After being woken up by the stench, Ruyi suppressed the urge to vomit and rushed out of her room. She then saw everyone covering their noses and searching for the source of the stench in the yard.

What could be smelling so bad? Could it be the carcass of a stray animal? Or is someone littering?

Ruyi was searching while making wild guesses.

Then it suddenly dawned on me that Cheng Yan wasn't there. Was he still sleeping in his room? How could he possibly sleep in such a smelly environment?

Just as he finished thinking, a voice came from the other side: "Grandpa! What's wrong with you? You..." Before Yunping could finish speaking, he suddenly vomited.

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw Cheng Yan walking out of the outhouse with a pale face and unsteady steps, his hand holding the door frame trembling slightly!

In an instant, Ruyi suddenly understood—it was diarrhea! The side effect of the expired fasting pills…

Ruyi immediately felt extremely annoyed. How could she have been so reckless? She knew there was a risk of diarrhea, yet she naively thought that eating less would prevent any problems. Diarrhea can be a serious or minor issue, especially for the elderly and children. Moreover, she didn't even know if the clinic was open yet. If something went wrong, she would be held responsible!

"Father! What's wrong? Sit down quickly!" Ruyi didn't care about the smell at this moment and hurriedly went over to help Cheng Yan to a chair in the main room. "Yunping, go and get some water!"

Cheng Yan's face gradually regained some color after drinking some water. Actually, he was so embarrassed. He just went to the toilet as usual, but he didn't expect it to smell so bad. He almost fainted for a moment, so his pale face and trembling hands and feet were due to the stench!

Seeing the worried looks on the faces of his family, Cheng Yan didn't know how to start the conversation...

"Cough cough, I'm fine, it's probably... I ate something bad a few days ago."

You ate something bad a few days ago and only had diarrhea today? I don't believe you!

Before anyone could ask anything more, Xu Cui suddenly clutched her stomach and hurriedly walked towards the outhouse. Then the door closed, and the familiar smell wafted back...

"Oh no!" Ruyi thought to herself, why didn't she try it herself first to make sure it was okay before giving it to her family? She was filled with regret at that moment.

Unfortunately, hindsight is always 20/20. The most important thing now is to do our best to take care of everyone and try not to let things get any worse.

Thinking of this, Ruyi instructed, "Yunping, take care of your grandfather. Yun'an, go and take care of your sister-in-law and Yunle. I'll go check on Aunt Cui!"

"Yes, Mother!" the two said in unison.

When Ruyi reached the outhouse door, Xu Cui was closing the door and walking out, looking pale and unwell. She seemed to be in much better shape than Cheng Yan, with steady steps and no trembling hands.

"Aunt Cui, how are you? Does your stomach hurt?"

"Huh? It doesn't hurt at all, and it's very smooth! I just don't know why it smells so bad... Oh dear, let's go, let's go! Let's leave here first!" Aunt Cui said as she pulled Ruyi away from the backyard and quickly walked towards the main room.

Ruyi was relieved to see that Xu Cui was walking briskly and seemed to be in no discomfort.

Back in the main room, Cheng Yan's complexion had returned to normal, but Yun Ping looked like he was about to cry for some reason.

"It's all my fault! I brought the rotten fish home, and everyone got diarrhea after eating it!"

The young boy choked up as he finished speaking, then lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly.

After hearing this, Ruyi felt guilty and immediately comforted her, "Yunping, why would you think that? Of course it's not your fault. These fish are very precious food; everyone is so grateful to you!"

Unexpectedly, Yunping shook his head after hearing this, "Mother, don't say anymore! There's no need to comfort me... It's all my fault!"

What is all this nonsense?! Does Yunping like to read novels that include not only martial arts stories but also romance novels by Qiong Yao?

Ruyi was completely speechless. It seemed that dealing with a sensitive teenager in his rebellious teenage years couldn't be done in the usual way.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to change her approach: "Aunt Cui and I cleaned all this fish. According to you, either we didn't even know if the fish was spoiled or not, or we knowingly cooked spoiled fish for everyone. Hmm? Which do you think it is?"

Sure enough, Yunping trembled upon hearing this and looked up in alarm: "Mother! I didn't... I didn't mean that!"

"Alright, alright! The fish isn't spoiled! Ruyi and Acui's dinner is fine too! I don't feel unwell at all, it's just that my poop smells a little, why are you making such a fuss!" Cheng Yan couldn't help but speak up, why did he make such a big deal out of such a small thing as if he had some serious illness?

Ruyi calmed down by then, realizing she had been too worried to think clearly. "Dad, Aunt Cui, do you have stomach aches? Besides the... the poop smelled a little bad, are you feeling unwell?"

"Really, no!" Cheng Yan explained helplessly.

Yunping still looked incredulous: "Then why are you so pale and unsteady on your feet?"

"I was suffocated by the fumes! Ugh, if I had taken even half a step slower, I would have been knocked unconscious!" Xu Cui said with lingering fear. "I didn't feel any discomfort, I just suddenly felt like I needed to poop... I never thought I'd almost lose half my life!"

Seeing that Xu Cui was still in the mood to joke at this time, Ruyi truly believed that they did not have diarrhea.

