The Lucky Heiress

As a matter of fact, Wei Ruo took all the food items from a spatial pocket to lighten the load of the carriage, which would make them travel faster. To make their act seem more plausible, Wei Ruo only brought a fifty-pound bag this time, not wanting to arouse suspicion by carrying too heavy a load. After retrieving some of the food, they set off once again, making their way back to Fengting Mountain.

It was noon and the displaced villagers that hid in the mountains were rummaging the desolate woods in search of roots and tree barks to eat.

When they saw the group led by Wei Ruo again, they could hardly believe their eyes. They hadn’t expected them to return.

But when they saw Wei Ruo place a large sack of rice before them, they were so shocked they were speechless.

“You should have pots and know where to find water sources. Find a place to start a fire and make food,” Wei Ruo said.

Upon confirming that the sack indeed contains rice, they were so overjoyed that they were on the verge of crying.

“This is rice. This is really rice!”

“And it is such good quality rice!”

“My goodness, I’ve never seen such fine rice before!

Then they lined up to thank Wei Ruo.

Under the guidance of the middle-aged man who was acting as their leader,

they bowed their heads in unison:

“Thank you, our benefactor. Thank you…”

Wei RUO quickly gestured for them to stand: “Enough of the kneeling. If you keep doing so, I might change my mind and not hire you.”

Upon hearing this, they hurriedly stood up, afraid that the decision of their employment might change if they were slow.

Wei Ruo added, “Go and cook fast. The children are growing up, feed them more.”

The children there were all thin and gaunt, their bodies not carrying any extra weight. It was a pitiful sight to see.

The group agreed and went off; the men went to gather firewood, and the women started cooking.

The children were not idle either. They continued to dig around with their sticks.

They had already learned to identify some edible plants and knew what kind of grass roots can be consumed.

The rice was cooked quickly. When the enticing aroma started to waft in the air, the villagers from Dahetun Village couldn’t help but salivate. When the rice was thoroughly cooked, they hurriedly spooned it into their bowls and quickly began to devour it.

A small girl around four or five years old, her hair tied in two little buns, clad in a ragged red floral dress, carried a bowl full of rice and carefully walked over to Wei Ruo.

“Big Brother, you eat,” she said hesitantly. Her doe-like eyes filled with timidity as she looked up at Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo bent down, gently touching the girl’s head, “Thank you, but I’m not hungry. You eat.”

The girl hesitated, then turned to look at her mother standing behind her.

She turned back, holding up the bowl, “But mom said to thank you.” Although the little girl was dirty, her small hands were clean, and the bowl in her hand was also clean even though it was chipped.

Wei Ruo replied, “This is all for you. We’re not hungry. We’ve already eaten on our way here. Just eat up, and everyone will be happy.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Wei Ruo showed the girl a gentle smile, his voice softer than normal,

“Go, eat quickly. Return to your mother.”

The girl obediently nodded and then carefully walked back, holding the bowl of rice.

After Wei Ruo encouraged the girl to return to her mother, he turned around to find Wei Jinyi looking at him with gentle eyes.

Wei Ruo walked over to him, “Why is Second Brother looking at me like that?”

Upon hearing this Wei Jinyi shifted his gaze away from Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo sat down on a nearby rock, “Second Brother, your cheeks are a bit red.”

“It’s just a bit stuffy weather.” Wei Jinyi explained.

Wei Ruo burst out laughing, “Did Second Brother forget that I can’t see his face now?”

Both Wei Jinyi and he had a fake face mask on them. How can he see whether his face was red?

Hearing the laughter, Wei Jinyi turned his head back, his gaze resting once again on Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo was smiling radiantly, his eyes full of invigorating laughter. There was also an involuntary touch of soft affection in Wei Jinyi’s eyes. Seeing Wei Jinyi smiling, Wei Ruo propped his chin on his hands and said seriously, “Second Brother, you should smile more. You’re really good-looking when you smile.”

Although Wei Ruo could not see his handsome face due to his disguise, the way his eyes smiled was equally charming.

This time, his face really turned red, because Wei Ruo noticed his ears also turned red.

After another short rest, the group moved further into the mountains to inspect the area and see if it met their needs.

After walking for an hour, Wei Ruo decided the location was satisfactory. The next step depended on whether the inhabitants of Fengting Mountain were willing to sell it and at what price.

The group then set off again to return to the city.

But as soon as they reached the foot of the Fengting Mountain, the sky changed; dark clouds rolled in ominously.

It appeared that a thunderstorm was imminent.

Even though it was August, a thunderstorm could still strike without warning. The weather could go from clear skies to a downpour in an instant.

From the looks of it, heavy rain was unavoidable.

At this point, Wei Ruo and the others were faced with a dilemma: Do they retreat back to the mountain to find shelter from the rain or do they hurry back to the city?

But Mother Nature didn’t give them much time to think. After a few rolls of thunder, the rain began to pour heavily.

The group hastily ran up the mountain trying to find a cave or overhang where they could escape the rain.

By the time they found an overhang in the cliff forming a crude shelter, their clothes were completely soaked.

The wet clothes adhered tightly to their bodies, revealing the curves and shapes underneath.

Wei Ruo’s bound chest was also vaguely visible beneath her wet clothes. Despite binding her chest with white cloth, the features of a growing woman could not be concealed entirely.

The clothes could hide the curves when they were dry, but now that they were soaked, they clung to her body, showcasing her dual identity even more clearly. Wei Jinyi took off his outer garment and draped it over Wei Ruo, then turned his back to her.

Wei Jinyi’s expression was a bit unnatural, even flustered. His heartbeat quickened, and his palms felt warm..