Chapter 4

Zhang Fang was holding a basket of eggs, and Wu Xiaoxiao had the notebook in her hands. As they reached their doorstep, they ran into Aunt Dong from next door, who was bringing over a large bowl of noodles.

“Xiaoxiao, come and have some noodles. I cooked them extra soft, give them a try,” Aunt Dong said with a smile.

Zhang Fang quickly stepped forward. “Aunt Dong, I’m so sorry, I really can’t let you cook noodles and bring them over.”

At this time, noodles were considered a rare treat. Even though Aunt Dong had added some buckwheat noodles to the bowl, it wasn’t something most people could afford to eat regularly, let alone share with their neighbors.

—-

In Wu Xiaoxiao’s memory, such noodles were a luxury that she didn’t get to eat often.

What was more, the bowl of noodles had a drizzle of sesame oil, sprinkled with chopped green onions, and topped with an egg.

Aunt Dong entered the house with them, placed the noodles on the table, and pushed Wu Xiaoxiao to sit down. Without asking, she put a pair of chopsticks in her hand. “Don’t listen to your mom. You’ve been through so much, you need to eat something good to recover.”

She turned to Zhang Fang and added, “I treat Xiaoxiao just like my own daughter. Our two families are like brothers for two generations. So what’s wrong with giving her a bowl of noodles?”

She patted Wu Xiaoxiao’s head and said, “Xiaoxiao, don’t listen to your mom. Hurry up and eat. My noodle-making skills are the best in Wujia Village. Once you’re full, sleep well, and you’ll be fine.”

The aroma of green onions filled the air, and in front of her, her mother and the neighbor’s kind smile made Wu Xiaoxiao feel a deep sense of warmth. She softly said, “Mmm,” and began eating the noodles with chopsticks.

The fragrant noodles went down, and Wu Xiaoxiao felt like tears were about to rise. In the post-apocalyptic world, even those with special abilities were struggling to survive. A warm dinner like this was something she had never dreamed of.

Aunt Dong saw that Wu Xiaoxiao was quietly eating, and she felt relieved. She then asked, “Did you two go to Wu Laosan’s house to demand justice? What did they say? Are these eggs for Xiaoxiao to regain her strength?”

Zhang Fang nodded. “Sort of.”

Although Wu Laosan’s family didn’t admit that Wu Ningfang was at fault, the basket of eggs was a tacit gesture of apology.

She frowned. “I didn’t want to accept these eggs. I just wanted an explanation.”

Aunt Dong didn’t like this response. “An explanation? What good is that if you can’t eat or wear anything? It’s better to get something substantial. A basket of eggs isn’t much, but Xiaoxiao’s clothes were ruined, they should at least give us two rolls of cloth.”

Zhang Fang hesitated, saying, “But… we don’t have any evidence.”

Aunt Dong, frustrated, replied, “Evidence? If we had evidence, we’d send that whole family to jail! You’re too soft-hearted. Your child has suffered so much. If we don’t stand up for her, what’s going to happen to her? Xiaoxiao is just a girl.”

Although Aunt Dong spoke harshly, she understood that Zhang Fang had such a personality. Pushing her to be forceful would be difficult for her. Getting the basket of eggs was probably the most they could expect.

Thinking about Wu Laosan’s family’s attitude, Aunt Dong warned, “But you still need to be careful. Even though Wu Laosan’s family seems to have softened today, they’re probably not too happy inside. It’s the busy farming season right now, and if you’re not careful, they might try to make trouble for you.”

Everyone worked at the commune to earn work points, and the commune would allocate food based on these points. Work points were a big deal—there were discussions about what counted as half a day’s work, what counted as a full day, and how many points different tasks were worth. The commune secretary and the team leader had a lot of say in this.

Wu Xiaoxiao’s family, as orphans and widows, had been shorted in the allocation of work points, and no one would advocate for them. If something happened, no one would stand up for them.

—-

It was just private talk. Standing up for their family wouldn’t bring any benefits, and could even cause resentment, making things harder without any reward.

That was the reality of life.

Zhang Fang sighed. She wasn’t unaware that the village chief’s family often took advantage of them. When Old Fourth was still around, they had been somewhat careful, but after he sacrificed himself two years ago, they no longer held back.

The past two years had been increasingly difficult for her and her daughter.

The old lady looked down on her for not leaving behind an heir for Old Fourth and would never give her a second glance.

Now, all she could do was hope to raise Xiaoxiao well and find her a good family to marry into.

Aunt Dong knew about their hardships but didn’t have any solutions. She told Wu Xiaoxiao to eat slowly and said she would bring the bowl over tomorrow. She also reminded Zhang Fang to call the child’s soul back that night before hurrying home.

Aunt Dong still had a big pot of noodles on the stove and needed to get back to prevent it from burning.

Once Aunt Dong left, Wu Xiaoxiao stopped eating and pulled Zhang Fang’s hand. “Mom, you should eat too.”

Zhang Fang waved her hand. “You eat; Aunt Dong specifically cooked it for you. I’m not hungry. I’ll just have some porridge later.”

It was the busy season for farming, and they needed to eat well for all three meals to have the energy for work.

But Zhang Fang’s family had few laborers and little stored food. Apart from the lunch they had to eat before heading to work, they usually tried to save on dinner.

Seeing that Zhang Fang wouldn’t eat, Wu Xiaoxiao didn’t insist. Even though her mother couldn’t understand her dedication to studying or help her stand up to others in the village, the love she gave her was undeniable.

After going out earlier, Wu Xiaoxiao felt a little tired. Her current body was still too weak. If it had been her original body, strengthened by supernatural abilities, she definitely wouldn’t have felt so frail.