The first rays of morning sunlight shone on Lin Yue's face. She slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly at the simple roof for a while before realizing she was in this unusual era. Chen Yu was no longer beside her. She sat up, stretched, and prepared to greet the new day.
Today, she decided to try managing the household chores. She first went to the stove, looking at the large black pot and the pile of firewood beside it, feeling a little apprehensive. In modern times, she had never encountered this way of cooking over a fire; everything had to be started from scratch. She tried to imitate what she had seen Aunt Liu do yesterday, picking up some dry grass, putting it in the stove, and then trying to light it with a match. But the dry grass seemed to be working against her; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to light. Finally, a spark appeared, and as soon as she put in a small twig, the fire went out with a "whoosh."
Lin Yue frowned, somewhat frustrated, but she didn't give up. She tried again and again, and finally a flame ignited in the stove, but thick smoke billowed out. She coughed incessantly, choking on the smoke, tears welling in her eyes. Finally, the fire stabilized a little, and she added water to the pot, preparing to boil it.
Just then, she realized that the water had to be drawn from the water vat in the yard. The vat was large and heavy, and it took her a lot of effort to lift the lid. Looking at the somewhat murky water, she gritted her teeth, picked up the ladle, and began scooping water into the pot. However, because she wasn't familiar with using the ladle, water spilled everywhere, making the ground in front of the stove wet.
After the water boiled, Lin Yue decided to make some wild vegetable soup. She washed the leftover wild vegetables from yesterday and put them in the pot. But she didn't know how much salt to add, so she just sprinkled some in by feel. When she ladled out the soup, she found that the taste was a bit strange; it was either too salty or too bland, completely different from what she had imagined.
Next came cooking. Looking at the meager amount of cornmeal in the basket, she decided to try making a few cornbread buns. She mixed the cornmeal with water according to her memory. But the dough was either too dry or too runny. After finally managing to knead it, she couldn't shape it into cornbread buns properly; either a hole would appear here, or a piece would collapse there.
Lin Yue looked at the oddly shaped cornbread in her hands, feeling both amused and exasperated. But she still put them in the pot to steam. While waiting for them to cook, she was utterly exhausted by all the housework. She realized then that in this era, even cooking a simple meal required so much effort.
After the cornbread was steamed, Lin Yue took a bite. The texture was rough, far inferior to the refined foods she ate in modern times. But she knew this was the best they could have. She placed the breakfast on the table, waiting for Chen Yu to return.
After breakfast, Lin Yue faced a new challenge—fetching water for laundry. She picked up a bucket and headed to the village well. When she arrived, she saw several women drawing water. They skillfully tied the bucket to the well pulley and easily turned it; in no time, a full bucket of water was lifted up.
Lin Yue followed their example, but as soon as the bucket was lowered into the well, it fell into the water with a "plop." She panicked, unsure what to do. The women nearby laughed at her clumsy attempt. Lin Yue's face flushed red; she felt like a child who couldn't do anything right.
Just then, a kind woman came over and helped her lift the bucket out of the water, even teaching her how to properly draw water. Under the woman's guidance, Lin Yue finally managed to draw water, but the heavy bucket made her shoulders ache. She walked home with difficulty, step by step, as water kept spilling out of the bucket and splashing onto her.
Back home, Lin Yue placed the clothes to be washed in a wooden basin and began to do so. She didn't have soap, so she had to use a homemade soapberry solution instead. She scrubbed the clothes vigorously, but the stains were difficult to remove. Moreover, she noticed the fabric was very rough; after scrubbing for a while, her hands began to turn red and ache.
Just as she was diligently washing clothes, a rooster suddenly crowed in the yard. It turned out the family's chickens had escaped and were running wildly around the yard. Lin Yue put down the clothes and chased after the chicken. The chicken was incredibly fast; she ran back and forth in the yard, panting heavily, but couldn't catch it no matter what she did. Finally, she managed to catch the chicken and herd it back to its coop, by which time she was drenched in sweat.
When she returned to the washbasin, she found the water had turned murky, and the clothes were still not clean. She sighed, filled the basin with water again, and continued washing. After much effort, she finally finished. She hung the clothes on the line in the yard, looking at the wet garments, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
At noon, Chen Yu returned home and saw the results of Lin Yue's morning's work. A hint of surprise and appreciation appeared in his eyes. "You've worked hard today. Take your time learning these things, there's no rush." He looked at Lin Yue's slightly red and swollen hands and felt a pang of heartache.
Lin Yue smiled and said, "It's okay, I think I'm starting to get the hang of it." Although she said that, she knew that she still had a long way to go.
After lunch, Lin Yue decided to clean the house. She picked up a broom and began sweeping the floor. The house was very dusty, and every time she swept, it kicked up clouds of dust, making her cough. She tidied up the house, made the bed, and wiped the table clean. While organizing the closet, she found some old clothes and small items. The clothes were all patched and looked quite old. She took them out, intending to repair them sometime.
After cleaning the house, Lin Yue went to tidy up the yard. She neatly stacked the firewood and cleared away the clutter. While cleaning, she found some materials that could be used for crafts. She thought that perhaps she could use these materials to make some small things for the house to make it more cozy.
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