Xiao Yunying called out, feeling her agitation lessen a bit, and went into the kitchen.
Luo Yang was left to quietly look at the muddy ground.
She must have lived in a much nicer place before, at least better than this thatched hut.
She's endured so much for so many days, it must have been really tough on her.
Xiao Yunying was in a bad mood, so she didn't put as much effort into making lunch as usual. She soaked a small handful of wood ear mushrooms, cooked a pot of noodles, and made a sauce with cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, eggs, and diced meat.
Although it's simple, it tastes great, and all the kids in my family are enjoying it.
Xiao Yunying didn't eat a single noodle, but she ate two bowls of noodle sauce. She deliberately didn't make it too salty, so it would be fine to eat on its own.
After finishing her meal, Xiao Yunying sat at the doorway, glancing at the supermarket every now and then to see if it had been repaired. She didn't do much, except perhaps like she would constantly pick up her phone to check if it was fully charged, just like she used to do in her past life.
After the two adults finished washing the dishes, each of them brought out a wooden basin containing their clothes and shoes that they had changed out of the day before.
Xiao Yunying spoke up: "Let's leave it for now. It's been raining heavily for so long, the water level in the river must have risen quite a bit. It's not safe to go now. I'll go wash it later."
"Then let's go gather firewood."
The two put down the wooden basin and picked up the basket. Xiao Yunying said, "The ground isn't dry yet. The wild grass and leaves on the mountain will also drip water. If we get our clothes and shoes dirty again, we won't have any to change into. Let's wait until the ground dries."
The two brothers put down their baskets, looked at each other, and exchanged glances.
Luo Chen: Is the stepmother in a bad mood?
Luo Yang nodded: You just realized that?
Luo Chen: What are we doing now, fetching water?
Luo Yang pointed to the ground and then to the shoes: "Go ahead if you're not afraid your stepmother will scold you for getting your shoes dirty."
Luo Chen: ...Never mind, I see there's still more than half a tank of water left, that should be enough for now.
The two brothers communicated silently, while the two younger ones played inside the house, making the yard very quiet for a moment.
The arrival of Xiao Yunying's two older brothers broke the silence.
The gate wasn't bolted, and Xiao Yunsong and Xiao Yunbai carried in a ladder, a wooden bucket, and some tools. Xiao Yunbai put down the tools and took out five or six pomegranates from the bucket.
“These were sent by your second sister-in-law’s younger brother. She specifically asked me to bring you a few to try. These pomegranates are sweet and sour, and they’re delicious.”
Xiao Yunying could tell that her second brother was speaking well of her second sister-in-law in front of her: "I quite like eating pomegranates, please thank your second sister-in-law for me."
Xiao Yunsong put down the ladder: "Little sister, your big brother has come to fix your roof. Dad said the dark clouds have drifted away and it shouldn't rain for a while. Now you don't have to worry about the roof not drying."
Xiao Yunying perked up. Now that it was confirmed that it wouldn't rain, why bother repairing the roof? Her eyes lit up, and her voice was filled with joy.
"Let's not repair the roof. Let's go back and talk to our parents. I want to build a new house."
He turned around and gave all the pomegranates to Luo Yang: "Luo Chen, quickly take the contract and wait for me in the courtyard."
He went into the house, stuffed the drawings he had made earlier into his bosom, thought for a moment, and then put the cotton and linen cloth that Cheng Yue had given him into his basket.
The two little ones were playing in her room. Xiao Yunying carried a basket into the kitchen, put the snow fungus on the stove, filled it with about ten apples and about ten crisp persimmons, and then opened two packets of rock sugar and wrapped them in oil paper.
Meat...maybe next time. She didn't go to the city, and it's hard to explain where the fresh meat came from.
Finally, place two snow fungus plants on top and cover with a cloth.
It wasn't that she was unwilling to give it away; everyone in the village knew the value of snow fungus, and given her parents' personalities, they certainly wouldn't accept more.
He came out and urged everyone, "Big brother, second brother, hurry up! Luo Yang, peel some pomegranates for your younger siblings, and save one for your eldest brother. Wait for us to come back at home."
Luo Yang stood by the door, holding a pomegranate: "I understand."
The two Xiao brothers, still not quite understanding what was happening, exchanged a glance and asked in unison, "Little sister, are you going to build a house?"
“Yes, look at the mud-brick thatched house I live in. The walls are too thin. It’s cold in winter and hot in summer. I’m thinking of demolishing it and rebuilding it now before it snows.”
Xiao Yunsong asked, "I heard from Mother that you found a basket of snow fungus on the mountain?"
Xiao Yunying gave herself an out, not making any definitive statements: "Yes, if the villagers ask me, just say that you've picked them all and there's nothing left. Actually, there are still some left. I sold them a couple of days ago, and only I know where they are. Don't worry about them finding their way there."
Xiao Yunsong agreed, saying, "Little sister did the right thing. Why did you tell them what you found out?"
Xiao Yunbai peeked over and asked in a low voice, "Little sister, how much silver did you sell?"
Xiao Yunsong listened with a tense expression.
The two brothers had no ill intentions; they were simply curious.
They were really good to the original owner, from childhood to adulthood. They always had two copper coins in their hands. They would give one to the original owner without her having to ask for it, and then save the other one. When they had saved up enough, they would buy things for the original owner.
If there was only one copper coin and it couldn't be divided, they would give the entire coin to the original owner. This practice was only stopped by Mu Lianrong after the marriage, when she grabbed Mu Lianrong's ear and told her to listen to her mother and give the coin to her wife.
To match their tense atmosphere, Xiao Yunying whispered, "My snow fungus is of good quality; it sold for eight taels per plant."
The two brothers gasped in surprise.
Xiao Yunying found the scene quite interesting. Although they were born a year apart, the two older brothers not only looked alike, but also behaved in a similar manner. People would believe they were twins with a telepathic connection.
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