The weather is getting warmer each day.
The snow is slowly melting, and everything seems to be slowly waking up.
Gianna and Floyd have been walking around the fields these past two days. Lao is following them, pointing to the land that belongs to Floyd's family.
Lao stood by a field and said, "You're lucky. This land, as you know, is owned by several families. When they exchanged grains, everyone avoided this piece of land because it was too close to others, making it prone to disputes. So, they all took the land contract. This land is perfect for fish farming."
Gianna thought it was a shame to not use such good land for growing crops.
Floyd, however, had his own ideas, "The land will definitely be used for crops, but we can farm fish too. That way, we won't need to go to other villages to buy fish."
Mud Hut Village doesn't have a river, just a small stream from the mountain. Villagers rely on the stream's water to grow crops.
If they wanted fish, they had to go to neighboring villages to buy them.
But everyone lived frugally, and buying fish was considered a luxury, something done only on holidays.
Floyd's idea matched Gianna's thoughts.
This land, about five acres, would be perfect for growing rice.
The three of them were about to head back when they saw Dennis running toward them.
"Mom, someone else is back in the village."
Gianna became interested.
She had talked about this with Floyd before, and they even made a bet on who would be the second to return.
They all headed back to the village.
Before they could get close, they heard crying from the courtyard.
"Those scoundrels! We left for just a few months, and all our furniture is gone!"
"Only Floyd's family is in the village. They must have taken it! Let's go find him!"
Floyd and Gianna looked at each other and sneered.
Lao frowned and said, "Floyd, don't get angry. I'll go inside and talk to them."
He knew that Floyd hadn't taken their furniture because he had been to Floyd's house. It was the same old furniture, neither more nor less.
Floyd grabbed Lao's arm. "No need. If they want to find me, let them come."
As soon as he spoke, the courtyard gate opened.
Zhuo stood there, surprised for a moment before becoming furious. "Floyd, you and your family were the only ones in the village all winter. Did you take the valuable things from my house?"
After a few months, Zhuo had healed from his injuries. He had lost some weight, but he still looked good.
Floyd wasn't the type to let things slide.
Seeing Gianna, who was even more fierce than him, made him feel it was his duty to stand at the front to protect his family.
No one felt comfortable when accused.
Floyd sneered, "Did you forget your pain now that your injuries are healed? Why would I take your old furniture?"
Zhuo, who had been full of anger, shrank back after hearing this.
He then looked at Gianna, meeting her eyes full of killing intent.
Zhuo immediately lost all confidence.
That night, he had been injured by Gianna, and it had become a nightmare for him. Every time he thought of it, he couldn't stop trembling.
It was terrifying.
Erquan's wife, Shi, walked out from the yard and kicked Erquan hard while scolding, "Useless thing! How did I end up marrying someone so pathetic?"
After scolding Erquan, Shi demanded sharply, "Then who do you say took the furniture? If it wasn't you, you must know who did it, right?"
Floyd's eyes flashed with disgust as he replied, "Are you questioning me?"
Erquan, knowing how fierce Floyd and Gianna could be, tugged on his wife's sleeve and whispered into her ear, "Don't be so aggressive. Did you forget how they stabbed me with a knife before?"
Shi shot Erquan a sideways glance and spat, "Peh! If you've got the guts, go ahead and kill me! You coward, how did I ever fall for someone as useless as you?"
Gianna and Floyd both stood there coldly, watching and listening.
This couple was actually quite amusing.
Gianna crossed her arms and watched the scene unfold.
Lao finally spoke up, "The furniture wasn't moved by Floyd. People from Qingtian Village came and took it. It was something arranged by several nearby villages, not like you've never moved things from other villages."
Shi knew what was really going on.
Still not satisfied, she said, "But their family was always in the village. When people from other villages came to take things, couldn't they have stopped them?"
Gianna couldn't hold it in anymore.
She sneered and said, "Are our families very close? Or did I ever get along well with the village? Have you forgotten how your family treated us? Do you need me to remind you of all the awful things you did?"
When it came to arguing, Gianna might not always win.
But she would never lose to someone like Shi.
Shi was left speechless by Gianna's words.
Erquan quickly grabbed Shi's arm, trying to pull her back into the yard.
Shi broke free at once and shouted angrily, "Don't pull me! Outside you act all weak, but inside the house you want to be the boss. All our furniture is gone, from now on just eat off the floor!"
Gianna could see Shi didn't dare yell at them anymore.
It wasn't fun anymore. This woman wasn't that tough after all.
She grabbed Floyd's hand and headed back home.
Suddenly, Shi shouted, "I know where Old Man Liu's family went."
Floyd just walked faster.
Lao, who hadn't left, shook his head and said, "Erquan, I watched you grow up. Take my advice—don't mess with Floyd. Right now, his family is the richest in the village. Remember last year, when everyone needed food? He's got over thirty acres of land now."
Everyone's memory went back to the time they traded for food.
Erquan opened his mouth but didn't say anything.
Their family had managed to survive thanks to those few dozen pounds of grain they got in exchange. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made it.
Like Old Man Liu's family—Qinna left because they ran out of food, and then...
Shi glanced over toward Lao's house and asked, "Did your furniture get stolen too?"
Lao didn't dare tell the truth.
He pretended to be angry and said, "Of course it did! The stuff I'm using now, I bought in town. The only things left at home were a few water jars. Not just me and you—everyone in the village had their stuff taken."
Shi was really angry at first.
But after hearing even Lao's house was like that, she wasn't quite as mad anymore.