A few days later…
After breakfast, the members of the Zhao family went to work.
The house was quiet at this time. The two little ones had been ordered by Zhao’s mother to stay in their room and not come out to disturb their little aunt’s sleep.
Zhao’s mother carried a steaming bowl of steamed egg custard in from outside. When she saw that her youngest daughter was already awake, the tenderness and affection in her eyes were impossible to hide.
Zhao’s mother had barely slept at all that night. Every so often, she would come over to touch her daughter’s forehead, but fortunately, her fever had not returned.
“Sweetheart, you’re awake. Your mother made you some steamed egg custard, so eat it while it’s hot.” Seeing that her youngest daughter was already thin and had suffered another ordeal, Zhao’s mother felt deeply distressed.
After several days of observation, along with indirectly asking her two little grandsons about fragments of the original Zhao Xiyan’s life, Zhao Xiyan had gradually begun adapting to life here.
After all, someone who had survived the apocalypse had an exceptionally strong ability to adapt and withstand setbacks.
“Mom, you eat some too.”
Zhao Xiyan took the bowl and scooped up a spoonful to feed her mother.
“Mom already ate, so I don’t need any. You eat more and build up your strength.”
Zhao’s mother smiled as she took the spoon and prepared to feed Zhao Xiyan.
Zhao Xiyan instinctively moved backward. After so many years in the apocalypse, she was still not used to such intimate contact, even though this was the original Zhao Xiyan’s mother.
You can leave in peace. I’ll take care of your family for you.
Zhao Xiyan silently said this in her heart. The moment she finished speaking, she suddenly felt much lighter, and the constant feeling of restraint in her body over the past few days disappeared as well.
Zhao Xiyan picked up the bowl and finished the food in just a few mouthfuls, but her stomach still wasn’t full.
Seeing her daughter finish eating, Zhao’s mother took the bowl.
“Sweetheart, are you full? I’ll make you something else.”
“Mom, I’m full. You go about your work and don’t worry about me.”
Zhao Xiyan hurriedly stopped her mother, who was already walking quickly toward the door.
After these past few days of observation, she had realized that this was an era of severe material scarcity. Being able to eat one’s fill and stay warm was already a luxury for many people. In the Zhao family, Zhao Xiyan was the only one who could afford to eat steamed egg custard, and she got one egg every day without fail, rain or shine.
Even the two little ones did not get any, and her eldest sister-in-law only dared to grumble about it inwardly, because Zhao’s eldest brother kept her firmly in check.
And whenever Zhao’s mother said she would cook something else, she really would.
After breakfast, Zhao Xiyan went to the outhouse. Her face was filled with reluctance. After going in and coming back out, the little food in her stomach was gone again.
“Ugh…”
Every trip to the outhouse made Zhao Xiyan miserable. Here, she didn’t have to run around every day worrying about food and clothing. As the most pampered youngest daughter of the Zhao family, she had always been able to eat until she was at least half full because of Zhao’s mother’s constant reminders to the family that whenever there wasn’t enough food, they had to make sure Zhao Xiyan got some.
She no longer had to desperately hunt for supplies or risk her life killing zombies to protect her home.
This was practically a natural retirement paradise.
The more Zhao Xiyan thought about it, the happier she became.
However, the moment she saw the outhouse in front of her, she wanted to run away again. Pinching her nose, she quickly took care of her business, not daring to look at the twisted creatures beneath her.
Once she stepped out of the outhouse, she took a deep breath.
“Urgh!”
She nearly threw up and immediately ran as far away as possible. The speed was so astonishing that no one would have guessed she was trapped in such a delicate and frail body.
Her recent injury had frightened the entire Zhao family. Everyone was afraid something like that would happen again, so they absolutely refused to let her leave the house.
But would Zhao Xiyan agree to that?
Now that her body had finally recovered a little, she wanted to go outside for a walk.
Besides, she had to learn about her surroundings. It was necessary to take a look around, and she still had to avenge the original Zhao Xiyan. She had promised the original Zhao Xiyan that she would help her get revenge.
With that thought in mind, Zhao Xiyan walked toward the door.
“Sweetheart, where are you going?”
The moment she stepped outside, she ran into her father, Zhao Aiguo, who had returned to change his clothes before taking the ox cart to the commune to pick up the newly educated youths.
She didn’t know what arrangements had been made by the higher authorities this time, but six educated youths had been sent over at once. These city kids couldn’t carry heavy loads or even handle much physical labor.
