Though Shu Wanxiu dared to secretly place meat in the Pang family’s home without a word, she wouldn’t dare approach the Xun family in silence.

Standing at the gate of the Xun family, she exchanged a glance with Shu Shouyi and, just like at noon, honestly called out to announce their presence.

There was no response from the kitchen. After Shu Wanxiu called out twice, someone finally emerged from the main hall.

Seemingly surprised to see the two of them, Xun Yi paused for a second before closing the main hall door behind him.

Having honed her ability to read people’s expressions over recent months, Shu Wanxiu could tell from Xun Yi’s door-closing gesture that there was something he didn’t want them to know. She tactfully remained where she was.

When Xun Yi approached, she mustered her courage and immediately thanked him for lending the bone cleaver and salt. Then, holding out the bowl of meat, she said, “You mentioned you don’t lack meat, but this is the only way we can express our gratitude.”

She raised the bowl to a height convenient for Xun Yi to take, looking at him with the most sincere eyes, hoping he could clearly sense her heartfelt appreciation.

Though she didn’t know what Xun Yi was thinking, fortunately, just as her arms grew sore from holding the bowl and she was about to withdraw them, he reached out and accepted the meat.

Instantly, Shu Wanxiu felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. In a light and hurried tone, she continued, “The cleaver is very sharp it made cutting bones especially easy. The salt… the salt is also good; I used some when cooking the meat earlier. In short… thank you so much for being willing to lend these to us.”

After saying this, she promptly placed the bone cleaver and the salt wrapped in oil paper into Xun Yi’s hands. Then, pulling Shu Shouyi back two steps, she bowed deeply to him.

At this hour, Xun Yi was already quite surprised that Shu Wanxiu had brought her nephew along. Moreover, the moment he approached, she thanked him, offered the meat, returned the cleaver and salt not only speaking quickly but moving nimbly, leaving him little room to refuse.

Accustomed to hunting, he now found himself flustered, like a sparrow whose nest had been disturbed thrown completely off balance.

Xun Yi remained silent for a long while. Having interacted with him twice, Shu Wanxiu knew he wasn’t particularly articulate.

Since she had said what she wanted to say and done what she wanted to do, there was no reason to stay any longer.

Holding all the items in his hands, Xun Yi felt he should say something, but it seemed he had already missed the opportunity to speak.

After several aborted attempts, they had already moved far away.

He stood where he was, and when their figures were no longer visible, he finally stepped forward and pushed open the main hall door he had deliberately closed earlier.

As for this main hall, it wasn’t much different from those in other village homes.

It held neither valuable items nor a hidden beauty.

However, it was mealtime, and on the table sat a pot of rice. On top of the rice lay half a roast rabbit crispy on the outside and tender inside with one bite taken out of it.

…

The dishes prepared for the evening meal at Village Head Pang’s house today weren’t particularly lavish.

The children, returning home after playing wildly outside, saw the two stir-fried vegetable dishes on the stove and listlessly lost their appetite.

Chen Sanhe was serving dry rice to each family member. Seeing her grandson’s picky behavior, she couldn’t help but scold and educate him.

For instance: One should appreciate their blessings. Having dry rice to eat is wonderful not every household in the village can have dry rice with every meal.

Or: Which of these dishes we’ve stir-fried doesn’t have some oil in it?

And again: Your grandmother’s cooking skills are top-notch. Even her stir-fried vegetables have a meaty flavor.

The child knew Granny well, understanding that once she started nagging, it would be a while before she stopped.

To escape, the child quickly picked up a dish and carried it to the table in the main room.

Huh?!

There was already a dish on the table! The child’s frowning, worried expression immediately transformed into a beaming smile.

Why didn’t Granny say so earlier! There’s meat to eat!

Chen Sanhe might not say much about other things, but she definitely recognized her own bowls. Knowing that Shu Wanxiu had sent the meat over, she signaled to Pang Zhishan and Chen Lian not to mention it, especially not to reveal the origin of this bowl of meat in front of the children.

It wasn’t until they returned to their room that night and lay down that she finally whispered to Pang Zhishan, “That girl Wanxiu, tell me, why did she send such a large bowl of meat to our family? Why didn’t she keep it for herself?”

Pang Zhishan had the blanket pulled up to his stomach but held a palm-leaf fan, slowly waving it to cool both himself and his wife. Hearing this, he said, “She’s always been sincere. Besides, you did give her salt.”

At the latter part of his words, Chen Sanhe couldn’t help but slap Pang Zhishan’s arm. “Hey! How did you know I gave her salt?”

Pang Zhishan crossed his legs with an air of wisdom. “Old as I am, I can still taste things. Besides you, who else in the village would give her salt?”

“Always so sharp!” Chen Sanhe snorted twice and added, “That Shu girl is sharp too. When I took the salt up the mountain, they were all out probably still gathering firewood in the hills so I left the salt on the stove. But I reckon she probably guessed it was me who gave it.”

The old couple chatted late into the night, both growing drowsy.

Chen Sanhe closed her eyes, her consciousness quickly growing hazy.

Just as she was about to drift into dreams, she heard someone whether beside her or far away say, “…Does that rabbit have anything to do with Xun Yi?”

…Have anything to do with whom? What kind of connection?

During the day, Chen Sanhe would have been quite willing to chat about such connections with others.

But in her dream, she could soar through the skies and dive into the earth, capable of anything, truly like a goddess. Why would a goddess bother with mundane mortal affairs?

…

After stockpiling firewood for two days and delivering the trees Xun Yi needed, Shu Wanxiu was visited by Pang Zhishan that evening his first trip up the mountain in a long while to inform her that the village laborers would start repairing her house the next day.

Knowing her family had no grain, they didn’t expect meals, but she needed to boil enough plain water so no one would go thirsty while working.

Shu Wanxiu naturally nodded eagerly in agreement, then cautiously asked how she should prepare the materials needed for the repairs.

Pang Zhishan was just about to bring that up.

“Your roof hasn’t been repaired in years the thatch probably can’t be saved. To rethatch two spacious rooms, you’ll need over ten bundles of straw. Since you’ve just arrived with no fields of your own, everyone will pitch in to help repair your roof without complaint.

But coming from a poor family yourself, you should know how useful straw is to farming households. So, we hope that after your grain harvest next year, once you’ve threshed it, you’ll dry the straw and return the same amount to each family.”

Learning that it was a temporary loan actually put Shu Wanxiu at ease.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely repay it.”

Pang Zhishan now trusted her character, so he went on to discuss how to repair the half-collapsed stove and the wooden shed above it.

The next day, Shu Wanxiu woke up especially early.

Pang Zhishan said he had assigned tasks to the able-bodied men in the village. Today, some would repair their roof while others would mend their shed and fix the stove, aiming to complete all repairs within a single day.

She needed to empty all items from the house and shed before the laborers went up the mountain. Otherwise, during repairs, dust would fall incessantly, dirtying all the belongings.

So she moved everything from the main hall and bedroom outside while it was still dark.

When the sky began to lighten, she finished cooking breakfast, fetched water from the stream, boiled several pots of water, and poured it into the Wooden Basins and buckets she had cleaned the day before. She also moved all the pots, pans, and utensils from the wooden shed outside.

By 5:30 AM, smoke from cooking fires rose from nearly every household in the village. At 6:00 AM sharp, Pang Zhishan led the assembled laborers up the mountain, carrying ladders, shouldering straw, and holding saws, pickaxes, and other tools.