Ye Sangwan’s eyes widened in surprise, her gaze fixed on the scene before her as if she had been struck dumb. The absurdity of the situation left her momentarily speechless. She had intended to tease Yunheng, but instead, she found herself on the receiving end of his playful flirtation. The irony wasn’t lost on her, and it left a sour taste in her mouth—almost as unpleasant as the candied haws she now held in her hand.

“I didn’t say you could eat mine!” she huffed, her lips curling into a pout. “Now your saliva’s all over it. You can have the rest!” She shoved the skewer into Yunheng’s hand and turned away, rummaging through her basket for the other candied haws she had bought. “This one’s for Chu’an, this one’s for Ah Yan , and this one’s for Yunxiang…” she muttered under her breath.

Yunheng listened quietly, his expression unreadable, until he realized there was no candied haw left for him. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he turned his face away, pretending to focus on the road ahead. But as his eyes fell on the two remaining candied haws in his hand, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth—a smile so subtle even he didn’t notice it.

As the ox cart rolled into the village, they passed a group of women gossiping while sitting under the sprawling banyan tree at the village entrance, their voices carried on by the breeze. 

“Did you hear? Tiezhu’s daughter-in-law came back to her mother’s house this morning!” one woman exclaimed.

“Again? Are they here to borrow food? Tiezhu’s family can barely feed themselves, let alone support her relatives,” another chimed in.

“No, no! This time it’s about Wang Ergou, her nephew. I overheard him talking about going to Wan Ya’s house with his gang. They were up to no good, I tell you!”

The women fell silent as Ye Sangwan’s cart approached, their eyes darting nervously in her direction and they found Ye Sangwan’s eyes were staring at them fiercely like a chilling knife. One of them, caught off guard, stammered, “Wan Ya, you’re back! Oh, and Brother Heng’s here too! My, you’ve bought so many things! I, uh, I should get home and start lunch. We’ll talk later!” With that she scurried away, her face flushed with embarrassment and puzzled wondering in her mind, “ What’s going on with her today? How could she be scared by a little girl….?”

Ye Sangwan ignored the gossip, her focus on the road ahead. She had long since learned to tune out the idle chatter of the village. But Yunheng, watching her closely, couldn’t help but notice the change in her demeanor. The old Ye Sangwan would have been in tears, desperate to defend herself. This new version, however, seemed unbothered—almost indifferent.

Yunheng drove the ox cart first to Ye Sangwan’s home, helped her unload her things and then went forward to return the ox cart to Zhu Chaozhang. When they arrived at Ye Sangwan’s home, Ye Chu’an came running out seemingly after hearing movement , his face lighting up at the sight of his sister. “Elder sister! You’re back!” he called, his voice brimming with excitement.

Ye Sangwan smiled at him while thinking this child has never shown such a jumpy side like other children his age do and handed out a skewer of candied haws. “Try this. It’s called candied haws. You’ll love it!”

Ye Chu’an’s eyes widened as he took the treat. “Sister, what is this? Is this sugar? It smells so good.”he asked, his voice filled with wonder.

“This thing is called candid haw, It’s even better than sugar try it and let me know how you like it.” Ye Sangwan replied, her heart aching at the realization that this was the first time her little brother had ever tasted something so simple yet delightful.

Ye Sangyan also came outside, however she was less enthusiastic. “Sister, you shouldn’t waste money on such things. A string of candied haws costs a copper coin. We could have bought a pound of black flour instead,” she chided, her practical nature shining through.

Ye Sangwan handed her two more skewers. “These are for you and Yunxiang. Don’t worry, Ah Yan. We’re going to be fine.”

When Ye Sangyan saw her take out two more strings of candied haw, her face face was slightly stunned and she said with disapproval, “ It’s better to buy a catty of black noodles than to eat this snack…”

Ye Sangwan knew that Ah Yan was not criticising her but she was just thinking for the family fearing they would have to starve if they brought candied haws instead of noodles to make dinner for today. After all compared to allure of candied haws the fear of sleeping on an empty stomach was more realistic as this was life all until now. Ye Sangyan hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. She had always been the responsible one, the one who worried about their next meal. But as she took the candied haws, a small smile crept onto her face. “Thank you, elder sister,” she murmured, her voice softening.Such sensibility of the brother and sister made Ye Sangwan want to give the more and more.

Therefor , she picked up the ingredients from the space again. Yesterday she had promised Yunheng to treat him to a roast chicken so she decided to add a few more dishes to complement along with roast chicken. Additionally she also invited Zhu Chaozhang over for dinner firstly to thank him for taking care of their family and secondly to discuss the plan of constructing new house. 

At the side looking at Ye Sangyan carefully tasting the candied haw her eyes squirting with surprise and face full of satisfaction, Ye Sangwan shook her head musings how could a child not like candied haw ?

