Jian Yue heard this and her gaze fell on the little girl. But the moment her eyes landed on her, the girl instinctively trembled.
Even when Jian Yue looked at the other little ones, they all seemed like hedgehogs, instinctively raising their spines.
“…” It seemed the original owner had left quite a shadow on them.
“Alright, as you wish.”
With that, Jian Yue headed to the kitchen. Fortunately, the father of this family was a hunter, so there were at least some tools for handling prey.
Jian Yue quickly found what she was looking for.
When she came out, she saw the children still standing at the door. She paused, and the large knife in her hand made the little ones instinctively flinch.
Jian Yue: …
This knife had only been used by their father before, and never since.
Jian Yue hid the knife behind her back. “Ahem, you all go play, and wash up and change your clothes while you’re at it. I’ll go deal with the wild boar.”
With that, she took two steps toward the boar, then thought of something and added, “When it’s time to eat, I’ll call you.”
As for the rest, Jian Yue didn’t bother with it for now. Given how terrified these little ones were of her, if she went over there, it would be like poking a hornet’s nest… no, a nest of little ones.
Jian Yue let her mind wander as she found a spot to deal with the wild boar.
The children watched the back of their stepmother, each wearing the same puzzled expression.
“Big brother?” The second child, Ye Xihua, turned to look at the eldest beside him, and the others also looked to their big brother, Ye Xixing.
Ye Xixing didn’t know what to say either. Today’s stepmother was too different from the one in their memories.
Ye Xixing hadn’t fully processed it either. Even if he was more mature, he was still a child after all.
Finally, looking at the little brother in his arms, he said, “…Let’s go inside.”
After the eldest, Ye Xixing, put the youngest down on the bed, he and the second eldest changed clothes and washed their hands and feet. The four children gathered together.
Ye Xiqi fiddled with her little hands and said hesitantly, “Mother didn’t scold me, didn’t hit me today either, and she even gave me and brother eggs to eat.”
Although the process of eating was terrifying because of her stepmother, she was still happy to eat eggs she hadn’t had in a long time.
And today, her stepmother had saved her and her brother.
The fourth child recounted the day’s events, with the third child nodding beside her. Whenever the fourth missed something, the third would add a sentence, and they quickly summarized the situation.
“She… asked where we were at the end, and then ran up the mountain?” Hearing this, Ye Xixing was a bit surprised.
There was no food at home, so he had no choice but to go up the mountain. He just hadn’t expected to run into a wild boar…
Thinking that after their stepmother died, everything they found would belong to them, no longer taken away by her, he wanted to find more food and let his guard down for a moment.
“So she’s been acting strange since she woke up.” The second child, Ye Xihua, suddenly said.
“Yeah.” Ye Xixing nodded.
“Do you think she might…” Just as Ye Xihua was about to say something, Ye Xixing cut him off with a look and shook his head at him.
The topic that followed wasn’t suitable to discuss. There were still two younger siblings under five, and talk of ghosts and spirits might scare them.
Ye Xisu’s dark eyes suddenly glanced at his two older brothers, but he only looked for a moment before quickly averting his gaze.
“Let’s just wait and see.” No matter what, having an adult around them was better.
Otherwise, what happened to the third brother and fourth sister today would have been their fate.
It was at that moment they heard the stepmother’s voice from outside.
“Little One, bring your younger siblings out to eat.”
Little One.
Hearing this, Ye Xixing paused again. That form of address…
“Big brother, I think mother is calling you. Today mother also called Qi’er Little Four and called brother Little Three.” Ye Xiqi blinked as she spoke, still a bit curious about being called Little Four by her mother.
“He called you all Little Three and Little Four.” Ye Xixing was stunned. Could it be that this stepmother had some strange quirk?
The third child, Ye Xisu, upon hearing the term “Little Three” from his big brother’s mouth, seemed less than pleased. He stared at his big brother with his dark, shiny eyes.
Without a word, he reached out and pulled his sister out the door.
Ye Xixing, watching his third brother who had suddenly glanced at him, couldn’t help but rub his nose.
“Third brother doesn’t seem to like the name ‘Little Three.'” Ye Xihua said.
“It wasn’t me who called him that.” Ye Xixing retorted, but still followed them out.
As for the sleeping youngest brother, they didn’t wake him. They didn’t know what their stepmother would give them to eat.
Based on the stepmother in their memories, she never cared what they ate or drank. Whatever it was, he had just hidden the leftover eggs, so when the youngest woke up, he wouldn’t go hungry.
But… before they even reached the door, they smelled the aroma of meat.
Growl… The eldest couldn’t help but clutch his stomach. It had been so long since he’d had meat.
The second eldest, hearing this, quickened his pace to get away from the eldest, afraid of being “infected.”
The eldest: …
When they arrived at the door, the meat was being roasted over the fire, each piece substantial in size, carrying a tempting aroma.
One, two, three, four stood at the doorway, not daring to step forward, as if the enticing smell of meat didn’t belong to them.
