For dinner, Clara made boiled taro.
Although she had brought back two full sacks of taro, the family had five hungry mouths to feed. Around only half about 25 kg of taro left after two meals.
Clara had restrained herself—not daring to eat too much. Otherwise, with her usual appetite stopping at about eighty percent full, there probably wouldn't have been any left.
The well-fed Adam Liew and the others regretted not holding back more.
Clara, however, wasn't worried. There was still plenty of wild taro in the mountains—plenty to eat for a whole month.
In the short term, she didn't have to worry about starving.
The only problem was the taro couldn't be stored well in this humid weather. They had to dig it up fresh whenever they wanted to eat.
Clara was grateful no one else ate it here, or else this free food supply would have been wasted.
At night, after eating her fill, Clara started weaving straw shoes by the torchlight.
At first, her hands were a little clumsy, but once she got the hang of it, her speed picked up.
The twin siblings, yawning one after another, begged her to let them stay up and watch, unwilling to sleep.
Clara was both moved and helpless, so she let them stay.
There was no nightlife in this village. To save on lighting costs, everyone went to bed once it got dark.
Lester's home was especially isolated, surrounded by silence. Occasionally, the howls of wild beasts echoed from the hills.
Maybe because of this eerie atmosphere, Adam and Ben suddenly remembered their scoundrel father who had been taken away. They glanced weakly at Clara, as if wanting to say something but held back.
Finally, Adam almost spoke up, wanting to ask when Clara would ransom their father back. But just then, Clara finished the first pair of straw shoes and handed them over.
"Order of seniority—these are for Adam first," Clara said, picking up the straw rope to start the second pair.
She was tired too and planned to rest after finishing one more pair for herself.
Adam swallowed his question down.
But seeing the tightly woven, sturdy shoes, the boy's face lit up with joy. He carefully took the shoes from the table and placed them by his feet, showing off to his younger siblings.
It was unclear if Clara had measured intentionally or just by chance, but the shoes fit perfectly.
These were toe-clamping straw shoes—far from as good as cloth shoes—but for Adam, who almost never had shoes, these were a treasure.
He looked at the shoes over and over, then hugged them protectively, planning to wash his feet clean before wearing them the next day.
Ben and the other two siblings were jealous but knew they would each get a pair soon, so they patiently waited.
Unfortunately, Clara only made two pairs that night.
The three siblings could only go back inside disappointed, looking forward to the next day.
Early the next morning, Clara put on her new straw shoes and ate two leftover taro chunks for breakfast before carrying her hoe out the door.
Adam woke up to the noise and wanted to go with her, but Clara refused.
She was faster alone; if Adam came, she'd have to spend energy looking after him.
Clara dug up two sacks of taro and returned quickly.
Her current goal was to get her health back. For now, she hoped the wild beasts would leave them alone. Once she recovered and got the right gear, she would come back.
So after digging enough taro for three days, she decisively went back down the mountain.
Health was the real foundation of everything, and she couldn't afford to overexert her body yet.
The children had already prepared breakfast and waited to eat together with her.
Clara hadn't expected the four siblings to get breakfast ready first—it was a surprise.
Maybe because the food was brought by her, they naturally accepted her as the one in charge of distribution.
About 4-5 kg of taro remained from the previous day's meal, which Qin Yao divided mostly for herself, with the kids sharing based on their appetite.
Deb clung to her mother, feeding her little bites every now and then.
Clara tasted a little, and the girl smiled so brightly her eyes curved like crescents. She rested her head on Clara's back, happily nibbling on the sweet, soft taro.
After breakfast, under the eager eyes of Ben and the others, Clara picked up the straw rope and started her handiwork for the day.
With more time, she finished three small pairs of straw shoes plus one adult-sized pair in just one day.
The kids carefully washed their feet and put on the new shoes, wandering around the yard with satisfaction.
Their eyes looking at Clara, their stepmother, unknowingly deepened with a closeness even they hadn't realized.
Ben approached, eyeing the extra pair, and hesitantly asked,
"Auntie, can I take these shoes to sell in the village?"
Clara was surprised at first. "You want to sell these?"
Ben wasn't sure either but wanted to try. "Even if we don't get money, maybe we can trade for some vegetables for the family."
Clara hadn't expected the boy to have such a business mind. Maybe poverty had forced them to learn survival skills early.
She nodded and agreed.
Ben excitedly called the eldest brother and the twins, and the four of them carefully carried the shoes toward the busiest well in the village.
The water jar at home was empty again, so Clara grabbed the lonely bucket in the corner, locked the door, and followed the four kids to fetch water.
She didn't expect much from their selling effort but quietly watched from a distance.
To her surprise, after Ben's calls, some villagers really gathered to look at the shoes. After some bargaining, they traded a handful of greens and a loofah for the straw shoes.
The siblings were thrilled, rushing back to show Qin Yao their earned goods.
Clara smiled, giving them thumbs up. Watching the woman who took the shoes walking away, an idea formed in her mind.
Maybe she could make more straw shoes to trade with villagers for daily necessities.
Things like cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, tea, pots, pans, or homegrown vegetables—these were things the farmers might have plenty of, but Clara's family needed desperately.
She had already complained enough about how poor Lester's family was.
There weren't even five full sets of bowls and chopsticks in the whole house. Only one bucket to draw water, and the tiny water jar meant she had to fetch water four or five times a day, wasting lots of time.
"Let's set a small goal first—trade for a wooden bucket and a carrying pole."
Early that morning, Clara stood before the four siblings with her hands behind her back, making a serious speech like a drill instructor.
Adam and Ben nodded seriously, full of motivation.
The twins, still little, nodded their small heads cluelessly, ready to follow orders.
Clara smiled and looked at Adam and Ben, "Let's borrow some straw from your grandfather's field first. After we make some money, we'll return it. How about that?"
The two brothers exchanged a glance, no hesitation, and ran off toward Old Walter Liew's field.
The family of five divided labor clearly.
Adam and Ben carried the raw materials, the twins did the preprocessing, and Clara twisted the ropes.
Before the day ended, a huge pile of straw rope had stacked in front of their door—enough to make at least ten pairs of straw shoes.
As the sun set, Adam and Ben came back out of breath and empty-handed.
"Auntie, we carried all the straw from the field!" they reported.
Clara looked at the big pile of straw rope and the heap of raw straw in the house, nodded, and released them from carrying duties.
She switched to leading the rope-twisting team, determined to finish the first batch of shoes by early tomorrow morning.
(End of Chapter)