Tang Yunshu replied, then asked, “Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, Second Uncle, Second Aunt—why don’t you stay for lunch?”
“No need. We’ll head back now; there’s still a lot of work waiting at home,” Zhao Changfa said, waving his hand. He knew well how hard life was for his younger sister’s family and couldn’t bear to add to their burden.
Zhao Lanzhi tried again and again to persuade them to stay, but her brothers were determined to leave. After drinking some water and chatting briefly, they took their leave.
The two villages were about ten li apart—not far—but travel was entirely on foot. With spring just beginning, every household was busy planting fields, so there really wasn’t time to linger.
After they left, Tang Yunshu began asking Zhao Lanzhi about the Zhao family’s situation.
Zhao Lanzhi said, “Your grandparents’ family treats us very well—no complaints there. Your uncles and aunts are all kind-hearted people and have taken good care of us over the years. We still owe your grandparents’ family two taels of silver. As for relatives, that’s about it. Oh, right—you also have a paternal uncle and aunt. Their family doesn’t treat us very well. You just need to know that much.”
“Mom, is that uncle Father’s biological older brother?” Tang Yunshu asked.
“Yes, he’s your father’s real older brother. Sigh… but the way they behave isn’t even as good as neighbors.”
Zhao Lanzhi then told Tang Yunshu about how Li Cuicui often came to their house to take eggs.
After hearing this, Tang Yunshu felt extremely angry. They were all relatives, yet compared to the Zhao family, Tang Dashu’s family was worlds apart. How could the difference be so great?
She asked again, “Mom, how much debt does our family owe in total? And who do we owe it to?”
“We owe two taels to your grandparents’ family, three taels to the village head’s family, two taels to your Uncle Su’s family, and one tael to your Uncle Li’s family. Altogether, eight taels.”
“Mom, who is Uncle Su?” Tang Yunshu asked.
“Your Uncle Su is named Su Youtian. He and your father are good brothers, and our two families have always gotten along well. Your Aunt Su is named Zhang Xiuxiu; she often helps speak up for me.”
Zhao Lanzhi then told her about Li Cuicui’s behavior by the river.
Tang Yunshu quietly committed it all to memory. For those who treated her family well, she would remember it for a lifetime; and for those who didn’t, she would remember them too—just treat them differently.
“Mom, which household is Uncle Li from?” she asked.
“Your Uncle Li isn’t from our village. Your father met him while working in town; his family lives there.”
“Mom, how much land does our family have?”
“Ten mu.”
“Mom, how many more days will it take to finish planting?”
“Your father said yesterday it’ll probably take another seven or eight days.”
“Does our village have a doctor? Or anyone who knows medicinal herbs?”
“There’s no doctor in our village, and no one who knows herbs. Why do you ask, my girl?”
“Mom, did you forget? I know medicine. I recognize medicinal plants. Once we finish planting, I’ll take Father and the brothers into the mountains to dig herbs. Medicinal materials aren’t cheap.”
Zhao Lanzhi looked worried. “But the mountains are dangerous. I won’t feel at ease.”
“Mom, it’s fine. There are many of us, and we won’t go deep into the mountains,” Tang Yunshu reassured her. Then she asked, “Mom, does our village have a carpenter?”
“Your Uncle Su is a carpenter. Most woodworking jobs in the village go to him. Yunshu, what do you want to do?”
“Big Brother stays cooped up in the house every day. I want to have someone make a wheelchair for him.”
“Yunshu, what’s a wheelchair?” Zhao Lanzhi asked.
“A wheelchair is a chair with wheels underneath. Big Brother can sit on it and move it himself, going wherever he wants. That way, he can go outside every day to get some sun—it’ll be better for his health. But our family doesn’t have money right now. How can we ask Uncle Su to help us make one?”
“Your Uncle Su is a good person. We already owe his family money—owing a bit more won’t matter. Have your father talk to him; he’ll help. But his family is also busy planting right now. Wait until the fields are finished, then go find him.”
“Alright, Mom. I’m going back to my room to draw the plans.”
She returned to her room and entered the villa—and unexpectedly received a huge surprise.
“Ah—my phone! That’s amazing. My phone is actually here too!”
She excitedly turned it on and discovered that it could still connect to the internet. Everything worked exactly as it had before.
She immediately searched for instructions and blueprints for making a solid wooden wheelchair and printed them out.
But then she thought again—printed items appearing in this era would be far too conspicuous. It would be better to draw them herself.
However, no one in the household was literate, and there certainly were no brushes, ink, or paper.
An idea struck her. She used her phone to take a picture of a product resembling ancient-style paper, and just as she was wondering how the purchased items would be delivered—
To her surprise, not long after, the paper arrived, automatically appearing in the delivery box at the door.
This miraculous operation left her utterly stunned. Even she couldn’t explain it—could this villa be a passage connecting ancient times and the modern world?
If so, wouldn’t it mean she could buy whatever she wanted? Unable to figure it out, she set the thought aside for now. She tried pushing open the door leading outside, but no matter what she did, it wouldn’t open.
She understood then—she couldn’t leave.
She went to the kitchen and happily discovered that the rice, flour, grain, and oil she’d taken out days earlier had all been automatically replenished. This function was incredibly considerate.
She casually grabbed a box of milk and drank it. Afterward, she calmed her mind and began drawing the wheelchair plans.
She drew one overall blueprint, then another showing the individual components.
In her previous life, she had studied drawing—her one true personal hobby.
In her spare time, she liked to draw quietly, using it to cultivate her temperament. Though she couldn’t compare with professional painters, her skills were quite good.
It was just that she’d never had time to focus on painting. Otherwise, her works surely could have won awards.
She especially loved painting landscapes and scenery. Since she had no time to travel mountains and rivers, she poured her emotions into her paintings, as if she were there in person.
She had exceptional talent in painting.
After finishing, she looked into the mirror. Reflected was a young girl with delicate features—still not fully grown, but with well-balanced, refined facial features.
In her previous life, she couldn’t be called a stunning beauty, but she had the aura of an icy beauty.
She rarely smiled back then, because there was nothing in life that made her happy. Only when missions required her to smile did she properly play the role.
But in this life, with family who loved her, she felt that her smiles now truly came from the heart.
At noon, Zhao Lanzhi stewed the hen that the Zhao family had brought, making a full pot of chicken soup.
This was a genuine free-range farm chicken—no feed used at all. The rich aroma left the entire family utterly intoxicated.
Chicken soup with steamed buns was perfection. Tang Yunshu felt she had never tasted such delicious chicken soup even in her previous life. Two large basins of buns were quickly emptied.
The brothers restrained themselves while drinking the soup, not indulging too much, saying they wanted to leave some for their little sister to have in the evening. Otherwise, the soup would have been completely finished long ago.
Eight days later, the family finally finished planting all their fields.