Chapter 21: Exposed Again

By evening, most of the kudzu roots had been dug up.

Villagers were either carrying them on their backs or shoulders, starting to transport the kudzu roots back home.

Ye Xin Ran and Chang Ping had already made one trip. This time, they had dug up quite a lot, but luckily, Zhang Da Li brought over a hand cart, so they loaded their kudzu roots onto it and hauled them back together.

“Big Sister Chen, have you managed to load all your kudzu roots?” Ye Xin Ran asked on the way.

Chen Shi looked at the fully loaded cart and smiled. “Yes, all loaded! The kids’ father said he’d head back to the mountains tomorrow morning to search for the remaining kudzu roots. We estimate there’ll be about 200 pounds in total, which should last us quite a while.”

“That’s great! It’ll make life much easier until the new harvest comes in.”

Ye Xin Ran agreed.

“Exactly!” Chen Shi chuckled. “When we get back, I’ll cook a big pot of purple yam and kudzu root so the kids can eat their fill.”

“Yeah, I’ll also use some kudzu root to make… soup tonight.”

Ye Xin Ran originally wanted to say she’d make kudzu root and bone soup, but then realized they didn’t have any bones at home. The little bit of meat they had was already used up.

Now, all they had left were vegetables.

“Oh, by the way, Big Sister Chen, how do you usually get to the city?” Ye Xin Ran figured she should also go to the city to stock up on some necessities.

Chen Shi quickly answered, “Every other day, Niu Er’s family in the village goes to the city. It’s 3 copper coins per person for the ride. If you want to go, just leave with the cart in the morning and return with it in the evening.”

“Alright, I’ll go with them tomorrow and take a look.” Ye Xin Ran thanked her.

When they got home, Chang Ping and Ye Xin Ran put the kudzu roots they had dug up in a corner of the kitchen.

Ye Xin Ran then washed her hands and started preparing dinner.

Thanks to the rice from her secret stash and the flour she had stored, the household wasn’t running out of staple foods for now.

What urgently needed improvement was their supply of meat and eggs.

While cooking, Ye Xin Ran thought about her plans.

Making frequent trips to the city to buy meat wasn’t very practical, and buying too much at once wouldn’t keep well.

She decided to buy some chickens, ducks, and geese. These poultry could lay eggs as they grew, and those that didn’t lay eggs could be eaten, perfectly solving the problem of balanced nutrition.

If she had more space, raising a pig would also be a good idea.

But in their current yard, bringing in a pig would mean living with the constant smell of pig manure.

That idea would have to wait until they had a bigger house.

That evening, she made white rice, kudzu root soup, and stir-fried purple yam.

Though it wasn’t as good as the meals from the past few days, the children were still very happy with it.

Even Chang Sheng, who had been quiet, joined his younger siblings in chatting and laughing, becoming more cheerful.

After dinner, Chang Sheng spoke to Ye Xin Ran, “Aunt, I think my leg is healed now. I can go to school tomorrow.”

“You’ve only rested for a day. How can it be healed so quickly? Stay home for another couple of days,” Ye Xin Ran disagreed.

“I’ve already finished all the homework I brought back. I want to go to school and learn new things from the teacher.” Chang Sheng tried to persuade her.

“Er Dan goes to school every day, doesn’t he? When he gets home in the evening, ask him to teach you here.”

“Got it,” Chang Sheng reluctantly agreed when he saw Ye Xin Ran was firm.

As night fell, the once lively village quickly quieted down.

These days, no one could afford to light lamps, so as soon as the sky darkened, everyone tidied up and went to bed.

After the children fell asleep, Ye Xin Ran once again entered her personal space.

The rice and white flour that appeared yesterday gave her great confidence. It seemed the more she adapted to this new life, the more items her space would produce.

First, she checked on the production of the Snow Cream. The machinery was operating smoothly, and once the entire process was complete, she would have the finished product.

Next came the part that relied on luck.

She often felt the urge to check whether the dense fog in her space had cleared further.

As expected, the fog in the canteen area had indeed dispersed a bit more, revealing the stove area.

There, she found various seasonings such as oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, as well as kitchen tools like knives, ladles, and other utensils.

While the tools were nice, it was the seasonings that Ye Xin Ran desperately needed right now.

With those, she could make her braised pork even tastier, and her soups would no longer rely solely on salt for flavor.

“Yes!”

Life truly seemed to be getting better day by day.

She grabbed a bag of salt and a pack of sugar to bring out, planning to transfer them into jars tomorrow.

As for the other seasonings, she decided to wait until she purchased some from the market so their appearance wouldn’t raise suspicion.

After inspecting her space, Ye Xin Ran, satisfied, headed upstairs to wash up and go to bed.

While bathing, she couldn’t resist admiring her figure in the mirror.

Her fair skin glistened with water droplets, and her thick, jet-black hair framed her delicate face.

Fair skin and smooth, silky hair, these were features Ye Xin Ran had always dreamed of in her past life.

Back then, her hair was dry, coarse, and slightly wavy. Straightening it left it flat against her scalp, but leaving it natural made her look like a frizzy lion. She had never experienced hair this soft and smooth.

She absolutely adored her current appearance.

Even with half her face scarred, she still felt content.

Lost in admiration, a sudden knock on the door outside her space startled her.

“Who’s knocking at this hour?”

No one could discover her secret!

Panicking, Ye Xin Ran hastily threw on a dress she’d brought into her space and exited.

Just as she returned to her room, the door opened from the outside, and a tall figure appeared in the doorway.

“Who’s there?” Ye Xin Ran turned her head, only to see a stunned Xiao Huai’an.

The man, upon realizing what he was looking at, immediately turned his head away.

“Put your clothes on.”

Ye Xin Ran looked down and realized in her haste she hadn’t fastened her dress properly. A large gap at the front revealed part of her chest, with each side half-exposed.

To make matters worse, her wet skin caused the thin fabric of her dress to cling to her thighs, exposing her pale, slender legs to the cool night air.