The next day.
Affected by her biological clock, Xu Xiu woke up early in the morning.
Having crossed over for so many days, last night was the most peaceful sleep she had experienced here.
Looking at the children again, they were still sound asleep.
Quietly slipping out of bed, Xu Xiu walked outside to continue her work.
If nothing unexpected happened, the wheelchair should be completed today.
Xu Xiu didn't know that the moment she left, Zhang Zixuan on the bed opened his eyes.
In truth, he hadn't slept all night. He had been wondering why Xu Xiu's changes were so drastic.
Even if someone went through many experiences, it was impossible for their personality to transform overnight, right?
Moreover, although this Xu Xiu still looked the same, her personality was completely different from before.
Even Zhang Zixuan couldn't figure out what kind of stimulus had caused her to become like this.
As he was thinking this, he heard the sound of woodworking tools coming from the yard again.
Judging by the sound, Zhang Zixuan guessed she must be working on the wheels.
Yesterday, when she mentioned the wheelchair, he realized the most challenging part would likely be the wheels.
This also puzzled Zhang Zixuan. The previous Xu Xiu had been utterly clueless about such things.
But now?
Not only had she become independent, but she could also smoothly handle tasks she had never touched before.
However, when he turned to look at the three children on the bed, Zhang Zixuan suddenly felt relieved.
No matter how she changed, as long as she remained his wife and the mother of his children, nothing else mattered.
As long as she stays by his side, he should be content.
Xu Xiu in the yard was unaware of Zhang Zixuan's thoughts.
At this moment, she was squatting in front of the wheelchair, staring intently at it with pride in her eyes.
She hadn't expected to have such a talent for this kind of work.
Checking the sky, she realized it was time to prepare breakfast. Today, she still planned to venture deep into the mountains.
When she entered the room, she noticed Zhang Zixuan was already awake.
"When you're awake, come out and test the wheelchair!"
"It's done?"
"Mhm. Come, let me help you out!"
Over the past two years, Zhang Zixuan had never eaten a full meal. He had become as thin as a bamboo pole.
Even the original Xu Xiu could probably have carried him out effortlessly, let alone the current Xu Xiu.
Only after sitting in the wheelchair did Zhang Zixuan feel as if light had truly returned to his world.
How long had it been since he could freely look at the scenery outside?
So long that he had almost convinced himself this chance would never come again.
"Well? Satisfied?" Xu Xiu asked proudly.
Just by looking at Zhang Zixuan's expression, Xu Xiu knew he was deeply moved.
"Very satisfied."
As he spoke, Zhang Zixuan casually pushed the wheelchair.
Sure enough, the wheelchair began moving forward slowly under his push.
Seeing this, Zhang Zixuan grew even more excited.
"It really moves! It's moving, moving! Xiu'er, the wheelchair is really moving!"
Xu Xiu also responded with an excited "Mhm!"
She then stood smiling beside him, watching his exhilaration.
"With this wheelchair, I can help with chores too. Didn't you mention gathering plantain weed earlier? After you collect it, I can wash and sun-dry it at home."
Sitting in the wheelchair, Zhang Zixuan said to Xu Xiu.
Hearing this, Xu Xiu immediately frowned.
"Washing and drying are feasible, but the main issue is water access. I want to install a pipe in our yard so we don't have to circle around to fetch water from the backyard."
After all, plantain weeds grew abundantly in the mountains. If they washed it in the village river, wouldn't the villagers find out?
With their group being young children and disabled adults, how could they compete with other villagers?
Thus, the best plan was to collect the weeds from the backyard in the afternoon, then carry them to their yard for washing and drying.
This way, they could avoid alerting the villagers.
"A pipe? How far is it from here to the backyard?" Zhang Zixuan asked.
"Not too far, but not exactly close either. Should I push you out to see? We can test the wheelchair too."
"Alright. No need to push—I can do it myself!" Zhang Zixuan said with a smile.
As he spoke, he had already started moving toward the exit.
Two years—this was the first time Xu Xiu had seen him smile.
She had to admit, his smile was incredibly charming.
At this moment, Xu Xiu grew curious: Whose child was he really?
Had his family abandoned him? Or had he been swapped at birth?
If the former, Xu Xiu guessed his birth family must have been poor too.
If the latter, then he likely came from a wealthy family.
After all, only wealthy families would commit such acts.
Considering Zhang Zixuan's appearance and natural grace, Xu Xiu leaned toward the latter theory.
Some qualities were truly innate.
Even though he grew up in the rural wilderness, certain traits were etched into his bones.
Like right now—even sitting in a wheelchair, he didn't look the least bit disheveled.
When they reached the backyard, Zhang Zixuan immediately formed an idea.
"The distance isn't that great. Our current path requires detouring, but if you want to install a pipe, we can run it straight from here—very close."
As he spoke, Zhang Zixuan pointed toward the rear of their thatched cottage.
"You mean..."
"Mhm. See those bamboo poles? Cut a few and bring them here. I'll handle the rest."
