Yan Jing'an cooked dinner today; they returned early, and Yan Jing'an started preparing very early.

Unaware that Jiang Xi and the others were going to hunt pheasants, they were preparing to cook a few side dishes.

But they've eaten too much smoked meat already, so they always prioritize cooking fresh meat if available. Therefore, in addition to stir-fries, Yan Zheng also made a chicken stew with mushrooms.

There are also a few leftover rice dumplings from yesterday.

Yan Jing'an stared longingly at the zongzi, then forced himself to look away, and after a long while said, "I'm not eating any of these zongzi today, no matter what."

Jiang Xi smiled with her lips pursed, and Yan Zheng joked, "No one is forcing you to eat it. If you don't want to eat it, just leave it."

Jiang Xi made the zongzi yesterday. Thinking that it was almost Dragon Boat Festival, and that many reeds had grown along both sides of the ditch, she picked some reed leaves on her way home from the fields one day.

After steaming the yam, mash it into a paste using a mortar and pestle, then add a few red dates soaked in syrup, and wrap it all together in blanched reed leaves.

Knowing that Yan Zheng liked salty food, she cut up some braised pork and diced mushrooms and made a few savory rice dumplings.

I didn't have high hopes for it being delicious; I just thought it would be nice for the occasion. But it turned out to be quite good. The mashed root and yam had a chewy texture similar to glutinous rice, and it was soft and sticky with a strong aroma of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), like a glutinous rice cake with the flavor of zongzi.

Last night I bought a pack of eighteen, and after four people ate them, only five were left.

During the first half of the night, Jiang Xi tossed and turned, unable to sleep due to indigestion. She felt gas everywhere from her stomach to her abdomen, making it hard for her to breathe.

Yan Zheng wasn't much better; he would belch frequently, so he took Jiang Xi for a walk and chat in the yard.

Then Jiang Xi suddenly remembered the hopscotch game she used to play. She thought that maybe jumping around would make her stomach feel better, so she pulled Yan Zheng and the two of them started playing hopscotch.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't just them who couldn't sleep; Yan Jing'an also had a painfully bloated stomach. Seeing the two of them having so much fun, he joined in.

Next up was Du Ling. Perhaps she remembered something, because she played with great enthusiasm.

The moonlight was also very helpful, illuminating the squares on the ground with crystal clarity. The four of them played until the early hours of the morning, and only after their stomachs felt better did they go back to rest.

Therefore, when Yan Jing'an saw this tempting zongzi today, although he wanted to eat it, he held back because he remembered how uncomfortable he felt last night.

In the end, we finished the chicken stew with mushrooms and the two stir-fries, but there were still five zongzi left.

Yan Zheng felt it was a waste, so he forced himself to eat one and didn't dare to eat more.

Jiang Xi thought that the little deer liked to eat sweet potatoes, so she tried feeding it one. The little guy seemed to like it, but she was afraid it would make it uncomfortable, so she didn't dare to give it more.

After the meal, Yan Jing'an and Yan Zheng took shovels and planted the wild apricot trees they had brought back from the forest that day.

Jiang Xi didn't have a good impression of these wild apricots; she always found them very sour when she ate them before. But Yan Zheng liked them, so she simply suggested planting the wild apricots to the right of the peach tree next to the kitchen.

She marinated the remaining pheasant to be smoked the next day. After cleaning up the kitchen with Du Ling, the two went to play with Xiao Hei by the pond.

The lotus roots planted earlier have already grown leaves half a meter wide. The already small pond is now partially covered. Looking down, you can still see fish swimming around inside.

Jiang Xi took out a small box containing earthworms that she and Yan Zheng had dug up while digging in the ground earlier that day.

The moment the earthworms were poured into the pond, ripples spread across the entire pond, and the fish scrambled to raise their heads to grab the food, which was quite amusing to watch.

Jiang Xi asked Du Ling, "How have things been going between you two lately?"

Du Ling nodded without hesitation and told Jiang Xi some good news: "I can now climb trees using vines."

Now she can speak short sentences fluently, and he used to not understand the jokes they made when they ate together, but now he can understand quite a bit of them.

So none of the three of them treated her like a child anymore.

Hearing this, Jiang Xi was very surprised, partly by Du Ling's quick comprehension, as she was able to climb the tree so soon.

However, she had been running around in the forest before, so her physical fitness was excellent. In the past month, she had been running around in the forest with Yan Jing'an every day, which improved her endurance and physical strength a lot, and her speed was also much faster.

On the other hand, Jiang Xi was surprised by Yan Jing'an's attitude.

But the outcome was ultimately good. Seeing that Du Ling was gradually adapting to this rhythm and life, she had not failed the entrustment of the other Jiang Xi in Lingdang's dream.

Du Ling stroked Xiao Hei, recalling the past month. Whenever Yan Jing'an mentioned a plant, she would immediately lead him to find it based on her memory, and most of the time the results were quite good.

In addition to the usual food and herbs.

Now, at the foot of the mountain in the village, not only are raspberry bushes and four nut trees planted, but also the kind of red-fruited tree that she introduced to Jiang Xi last time.

Although Yan Jing'an still treated her coldly, the tension and dissatisfaction had lessened considerably compared to before.

He would even give her some pointers while she was climbing, because although she could climb trees before, it was very strenuous.

With his guidance, Du Ling can now easily climb a tree over two meters tall by simply turning over and using a vine.

This skill is extremely beneficial and convenient when encountering difficult roads and thorny swamps.

Although he has a bad temper, Du Ling felt that since Yan Jing'an was willing to teach him his true skills, their relationship must be quite good.

Lost in thought, Jiang Xi asked somewhat shyly, "Lingling, have you been bleeding down there lately?"

Du Ling shook her head. She was very curious and didn't understand why Xiao Xi always asked her this question, asking her every two or three days.

No one hit her, so why was she bleeding? And last time Jiang Xi told her about the female anatomy, she still felt confused.

What kind of human anatomy causes a person to bleed continuously, even every month?

Wouldn't that mean death?

Jiang Xi didn't have these worries; on the contrary, she felt quite at ease.

If Du Ling's period also doesn't come, does that mean Grandma's words have come true?

Because the bell saved them, they were lucky enough to escape with their lives. However, the bell's current abilities are too weak, so those who are saved are either disabled or unable to have offspring.

She desperately hoped that the inability to have children would come true for her.

In fact, Yan Zheng always took precautions and had seriously talked to her about not having children. The situation here was only suitable for struggling to survive. If she got pregnant, it would be a hellish ordeal.

He didn't want her to be like that, so he was very restrained most of the time.

A while ago, after Jiang Xi told him her speculation that she might not be able to get pregnant, Yan Zheng's eyes instantly reddened. He excitedly hugged Jiang Xi and kissed her forehead again and again.

After a long pause, he said seriously to Jiang Xi, "This is for the best. We don't want children. Just thinking about you experiencing what it's like for a woman to get pregnant and give birth here makes me wish I didn't have children."

"It's just the two of us, and a lifetime is only a few decades long. With you by my side, I'm lucky enough."