“Come over here, all of you.” Jian Yue looked at the row of children standing there and couldn’t help but sigh, unsure how to interact with them.
The original owner’s approach of feeding them just enough to keep them alive—who knew how long it had been since they’d last eaten meat. The more she thought about it, the more pitiful these little ones seemed.
Their father was gone, and they were oppressed by their stepmother.
Seeing them still hesitating, Jian Yue had no choice but to put a hint of fierceness in her expression: “If you don’t come over now, when I go over to fetch you, it won’t be so simple.”
This tactic worked very well. The youngest one trembled as she grabbed her twin brother and ran over.
“Mother… Mother, we’re coming.” Ye Xisu was silently pulled along by Ye Xiqi.
“No need to run so fast, sit here.” Jian Yue watched the two little ones running toward her, and her heart gave a sudden lurch.
Actually, she wasn’t very good with children. The younger the child, the more Jian Yue feared them.
So Jian Yue used a long, thin piece of firewood to point at a spot some distance away from her.
The eldest and second also walked over and sat in the spots Jian Yue had arranged.
The four little ones, though they looked different, moved with a striking similarity.
Quiet and well-behaved, not making a fuss. Perhaps it was because they hadn’t eaten meat in so long that their small, innocent eyes kept drifting to the roasted meat, yet they didn’t dare cross the line even a little.
Like a brood of quail chicks.
Jian Yue found it oddly endearing, and even deliberately turned the meat over on the fire, drawing those little cub-like gazes.
But if their eyes met Jian Yue’s, they quickly looked away.
In that moment, Jian Yue thought that maybe raising some little ones wasn’t such a bad idea.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Jian Yue’s lips.
It was early summer, and the night still carried a few wisps of cold wind, but in front of the blazing fire, it brought a bit of warmth to people.
The little ones didn’t speak, but they kept watching their stepmother’s movements. Seeing the meat being cut into small pieces and placed into bowls, they were a bit confused.
“Eat up.” Jian Yue handed each of them a bowl, and the little ones all froze.
Meat, all for them?!
“It won’t taste good once it gets cold.” Jian Yue said, then took a piece of meat still roasting over the fire and started eating herself.
She had considered that the little ones were still young, so she cut the meat into small pieces—one bite each, not too hot. She thought she’d been thoughtful enough.
She’d even whittled wooden skewers.
“Eat, why are you staring at me?” Jian Yue urged again when she saw the little ones hadn’t moved.
“Don’t tell me you need me to feed you?”
Jian Yue guessed, since children of eight or nine who needed to be fed weren’t uncommon.
Jian Yue’s gaze fell on the eldest, Ye Xixing.
Ye Xixing immediately shuddered. If his stepmother fed him… no, he couldn’t think about that.
“N-no, no need.” Ye Xixing’s words came out a bit stuttered.
His body moved faster than his mind, stabbing a piece of meat with the skewer and eating it.
The rich meaty flavor filled his mouth, making his nose sting. It had been so long.
Jian Yue nodded, then looked at the other little ones. Whatever words had scared them, they were now all burying their heads and eating.
Jian Yue let out a breath of relief. Good, she didn’t have to feed them.
Handling a knife, she could do. Feeding kids… no way.
The meal was quiet, but also somewhat warm.
Jian Yue happily finished her first meal in this other world, then told the little ones to wash up and go to sleep.
After all, there wasn’t much to do or see at night in this ancient era. This family didn’t even have a single candle—truly poor beyond belief.
Jian Yue washed off the bloodstains from her body and finally collapsed onto the bed.
She thought to herself, what a turbulent day it had been.
She wondered if when she opened her eyes tomorrow, she’d be back in the modern world. If she did return, what would happen to these little ones…
Lost in these scattered thoughts, Jian Yue slowly drifted off to sleep.
The moon hung high with sparse stars, and the day’s brilliance faded into night.
Jian Yue woke up on the hard bed, her whole body aching terribly. She opened her eyes and stared at the thatched roof above her, feeling a bit dazed.
Memories of yesterday slowly came back.
She had traveled to an ancient era and become the stepmother of five children. She’d killed a wild boar on the mountain. Yesterday she’d only felt a bit tired, but today her entire body ached.
The original owner’s body had never exercised. After all that exertion yesterday, the pain today made her frown. It had been a long time since she’d felt this sore.
It made Jian Yue not want to get up at all.
But even if she didn’t want to get up, noisy voices from outside the thatched hut reached her ears.
Listening to the sounds, she roughly counted—several people. She could faintly make out a few words.
“That woman Jian Yue, I heard she’s still alive.”
“Even if she’s alive, that lazy woman wouldn’t possibly be awake this early in the morning.”
“My god! Look what I’ve found! A wild boar, and it’s that big!”
“Heavens.”
“That’s all meat!”
Hearing this, Jian Yue couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
Whoever was coming meant trouble.