Chapter 11: An Unexpected Warmth!

Changrong State lies in the south, where rice and millet are staple foods. Each comes in two varieties: coarse grain and refined grain. The former is roughly processed, with only the husk removed—sometimes not even fully peeled—while the latter undergoes meticulous refinement, stripping away the husk, bran, and germ.

Ruyu glanced at the bowls on the square table: porridge still mixed with husks, a plate of scrambled eggs, and some boiled greens.

"Jade sister, mother specially cooked eggs for you. Eat plenty later," Mrs. Jiang said, busy ladling porridge with a gentle smile. She had finally made it through the hardships.

In the past, she could only watch that heartless family feast while her own family survived on coarse flatbread and wild vegetables. But now, things were different.

The sturdy brick and tile house was theirs. The three old hens in the backyard belonged to them as well.

Not to mention the hundred taels of silver inside the house—just thinking about it made her want to drink two extra bowls of rice porridge.

"Thank you, mother..." Ruyu took a sip of the porridge. It wasn’t unpleasant but lacked refinement; it tasted a bit coarse. She sampled the eggs next; they were lightly seasoned, with too little oil and salt. The boiled greens tasted bitter—likely wild vegetables, and barely salted.

Probably designed for weight-watchers, she thought. Such a meal would easily discourage anyone.

"Mother... now that we have silver, can we eat refined rice and use more oil and salt when cooking?" Ruyu pondered carefully before setting down her bowl and chopsticks, turning to Mrs. Jiang for discussion.

"What's wrong? Jade sister, do you not like it?" Mrs. Jiang was momentarily stunned, bowl in hand.

Ruyu smiled softly. "Mother, isn’t life about enjoying good food and clothing?"

Seeing her mother’s surprise fading, she continued, "Look at how we’ve been worn down all these years—everyone skinny as bamboo sticks from the back hills. Now that we live on our own, we should treat ourselves better."

Mrs. Jiang and Baixiuming exchanged glances, then looked at the children before nodding gently.

Mrs. Jiang’s eyes lingered on her scrawny children, then on the plump kids of the Bai family, a flicker of frustration crossing her face. She pounded the table lightly. "Jade sister is right. After all these hard years, we owe it to ourselves to live better."

Baixiuming nodded in agreement but quickly shook his head. "Times are tough. Last year’s harvest was poor, and this year looks worse. We must not squander money but save it for emergencies."

Just as everyone thought he disagreed, Baixiuming spoke again, "Take out ten taels for daily expenses. The rest we’ll keep safe. There’s no farm work these days, so tomorrow I’ll go to town to look for work and buy some supplies."

From now on, the money he earned wouldn’t have to be handed over to anyone else. Their family’s needs would be met entirely by themselves.

Hearing this, everyone’s faces brightened. Little Ya immediately ran forward, hugging her father’s leg.

"Daddy, daddy, I want sugar-coated hawthorn and big meat buns!" she said sweetly.

She had only tasted these treats once, on her third birthday, when her father had secretly bought them.

The sweet and sour taste of the sugar hawthorn and the savory, oily aroma of the meat bun remained vivid in her memory.

Baixiuming ruffled her little nose, smiling faintly. "Alright, I’ll get them for you."

Ergou and Sanwa saw this and immediately dropped their bowls, bouncing up to him.

"Dad, I want sugar hawthorn and big meat buns too."

"Can I have two big meat buns and a skewer of sugar hawthorn?"

Mrs. Jiang lightly flicked two chestnuts onto their heads, scolding, "You two, don’t treat your dad like a wishing well at the temple!"

Seeing the children crowding around him with hopeful eyes and his wife’s gentle smile, Baixiuming suddenly felt an inexplicable pang of fear.

If he had acted impulsively and killed Zhang earlier, these children and his wife would be shunned, with no support for the rest of their lives.

Glancing at his eldest daughter quietly drinking porridge nearby, Baixiuming felt a profound gratitude welling up inside.

His voice softened. "Jade sister, what do you want? Daddy will buy it for you tomorrow."

Ruyu looked down at her patched clothes and frowned slightly.

"Dad, buy me two sets of new clothes or two bolts of cloth."

Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, she had developed some stubbornness about certain things. For instance, she disliked torn or old clothes—even if mended, they made her feel uneasy. Wearing patched clothes now felt like insects crawling all over her.

Amid the eager gazes of the others, Baixiuming smiled and nodded. "Alright, everyone will get new clothes."

"Dad, you’re the best!" Little Ya kissed Baixiuming with a smack.

Then she waddled over to Ruyu’s side, stretching out her arms to hug her elder sister’s neck.

Catching a glimpse of her tiptoeing, Ruyu leaned down slightly.

Little Ya’s face lit up with a radiant smile as she hugged her and gave a little suck on her cheek.

Snuggling close, she coaxed, "Big sister, you’re the very best."

Ruyu thought to herself...

The little girl’s affectionate gesture before her gradually overlapped with the image of the sweet, smiling child from her past life who had once given her candy.

As Ruyu froze, lost in memories, Ergou and Sanwa suddenly pounced into her arms.

"Little Ya is so sly—she sweet-talked Dad, then you!"

"Yeah, she bullies us because we can’t speak up."

The two boys glared at Little Ya with jealousy, holding onto Ruyu tightly.

"You, you guys, let go first," Ruyu stammered, unused to such a scene.

This kind of warmth was entirely foreign to her; she had never imagined it, not even in dreams.

"Alright, alright, you three! Jade sister just woke up—don’t scare her. Let go now! Come eat," Mrs. Jiang said, noticing the embarrassment and bewilderment on her daughter’s face.

She thought her daughter had once been naive and uninformed, so now that she was finally awake, she needed time to adjust.

"Sorry, big sister, we didn’t scare you, did we?" the children asked, looking pitiful.

Ruyu smiled and shook her head. "No. From now on, just call me sister. There’s no second or first sister here—only your sister."

At those words, the children's eyes sparkled, brightening from dullness, as they pressed against Ruyu affectionately.

Little Ya buried her head in Ruyu’s arms. "Sister! Sister!"

Her heart brimmed with unspoken happiness.

Ergou hugged her arm, his malnourished face beaming with pride. "Great! Now that sister is awake, we won’t be bullied anymore."

Sanwa leaned on Ruyu’s shoulder, rubbing her cheek and whispering, "Sister, after dinner, can we go out together?"

Ruyu glanced sideways and caught the fleeting mischievous gleam in his eyes.

She couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

Sanwa’s intentions were clear as day.