Since the first snow, there have been several more snowfalls in the past few days, and the temperature has plummeted, so almost no one in the village goes out.

Chen Yunyun went to town early in the morning, trudging through the snow. Counting the days, she figured she should receive a reply to the letter she sent to the original owner's husband.

She went to the post office, and the clerk, recognizing her, spread his hands and said, "There's no letter for you. Go back."

Not receiving the letter was unexpected for Chen Yunyun, especially considering the contents of her letter…

She sensed something was amiss. She flipped through the original novel and realized that the three children of the Xu family had a father, who apparently was a high-ranking military officer and even appeared in the later part of the story.

So why has he gone missing?

Was it intentional that they didn't reply, or did something happen to the letter en route?

There was no point in thinking about it further, and she couldn't go to the military base to look for people right now, so Chen Yunyun had no choice but to suppress the matter.

After leaving the post office, she went straight to the black market. It was cold, and food was hard to buy. Since Chen Yunyun didn't have a ticket, she had no choice but to go to the black market.

She picked out some fresh radishes and cabbages, and also bought pig intestines, pork, and pork fat, spending a dozen or twenty yuan before returning home with her purchases full.

Carrying a heavy basket on her back, Chen Yunyun walked unsteadily through the snow, winding her way into the woods. Soon after, the system told her that there was no longer a tail behind her.

She relaxed, handed over all the things she bought to the system for storage, and tried to return to the village as soon as possible while it was still early.

Qian San from the black market received news that the woman had taken that mountain path.

He seemed to be deep in thought. So it was someone from Xujia Village. There was indeed a hunter there. He figured that the wild boar he had shot earlier must have been from that hunter.

Thinking of the hunter's temper, Qian San gave up on the idea and focused on his trading business.

Chen Yunyun returned to the village at four o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was shining a little, and some villagers were chatting at their doorsteps.

More than half a month has passed, and no evil spirits have appeared to cause trouble. People have temporarily put aside their fears, and some have even taken the initiative to talk to Chen Yunyun.

"Zhijun's wife, what nice things did you buy on the street this time?"

These words drew everyone's attention. Didn't Zhijun's wife say she had no money when she returned the money last time? Why is she still running to town every few days?

Chen Yunyun pulled her bamboo basket off to show them; it was completely empty. "My family is so poor we can't even afford to eat. What good stuff could we possibly have?"

“I go out to see if there are any letters from Zhijun. If he has sent a letter and money, I will buy some New Year’s goods.”

"What a pity, Zhijun sent the letter back, but he didn't give me any money. I'm still worried about how to get through the New Year. Auntie, could you lend me some more money?"

The auntie who asked the question smiled awkwardly. It was absolutely impossible for her to lend money out. She pretended not to hear and said to Chen Yunyun, "Go home quickly. Your three children must be getting impatient at home! They haven't eaten lunch yet. Don't let them go hungry."

Chen Yunyun nodded and went home with her basket on her back.

Before leaving home in the morning, she would put lunch in a pot so that the children could eat as soon as they got hungry, just by adding fuel to the fire.

Even if there's no food, there's still milk powder and malted milk powder at home, which can be diluted with water to keep you full.

Despite being well-prepared, Chen Yunyun quickened her pace. Having spent so much time with the children, she had developed genuine affection for them, and she was always worried about being away for so long.

She pushed open the gate, and the snow in the yard was shoveled aside, leaving a path for people to pass through.

Before even entering the main room, Chen Yunyun heard Ah Sheng's giggling laughter. Reassured, she put down her basket and went inside.

Niu Niu squatted down in front of Sanwa and teased her little brother with her pink hair clip. Sanwa reached out his little hand to grab the swaying pink clip, but he didn't get angry when he couldn't catch it. He just watched his sister and giggled.

The eldest son leaned against the door, holding a book and reading it eagerly, his cheeks red from the cold, but he was completely unaware.

"Arun, come in and read a book. Light the kerosene lamp; reading in the snow can hurt your eyes."

Da Wa obediently put down his book and followed Chen Yunyun into the main room.

The third child was playing with his older sister when he saw Chen Yunyun come in. His eyes lit up, and he rushed to Chen Yunyun, hugged her leg, and said in a childish voice, "Mommy, hug me!"

Chen Yunyun pretended to frown, "But Mother's shoes are wet! How can she carry our Ah Sheng?"

Sanwa tilted his head, took a while to process what he was doing, then awkwardly turned around and went into the room to get a pair of clean shoes.

His hands were too small to hold the shoes properly, and with so many layers on his clothes, he wobbled and was about to fall to the ground.

Chen Yunyun picked him up and rubbed him repeatedly, saying, "Asheng is getting cuter and cuter~" It really touched her heart!

Watching the affectionate mother and son, the older child lowered his gaze, his fingers unconsciously grinding against his palm.

Perhaps he himself didn't realize that he stood straight and stubborn in the corner, looking just like someone who longed for something but dared not approach.

After changing out of her clothes, which were soaked by the snowmelt, Chen Yunyun prepared to make sausages with the children.

She removed the tendons from the pork she bought, cut it into strips, and then diced it.

The pork used is from the hind leg, which has more lean meat than fat, so it won't be too greasy when you eat it.

Add the essential salt, MSG, and white wine...

Chen Yunyun loves spicy food and was worried that the children wouldn't be used to it, so she made two flavors: the Cantonese flavor with more white sugar and the Sichuan flavor with chili powder and Sichuan peppercorns.

The pork and spices blended together, emitting a rich and overpowering aroma that drew the attention of all three children.

"Mommy, can we eat it directly?" Niu Niu stood to the side, looking obedient, but the eagerness in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Chen Yunyun replied with a smile, "This is raw meat, you can't eat it."

With a soft "oh," the light in Niu Niu's eyes gradually faded, and she obediently went to clean the sausage casings.

After Chen Yunyun finished mixing the seasonings, the small tools she had instructed Da Wa to make were also ready.

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