After entering, Lu Zhaozhao saw the other three members of the household inside the thatched house.
An elderly woman lay sickly on a hard wooden bed, occasionally coughing. Two children, around three years old, sat on the floor playing with mud. When they saw Gu Yan come in, they immediately got excited, scrambling over to him and speaking in their baby voices:
“Little Uncle, when will dinner be ready? An An’s tummy is hungry.”
“Momo’s hungry too, Little Uncle. We both listened to you and didn’t bother Grandmother!”
“An An, Momo, be good. Little Uncle will cook the porridge soon.”
Gu Yan crouched down, gently soothing his niece and nephew. During this time, they had followed him through hardship and instability, enduring many difficulties. Gu Yan suddenly felt a twinge of guilt toward his elder brother and sister-in-law.
Seeing this, Lu Zhaozhao already had a rough idea of the situation and immediately spoke:
“Husband, where is the kitchen? I’ll cook.”
The sudden word “Husband” startled Gu Yan so much that he straightened up and, sounding a bit flustered, said:
“Y-you called me what?”
“Husband. Didn’t you say we should tell outsiders that we are married? If I don’t call you Husband, what should I call you?”
After saying this, Lu Zhaozhao paused thoughtfully. In ancient times, villagers seemed to call the man of the house something like “my husband”? “Head of the household”? Or “so-and-so’s father”?
She couldn’t bring herself to say “lord husband” — it sounded too formal, and “Husband” rolled off the tongue more easily.
Mainly, she thought he looked too young, and she really couldn’t call him “Head of the household.” But if he didn’t like “Husband,” she would just adjust.
So she continued:
“Then should I call you Head of the household? Or… hmm, you call An An that, right? Should I call you An An’s uncle?”
Gu Yan’s brow furrowed even tighter.
With a sigh, he said, “Just call me Husband. It’s only a title, it’s not important. Normally, we cook porridge at the fire outside; the rice is in the earthen jar nearby.”
“All right, leave it to me.”
With that, Lu Zhaozhao ran excitedly to the courtyard to find the fire he had mentioned.
She now understood the situation: the elders and the children all relied on Gu Yan as the head of the household. He seemed reasonable, though the scar on his face was intimidating. Over time, Lu Zhaozhao had grown accustomed to it and no longer felt afraid.
The family relationships here were far simpler than her own maternal home.
Besides, her stepmother had never treated the Original Owner as a human being. She had only ever ordered Lu Zhaozhao around. Lu Zhaozhao would never return to live with someone like that.
So she quickly made up her mind: she would stay with the Lu family.
And if she planned to stay, she had to make the Lu family like her, so that her life here could go smoothly.
Soon, Lu Zhaozhao used a nearby fire starter to get the fire going. She boiled water first and then went to fetch the rice. Opening the earthen jar, she sighed. The Gu family’s life was difficult too — the brown rice was nearly finished. With so many people to feed, they would have to cook it all just to give each person a thin bowl of porridge.
Well, she would cook it all. Tomorrow’s problems could wait; it was impossible to sleep on an empty stomach.
Without wasting time, Lu Zhaozhao emptied the earthen jar clean — not a single grain left.
Inside, Gu Yan watched her for a while and then stopped paying attention. This peasant girl seemed harmless.
An An and Momo watched her curiously from the side, excitedly asking:
“Little Uncle, is this the Little Aunt you found for us?”
“Cough, cough… hmm, you could say that. From now on, I’ll have her take care of you two, okay? Otherwise, I can’t rest if I go hunting in the mountains.”
Gu Yan had not expected the children to be so clever, even knowing the term “Little Aunt.” He went along with it.
“Mm, okay. Little Aunt looks nice.”
“I agree too. Little Aunt smiled at me just now; when she smiles, her eyes curve beautifully.”
Momo and An An nodded repeatedly and quickly accepted their new Little Aunt.
At this moment, the woman on the bed seemed to wake up. Struggling to sit, Gu Yan hurried over and helped her up, saying:
“Mother, you should rest a bit more. That Lu Zhaozhao the Matchmaker sent just now is cooking porridge now. Don’t worry.”
“Cough, cough… she’s here? Fine, I’ll rest a bit more. When it’s time to eat, I’ll give her a welcoming gift.”
Madam Li lay back down weakly. Her health had been poor for a long time, and medicine hadn’t helped much. She had wasted silver coins and didn’t want to eat anymore. Gu Yan couldn’t persuade her otherwise. If it weren’t for the thought of the two children going hungry, she wouldn’t move at all.
“All right, don’t rush. Mother, rest.”
With that, Gu Yan took the two little ones out of the house to attend to the other two thatched houses. At the foot of the mountain, there were three in total. Before Lu Zhaozhao arrived, one was for Madam Li, one for him and the children, and the third had no bed. Now, a wooden bed had to be made for it as well.
Meanwhile, the porridge cooked over the fire. Lu Zhaozhao wasn’t idle. She had surveyed the surroundings earlier. It was spring, and wild vegetables grew abundantly. Nearby were plenty of bitter greens, which would be perfect for a cold side dish to accompany the porridge.
While digging the vegetables, Lu Zhaozhao’s mind didn’t stop turning. This family seemed poor but industrious. Even though her life had been spared, she didn’t want to survive on mere scraps. She had high standards for food.
In her previous life, almost all the money she earned went to food. On breaks, she either dined out extravagantly or cooked lavish meals at home. Her life principle was simple: never deprive her stomach.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in her mind:
[Congratulations, Host. Spiritual Spring Space access granted. Detected several wild bitter greens. Host, would you like to plant them in the space?]
“Plant, plant, plant!” Lu Zhaozhao’s heart raced and her hands trembled.
It had come. It really had. When she had previously heard about a “big gift,” she had wondered what it would be. Would it be like the heroines in novels, a golden finger cheat?
She had never imagined it would come true so quickly.
She, too, was now a traveler with Spiritual Spring Space. Hahaha!
Lu Zhaozhao wanted nothing more than to throw her head back and laugh. She knew the heavens were fair; she knew good deeds would be rewarded.
Thank heavens for letting her live again and granting her a cheat.
Although she didn’t fully understand what Spiritual Spring Space did yet, it sounded impressive, and she was confident it couldn’t be wrong.
There were too many people around right now, so it wasn’t convenient. She would explore it properly later, when the night was quiet.