Bai Sheng went to inspect the barren land that Hengheng had dug out, and it was indeed a square field, with no wasted land.
"That's great, Hengheng, you really are the most capable pig in the world!" Bai Sheng was never stingy with her praise for Hengheng's excellent performance, showering it with as much flattery as she could, as Hengheng loved it very much.
Hearing his owner's praise, Hengheng became ecstatic, oinking and squealing non-stop, its pig tail wagging so fast it looked like it would break.
Bai Sheng looked at the land, wondering what kind of crops to plant.
Planting rice was too tedious and troublesome; planting corn would mean only eating corn cobs and corn paste, making the diet too monotonous; planting potatoes was easy to get tired of... it was better to plant wheat. Just scatter the seeds and wait for the harvest, and with versatile flour-based dishes, they could have a variety of meals.
She had to hurry and get some wheat seeds.
They had finished the last bit of their food reserves at noon today. Even if they sowed wheat seeds, it would take a week to harvest. What would they eat in these five to six days?
Tonight, they could make do with wild vegetables dressed in cold sauce. If they had to eat wild vegetables every day from now on, Bai Sheng felt her face would turn green.
Alas, she longed for white flour steamed buns and rice, and she longed for meat!
As Bai Sheng was daydreaming about delicious food, she looked up and saw Lu Ye walking over.
"Are your parents' bodies settled?" Bai Sheng asked.
"Mhm," Lu Ye nodded. "When I have time later, I'll build a small house."
"Okay, take your time," Bai Sheng smiled. "Lu Ye, do you... have any way to get some wheat seeds? Hengheng has already cleared a piece of barren land. As long as we have seeds, once planted, the grain will mature in seven days."
Lu Ye knew about the existence of the spatial dimension and had seen Bai Sheng talking to a pig, so he was already immune to the curious fact that crops could mature in six to seven days. He frowned and thought for a moment, "There's a jade piece hidden in the house, it belonged to my mother. After we move tomorrow, I'll go to town to pawn it for some money, and then buy some grain seeds."
Bai Sheng nodded. Although it felt bad to pawn her mother-in-law's belongings, that's all they could do for now. They would redeem it when they had money later.
"Bai Sheng," Lu Ye looked at Bai Sheng, his gaze filled with determination. "These next few days, I'll go out hunting. Don't worry, I'm here, and I'll find a way to support you all."
Bai Sheng met Lu Ye's gaze, her cheeks suddenly burning, and a sentence popped into her mind involuntarily, "Mhm, I believe you!"
Hengheng stood by, tilting its pig face, looking from one to the other, its heart growing more worried for its master.
That foolish man had a truly handsome face. Although he looked very thin now, he was tall, with perfect bone structure. If he gained some weight, he would be like Pan An reincarnated.
But what about its poor master?
Oh dear, she couldn't bear to look!
Standing next to him, it was like comparing a cloud in the sky to mud on the ground!
Its master was the mud!
Hengheng couldn't help but express its concern for Bai Sheng, "Master, can you soak in the spiritual spring more often? At least groom yourself a bit."
Bai Sheng came back to her senses, glared at Hengheng, and replied in her mind, "Your master needs to stay alive first. If she's not alive, what good is grooming?!"
Alright, Hengheng nodded, that made sense.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye dug up a lot of wild vegetables in the space. After washing them, they took them out.
The three younger siblings were already organizing their belongings. Because the straw curtains of Lu Ye and Bai Sheng's "room" were tightly tied, and Lu Hua was keeping watch, the two younger brothers dared not disturb their elder brother and sister-in-law, so no one saw Bai Sheng and Lu Ye appear out of thin air in their room.
Lu Ye helped pack, while Bai Sheng went to the kitchen to dress the wild vegetables.
Even as cold-dressed wild vegetables, the three children ate them with great relish. These green, tender vegetables were simply a delicacy!
They didn't know where their elder brother and sister-in-law got so many vegetables from, but their eldest brother didn't allow them to ask, so they didn't. As long as there was food, it was fine!
After dinner, Lu Ye took his worn-out dagger and went out, saying he was going hunting.
Before leaving, he repeatedly cautioned Bai Sheng to stay at home honestly and never go out.
Bai Sheng gave him repeated assurances, and only then did Lu Ye leave with peace of mind.
The desert had been dry for so long, the plants had withered, and animals were even harder to find. Bai Sheng thought Lu Ye might come back empty-handed. However, she couldn't hurt a man's pride in his determination to provide for his family.
With no men in the house, Bai Sheng gathered the children in her room, tied the straw curtains both inside and out, and placed the worn kitchen knife by her pillow.
Now, the entire village regarded their family as a thorn in their side, and it was inevitable that some would have malicious intentions and take advantage of their misfortune. Moreover, Lu Ye had said that in many places, people had already started eating human flesh...
Bai Sheng dared not close her eyes.
Her younger siblings had already fallen asleep. Moonlight streamed through a few gaps in the roof, illuminating the room. Bai Sheng waited for a long time but Lu Ye did not return. She felt drowsy and had to sit up, forcing herself to keep her eyes open.
After an indeterminate amount of time, there was a rustling sound outside the makeshift hut. It shouldn't be rats; the rats in Huangsha Village had long been eaten.
Bai Sheng initially wanted to call out to see if Lu Ye had returned, but she was afraid that if it wasn't Lu Ye but a villain, it would expose Lu Ye's absence.
She picked up the kitchen knife, gripped it tightly, then tiptoed to remove the straw curtain of the room and crept towards the straw curtain of the main hall.
Before she could reach the door, there was a loud bang, and huge flames erupted from all around the hut, illuminating the entire house as brightly as day.
Not good, it's on fire!
No, it must be someone deliberately setting the fire to burn them to death! Otherwise, the fire wouldn't have started all around the house at the same time!
No time to think!
Bai Sheng immediately turned and ran back to the room, shaking her three younger siblings vigorously.
"Hua Yunyu! Wake up! Wake up! The house is on fire!"
Lu Hua and Lu Yun opened their eyes, saw the flames outside the hut, and scrambled to their feet in panic.
Lu Yu, though awake, was still groggy, sitting there rubbing his eyes.
Bai Sheng scooped up Lu Yu and shouted at Lu Hua and Lu Yun, "Don't take anything! Follow me and rush out!"
By then, the flames were intensifying, spreading to the roof. Burning wooden poles and dry grass began to fall.
Bai Sheng, holding Lu Yu, with Lu Hua and Lu Yun closely following behind, tried to rush out through the main hall entrance.
To her surprise, a pile of dry firewood was stacked at the entrance, and the fire burned even fiercer!
Damn it! Someone clearly wanted to burn them alive! Bai Sheng was furious!
She forced herself to calm down. She needed to find a weaker exit to escape!
She led the children back into the room. By now, half of the roof had collapsed, and the surroundings were filled with furiously burning dry grass and wood.
Lu Yu cried in fear, while Lu Hua and Lu Yun coughed incessantly.
Bai Sheng didn't want to expose her spatial dimension until the last moment. Gritting her teeth, enduring the scorching pain from her feet, she kicked a hole in the burning wall of the hut. She then used all her strength to throw Lu Yu out first, and then pushed Lu Hua and Lu Yun out.
Covering her mouth and nose, she was about to rush out when the entire hut collapsed with a roar, and in an instant, she was buried in the flames.