Chapter 5: 第5章 一事又一事

Because Wen Youshan was by her side, Wen Yuanjing didn't resist Chen Ningya feeding her porridge. After just one breakfast, under Chen Ningya's intentional guidance, the child had clearly grown much closer to her.

After breakfast, the water in the kitchen was also boiled. Wen Youshan prepared a large bucket for Chen Ningya and said, "I'll carry the water to the bathhouse. You go get a clean change of clothes and wash up first. I'll boil another pot of hot water for the other children to wash too; they're covered in mud like little monkeys."

Chen Ningya couldn't help but laugh. The village children were all filthy; clean ones were few and far between. In the past, she had looked down on this state of affairs. Although she had amnesia and couldn't remember her past, subconsciously she always felt children shouldn't be like this. After her rebirth, however, she found such children much more vibrant and alive.

But by the time she finished her bath and came out, she still hadn't seen the other three children. She didn't know if they were deliberately avoiding her or had run off to play.

By the time Chen Ningya woke from a nap, the sun was already slanting westward. It was deathly quiet outside the house, not a sound to be heard. Wen Youshan was nowhere to be found, the children hadn't returned, but Wen Yuanjing had been awake for a while, sitting obediently at the foot of the bed without a fuss. She even offered her little hand for her younger brother to play with. The siblings were actually so quiet they let Chen Ningya sleep until she woke naturally.

Seeing this scene, Chen Ningya's heart melted completely. She pulled Wen Yuanjing into her arms, stroking her little face affectionately. Reaching back with her other hand, she scooped up the youngest, Wen Yuanxing, checked his diaper, and said to Wen Yuanjing, "Second girl, Mother is going outside to take a look and cook you something to eat. Will you stay here and play with your brother?"

"Okay!" Wen Yuanjing replied in a sweet, childish voice, her response much more enthusiastic than before.

Chen Ningya smiled, got up, put on her shoes and coat. Before leaving, she tucked the children in tightly with the quilt, and closed the door behind her. The spring chill was sharp, and this was the time children caught colds most easily; it was best not to go out if possible.

The courtyard was silent, truly not a soul in sight. A cold wind mixed with rain threads blew past. Only then did Chen Ningya realize that although there had been sunlight just a moment ago, the weather had changed. She hurriedly clutched her clothes tighter and darted into the kitchen like a wisp of smoke.

In her previous life, she had never set foot in the Wen family kitchen. Having lived two lives, this was her first time—like a bride on her wedding sedan chair. Looking at the things in the kitchen, she was instantly at a loss, not knowing where to start. She vaguely remembered that Mother-in-law Zhang, when she was alive, liked to keep things locked in her own room. So she turned around and went to Zhang's room. After rummaging for a while, she found a rice bag that was nearly empty.

Wen Yuanliang had slipped out in the morning and hadn't returned. It wasn't that he didn't want to come back; he just didn't want to see his cheap mother, and even less did he want to be ordered around by his father to wait on her. So he had to forage for food on the mountain to get by. Seeing the rain about to fall, he had no choice but to return. He never expected to find a fire burning in the kitchen upon entering the courtyard. Usually, his father wouldn't be home at this hour. Wen Yuanliang figured it was Wen Yuanzhen cooking, so he barged in boldly, only to see his cheap mother inside. He instantly wore an expression like he'd seen a ghost.

There sat Chen Ningya on the floor starting the fire, staring wide-eyed at Wen Yuanliang. Wen Yuanliang reacted, pulled a face at Chen Ningya, and slipped away again.

"This child..." Chen Ningya frowned, walked to the door, and called out, "It's raining. Where are you off to now?"

Unfortunately, she couldn't see a trace of Wen Yuanliang. She didn't know if that boy was part rabbit; he ran faster than anyone.

Hiding in the backyard, Wen Yuanliang naturally heard Chen Ningya's shout. The more she called, the less he dared go over. He felt his mother had been possessed; otherwise, how could a perfectly normal person suddenly change her nature?

Chen Ningya failed to call Wen Yuanliang back and could only return helplessly to continue cooking the porridge.

Before long, Wen Youshan returned leading the other two children. All three had loads on their backs. Chen Ningya hurried forward to help the two children unload. "Where did you go?"

"Went wandering up the mountain. Luck was good today; we found a nest of wild chicken eggs and caught two wild rabbits. Later I'll skin the rabbits and keep the meat to make a tonic for you all." Wen Youshan grinned, then immediately frowned as he looked Chen Ningya over. "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Why did you come out?"

"I'm fine. I feel much better after a nap. Just cooking a bit of porridge; it's no great effort." Chen Ningya replied casually, turning back only to find the father and two sons staring at her with wide eyes in disbelief.

No wonder Wen Youshan was shocked. Previously, Chen Ningya had never cooked; he even thought she was the type who couldn't tell the five grains apart. He never expected her to actually cook porridge today—truly, one lives and learns.

Unlike Wen Youshan's shock, Wen Yuanzhen and her brother huddled together, looking at their mother with strangeness. But their attention was quickly diverted by the two wild rabbits in the back basket.

Seeing them drooling with greed, Chen Ningya couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, the two little ones and I have eaten. You go eat first; we'll deal with the rabbits later."

"Right!" Wen Youshan agreed loudly with a grin. Seeing Chen Ningya finally looking a bit like the mistress of the house, his heart swelled with indescribable joy. Even the exhaustion of the whole day vanished; he had energy for everything.

At dinnertime, Wen Yuanliang still hadn't shown his face. Chen Ningya was a bit worried. "Youshan, do you want to go look for him? It's raining, and who knows where the eldest has run off to."

Wen Youshan frowned and said in a deep voice, "It's fine. Boys are tough. Nothing will happen to him in the village. He'll come back naturally when he's hungry."

Thinking of his increasingly disobedient eldest son, Wen Youshan felt a nameless fire burning in his heart. He wanted nothing more than to drag that brat back and give him a good beating. The eldest wasn't young anymore, yet he was even less sensible than his sister.

Since Wen Youshan put it that way, Chen Ningya had to drop the subject.

After the three males finished dinner, Chen Ningya tidied up the bowls and chopsticks. Coming out, she found Wen Yuanzhen and Wen Yuanhong sprawled on the table in the main hall. The room wasn't lit. She figured the two children had been busy with Wen Youshan for half the day and were exhausted. Her heart ached, but it was already dark, and she feared they'd catch a chill. She hurried in and called softly, "Eldest girl, get up quickly. Take your brother back to the room to sleep."

Chen Ningya called twice before Wen Yuanzhen laboriously lifted her head. Her face had an abnormal flush.

Chen Ningya was startled. She reached out to touch Wen Yuanzhen's forehead and shouted in a panic toward the outside, "Youshan, come quick! The eldest girl has a fever!"

As she spoke, she checked Wen Yuanhong and found he was burning up too. She instantly panicked, jumping in place. Could it be that in her previous life, the two children fell ill at this very time and passed away? The thought made her heart plummet into an ice cellar. She had been reborn; could she still not change her family's fate?

Wen Youshan ran in at the sound. Though anxious inside, he was much steadier. He immediately said, "I'll go borrow the donkey cart and go to town to fetch a doctor. You stay here and watch them."