A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

Chapter 5 has other plans

Wutong looked at the dried meat in surprise: "Where did you get this?"

Nanxing said matter-of-factly, "It's from the storeroom. Don't you like to eat it? Here you go."

"Uh... this isn't a good idea."

While others drink porridge, they eat dried meat—that's such special treatment.

However, with only one bunch, there's no way to give one to everyone.

After thinking it over, Wutong took out a little bit and said, "Take these to Commandant Li."

Nanxing asked, "Why?"

"He's the boss." He's also in charge of the warehouse, so the dried meat is naturally under his jurisdiction.

Nanxing objected: "I got it especially for you."

Wutong said, "This is enough for me; I can't eat that much."

The two men pushed and shoved each other, neither willing to give in, when Lieutenant Li happened to walk by and, seeing what was happening, asked, "What are you two doing?"

Wutong immediately put down her bowl and stood up: "Commander Li."

Lieutenant Li waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be too reserved, and walked over.

Wutong grabbed the dried meat and said, "This is what I took from the storeroom the other day. I forgot to tell you. Do you think we should hand it over to the kitchen?"

Nanxing looked surprised, her eyes flashing.

Lieutenant Li glanced at it and said, "No need. There's only one, not enough for the whole army."

Wutong said, "Then you can eat it."

Lieutenant Li continued to shake his head, looking somewhat troubled.

Nanxing grabbed the jerky and stuffed it into her mouth: "I told you, you can just eat it."

Wutong tried to back away, but he still managed to stuff a few more into her.

Lieutenant Li suddenly said, "Wutong, come with me for a moment. General Abdo has something to tell you."

Wutong stopped what she was doing, looking confused, not knowing what he wanted to say.

She and Lieutenant Li walked into the tent one after the other, and Nanxing followed, saying, "I'll go too."

Lieutenant Li glanced back at him, a hint of impatience appearing on his usually composed face: "You stay here and keep watch."

Nanxing was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't expected the other party to order him around in such a tone.

Wutong quickly advised, "Just wait here. This is the army. You have to obey orders. Otherwise, we'll kick you out, understand?"

Nanxing snorted, kicked a stone, and sat cross-legged outside the tent.

Wutong lifted the curtain and went inside; Lieutenant Li was already standing in the center of the tent.

"Lieutenant Li, what does the general want to tell me?"

Why not tell her directly? Making it all so mysterious is making her a little nervous.

Lieutenant Li slowly turned his head: "You know where we're going this time, right?"

Wutong swallowed hard: "Yes."

Lieutenant Li said, "The general said that one more or one less person will make no difference in the fight against the flood. If you have something to do, you can go ahead and take care of it. After you're done, you can join us and return to Yuemen Pass together."

Wutong asked in surprise, "I don't have to go to fight the flood?"

Lieutenant Li nodded and said, "If you're willing, we can separate when we enter the Central Plains and then keep in touch by carrier pigeon. What do you think?"

The sycamore tree bowed its head, its mood somewhat complicated.

Abdo must already know she's a woman. He deliberately sent her out alone this time, probably to prevent others from finding out.

Does Commander Li know this?

Wutong glanced at him furtively, clearly unsure.

After thinking it over, she said, "Maybe... we shouldn't."

She really wanted to see Ruolan as soon as possible, but Zhoujia Village was very remote. She had been knocked unconscious and taken to a boat by human traffickers when she came out, and she didn't remember the way. Even if she went back to look for her now, she might not be able to find her. It was all a matter of luck.

Moreover, everyone came out to fight the flood, and she ran away to do her own personal things, which made her feel guilty.

Lieutenant Li was somewhat taken aback by her answer. He cleared his throat and said, "Don't rush to answer. Think about it yourself. We'll make a decision after we get to the Central Plains."

Wutong nodded: "That works too."

Lieutenant Li said, "Then I'll head back."

He lifted the curtain and went out. Nanxing looked up expectantly, but when she saw it was him, she immediately turned her head away.

Lieutenant Li smiled indifferently and walked to his tent.

Wutong came out too, and Nanxing's hope was rekindled. He grabbed her arm and asked, "What are you talking about? Tell me."

Wutong sat on the ground, propping her chin up with one hand, and blinked: "Nanxing, do you want to go help with flood relief or come back to our hometown with me?"

Nanxing replied without hesitation, "Wherever you go, I'll go."

His answer was exactly what she had guessed, and Wutong smiled.

"Let's eat, the porridge is getting cold."

Nanxing stood up and went to get her food, holding a piece of dried meat in her hand.

Halfway there, a person suddenly darted out of the darkness and snatched what he was holding from his hand like lightning.

"Wow! It's dried meat! Wutong, I knew you had good stuff, hehe..."

In the firelight, the man's large white teeth gleamed, and a gray pigeon perched on his shoulder, occasionally cooing.

Wutong's eyes widened: "Zhao Sanyang?"

Zhao Sanyang grinned at her, but before he could finish, Nanxing couldn't take it anymore, put down her bowl, and pounced on him like a leopard.

"Give me back my dried meat!"

"not return!"

"I beat you to death!"

"Ouch!"

The two women were locked in a tangle of wrestling. Wutong tried to persuade them a few times, but no one paid any attention to her. So she had no choice but to pick up her bowl and watch the commotion while drinking her porridge.

Since that night, Zhao Sanyang would come and wander around their tent every time they set up camp to rest.

He was growing rapidly and had a big appetite, so he was never full after each meal and had to go out at night to find food.

Nanxing hadn't taken much dried meat in the first place, saving it for Wutong to enjoy. After several trips, the dried meat stock was almost gone.

He hated Zhao Sanyang to the core, and would beat him up whenever he saw him; he was ruthless and vicious.

Zhao Sanyang was also a tough guy. Every time he was beaten, he would scream and run away, only to come back the next day as if nothing had happened.

Wutong was happy to watch from the sidelines; with these two lively characters, even the arduous journey became much more interesting.

After traveling for about ten days, the weather got hotter and hotter, and the scenery around us changed from a desolate border region to a lush and fertile field.

After passing a major fork in the road, Lieutenant Li, mounted on his horse, gazed into the distance and said, "We've arrived in the Central Plains."

Wutong's heartstrings were tugged.

Now that she's reached the Central Plains, should she travel alone? The answer should be given by now...

She imitated Li Duwei's posture, looking into the distance, trying to see the road ahead clearly.

She came from the Central Plains, and the people of Zhoujia Village were all proper people from the Central Plains, with no foreign blood whatsoever.

But the scene before her was completely unfamiliar, and she could only choose each step and each path based on her intuition.

Whether it was her imagination or not, at the very edge of the distant horizon, there seemed to be a silver line shimmering in the sunlight.

After she rubbed her eyes and looked closely, the thread was gone again.

End of this chapter