First and foremost was the problem of food.
The Xiao family had already run out of rice to cook with, relying entirely on coarse grains to get by. There was very little dried corn left either—how much longer could they survive on cornmeal?
With two or three months still to go before the autumn harvest, the small amount of grain they had at home would definitely not last until then. Chen Xiuzhi remained optimistic, placing all her hopes on Xiao Yang’s job, believing that once he rested a while longer, he would be able to return to work.
Once he started earning wages again, they could buy grain. It might not be enough to fill everyone’s bellies, but at least no one would starve.
However, Ye Qing had observed Xiao Yang’s injury closely, and she felt things were far from certain. After thinking it over carefully, she decided she would have to find ways to secure and stockpile food on her own.
Then there was the matter of the house itself. The last time it had been repaired was when Old Man Xiao was still alive, and since then, no one in the family knew how to fix the roof. By autumn and winter, the winds in the mountains grew fierce, so the roof would need repairs. Once winter set in, they would also need plenty of firewood, and their supply was already running low.
Summers in the mountains were short, while winters dragged on for a long time. They needed to stock up thoroughly on everything required to stay warm and make it through the cold months. If they didn’t prepare well, they would surely struggle to survive the winter.
In just a few short days, Ye Qing felt a strong determination building up inside her to gather and store supplies.
After resting and recuperating for another two or three days, Ye Qing announced to the whole family one morning that she had fully recovered. To prove she was telling the truth, she even ran and jumped around in front of them.
Even so, the speed of her recovery left everyone in the Xiao family utterly astonished.
“Young bodies really do heal fast,” Chen Xiuzhi remarked in amazement. “I remember the village doctor saying you’d suffered from malnutrition since you were little, leaving your body severely depleted. He said it would take at least half a month to recover properly—and look how little time it’s been!”
She stepped forward and examined Ye Qing carefully, patting and looking her over from head to toe as if they were truly mother and daughter.
Ye Qing shifted uncomfortably and covered her chest. Shi Fengxia also leaned in for a closer look, though thankfully she kept her hands to herself.
After studying her for a moment, Shi Fengxia suddenly spoke up. “Ma, did I see it wrong? It feels like Ye Qing has actually put on some weight these past few days.”
She raised her hand to measure her own height, then compared it to Ye Qing’s, looking surprised. “I remember when you first woke up, your head only reached my shoulder. But look at you now—you’re up to my ear! You’ve grown nearly half a head taller in such a short time.”
She reached out and squeezed Ye Qing’s arm. “See? Your arms have gotten much firmer too—you’ve definitely gained weight.”
“Speak as you like, but keep your hands off,” Ye Qing said, swatting Shi Fengxia’s hand away gently.
She turned to the others for confirmation. “Have I really grown taller?”
Chen Xiuzhi nodded firmly. “Yes, you have—and filled out as well. Your body is healing well. Since you’re fully recovered now, you can come work in the fields with us starting today.”
Considering Ye Qing had only just regained her strength, Chen Xiuzhi added, “I’ll speak to the village leaders and arrange some lighter work for you. You can earn half work points for now, and once you’re completely back to normal, you can start earning the full amount—there’s no rush.”
Hearing this, Ye Qing instinctively glanced toward the direction of the mountains behind the village. In her mind, she wondered how she could tell the family that she had no desire to work the fields—she only wanted to head up into the hills.
Ye Qing knew she had no skill for farming labor. If she went out to the fields, she doubted she could even earn half work points, let alone the full amount—working the land required its own set of techniques.
And there was another reason: Ye Qing was certain that what she could gather and hunt in the mountains would be far more valuable than anything she could earn from farming.
But seeing how pleased and hopeful everyone was, she found it hard to bring up the subject.
She turned her gaze away from the mountains.
Never mind—actions speak louder than words. If she went up into the hills today and brought back enough to show for it, the family would surely change their minds.
“Ma, could you give me just one day to get myself ready? I’ll join you in the fields tomorrow,” Ye Qing suggested.
Chen Xiuzhi looked her over. It wouldn’t make much difference, she thought. One day less of work points wouldn’t make them poor, and one day more wouldn’t make them rich.
“Very well,” she agreed readily. “It’s not the busiest time in the fields anyway. You can rest at home today and tidy up around the house, then come with us tomorrow.”
With that settled, everyone in the family went their separate ways to tend to their tasks.
Ye Qing was assigned to wash the sweet potatoes. Knowing she planned to head up the mountain later and would need something to eat, she picked out several extra potatoes to wash.
As she walked over to the water vat, Shi Fengxia’s words about her growing taller and plumper echoed in her mind. Curious, Ye Qing leaned over to look at her reflection in the water.
Sure enough, she really did look fuller.
At first glance, it wasn’t obvious, but her cheeks were rounder now, and her cheekbones no longer jutted out sharply.
When she had first woken up, seeing her own reflection had given her a fright—she had been so thin back then, her cheekbones protruding, giving her face a sharp, inverted-triangle shape.
Now, with proper food and rest, her face had softened into a slightly slender oval, and the hollows beneath her eyes had filled out.
Staring into the water for a moment longer, Ye Qing paused. The face looking back at her more closely resembled the one she had had in her previous life.
Combined with the earlier observation about her increased height and weight, a realization began to form in her mind.
She pulled open the collar of her shirt and glanced at her shoulder. The original owner of this body had had a large black mole there—a birthmark. But now, it was gone.
This confirmed her suspicion completely: the soul and body of the former owner had already departed, and the person standing here in Shilinggou Village was truly her—Ye Qing.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but wonder where that poor girl had gone. If she herself had been reborn into this life after dying, then perhaps the original owner had also found a new beginning somewhere else?
