Although Liao Guizhi didn’t go out to work, she couldn’t stay idle either.  

She had to prepare feed for the chickens, ducks, and geese, as well as slop for the pigs.  

Bai Zhizhi followed Liao Guizhi around like a little shadow, curious about everything.  

Watching the small animals in the yard, she felt an itch to mess with one particularly handsome white goose.  

So while Liao Guizhi was busy preparing the pig feed, she reached out and gave the goose a quick stroke.  

Squawk—

The goose let out a loud cry, flapped its wings, and lunged at Bai Zhizhi, stretching its neck to bite her.  

Bai Zhizhi, sensing danger, quickly crouched down and curled into a ball. Only when her hand touched her own furry head did she realize—she wasn’t a little hedgehog anymore.  

Her spines were gone.  

Luckily, ducking saved her from the goose’s attack.  

But soon, the goose charged again, and Bai Zhizhi scrambled to her feet, darting around the yard in a panic.  

The goose chased relentlessly.  

Just as it was about to catch her, a hand shot out and grabbed the goose by the neck.  

Squawk—

A pitiful goose cry.  

It was Liao Guizhi.  

Bai Zhizhi stopped, panting heavily.  

Liao Guizhi scolded, “Child, why did you provoke it?”  

Her tone wasn’t angry—just worried.  

Their family’s goose was fierce, excellent at guarding the house, and its bites hurt.  

Once she caught her breath, Bai Zhizhi ran over to Liao Guizhi and smugly patted the goose’s head.  

“Serves you right!”  

The goose seemed to understand and flapped its wings, trying to lunge at her again.  

Bai Zhizhi yelped and hid behind Liao Guizhi.  

Liao Guizhi chuckled and tightened her grip on the goose. “Alright, alright. Today, Mom will stew this goose for you.”  

Bai Zhizhi’s eyes lit up—she wanted to eat it.  

…

At noon, Huang Xiuyun tossed the weeds she’d pulled while working into the goose pen.  

Watching the ducks and geese gather to eat, she counted them.  

Huh? One was missing!  

No matter how many times she counted, there was one less goose.  

Huang Xiuyun shrieked, “Mom! Our goose is gone!”  

Grabbing a broom leaning nearby, she stormed out to search, cursing under her breath.  

“Damn it, who stole my goose?”  

Hearing the commotion, Liao Guizhi hurried out of the kitchen.  

“Second daughter-in-law, what’s going on?”  

Huang Xiuyun said, “Mom, our goose is missing. You’ve been home all day—did anyone come by?”  

There was an unconscious hint of blame in her voice.  

Huang Xiuyun was the one who took care of the chickens, ducks, and geese, and she treasured them dearly, counting them multiple times a day to make sure none were missing.  

Losing one out of the blue felt like a knife to her heart.  

Liao Guizhi quickly reassured her, “It’s not missing.”  

Huang Xiuyun, who had been rushing out, paused and turned. “Not missing?”  

She was about to ask how it wasn’t missing when she suddenly caught a whiff of something delicious coming from the kitchen.  

She sniffed the air.  

“Mom… did you stew the goose?” Huang Xiuyun stared at Liao Guizhi in disbelief.  

Liao Guizhi, feeling awkward under her gaze, scowled. “What? Do I need your permission to kill a goose?”  

“No, no,” Huang Xiuyun quickly replied. “But it’s not a holiday or anything—why kill a goose now?”  

Liao Guizhi’s expression softened slightly. “This goose kept pecking at Zhizhi, so I killed it. Besides, she’s just recovered—she needs to build up her strength.”  

(Though she hadn’t actually killed the one that pecked Bai Zhizhi—she’d picked one that didn’t lay eggs.)  

This “kill one goose to warn the others” tactic immediately cowed the remaining geese into submission. None dared to retaliate, no matter how much Bai Zhizhi petted them.  

Hearing the reason, Huang Xiuyun looked stunned.  

They killed a goose just because it pecked Bai Zhizhi?  

Suddenly, she remembered Hu Xiaoxiang’s words, and her expression darkened.  

Bai Zhizhi peeked out from the kitchen, watching Huang Xiuyun with a hint of confusion in her eyes.

She sensed a wave of resentment emanating from Huang Xiuyun.  

“Second sister-in-law?”  

The resentment in Huang Xiuyun’s heart dissipated the moment she saw Bai Zhizhi.  

Ah, forget it. Little sister has suffered enough.

Having made up her mind, Huang Xiuyun regained her usual brisk and cheerful demeanor. “That’s right! Little sister just recovered, and she caught a chill yesterday—she should get some good nourishment.”  

