Chapter 2: Entering the Mountain

Early in the morning, Hu Ailian woke Zhou Xi and Zhou Siyue to prepare for work. Apart from Zhou Sini’s allowance, the family relied entirely on earning grain through labor throughout the year.

“Mom, why don’t you call her sister-in-law? Eight work points a day, you know.” Zhou Siyue was extremely displeased with his gluttonous and lazy sister-in-law.

His own gallant elder brother had married such a lazy woman. Surely, he should have married someone like Shen Zhiqing, learned and knowledgeable.

“Your sister-in-law fell into the river yesterday. Let her rest properly.”

“Alright.” Zhou Siyue pouted unhappily.

Gu Wenran didn’t get up until eight o’clock. She entered the kitchen and opened the pot.

“Mixed grain porridge, cornmeal buns—this porridge is so thick you could see your reflection in it.”

After finishing breakfast, Gu Wenran thought about preparing lunch for everyone. She couldn’t just lie around all day.

She knew the original owner never worked, living off Zhou Sini’s allowance and always buying food from the town’s supply and marketing cooperative. That was why she was so fat in these times when food was scarce.

Gu Wenran looked around the kitchen and saw only half a jar of cornmeal and half a small jar of animal fat.

“As a chef, there’s not much I can do with this.”

Knowing she was in Heilongjiang Province, Fengtian Brigade’s backyard was mountainous, surely there was wild game up there. Taking a sickle, she prepared to explore the mountains.

“Mrs. Zhou is going to work.” Passing by a cornfield, several women were hoeing the land.

“I’m going to check the mountain for mushrooms.”

“Be careful, there are wild beasts up there.”

“Got it.”

After Gu Wenran left, the women gathered and whispered, “What sin did the Zhou family commit to marry such a lazy glutton? Poor Zhou Sini.”

“Zhou Sini hasn’t been home for five years. The kids have grown so big, yet he never visits. I think he’s avoiding Gu Wenran.”

“You think a fresh flower would be happy being trampled by a pig?”

“Ha ha ha.”

After they left, the woman emerging from the cornfield looked towards the deep mountains, her expression puzzled.

“Why is she still alive? Why hasn’t she died yet? Knowing Zhou Sini will become a big figure later, she must marry him. Gu Wenran must die.”

Unaware that someone wanted to harm her, Gu Wenran was picking mushrooms in the mountains. After walking a while, her body began to wheeze.

“I have to lose weight; this movement is too inconvenient.”

Just then, a wild pheasant bumped into her basket. Gu Wenran raised her sickle and struck fiercely. The pheasant fell motionless.

“Is this pheasant crazy?”

She placed the bird in her basket and prepared to descend the mountain. To avoid suspicion, she also picked a basket of medicinal herbs along the way.

Before entering this body, Gu Wenran had self-studied Chinese medicine and recognized the herbs. If dried, selling them at a pharmacy could earn some money.

She had thought about using items from her space but taking them out abruptly would be too conspicuous. She had to find a chance to go to town and claim she bought them.

Returning home, she saw no one had come back yet and began plucking and cutting the wild chicken.

“One chicken is quite a lot.”

Gu Wenran scooped a large spoonful of animal fat to fry the chicken, then added the mushroom she had gathered. She pressed the cornmeal dough, which her mother-in-law had prepared in the morning, against the side of the pan.

“This is just like iron pot stewed chicken.”

Hu Ailian led the two children and grandson back from work.

“Sis, smell that meat. Which family is so extravagant to eat meat?”

Zhou Siyue sniffed eagerly, wishing he could eat a couple of cornbread buns right away.

“Grandma, it smells so good. When will Yubao get to eat meat?”

Hu Ailian looked at her skinny grandson, who was nothing but bones. She thought of his mother, who weighed two hundred jin, and wished she could drink her blood, but no one in the family could beat her.

“Mom, the meat smell is coming from home.” Zhou Xi pushed open the door and saw her sister-in-law carrying meat out of the kitchen.

“They’re back. Hurry and wash your hands; it’s time to eat.”

Zhou Xi thought she was hallucinating. Her sister-in-law was actually cooking meat for them.

“Why are you just standing there? Wash your hands and eat.”

“All right, Mom. Siyue, Yubao, wash up. Time to eat.”

The four sat at the table, staring at the meat in their bowls, afraid to reach out.

“Mom, why aren’t you eating? This is wild chicken I caught in the mountain today, not stolen.”

Gu Wenran knew her image at home wasn’t good, but stealing? That was too much.

“Wenran, you eat. Mom will just have the cornbread.”

Gu Wenran picked up a chicken leg and put it in Yubao’s bowl, then divided the wings and breast meat among the others, eating some mushrooms herself.

Hu Ailian handed her some meat: “You eat. Mom won’t.”

“I’m on a diet recently, Mom. I’m not eating meat.”

Zhou Siyue ignored this and bit into the meat fiercely, then took a bite of the cornbread soaked with chicken broth. The aroma was irresistible.

“It’s so delicious! Sister-in-law, where did you catch this? I’m going tomorrow too.”

That one meal of meat made Zhou Siyue forget all of Gu Wenran’s bad behavior over the years.

“Don’t go. There are many wild beasts in the mountains; it’s dangerous.”

Hu Ailian looked at her daughter-in-law. “You shouldn’t go either. What if something happens? What about Yubao?”

“Got it. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold.”

The fragrant chicken meat made the neighbors next door green with envy.

After the meal, Gu Wenran prepared to wash the dishes.

“You rest. Xiao Xi and I will wash.”

Hu Ailian carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen, noticing the leftover animal fat. She felt a pang of sorrow but thinking her daughter-in-law had worked, she didn’t mind so much. They could save a bit and buy some fat meat when Zhou Sini’s allowance arrived.

Gu Wenran spread the herbs she had gathered to dry in the yard. With good weather, they would dry in three or four days.

“Mom, what are you drying?”

Zhou Jiayu sat down on a small stool.

“Mom’s drying medicinal herbs to sell and buy candy for Yubao.”

“Really? Yubao can have candy too?”

“Mom will buy you White Rabbit milk candy. It’s so sweet.”

Yubao licked his lips as if he had tasted it already, feeling warm inside because Mom no longer scolded him.

Gu Wenran noticed Yubao’s patched clothes and took some of her own to the mother-in-law’s room.

“Mom, Yubao’s clothes are all patched. Could you alter my clothes to fit him? I don’t know how to sew well.”

Seeing how well her daughter-in-law treated her grandson, Hu Ailian was pleased. “Okay, Mom will alter them after work tonight.”

“Mom, do you know how to sew shoe soles? Yubao’s shoes have holes exposing his toes.”

“Yes, but there’s no fabric or coupons at home.”

Gu Wenran handed her newly bought cloth over.

“Mom, that’s only enough for one pair each for the three of you. I’ll find a way to get more.”

Hu Ailian touched the cloth. It was fine quality—too good to waste on shoes.

“With such good fabric, I’ll make you clothes instead.”

Gu Wenran looked at her plump figure and decided not to waste the fabric.

“I have enough clothes. You should make the shoes first.”

“All right.”

Back in her room, Gu Wenran lay on the bed and entered her space. It had changed dramatically; all the crops had matured.

With her mind, she stored all the crops in the warehouse and planted a new batch.

She crouched by the spring to drink a few sips of the water, feeling all her fatigue vanish.

Returning to her room, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.