Chapter 31: Waking Up to a Collapsing World!

"Tomatoes? What are those?" Little Ya's round eyes were filled with curiosity.

It wasn't just her; the others also wore expressions of eager anticipation.

Thinking of the pink tomatoes in the system shop—which were delicious even when eaten raw—Bai Ruyu reached out into the empty air, and a pink tomato instantly appeared in her hand.

"These are tomatoes. You can eat them raw; they are sweet and sour, and the taste is quite good." Bai Ruyu handed one to Little Ya.

She took out a few more and distributed them to the others. She picked one for herself, wiped it casually on her clothes, and took a bite. Though the wiping didn't really do much.

"Sister... this, this, how did you..." Sanwa held the tomato, gesturing toward Bai Ruyu with a mimicry of her hand movement, unable to even form a complete sentence.

"What are you clamoring about! Just eat what you're given. So many questions—do you want a beating?" Ergou glared at Sanwa, his eyes full of warning.

Sanwa shrank his neck and dared not say another word. He followed Bai Ruyu’s example, wiped the tomato on his clothes, and took a bite. Instantly, his eyes lit up. As the juices spread in his mouth, the sweet and tart flavor made him unable to resist taking two more bites.

"It's delicious! Sister, can we eat tomatoes every day from now on?" Sanwa mumbled incoherently. "I think they taste even better than the wild fruit in the mountains."

Seeing this, the others followed suit and took a bite, their thoughts much the same as Sanwa's.

"Sister, is this something that immortals eat?" Little Ya asked, her cheeks puffed out.

Bai Ruyu chuckled. "Not immortals. We can grow them ourselves later."

There were plenty of seeds in the system shop, after all.

"Yu-jie, it's a good idea, but the fields are suffering from drought," Mother Jiang said, her eyes downcast with concern. "It's hard enough to grow grain; can we really succeed with this strange thing?"

For farming families, growing grain was the top priority. They hadn't even considered anything else.

"It's fine, Mother. We can try growing them in the courtyard first."

Vegetables were scarce here. If she could successfully grow tomatoes, perhaps there would be some unexpected rewards later. Bai Ruyu thought happily.

Soon, the group carried the grain home. Sanwa and Little Ya stayed behind to help cook, while Ergou went with his parents back to the fields to continue moving the grain, hoping to finish before dinner.

Bai Ruyu washed the rice and started the fire, with Sanwa tending to the stove while Little Ya, having nothing to do, drew pictures in the dirt with a twig.

When the scent of rice filled the air, Bai Ruyu opened the lid, skimmed off the rice water, and covered it again. She turned back to the table to slice the tomatoes, peel garlic, and beat eggs. Once everything was ready, she heard movement in the courtyard.

She began to heat the oil. When it was ready, she scrambled the eggs until they were firm and fragrant, then set them aside. She added a little more oil, sautéed the garlic and tomatoes until fragrant and juicy, then added the eggs back in. After stirring evenly, she added a splash of water, salt, and white pepper. She let it simmer for a few minutes before pouring in a starch slurry to thicken the sauce.

"I could smell that fragrance from far away." Mother Jiang’s voice preceded her entry.

"Mother, we’re having rice with toppings today. We pour the dish right over the rice—it's delicious." Bai Ruyu sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions and looked at her mother, not forgetting to ask for help.

"Rice with toppings? Did you just learn that too?" Mother Jiang walked over, picking up a few large bowls, and couldn't help asking in a low voice.

Bai Ruyu nodded and whispered, "There's a lot more to learn. Mother, please go serve the rice."

A moment later, the bowls of rice were topped with a mound of steaming, red-and-yellow, appetizing food. Just the smell of it was enough to make one unable to stop.

The family sat in the courtyard with their bowls, enjoying the evening breeze and eating happily. Life couldn't be more comfortable than this.

...

Just as the sky began to brighten, a frantic cry rang out at the Bai family's gate.

"Open up! Quickly open the door! Brother Ming, something terrible has happened!"

In bed, Bai Ruyu squinted, pulled her quilt tighter, and covered her head, trying to steal a few more moments of sleep. But then, a second cry of alarm came from outside—it was her mother’s and father’s voices!

Bai Ruyu instantly became clear-headed. She scrambled out of bed, threw on her clothes, and hurried outside. In the courtyard, only her mother stood, looking terrified and trembling slightly.

"Mother? Are you alright? Where is Father?" Bai Ruyu hurried over to support her, asking softly.

Mother Jiang’s lips quivered. "Yu-jie! It's over! Everything is over!"

For the past two days, she had been silently praying that the price of grain would drop. This year's harvest hadn't been good, only enough to feed their family of five for a few months, and they would need to buy more later. They had some savings, so she hadn't been too worried. But she never imagined...

"Mother, what happened? Why is everything over?" Bai Ruyu asked urgently, remembering the hardships they had endured on their journey here.

Mother Jiang covered her face and sobbed. "The Nancang Kingdom has invaded. We are the closest to the border. Your Uncle Daniu met refugees on his way to town today. They said those barbarians have already breached the first city, and they will be here soon."

After hearing this, Bai Ruyu stood stunned for a long time. She woke up to find the sky had fallen!

*No way!* She hadn't even started her grand plan to make money! She hadn't even experienced a good life yet! Was she really being forced to leave her home and flee for her life already?

"Mother! Is Uncle Daniu at the ancestral hall?" Recovering her senses, Bai Ruyu said with a stern expression, "You, your brother, and your sister, hurry and pack everything up. Leave it in the house and wait for me to come back."

Information traveled slowly in ancient times. It was hard to say how long it had taken those refugees to travel from the fallen city to here. Since they were the second county from the border, the iron hooves of the barbarians were likely already at their doorstep.

Mother Jiang didn't understand why her daughter was suddenly so anxious, but trusting her, she immediately shouted into the house, "Ergou! Sanwa, Little Ya, hurry up and pack!" She then ran into the kitchen to start gathering supplies, thinking that no matter where they went, they had to be able to eat to survive.

When Bai Ruyu rushed to the ancestral hall, many villagers had already gathered. Their faces were filled with fear and despair. Uncle Daniu was standing in the middle speaking, and when he saw Bai Ruyu, he nodded at her.

"Uncle Daniu, when did you meet them, and what was their condition?" Bai Ruyu asked loudly from outside the crowd.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Why is the silly girl here?"
"She's not silly anymore, lower your voice."
"Why is she asking these things?"

Not only were the villagers confused, but even Bai Xiuming and Chen Daniu were puzzled.

Chen Daniu cleared his throat and said, "It was just at dawn. They were in rags, their faces full of terror and stupor. It looked like they had been running for their lives."

Hearing this, Bai Ruyu’s expression grew even more serious. She said in a low, firm voice, "Everyone, you should go home and pack your things to flee."

If those people had been running all the way and were terrified, it meant the barbarians were not far behind them. Their city... was likely already fallen.

"You speak so lightly! My grain hasn't even been harvested yet."
"That's right! We are far from the first city; it's not too late to harvest the grain before leaving!"
"And if we leave now, who will be responsible if we have nothing to eat on the road? Will you be responsible?"
"What does a girl who just regained her wits know? She's just trying to scare everyone."

Hearing them, Bai Ruyu did not rush to argue. They cared about the grain; she cared about staying alive. There was no inherent conflict in their goals. The real conflict was...