Xiao Yunying hadn't expected that her simple desire to go to Xishan would cause the little girl to cry, so she could only coax her gently.

Luo Chen said, "There is also a bamboo forest on the east mountain behind our house, and it's quite close."

Xiao Yunying was coaxing Luo Xin when she subconsciously replied, "There are too many people, it's inconvenient."

"You're just going to cut bamboo, what else do you need to do? It's inconvenient with other people around."

What for? To test other functions of the supermarket, of course.

But she couldn't say this: "I'm not doing anything, I just don't want to listen to those gossipy blabbermouths."

"Then I'll go with you."

"No need, you stay home and look after your younger siblings."

"My second brother is here."

Luo Yang promptly assured her, "Ali and Xin'er are both very well-behaved and don't need too many people to watch over them. I can stay at home by myself. Let your older brother go with your stepmother."

Xiao Yunying's tone became slightly firmer: "I said, no need. Let's eat quickly, or it will get cold."

"mother……"

"My dear Xin'er, I promise I'll come right back after I cut the bamboo, it won't take any time, okay?"

"Then Mother will definitely come back soon."

"must."

Apart from Luo Li, the other three children lost their appetite and ate much slower.

Xiao Yunying finished eating first, and then reassured Xin'er again before leaving the main room.

She wasn't used to using the machete; the blade was too long. She had never cut bamboo before and was worried about cutting herself, so she carried her basket to the backyard and got an axe instead.

As she was leaving, Luo Chen chased after her: "Are you... are you coming back?"

Xiao Yunying gave him a strange look: "Where else could I go if I didn't come back?"

Is the child afraid that she will abandon them and run away, which is why he keeps going up the mountain with her?

"Don't worry, I didn't abandon you before, and I won't abandon you now. Just stay home and wait."

After Xiao Yunying had walked away, Luo Yang came out of the main room and said, "Big brother."

Luo Chen murmured, "Second brother, do you think she will come back?"

He had figured it out: this woman was no longer the same woman he knew.

Temperament and disposition may change, attitudes towards them may change, but it's impossible to suddenly learn to cook, and cook so well, and be much more skilled with a kitchen knife than before.

Just like reading and writing, how is it possible for someone who has never read or written to suddenly become literate and even write beautifully?

And then there were the strange foods and items she took out.

She was a farm girl who grew up in Xiaqu Village. Even if she was lucky enough to meet a traveling merchant who had returned from overseas and bought those things, how could she be so familiar with those things and foods? It didn't seem like she was seeing them for the first time.

Her transformation began after she was rescued and regained consciousness in Xishan.

According to the village elders, few people go to the Western Hills, not only because there are many wild animals, but also because there are demons that have cultivated for hundreds of years.

Could she be a demon who has cultivated herself into a spirit on the mountain?

Luo Yang looked in the direction Xiao Yunying had left, but she was no longer visible. "I don't know if she'll come back, but I know that if she wants to leave, we can't stop her."

"Second brother, you also suspect she is..."

"Yes, I saw her light the fire in the stove without using a flint."

"Then, are you afraid of her? The old folks in the village all say that the mountain spirits love to eat children."

No matter how well someone disguises themselves, they're still not human. What if they suddenly become fierce and hurt their younger siblings?

Luo Yang withdrew his gaze: "The old woman in the village said those things to prevent the children from going to Xishan. I could tell that although she wasn't close to us, she didn't mean us any harm. She really likes Xin'er."

Luo Chen remained silent, and Luo Yang continued, "Brother, if she wanted to do something to us, as she said, a dose of sleeping pills would have solved the problem. She wouldn't need to pretend to gain our trust. If she really isn't human, she might not even need sleeping pills, and we would have no way to resist."

There are some things that I believe my older brother understands even without me saying them. Even if they go out to seek help, without any evidence, who can believe that the stepmother is no longer the same stepmother?

They were outsiders with no roots in the village, and their stepmother was their only support.

Luo Chen said in a low voice, "As long as she doesn't mean us any harm, let's leave it at that."

She also said that she would let him go to school to learn to read and write next spring.

If it's true, he's willing to try to accept her, even if she really is a wild spirit.

All of this is contingent on her returning today.

He always felt that she was bored on the mountain, so she came down to play for two days. She had been working hard for the past two days, which exhausted her. Today, she made an excuse to go back to the forest in the western mountains.

From the main room came Luo Xin's childish voice complaining: "Big brother, second brother, come back for dinner! Third brother is going to eat all the buns!"

"No, I saved it for my eldest and second eldest brothers."

Luo Chen completely gave in. At least life is much better now than before. Her younger siblings smile more, and they don't have to go hungry anymore.