Without further ado, after eating and drinking his fill and arranging everything, Wu Qingyun stayed home to look after the house while reading.

Jiang Yue had no objection, and neither did the others.

In the hearts of Wu Daniu, Wu Ergou, and Wu Xiaocao, everyone tacitly agreed that as long as their third brother/elder brother passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, their family's life would improve, and their hardships would finally come to an end.

Jiang Yue carried a bamboo basket and a kitchen knife, Xiao Cao held a vegetable basket, and Da Niu and Er Gou carried sharpened wooden sticks; they looked like seasoned veterans...

It was rare for all four members of the family to be out looking for food together, and everyone was especially surprised to see Jiang Yue there as well.

What's wrong with the third branch of the Wu family? How come even the laziest old lady, Aunt Jiang, is out working in broad daylight?

Even though it's late this afternoon, it's still incredibly shocking!

The weather in March was sunny and the breeze was gentle.

With Da Niu and Er Gou leading the way, Jiang Yue followed at a leisurely pace, remaining calm and composed, ignoring the stares and whispers of passersby.

Actually, the fact that the original owner was an excellent person saved her a lot of trouble.

See, no one dares to mess with her, saving her from endless nagging that she gets impatient with.

Now, if she just gives them a glance or gets close, these villagers will stay far away!

After walking for an unknown amount of time, until Jiang Yue's feet were starting to ache, she finally saw a lush green mountain range. As far as the eye could see, it was magnificent and the peaks reached straight into the clouds.

Whew~

The air is so fresh; it truly lives up to its reputation as a pristine, unpolluted ancient ecological place!

"Mother, you and Cao'er can dig for wild vegetables on the hillside ahead. My second brother and I will go to the river to catch fish. If we see any snails, we'll catch them. The water is cold, so you and Cao'er shouldn't go into the river."

Wu Daniu spoke sincerely, his tone full of respect and concern.

Wu Ergou, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly. He agreed with what his older brother said.

Honestly, if Mom could continue to care for him and his brothers like this, be so family-oriented, and buy them delicious food, he wouldn't even need a wife.

"Hey, you guys be careful too. It's okay if you don't catch any fish, just don't fall into the water. We won't go into the deep parts, we'll just stick them out from the side."

Hearing her eldest son's words, Jiang Yue felt a sense of comfort.

It seems that to change someone, all you need to do is treat them sincerely and genuinely well; if you remember it fondly, it will surely have a positive impact.

"Okay, Mom~"

Wu Daniu grinned, then took his second brother to the river at the foot of the mountain to fish.

Jiang Yue watched her sons leave, then took Cao'er to the hillside to dig for wild vegetables.

However, looking at the bumpy, barren hillside with hardly any wild vegetables, she was already prepared.

If it's a wild vegetable, don't all the women in the village know that?

If every household comes to dig, how much will be left?

In the peripheral areas, there's definitely not much left.

To find wild vegetables, you have to walk a little further in along the mountain path.

In the original owner's memories, there were wild boars, black bears, and wolves in the mountains!

Either of these could be life-threatening!

Apart from hunters, no one dared to venture into the deep forests of the mountains!

As a time traveler, Jiang Yue had seen and experienced a great deal.

These rumors and gossip couldn't scare her away!

Grass lowered her eyes and said dejectedly:

"Mother, there are no wild vegetables left in this area."

"It's alright, Mother will take Cao'er to the mountains to find wild vegetables. Is Cao'er brave enough?"

Jiang Yue comforted Cao'er, then took Cao'er's little hand and put a candy in Cao'er's mouth.

"Mother~"

Grass felt the sweetness in her mouth and her eyes widened.

"Shh, come with Mommy~"

Jiang Yue put her index finger to her lips, signaling to Cao'er not to "leak the news"...

Grass covered her lips, her eyes curving into crescents.

Her mother is so good to her, giving her candy all by herself!

Jiang Yue held Cao'er's hand with her left hand and held a kitchen knife in her right, feeling completely safe.

After entering the forest, the wild vegetables at the edge had been picked clean, so we had to go a little deeper.

The deeper you go, the more weeds and dead trees there are.

Jiang Yue cleared a path with her kitchen knife while dodging thorns, occasionally getting pricked, but this was normal; minor wounds healed on their own unless they were fatal.

After traveling about a mile further, it was clearly visible that wild vegetables, and even some wild herbs and fruits, were growing everywhere...

"Grass, don't just stand there like an idiot, hurry up and pick some wild vegetables, like this one, and this one too. Just scoop them into your basket. Mom will gather some herbs, dry them, and sell them for money."

At this point, Jiang Yue couldn't help but recall her own background—

When she was little, her parents had two girls, her older sister and her older sister, before having a younger brother as their third child.

Because the family was poor and the matter was being strictly investigated at the time, her parents thought long and hard and decided to abandon her or her older sister and give them away!

Fortunately, after the maternal grandparents found out, they said they were willing to take care of him!

As the firstborn child, the older sister was naturally unwanted by her parents, so she, as the second child, was ruthlessly sent to her maternal grandparents' house.

It wasn't until she was admitted to a top high school that her parents, feeling proud, brought her to live with them in the city.

At that time, her maternal grandparents passed away one after another, leaving her alone and helpless in the countryside, so she had no choice but to return home with her parents.

However, she never experienced the love of her parents, and she only returned home after she grew up. After returning home, her parents arranged for her to squeeze into a small room with her older sister.

In this unfamiliar home, her parents were distant and showed her little affection.

Clearly, she could sense that her older sister didn't like her, her younger brother wasn't close to her either, and even told her to get out of his house!

Being ignored, treated coldly, and ostracized, one can imagine what kind of life she led at home.

In her memory, her happiest days were spent with her maternal grandparents.

Back then, my maternal grandfather worked as a resident doctor in a small traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. Thanks to him, she could identify some basic herbs and know how to process them using traditional methods...

She once wanted to get into a traditional Chinese medicine hospital and become a doctor!

Later, her score exceeded the cutoff for a top-tier medical university outside the province. However, her older sister, jealous of her, persuaded their parents to change her application, saying that medical school must be expensive. As a result, she ended up attending a third-rate finance university…

The younger brother said, "You're not my older sister. My only older sister is my eldest sister!"

My parents said that tuition fees at top universities are too high, not as cheap as at third-rate universities.

My younger brother is still small; he's just mischievous and doesn't understand things yet.

No one cares about her, no one is willing to pay for her future!

Because of this incident, she completely severed ties with her parents...

Even after graduation, she worked tirelessly, climbed the corporate ladder, and saved money like crazy. Once she had saved her first million, she wanted to prove herself, even if it meant taking a break...

Jiang Yue closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight.

The past is gone with the wind; the future and the past are both in the past.

All she wants now is to raise her sons well and love her daughter dearly. She doesn't expect to rely on her children for old age, but she just hopes to be able to live a carefree life without worrying about food and clothing!