She died before the divorce could even be finalized…
Still, Zhou Xing did not feel too troubled about it. She had already written her will long ago, donating everything away.
That cheating couple would not get a single thing. Every time she thought about it, she felt slightly comforted.
At least the fortune she had worked herself to death building in her previous life had ended up somewhere worthwhile.
Behind Dashi Village was a mountain with no name.
The villagers gathered wild vegetables, picked wild fruits, and collected firewood there.
The mountain range stretched endlessly into the distance with no visible end.
It was springtime now, full of life and vitality.
“Xie family’s wife, out digging for wild vegetables?” A woman not far away continued digging while speaking.
“Yes, elder sister is gathering vegetables too?” Zhou Xing thought carefully but still could not recognize her.
The woman laughed heartily. “I’m from the Liu family just ahead of your house. My surname is Fang!”
“So it’s Sister Fang. I brought the two children to dig for some wild vegetables.”
So she was the neighbor living ahead of them. Although Zhou Xing was introverted, she still knew that distant relatives were not as useful as nearby neighbors, especially in such an era where people lacked everything.
“Good, hurry along then. The sun will grow stronger later. Don’t go too deep into the mountains, it’s dangerous…”
Fang Shi reminded her kindly. She felt that the new bride of the Xie family was somewhat different. Her voice was not loud and rough like most women’s, but soft and gentle. Then again, people said that Xie Yuan was a scholar. Otherwise, why would he choose such a frail little wife?
If it were her, she would choose a woman with broad hips and a sturdy waist, someone with enough flesh to work hard and bear children well…
Otherwise, who would handle the farm work? Could they really leave it all to the men?
Of course, Fang Shi was not foolish enough to say such things aloud.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xing was also surprised. In this era where most people were malnourished, there was actually someone plump?
The Liu family’s conditions must be exceptionally good.
After agreeing, Zhou Xing quickly led the two children away.
Such enthusiasm still made her uncomfortable.
There were many wild vegetables on the back mountain.
Since it was spring, fresh shoots were abundant.
Zhou Xing dug up every non-poisonous plant she could recognize. The family’s stored vegetables were running low, so they needed reserves.
Otherwise, the small amount of grain at home would never be enough.
When Xie Yuan returned in the evening, she still had to prepare a filling meal after his long day of labor.
But there was only so much coarse rice…
The two children also dug enthusiastically, afraid of missing anything.
Even children who had fled famine understood how precious every bite of food was.
“You two come over and rest for a bit,” Zhou Xing said as she wiped away sweat, only then noticing that the sun was already directly overhead.
They were still wearing padded jackets stuffed with reed fluff that barely kept them warm.
The clothes had not been washed either, and the smell of sweat rose strongly from the collars.
The odor was truly something…
The brothers were exhausted too and hurried over with their short little legs to the shade beneath the tree.
To Zhou Xing’s surprise, the two children had gathered almost as many vegetables as she had.
Poor children truly grew up early.
“You two are amazing! You gathered even more than Auntie did!” Zhou Xing praised generously.
As someone who had once managed employees, she naturally understood how to motivate people.
Handling two little children was easy for her.
Sure enough, both boys revealed shy smiles.
Especially Xiao Yao, whose sparkling eyes now carried a trace of admiration and attachment.
These children were far too easy to please.
“Auntie forgot to bring water for you two. I’m really sorry,” Zhou Xing said with some regret.
She herself was extremely thirsty.
In her previous life, there had always been a housekeeper, so she never needed to worry about such things.
Xiao Zong exchanged a strange look with his younger brother.
“Auntie, there’s mountain spring water here. We don’t need to bring water.”
“Oh? Mountain spring water?”
“Then let’s go quickly and take a look.” Zhou Xing licked her dry lips.
Soon, the three arrived beside the spring.
The sound of flowing water was crisp and pleasant.
A stream of clear water bubbled continuously from the spring source.
“It’s here, Auntie.”
Xiao Zong looked somewhat proud. He and his brother had discovered this place, and no one else knew about it.
Zhou Xing scooped up a handful of water and drank it. The sweetness was unlike anything she had ever tasted before.
“Mmm, Xiao Zong and Xiao Yao really are fortunate children.” After several more mouthfuls, the dryness and heat in her body gradually faded.
When she looked up, she suddenly exclaimed in delight, “Oh my, look over there! What’s that?!”
In the direction she pointed, there was a patch of deep green vines.
Xiao Zong explained in confusion, “Auntie, those aren’t wild vegetables. They don’t taste good.”
During the refugee journey, people even ate tree roots and bark. But now that life had stabilized, Dashi Village had plenty of edible wild vegetables. There was no need to eat leaves from vines anymore.
Xiao Yao, however, felt that Auntie must have discovered something.
After examining it carefully and still not understanding, he simply asked, “Auntie, can that be eaten?”
“You really don’t know what this is?” Zhou Xing asked in surprise, though she also felt excited.
The villagers did not recognize wild yam?
If that was true, then there must be huge quantities of it growing in the mountains.
The thought made her even more excited.
“It’s edible, and very delicious! Better than coarse rice, and it fills the stomach!”
The brothers’ eyes widened. What were they waiting for then?
Something even tastier than coarse rice—what could that possibly taste like?
Choosing a thicker vine, Zhou Xing pushed aside the tangled growth above it.
“The roots of this plant are delicious. It’s called yam, or Chinese yam. Have you ever heard of it?”
Xiao Zong found several sturdy sticks and handed them over while seriously shaking his head. “Never heard of it.”
In his eyes, his uncle was already the most impressive person in the world—educated and knowledgeable.
Yet Auntie seemed even more amazing!
Zhou Xing ignored that thought. If there was enough yam here, then their food shortage could be solved, and they would not have to worry about starving before the summer harvest.
The feeling of hunger was truly awful.
“Wow, it’s so big!” Xiao Yao exclaimed in amazement.
Xiao Zong was also stunned. Such a huge patch meant an enormous amount of food.
“Auntie, let’s dig up more!”
“Alright. Tonight I’ll cook something delicious for you. Later we’ll bring your uncle here to dig more,” Zhou Xing said.
Without proper tools, digging was extremely difficult.
Their tools for gathering vegetables were only wooden sticks. Earlier, she had even seen Fang Shi carrying a rusty little iron shovel.
She needed to discuss this with Xie Yuan.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools. Surely he would understand that, right?
Xie Yuan, however, felt that he could not understand.
“I’ll borrow one from someone later.”
Iron tools were controlled items. Did his wife not know that?
Still, since it meant finding food, no matter how difficult it was, they had to overcome it.
Xie Yuan had already overcome many hardships. He had risked his life to save his two nephews so that the Xie family would not end up without descendants like in his previous life.
At last, he could face his parents without shame.
Raising children was not something accomplished overnight. He wanted to raise Xiao Zong and Xiao Yao properly, and a household could not function without a woman.
He also had his own path to walk and could not stay home watching children every day.
Zhou Xing paid no attention to the changes in his expression. As long as the problem could be solved, that was enough.
Because they became too absorbed in digging up the yams, they completely missed lunch.
However, Xiao Zong and Xiao Yao said this was perfectly normal. Every household only ate two meals a day anyway.