“By the way, I heard you found something edible?” Xie Yuan asked casually as he set down his basket, looking somewhat exhausted.
He had originally been a scholar. Although he came from a farming and studying family, the past year of poor nutrition had weakened his body. After only half a day in the mountains, he was already exhausted like a dog.
Xie Yuan felt somewhat discouraged. It seemed he needed to improve his physical strength as soon as possible.
“Mhm, it’s cooking in the pot right now. You can try some later.” Zhou Xing looked at him curiously. “What were you doing in the mountains? Hunting?”
In novels, protagonists never returned empty-handed from the mountains. Sometimes they even encountered miraculous opportunities.
Unfortunately, she still had not gotten the chance to explore the mountains properly herself.
“We caught wild chickens and rabbits.” Xie Yuan did not hide it. He removed the leaves covering the basket, revealing a sack inside. “We traded them for silver and bought some black flour.”
Since they were refugees from the northern regions, they believed steamed buns made from black flour were more filling.
“Alright, I’ll put it away.” Zhou Xing accepted the sack.
Inside, she felt somewhat regretful. Wild chickens and rabbits! She really wanted to eat them!
Xie Yuan wanted to as well, but the family’s grain supply was far too limited. They could not afford to eat one meal without knowing where the next would come from. They could only wait and see if future trips into the mountains would yield more.
After storing the grain, Zhou Xing headed into the kitchen.
Steam rose from the clay pot, carrying a unique fragrance. The coarse rice and yam porridge had been cooked until thick and soft.
She also mixed the blanched wild vegetables with a little salt, some plum vinegar, and a tiny bit of pork fat, instantly turning them into the perfect side dish.
“What is this?” Xie Yuan asked in confusion.
“Uncle, this is yam. It tastes amazing,” Xiao Yao said happily. “Auntie discovered it.”
He had helped Auntie tend the fire and already knew how delicious yam tasted. Adding it to the coarse rice porridge made the porridge much better.
“Auntie is the best! Nobody knew this thing could be eaten!” Xiao Zong grinned proudly, looking as though he shared in the glory.
“Yes, your aunt truly is impressive.” Xie Yuan smiled. He had not expected that in only half a day, A’Xing had already won the children’s affection.
What did that prove?
That he had excellent judgment.
Zhou Xing had no idea what he was thinking. If she had known, she would have scoffed at how shamelessly he praised himself.
Xie Yuan also picked up a bowl. Hesitantly, he placed a piece of yam into his mouth.
It was soft, tender, and fragrant, with an incredibly smooth texture.
Then he took another bite of the wild vegetables, crisp and refreshing.
Xie Yuan secretly glanced at Zhou Xing, his eyes filled with both surprise and confusion.
Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.
The Xie family had not eaten this well in a very long time.
After the meal, they each washed their own bowls and chopsticks before gathering together to discuss matters.
“How much yam is there?” Xie Yuan rubbed his stomach. If they could eat this full every day, his strength would surely recover quickly.
“There’s a lot. A huge patch of it.” Zhou Xing thought for a moment. “I’d estimate several hundred jin at least. If we go deeper into the mountains, we might even find more.”
Several hundred jin? That much?
Xie Yuan was overjoyed. “Tomorrow we’ll all go dig up yam. Does it store well?”
“Yes. As long as it’s stored properly, it can last a whole year without problems,” Zhou Xing nodded.
“How do you know so much, A’Xing?” Xie Yuan asked.
Although they were husband and wife, they still knew very little about each other. Still, wasn’t mutual honesty the proper way for couples to get along? Even if he himself could not yet achieve that.
“I don’t really remember, but I seem to have read about it in books before.” Zhou Xing casually lied. As an orphan, no one would easily catch inconsistencies in her story. The original owner, however, had been illiterate.
“You can read?” Xie Yuan became even more delighted. He had never expected the woman he chose to actually be literate.
“Yes, I studied before. I can recognize a few characters.” Zhou Xing did not dare exaggerate. She could only half-guess many of the traditional characters used here.
“That’s already remarkable enough.” Xie Yuan suddenly felt that his situation was not entirely hopeless. Heaven had shown him some mercy after all.
“The next time you catch game, why not keep some for the children?” As the sky darkened, Zhou Xing collected the wild vegetables left out to dry and finally remembered to mention it.
Xie Yuan paused. If there was enough yam to eat, then perhaps it was possible.
Besides, if he successfully obtained the treasure he sought in the mountains a month later, the family would not care about a few copper coins earned from selling prey. The children and A’Xing were both terribly thin and weak. They truly needed nourishment, or surviving the coming winter would be difficult.
“Alright.”
“Don’t worry. As long as we rely on the mountains, we won’t lack food. We won’t starve,” Zhou Xing comforted him.
“Mhm, you’re right. Things are already much better now than during the refugee journey.” Xie Yuan helped her gather the vegetables into baskets. “When I have time, I’ll weave a few bamboo trays and build a wooden rack.”
“That would be wonderful.” Zhou Xing felt delighted. She had not expected her bargain husband to be so skilled with handiwork.
“With trays, we can dry more wild vegetables. Later, I can pickle some vegetables too. They’d go well with meals.”
Xie Yuan wanted to say that pickling vegetables required a lot of salt.
And salt was extremely expensive.
But after thinking about it, he held back. After all, she was doing it for the family.
Still, it made him realize that the next time he hunted, he should trade the prey for money first. Their salt and pork fat were already running low. Today’s meal tasted excellent, but it used quite a bit of salt.
By the time Zhou Xing finished washing up, steady breathing could already be heard inside the room.
Zhou Xing felt helpless. Compared to her age in her previous life, this bargain husband of hers was still just a young boy.
Yet at such a young age, he already carried the burden of supporting an entire family while risking his life hunting in the mountains. It truly was not easy.
Nothing happened that night.
When she woke up, daylight had already filled the sky.
“Where’s your uncle?” Zhou Xing opened the door and saw the two children sorting vegetables in the yard. “Why are you up so early? Children should sleep more so they can grow taller.”
In truth, she simply wanted an excuse for sleeping in.
The yard did not even have proper fencing, so she thought she would sleep poorly. Yet she had slept dreamlessly through the entire night.
She must have been truly exhausted.
“He went to cut bamboo,” Xiao Zong answered. “Auntie, are we making porridge again later?”
After eating their fill the previous night, both brothers had slept soundly. Unlike before, they had not awakened hungry in the middle of the night.
Xiao Zong had even dreamed of his parents. In the dream, they told him to stay obediently with Uncle and Auntie and take good care of his younger brother. They would watch over them from heaven.
It was the first time Xiao Zong had dreamed of his parents.
He was incredibly happy.
“If Xiao Zong and Xiao Yao like it, then we’ll make it,” Zhou Xing said as she quickly finished washing up.
For brushing teeth, they used willow twigs, though they scraped painfully against the gums. They could not bear to use coarse salt because there was not much left in the house.
Breakfast was quickly prepared, and Xie Yuan also returned.
“Hurry and wash your hands for breakfast. We’re going to dig up yam today,” Zhou Xing called out.
As Xie Yuan washed his hands, he thought that A’Xing must have come from a refined household. Ordinary village women were never this particular about cleanliness.
After hastily finishing breakfast, the family headed into the mountains.
Each person carried a basket on their back, creating a strangely harmonious scene.
“Look at the new bride of the Xie family. She’s truly hardworking, and the children clearly adore her,” Fang Shi remarked to another woman nearby. Yesterday, she had personally witnessed how well Zhou Xing got along with the two children.