Just as they were talking, Uncle Zeng's second son, Qixun's second granduncle, also came over carrying a willow basket, and the kids hurried to greet him again.
The second granduncle, Yan Hongshan, was the real younger brother of the first granduncle, Yan Hongyun. Though the two brothers had separated their families, since their old father was still alive, their brotherly bond remained strong. That's why, upon hearing that the eldest nephew's house had caught fire, he couldn't rest easy until he came by to check on them, and also brought some grain and silver with him.
"Big brother, I heard there was a fire at Fengchi's place, so I came to take a look. You're here too?" Fengchi was Qixun's father Yan Yongwu's courtesy name.
Yan Hongyun said, "Early this morning, Third Sister and Little Five came and told me about it, that's how I heard. You brought grain too? We were just talking about letting the kids move in with me, but they wouldn't hear of it. We'll ask their mother when she returns—if she's not willing, after the weather clears up, let the boys clean up this house properly. In any case, we can't let the kids suffer."
Yan Hongshan nodded, "Alright. We still have a bit of savings at home—my wife sent me with ten taels of silver. Bedding and clothes for the winter must be prepared. As for grain, that's easier; each family in the clan will send some over. They won't go hungry, no matter what."
Yan Hongshan had only one son, who'd given him two grandsons. Both he and his wife were in good health and good at their work, so their days were a bit more comfortable than his elder brother Yan Hongyun's.
Yan Hongyun didn't mind this. He had eight grandsons; six of them, already of age, were all properly studying. Fortunately, they used to study with Qixun's father, so there was no need to pay tuition, which saved a big sum of silver. But ink, paper, and brushes were no small expense either. On top of that, with only thirty or forty mu of land and seventeen mouths to feed, life was truly tight, even though his eldest son worked as an accountant in town, and his second and third sons picked up odd jobs during the off-season.
Things were different for Yan Hongshan—his son was a Scholar, teaching at a private school in the county. His two grandsons were still young; the elder had only been studying for two years and wasn't at the age to spend money yet, so they had some savings.
The two old brothers wandered through the three rooms, discussing how to help their grandnephews get by, while Spirit Boat joked with his younger sisters.
He kept feeling something was odd; all three sisters seemed a little off somehow.
Little Xun was alright—she'd been ill, so being listless was normal—but Third Sister and Little Five both had gloom between their brows and looked somewhat absent-minded.
But then again, their good home had just burned down. That's understandable, too.
Actually, Qixun also felt that Third Sister and Little Five weren't quite the same as she remembered.
Though disaster had struck and being unhappy was inevitable, the dazed look on their faces didn't seem to come just from the fire.
Something just felt off somehow.
But the one truly not right, after all, was herself—she was the one with memories from a past life.
The two granduncles helped to tidy up the things that had originally been piled in a mess, and seeing it was nearly noon, they left for home with Spirit Boat.
These days, most families only ate two meals. Besides, the pots and dishes at home were all in a sorry state and needed washing; plus, with their family's situation, it wasn't suitable to keep guests for a meal.
Third Sister Yan Lingsu kept the grain and supplies sent over, but refused Second Granduncle's ten taels of silver. After all, ten taels of silver was almost a whole year's living for an average family. With their mother away, the sisters dared not accept it.
Once they saw the guests out and returned indoors, Third Sister felt Qixun's forehead to check for fever, then took her pulse; only after finding nothing amiss did she relax and go to the west room to fetch firewood. Qixun joked to her as she headed out: "Sis, since when do you know how to take a pulse?"
Yan Lingsu paused for a beat but said nothing, carrying the firewood inside and warming up the porridge and flatbread Granny Zuo had brought over that morning. That was the sisters' lunch.
Qixun nibbled her flatbread, thinking of her spatial stash from her past life. If she still had her space, she wouldn't have to worry about anything at all.
Because she had over eight years of memories from this life, she knew that in this time and place, the court was called the Great Xia Empire, somewhat like the Great Tang dynasty from her past life's history. But the history here was nothing like the one she knew.
The Great Xia Empire had been founded over three hundred years ago and was prosperous, but life for the common folk was still hard. Even the two granduncles, whose situations were among the best in the village, still wore patched clothes.
The Yan Family Village was in Qingze Prefecture, not in the Central Plains proper, but still a thriving region. The village belonged to Anping Town, under Linjiang County in Qingze Prefecture. Being close to the water route leading to the Capital City, transportation was convenient. Though surrounded on three sides by mountains, it wasn't isolated. There were several hundred people in the village, mostly of the same clan, looking after each other. They were poor, but as long as the weather was good, life was bearable.
The empire was strong and the official administration still reasonably clean. Qixun felt that if they worked hard, their family's future was promising.
Of course, in a feudal dynasty like this, social status was everything. If her father could pass the Advanced Scholar exam and get an official post, with his genius mind, a life of wealth would be guaranteed.
What really worried her wasn't their daily needs.
Her real concern was: if the spatial stash was gone, there'd be no potatoes, sweet potatoes, chili peppers, tomatoes, or any seasoning. Even if they got rich, their quality of life would be much reduced.
Her past life was spent in wealth, and she'd always been focused on research, caring for little else. But when it came to food, she could never abide hardship.
Just thinking about the lack of ingredients and those delicious dishes being forever out of reach in this era's limitations, Qixun couldn't help but feel life was bleak indeed.
While she was lost in thought, Third Sister and Little Five sipped their porridge and nibbled flatbread in silence, as if lost in their own worries too.
Qixun snapped back to herself, just in time to see Little Five's delicate brows slightly furrowed, as if she could hardly swallow another bite. Qixun couldn't help but laugh.
The little girl had always been a bit spoiled. Now, with only porridge and flatbread, not even a single side dish, it was far, far worse than their old meals.
After eating, the three sisters began to tidy up.
The heaviest odds and ends had already been put in order by the two granduncles earlier, so the sisters only needed to fetch water, sweep the floors, and clean the doors, windows, tables, and chairs.
Also, back in the burnt-out rooms, some jars and bottles had survived and needed to be found and washed for later use.
Of the three rooms here, the west room had been their mother's boudoir before marriage, and later served as the storeroom; it was big enough. Once it was organized, it made just the place for Second Brother to stay for a while—though in winter, it might be cold, and they'd have to use a brazier for heat.
The east room had been their maternal grandfather's bedroom, set with a fired brick kang bed. Because the kang needed to be stoked, they'd built the kitchen onto the east end, with a doorway connecting the two rooms.
Qixun had no outerwear and might catch cold, so Lingsu told her to sit on the bed and play, while she and Spirit Jade went outside to look for household items that had survived the fire. They retrieved some undamaged pots and dishes, plus a few porcelain jars.
The two of them washed up the salvaged things, put the pots and dishes in the kitchen, and moved the rest into the house.
After getting the kitchen in order and sweeping the house, two hours had gone by.
Meanwhile, the Clan Leader sent someone over to have a look and said that tomorrow, every household would chip in some grain to help them out.
{A new book is not easy to write—could I ask for your recommendation and bookmarks?}