After finishing everything, Xia Wanyue took some grains from her space, placed them in her basket, covered them with a lotus leaf, slung it over her back, and headed toward the city gate.
On the way, she saw someone selling wooden tubs and basins, and she picked out two of each.
She had bought so many things today, and the money from selling the bear cub had been almost entirely spent—only five wen remained.
She patted her suddenly empty purse and sighed at how quickly money disappears.
She tucked the purse into her chest pocket and didn’t put it back into the space.
With so little money, there was no fear of losing it.
Returning to where the cart was parked, many people were already seated; she was the last to arrive, just on time.
She climbed onto the cart, and it swayed and jolted as it started moving again.
Arriving at the village entrance, Xia Wanyue jumped down and counted out two wen from her purse, handing it to Liu Datou.
Liu Datou took it with a cheerful smile, nodded, cracked the whip, and urged the oxen onward.
Seeing that everyone had dispersed, Xia Wanyue started walking home.
Along the way, she encountered several villagers, who cast curious, contemptuous, or fearful glances her way.
Apparently, the news of her slapping Zhao Dahua earlier that morning had spread through the village.
Knowing that Xia Wanyue had fought eight people by herself and then hit Zhao Dahua again, the villagers were subtly afraid—worried that if they offended her, they might also get beaten.
In the past, these people might have rushed over to inspect her purchases, but now that Xia Wanyue had made a name for herself, many of those nuisances had disappeared.
Voices whispered behind her as she passed, but Xia Wanyue ignored them. As long as they didn’t step directly in front of her, she could pretend not to hear.
But if they dared come up to her, she wouldn’t hesitate to deal with them.
Back at her home, the gate was tightly closed. She brought the children from the space and then knocked on the door. Footsteps ran across the yard.
“Mom? Is that you?”
A small pair of eyes peeked from the door, scanning quickly. Seeing Xia Wanyue, the child immediately stepped back and opened the door.
“Mom, you’re back!”
The door swung open, and Li Zhixia’s face lit up with a smile.
Li Wenyang’s eyes curved into happy crescents as he took the baby from Xia Wanyue’s arms.
He held the baby with one arm under the armpits and one under the bottom, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Xia Wanyue, curious about what treats she had brought.
“Wenyang, put your brother back in bed with your sister first. Mom will take the things to the kitchen.”
Li Wenyang nodded firmly and left with Li Zhixia.
Xia Wanyue quickly carried the basket into the kitchen and took the items out of the space.
She packed ten jin of millet, ten jin of flour and rice, a slab of pork belly, clothes she had bought for the children, and a full set of kitchen utensils.
Soon, the tiny kitchen floor was covered with all the items.
Just as she set things down, a small head poked through the doorway.
“Xia Xia, come quickly!”
Xia Wanyue beckoned, bent down, and reached into the basket.
“Mom~”
Li Zhixia had originally wanted to sneak a peek at what Mom was doing, but she was caught by Xia Wanyue. Slightly embarrassed, she lowered her head, blushing, and carefully stepped over.
“Xia Xia, look at this!”
A sweet aroma wafted into Li Zhixia’s nose, and her eyes lit up with excitement.
Xia Wanyue held out a package of pastries. She untied the string, unwrapped the paper, and the fragrance became even richer.
She pinched a piece and gently fed it to Li Zhixia.
Li Zhixia opened her mouth instinctively and bit into the sweet treat.
“Sweet~”
“Delicious, right? This is osmanthus cake.”
Xia Wanyue smiled warmly, filling her face with love. She handed the remaining cakes to Li Zhixia.
“Hold these and go share them with your brother!”
“Thanks, Mom! I really like you now, Mom!”
Li Zhixia excitedly hugged Xia Wanyue’s leg, tugging at her clothes.
“Mom, you eat too…”
One hand clutching Xia Wanyue’s leg, the other holding the cake, Li Zhixia looked pleadingly at her.
Xia Wanyue felt comforted; the original children were well-mannered.
She took a piece herself, biting gently.
“Hmm, really sweet.”
Li Zhixia put a piece in Xia Wanyue’s palm.
“This one is for you, Mom…”
Then she happily ran off to share the cake with her brother.
Xia Wanyue filled a wooden basin with water from the space and washed all the items.
Once cleaned, she organized everything and carried the clothes she bought for the children back to the room.
The two children sat on the bed, legs swinging, each holding a piece of osmanthus cake, happily munching while occasionally teasing the baby lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and grabbing at the air.
“Mom~”
Seeing Xia Wanyue enter, the children quickly jumped down and lined up.
“I bought each of you two sets of clothes. Come try them on—do they fit?”
The clothes were simple in color. Li Wenyang’s were blue and sky blue, Li Zhixia’s were pale green and yellow, along with some gray rough cloth. Xia Wanyue had also chosen pale green and light blue.
Since they had just left the Li family, they shouldn’t wear flashy colors. Plus, with the famine coming, low-profile clothing was safer.
She wasn’t alone—she had three children to protect, and staying alive was the priority.
“They fit well!”
Li Zhixia excitedly examined herself, touching here and there, her little face flushed with joy. She tugged at her brother to see if his clothes looked nice too.
Li Wenyang, stiff as a board, allowed his sister to pull him along, too nervous to move. His excitement couldn’t be hidden.
After a while, the children removed the clothes and insisted on keeping them for the New Year.
“Mom bought them for you to wear now. You don’t have to wait for the New Year. Later, we’ll boil some water so you can take a bath and put on your new clothes!”
Xia Wanyue took the clothes from the children, folded them, and placed them on the bed.
“You watch your brother. Mom will cook. If you’re hungry, eat a little cake to tide you over. But not too much—Mom will make something delicious soon, or your tummies won’t have room!”
Xia Wanyue ruffled Li Zhixia’s little pigtails, turning them into a messy nest.
Seeing her hair messed up, Li Zhixia looked a bit aggrieved, and Xia Wanyue finally let go.
“Mom, we have no water!”
Li Wenyang’s worry showed. Since they moved in, there had been nothing—not even a proper water bucket. Since yesterday, they had only had a little chicken soup to drink.
Earlier, he and his sister were thirsty but couldn’t find any water. Mom had told them to stay home, so they didn’t dare go out, afraid she would come back and not find them.