Li Niannian struck the flint. Sparks fell onto the dry grass prepared earlier.
A little blow, and the grass caught fire instantly.
She tossed it into the stove, and in moments, the flames spread, illuminating the entire cooking area.
“Sister, the fire’s lit.”
“I know,” Li Suisui said. She had already chopped the back fat into thumb-sized pieces.
She placed a small clean iron pot on the stove, poured in half a bowl of water, and then added all the back fat.
The water prevented the fat from popping violently as it rendered.
As the water evaporated, the fat slowly melted, filling the air with fragrance.
Li Niannian sniffed eagerly. “It smells so good! The lard is so fragrant!”
Li Suisui licked her lips. “It does smell good—even she’s going to want some.”
“Sister, how much longer?”
“Almost done. Turn the fire down a bit. Soon it will be ready.”
Once the crispy bits were done, Li Suisui scooped two pieces for Niannian to taste, sneaking one for herself as well.
“Sister, this is delicious! I want more.”
“Alright, I’ll scoop some for you.”
Li Suisui filled a small bowl with half a bowl of crispy bits for her to share with Li Erzhu and Wang Xiulian.
When the oil cooled slightly, she poured the rendered lard into a small clay jar.
The remaining crispy bits she stir-fried with the small cabbage Lin Guiying had brought in the afternoon, then cooked a pot of coarse rice.
Wang Xiulian came by twice, glancing at Li Suisui’s seemingly indulgent cooking. She wanted to comment but stopped herself.
After all, this was Li Suisui’s money, and the family truly needed nourishment.
During the meal, she still scolded lightly: “Suisui, I won’t comment on the crispy bits today, but don’t make the rice so dry again—it wastes food. From now on, make it watery; that way we’ll save more grain.”
“Mother, don’t worry. I know my limits.”
“You little girl… one illness and you’ve changed! You’ve grown so opinionated.”
“Hehe, isn’t that a good thing?”
“As long as you and Niannian stay healthy, everything’s fine.”
“Mother, it’s not just Niannian and me—you and Father too, and the baby in your belly, all of us must be healthy.”
“Alright, our whole family will be healthy.”
Wang Xiulian steadily held a bowl piled high with cabbage and pork crackling rice, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Ah, Wang Xiulian was really too easy to move—just a few casual words were enough to touch her heart.
“Mother, hurry and eat. The food won’t taste good once it gets cold.”
“Alright, Mother will eat!”
Although Wang Xiulian’s nose felt sour, the moment she started eating, her heart felt sweet.
“Father, don’t just watch Mother. Hurry and eat too.”
“Hehe, I’m eating too.”
Li Erzhu shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth. The happiness in his heart was no less than Wang Xiulian’s. Though he wasn’t good at expressing himself, he was just as moved.
Before dawn broke, Li Suisui climbed up from her straw bed. She planned to try her luck at the seaside again today.
Her movements woke Li Niannian beside her. “Sister, are you going to the seaside again?”
“Yes, I plan to go take a look.”
Li Niannian suddenly sat up. “I want to go with you!”
“It’s still early. Sleep a little longer and come find me at the seaside after daybreak.”
“No, I want to go with you now. I want to help earn money for the family too.”
“Alright then, you can come. Just don’t run around. Stay close to me.”
“Okay, I know.”
Just as the two sisters stepped out of the house, Wang Xiulian called out to them. “Suisui, Niannian, wait for me. I’ll go with you.”
“Mother, you’re heavily pregnant. You should stay home and rest.”
“I rested the whole day yesterday. I’m mostly fine now. Let’s go to the seaside together and see if we can pick up anything good.”
Today, they went to a different beach. By the time they arrived, quite a few people were already foraging along the shore.
Li Niannian was impatient. “Sister, Mother, let’s hurry over, or all the good things will be picked clean!”
Li Suisui grabbed her. “Don’t panic. There’s no end to good things to find. Stay behind us properly. Mother, you also need to be careful and don’t fall.”
Wang Xiulian chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, Suisui. I’m not that delicate. You don’t need to worry about me.
Oh, there’s a clam here—quite big too. Looks like our luck isn’t bad today.”
Seeing that Wang Xiulian had some difficulty bending down to pick things up, Li Suisui arranged for Li Niannian to stay beside her mother to help collect seafood, while she searched in another direction.
There weren’t many people in this direction. Hopefully, she would have a good harvest.
But after walking quite a distance, she didn’t even see the shadow of a small fish or shrimp.
She raised her eyes toward the faintly brightening sky and let out a sigh. “I’m not going to return empty-handed today, am I?”
She didn’t know whether it was the dim light dazzling her eyes or something else, but suddenly everything went dark before her vision. When she opened her eyes again, the scene before her had completely changed.
She could clearly see objects 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, even 300 and 500 meters away.
Her eyes felt as if they had navigation built into them—they could fix positions and even display distances.
Sixty meters ahead, a crab was crawling quickly.
One hundred meters ahead, a razor clam had poked its head out.
Not only could she clearly see their every movement, she could even see how they were hidden beneath the sand and soil.
Suppressing her excitement, she looked farther ahead. In the shallow waters, she saw small silver fish swimming.
Usually, even standing in the water, it was hard to spot those tiny fish. Yet now, even from such a distance, she could see them clearly.
A golden finger—her cheat ability had finally arrived. Instantly, tears of excitement streamed down her face.