“Sister-in-law, we dare not take it for free. They say free things are the most expensive. You wouldn’t be thinking of borrowing ten taels of silver from us with this leg of meat, would you?”
Liu Lan was the first to react—this woman must be plotting something.
They had all heard that Xiao Ying owed the town’s gambling den ten taels of silver, which had now become eleven taels today.
With no money to repay, borrowing was her only option.
Upon hearing this, Chen Afu and the other two also grew suspicious and became inwardly wary.
Xiao Ying glanced at the three of them and shoved the hind leg into Chen Zhangshi’s hands.
“Even if I wanted to borrow, you wouldn’t have the money. Go home and stew the meat.”
The three exchanged puzzled looks—was she really giving it to them to eat?
“Grandpa, Grandma, you can eat it without worry.”
Chen Xingyun couldn’t help but speak up for her mother. This mother was not the same as before; she wouldn’t do such things.
Chen Xinghai also nodded in agreement.
Seeing the children like this, the three gradually let their guard down, though they found it increasingly strange.
On the way back, Chen Afu sighed and said, “Perhaps heaven has opened its eyes and made her repent. They say a prodigal’s return is priceless—maybe our second daughter-in-law is just that.”
“Can she really change for the better?” Chen Zhangshi expressed doubt.
“Father, we still need to be cautious and not be deceived by her.”
Liu Lan didn’t believe it either—how could a person change so easily?
Suddenly remembering something, her face turned pale, and she lowered her voice.
“Father, Mother, do you think she might be possessed by a ghost?”
Chen Zhangshi shot her a glare and said irritably, “I’d rather she were possessed by a ghost. Have you ever seen a ghost with such a kind heart?”
Liu Lan looked embarrassed—that was true.
“Maybe it was the past few years when she was possessed by a ghost.”
The old couple exchanged a glance—that wasn’t entirely impossible.
In any case, they would have to observe her a bit longer.
Back in the yard, Xiao Ying had finished selling the wild boar meat, earning a total of 2,892 copper coins—slightly less than expected.
First, because the price was low, and second, she had given some to the Chen Family and kept over ten catties for herself.
Chen Xinghai and his sister joyfully counted the copper coins twice—it had been a long time since they had seen so much money.
“Mother, you’re amazing.”
Chen Xingyun’s admiration for her mother had reached its peak, and she praised her unreservedly.
“Alright, you’ve said it several times already. Go cook now.”
Xiao Ying smiled, feeling a flicker of happiness in her usually calm heart as she saw their sincere praise.
“Right, cooking.”Chen Xingyun only then remembered and showed a bit of annoyance.”
Butchering and selling the boar had taken nearly two hours, and it was already past lunchtime. Only when they had a moment to rest did they realize their stomachs were growling with hunger.
Chen Xingyun hurried to prepare lunch. While wild boar meat took longer to cook, the wild rabbit and pheasant could be stewed quickly.
“Wait.”
Xiao Ying suddenly stopped them and casually retrieved a pile of mushrooms, fruits, two packets of seasoning, and finally, the ten potatoes from her space, not minding that the two had discovered her secret.
Once again, the two were stunned. What kind of ability was this? Retrieving objects from thin air?
Hiss… This mother was truly extraordinary. Could she be an immortal reborn?
“Stew some mushrooms and potatoes too. These packets contain Sichuan pepper and star anise—remember to add some to remove the gaminess.”
Ignoring their dazed expressions, she shoved everything into their hands.
“Alright, yes, Mother, I’ll go prepare it right away!”
Chen Xingyun was so excited she nearly stammered, her eyes sparkling brightly, feeling utterly blissful.
Chen Xinghai was no less thrilled. They didn’t need to ponder what secrets their mother might have—as long as they could eat their fill like this every day, that was more than enough.
The two happily carried the vegetables to the kitchen. Before long, Chen Xingyun ran out again, clutching a potato in her hand.
“Mother, what is this? How do you eat it?”
She felt a bit embarrassed, mainly because she had never seen it before.
Xiao Ying explained, “This is called a potato. You can peel it or not, and there are many ways to eat it. For stewing, cut it into chunks; for stir-frying, slice it into strips. You can also make fried potato sticks, Potato and Egg Pancakes, and so on. We’ll have time to experiment slowly in the future.”
