Chapter 3: Explanation

He Dahu said with a serious face, "Those grasses aren't fatal to eat. I saw Tie Dan's family chickens eat them, and they're still living perfectly fine."

If chickens can eat them and not die, humans shouldn't die from eating them either, right??

"Really?" He Erhu asked.

He Dahu nodded vigorously. "I never lie."

"I believe you."

As a fanboy, He Erhu didn't doubt the truthfulness of those words in the slightest.

Before long, a fragrant aroma wafted out from the kitchen.

Squatting outside the fence, He Dahu and He Erhu smelled the scent of the vegetable pancakes and couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

*Gulp~*

It was a very loud swallowing sound.

Su Li curled the corners of her mouth. She had successfully made the kids outside the fence crave food, and her sense of achievement was exploding.

"Brother, whatever she's making smells so good!"

He Erhu couldn't help but feel hungry. Ever since their father went up the mountain to hunt, they hadn't eaten their fill.

"Be good, we aren't eating that. There's grass in there!"

He Dahu swallowed a massive mouthful of saliva while saying these stubborn words.

After the vegetable pancakes and corn porridge were ready, Su Li called out toward the fence.

"Come over and eat quickly."

"..."

There was no response to Su Li.

Su Li didn't care; she was starving herself. She had made three pancakes in total—she ate one and left two for those two stubborn little fellows.

Her current physique wasn't suited for eating too much; she had to control her diet as much as possible.

By the time Su Li finished the pancake in her bowl, the brothers He Dahu and He Erhu were still squatting outside the fence, showing no intention of coming back.

Looking at the round little heads outside the fence, Su Li found it hilarious. She intentionally said loudly,

"These pancakes are really tasteless. The remaining two can't be finished anyway, might as well just throw them away!"

Upon hearing this, He Dahu stood up huffily. For a moment, he forgot his fear of Su Li and said in a milky voice,

"You're not allowed to waste food like that!"

They couldn't even eat their fill, yet she actually wanted to throw food away. When Father comes back, he must tell Father, and give her a piece of his mind.

Standing to the side, He Erhu nodded in agreement. "Yes, food is bought with money, so you can't waste it."

Su Li looked at the food in the plate with a troubled expression. "If I don't throw them away, what am I keeping them for? I don't want to eat them, and this stuff is just too bad!"

It was truly hard to coax children nowadays!

"We'll help you eat them," He Erhu immediately interjected.

Looking at the two stubborn little fellows, Su Li tried her best not to laugh out loud. "Alright then! I also think it would be a waste to throw them away, so I'll trouble you to help me eat them."

As soon as He Dahu and He Erhu heard this, they rushed over immediately, looking like hungry wolves pouncing on meat.

"Go wash your hands first," Su Li said, looking at their blackened little hands.

These two children were simply too dirty. Their clothes were filthy, and their hands and faces were also dirty. She had no idea how their parents raised them!

He Dahu and He Erhu were actually quite obedient this time. They turned and ran to the water vat to fetch water to wash their hands, occasionally glancing back at Su Li, terrified that she would change her mind.

Su Li was thinking about the shop in her space and wished she could unlock and upgrade it right now. Since it was still early, she might as well go up the mountain to see if she could find some benzoin?

"I'm going out for a bit. Stay home obediently and don't run around," Su Li said, looking at the two who were currently burying their heads in their food.

He Dahu and He Erhu were stunned. They hadn't expected Su Li to tell them such things. In the past, whenever she went somewhere, she wouldn't bother saying a word. If they dared to ask even one more question, she would give them a beating. Over time, they had learned to be well-behaved.

The He family lived at the foot of the mountain, not very far from the village center. From here, one could see the houses in the center of the village. Besides the He family, there were four other households at the foot of the mountain.

The walls of those four households were plastered with mud. Although there were many cracks in the walls and the roofs were thatched with straw, compared to the He family, they could completely call themselves "mansions."

At that moment, a thin woman happened to come out of a courtyard. When she saw Su Li standing at the door, a flash of fear crossed her eyes, and her expression stiffened. She stood at the entrance, neither able to enter nor retreat.

As their eyes met, the woman finally couldn't withstand the pressure and spoke up.

"Little sister, the eggs from Sister-in-law's house have already been sold. There are no more eggs to sell to you now!"

She was feeling some regret now. She should have taken the eggs to sell early this morning. If Su Li saw them later, those eggs would surely be taken by her again.

Chen Xiang couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She thought moving to the foot of the mountain would bring peace, but she hadn't expected to encounter a neighbor like Su Li.

Su Li was completely bewildered. She searched through her memories to find information about the woman before her.

This woman was named Chen Xiang, one of their neighbors. Chen Xiang's husband, He Dahai, was a cripple due to an injury, so he couldn't do heavy labor. Because He Dahai was insecure and disliked social contact, he had resolutely chosen the foot of the mountain when the family split up.

Chen Xiang and Su Li were two completely different people. Chen Xiang was hardworking and kept both the inside and outside of her house tidy and orderly.

Her family also raised quite a few chickens. Chen Xiang would save the eggs to sell in town to supplement their household income. Su Li, this neighbor, would frequently come to Chen Xiang's house to "buy" eggs.

Every time Su Li showed up, Chen Xiang would tremble. Not only was Su Li lazy and gluttonous, but her strength was also greater than that of an ordinary woman. Chen Xiang could neither fight her nor scold her, so she could only endure it all in silence.

Thinking of the things the original host had done, Su Li couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Those memories surfaced clearly in her mind, making her so awkward she felt like she could dig a hole to hide in.

Su Li revealed a smile that she believed to be very friendly.

Seeing Su Li's smile, Chen Xiang's eyelid twitched. She felt that Su Li's visit this time might be ill-intentioned.

Seeing her fearful appearance, Su Li explained, "Sister-in-law, I'm not buying eggs. I'm going up the mountain to take a look."

So don't be afraid; she was a law-abiding citizen now and wouldn't do those things!

"Then go ahead!" Chen Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't cause trouble, it was fine.

Su Li nodded to her with a smile, put on her basket, and turned to leave.

Chen Xiang took a hoe and began digging the soil near the stone in front of the house, intending to move the stone that was blocking the entrance. This stone had been here since before their family moved in.

A fortune teller had said that this stone's presence here was affecting their family's luck, telling her to move it away immediately.

This stone weighed about eighty to a hundred pounds, and since part of it had been buried in the ground for many years, it wouldn't be easy to push away. Her husband couldn't do heavy labor, so she had to do these things herself through sheer force.

Chen Xiang dug away all the soil around the stone, revealing its true form. She gave the stone a forceful push, but it didn't budge an inch.

"Ah—" Chen Xiang exerted herself again, but the stone remained motionless.

By the time Chen Xiang wanted to try again, her face turned pale, and she held her waist with both hands.

Just then, a pair of chubby hands were placed upon the stone.

(End of Chapter)