In the words of the Cultivation World, she had seized her own body, so there was no karma involved with others, and Lan Tian was quite relieved. Aside from naturally interacting with her family, she always ignored strangers.
Lan Tian looked around, saw no one outside, sat cross-legged, directed her spirit upwards, and posed in a cultivation stance, sensing her greatest advantage, the portable realm. Just as she adopted the pose, someone outside shouted loudly.
"Lan Tian, let’s go play!" Shitou called from the entrance of the yard leaning inside, "Caihua, Taohua, Hei Pi are all going, just in front of our village by the small river."
Lan Tian half-opened her eyes and glanced at Shitou, turning away with impatience. She didn’t know why Shitou had taken such a liking to her, calling her out to play three times a day—morning, afternoon, and evening—yet Lan Tian never went once. Shitou, with inexplicable perseverance and determination, grew bolder with each refusal, fiercely determined to have Lan Tian join them.
Lan Tian almost wanted to kneel; how annoying the little brat was!
Seeing Lan Tian with her back to him, Shitou slipped inside in a flash, circling her to continue persuading, "Lan Tian, it’s really fun in the river, water fights, catching fish, and even Taohua and the others crossed the river."
Worn down by his pestering, Lan Tian finally responded, "No, I have to bring water to my grandma, Shitou, you go play with the others!"
"Well, I’ll go with you. You deliver the water, and I’ll play by the river." It was decided cheerfully, completely oblivious to Lan Tian’s sullen face, incessantly chattering beside her.
Lan Tian preferred silence, especially enjoying cultivating alone quietly. Shitou’s babble was unbearably noisy, worth a dozen little sparrows, constantly chattering, giving Lan Tian no peace. She was bad with words, struggling to articulate herself, while Shitou’s slick talking was unparalleled; ordinary people could only stay away.
Lan Tian desperately wanted to cultivate, dearly missing her former self, imperious even when small!
In the end, Lan Tian acquiesced to Shitou accompanying her; disagreeing was pointless, he would follow regardless. The tap water had cooled by now. Lan Tian carried the copper pot to the hall, pouring half into the tea container on the table, and reserved the other half for delivering water. Her family’s home was several miles from the paddy fields, and she, being frail, couldn’t carry much. The half pot of water needed resting twice along the way.
No need to lock the door, just shut the yard gate, Lan Tian walked out with Lan Zi and Shitou, not fearing theft as there was nothing valuable at home. Mo Village had a good community spirit; there might be laziness, but no thieves, making it very safe and secure. Everyone left their doors unlocked while out working; everything remained as it was when they returned.
Encountering the village elders along the way, Lan Tian was very polite, greeting everyone as "Grandpa" and "Grandma," her sweet demeanor making the elders smile warmly, with Shitou joining in the greetings. The village hadn’t seen such a sensible and obedient child for decades; they praised her while patting her head, "Are you bringing water to your grandma? Such a good girl." Lan Tian responded with a smile, not good at small talk.
At the village entrance, a four to five-meter-wide dirt road led outside, with a one-meter-wide grass path beside it. The village fields were located there. The river was also in that direction, one to two miles from the village entrance. From there, you could see a group of kids playing in the water by the river.
What they called a river was actually just a five to six-meter-wide stream, seemingly a river to those who have never seen one. During floods, the deepest the water got was only a meter, and on normal days, in shallow parts, only reaching the insteps; in the deep parts, up to the knees. The village adults were confident enough not to hinder the children from playing in the water.
Keen-eyed Tie Jun and others saw the two approaching, yelling and running towards them. Hearing Tie Jun’s group yelling, and seeing Shitou and Lan Tian together, Taohua and Cha Hua hmphed, turning their bodies away.
Lan Tian didn’t know why Taohua disliked her; she should say that the village girls generally didn’t like her. Referring to girls of around her age, five to seven years old, Lan Tian concluded that they had hardly spoken three sentences together; there was no way she had offended anyone. Ultimately, it was simply a case of same-gender repulsion.
Tie Jun and others warmly welcomed Lan Tian’s arrival. Strangely enough, although Lan Tian’s relationships with the same gender were average, her relationships with the opposite gender were exceptionally good. Even though Lan Tian kept a cold face, Tie Jun and the others still eagerly approached, just like Shitou, both being pesky little sprites.
It turned out Lan Tian was a rather indifferent person, innately cold-hearted, related to her past life experiences. She only cared about three people: grandma, Uncle, and Fifth Aunt. Shitou, Tie Jun, and their relentless pestering forced Lan Tian to group them as buddies due to this hostile force.
Unable to withstand Tie Jun and the others’ enthusiasm, and just as Lan Tian was feeling tired, she picked a smooth cobblestone to sit and rest. Taohua, for some unknown reason, picked up a handful of pebbles and threw them into the water, stealing glances at Lan Tian and fiercely glaring a few times when their eyes met.