“It’s okay. After we move, we’ll build a fence in the backyard, catch a dog, and raise the chickens there.”

Dogs are kept to protect against wild animals such as weasels and foxes.

It's not for guarding the house.

Here, almost no one locks their doors.

Unlike the front yard, the backyard is not fenced off.

It was just a simple marking out of land.

If it weren't for the fear that the villagers would think she had a lot of money and attract bad people, Yan Xia would have loved to tear down the house and rebuild it, going straight to a big villa.

Then, build a wall more than three meters high with blue bricks. Not to mention weasels, even jackals would probably have a hard time getting over it.

Forget it, let's just make do for now and see what happens after my daughter-in-law has given birth.

When it becomes uninhabitable, there will naturally be a reason to rebuild and renovate.

One should always be more humble.

After Yan Xia finished preparing the ingredients, the family packed their luggage and went to bed early.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

They started moving.

Even Brother Qian's family came to help.

As Yan Xia walked out the door, she looked back once.

It's not as desolate and dilapidated as it was when they first moved in.

The scattered firewood ashes on the ground and the blocked rat holes all suggest that this place was once bustling with life.

During this time, the dilapidated temple provided them with shelter from the wind and rain.

Yan Xia closed the gate and restored the dilapidated temple to its original state.

She straightened her back and left.

Walk from one end of the village to the other.

Many people on the street were watching them.

He was muttering something to himself.

Yan Xia didn't care; she was just guessing how much money she sold the grizzly bear for.

When they reached their own wasteland at the foot of the mountain, a brand-new house appeared before them.

Although it's made of half earth and half brick, it's quite sturdy.

Two red papers were pasted on the gate.

It reads "Congratulations on moving to your new home."

It must have been Sister Zhao who did it.

Yan Xia was very grateful. The Zhao family was the only family she had ever met in her two lifetimes who had shown her kindness unconditionally. Such people were a rare find.

"Sister Zhao, Brother Qian, thank you so much. Without you, my children and I probably wouldn't even have enough to eat after leaving the Chen family. Please let me know if you need any help in the future." Her words of gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.

"Hey, why are you being so polite? Come on in, Xia, come on in. The children are carrying such heavy things, don't tire them out."

Yan Xia, as the hostess, then stepped across the threshold and into her home.

Enter with your left foot and wealth will come your way; exit with your right foot and you will have a peaceful life.

Just then, firecrackers went off behind Yan Xia.

She turned around and saw Brother Qian holding up a bamboo pole with a small firecracker hanging from the top, which was being set off with a crackling sound.

The children and Brother Qian's family outside the door all had big smiles on their faces.

Yan Xia suddenly felt as if she herself was a person of this era.

They became one.

After all the luggage and furniture were moved in, Yan Xia went to the kitchen of her new home.

The space here is small; the kitchen can barely fit three people, and any more than that would be a bit cramped.

Unfortunately, we have limited funds.

Yan Xia began preparing the dishes for the banquet.

She took charge herself.

We ordered a few dishes.

Sweet and sour pork ribs, boiled pork belly, braised eggplant, braised pork intestines stir-fried with chili peppers, boiled cabbage in clear broth, mushroom and wild vegetable egg soup, bitter melon and egg pancakes, cucumber salad, and four-happiness meatballs.

Eight dishes and one soup.

It was even more extravagant than a wedding banquet in the village.

Before long, wisps of smoke began to drift from the chimney.

The whole new house was filled with the aroma of meat.

This made Brother Qian and his family very uneasy in the yard.

The aroma was even more enticing than fine wine, especially for the two young grandsons of the Qian family, whose mouths were watering.

You know, Sister Zhao is great in every way, except her cooking is just so-so.

Because she couldn't bear to add salt and oil, she boiled all kinds of vegetables in water.

“Jin Fu, go and invite Grandpa Village Head over for dinner. Without him, we wouldn’t be able to leave the Chen family. Jin Lu, go and invite Aunt Wang’s family too. We’ve borrowed things from them several times, so it’s time to invite them.”

Yan Xia poked her head out of the kitchen and gave instructions to her two sons.

"Yes, Mother, I'll go right away."

"Okay, Mom."

The two sons stood up and left one after the other.

Extremely obedient.

As for Osmanthus and Winter Plum, they are helping out in the kitchen.

Only Brother Qian and his family remained sitting in the courtyard.

Yan Xia didn't have time to deal with them anymore; they were all family, so there was no need to be so polite.

After quite a while, the village head and Aunt Wang's family finally arrived.

Bai Lizheng was holding a few eggs, while Wang Da Niang and her grandson Zhao Zirong brought two loofahs and seven or eight wild fruits.

"Oh, Uncle Village Head, Aunt Wang, you're here! What did you bring? Come on, sit down and have some sweet soup. Jin Fu, get them some stools and pour them some water. Zi Rong, help your grandma sit down. I'll go cook some dishes right away. Jin Lu, you and your older brother move the table out later. We'll eat in the yard; there's not enough room inside."

Yan Xia, holding a spatula, warmly welcomed them.

"It's alright, it's alright, we'll do it ourselves. Xia, you go and cook, be careful not to burn the pot."

"Haha, yes, we're all from the same village, no need to be so polite. Jinfu, don't listen to your mother, don't drink the sugar water anymore, just have some soup with your meal later, Grandma isn't thirsty."

The two joked.

"Okay, I'll go into the kitchen first. We'll start eating soon, just two more dishes."

Worried that the wind in the yard would cool the vegetables, Yan Xia put all the cooked dishes in the kitchen, where the temperature was higher.

At noon, all the dishes were ready.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!