"Splash".
They were chattering away.
She was surrounded by a group of people of all sizes, but the dust in the air obscured their features, making them impossible to see.
Looking at her children and grandchildren surrounding her, Li Lanzhen put her hand to her forehead. A handful of dry grass in her hand poked her face, and Li Lanzhen casually threw it away.
I never expected that my casual toss would elicit a gasp of surprise.
"Mother! You snatched this from Old Lady Wu, how can you throw it away! Crush it up and you can make a pot of vegetable soup!"
A tall, but thin, yellow-skinned woman rushed over and quickly picked up the straw that she had thrown out, carefully stuffing it into her bosom. Tsk tsk, wasn't she afraid of pricking her skin?
Li Lanzhen looked over and saw that she trembled in fright and quickly hid behind a man. The man chuckled at her and pulled his wife to hide behind him.
This is the original owner's second son, Han Mingjiang. He's a bit of a rascal, but he's really good to his family. He's filial to his mother, loves his wife and children, and knows some carpentry. During the off-season, he goes to town to earn some pocket money. The one who just saw him is his second daughter-in-law, Xue Nizi.
Li Lanzhen snorted coldly, glared at them, and stood still.
When Han Mingjiang saw the bloodstains on Li Lanzhen's head, he shouted angrily, "Mother, Old Lady Wu beat you until your head was bleeding, why didn't you beat her until she was screaming and running all over the village?"
"Yes, Grandma, beat her up!"
"Mother, your son will help you home." Li Lanzhen knew that this was Han Minghai, the original owner's eldest son, who was an extremely filial son, honest and kind, and a good farmer.
She lifted her foot to leave, and suddenly, several little kids surrounded her, patting the dust off her clothes.
Everyone was focused on the anxiety of being abandoned, and no one noticed anything wrong with Li Lanzhen.
After descending the mountain, at the foot of the mountain, I saw a woman with a slightly protruding belly. This was Zhang Yueniang, the eldest daughter-in-law, who was five months pregnant.
Upon seeing her approach, the eldest daughter-in-law lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, not daring to look up at her.
In the original owner's memories, there was no trace of her abusing her daughter-in-law and grandson. The only thing was that when it was time to eat, she would distribute the food to the family, first giving the husband, son, and grandson the thicker food, and then giving herself, her granddaughter, and her daughter-in-law the thinner food. But she never said that she would not give them any food.
She was called "extreme" because Li Lanzhen was extremely domineering and protective of her family.
She's adept at throwing tantrums and lashing out whenever it's for the good of her family, her children, grandchildren, or husband, and she's invincible in any situation.
Once, her eldest grandson found a nest of three wild eggs, which were snatched away by Wu's grandson. Holding her crying grandson, she carried a small stool and sat at the entrance of Wu's yard, where she began to demonstrate her superb skills in the pursuit of a nest of wild eggs.
Half an hour later, the village rascal, Old Woman Wu, came out with a flushed face and stomping her feet as if she were stomping on Li Lanzhen. She held three wild eggs and one domestic egg in her hand, stuffed them into Li Lanzhen's arms, rolled her eyes and shouted, "Here you go, here you go. I'll give you everything you asked for, now get out of my house."
In this showdown between two notorious ruffians in the village, Li Lanzhen emerged victorious.
Watching Li Lanzhen leave satisfied, Old Lady Wu gritted her teeth and shouted at her retreating figure, "Li Lanzhen, you old hag, you just wait, don't fall into my hands, or I'll kill you, ptooey!!"
This morning, the original owner of this body was hit on the forehead by Old Lady Wu with a stone, lost too much blood, and died because she hadn't eaten for several days and was too weak. That's how she transmigrated here. It really is a curse coming true.
These scenes flashed through Li Lanzhen's mind, and she felt a pang of melancholy. The original owner's personality was so different from her own, but she could understand the original owner's extreme behavior, which was all caused by poverty.
Perhaps it won't be long before I become one with the original body, body and soul.
The temporary change was explained as the head being damaged by Old Lady Wu hitting her with a stone, and the change in temperament was normal. After preparing herself mentally, Li Lanzhen felt a little more at ease.
When they returned to their doorstep and saw this scene, Li Lanzhen was dumbfounded.
The courtyard entrance was filled with baskets and hampers containing quilts, blankets, clothes, farm tools, pots and pans, and a dilapidated cart was also parked at the entrance.