Ye Qing lifted her eyes toward the sky and offered a silent prayer. If there truly was a higher power, she hoped the girl had been sent to a happier place, where she would never go hungry and could live a life free of worries.
Shaking off those thoughts, Ye Qing picked up the axe beside her and weighed it in her hands.
She was now certain—her special abilities had returned.
A smile crept onto her face before she could stop it.
“Ye Qing! What are you standing there grinning foolishly at the water vat for? Hurry up and wash those sweet potatoes! We have to get to work as soon as we’ve eaten breakfast, and I’m starving already—here you are daydreaming!”
Shi Fengxia walked past carrying a bowl of cornmeal. Seeing Ye Qing standing motionless in front of the vat with a silly smile on her face, she strode over and raised a hand to tap her shoulder.
Before she could make contact, Ye Qing suddenly turned around and caught her wrist mid-air.
Shi Fengxia jumped in surprise. “Why did you turn around so suddenly? You scared me half to death!”
She patted her chest, looking startled.
Ye Qing patted her arm in return, offering a gentle warning. “I have very quick reflexes. If someone approaches me without warning, I instinctively react. You’ll have to be more careful from now on—especially since you’re pregnant. Don’t sneak up on me like that, or I might accidentally hurt you.”
“What a strange habit,” Shi Fengxia muttered under her breath, though she didn’t say it loud enough for Ye Qing to hear.
She just nodded quickly, told Ye Qing to hurry up with the potatoes, and then hurried off with the cornmeal.
A little while later, Shi Fengxia came out of the kitchen and wandered over to check the henhouse for eggs.
By then, Ye Qing had finished washing the sweet potatoes. She tossed them all into the stove and let them roast slowly over the fire.
Chen Xiuzhi poked her head in. “Child, why did you wash so many today? We’ll never finish them all.”
“We will,” Ye Qing replied calmly. “I have quite a big appetite.”
Chen Xiuzhi had already seen how much Ye Qing could eat, and besides, sweet potatoes were nothing special. She just nodded and said no more.
After breakfast, there was no time to rest. Everyone slung their farming tools over their shoulders and hurried off to work, leaving Ye Qing alone at home. She didn’t waste a minute. As soon as the gate was closed, she began gathering supplies and food for her trip up the mountain.
She estimated she would be out there for the whole day—going hungry was not an option.
Ye Qing tossed seven or eight roasted sweet potatoes into her storage space, then took out a hollowed-out gourd canteen, filled it to the brim with cool boiled water, and placed it inside as well. Once everything was stowed away, she felt light and unburdened.
“Thank goodness I still have that system with me,” she murmured to herself. “Having a storage space makes things so much easier. Otherwise, I’d have to carry all this weight up the hill.”
With food and water ready, she set about finding the right tools.
Looking around, she realized all the farm implements had been taken by the others. Only an axe and a chopping knife remained.
From the memories of the original owner, she knew cutting down trees in the hills was forbidden. Besides, the axe was heavy and cumbersome. Without hesitation, Ye Qing chose the lighter chopping knife.
Before leaving, she rummaged through the chest of drawers under the kang. The clothes she was wearing were made of rough homespun cotton—sturdy enough for daily wear, but easily torn and not very durable for trekking through the woods. She hoped to find a set of tougher workwear, but after searching in vain, she gave up.
“Just have to be careful while I’m up there,” she told herself. “If it does get torn, I’ll just mend it when I come back.”
Slinging a wicker basket over her back and clutching the chopping knife, Ye Qing locked the gate of the Xiao courtyard and headed straight toward the mountains behind the village.
After walking for about twenty minutes, she reached the foot of the hills. There were already quite a few people there—some gathering firewood, others collecting feed for pigs and chickens. Several more were bent low, their eyes fixed on the ground as they searched for wild vegetables.
Though there were quite a few people around, most were elderly or children; all the able-bodied men and women were busy working in the fields.
Ye Qing didn’t know anyone from Shilinggou Village well, and she had never met most of them before. She had no interest in making conversation, so whenever their eyes met, she simply nodded politely and kept walking deeper into the hills.
She might have preferred silence, but some of the villagers recognized her and called out to say hello.
“Are you the second daughter-in-law of Old Xiao’s family—the one who married Xiao Yang?”
Others called her “the youngest bride of the Xiao family.”
Hearing these titles sent a chill up her spine, and she felt goosebumps rise on her arms. She stopped and corrected them gently. “My name is Ye Qing—Ye as in leaf, Qing as in green.”
A few middle-aged women looked her over curiously, then quickly changed their tone. “Oh! Ye Qing! Are you here to gather chicken feed too? Come join us—there’s plenty of grass over here.”
In truth, they were far more interested in what this new bride—who many believed had brought trouble to the Xiao family—was really up to. They wanted to know how she was settling in, whether Chen Xiuzhi treated her well, if the eldest son and his wife gave her a hard time, and most of all: had Xiao Yang finally accepted her as his wife?
There was nothing more entertaining than gossiping about other people’s lives.
Ye Qing could easily read their intentions. Though she sensed no malice in their gazes, she had no intention of lingering. She gave them a vague reply, saying she planned to walk further in to look for wild vegetables, and kept heading toward the deeper parts of the mountain.
She had only taken a few more steps when someone called out from behind.
“Sister-in-law! Wait, Sister-in-law!”
Ye Qing paused, thinking it over twice before realizing the voice was addressing her.
She turned back toward the sound and saw a young girl of about ten years old running toward her, a sickle in hand.