The one blocking her path was Zhang Erniu.
Zhang Erniu had dark skin and looked quite sturdy. He had an honest appearance and looked a bit older than his age.
Seeing that Ye Wan was about to leave without a word, he hurriedly chased after her, asking, “Auntie, is Da Ya home?”
“Auntie, I don’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to ask if Da Ya’s injuries have healed. I caught a rabbit in my field. I was wrong about what happened last time, I…”
Ye Wan turned back to size up Zhang Erniu.
“And? You want to marry Da Ya?”
How interesting.
Zhang Erniu’s dark face instantly flushed red, and he stammered, “No, I… I…”
He couldn’t get a complete sentence out. Ye Wan frowned. “Thank you for taking Da Ya to the clinic before, but don’t forget you’re already engaged.”
Da Ya looked like a child; it was terrifying to think about her getting married so soon.
Zhang Erniu hastily explained, “No, I just think Da Ya is quite pitiful. She’s so capable, I…”
Her being capable has nothing to do with you, Ye Wan thought, not wanting to hear any more. She pulled San Ya along and left.
Zhang Erniu stood in place for a while, wondering if things would be better if he broke off his engagement.
He had to tell his parents. He wanted to call off the engagement with his cousin, La Mei. He had always seen La Mei as a younger sister.
Ye Wan took San Ya to Granny Li’s, whom Aunt Wang had mentioned, and bought some vegetable seeds.
Back in the courtyard, Ye Wan went to the backyard to dig up the soil.
After a great deal of effort, she managed to turn over a small patch of land. She was so tired and drenched in sweat that she quickly ran into the house and ducked into her space to wash up.
No one else was home at the moment, only San Ya playing in the courtyard. This gave Ye Wan a chance to properly examine the space she had only glanced at the night before.
Good heavens, the space had automatically evolved. Had it even grown a lawn?
It seemed to have formed an ecosystem. There were all sorts of trees now, completely different from its previous empty state.
Ye Wan picked a peach. The wild peaches were now large and sweet, so delicious she wanted to cry.
“Second Sister.”
Hearing San Ya’s voice from the courtyard, Ye Wan quickly exited the space.
Just as she came out, Er Ya rolled her eyes at her. “The new sweet potatoes are about to be harvested, yet you went and bought two big bags of old ones from Old Man Wang’s house. Is there something wrong with your brain? Those don’t taste good anymore.”
She had overheard someone say that her stepmother had bought two large bags of hongshu.
Pah, pah, pah, she wasn’t her stepmother, just a servant in their house.
One moment, Er Ya was showing off about eating meat and her new head flower; the next, Ye Wan was buying sweet potatoes, making her feel utterly embarrassed.
“None of your damn business,” Ye Wan said, her face darkening.
Why did this dark-skinned girl have so much hostility towards her?
“San Ya, go feed the chickens.” Seeing San Ya was bored, Ye Wan gave her a handful of vegetable leaves.
“You black-hearted woman! My sister is still so young, and you’re already ordering her to do chores,” Er Ya cursed at Ye Wan, her fingers held in a lanhua zhi gesture.
“My heart is black, is it? Then don’t you dare eat the food I make later.”
“Go and weave two small baskets for me. I need them to hold things.”
Er Ya nearly jumped up at the command. “On what grounds? Aren’t you so capable? Weave them yourself!”
“So you’re really not going to eat my food? Are you going to weave them or not?”
Er Ya was so angry she started muttering curses under her breath, squatting under the eaves to weave the baskets, shooting glances at Ye Wan from time to time.
Little did she know, rumors were already flying all over the village.
What? Lin An Yuan’s new woman told Zhang Erniu to break off his engagement and marry Da Ya?
In the Zhang family’s courtyard, Zhang Erniu was being scolded by his parents.
“Dad, you’ve seen for yourself how capable Da Ya is. She can even work in the Embroidery Workshop to earn money. How is she anything like La Mei, who’s so gluttonous and lazy,” Zhang Erniu said with his head lowered.
His cousin La Mei had a physique like her mother’s, but she hadn’t inherited an ounce of her diligence. Being lazy was one thing, but she would cry at the slightest criticism. He really couldn’t bring himself to like her.
Zhang Erniu’s father had just returned from the fields. He forcefully knocked the dirt out from the soles of his shoes, his face dark. “No matter what, she’s been engaged to you since childhood, and your aunt has always been good to you. How could you say such outrageous things?”
