Recalling how the original owner treated the two children, Shen Qingwan couldn’t help but clench her molars.

Since she was now using someone else’s body and identity, she had no choice but to clean up the mess left behind.

Fortunately, she shared the same name as the original owner, so at least she didn’t have to change her name.

She helped the two children up slowly.

The wounds on Xiaoyu’s back were so painful that her face turned pale, but she gritted her teeth and endured it, not daring to show any sign of weakness.

Looking at the children’s bare feet and the tattered clothes barely covering their bodies, Shen Qingwan once again cursed the original owner.

In truth, it wasn’t entirely the children’s fault for wearing such ragged clothes—this family was simply too poor.

Saying they were destitute would be an understatement.

The house was nothing more than a shabby thatched hut with just a single inner room and a central hall.

The floor of the hall was covered with a layer of straw, where the siblings usually slept.

Meanwhile, the original owner slept inside on a makeshift bed made of wooden planks, which was so small and old that turning over would almost make her fall off.

Shen Qingwan couldn’t understand how the original owner had let her life deteriorate to this state.

If she remembered correctly, Lu Wenzhao’s death compensation was a full eight taels of silver.

Back then, Old Man Lu had given the entire amount to her.

When she married into the family, he also provided her with five hundred copper coins.

Later, when they split the household, she received another two and a half taels of silver.

In total, she should have had at least ten taels of silver.

In this era, even a large family in the village could survive on just two taels of silver a year.

As a widow raising two children, she should not have been struggling so badly with that amount of money.

If not for the occasional support from the old house, the two children might have starved to death.

After thinking for a while, Shen Qingwan suddenly remembered—the original owner had given all the money to her own mother.

The original owner might have been arrogant and domineering, but she was undeniably filial.

She always sent the best things to her maternal family, which explained why she had lived in such misery all these years.

“Xiaoyu, Xiaochen, come quickly! Grandma brought you food!”

Just as Shen Qingwan’s thoughts returned to the present, she saw Old Madam Lu carrying a large bowl of millet porridge as she entered.

Seeing that Shen Anning was awake and standing in the courtyard, the old woman immediately started scolding, “You really have the heart to do such things! Xiaoyu is only eight years old, yet you beat her so harshly. Even if the children made a mistake, a few words would have sufficed—why must you hit them every day?

I know you’ve been suffering all these years as a widow, but you can’t take your anger out on the children! These two are the only bloodline my son left behind. If you beat them to death, he won’t forgive you even in the afterlife!”

Despite being in her fifties, Old Madam Lu still had a powerful voice when she scolded people.

Shen Qingwan watched as the old lady nagged while placing the bowl inside.

Xiaoyu immediately went to grab some bowls and chopsticks.

Shen Qingwan curled her lips into a somewhat stiff smile. “Yes, Mother, don’t worry. I won’t hit the children anymore.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Lu was taken aback.

She had expected Shen Qingwan to argue back as usual, but unexpectedly, she seemed to have changed her temperament today.

Seeing her softened attitude, Old Madam Lu decided to let things be.

She quickly nodded, “Good, it’s good that you understand. Xiaoyu’s mother died in childbirth when giving birth to Xiaochen, so the child never knew his real mother.

When you married in, Xiaoyu was only four years old, and Xiaochen was just two. They’ve always treated you as their real mother. They may not be your biological children, but raising them is more meaningful than giving birth to them. If you treat them well, they will honor you in the future.”

Old Madam Lu rarely had the chance to speak to Shen Qingwan this way, so she couldn’t help but say a few more words.

Shen Qingwan obediently nodded along.

“You’re right, Mother. From now on, I will treat them well and never hit them again. Thank you for the porridge.”

Shen Qingwan served porridge to the two children and gave Old Madam Lu a bowl, but the old woman waved her hand, saying she would eat at home, and left.

Taking a sip of the millet porridge, Shen Qingwan felt as if her entire body had come back to life.

Though it was just a simple bowl of porridge, for her, it was already a luxury.

After all, in her previous life, the only food left in her storage space had been compressed biscuits and canned food—there had been no grains at all.

Thinking of her space, Shen Qingwan quickly rolled up her sleeve and saw the small red birthmark on her slender wrist.

That mark was the key to her portable space.

In her previous life, she had relied on this space to survive the apocalypse for so many years.

Unfortunately, the zombie outbreak had happened too suddenly, leaving her no time to stockpile many supplies.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been forced to survive on canned food and compressed biscuits in the later years.

Her fingertips lightly touched the birthmark, and her consciousness instantly entered the space.

Upon seeing the variety of supplies stored inside, Shen Qingwan finally let out a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, all her stock was still there.

Although there were only compressed biscuits and canned food left, she had accumulated a great amount of gold.

After a few years in the apocalypse, gold had become one of the most worthless things.

Since it didn’t deteriorate easily, she had collected quite a lot of it, even raiding a few banks.

Now, her space was filled with cash and gold.

If not for the space, she would never have bothered keeping so much gold—it was far too heavy to carry.

Back then, the most valuable things were food, water, and weapons.

She still had plenty of bottled water and large water containers in her space, along with several sports cars and off-road vehicles.

Unfortunately, she was running low on fuel, so the cars were essentially useless decorations now.

However, with this much gold at her disposal, she could live comfortably in this era without worry.

After finishing the meal, the sky had already darkened.

She had hoped to get a good night’s sleep, but unexpectedly, the village’s emergency assembly bell rang.

That bell was a large copper one hanging under the old pagoda tree at the village entrance.

It was the size of a bowl and could be heard from afar. It was only rung in cases of emergency.

“Xiaoyu, take your brother to bed. I’ll go see what’s happening.”

Xiaoyu obediently nodded.

After making sure the courtyard door was closed, Shen Qingwan hurried toward the old tree.

Many villagers were also rushing over.

“Why are you here too, Eldest Daughter-in-law?”

Seeing Shen Qingwan with a bandaged head, Old Man Lu quickly stopped her.

Shen Qingwan recognized him and stopped in her tracks. “Father, I’m fine. Let’s go see what’s going on.”

Although Old Man Lu was a bit rigid, he had always treated Shen Qingwan well.

Even Old Madam Lu, despite her sharp tongue, was soft-hearted.

Based on the original owner’s memories, it was clear that the old couple had been quite tolerant of her, but she had never appreciated them, always quarreling fiercely with Old Madam Lu.

Seeing Shen Shen Qingwan’s determination, Old Man Lu didn’t argue further and walked ahead with her.