Spoils of War

The weather began to turn cold, and the corn stalks in the field were already half-withered. Mu Yangling crawled into the cornfield and broke off a corn. She peeled off the skin and saw that the corn kernels inside were golden and plump. When she pinched them with her fingers, they were hard. Unlike more than ten days ago, when pulp would get all over her fingers with just a pinch. This time, only her nails were slightly wet after the skin broke.

Mu Yangling handed the corn to Xiuhong and said, "The corn is ready for harvest. Go back and tell Great-aunt that we'll go into the fields tomorrow."

Xiuhong happily agreed and rubbed her arms. "The weather is about to turn cold. If we don't harvest now, the corn won't survive."

"That's why we're very lucky." Mu Yangling said, "We actually managed to plant it for a second season."