After leaving the Zhang family house, Jiho faced a food problem due to expensive prices during the drought. Pondering this, she developed a headache. Having endured childhood starvation, Jiho was determined not to compromise on food. After contemplating for a while, she strolled outside the village to the mountain, where she discovered something that made her eyes light up.
"Jiho's heart raced as she raced across the sprawling field, her footsteps kicking up dust in her wake. With each stride, anticipation coursed through her veins, urging her onward toward an unknown destination. As she reached the edge of the field, she skidded to a halt, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"What am I thinking?" she whispered aloud, her voice barely audible over the rush of wind in her ears. But something deep within her urged her forward, propelling her toward the earth below. With a determined expression, she knelt down and plunged her hands into the soil, her fingers curling around something solid.
As she pulled it from the earth, her hands trembled with a mixture of fear and excitement. What could it be? With bated breath, she gazed upon her discovery, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"This..." Jiho murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper as she lifted the object into the fading light. "It's a sweet potato ༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽."
Her heart pounding, Jiho glanced around, her eyes scanning the horizon for signs of life. But there was nothing, only the vast expanse of the field stretching out before her. With a resigned sigh, she turned her attention back to the sweet potato in her hand, its rough skin warm against her palm.
Suppressing a surge of overwhelming emotion, Jiho gathered up her discovery and set off toward home. With each step, the weight of her find settled heavier upon her shoulders, a burden and a blessing all at once.
Arriving home, Jiho carefully placed the sweet potatoes in the kitchen, their presence a silent testament to the mysteries of the universe. Despite the warmth of the mid-autumn day, she felt a chill settle over her as she stepped into a cold bath, the shock of the water a stark reminder of how weak heg body is now..
Emerging from the bath, Jiho shivered intensely. "Why do I always feel like a fragile little bird after your baths? Can't you make me as strong as a panda?, You damn oldman" she joked, her teeth chattering loudly.
With a dramatic sigh, she concluded, "Oh well, time to get back to work!" and away, leaving a trail of wet footprints and exaggerated shivers behind her.
"First, I need firewood," she muttered to herself as she headed out.
As she made fire, Jiho gave herself a self-mocking smile.
'I should thank the Ji family for locking me into the hut or how can I know cooking and lighting this ancient stove.'
As the fire started, she put the pot of water to boil. After a while, her porridge and baked sweet potatoes were ready.
She finished her food with dissatisfaction and promised to treat herself to a bigger feast.
*SIGH*
After eating, she went through the original owner's memory and found people here lived by cultivating paddy fields, growing millet, corn, potatoes, and other vegetables, and also raising livestock. But, of course, not every household can afford to buy and own a lot of land, so not all villagers' lives were this prosperous. The original owner's parents also had many fields that they had rented out. What was shocking was more than twenty-five mu of land where more than fifteen were top-grade land and eight middle-grade while three low-grade lands; more than half of it was rented, which rent has not been paid back yet.
"Haa, looks like the original owner's parents were really smart. As for these renters..."
As she rolled up her sleeves, an evil smile formed on her face.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo." As Jiho heard the rooster's voice, she opened the door with a victorious smile on her face, and looked toward the sky.
"It's time to collect the debt."
As she walked into the village and passed by villagers, many men and women stared at her.
As a man walked past her, he turned around. His eyes reflected a fair-colored woman with dark black hair and shining amber eyes, and her red lips looked like they were painted with the sunset. In scholarly attire, she looked just like a noblewoman, making not only men but women blush.
Ignorance of her presence already caused a ruckus in the village. She walked toward the first house and knocked on the door.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Who?" a man's voice echoed from within. As the door creaked open, his eyes fell upon a strikingly beautiful girl standing before him, rendering him momentarily speechless as he found himself captivated by her presence.
"You..." Uncle Cheng's expression twisted with a mix of surprise and apprehension as he struggled to find the right words.
But Jiho, ever perceptive, caught the flicker of thoughts crossing his face, and she couldn't help but smile knowingly as she lifted her hand in a gesture of greeting.
"Hello, Uncle Cheng," Jiho's voice broke through his reverie, drawing him back to reality.
"Oh, Jiho, what do you want?" Uncle Cheng's expression soured as he recognized her, his initial awe giving way to irritation at her unexpected visit.
"I want my land rent that you took," Jiho declared, her eyes burning with determination as she confronted him.
"I don't have money right now; come back later," he replied, attempting to dismiss her with a carefree tone as he moved to close the door.
But Jiho wasn't having it. With swift determination, she grabbed the door before it could shut completely, her grip firm as she repeated, "Rent."
The tension in the room escalated as Uncle Cheng, surprised by the unexpected turn of events, rushed forward.
"Village chief, what are you..." he began, only to be interrupted by Jiho's solemn voice.
"I called him here," she announced, her voice steady despite the emotion evident in her eyes as she dropped to her knees, performing a kowtow.
"Village chief, I plead with you to do justice for this poor girl," she implored, tears streaming down her cheeks, her plea echoing through the stunned silence that had fallen over the room.
The onlookers, who had been following the village chief out of mere curiosity, were now taken aback by the intensity of the scene unfolding before them, their expressions shifting from amusement to concern as they realized the gravity of the situation.
(If you appreciate it, kindly share your thoughts. I value your opinions.).
(If you appreciate it, kindly share your thoughts. I value your opinions.)