There was no diarrhea, just regular bowel movements, but the stench was absolutely unbearable, almost killing me. Is this the side effect of a mortal taking a tiny amount of expired fasting pills? Intensifying the stench of the feces???

Ruyi was utterly baffled; perhaps this is what happens when things of the gods transcend the imagination of mortals.

Seeing that it was getting dark, guessing it was around seven or eight o'clock in the evening, Ruyi left the three people who were still having a heated discussion in the main room and went to the kitchen to cook a small pot of pure, natural millet porridge without any "additives". Although the fasting pills seemed not to cause diarrhea, Ruyi dared not let them try the fish soup for the time being.

A moment later, the millet porridge was ready. Ruyi filled a large bowl with a dish of pickled vegetables and asked Yunping to take it to Xiaoman's room for a snack. The remaining millet porridge was just enough for Chengyan and Xu Cui to each have a small half bowl.

Just as the meals were being served, Yun'an came in, looking worried, and asked, "Mother, how are Grandpa and Aunt Cui? I'd like to boil some water now so they can use it if they want to wash up later."

"They're all fine for now. Yun'an is so thoughtful and reliable. She's so young, yet she can already help with housework and take care of her family. She's truly a mother's little darling!"

At only twelve years old, she would be in sixth grade in modern times. Ruyi recalled that when she was a child, she was just a little kid who didn't know anything and only knew how to play and read. It must have been tough for women in ancient times, forcing them to mature and become sensible at a young age.

Upon hearing this, Yun An blushed, but still stubbornly retorted, "I'm twelve years old, I'm an adult!"

"Okay, okay~~ Our Yun'an is already a little adult!" The little kid just doesn't like being told he's too young, and he's all looking forward to growing up quickly.

Although in ancient times, twelve-year-olds could start looking for marriage partners, their bodies and minds were not yet fully developed. Early marriage and childbirth were very harmful to women. The country stipulated that the legal marriage age for girls was twenty. However, it is indeed a bit difficult for women to get married at twenty here, and they will definitely be subject to all kinds of gossip. In that case, let's make an exception!

Ruyi has decided that Yun'an and Yunle must not marry until they are at least eighteen years old.

Although that would be at least six years from now, Ruyi had already begun to imagine what kind of dowry she would prepare, what style of wedding dress her two daughters would wear, and what type of boy would be suitable for them.

However, a quarter of an hour later, Ruyi had no time to worry about her two daughters' future weddings. At that moment, she was using all her strength to prolong her breath-holding time so as not to be suffocated by the fumes...

If we're talking about the most unbearable thing in everyday life in ancient times, Cheng Ruyi thinks the latrine would definitely be the most unforgettable!

Ancient latrines were already designed to be extremely inhumane, and this one smelled a hundred times worse than usual. Don't ask why, the answer is: you'd want to commit suicide!

The moment Ruyi walked out of the outhouse alive, she made a decision: when she had money in the future, she would rebuild a clean and tidy toilet that conformed to scientific design principles as soon as possible!

Rebuilding the toilets can only be done when we have the money in the future, so Ruyi should do the most important thing right now: boil a big pot of water!

Because she had a feeling that she would definitely not be the last person to take a dump!

As the saying goes, good things don't come true, but bad things do. The Cheng family was not at peace for the first half of the night. Everyone in the family except for the newborn Cheng Mande was inevitably exposed to the stench. However, for some reason, the younger the person, the less pungent their feces were. By the time it was Yunle's turn, it was only slightly more pungent than usual.

The only comforting thing is that no one is physically unwell; they're just mentally exhausted...

In the latter half of the night, after everyone had lost the urge to go to the toilet, we lit incense and managed to fumigate the entire courtyard a little, so that everyone could at least get some sleep.

The next day, when Cheng Ruyi woke up, it was already early morning.

February in Huaishan County was still very cold. She sat on the bed and took a few deep breaths. Surprisingly, she felt quite energetic. She hadn't been able to fall asleep until midnight last night. Was she so tired that she slept better?

The wound on my head is still a little sore, but it's better than yesterday.

As she was about to get out of bed, the crisp, cold air made her shiver. She quickly grabbed the light green cotton-padded jacket from the bedside table, put it on, and hurried toward the backyard.

Cheng Ruyi stood in front of the outhouse, mentally preparing herself before mustering the courage to open the door. Fortunately, after a night, the smell in the outhouse had returned to normal; otherwise, the Cheng family would have been in deep trouble today.

"Good morning, Aunt Cui." After successfully resolving this important matter in her life, Ruyi walked briskly to the water vat next to the kitchen, filled a small basin with water, and greeted Aunt Cui while washing up.

Ordinary people in this era don't have the concept of brushing their teeth. Most people just rinse their mouths with water. Those who are more particular will add some salt when rinsing. However, in these extraordinary times, it's best to use salt sparingly.

Perhaps the wealthy and nobles are already using toothbrushes and toothpaste, but the cost is too high for ordinary people to afford.

When I have the chance in the future, I can get some willow branches. I remember reading in an ancient romance novel that it was mentioned that you could use willow branches to brush your teeth, or you could make a toothbrush from pig bristles.