Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 261 Chasing the Sun

As early summer approaches, it's a less busy time for farming. After sowing, all that's left is to wait for the seedlings to grow; patience and meticulous care are essential. Things growing in the soil don't depend on human intervention for every moment. Since the new irrigation canal was completed, everyone only needs to take turns going down to the fields to open the floodgates, making even the most strenuous task of watering much easier and less time-consuming.

However, the extra time cannot be wasted. The fruits of the crops are only the most basic harvest. Almost everything grown here is valuable, but it requires a relatively long processing procedure.

"My skin feels wrinkled from being soaked in water every day."

"It's not you who's getting soaked."

"We didn't retrieve anything from the water, did we?"

"You might as well just be lazy to death!"

Lunchtime had just passed, and people who didn't want to take a nap gathered in twos and threes under the eaves to chat, talking about everyday things.

Things like which family spun a few bolts of hemp, whose grandson was born, or whose child cried the loudest last night.

"The caravan will be coming to collect the cloth in a few days, so we need to hurry up and spin some more."

"Why are you in such a hurry? The caravans have been coming more often lately; they used to only come once a month."

"You don't have six mouths to feed, so of course you're not in a hurry."

"The money from selling one bolt of cloth is enough to feed one person for three months, and your family has six mouths to feed, two of whom are still breastfeeding!"

"You don't know anything! Lady Yuzhi said that our wife's milk is definitely not enough to feed the twins, so we're going to go get a sheep."

"Wow, a large-scale farmer!"

"Don't you still have chickens at home? Just cook some egg custard for them and feed them to the chickens. That's how I grew up."

"The egg belongs to my wife; it needs some kind of nutrition."

"It's nutrition."

"Hey, stop nagging, look what's that?"

A group of old men chatting at the village entrance looked up at the entrance to the valley, where the bright red stood out against the yellow sand and green vegetation.

The old man sitting down turned to look at the young man next to him, "How come I remember it was you two guarding the checkpoint today?"

The young man who had just been showing off his doll suddenly sprang to his feet, but after running a few steps, he turned back and pulled a long, thin object out of a haystack.

"I forgot my knife..." The young man chuckled sheepishly as he ran off, his partner already waiting for him ahead.

"He's just like the boy from the North, all impetuous and impulsive," the old man remarked, his hands behind his back.

The chatterbox next to him chimed in, "Yeah, Old Bei's family has really grown up, it's just a shame he didn't have the good times."

"...Who knows, he might just be watching us from the sidelines?" another old man said.

"Then he should just get lost, he's creepy."

The entire village of Jiachaer is located in a valley, and the view from here is indeed excellent. You can see what's going on at the entrance of the valley at a glance, but it's still two miles away. It's really not going to reach the checkpoint in the village in a short time.

"That's strange, who would go to the desert in this season..." Even though he was panting from running, a man who was addicted to chatting didn't forget to complain.

"Shut up and run faster!" His partner didn't respond, expressing his disdain without hesitation.

Fortunately, the visitor appeared to be just one person, but this person was short and wide, looking rather disproportionate.

They ultimately failed to reach the sentry post before the other person did, but the person was quite disciplined and stood there waiting for them to run over. Only when they got close enough did they realize that it wasn't a person coming, but a woman carrying a child on her back. The woman had a large headscarf covering her head, completely concealing the child on her back, and had even made a small support frame to keep the child from suffocating, which made her appear quite wide.

"This...is this Gachar village? Is there anything...we need help with?"

The woman's eyes crinkled with laughter as she greeted him breathlessly; even with her face covered, it was clear she was smiling.

"Catch your breath before you speak, there's no rush."

The woman looked weathered, but her attitude was very friendly. She said she had come here as a homeless person with her child because her husband's family had taken away their house.

"They don't even want the baby anymore?!" The man, who had recently become a father, was furious. Even though the child was well hidden, he could still see the baby's bright, innocent eyes. This child was so well-raised; how could they just abandon him like that?

"Sigh, isn't throwing baby girls a common occurrence?"

"How can this happen all the time!" the man exclaimed, but his teammates pulled him back a few steps.

"Keep your voice down, don't scare them. Go report it quickly, if they can make arrangements..."

While the two were whispering to each other, the two targets who were supposed to be frightened were actually quite calm. The little girl sitting in the basket even started to tug at the woman's hair.

In short, this incident woke up Batur, the steward who was sound asleep at home from exhaustion. He slapped his face to wake himself up, quickly learned about the woman's situation, and then informed the scribe, Yuzhi. The village was currently experimenting with an automated textile production line, which involved many women, so Yuzhi was put in charge. If it went well, it would only require adding two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Soon after entering, Yuzhi dismissed everyone else, even sending the little girl to the village classroom to play with the older children. Only after all the doors and windows were closed and the soundproofing barrier was in place did Yuzhi's expression change. She was somewhat shocked and speechless.

"Lord Jinlun, what are you doing?"

The woman opposite laughed, and to be honest, she really did have a maternal glow about her.

"Isn't it obvious? They're here to drop off their child."

Yuzhi's expression gradually turned serious, and she asked, "...What you told Batur wasn't made up?"

The woman smiled bitterly, "It's all true. It's a person's basically complete life."

"...I understand. What are your plans after this? You probably won't have time to take care of her all the time."

"I can only ask you for help with this child. I've been so busy lately that I'm really struggling to keep up. I'm so sorry for causing you trouble every time I come here."

"Not at all, I wouldn't have been able to live such a wonderful life without you. You even helped us find Tuya last time!" Yuzhi said with a smile. "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of her."

"Of course I believe you, Yuzhi. But shouldn't we discuss this with Moyu?"

"Um... Mo Yu actually really likes children! He'll definitely agree!" Yu Zhi's speech was noticeably faster; if she still had the ability to blush, she'd probably be completely blushing by now.

"But... what excuse should we use to adopt him? After all, you're still here."

The woman's expression became more like Jinlun's. She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Actually, it's not that easy to fool a child. I always feel that she already knows."

"I'm really not a good actor."

"Is Mommy gone?" The girl's eyes were bright and lively, showing neither fear nor sadness. "Are you my new mommy?"

Yuzhi knelt down and looked the child in the eye, saying, "If you're willing, I'll be your mother from now on."

The girl didn't speak; her gaze was fixed on the small jar in Yuzhi's hand.

"Shall we bury it together?" Yuzhi asked tentatively.

The girl nodded, took the jar herself, and followed Yuzhi. When they reached the spot, she squatted down and tried to dig with her hands, but Yuzhi quickly handed her a small wooden shovel. Only after the jar was buried did the girl, squatting by the small mound, speak again.

"The last time I saw my dad, he was in a jar, so this must be my mom. Does that other mom not want me anymore?"

The child's words were incoherent, but Yuzhi still understood them. She sighed that Lord Jinlun had indeed given her a big problem, but she had to admit that the other party's intuition was terrifyingly strong.

"No, he didn't abandon you. On the contrary, he sent you to the land where he is. He is the sun that shines on this land. The sun will not leave us and will always protect us."

"The sun?" The girl looked up, confused. "Will I ever see my mother again?"

"Of course, as long as you can catch up with the sun."