Next time, she must put some clean clothes in the room.

Yan Xia put on her dirty clothes with disgust and prepared to go down the mountain. She hadn't eaten since noon.

Smoke began to rise from the chimneys of every household down the mountain.

Yan Xia's stomach was growling loudly with hunger.

"Bear, are you finished eating? Go back now. Don't sneak back here without my permission, understand? I'll bring you something else delicious next time."

She gave Xiongxiong another pep talk.

"Master, Xiongxiong understands. Goodbye, Master."

After finishing his meal, Xiongxiong went to the spot where Yanxia had just taken a bath and drank several mouthfuls of water.

Although he wasn't completely full, he was about three-tenths full. Once he got back to the cave, he could nibble on some fruit and wouldn't need to eat dinner that day.

"Okay, go back. I'll watch you go back."

Yan Xia watched Xiong Xiong leave, and only when Xiong Xiong was out of sight did she turn around and go down the mountain.

After arriving home, she went to the backyard and picked some greens and cucumbers. She stir-fried one and made a cold salad with the other. She also made a steamed egg custard. Yan Xia ate all three dishes and half a pot of rice.

She was so full that her belly was round and plump.

Zhao Xinrong took good care of the old house, inside and out.

The corn in the wasteland outside the door is growing well, and the bedding on the bed still smells of sunshine, clearly indicating that it has been taken out to air every day.

After finishing her meal, Yan Xia washed the pots and pans, locked the front door, and planned to take a stroll to Zhao Xinrong's house to chat with her for a while.

They unexpectedly ran into Zhao Yuefang halfway there.

She had a huge belly and a very thin body, making her look quite frightening. She was carrying a bamboo basket filled with green plants, which turned out to be wild vegetables.

Yan Xia calculated the time; Zhao Yuefang and Xiao He were only a month apart in terms of pregnancy, but Zhao Yuefang's belly was ridiculously large, even more than a full size larger than Xiao He's.

Could it be twins?

Yan Xia felt that she might have discovered the truth.

Since it's twins, it's understandable that her belly is so big.

It's pitiful; she'll probably suffer terribly during childbirth.

Yan Xia's eyes were filled with pity as she recalled that the original owner had given birth to two children, one with twins and the other with triplets.

In ancient times, when medical conditions were so poor, being able to safely give birth to five healthy children was considered extremely fortunate.

She probably used up all her luck in having children, which is why she has bad luck with both her own family and her husband's family.

The original owner also died tragically.

Yan Xia's thoughts wandered further and further until Zhao Yuefang's words brought her back to reality.

"Auntie, you're back in the village? Have you eaten yet?" Zhao Yuefang greeted Yan Xia, forcing a smile that looked rather awkward.

It wasn't that she disliked Yan Xia. On the contrary, after what happened before, Yan Xia was like the first ray of light she saw after falling into a dry well in Zhao Yuefang's heart. It's just that she was too tired and had no strength in her body. Her belly was big and heavy, and even though she ate four meals a day, she was still hungry after eating.

This resulted in very little food left in the household.

It wasn't enough for her at all.

Occasionally, some kind-hearted people in the village would help her, such as giving her an egg, a handful of brown rice, or chopping some firewood.

But it is insignificant.

So much so that even in the sweltering summer when wild vegetables were abundant, she would go digging for them while heavily pregnant.

Because he couldn't squat down, he could only lie on the ground holding onto the tree trunk and then dig sideways.

After eating wild vegetables for half a month straight, Zhao Yuefang's face turned green, and her stool was also bright green, like grass. Worried that her child wouldn't get enough to eat and wouldn't grow strong, she took a basket of freshly dug wild vegetables and prepared to exchange them for a handful of brown rice from the villagers.

But no one was willing to trade with her.

Passing by Zhao Xinrong's house, I happened to run into Yan Xia.

And so this scene unfolded.

"Yuefang, how did you get so thin?"

When Yan Xia first met Zhao Yuefang, she was a beautiful young woman, the first beautiful woman she had ever seen in this world. It had only been a little over a year, and the beauty had turned into withered grass.

It's truly heartbreaking.

In ancient times, a woman's fate was tied to her parents' family for the first half of her life and to her husband's family for the second half.

You're never in control of your own destiny your whole life.

If she hadn't transmigrated, the osmanthus and winter plum blossoms would probably look the same, or even worse than Zhao Yuefang. At least she resolved Zhao Yuefang's potential danger for herself.

In my memory, the osmanthus and winter plum trees were always hungry and cold, and they were even beaten.

One was forced to marry an old man, and the other was sold to a brothel, where she died young.

A few days ago, Yan Xia heard Zuo Li mention that the bridge was almost finished.

Those who were forced to perform corvée labor should return by the end of the year at the latest, and Zhao Yuefang's life will be better, regardless of what kind of person she is.

At least Luo Bai was genuinely good to her.

"Auntie, it's hot, and I haven't had much of an appetite, so I've lost some weight. Are you going to visit someone? I'll head back now. Goodbye, Auntie."

Zhao Yuefang didn't want Yan Xia to see her in such a disheveled state, so after speaking, she clutched her waist and hurriedly left.

Yan Xia looked away and knocked on the Zhao family's door.

Even though the door is open, you should still say hello.

This is her habit.

"Little Xia, you've come down the mountain. This morning, Liu told me that you went for a stroll on the mountain. I was thinking of cooking for you, but I waited and waited and you didn't come back, so I had to go home first. Have you eaten yet? Come on, I cooked two extra dishes today, come and have some."

When villagers visit each other, they don't knock if the door is open; they just walk in.

So when Zhao Xinrong heard the knocking, her first thought was Yan Xia.

She is the most polite person.

"I'm full. Sister Zhao, you haven't eaten yet. You eat first, and I'll go for a walk somewhere else."

"No, no, no, come in and have some more. We've been waiting for you to come down the mountain."

Seeing that Yan Xia wanted to leave without even entering the door.

Zhao Xinrong quickly stepped forward, grabbed her, and pulled her into the main room.

"Oh, I'm really full, Sister Zhao."

"It's alright, come in and have a bowl of egg drop soup."

Although Yan Xia was strong, she wouldn't forcefully break free, after all, Sister Zhao was one of the few people who genuinely cared for her.

So in the end, I couldn't persuade her otherwise.

Yan Xia went inside and ate with the Qian family. She only drank half a bowl of soup. By the time she left the Qian family, it was already dark.

Whenever she chats with Sister Zhao.

It will make you feel intoxicated.

The more they talked, the more they enjoyed it.

Yan Xia loved listening to gossip, and Zhao Xinrong loved gossiping. The two complemented each other perfectly, and in just over an hour, Yan Xia had a thorough understanding of everything that had happened in the village recently.

This includes which family is getting married and which family is marrying off their daughter.

Whose chickens were stolen by the fox, etc.

When she got home, Yan Xia yawned three times and tears welled up in her eyes. Although she had taken a shower in the afternoon, she was still sweating a little because of the hot weather. Yan Xia took off her clothes, rinsed herself with the warm water she had boiled while cooking, and then put on her undergarments and went back to her room to sleep.

He only had one horse as a companion at home.

But Yan Xia wasn't afraid at all.

She squeezed the pillow, adjusted it to a comfortable angle, and drifted off to sleep to the sounds of frogs and insects.