Chen Xingyun listened in awe—there were so many ways to prepare it! For lunch, she decided to try stewing wild rabbit first.
“By the way, potatoes have a high yield, with an output of several thousand to ten thousand jin per mu. When we have time, we can plant some.”
It wasn’t sustainable to keep taking them from her space; it was better to legitimize their source, especially since she planned to use them to make money.
“T-ten thousand jin?”
Chen Xingyun was stunned once more, feeling dizzy at the thought. Ten thousand jin—what did that even mean?
Even the best Superior farmland in the village, planted with rice or wheat, only yielded about two hundred jin per season, and that was under ideal conditions.
A yield of ten thousand jin per mu was unimaginable—something they wouldn’t dare dream of.
If their family could plant just one mu of potatoes, wouldn’t they never have to worry about going hungry again?
Beside her, Chen Xinghai was also frozen in place, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if the pain from his injuries had vanished.
Xiao Ying added, “In ordinary soil outside, the yield probably won’t be that high. I estimate it would only be four or five thousand jin.”
After all, she hadn’t grown them herself, so she couldn’t say for sure.
But the two of them didn’t mind at all—even four or five thousand jin was incredible.
“But, Mother, our family doesn’t have any farmland anymore.”
Finally snapping back to reality, Chen Xingyun spoke awkwardly and sadly.
“It’s fine. We’ll buy some in a few days.”
Xiao Ying had already thought it through. Once she earned a bit more silver over the next couple of days, she would go to the village head to buy farmland.
She also wanted to purchase a larger plot for a homestead to build a comfortable, spacious brick-and-tile house.
The siblings’ faces lit up with hope. Mother was going to buy farmland? That wasn’t cheap.
But then they thought of her skills—she had even managed to hunt such a large wild boar. Perhaps she had other ways to make money.
Hadn’t that wild boar sold for nearly three taels of silver?
The more they thought about it, the happier they became. It seemed their family’s life was about to improve.
Chen Xingyun skipped cheerfully into the kitchen. Chen Xinghai was about to go slaughter the wild rabbit and pheasant when Xiao Ying stopped him.
“I’ll do it.”
Seeing his bruised and swollen face, she knew it would be difficult for him.
She picked up the knife and quickly prepared one wild rabbit and one pheasant. That would be enough for lunch, and she left the rest to Chen Xingyun.
“Come here.”
Sitting on a stool by the door, Xiao Ying beckoned to Chen Xinghai.
“Mother, what is it?” Chen Xinghai obediently walked over to her.
“Kneel down,” Xiao Ying said again.
Chen Xinghai was puzzled but did as he was told.
Xiao Ying placed two fingers of her left hand on his forehead. Just as Chen Xinghai grew curious, he felt a warm current slowly flow into him, and the pain in his face suddenly eased significantly.
The warm current then traveled through his body, and soon, the pain throughout his body vanished as well.
Chen Xinghai was utterly astonished. What kind of method was this? It must be immortal magic! His mother must be an immortal!
“Mother, you’re truly amazing. This is miraculous.”
When Xiao Ying withdrew her hand, Chen Xinghai discovered he had completely recovered, and his body even felt remarkably light and comfortable. He couldn’t help but feel both shocked and delighted.
However, Xiao Ying furrowed her brows. “Your foot is in serious condition.”
Chen Xinghai had suffered the accident when he was two years old. The bones on his instep had fractured at that time. Although he received treatment later and could barely walk, he unfortunately became lame and had remained so for all these years.
Now, wanting to restore it, even she found it somewhat challenging, mainly because her current abilities were still too limited.
Chen Xinghai’s smile froze, and his expression immediately darkened. This had become the biggest thorn in his heart.
Whenever he went out, the village children would openly or secretly mock him for being lame. He didn’t want to be lame, but what could he do?
He knew his life would remain like this forever, only hoping his younger siblings could have better lives.
“It’s fine. I’m already used to it.”
Chen Xinghai gave a bitter smile, not wanting to show vulnerability in front of his mother.
Xiao Ying said, “I have a way to help you recover, but it might take some time.”
Correcting bones wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t completely impossible either.