Coincidentally, Ye Zhifang, who had just finished dressing, arrived at the kitchen doorway, also wanting to hear what her mother would say.
Mother Ye, who was working in the kitchen, immediately set down the tools in her hands. “Eldest Sister-in-law, I don’t want to hear such words again in the future. Shortly after Xiaofang was born, a monk came to our home for alms and said that Xiaofang is the family’s lucky star. The Ye family will grow more prosperous from now on, and when Xiaofang grows up, she will be blessed with wealth and have noble people to help her. So, from now on, you should worry less about Xiaofang’s affairs.”
Eldest Sister-in-law curled her lips. Everyone kept saying her sister-in-law was a lucky star, but she couldn’t see it. In any case, the whole family spent their days waiting on her.
Ye Zhifang suddenly lifted the door curtain and walked in. Because today was Minor New Year, her mother and Eldest Sister-in-law were preparing dinner in advance. Nearby, there was a kneaded dough and a whole basin of freshly chopped cabbage. The pork had not yet been processed—it was meant to be minced.
“Mom, I’m hungry. Is there anything good to eat?”
The original host had only the intelligence of an eight-year-old. After speaking, she walked toward the large pot in the kitchen. Usually, the family would leave breakfast for Ye Zhifang.
“Oh, be careful—the pot is hot and might burn you. Wash your hands and go back to your room. Mom will bring the food to you.”
Ye Zhifang’s hand, which had been halfway extended, withdrew. It had to be her own mother—just lifting a lid, how could she possibly let herself get burned?
In the end, she listened to her mother and washed her hands in the nearby water basin. Seeing the slightly yellowed towel placed beside it, she gave up the idea of drying her hands and simply shook them off. After all, it wasn’t particularly cold in the room.
Mother Ye placed the kang table on the kang, setting out a bowl of stewed pickled cabbage with vermicelli left over from last night, a bowl of millet congee, and a piece of cornmeal flatbread.
“Xiaofang, this millet congee was specially made for you. Last night, Mom was worried all night and checked your forehead several times. Thankfully, you didn’t have a fever. The New Year is coming soon, so don’t play outside too much. If you want to watch TV, Mom will turn it on for you.”
Goodness, Ye Zhifang felt that this was even better than how her family treated her in her previous life. Although it was a black-and-white television, the shows on it were quite entertaining.
“Mom, you’re so good to me.”
This was a heartfelt statement from Ye Zhifang after transmigrating. She thought that one day, when she had the chance to say that her symptoms of foolishness had healed, she couldn’t keep living under the identity of a fool forever.
Mother Ye stroked her daughter’s hair. This daughter was perfect in every way except for being a bit foolish, and her words were as sweet as before.
The black-and-white television on the cabinet near the window was already turned on. Ye Zhifang ate her breakfast while watching TV, undoubtedly the happiest person in the entire family.
After finishing breakfast, Ye Jia Da Er and Second Brother took Ye Yong out. The three of them carried fishing gear to the outskirts of the village. No matter what, they had to catch a few fish today—their sister’s wish to eat fish had to be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Father Ye, as the village head, was not idle either. Although village work decreased during the New Year, every household had to be well-prepared for fire prevention.
Every year, in the surrounding villages, there were cases of firewood stacks being set ablaze. Mischievous children would often throw firecracker strings everywhere, and with one careless toss, they could land in a firewood stack. Once a fire started, it was difficult to extinguish, and in the end, they could only watch as the firewood stack burned to ashes.
Today, Father Ye’s task was to patrol the village streets and alleys, promptly informing families of any disobedient children playing with fire. Each household’s firewood stack served as a heating resource for winter; without these, keeping warm at home would be a challenge.
Outside the village, over twenty people had come to fish on the river, with ice holes drilled by villagers visible everywhere. Fortunately, it was winter; after the Spring Festival, no one would dare venture onto the ice. Every year, there were cases of people falling into the icy river and drowning.
Ye Zhiyuan and Ye Zhiheng, the two brothers, each claimed an ice hole. The river’s surface had frozen into a thin layer of ice, easily shattered with a light tap. They lowered bait made of pork fat into the holes.
Another type of bait was red worms, which were also scooped from the ice holes. Using these red worms on a hook to catch crucian carp was almost a sure success. Of course, you first had to scoop up the red worms; otherwise, trying to catch fish with just a small net wasn’t easy.
This was only possible at the village chief’s house. Ordinary folks wouldn’t use pork fat as bait—whoever had it would save it carefully, as it was a precious commodity.
Ye Yong crouched nearby, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the ice hole. Yesterday, he and Little Aunt had come empty-handed, and the idea of catching fish then had been nothing but wishful thinking.
Suddenly, Ye Zhiyuan’s fishing line twitched—clearly, a fish had bitten. With a swift, deft motion, he pulled the line, and indeed, a carp weighing about one and a half jin was hooked.
“Dad, you’re amazing! We actually caught a fish. We can have fish for dinner tonight.”
As Ye Zhiyuan placed the freshly caught carp into the brought-along tin bucket, Second Brother Ye Zhiheng also hooked a crucian carp. Though smaller, it was still a fish.
In less than half a day, the usual water-fetching tin bucket was filled with fish, leaving the two brothers almost in disbelief.
They had fished on the ice before, using the same tools and bait, but only managed to catch a few crucian carp half a palm long—not even enough for each family member to have one, and that was after a whole day of fishing by both brothers.
“Eldest Brother, last night Little Sister said she wanted to eat fish, and the very next day we caught so many. She even suggested keeping extra fish for the New Year. I’d say Little Sister is truly the family’s lucky star.”
Ye Zhifang had no idea her words seemed almost prophetic—whatever she mentioned tended to happen roughly as said, no wonder her two brothers treated her so well.
With hands clasped behind his back, Father Ye completed his patrol around the village. Aside from a few mischievous children running around undeterred by the cold, there was one child playing with dismantled firecracker strings. After Father Ye’s reminder, the child knew to set them off away from the firewood stack.
Just then, a “28-inch” bicycle approached from the distance. The rider was from the post office, the person responsible for delivering various letters to the village.
“Village Chief, wait up! There’s a registered letter for you from Beijing. Your family knows someone in Beijing?”
The postman asked casually, then stopped his bike and pulled out a registered letter addressed to the village chief from his green canvas bag.
Father Ye reached out and took it. It indeed had his name on it, but he truly didn’t know anyone from the capital city. He had never even been to the capital, nor did he have any relatives there. Who could have written him this letter?
“I don’t know.”
Father Ye didn’t plan to open it right away. He casually put the registered letter in his pocket. Since home wasn’t far, he could read it once he got back.