Zhang Erniu’s mother spoke up from the side. “Dear, why don’t we just grant our son’s wish? This has already caused such a stir. That Da Ya is a diligent and capable girl, just a bit thin and frail.”
She didn’t think much of that girl La Mei either. What family’s daughter was that lazy? In life, marrying a girl their son liked would make him happy too.
“With a father like that, what kind of good daughter could he raise? Just keep spoiling him.”
Zhang Erniu’s father was also a man. Thinking of his sister’s daughter, he too felt a knot in his chest.
“It’s not like he’s marrying her father. Besides, she’s not his biological daughter. Once she marries in, we can just manage her well.”
Zhang Erniu kept his head down and said nothing, but he was overjoyed inside.
…
…
“It’s done!”
After two days of hard work, Ye Wan had finally finished making the Sweet Potato Noodles.
Fortunately, the weather was hot, and Lin An Yuan didn’t come home at night. She secretly used her space to dry them, a two-pronged approach that made the process very fast, though she hadn’t made a large batch.
She cooked a bowl, mixed in the seasonings, and gave it to everyone to try.
“What’s this? It looks like snot. How disgusting,” Er Ya said with disgust, taking several steps back.
“I think you’re the disgusting one. Is your snot this color? If you’re not eating, then scram!”
She was thoroughly fed up with this dark-skinned girl, saying such disgusting things about food.
Er Ya was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Ye Wan and cursed, “This is my house! If anyone’s going to scram, it’s you!”
“Mother, this is delicious,” San Ya said, slurping because of the spiciness.
The normal flavor wasn’t actually that spicy, but it tasted spicy to a child.
Da Ya quietly told Er Ya to say a few words less, then tried a bite herself.
Ye Wan was also eating. “It’s good, right? If we were to sell this, do you think people would buy it?”
“Yes,” Da Ya nodded affirmatively. “It’s sour and spicy, very delicious.”
Just then, Lin An Yuan, who had been gone for two days, returned.
“Is the pushcart ready?”
Seeing the pushcart he wheeled into the courtyard, Ye Wan was overjoyed. She could go set up her stall tomorrow.
“Lin An Yuan, you could be a carpenter. It’s a waste of your skills not to be one,” Ye Wan said, looking at the pushcart. It was even better than she had expected.
Er Ya’s voice turned shrill. “Are you insulting him? Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants! Artisans are lowly. How could my father be a carpenter? And you, debasing yourself to become a merchant.”
Ye Wan retorted with equal sarcasm, “Oh my, you can’t even afford to eat, yet you look down on merchants as lowly? If you’ve got the guts, then don’t eat.”
Ye Wan cooked a bowl of Sweet Potato Noodles for Lin An Yuan as well, but completely ignored Er Ya.
If she found it so lowly, then she shouldn’t eat it.
Seeing everyone eating without her getting a share, Er Ya’s eyes immediately turned red.
“You eat this. I’ll go cook,” Da Ya said, offering her own bowl, from which she had only taken one bite, to Er Ya.
“Who cares? I don’t want to eat it anyway,” Er Ya said, then turned and ran off.
Da Ya looked at Ye Wan, but Ye Wan didn’t make a sound.
She wasn’t Er Ya’s biological mother. Why look at her? She should look at her father.
She turned to speak to Lin An Yuan. “Lin An Yuan, is the ox-cart available? This pushcart of mine should be able to fit on it, right?”
Lin An Yuan took a bite of the Sweet Potato Noodles, his expression a little strange. His already crimson lips became even redder.
“Ahem… for a pushcart that big, Old Sun will charge extra.”
Ye Wan thought to herself that if this business took off, she would rent a small courtyard in town so she wouldn’t have to travel back and forth.
She suddenly turned and smiled. “Lin An Yuan, you can’t handle spicy food, can you?”
“Who says?” Lin An Yuan ate another mouthful, his face expressionless.
But the corners of his eyes turned red too.
“Hahaha, say something! That’s what you get for having such a sharp tongue!”
At the foot of the mountain, Wang Dagang, who had snuck out to search for the token, heard the laughter and muttered to himself that it sounded nice.
He had let his boss down by losing the item.
Even if there were demons in the mountains, he had to go fight them to get it back.
…
…