Xiao Jun saw the adults chatting and pulled Xiao Lian to play together.
The two walked to the banyan tree near the shed and sat on the exposed aerial roots.
Xiao Jun took a pink candy ball from his pocket and said,
"Sister Xiao Lian, open your mouth, I have something delicious for you."
"What is it?"
Xiao Lian obediently opened her mouth.
Along the way, she had become very familiar with Xiao Jun and had opened up, willing to play with him.
Xiao Jun put the candy into Xiao Lian's mouth and said,
"It's candy, is it delicious?"
"Ah? It's so sweet, it's so delicious, where did it come from?"
"Young Master Gu gave it to me."
Xiao Jun, feeling delighted, also put a candy in his mouth.
It was really sweet!
The two sat on the aerial roots, their short legs dangling in the air, swaying back and forth.
After much hesitation, Gui Xiang steeled her heart and made a pot of cured meat and rice, as He Hua had suggested, for Xiao Jun.
Poor son, he had barely eaten a full meal all the way. If he didn't get his body replenished, he wouldn't grow tall.
Seeing the generous treatment in Fenghuang Village, Gui Xiang gradually gained confidence.
Gui Xiang cut half a piece of cured meat, then sliced it into thin pieces the size of a palm, and spread them over the rice, letting it simmer slowly over low heat.
When the aroma of rice and cured meat wafted out together, it was truly the most irresistible call in the world.
Xiao Jun appeared by the stove at some point, drooling and saying,
"Mom, I smell meat."
"Look at you, you're so unpromising, your saliva is about to spray out."
Gui Xiang smiled and wiped his mouth.
"Mom, is it cooked yet? Can we eat?"
"Wait a moment longer, let it simmer longer to absorb the flavor."
Gui Xiang removed the high heat, leaving only the charcoal fire to continue simmering the rice.
The flavor of the cured meat and rice was so rich and fragrant that by the time she opened the pot, Xiao Jun was already waiting with a bowl.
"Eat, there's more after this. I used a pound of rice and half a piece of meat!"
Since Gui Xiang had decided to make rice, she might as well let her son eat his fill.
Xiao Jun ate two large bowls of rice and five palm-sized pieces of cured meat this time, eating so much that he could barely walk.
Just as the mother and son finished breakfast, it suddenly started to rain lightly.
"Quick, get into the shed, be careful not to catch a cold. This is terrible, I haven't seen rain in years, and it's raining now?"
He Hua shouted from the side.
She quickly tidied up the stove and covered the places that needed to be sheltered from the rain with oilcloth.
Seeing that Gui Xiang and her son hadn't finished tidying up, He Hua stepped forward to help them cover them with oilcloth, especially the stone chest where the grain was stored.
"Mom, is this rain?"
Xiao Jun exclaimed excitedly.
He had only seen snow since he was born, and had never seen rain. Perhaps it had rained when he was two or three years old, but he had no memory of it, so this was the first time he had seen rain in his memory.
"This is rain, indeed. It's also called rootless water."
Gui Xiang quickly explained.
"Look how happy the child is." He Hua also sighed with emotion.
Seeing the rain drizzle from a light shower to a small rain, Gui Xiang gratefully said to He Hua,
"You should go and take shelter from the rain too, don't catch a cold."
"Alright!"
Everyone took shelter in their respective sheds.
The children were happy, while the adults watched the outside of the sheds with worry, fearing that the rain would be too heavy, the sheds would leak, and the children would catch a cold.
Gu Qingcheng was eating eight-treasure rice made with rice cakes and said, shaking her head:
"Mi Guo, your cooking has become more and more delicious. It's Michelin-level, almost five-star craftsmanship!"
Mi Guo asked, "Are there any stars above five? Which star is the highest?"
"Five stars is the highest." Gu Qingcheng said.
Mi Guo was satisfied to hear this.
Seeing how much he cared, Gu Qingcheng laughed and said,
"When the village is established, we'll open a restaurant for everyone to taste your cooking."
"That's a good idea, I'll be the head chef."
Mi Guo actually didn't like hunting or farming either. When he heard Gu Qingcheng say this, his eyes lit up.
Gu Qingcheng saw his expression and knew she had struck a chord with Mi Guo.
As they were talking and laughing, Mi Guo looked up at the courtyard and exclaimed,
"Sister, it's raining."
It had been snowing before, and now it had suddenly turned to rain?
Gu Qingcheng was momentarily stunned before realizing that the weather had changed.
She quickly checked the thermometer in the system. Good heavens, it was 13 degrees, the temperature had risen again.
However, Gu Qingcheng was an athlete after all. They say athletes are carefree because they exercise more, secrete more endorphins, and therefore don't get depressed.
At this moment, Gu Qingcheng fully displayed the characteristic of an athlete's large heart and said with a smile,
"I'll go and see the village. Many people are still living in sheds. I'm worried about not being able to cope."
"Sister, you don't have any rain gear. Wait until the rain stops before you go, don't catch a cold," Mi Guo said.
Gu Qingcheng thought for a moment, then went to the Mountain Cat Supermarket. She searched and indeed found oil-paper umbrellas in the ethnic traditional goods store.
The oil-paper umbrellas had bamboo handles and frames, and oiled paper as the canopy. Even if the craftsmanship was a bit modern, people wouldn't be able to tell.
She bought two oil-paper umbrellas and handed them to Mi Guo, saying,
"With an umbrella, you won't get wet."
"Wow, this umbrella is so beautiful!"
Mi Guo was amazed.
He had only seen straw capes before, made of palm leaves and bark, which were incredibly heavy to wear.
He never expected such beautiful rain gear to exist!
Along the way, Mi Guo kept playing with the oil-paper umbrella, finding it very interesting.
Gu Qingcheng considered that with the rain and the rise in temperature, it was a suitable time for sowing. So, the siblings first found Liu Ding and explained the sowing matters to him.
When she saw Liu Ding, Gu Qingcheng was startled, as Liu Ding had dark circles under his eyes and looked weak and tired.
Gu Qingcheng asked apologetically,
"Uncle Liu, is it that the work I assigned you is too heavy and you don't have time to rest?"
"No, Young Master Gu, I can't sleep at night."
Liu Ding felt too embarrassed to say that he was tired because he couldn't sleep from longing.
Gu Qingcheng then said,
"If that's the case, I'll have someone go up the mountain to collect some calming herbs. Let Mei Xiang help you brew them into medicine. You'll sleep better if you take some medicine."
"Thank you, Young Master Gu." Liu Ding scratched his head.
Gu Qingcheng said, "The climate is suitable recently, and it has rained. We should start sowing the fields."
"Okay, it's about time for millet too. The fields we've been storing water in are almost ready, so we can start cultivating seeds," Liu Ding said. "I'll have people plant sweet potatoes and potatoes this afternoon."
"Alright," Gu Qingcheng said. "I'll have the bamboo craftsman weave some straw capes to keep everyone dry. In the evening, let Mei Xiang brew some brown sugar ginger tea. After you finish working, everyone can go to her to get some brown sugar ginger tea."
After leaving Liu Ding, Gu Qingcheng went to instruct the bamboo craftsman A San to weave more straw capes, which would be useful if it kept raining.
A San was very interested in the oil-paper umbrella Gu Qingcheng had, his eyes shining. He said,
"Young Master Gu, your umbrella is very exquisite. I've never seen anything like it before. Could you let me observe it for a while longer? I'd like to try to make this kind of umbrella too."
Gu Qingcheng left her oil-paper umbrella with A San.