The boys exchanged glances, clearly puzzled. My youngest brother tilted his head, lips slightly parted. "The well?" he echoed, as though the word itself didn't quite make sense coming from me.
"Why the well?" Yubing asked, stepping a little closer, curiosity knitting his brows together. "There's nothing fun there."
"I just want to look at it," I replied simply, already turning back toward the house. "I've never seen it up close before."
That wasn't a lie either. The well had always just been something in the corner of our lives, used, but never truly noticed. But now, with Green humming softly in my thoughts, I had reasons of my own.
Without another word, Shanyuan caught up and walked beside me. "Alright," he said, glancing sideways with a small smile. "We'll go with you."
"We'll protect you from the well demons," Yaoting teased from behind, nudging Yubing and snickering.
"There are no such things," I said, but I laughed anyway. And laughed even more when Yubing shifted uncomfortably.
Soon, we reached my family's personal well. It was tucked away behind the house, not as grand nor as deep as the village's communal one. The stone walls were worn smooth from years of use, and moss had begun to creep between the cracks. Unlike the village well, which echoed with voices all day long, ours was quiet—private.
"It's smaller," Yubing pointed out, leaning over the edge and peeking in. "I think it's almost dry..."
"Yeah," Shanyuan added with a frown, "it hasn't rained in weeks."
I stepped forward and looked down into the well, watching the last shimmer of water at the bottom catch the pale light of the setting sun.
The moment my gaze landed on the water, Green stirred again. Her voice came soft and slightly sad. "Master, this well is nearly dry. It will eventually refill, but it will take time. It's too shallow... too tired."
knelt beside the well and brushed a hand across the weathered stone rim. My brothers also knelt beside me, curious.
I pursed my lips.
One, because of how small and shallow the well was, and how close my brothers were standing, there was no doubt that they'd notice something off if I gave Green the signal to do anything. The water level changing, the color shifting, even just the faint humming or glowing that sometimes accompanied her magic... they'd pick up on it in an instant.
Two—if something did happen, I honestly wouldn't know how to explain it.
There wasn't exactly a believable story that covered "the invisible farm spirit I accidentally bonded with is improving our infrastructure." Saying something like "the heavens blessed our well" might fly with my parents, but my brothers? They were more curious than most. They'd pester me with questions until I slipped up.
And so, the dilemma was formed.
If it were truly up to me, I would've waited.
Waited until everyone in the house was fast asleep, until the stars were high above and silence had settled over the hills and waves. I would've slipped out quietly, careful not to wake a soul, and come back to this very spot to let Green do her work in secret.
But that was wishful thinking.
My body—this frail, frail, frail, weak shell of mine—could barely walk long distances without trembling.
A single cold gust made my lungs ache. And even if I could endure it, my family... they were attentive. Too attentive. One creak of the wooden floor and someone would stir, maybe even follow me. Worse, if I didn't return quickly, they'd panic and search the area, only to find me standing by a glowing well with a bucket full of water that hadn't been there minutes ago.
Then there were the dangers. This world I had woken up in, though familiar in tone, was not entirely safe. Wild animals roamed freely near the mountains, and spirits, real ones, not just bedtime stories—might actually exist here. I didn't want to find out the hard way.
So no, sneaking out at night wasn't an option. Not yet.
"Master," Green's voice chimed again, almost understanding, "I can wait. This doesn't have to be rushed. The land is yours. The time is yours too."
With a sudden burst of inspiration, I turned toward my brothers, the corners of my lips curling upward as I plastered on the most mischievous expression I could muster. My eyes gleamed with a spark I hadn't felt in years—one that only appeared when I was up to no good, or something truly ridiculous was about to happen.
"Would you like to see something magical?" I asked, my voice dropping into a whisper of mock secrecy, just enough to hook their attention.
All three of them turned to look at me, blinking in unison like startled chicks. Shanyuan, ever the cautious eldest, raised a brow. "Magical? Aren't we a little bit too old to fall of such things? The only magic around here are from Qi-"
Yaoting narrowed his eyes in suspicion and then cutting off his elder brother. "Is it the kind of magic that ends with us getting scolded again?"
Yubing, the youngest, didn't wait—his face lit up with unfiltered excitement. "I wanna see! I wanna see!"
I tried to keep my grin in check, but I could feel it breaking through. "No one will get scolded," I said with mock solemnity, "but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Especially not mother or father."
Yaoting crossed his arms, still clearly skeptical. "If you make something explode, I'm blaming Yubing."
"Hey!" Yubing pouted, affronted.
Shanyuan glanced between the three of us, then gave a long sigh and crouched beside the well. "Alright, Lan'er. We won't tell—it's just going to be between the four of us, right brothers?" He shot a firm look toward Yaoting and Yubing.
Yaoting nodded, though his arms were still crossed, a trace of reluctance in his expression. "Yeah, yeah. I won't say anything. But if anything weird happens, I'm running first."
Yubing, on the other hand, nodded so fast he looked like a bobblehead. "I promise! I won't tell anyone! Not even mother when she makes me clean fish!"
That earned a short laugh from Shanyuan. "Good. Lan'er?"
I stood silently for a beat, then very lightly placed my palm on the stone rim of the well.