As Zhao Aiguo was thinking about this, he had just arrived home when he looked up and saw his youngest daughter about to leave.
“Dad, I want to go outside for a walk. Staying at home is making me feel suffocated.”
“Wait here. I’ll call Zhao Wen and Zhao Wu to go with you.”
With that, he turned and walked back inside.
Zhao Xiyan knew what her father was worried about. He was afraid something might happen to her if she went out alone, especially since the person who had smashed her head had still not been caught.
On the other side, Zhao Wen and Zhao Wu heard their grandfather calling for them. They threw down the pebbles they had been playing with and ran over to their little aunt.
“Grandpa, don’t worry. We’ll protect Little Aunt.”
Zhao Wen patted his chest as he made his promise.
With that, the three of them headed outside.
After leaving the house and turning right, they walked a short distance before reaching the foot of the mountain. From here, they could still see the vegetable garden behind the Zhao family’s house.
The vegetables were growing terribly, though, sparse and sickly, as if they were barely alive. Looking at them hurt Zhao Xiyan’s eyes. They were simply too ugly.
Better not to look.
Yes, don’t look.
But what was going on with the foot of the mountain? Why was this patch bare and that patch bare as well? Even the trees had bits of bark missing here and there. It was far too unsightly.
Looking at the bleak scenery in front of her, Zhao Xiyan sighed inwardly. Although it was winter, she didn’t want to think about that right now. What she needed to do was quickly understand everything about this era.
Her family was simply too poor. Judging from what she had seen over the past few days, she was the only one who got an egg every day, while everyone else survived on thin soups and watery food, eating only two meals a day.
Ultimately, the problem was that this family was simply too poor.
Zhao Xiyan was genuinely worried about everyone’s health.
Winter was especially difficult without enough food.
At that moment, her stomach began to rumble. Not only that, but the stomachs of the two half-grown children beside her were rumbling like drums as well, and she could hear them clearly.
The ground at the foot of the mountain was covered with stones. Zhao Xiyan wasn’t paying attention to where she was stepping when she suddenly caught her foot on a stone and stumbled forward.
She didn’t have time to react. Her palm struck the ground, and a fiery pain shot through her hand.
“Little Aunt… Little Aunt…”
“Little Aunt… Little Aunt…”
When Zhao Wen and Zhao Wu saw their little aunt trip over a stone, they became so nervous that tears nearly fell from their eyes.
Zhao Xiyan’s eyes were already brimming with tears from the pain, but she couldn’t cry out. She forced herself to endure it and comfort the two little ones instead.
Suddenly, the pain in her palm disappeared.
Zhao Xiyan looked down at her hand. The pain from moments ago seemed almost like an illusion, and her palm was still as smooth and fair as ever.
“Could my ability have come with me too?”
Zhao Xiyan gathered her thoughts and looked inward. At her heart, where a tiny flower had originally grown, there was now only a thread as thin as the tip of a needle. That was the manifestation of her healing ability.
Zhao Xiyan was almost afraid that a gust of wind might blow the tiny thread away.
Since her healing ability had followed her here, could her wood-based ability have come along too?
She had to give it a try. There were so many trees on the mountain, and no one would know if she did something there.
With that thought, she looked toward the two little ones.
“Look, I’m perfectly fine. Come on, Auntie will catch some wild chickens for you.”
Zhao Xiyan walked ahead first, her mood incredibly good. There was hope for this frail body she had been born with. Her healing ability was just not even at Level One yet.
“Auntie, slow down. Don’t fall again.”
“That’s right, Auntie, walk slowly.”
Zhao Xiyan was in an exceptionally good mood. The fact that her abilities had followed her meant that her life had gained another layer of protection, so she didn’t mind the two little ones chattering beside her.
“Little Aunt, we can’t go in there. Beyond that point is the deep mountains, and there are wild beasts inside.”
“Then we won’t go over there.”
She looked around and actually spotted a small patch of wild strawberries.
The village children usually came here to pick and eat these wild strawberries, but somehow, this little patch had escaped notice.
The two little ones were so delighted when they saw the wild strawberries that they nearly jumped for joy.
Zhao Xiyan instructed them to stay there and pick the wild strawberries without wandering off, and told them she would come back for them later so she wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to find them.
The two little ones eagerly agreed. They didn’t pay any more attention to their little aunt and immediately buried their heads in picking the wild strawberries.
In this era of inadequate food and clothing, even a tiny bit of food was precious enough to be fought over.