Qin An had just reached the doorway when Cai Zhen came charging out like a little cannonball. Seeing the bamboo basket on his back, her eyes went wide as saucers: "Father! You're back!"
Yang Yuyan also came out to greet him. When she saw the wound on Qin An's arm, her face instantly went pale: "Husband, you're hurt?"
"It's nothing, just a small wound." Qin An smiled, set the bamboo basket on the ground, and pushed aside the wild vegetables to reveal the wild rabbit, mountain pheasant, and eggs inside.
Cai Zhen let out a joyful "Wah!"
Cai Yan also came over, looking at the game, her little face lighting up with delight.
But Yang Yuyan had no interest in the game. Anxiously, she said: "Come inside quickly, let me tend to your wound."
While the two daughters were busy with the mountain pheasant in the yard, Yang Yuyan pulled Qin An into the inner room and shut the door.
She dipped the hem of her skirt in some clean water and carefully cleaned the wound on Qin An's arm.
"Hiss..." Qin An sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
"Bear with it." Yang Yuyan's movements grew even gentler. Suddenly she looked up: "Take off your pants too. Let me see if there are any other injuries."
Qin An was taken aback: "No need, it's just this little..."
"Take them off!" Yang Yuyan suddenly turned assertive, her eyes full of worry and heartache.
Qin An couldn't argue with her, so he did as she said and took off his pants.
Fortunately, she had already seen everything last night, so Yang Yuyan had nothing to be shy about.
There was a long scratch on his inner thigh, cut by a branch when he'd climbed a tree earlier.
Yang Yuyan's eyes instantly reddened. She picked up the wet cloth and wiped the wound almost holding her breath, afraid of hurting him.
"It's all my fault... If we mother and daughters weren't dragging you down, you wouldn't have to work so hard..."
"I have to eat too!" Qin An reached out and pulled her into his arms. Feeling the warm, soft body against him, his heart warmed.
Yang Yuyan leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, her body gradually going soft.
Now she was completely certain: this was a man with responsibility.
Her decision had not been wrong.
Even if things were a little hard now, as long as he was willing to strive, there was still a future.
Yang Yuyan was naturally of the plump sort. Now that the two of them were pressed together like this, Qin An instantly recalled the soft jade and warm fragrance of last night.
His breathing grew rapid, and his hand unconsciously moved to caress her.
Yang Yuyan could clearly see his reaction. She merely pressed his hand down, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Don't... wait until tonight..."
Only then did Qin An come back to his senses. He gave an embarrassed smile and let go.
From outside came Cai Zhen's shout: "Mother! Father! The fire's going!"
The two exchanged a smile and walked out of the room.
Qin An picked up a knife to prepare the game, when Yang Yuyan suddenly spoke up: "Husband, teach me too. And Yan'er and Zhen'er should learn these chores as well."
She led the two daughters over to Qin An's side.
Cai Yan watched seriously as Qin An plucked the feathers, while Cai Zhen imitated him with a small stone beside her, sneezing from the feathers now and then, making everyone laugh.
Though Yang Yuyan's movements were clumsy, she learned quickly.
Before long, she had helped prepare the mountain pheasant.
Qin An set a clay pot on the stove, put the mountain pheasant meat in, and tossed in a few wild fruits for flavor.
The rabbit meat was roasted directly over the fire.
Soon, the aroma of meat filled the entire thatched hut.
At mealtime, the family sat in a circle on the ground, filling their cracked bowls with meat soup and eating it with wild vegetable cakes.
The meat soup was stewed until tender, with the sweet-and-sour taste of the wild fruits, and the roast meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
The two little girls ate until grease ran down their mouths, their little faces full of contentment.
"Father, can we eat meat again tomorrow?" Cai Zhen asked, puffing out her cheeks.
"We can." Qin An patted her head and answered with certainty.
Yang Yuyan looked at Qin An, then at her two daughters, and the worry on her face faded considerably.
For the first time in a long while, she felt that this life seemed to have hope.
Though Qin An was young, he was far more reliable than she had imagined.
Qin An also felt warm all over, not only because he had eaten his fill, but even more because of this long-lost feeling of home.
He could clearly sense that after filling his belly, the Qi and Blood in his body seemed a bit more active, and his body had grown somewhat stronger.
After the meal, Yang Yuyan called Cai Zhen into the yard and wrote characters on the ground with a small wooden stick.
She learned in fits and starts, unable to settle her mind at all.
Cai Yan, meanwhile, sat to one side, holding a piece of charcoal and a strip of tree bark, drawing something on it—no one knew what.
Qin An watched them, and suddenly his heart stirred.
This body of his was illiterate. Now that he had the System to rely on, he would eventually make his way out into the world. If he wanted to accomplish anything, how could he not know how to read?
He didn't hold back, addressing Yang Yuyan directly: "Can you teach me to read?"
Yang Yuyan was briefly stunned, then smiled: "Of course."
She picked up Cai Zhen's stick and wrote two characters on the ground: "Qin An." "This is your name."
Qin An followed her, stroke by stroke. Yang Yuyan's voice was gentle, her explanations clear.
But as she taught, she grew a little embarrassed.
Because she couldn't even recite those elementary primers in full anymore.
"Yan'er, you do it!" Yang Yuyan, embarrassed to the point of curling her toes, waved Cai Zhen over.
Seeing Qin An's confusion, Yang Yuyan explained a bit awkwardly: "She's loved reading since she was little, and she never forgets what she's seen. She's got quite a few books stored in her head..."
At these words, Qin An looked at Cai Zhen with some astonishment. This quiet, gentle daughter actually had such a skill?
"How many books do you remember?" he asked curiously.
"I've read over four thousand volumes. I can still remember more than three thousand completely now, and it'll only get fewer as time goes on."
Cai Yan answered honestly. When she said this, she was very calm, as if it were a trivial matter.
Qin An drew in a sharp breath.
With his modern memories, he was no longer as muddled as before. He had already realized just how severe class rigidity was in this world.
Knowledge—or rather, information—was the most important resource by which the upper class controlled the world.
Cai Yan, carrying over three thousand volumes of books in her head, was practically a walking library. She alone could serve as a family's foundation.
"That's amazing!" Qin An praised.
Realizing that she meant it would only get fewer in the future, he added with a firm tone: "I'll make it up to you with even more in the future!"
Hearing Qin An's promise, Cai Yan showed an expectant smile.
Seeing that he only praised her elder sister, Cai Zhen grew a little unhappy.
"Father, I'm amazing too! I know lots of martial arts!" Bursting with a desire to show off, she threw down her stick and began demonstrating on the spot.
She was small, but her strikes were quite proper, her movements standard—anyone could tell she had trained with some real skill.
After finishing the demonstration, Cai Zhen was a bit out of breath, but she still proudly lifted her chin: "This is the Stance Training my maternal grandfather taught me. He said it was a secret not to be passed on, but I learned all of it anyway. Aren't I amazing?"
Qin An naturally wouldn't disappoint her. He patted her head: "You're amazing too!"
As he said this, he was both shocked and delighted.
He hadn't expected these two daughters to both be so deeply accomplished.
To him, they were simply a treasure beyond measure.
He glanced at Yang Yuyan, then at his two daughters, and only one thought remained in Qin An's mind: "I've struck treasure here. I've really hit the jackpot!"