Ye Sangwan excused herself to change clothes and slipped into her space to prepare the meal while taking advantage of time difference between outside and inside the space. She marinated the chicken, steamed a bowl of hibiscus eggs, and cooked a pot of fragrant rice. She even prepared braised pork, a cold fern dish, and a spicy eggplant stir-fry. The aromas wafted through the house, drawing everyone to the kitchen. These were made with the spices existing in the current timeline so she was not afraid of her secret being discovered.

When coming out, she saw Yun Heng carrying a bag of rice to the kitchen. He also saw her but quickly looked away with a trace of resentment on his face. He walked back and forth in front of Ye Sangwan while carrying the things that needed to be moved to the kitchen just he took more than needed trips.

His silent promenade made Ye Sangwan feel a little peculiar so she asked him curiously, ‘ What are you doing?’

Yunheng looked up and stopped to look at her, then at the cold kitchen and hummed past her without answering her. Ye Sangwan didn’t mind him but spoke behind him telling him to ask aunt Chen and Yunxiang to come over for lunch. Yun Heng’s family has a large population. In addition to his father Yun Chengran, who is still on the front lines, there are also two sisters second oldest Yun Nian, third oldest Yunxiang while the fourth and fifth children are twins currently studying in the towen. So apart from lame Yun Heng there are only three females in the Yun house at present.

Yun Heng’s eyes kit up. After pretending to say okay coldly he rushed home with a brisk pace.Ye Chu’an was sent to the village to invite Zhu Chaozhang. Ye Sangyan was sent to the back mountain to find wild onions, and she lit a fire in the stove, and then served the dishes in the space with existing pots and pans, and suddenly the room was full of fragrance.

After two minutes Yunxiang was the first to arrive, her nose leading the way. “Sister Wan Ya, what are you cooking? It smells amazing!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with anticipation.At the foot of the mountain, there are only Ye SangWan’s house and Yunxiang’s house, which are about 100 meters apart. This distance is not close or far, but the fragrance can float to Yun’s house, which is somewhat exaggerated.

When Yunxiang and Ye Sangyan walked into the kitchen hand in hand and saw the attractive meat dishes on the table, they felt awestruck.

Ye Sangyan, however, was feeling panicked  “Elder sister, where did you get the money for all this? Is it… is it from Father and Brother’s funeral funds?” Her voice trembled with accusation.

Ye Sangwan’s heart sank. She had forgotten to explain the source of the money after all, she had been alone for a long time so she forgot to discuss many things. “No, Ah Yan,” she said quickly, pulling out the silver ingots and coins she had earned. “This is money I made today. I sold some herbs in town. The funeral funds are still here, untouched. I promise. I didn’tspend it at all. Also, when you fainted yesterday, Zhao came to steal money. I… I spent ten takes of silver on my own and broke off relations with them… It was my fault that the I didn’t discuss it with you guys ”

Ye Sangyan’s expression softened, though a hint of doubt lingered in her eyes. “I’m sorry, elder sister. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”she put away the money and stood down quietly. Some time later Yunheng and Zhu Chaozhang arrived so Ye Sangwan proposed to eat out in the yard because it was still bright outside.

As the family gathered around the table, Ye Sangwan shared her plans for the future . “We’re going to build a new house,” she announced, her voice filled with determination. “A proper one, with blue bricks and tiles. No more leaking roofs or drafty walls.” She mentioned how she had made money for building a new house but omitted the talk relating space only saying that she found it when she was cutting pig grass on mountains.

Ye Chu’an clapped his hands in delight. “I want a big bed and a thick quilt so I won’t be cold in the winter!” Today he felt very happy first because he was able to eat meat and that to as much as he wanted and now that his eldest sis was making a new house he felt as if he was the luckiest person to be ever born.

Zhu Chaozhang, who had joined them for the meal, raised an eyebrow. “A house like that will cost at least seventy or eighty taels of silver. Do you have enough?”

Ye Sangwan nodded and handed him a hundred-tael silver bill. “This should cover it.” After all although the cost was very high but thinking about the winters from the memory of the original owner she reflexively shivered fearing she would freeze to death if continued to live in this house.

Zhu Chaozhang’s eyes widened in shock, but he quickly composed himself thinking that he was an old man and as if he has seen all the world and this 100 taels could not faze him. “Very well. I’ll find some reliable workers for you tomorrow. But what about after the house is built? What’s your plan then?”

“Grandpa Zhu, don’t worry I’m thinking of starting a small business,” Ye Sangwan replied, her mind already racing with ideas.

Thinking of the current situation, Zhu Chaozhang was a little worried: “It’s okay to do business, but the current taxes are too heavy. If…”

Before Zhu Chaozhang could finish responding , a loud shout interrupted the conversation. “Ye Sangwan, you scoundrel! Get out here!”

The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward the door. Ye Sangwan’s heart skipped a beat. “What now? Why can’t I just have a moment of peace.”

Stay tuned for finding out!!!