Yan Xia called out to the system several times in her mind, but there was no response. She guessed that the system had not returned yet.

Oh well, let's just let things take their course. She has one great quality: a good attitude.

As they planned for the future, they walked towards the end of the village, where the scenery changed from low houses to a vast expanse of farmland.

Yan Xia's dilapidated temple is located at the entrance of the village, while Baihua Village is backed by two mountains, one high and one low.

The low hill is usually frequented by villagers who go up to dig for mushrooms and wild vegetables. At the foot of the hill, there is a bamboo forest, as well as various flowers, grasses, and wild fruits. It is rich in resources. Even early in the morning, you can see people searching for something on the hill. Occasionally, there are rabbits or pheasants in the hill. If you are lucky, you can catch them and have a treat.

In spring and summer, the entire mountain is covered with colorful flowers, a breathtaking sight, hence the name Baihua Village (Hundred Flowers Village).

But few people dare to go to the higher mountain.

I heard there are tigers and wolves there, and some villagers have even seen snakes as thick as tree trunks. Once, a hunter came to Baihua Village and made a living by hunting.

After he first took his two sons into the mountains, he didn't return for ten days. His predecessor mustered up his courage and called a group of people to search for him, but they only found three heads, with no flesh left on them.

The stark white bones seemed to be warning the villagers not to trespass.

Sure enough, from then on, no one dared to set foot on that mountain again.

Even though the land at the foot of the mountain is very fertile, no one comes to cultivate it.

Perhaps they're afraid of wild animals coming down from the mountain?

At this moment, Yan Xia felt that she was getting closer to the truth.

The situation here was better than she had imagined. After the inspection, she went back and happened to run into her two children who were returning with large and small bags.

"Why did you bring so much stuff? Did you rob your Aunt Zhao's house of everything?" After spending the morning together, Yan Xia's true nature was revealed. Gone was the seriousness she had shown in the morning. She joked with her children.

"Mom, Aunt Zhao said we're missing a lot of things. Her land has already been sown, so she doesn't need these farm tools for the time being. She told us to take them back and use them first, and not to rush to return them. Aunt Zhao didn't take the cured meat, saying we should keep it for ourselves. She also gave us some corn seeds, saying that Mom, you'll definitely need to clear land and plant them later. Oh, right, there are also pots and pans, and a few pairs of chopsticks too. If my brother and I hadn't stopped her, Aunt Zhao probably would have really taken everything from her house. She's such a kind person, Mom~ how should we repay her? How about my brother and I dig some pig feed every day after we finish our work and take it over? Aunt Zhao's family happens to raise three pigs."

Guihua's round eyes were bright and piercing, and they curved slightly as she spoke. Unfortunately, she was very thin and her face was very pale. If she had gained twenty pounds, she would definitely be the most beautiful girl in the area.

"Alright, whatever you say. Guihua is a grown woman now, and I support your idea. Let's go, let's take the things home first."

"Yes! Mother, let's go home!" Guihua was overjoyed.

Even if she could only live in this dilapidated temple in the future, she would still feel very happy.

Because home is wherever your mother is.

Back at the temple, Guihua and Jinlu put down what they were carrying, just as Jinfu returned.

He also took a few cornbread buns.

It was probably given to me by the village head.

Yan Xia rummaged through the items and found a set of farm tools, a clay pot, several bowls and chopsticks, two wooden basins, three wooden plates, some corn seeds, two bunches of green vegetables, and a small half bag of brown rice.

She was truly indebted to Aunt Zhao; she hadn't expected her to be such a kind person.

If this were modern times, where would you find such a good neighbor? Back then, when she was locked at home by her parents and was peeking out the window calling for help, her neighbor, Aunt Zhang, just stood there watching and laughing, saying what was the use of going to university and that she should go to work to support her family, all the while watching her with schadenfreude.

But Zhang Dama's son failed the college entrance exam and is going to repeat a year. How could she not know the importance of going to university?

This comparison moved Yan Xia to tears.

"Eldest son, you and Jinlu will go to the mountain to chop firewood after you finish your work tomorrow. Each of you should take a bundle and deliver it to Aunt Zhao's house every three days. Remember that? You must remember this kindness. Without Aunt Zhao, we don't know what we would do. Guihua, you and Lamei, when you're not busy, go dig some pig feed and send it over. When Mother has some money, we'll repay this favor. Come on, pack your things, each of you take a farm tool and go with Mother to clear the land. We'll come back at noon to cook."

After Yan Xia finished speaking, she picked up a hoe and went outside, followed by her children one by one.

Jinlu, however, was slow and hesitant.

"Jinlu, what are you doing, you little rascal?" Yan Xia walked more than ten meters away, turned around, and found her third son standing motionless outside the temple gate, fiddling with something in his hands.

"Mother's here, almost done."

Jinlu quickened his pace and hurriedly caught up.

"Mom, when I left this morning, I put the padlock of the storeroom in my pocket and took it with me. Hehe, it'll be perfect for locking the gate of that dilapidated temple, so that our things won't be stolen by thieves."

The silly boy scratched the back of his head, afraid that Yan Xia would scold him.

“Well done, my good son. Your mother has worked hard there for so many years, I should at least get some interest back. It’s just a pity that I don’t know where that old hag hid the money. I heard that your father had some pension money, but I didn’t pay attention to how much it was at the time. It’s a pity. If we could get that money back, you two brothers would have found wives.”

Yan Xia didn't scold him. Compared to an honest and dutiful child, she preferred this clever and quick-witted one. Why not take what belongs to the Chen family?

As for the relief money for Chen Shouguo, it was indeed true, but Chen Lishi clung to it and wouldn't let go, and the original owner didn't even know how much it was in her memories.

Sigh, I'm living such a muddled life.

“Mom, I know! Grandma, no, that old woman loves to hide money under her bed. She dug a hole there. When I was little, I wanted to steal some snacks from her room, but she suddenly came back. So I hid under the bed and managed to find it, but I didn’t dare to steal it because I was afraid the old woman would beat me,” Lamei said excitedly.

"Although your damned grandmother is not good to us, you can't even think about stealing. You're all grown up now, Lamei. If you get caught stealing, your hands will be chopped off. It's okay, we can earn the money later. We don't care about her. It's just a pity that your father is dead and hasn't spent any money on his own children. Never mind, let's not talk about him anymore. Hurry up and go. There's a lot of work to be done in the fields."

Having never given birth before, Yan Xia now has several grown sons, and she hasn't figured out how to raise them.

I was afraid that if I said too much, the older kids would become rebellious.

Fortunately, this is ancient times. Judging from the expression on the winter plum blossom, it is also aware of fear.

"Mother, I won't steal, I absolutely won't steal! I don't want my hand to be chopped off! Mother, where are we going to clear land?" Lamei was indeed frightened. She shrank her shoulders and changed the subject.

"Let's go to the foot of the mountain to cultivate the land. The soil there is quite fertile. Let's cultivate two acres first. The seeds Aunt Zhao gave us should be enough. After we finish plowing, I'll make some more fertilizer."