“Wait, at least eat dinner before you go. I made fish soup,” Zhou Xing hurriedly called out to stop him.
Without turning around, Xie Yuan waved his hand. “It’ll only take a moment. You all eat first.”
Of course Zhou Xing and the two children would not eat before him. It was rare to have such a delicious meal. The milky-white fish soup bubbled inside the clay pot, releasing the unique rich fragrance of fish that constantly drifted into everyone’s noses.
“Brother, the fish soup smells so good. There’s no fishy smell at all,” Xiao Yao said.
Xiao Zong nodded. “Auntie cooks the best food.”
“You two little gluttons, wait a bit longer. Once your uncle comes back, we’ll eat together,” Zhou Xing said as she covered the clay pot again.
The longer fish soup simmered, the more fragrant it became.
As she spoke, she washed the cilantro she had picked earlier. Later she would tear it into the soup to enhance the flavor, making it even more delicious.
The family only had two clay pots. One was used for soup and the other for porridge. Cooking rice separately was impossible.
Zhou Xing felt troubled. She did not know how to make money yet. Only with money could she buy the things she wanted.
But then again, she had only transmigrated here a few days ago…
These matters had to be planned slowly. For now, being able to fill their stomachs was already good enough.
“Hm? Xiao Zong, where did you pick these from?” While sorting the wild vegetables, Zhou Xing noticed some cogongrass roots.
Xiao Zong looked flustered and shook his head. “Maybe they got mixed in accidentally. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“This is cogongrass root. It tastes sweet. I’ll wash them for you so you can try them. Xiao Zong really is a lucky child, finding cogongrass roots while gathering vegetables.”
Zhou Xing sighed inwardly. The child was overly sensitive.
Still, with enough time, things would improve. Relationships between people were built through sincerity.
Hearing her say that, both children relaxed.
After tasting the roots, they found them truly sweet.
So this was what sugar tasted like?
Before they became refugees, their father had once bought them malt candy during New Year celebrations. It tasted just like this.
“So sweet!” Xiao Yao chewed happily. “This is the sweetest thing I’ve ever eaten.”
The sweetest thing?
Zhou Xing thought to herself that the child really had never tasted good food before.
“When wheat harvest season arrives, Auntie can also make malt sugar for you. That tastes even better than this.”
“Auntie is amazing. You know how to make everything,” Xiao Yao said with admiration shining in his eyes.
To them, Auntie almost seemed more capable than Uncle. After all, Uncle was already the most impressive person in their village.
The children’s praise made Zhou Xing happy. With knowledge far beyond this era, there was no way she would starve to death.
As for making money, she would eventually find a way.
Half an hour later, Xie Yuan finally returned.
“Here. Uncle Tian happened to have a large wooden tub, so he lent it to us first,” he said while handing it over.
“This is wonderful! Now all of you can bathe properly. Aren’t you happy?” Zhou Xing looked at the large wooden basin with delight. It was very well made.
If they could someday buy a proper bathtub, that would be even better. Since Uncle Tian could make a basin like this, he could probably make a bathtub too.
“We’re happy!” What child did not enjoy playing with water? Being able to splash around in the basin sounded wonderful.
Though in the past, bathing had never been pleasant. Adults would pin them down and scrub them hard in the water basin, which hurt.
Seeing the entire family so excited, Xie Yuan no longer felt pained over the thirty copper coins he had spent.
“Alright, enough. Let’s eat first. Later I’ll heat some water and mix it with cool water so everyone can bathe,” Zhou Xing said before turning to Xie Yuan. “Earlier today, Aunt He and A’Shan came over asking about rice seed preparation. I explained everything carefully to them. She also brought over a fish, so I made fish soup.”
Xie Yuan already knew about this and nodded. “It’s good to explain things properly to them. We northerners don’t know how to grow rice.”
Truthfully, he himself was not even certain whether his wife truly knew how to farm. Still, trying was better than doing nothing.
The milky fish soup was brought out, topped with bright green cilantro. It already looked, smelled, and tasted perfect. One sip revealed an indescribably fresh and comforting flavor.
The coarse rice and yam porridge had also been cooked until soft and thick. A sip of soup followed by a mouthful of porridge made their entire bodies relax, washing away the day’s exhaustion.
He had to admit that his wife’s cooking skills were incredible.
Once again, Xie Yuan felt that choosing A’Xing from among all those women truly proved his keen judgment.
When he first met her, she had not possessed the bright and lively demeanor she had now. Back then she seemed timid, cautious, patient, and reserved.
At the time, he had simply thought she was not a harsh person and would never mistreat his nephews.
After dinner, Xie Yuan voluntarily went to wash the dishes.
Zhou Xing thought this was an excellent habit and one worth maintaining.
Meanwhile, she quickly cleaned the two clay pots and continued boiling water.
There was no helping it. Their conditions were simply too limited.
Fortunately, the weather was no longer very cold. Mixing hot water with cool water made bathing bearable.
The two children were taken inside and urged to bathe one after another.
She always thought they were only five or six years old, but Xie Yuan had told her Xiao Zong was already nine and Xiao Yao was seven.
It was impossible to tell. The children looked as thin as bean sprouts, yet they were already that old.
Xiao Zong felt embarrassed and stubbornly refused to let Auntie help him bathe.
“Auntie, I can wash myself, and I can help wash my younger brother too.”
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xing remembered there was still a pile of wild vegetables waiting outside to be sorted.
“Alright then. I’ll leave your clothes beside you. Once you finish washing, put them on right away. Don’t stay in the water too long or you’ll catch a chill.”
Zhou Xing repeatedly warned them. In this era, catching a cold could easily become fatal.
Thinking about that only reinforced the need to make money quickly. Without money, even medical treatment was unaffordable.
While Zhou Xing sorted wild vegetables in the yard, Xie Yuan finished his chores and came to help.
As they worked, he suddenly remembered something and took an item out of the basket behind him.
“Here, this thing is very sweet.”
Zhou Xing had just been about to ask whether they had found suitable wood in the mountains, whether they really intended to make bows and arrows, and whether he truly planned to hunt.
Unless absolutely necessary, she honestly did not want Xie Yuan risking his life. Their family could not survive without a man in the house.
But the moment she saw what he handed her, all those questions vanished.
“This is sugarcane! Where did you get it?” Zhou Xing exclaimed in delight.
Earlier that day she had said cogongrass roots were sweet, but how could they compare to sugarcane?
Moreover, sugarcane was the raw material for making sugar.
Sugar?!
Wasn’t this exactly what she needed?
If she could make sugar, couldn’t she sell it too?
Even if sugar itself was regulated, she could still make all kinds of sugar-based products. Weren’t those all ways to earn money?
“You recognize it?” Xie Yuan asked in surprise once again. He had never seen this sweet stalk before.