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

Her hand holding the envelope trembled. She swallowed hard and mustered her courage to stop the car and open the letter when a loud bang came from the left rear of the car, like a giant firecracker exploding, and even the air vibrated.

Once the sound disappeared, the car noticeably tilted to the left, and the women inside also tilted to the left.

Shan had never traveled far from home and rarely rode in a car, so he was completely bewildered. Holding his frightened snake, he asked, "What happened? Could someone be planning to bomb us?"

Wutong stuffed the letter into his bosom, smiled bitterly, opened the car door, and jumped out.

"The car has a flat tire. You stay here while I change the tire."

"A tire blowout? What's a tire blowout? Let me see."

Shan placed the snake cage on the car seat, warned them to behave, and then followed them down.

The two men went to the back of the car and examined the left tire, which was indeed completely flat.

Wutong had once escorted a shipment and knew that due to technological limitations, tires in those days were far less sturdy and durable than modern ones; even a slightly sharp stone on the road could cause a tire to burst.

Fortunately, each vehicle carries a spare tire, and new tires are available for purchase at rest stops along the way, making it convenient to change tires.

She squatted down beside the tire, carefully inspected it, pulled out a stone embedded in it, clapped her hands, and said to the mountain path:

"Get in the car and wait while I change a new tire."

Shan wouldn't agree; he insisted on standing by and helping her. Even if he couldn't help, just watching was good enough.

Wutong couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she just went about her work.

Changing a tire is a physically demanding task. The blacksmiths on Haoshan Mountain made a jack based on the blueprints transmitted from the racing machine, but it was not as good as a modern one. The vehicle was also made entirely of iron and was extremely heavy.

Wutong gritted his teeth, veins bulging at his temples, before he could shove the jack in and barely manage to lift the car up.

Shan came in handy, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief, feeding her water, and asking with concern, "Are you sure you don't need my help? I'm very strong."

Wutong waved her hand, signaling her to step back.

Before she could even stand up straight, she saw her lift a tire out of the trunk and throw it on the ground, sending dust flying.

After resting for a while, Wutong started changing the tire. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a strange figure flashing by in the distant woods, and she stopped in her tracks.

"what happened?"

The mountain asked.

Wutong looked closely, but the figure had already disappeared; it seemed that what she had just witnessed was merely a hallucination.

She shook her head, looked away, and flicked her hand, saying, "It's nothing, my hand just cramped up."

Shan, who was watching anxiously from the side, snatched the tire from her hand and pushed her aside.

"You take a break, I'll do it."

Since she was so determined, Wutong had no choice but to stand by and direct her, teaching her how to press it on.

It felt as if there were eyes watching her from behind, making her feel uneasy.

It took the two quite a bit of effort to install the new tire, and they put the old tire back in the trunk so they could exchange it for some money and buy a new tire when they came across a rest stop.

Shantou changed the tire smoothly on his first try and was quite proud. Sitting in his chair, he said, "It'll be a long drive to Phoenix City, right? Why don't you teach me how to drive, Sister Wutong? That way I can take over for you when you're tired."

Wutong nodded, gripped the steering wheel, and said, "Okay, hold on tight."

"Sit tight?"

She didn't answer, but stepped on the gas, and the car sped away.

Shan looked out the window at the rapidly receding scenery and cried out in alarm.

"Ah...why are you suddenly driving so fast...ahhh, why aren't you walking, why are you driving uphill...oh my god, it's too fast, please stop..."

The sudden increase in speed made her feel like she was about to be thrown out. She gripped the seat tightly with both hands, and the things in the trunk were rattling and clanging. She didn't know if anything had been broken.

Wutong could clearly hear her voice, but as if he had been injected with adrenaline, he pressed the accelerator repeatedly and drove wherever the road was steep.

Shan shouted until his voice was hoarse, then finally shut his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a car following him a few hundred meters behind.

"Sister Wutong, is someone following us?"

She realized what was happening and asked Wutong.

Wutong nodded and increased the car's speed a bit more.

Shan then understood why she had sped up, and he was no longer afraid. Instead, he raised his fist to cheer her on.

"Hurry! They're catching up... Oh dear, they're getting closer... Great! It seems they've taken the wrong road!"

The two cars raced against time on the steep mountain road, and finally Wutong managed to shake off its pursuers and drive onto the main road.

She dared not stop, maintaining a steady speed forward, and stuck her head out to look back.

The space behind it was empty.

Shan said, "Don't worry, I just saw them. They went around to another road and are probably still circling around. They won't be able to catch up."

Wutong breathed a sigh of relief and rolled up the car window.

Shan then asked, "Who are those people?"

She shook her head.

"Could they have been sent by the prince? We're driving in front, and they're protecting us from behind... Wow, just thinking about it is so touching."

Wutong scoffed.

"Even if he sent them, it was for surveillance, not protection. Anyway, now that we've shaken them off, we need to be more careful in the future and make sure they don't follow us again."

Shan agreed, picked up his snake cage, and peered inside through the crack.

Fearing inconvenience while on the road, she fed the two snakes before leaving. A full meal of these creatures can last for half a month, so she doesn't have to worry about what they eat anymore. Right now, they are resting in their cage.

Wutong was originally very wary of venomous snakes, but after spending a long time with the mountains, she gradually got used to their presence and even vaguely saw something cute about their black heads.

She glanced at them a few times, then continued driving with focus, but felt a void in her heart, as if she had forgotten something.

What exactly happened...?

Phoenix, the Royal Palace.

The group moved through the corridor. Only the leader wore a plain blue robe and a jade crown, while the others were all dressed in brocade robes and adorned with red and green.

A woman tripped over her overly long skirt, and the others rushed to help her up.

"Hurry up! You can't even walk properly. I really don't know how you serve people on a daily basis."

The old man in blue turned around and cursed, and everyone hurriedly followed, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a sound.

After passing through another corridor, they finally arrived at a palace.

There were guards standing watch outside, but they didn't stop the old man. He walked in with his entourage, as if no one was there.

The main hall was lit with many candles, which made the palace shine with a golden brilliance, as if it were a palace forged from gold.

In the center of the vast hall, there was a low table.

A tall, dark-skinned figure sat behind a low table, flipping through the memorials on it.

The flickering candlelight illuminated the mask on his face, revealing his narrow, cold eyes and sharply angled eyebrows that exuded an imposing aura.

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