Breakfast had already finished, and it was nearly the end of the Chen hour (around 9–10 a.m.), with the sun already high in the sky.
There wasn’t much work left in the Yan family fields, and Yan Father and Yan Mother no longer forced everyone to labor under the sun.
Yan Ziyue took the bowls and chopsticks to wash, followed by Yan Zimeng and Yan Silang.
The courtyard was now left with only Yan Father, Yan Mother, Yan Zihao, and Yan Ziyi. Lu Qingran took out the two taels of silver and placed them in front of Yan Mother.
“Mother, please take these two taels,” Lu Qingran said.
“No, this is yours. I cannot accept it. Though our family’s situation isn’t great, there’s no way we’d take money from our daughter-in-law,” Yan Mother refused.
“Mother, we’re one family—there’s no need to differentiate. Besides, you know, I have the large portion with me!” Lu Qingran said.
Yan Ziyi listened, completely confused, not understanding how his new sister-in-law could have so much money.
“That still won’t do… we—” Yan Mother began.
“Mother, just take it!” Yan Zihao interrupted.
Seeing her eldest son insist, Yan Mother relented. “Alright, Qingran, I’ll shamelessly accept it. When you have money in the future, you can repay me double.”
“Mother, there’s no need to talk about repayment. We’re one family. Saying such things makes it feel distant. I actually wanted to ask for your help with something, but now I feel embarrassed to bring it up,” Lu Qingran replied.
“What is it? Tell me! There’s no reason to feel embarrassed with me,” Yan Mother said.
“I only have the clothes I’m wearing, and there’s no way to change them. I bought some cloth yesterday, but I don’t know how to make clothes, so I wanted to ask for your help,” Lu Qingran said, blushing slightly. In ancient times, it was almost unheard of for a peasant girl not to know how to sew.
“Of course! That’s nothing. We’re not working in the fields right now. Give me the cloth, I’ll take your measurements, and you’ll have a new set of clothes by tomorrow,” Yan Mother said without hesitation.
“Thank you, Mother! I bought four chi of cloth—I’m not sure if it’s enough. I’ll buy more when I go to town in a couple of days and make several new outfits for the family,” Lu Qingran said.
Yan Mother was completely pleased with her daughter-in-law. “No need, we all still have clothes to wear.”
Lu Qingran smiled and let the topic drop.
Yan Mother quickly took Lu Qingran’s measurements, then carried the two pieces of cloth into the room with Yan Ziyue, the twelve-year-old girl.
..
In Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran’s room
Yan Zihao’s eyes didn’t blink as he stared at Lu Qingran, as if trying to see through her secrets.
“Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?” Lu Qingran asked.
After thinking for a moment, Yan Zihao asked, “Ranran, where did you get the candies for Zimeng? Those candies—our town doesn’t even have them, let alone all of Jizhou.”
Hearing this, Lu Qingran’s heart sank. She had thought the simple fruit candies were common enough, but apparently, that was a miscalculation.
“You don’t want to tell me?” Yan Zihao asked, noticing her silence.
“It’s not that I don’t want to… it’s just too complicated. Give me some time to figure out how to explain it to you, okay?” she said, her mind tangled. Time travel, her space, all of it was already unbelievable, and she worried Yan Zihao might think she was some kind of monster.
“Okay.”
“Father and Mother didn’t ask where the candies came from, did they?” she asked again.
“I told them we met a traveling merchant in town yesterday and bought them from him,” Yan Zihao said.
Lu Qingran breathed a sigh of relief. “My husband is so clever!”
Yan Zihao had been praised many times, but being complimented by his little wife for the first time made him glow with happiness.
..
Soon, the sun rose to midday. Yesterday, Yan Zihao and Lu Qingran had bought a jin of fatty pork. That morning, Yan Mother had rendered the fat into lard, leaving a small plate of pork scraps.
Lunch consisted of a pot of coarse rice, a plate of vegetables stir-fried with pork scraps, a plate of chilies stir-fried with pork scraps, and a plate of cold dressed bitter fern. The oil in each dish was sufficient, and everyone ate very happily.
Yan Ziyi, full of curiosity, could no longer contain himself after lunch and followed Yan Mother into the house.
“Ziyi, what is it? Did you need something from Mother?” she asked.
“Mother, what’s going on today? Is there good news?” Yan Ziyi asked, puzzled.
“Ziyi, your sister-in-law found something valuable in the mountains yesterday, sold it for a few taels of silver, bought grain and meat for us, and even gave some silver to me. Our family married a lucky star! Listen well—treat her well, respect her, protect her. She’s one of us now; no one should bully her—not even family. Got it?” Yan Mother instructed.
“Yes, Mother. I’ll remember,” Yan Ziyi replied.
By the Shen hour (around 3–5 p.m.), the sun wasn’t as scorching. Yan Father, Yan Mother, Yan Zihao, and Yan Ziyi returned to the fields. As for Lu Qingran’s new clothes, Yan Mother entrusted them to twelve-year-old Yan Ziyue.
..
Seeing everyone busy with their tasks, Lu Qingran returned to her room, tidied up, then sat at the desk, lost in thought.
She tried to figure out ways to improve the Yan family’s situation quickly—at least repairing or rebuilding the house. She couldn’t imagine how the family had survived these past two years, especially the harsh winters.
The leaky kitchen must have made cooking unbearable.
Over the past two days, she had come to understand the Yan family:
A family like this, hardworking and willing to work, would surely survive and thrive.
..
Time slowly passed. Lu Qingran’s mind wandered—perhaps due to worrying about the space earlier, she hadn’t rested at noon. Sitting at her desk now, she became drowsy. In her haze, she saw countless people—old and young—poorly dressed, dusty faces, all moving in one direction, filled with wailing and crying.
Startled, Lu Qingran snapped awake, sitting straight at her desk. She didn’t understand what she had just seen.
Outside, the sky had turned dark with clouds, as if a torrential rain was about to fall. Lu Qingran stepped out and ran into Yan Ziyue, who was gathering clothes.
“Sister-in-law, you’re home? I thought you went out!” Yan Ziyue said.
“I didn’t. My brother-in-law didn’t let me go to the fields. I just tidied up the house, but then I dozed off. Looks like it’s going to rain; Father and Mother should be coming back soon!” Lu Qingran said.
“Mm,” Yan Ziyue nodded, glancing at the darkened sky.
Just as they brought the clothes inside, raindrops began falling, soaking the ground within moments.
Soon, Yan Father, Yan Mother, Yan Zihao, and Yan Ziyi returned home, getting only their outer clothes wet thanks to the short distance. To be safe, Lu Qingran went to the kitchen and cooked a large pot of ginger soup, ensuring each of them drank a bowl before feeling reassured.