Now it was Liao Guizhi’s turn to feel a little embarrassed. But she was used to being strong-willed and didn’t know how to back down.  

So she said, “This is also a chance for everyone to have a better meal. Everyone’s been working hard lately.”  

“Aye!”  

Hearing that everyone would get a share, Huang Xiuyun’s last bit of displeasure vanished. She responded loudly and turned to head into the kitchen to help Liao Guizhi cook. As she passed Bai Zhizhi, she casually ruffled her hair. “Be good, the kitchen’s too hot—go play outside.”  

Though she had her own little grievances, over the years, she had genuinely come to care for Bai Zhizhi like a younger sister.  

After shooing her out, Huang Xiuyun glanced around the kitchen and saw that the rice was already done, but the washed vegetables on the cutting board hadn’t been cooked yet.  

Just then, Liao Guizhi walked in. “Just stir-fry the eggplants and make a cold amaranth salad.”  

“Got it.” Huang Xiuyun washed her hands and got to work.  

Liao Guizhi sat down by the stove to tend the fire. She had to admit, her second daughter-in-law was an excellent cook.  

Huang Xiuyun tossed the washed amaranth into boiling water, blanched it, then fished it out and rinsed it in cold water. She roughly chopped it into sections, tossed it into a bowl, poured crushed garlic over it, then added salt and sesame oil before mixing it all together—a simple, refreshing cold salad.  

By the time she finished, Liao Guizhi had already scrubbed the wok clean.  

Huang Xiuyun scooped a spoonful of lard into the wok. Once it melted and heated up, she added scallions and garlic to stir-fry until fragrant, then threw in the eggplants. After stir-frying them until tender, she seasoned them with soy sauce, salt, and—most importantly—a big spoonful of their family’s secret homemade sauce. She gave it a good mix, covered the wok, and let it simmer.  

Standing outside the kitchen, Bai Zhizhi watched the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law working together to cook, and she couldn’t help but smile. She loved this kind of warm, domestic atmosphere.  

Turning her head, she spotted the big white goose nibbling on grass nearby. Unable to resist, she reached out her mischievous hand and pulled the goose over, giving it a good rub.  

“Big White, I’m so happy. Are you happy too?”  

Compared to her solitary days cultivating in the mountains, she much preferred this life where people cared about her.  

Quack, quack—

The goose looked utterly resigned. It wanted to resist, but the fate of its brother in the kitchen made it too scared to move.  

Tears welled up in its eyes. Sorry, bro.

With a defeated sigh, the goose stretched its neck to peck at the grass on the ground, deciding to drown its sorrows in food.  

And then—  

“What’s this?” Bai Zhizhi snatched the grass right out of the goose’s beak.  

It was a familiar plant. She examined it carefully, searching her memories.  

Ah—found it! Tiarella polyphylla.  

The entire plant could be used as medicine—bitter in taste, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It had the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. It could be used to treat boils, unknown swellings, coughs, asthma, hepatitis, and injuries from falls or blows. (1)

The Tiarella polyphylla, already past its flowering stage, blended seamlessly into the weeds, but its medicinal properties remained the same.  

Overjoyed, Bai Zhizhi hugged the goose tightly, then took the plant to wash it.  

The goose followed her curiously, watching her movements with confusion.  

Why is this human stealing my food?

As she rinsed the Tiarella polyphylla, Bai Zhizhi said to the goose, “Big White, you’re such a lucky charm! Do you know what this is? It’s medicinal—it can cure illnesses!”  

The goose didn’t understand her words, but it could tell she was praising it, so it stretched its neck even higher and straighter.  

Bai Zhizhi looked at it thoughtfully. “Big White, from now on, your name is Big White. We’re partners.”  

She needed a companion—someone to take with her when gathering herbs in the mountains for courage. After all, she wasn’t a little hedgehog with spiritual power protecting her anymore.  

Big White tilted its head, its small, round eyes staring straight at Bai Zhizhi, as if asking, If we’re partners, does that mean you won’t eat me?

Bai Zhizhi sniffed the rich aroma of goose soup wafting through the yard and pretended to ponder deeply while looking at the goose.  

Big White immediately flapped its wings and threw itself into Bai Zhizhi’s arms, terrified it might be dragged off to the pot the next second.  

Caught off guard, Bai Zhizhi instinctively held the freshly washed Tiarella polyphylla farther away, but she still ended up splashed with water.  

“Alright, alright, I won’t eat you. Go play.”  

Once Big White confirmed she wasn’t joking, it immediately turned and waddled away.  

Bai Zhizhi couldn’t help but laugh. She had known this goose was special—if it were in a place rich in spiritual energy, it might even have awakened intelligence.