Chapter Eight: Earning One’s Own Living

Gu Xiaoyao looked at the woman’s warm and enthusiastic face with a sense of wariness in her heart. She couldn’t quite understand why this woman was being so friendly toward her. As the old saying goes, unsolicited kindness is either a sign of treachery or theft—especially since, as far as she could recall, she and this woman were strangers.

“Thank you, but there’s no need. I’ve already taken care of things in the kitchen,” she replied.

Aunt Dou wasn’t bothered by her cold manner. Anyone who had gone through what happened yesterday would hardly be in good spirits.

“Chengjin’s wife, you don’t have to be afraid. Chengjin once helped my eldest son, Da Niu. Now that he’s not at home, it’s only right for me to look after you.”

“I’m not afraid of your mother-in-law. If she dares to fight with me, I’ll pull out every last one of her hairs.”

Only after hearing this explanation did Gu Xiaoyao understand the reason for such warmth. A life-saving favor should be repaid a hundredfold; even in the apocalypse, Gu Xiaoyao’s conscience had never been extinguished.

“Thank you, Auntie. Food is precious—please, you should keep it for yourself.”

Seeing her refusal, Aunt Dou stubbornly stuffed a small basket of sweet potatoes into her arms and left without looking back.

“Eat them! Just return the basket to me when you’re done.”

Staring at the fragrant sweet potatoes in the basket, Gu Xiaoyao couldn’t help but swallow, her mouth watering.

She carried the basket back into the kitchen, already thinking about what she could prepare as a return gift for this kindhearted woman.

Chu Qingsong, lying in bed, listened intently to the commotion outside. He didn’t dare to come out, choosing instead to stay quietly under the covers, barely making a sound.

When the sweet potatoes and corn in the pot were cooked, Gu Xiaoyao packed them into the basket. Then she grabbed a small stool and sat in front of the stove, warming herself by the fire as she ate.

She treated her food with a kind of reverence, not letting a single grain go to waste. After finishing the corn kernels, she couldn’t bear to throw away the cob, placing it back into the basket. With nothing else to eat, even a corn cob was better than nothing—it was tough to swallow, but having something edible was already a blessing.

Bound outside, Madam Liu and Chu Qingbai caught the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes drifting from the kitchen, and their throats moved involuntarily.

“Mmmph, mmmph…” Madam Liu nudged the third son, rolling her eyes to signal him to remove the gag from her mouth.

Chu Qingbai understood her meaning. As he leaned in, he caught a whiff of the stench from her mouth, and nearly choked.

“Mmm, mmm…”

Chu Qingbai shook his head, refusing.

Seeing her third son’s cowardice, Madam Liu jabbed him in the back with her elbow.

After eating her fill, Gu Xiaoyao patted her stomach, satisfaction shining in her eyes. She placed the leftover sweet potatoes into the bamboo basket and slung it onto her back.

“Sister-in-law, where are you going?” Chu Qingsong, wrapped in two quilts, saw her carrying the basket with food inside and was startled, quickly asking.

“You can move already?” Gu Xiaoyao’s gaze swept over him, sending Chu Qingbai scurrying back into the house.

“You misunderstand, sister-in-law. I was just worried about your safety. There are wild beasts and poisonous insects in the mountains. If you’re going down, let Qingbai go with you!” he said.

A wise man adapts to the circumstances—right now, Chu Qingbai was in no condition to act tough, so he nodded and bowed, flattering Gu Xiaoyao as naturally as could be.

Once he regained his strength, though, he certainly wouldn’t act this way.

“No need. I can go down the mountain myself. You’d better look after yourself first.” Gu Xiaoyao shot him a glance before quickly leaving the courtyard, preparing to head down the mountain.

Chu Qingsong was beside himself with worry. This new bride, bought for two taels of silver, was about to run off down the mountain—what a disaster!