"Yan'er, have you thrown the scented sachets away?" Xiao Yuxi asked her younger sister.
They were currently moving the branches they had left to dry beneath the scorching sun inside the house.
Xiao Fenghao appeared from the distance, bringing a small bundle with him—a few pigeons he had successfully hunted.
"Yes, Elder Sister. I already threw them away." Xiao Yuyan pursed her lips, obviously still upset over the poisonous scented sachets.
The scented sachets were, after all, the result of their hard work. They had to climb the mountain, gather herbs, dry them, then embroider the sachets.
"Next time, hide the scented sachets if they come to visit," Xiao Yuxi snorted as they entered the house. She looked around for her mother's figure.
Seeing there was no Zhou Anran's figure in sight, she whispered to Xiao Yuyan's ears, "That Zhou Wanruo is definitely not a good person."
Xiao Yuyan had a complicated look on her face. Their cousin, Zhou Wanrou, had been a kind and lively girl, often bringing them gifts and coming to visit whenever someone got sick. Is she really as bad as her second brother and eldest sister described?
Zhou Wanrou had been with them since they were little. So, when she heard that it might be her who had destroyed their painstaking effort, she felt uncomfortable.
Soon, Xiao Fenghao arrived. He went to the kitchen, taking a bamboo basket to put the birds he had hunted.
The two sisters turned to him, making him feel puzzled. He finally threw the other small bundle to them, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I helped you two to pick herbs."
After that, he left the room with hurried footsteps.
They exchanged glances and could already guess what was in each other's mind. Xiao Yuyan bit her lip and opened the small bundle. Just as they had guessed, most of it was weeds!
"If we have enough money, maybe we should buy a goat. We can't waste the weed that Second Brother always brought us." Xiao Yuxi didn't forget to make fun of her brother.
Xiao Yuyan giggled. The heavy atmosphere lessened slightly.
Because of the information that the System had revealed, they were filled with worry about the future. The most affected was undoubtedly Zhou Anran.
She was a single mother taking care of so many kids alone. Ever since her husband disappeared, their lives had been hard.
Her husband, Xiao Wei, had told her he was going to the back mountain to hunt. Yet, after so much time passed, he never returned. Many assumed that he had died, eaten by wild beasts that occupied the mountain.
However… the System said that he was the male lead in her story. Does that mean her husband is still alive? If that is the case, then why hasn't he returned to them yet?
It has been over two years.
The heartache and complicated feelings caused by the revelation about her husband… it even overshadowed the confusion over the fact that they actually lived in a storybook.
They were just paper characters…
For her it didn't matter as long as she had her family with her. Maybe all lives and worlds in existence were all similarly already written in books somewhere.
As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she saw the birds that her son had hunted. She let out a sigh, a little relieved. This morning, she found out that most of their rice stock was gone.
The money was tight, and she didn't know how she should feed her kids. They were still in the growth stage and needed to eat enough. Fortunately, there was still her son.
"Little Ya, sit here, alright? Mother and sisters will cook delicious food for you." Zhou Anran dragged a small stool for Xiao Qingya to sit on.
The little one nodded obediently and sat down. Her big eyes roamed around the kitchen, but she never once moved from her stool.
"Yan'er, can you chop the vegetables? I will heat up the water," Xiao Yuxi turned to her younger sister.
Xiao Yuyan agreed, but her face was full of doubt. She chopped the green vegetables, sending discreet glances at her older sister. Since they came back from the village market, Xiao Yuxi had her entire arm wrapped up.
When she inquired about the reason, she just told her that she felt cold.
It was a bit strange now that she thought about it. She couldn't help but also took a look at Xiao Qingya, who was eating half of a small steamed bun, the leftover from last night.
Knowing that their lives would be filled with a lot of challenges in the future, she had been very attentive to their youngest sister. She wanted to hear what difficulties they were going to face so that they could prepare beforehand.
At this moment, she hoped that she could get a clue from Xiao Qingya. Perhaps, she knew what was wrong with their elder sister. Alas, she was merely focusing on eating.
"Hiss…"
Her head snapped to Xiao Yuxi, who was trying to lift the iron pot with difficulty.
Xiao Yuyan hurriedly stood up to help her. Once she lifted the iron pot, she inspected Xiao Yuxi's hands. Now, she was sure there was something wrong with them.
Unfortunately, her medical skills weren't as good as their eldest brother. She suddenly had a conjecture. Is it from the scented sachets?
Xiao Yuxi had touched the dried herbs while she merely sniffed them; the scent was mixed with something unpleasant. The effect might have been worse than the rotten scent if it even got her and her second brother beaten.
[System, my eldest sister is usually as strong as an ox. Why can't she lift the iron pot? My heart almost dropped when I saw the iron pot almost slipping from her grasp.]
[Fortunately, my second sister immediately went to help her. It might be related to the reason she covers her entire arms…]
Xiao Yuxi stiffened a little when she heard her sister's inner thoughts. She glanced at her younger twin sister and found that latter was looking at her. In fact, it wasn't only Xiao Yuyan who was looking at her, but also their mother.
[Did my elder sister discover something wrong with the scented sachets? Looks like she is the one getting the rashes instead.]