By the time Yaohua had turned over all the thatch in the field, dried it, and finished all these tasks, it was already evening.
Following the instructions of Fairy Ziying, Yaohua then laid all the thatch back on the field to prevent the newly - survived rice seedlings from freezing to death due to the low temperature at night.
On the way back, Yaohua was so exhausted that her hands and legs were trembling.
Back in Shenzhou, with the blessing of her spiritual power and the protection of her fathers and brothers, she had never done so much farm work.
"Are you tired?"
Yaohua nodded listlessly.
She was really worn out.
If there was a bed in front of her right now, she would lie down on it without hesitation.
When they reached the small courtyard, Fairy Ziying covered her mouth and laughed. "The northern villages are filled with battles and killings. If you went there, you might not be this tired."
Originally, Yaohua was still feeling exhausted, but at these words, she immediately perked up.
"Fairy, don't make fun of me. I'm new here and don't know anyone. With my small build, if I went to the north, I'd probably be torn to pieces long ago."
She was still young and wasn't going to do anything suicidal.
"Then you should get used to it quickly. I'll come to wake you up an hour earlier tomorrow. Go back and rest quickly."
An hour earlier?
Yaohua felt dizzy and suddenly thought that life seemed hopeless.
The next day, there were still stars twinkling in the sky. It was still pitch - black, but the snow on the ground reflected a silvery glow, allowing Yaohua to barely make out the fox in front of her.
No, it was Fairy Ziying.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Fairy Ziying smiled and dragged out a large pile of bamboo strips from behind. "Come on, from today on, your task is to weave bamboo mats."
Yaohua stared blankly. Since she hadn't had enough sleep, her mind was muddled, and she couldn't react to anything. Hearing Fairy Ziying's words, she just let out a dull "ah".
Fairy Ziying reached out her hand and waved it in front of Yaohua's eyes. She said with a bit of regret, "Can't take it already? Why are the new generation of the Phoenix Clan so unable to endure training?"
Then, Yaohua saw her suddenly bend down and grab a handful of snow from the ground.
The posture and movement were so familiar that Yaohua shivered and woke up before the snow even hit her face.
Fairy Ziying still seemed a bit regretful. "Awake? Then go wash up by yourself. You don't have to if you don't want to."
Looking at the bamboo strips in front of her, Yaohua took a deep breath.
"Is there any possibility... that I don't know how to weave bamboo mats?"
"No such possibility." Fairy Ziying showed that fox - like smile again. "I'll only demonstrate once. Watch carefully. If you can't learn, you can get out of the village."
After saying that, she sighed regretfully. "I've given you a chance. If you can't seize it, don't blame me for being heartless."
Yaohua opened her mouth, thinking that this requirement was extremely harsh.
But Fairy Ziying didn't give her any room to refute. She just bent down, picked up several bamboo strips, and started weaving quickly.
Almost in an instant, Yaohua saw the bamboo strips come to life in Fairy Ziying's hands and automatically form a small section of bamboo mat.
Yaohua felt a bit dizzy.
"Have you learned it?"
Fairy Ziying clapped her hands and looked at Yaohua with a smile. "You should have learned it, right?"
Yaohua thought to herself: She must have made up her mind long ago on how to deal with me!
She's just looking for an excuse to drive me out!
No, she would never let Fairy Ziying succeed!
"Don't worry, Fairy. I've naturally learned it."
Fairy Ziying exclaimed in surprise. "It seems I underestimated you. Come on, let me see how well you've learned."
She even wanted to watch her weave!
Yaohua nervously clenched her palms.
She originally thought that when Fairy Ziying was away, she could take apart and reassemble the bamboo mat the other had just woven to figure out how it was done. But if Fairy Ziying made such a demand...
She had no choice but to bite the bullet and start.
Recalling the steps of Fairy Ziying's operation in her mind, every bamboo strip in Yaohua's hand seemed to have a mind of its own.
Holding the bamboo strips, every step she took seemed to be walking on the edge of a knife.
"Come on, how can there be someone who can't learn?"
Fairy Ziying seemed to have discovered a new continent and exclaimed in surprise.
Yaohua gritted her teeth, combined the other's technique with her own ideas, and started weaving.
Fairy Ziying laughed heartily beside her.
"Little Phoenix, didn't you do any farm work at home?"
Yaohua was unyielding and simply ignored her provocation.
"Alas, it's really a pity for my bamboo strips."
Yaohua couldn't help but look at her.
Just in time, their eyes met.
Although the other was mocking her with her mouth, her eyes were not like that.
She was stunned for a moment. Could it be that Fairy Ziying just had a sharp tongue but wasn't actually that bad?
"Ah, forget it. I'll demonstrate one more time. Watch carefully."
Yaohua let go of the bamboo strips in her hand.
Fairy Ziying's fingers were dexterous. This time, she deliberately slowed down so that Yaohua could see clearly.
Yaohua stared at her movements, and her hands unconsciously followed. When Fairy Ziying stopped, Yaohua also completed a section of formed bamboo mat in her hand.
"You learned quickly this time."
Fairy Ziying snorted lightly and put down the things in her hand.
By now, it was getting a bit light. She carried a basket on her back and walked out.
"There's food in the kitchen. When you're tired from work, go and eat by yourself."
As soon as the words were spoken, she was already gone.
Yaohua withdrew her gaze, looked at the messy bamboo strips on the ground, recalled the previous operation, and started working.
She concentrated and carefully weaved a bamboo mat. Before she knew it, several hours had passed.
Yaohua stretched. Suddenly, she realized that back in Shenzhou, she rarely concentrated so much on completing a task.
Remembering Fairy Ziying's words when she left, Yaohua walked towards the kitchen.
Just as she walked over, there was a hasty sound of footsteps outside.
"Fairy Ziying, something terrible has happened!"
Yaohua quickly walked over and saw several villagers standing anxiously at the door. They were holding hoes in their hands, and there was still wet mud on them.
"The Fairy has gone to the field."
Yaohua said briefly. As soon as she finished speaking, the villagers quickly ran towards the field.
Yaohua rubbed her chin and simply followed them.
Fairy Ziying was taking care of the rice seedlings that she had finally managed to grow. Probably because there was someone at home to share the workload, she was in a good mood today.
However, this good mood came to an abrupt end when she saw the solemn expressions of the villagers.
"Fairy, all our rice seedlings are frozen!"
Food was scarce on the ice field. In order to survive, they had to spend more energy than in Shenzhou to grow food. However, due to the climate, very little food could survive. At this moment, the villagers' words were like the sky falling for Fairy Ziying.
Because it meant that soon, some villagers would go hungry.