In September, the spiritual rice in the spiritual fields began to ripen. Mi Lan paused his three months of arduous cultivation and looked out over the tens of acres of spiritual rice surrounding his dwelling. Originally expected to mature in late October, the crop was ready for harvest by mid-September, filling him with a sudden sense of pride. Deciding to reward himself with three large bowls of rice, he called Qiuhua and told her to hurry into town to buy some food.
An hour later, Qiuhua returned with lunch, accompanied by two young maidens.
They were Mi Xiang, the younger daughter of his second uncle Mi Que, and Xiao Qinxin from the Xiao Family. Xiao Qinxin was the second daughter of Xiao Kang, the third son of the Xiao Family. The two girls had been best friends since childhood. Today, while out shopping, they ran into Qiuhua buying lunch and decided to come along to see Mi Lan.
Chapter 20