There was also a mahogany cabinet that was as tall as a person, which was also tied up tightly with two ropes in front. Was it carried on someone's shoulders?
This really is a famine escape, but are they going to have to walk to escape it? My God, Li Lanzhen's newly built-up confidence in life has been shattered once again.
Seeing Li Lanzhen and the others return, her youngest son, Han Mingxiang, stepped forward and said to her, "Mother, let's hurry up and leave. Everyone in the village has been gone for more than two hours."
Before Li Lanzhen could speak, everyone found their assigned tasks, some carrying them on their backs, others picking them up, and then turned to look at Li Lanzhen, who was standing still.
"No rush, put your things in the yard first. Both daughters-in-law should go back to their parents' homes. When they arrive..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xue Nizi knelt down with a thud, followed by her second son and the child.
Zhang Yueniang knelt down, clutching her belly, and the eldest son and the child followed suit.
Xue Nizi raised her head stubbornly and said, "Mother, don't send me back to my parents' home. I won't go back. I want to go with Mingjiang and the children to escape the famine. Mother, I'll eat less every day."
"I'll gather as many wild herbs and leaves as possible along the way, Mother. You forgot I know a little about medicine; it's inevitable to get headaches and fevers while fleeing famine. I'll prepare some herbs along the way. Mother~"
Looking at the eager, expectant eyes, and then at her eldest daughter-in-law kneeling on the ground with her big belly, Li Lanzhen was furious.
"Han Minghai, your wife is pregnant, why aren't you helping her up! And you, Xue Nizi, who told you we were sending you back to your parents' home? Always making a fuss, you're a mother of two and still so impatient."
The two families helped each other to their feet, looking at Li Lanzhen with bewildered expressions.
"Come in, everyone. Xue Nizi, you and your sister-in-law go to the kitchen to cook corn porridge. Then, you go up the mountain by yourself to call your parents and brother to come down the mountain together to escape the famine."
Upon hearing this, Xue Nizi grinned happily.
Li Lanzhen looked at her eldest daughter-in-law, who was staring at her expectantly, and spoke.
"As for the eldest daughter-in-law, she is pregnant."
Seeing this, Zhang Yueniang lowered her head, her whole being filled with disappointment and sadness.
"Let the eldest son go and call your parents and brother's family over to our house. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."
The two daughters-in-law beamed with joy, only then realizing that there was no more cornmeal left in the house.
Frowning, Xue Nizi asked Li Lanzhen loudly, "Mother, we haven't had any proper food for more than half a year. Every day we just boil a few beans and grass roots to make soup. Where can we find cornmeal porridge?"
The eldest son scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly, "Mom, you've probably forgotten that cornmeal cost a tael of silver per pound six months ago. Our family can't afford it anymore."
Hearing these words, Li Lanzhen felt both heartbroken and secretly proud. "Of course I have some, but I can't let you know," she said, turning around and going into her room. After walking around for a while, she came out and handed Xue Nizi five cornbread buns.
"Go, crumble these steamed buns, add water, and cook them into a porridge to drink."
Everyone in the courtyard stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the golden, fluffy steamed buns that exuded a rich aroma of cornmeal, swallowing hard.
Several children put their fingers in their mouths, staring intently at the cornbread in Li Lanzhen's hand, swallowing hard.
Especially the grandson, who had never eaten cornmeal since birth, now saw the fragrant steamed bun in his grandmother's hand and stretched out his arms to rush towards Li Lanzhen.
I bent down, picked him up, tore off a piece of food, and put it in his mouth. I watched as the little guy squinted his eyes, smacked his lips, and slowly chewed.
Seeing his grandsons staring at him expectantly, he broke off a small piece of steamed bun and stuffed a small piece into the mouth of one of his grandsons.
Facing the shocked, eager, and slightly doubtful gazes of all ages, Li Lanzhen nervously shouted, "What are you looking at! Hurry up and cook some porridge. Don't you want to eat? No grass roots or tree bark allowed. Eat your fill, we're on our way tomorrow."
That shout immediately brought the adults and children back to their senses.
Why think so much? Let's eat whatever Mom (Grandma) says we should eat. Who cares where the food comes from? Maybe Dad (Grandpa) hid it away when he was alive.
Most importantly, I can finally enjoy this delicious and sweet porridge made from steamed buns.
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