What was clearly a big trouble, he spoke of it as though he was going off to receive a reward, seeming almost unable to wait as he pulled Meng Yuhuai's arm and strode out the door.
...
Just like that, more than ten days flickered by.
The summer day was as hot as fire, baking the ground until it was both scalding and hard, the scent of the soil overturning and filling the air, each breath was scorching.
There wasn't a breath of wind in the afternoon, and the ridges of Fire Knife Village were as busy and bustling as usual, but not a single figure could be seen on the village paths. The young maids and brides mostly hid at home, waiting for the sun to be less fierce before taking the heat-relief soup they had prepared to the men.
The Meng Family's courtyard was filled with chili plants in every corner, creating a natural red canopy of shade, with the shiitake mushrooms on the wooden racks being sun-dried until their fragrance wafted everywhere.
