Wang Xianger’s heart sank when she heard what Ye Laotai said. It was clear: Ye Anran was not a biological granddaughter, and apparently, the old lady didn’t favor her.
She lowered her head, feeling an indescribable pang.
Ye Anran had saved her son, and Wang Xianger had secretly sworn to treat her as her own daughter. Now seeing that Ye Laotai did not care much for the girl, she felt a little hurt—but she could not blame the old lady; after all, Ye Anran was not born into the Ye family.
Little did Ye Laotai know that Wang Xianger was silently thinking this; if she knew, she might have thrown her mouth out in surprise.
Ye Laotai just wanted her granddaughter to eat well. Once the boiled egg was eaten, she planned to have Ye San lead the little girl to the mountain to take a walk. If they could find some wild eggs, they would cook them for Ye Anran.
The meal finished, everyone went about their tasks. Ye Laotai called Ye San into the house.
“San’er, take the darling to the mountain, but don’t go too deep. Listen to what the little one says—if you find anything, don’t be startled. It’s a basket; put it in the basket and cover it with some grass.”
Ye San didn’t quite understand his mother’s words, but he obeyed and took Ye Anran toward the mountain.
Along the way, he couldn’t help but ask, puzzled:
“Anran, what does your grandma mean by all that? Did she dream again, seeing you could pick up something on the mountain? Don’t take it seriously—she probably just worried too much about her granddaughter.”
Ye Anran nodded seriously.
“Father, I understand.”
The father-daughter pair arrived at the mountain, and the moment Ye Anran inhaled the fresh mountain air, she felt the supernatural energy in her body awaken.
Her eyes closed, she concentrated to sense it fully.
After her reincarnation into the little girl’s body, she hadn’t felt any supernatural ability before. If she had, she might have struck her birth mother with lightning on the spot—after all, her biological mother had been so cruel, nearly killing her own daughter.
But now, with her abilities awakening, she could rely on her elemental powers instead of other weapons. She had awakened lightning and wood abilities in her previous life, plus she had a space filled with stored resources.
Even if she had remained in the post-apocalyptic world, she could have lived well, though it was harsh with extreme weather and mutated plants and animals. And then came the zombies—life would have been even harder.
Now, in the ancient world, while food was scarce, the mountains were a source of endless resources. With her space and the good air, the future looked bright.
Along the way, they met several villagers from Xinghua Village, all hoping to gather something from the mountain. If they could bring back food, great; if not, it didn’t matter.
Ye Qingwen and Ye Qingcheng, the two elder boys from the first brother, followed behind.
“Third Uncle, wait for us!”
Ye San frowned, seeing the two boys.
“Qingwen, Qingcheng, why are you both coming up? Your father will spank you if you go too far.”
Qingwen raised his head confidently.
“Third Uncle, we’re old enough to come ourselves. Even if we don’t go with you, we can manage.”
Qingcheng nodded.
“Yes, we’ll only stay around the outer areas. We won’t go deeper.”
The two children chattered on, hoping to find some eggs for their little sister to eat. Though they knew the chances were slim, there were some nests in the outer trees. Villagers’ children watched them daily, and the real eggs were rarely reachable.
Ye Anran, holding Ye San’s hand, had the two boys in front of her. She jumped and skipped with excitement as her power fully returned.
Ye San, seeing his daughter happy, smiled.
“Anran, be careful, don’t fall.”
He looked at the two boys.
“Keep an eye on your sister.”
Although he didn’t understand why his mother insisted he take Ye Anran into the mountains, he decided to let them look around like the two elder boys said, seeing if they could find any bird eggs.
Once on the mountain, Ye San pointed at a few large, flat stones.
“Anran, stay here. I’ll look around for food nearby.”
He then looked at Qingcheng.
“Stay here and watch your sister. Don’t run off. Qingwen, if you want to find eggs, stay nearby too—don’t wander off.”
The two boys nodded, and Ye San began searching nearby.
Ye Anran climbed onto a stone and closed her eyes, mentally entering her space. She carefully picked out what she wanted to bring back. After all, life in the Ye family was tough, and she couldn’t secretly eat alone, leaving them hungry.
She spotted quail eggs and decided to gather several, intending to pretend they were just ordinary bird eggs.
When she opened her eyes, Qingcheng looked hesitant, fidgeting anxiously.
The elder boys had gone to search, and he had to obey Ye San and watch over his sister. He wanted to explore but was conflicted.
Seeing Ye Anran open her eyes with a look of excitement, he said,
“Sister, shall I take you to Third Uncle?”
Ye Anran shook her head.
“No, brother, I’ll take you to find food.”
Qingcheng panicked.
“No! You might get lost, and Third Uncle will punish me.”
Ye Anran pulled his hand.
“Brother, I’m already this big. In the neighboring village, I often went up the mountain alone. Don’t worry—I won’t get lost!”
Qingcheng couldn’t believe it—this little girl of just over three had gone up mountains alone before? His own Ye Qing’an, at five years old, wasn’t allowed to go that far, only wandering the village. He would have to boast about this to Qing’an later.
Once Qingcheng was convinced, Ye Anran started searching. She found a pile of dry grass and, while Qingcheng wasn’t looking, took the quail eggs from her space and dropped them out.
Feigning surprise, she called out,
“Qingcheng brother, come here! There are so many bird eggs! Let’s gather them!”