Chapter 44: Storing Water

Leng Tian remained unmoved. “Impossible. What would happen to the house if you both came along? What about sister-in-law? Besides, Eldest Brother said that once we earn some silver, we’ll buy horses and come back! I’ll build a horse pen in the next couple of days. You two need to stay home and gather grass—not just for this winter, but for next year as well.”

By the time Leng Tian finished the first part, his two younger brothers had already calmed down.

Even if they could disregard the house, they couldn’t disregard sister-in-law!

Leaving sister-in-law alone at home—not only would Eldest Brother be uneasy, but they absolutely couldn’t bring themselves to do it either.

When they heard that horses would be bought later, Leng Chen was fine, but Leng Yun was overjoyed, already imagining himself riding a horse. He nodded eagerly and happily promised, “I’ll take charge of gathering grass—not just for this winter, but for next year too, all at once!”

Tomorrow, he would go gather grass!

The courtyard was noisy and lively. In the kitchen, Wen Nuan Nuan listened, a smile gradually spreading across her lips.

The warmth of everyday life—it truly brought peace to her heart.

For dinner, Wen Nuan Nuan kept it simple.

In the pot, she sautéed scallions and garlic until fragrant, then added thinly sliced pork belly and stir-fried until both sides were lightly browned. Next, she added chopped fresh Chinese cabbage, seasoned it with salt, soy sauce, and a few small chili peppers, and stir-fried until cooked. She ladled in several large scoops of water, then added rice cakes and glutinous rice cakes to simmer together.

In another pot, she fried eight golden-brown sunny-side-up eggs.

In this way, a simple and quick dinner with meat, vegetables, eggs, and staple food was ready.

Paired with the generously filled beef chili sauce, the four of them ate their fill and felt satisfied.

The three little ones couldn’t have been more content.

The two younger ones took advantage of the remaining daylight to clear the dishes and wash them in the kitchen.

“Eldest Brother, draw some well water. I want to see how many barrels we can store,” Wen Nuan Nuan said quietly after the two younger ones had entered the kitchen.

Leng Tian immediately understood. If there was a drought next year, they would need to store water this year. That was also why he had told his younger brothers to gather as much grass as possible, aiming to prepare enough fodder for the horses next year as well.

“Alright!” Leng Tian quickly walked to the well in the courtyard and drew up a large wooden bucket of water in a few swift motions.

Each time Leng Tian drew a bucket of water, Wen Nuan Nuan reached out and touched it, and the water naturally transferred into the second storage area.

After more than twenty buckets of water, Wen Nuan Nuan said with confusion, “That’s strange.”

“What’s wrong?” Leng Tian asked, seeing the disbelief on his sister-in-law’s face.

“Eldest Brother, is there a stream or river nearby?” Each storage area in the storage room didn’t seem very large, so how could more than twenty large buckets of water not fill up one area?!

Wen Nuan Nuan checked the first storage area again, where fresh hazel mushrooms, chestnuts, walnuts, and pears were stored.

To her surprise, the area that had originally been packed full now looked almost empty!

Wen Nuan Nuan was stunned for a moment.

A guess flashed through her mind!

Could it be that the constant ding-ding notifications she had heard in the mountains weren’t indicating an increase in quantity, but rather an expansion in capacity?

Heavens, this was too good to be true!

Happiness had come too quickly—she could hardly believe it.

“There’s a river to the left front of our house. The water is very clear, and it’s not far—just a few steps away.

In the past, people from the village often went there to wash clothes and vegetables, but this year, with less rain, fewer households go,” Leng Tian replied, not understanding her question.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go quickly before it gets completely dark,” Wen Nuan Nuan suppressed the excitement in her heart, eager to go and test whether her guess was correct.

After informing the two younger ones, the two of them hurried toward the river.

After walking for over ten minutes, Wen Nuan Nuan deeply doubted whether this was what Eldest Brother meant by ‘just a few steps away’?

If this wasn’t considered far, then would it only count as far if they had to walk for several hours?

While muttering to herself, Wen Nuan Nuan suddenly heard Eldest Brother say, “We’re here!”

Under the hazy moonlight, she could indeed see a river. Though not wide, it was quite deep.

A river nestled in a mountain hollow naturally couldn’t be very wide.

Fortunately, the water was as exceptionally clear as Eldest Brother had described.

“The source of this river is mountain spring water, even sweeter than well water. When the villagers have free time, they don’t mind the effort of coming here to fetch water for cooking.”

Hearing it was spring water, Wen Nuan Nuan grew even more excited.

This was perfect—pure, natural, and pollution-free. She could simply take it out on the road, boil it, and drink it. How convenient!

“Sister-in-law, there’s a flat, large stone here used for washing vegetables. Step on it to avoid falling into the river,” Leng Tian called out.

Wen Nuan Nuan cheerfully stepped onto the stone, carefully looking around in all directions to ensure no one was nearby before reaching her hand down into the river water.

She could clearly feel the water rushing into the second storage area, continuously pouring in without pause!

Yet, even after a long while, when she had to lower her hand further into the river, the second storage area still wasn’t full!

Was it a bottomless pit?

Wen Nuan Nuan thought happily.

But whether it was a bottomless pit or not didn’t matter, because with the amount of water stored so far, she felt it was already enough for the five of them to use on the road next year!

Not just for drinking—it might even be enough for an occasional bath.

After a long while, when she could faintly sense shimmering water ripples in the second storage area, Wen Nuan Nuan withdrew her hand and said joyfully, “Eldest Brother, it seems my treasure has expanded. It can store a lot of water, so we won’t have to worry about water next year.”

“That’s wonderful!” Leng Tian was even more excited than Wen Nuan Nuan. “Eldest Brother even considered whether to send us to Jingcheng first, but he was worried about the safety of the four of us on the road. Now, with no water worries, Eldest Brother won’t have to blame himself. He can wait peacefully until after the provincial examination in August before we all set off together!”

Wen Nuan Nuan was stunned. She had guessed that Eldest Brother would tell Leng Xiao about the possible drought. After all, Leng Xiao was the backbone of the three little ones. No matter the time, place, or situation, they would always tell Leng Xiao, trusting him wholeheartedly, obeying him absolutely, and never hiding anything from him.

When she read about this in books before, she had thought it was just a setting for the male protagonist’s halo.

Now, experiencing it firsthand, she believed Leng Xiao truly deserved the three little ones’ complete trust and absolute obedience!

After all, from his parents above to his three younger brothers and this family below, Leng Xiao had undoubtedly given the most without a single complaint.

What she hadn’t expected was that Leng Xiao had already considered sending them away to another place to take refuge.

He couldn’t leave Tongcheng himself due to the provincial examination, yet he prioritized whether to send them away.

If he weren’t worried about the safety of the four of them on the road, he probably wouldn’t have hesitated at all.

Was this also the reason he insisted on buying horses, and good ones at that?

Compared to Leng Xiao, Wen Nuan Nuan felt somewhat ashamed.

After all, she hadn’t thought about avoiding the drought early by going to Jingcheng. Apart from having grown attached to the three little ones and being reluctant to leave them, it was mostly because she wanted to cling to their golden thighs, seeking a powerful and influential backer for her future.

Compared to them, her feelings were far from pure.

They genuinely appreciated her, treated her well, protected her, and cared for her.

Yet she, with her utilitarian motives and her own calculations.

Now, even Leng Xiao, whom she had only met once, was considering her well-being. Regardless of whether it stemmed from the agreement between them, he was already doing his utmost to protect her.

She truly was fortunate to have met the four of them.

Four family members.