fallen into the water, they immediately withdrew.

Who was the revered lady of Niuluo Village? It was Bai Xi of the Bai family. If she had fallen into the water, and they still insisted on fighting for water, that would surely lead to a confrontation with no hope of reconciliation—a fight to the bitter end!

The sweet potato fields were bustling, everyone working with vigor and enthusiasm. Some even inquired of Chen Zhaodi, mostly wanting to know about Bai Xi's situation. The young women and wives of Niuluo Village looked at Chen Zhaodi with envy, for she was privileged to cook for Bai Xi.

Some older women felt their daughters-in-law were lacking; if their cooking skills were better, wouldn’t they have more chances to visit the revered lady's house?

“Zhaodi, I can make fried tofu—it tastes wonderful! Could you mention it to the revered lady and see if she’d like some?” Though they couldn’t openly compete for the task, their intentions were clear enough.

“Yes, I can make braised eggplant—it’s delicious, and all my children love it. I wonder if the revered lady would enjoy it?”

“That’s right, my daughter-in-law is quite good at cooking as well,” another elder said, looking expectantly at Chen Daliu, hoping he would speak up for her.

Chen Daliu, busy distributing work, rubbed his nose and pretended not to notice. That elder was his cousin, but who could presume to decide the revered lady’s preferences?

Seeing this, the others could only ask Chen Zhaodi, hoping that if she ever couldn’t make it, she might think of their household—even cooking for the revered lady just once would be a blessing.

Don’t be fooled by the revered lady’s youth; she was wise beyond her years. Take the matter of the wild boar last time—she never intended to keep all the meat for herself, generously allowing the villagers to share. With such a revered lady, who could fail to respect her?

Chen Zhaodi agreed cheerfully, swinging her hoe. She felt the admiration from the villagers and was delighted—this was a job she would perform well, for who wouldn’t want to shine in front of the revered lady?

When the time was right, she took leave from the village chief, hurried to the treehouse, laid out the freshly caught fish to dry for Bai Xi, and then returned to her work.

The sweet potatoes had not yet been distributed, but when everyone finished for the day, they all reminded Chen Daliu.

“Pick some fresh, big sweet potatoes for the revered lady.”

“Yes, put some in her meal, and roast the rest as snacks for her.”

It was an unspoken rule in Niuluo Village: whenever there was a harvest, regardless of the crop, the first taste belonged to the eldest in the village; only after all was gathered would it be distributed according to labor and work points.

“Yes, yes, I know…don’t worry about it,” Chen Daliu nodded repeatedly.

That evening, Bai Xi enjoyed a meal cooked with fresh sweet potatoes.

Yet, no matter how fresh the sweet potatoes, she still yearned for rice, and so her mood was somewhat low.

Chen Zhaodi noticed and quickly asked, “Is the food not to your liking, revered lady?”

Tonight’s dishes were stir-fried cabbage, braised tofu, and a fish in soy sauce.

Chen Zhaodi was anxious; earlier in the day, she had boasted to the villagers that the revered lady liked her cooking. If Bai Xi didn’t like it now, she’d have failed in her task.

If Bai Xi wasn’t pleased with today’s menu, she’d have to change it tomorrow. There were a few eggs left at home; she could fry some for the revered lady the next day.

With the recent sweet potato harvest, there was more grain at home, so giving eggs to the revered lady was no issue.

Bai Xi put down her chopsticks and spoke bluntly, “Didn’t you say the rice in the fields should be ready for harvest? Why hasn’t it been harvested yet?”

Chen Zhaodi quickly understood. “Revered lady, you want to eat rice?”

“Don’t you?” Bai Xi replied.

Chen Zhaodi swallowed and nodded, “Of course.”

Who wouldn’t? Freshly harvested rice carried a fragrant aroma, soft and slippery, whether boiled alone or with sweet potatoes, thick or thin, it was always delicious.

“I want it too, but the rice can’t be harvested yet.”

Seeing Bai Xi waiting for an explanation, Chen Zhaodi slowly said, “Revered lady, you may not know—these days the sky’s been overcast, and the wind is strong. It looks very likely to rain. After the rice is harvested, it must be threshed and dried for several days, or it won’t keep.”

“If it’s harvested and then rains so we can’t dry it, it’ll sprout and mildew. All the work of the past half-year would be wasted.”

Bai Xi understood immediately: sunshine was needed—it truly was a case of living by the whims of the weather.

The next two days, Bai Xi woke up, and before even descending the stairs, she would ask Xiao Hei, “Has the sun come out yet?”

She asked this for two days, and on the third morning, Bai Xi was awakened by sunlight streaming in.

However, the weather didn’t stay good; the sun lasted only half a day, and by afternoon the sky was overcast again.

Bai Xi saw the villagers, who had begun to prepare for harvest but stopped due to the gloomy weather, and couldn’t help but roll her eyes upward, grumbling, “What, do you intend to starve me?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a massive, muffled thunderclap echoed overhead, followed by two bolts of lightning.

Bai Xi wasn’t intimidated; after half a month without fine grains, she was already frustrated.

“Let me tell you, if you have the ability, starve me—I’ll just go home if I die of hunger.” She wasn’t one to be frightened.

Another thunderclap sounded, strangely cut short, and the lightning flickered briefly before vanishing.

Bai Xi didn’t pay much mind, only feeling bullied, her delicate, round face full of displeasure.

Xiao Hei, meanwhile, happened to catch sight of a shadowy figure in midair, but when it tried to look closer, it saw nothing. Puzzled, it dismissed it as a trick of the eyes.

Chen Zhaodi came to cook and saw Bai Xi puffed up with anger. She quickly asked with concern.

“I’m fine. It’s just that the sun didn’t come out, and I’m upset.”

“Uh…” Chen Zhaodi hesitated; she didn’t dare tell Bai Xi that the village chief had consulted several elderly, experienced villagers, who all said the air had grown much more humid in the past few days—if not tomorrow, then the day after, it would rain, and the rain would last for some time.

The village chief had just notified everyone that if it rained, every household must actively drain their fields.

The worry now was that torrential rain might topple the rice stalks; once they fell and were buried in the mud, they’d sprout within days.

“Revered lady, please don’t be angry. Wind and rain are decided by the heavens; we shouldn’t let it upset us.”

Bai Xi replied, “How can I not be angry? If I get really annoyed, I’ll…”

She left the rest unsaid. Chen Zhaodi didn’t hear, wanted to ask, but seeing Bai Xi storm upstairs in a huff, she looked at Xiao Hei, signaling it to comfort her, and then went to prepare the meal.