Hearing this, Xu Xiu immediately understood.
Right! Why hadn't she thought of using bamboo earlier?
"Wait here. I'll go cut them now."
With that, she hurried toward the bamboo grove ahead.
But when she reached the grove and saw the vast clusters of bamboo shoots, she froze in astonishment.
After hastily cutting several bamboo poles and pulling up two bunches of shoots, she rushed back to Zhang Zixuan and asked:
"These are bamboo shoots! They're such good ingredients!"
"What are bamboo shoots?"
"These things! You don't eat them?" Xu Xiu asked incredulously.
"Are these edible?"
"Absolutely! They're delicious stir-fried with meat," Xu Xiu declared triumphantly.
Seeing this, Zhang Zixuan fell silent, simply staring at her.
Noticing his gaze, Xu Xiu directly asked: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm sorry for making you and the children suffer."
Hearing this, Xu Xiu paused, needing a moment to understand why Zhang Zixuan would say such a thing.
Then he hurriedly explained, "Did you think I was joking with you? Or do you think I've been eating this regularly these past two years? Still don't know how much I've missed this taste? You really shouldn't doubt it - bamboo shoots are perfect stuff. Just wait, I'll cook them for you at noon."
After saying that, Xu Xiu continued to chop several more bamboo stalks and dragged them back.
Watching Xu Xiu's excited retreating figure, Zhang Zixuan quickly collected his thoughts.
"Had enough looking?" Xu Xiu asked Zhang Zixuan as she returned, pulling seven or eight bamboo stalks again.
Zhang Zixuan estimated the distance and nodded, "Should be enough!"
"Then that's settled. That bamboo grove is full of bamboo shoots. I'll go dig them up. If we can't finish them all, we can make dried bamboo shoots. This way, we won't worry about winter provisions."
"Mm, be careful!" Zhang Zixuan said softly.
For some reason, the Xu Xiu before him gave him a feeling that was both unfamiliar yet comforting.
She didn't know why her changes had been so drastic, but everything was moving in a positive direction, and that was already good enough.
Thinking this, Zhang Zixuan resumed his work.
By this time, Liu-Tou and Qi-Tou had also woken up.
After opening their sleepy eyes, they remained dazed for a while before coming to their senses.
Looking at each other, they quickly headed outside.
When they saw their father in the wheelchair handling bamboo stalks, they immediately became excited.
How long had it been?
How long since they'd seen their father able to come out like a normal person?
So long that they'd nearly forgotten what their father looked like when working.
"Dad, let me help you!" Liu-Tou stepped forward with a smile.
"Awake? Hungry? If you are, go make some porridge. Your mother went to the bamboo grove on the back mountains."
"Not hungry. Was mom going to chop these bamboo?"
"No, to dig bamboo shoots."
"Bamboo shoots?"
"Mhm."
"Then I'll go help mom!" Liu-Tou said obediently.
Though he didn't know what bamboo shoots were, he knew he could help with digging things.
"I'll go too! I'll go too!" Qi-Tou chimed in with a grin.
As he said this, he was already chasing after Liu-Tou.
The bamboo grove was nearby, so Zhang Zixuan wasn't worried about anything happening to them.
In the bamboo grove.
Xu Xiu was thrilled when she saw bamboo shoots covering the mountainside.
It was springtime, the season when bamboo shoots grow rapidly.
Just this grove's bamboo shoots would keep her busy for a long time.
Moreover, there were many more bamboo groves at the mountain's foot!
When dried and taken to market, such delicious goods would surely sell well.
She'd originally planned to venture deep into the mountains today to look for other harvests.
But now it seemed this would have to wait a few more days.
At least they needed to finish digging these bamboo shoots before they grew too old.
"Mom... Mom, we're here to help!"
Just as she was happily thinking about this, Liu-Tou and Qi-Tou's voices rang out.
Panting as they approached, they pointed at the bamboo shoots on the ground and asked, "Mom, are these what we dig?"
"Mhm, these exactly."
"All that looks like this can be dug?"
"Right, all of them."
"Oh, we understand now."
With that, both boys squatted down.
Xu Xiu focused on digging the larger ones, which were best for making dried bamboo shoots.
"Mom, dad said these bamboo shoots are edible. Is that true?"
"Of course! Mom will cook them for you tonight, okay?"
"Great! If they're tasty, we can sell them at the market!"
"Mhm, that's what mom thinks too. When mom earns enough money, I'll send you both to school like Da-Tou, okay?"
From her first day crossing over, seeing these children had planted this idea in her mind.
Education wasn't just important in the apocalypse - it mattered equally in this era too.
In recent decades, Zhang Village had only produced one scholar.
Yet this scholar's entire family had benefited greatly from his status.
Clearly, educated people held great importance in this era.
Hearing this, the brothers were stunned.
"Mom, are you serious?" Qi-Tou asked first.
"Of course! When has mom ever lied to you?"
"But mom, school costs so much money! Da-Tou's schooling costs nearly twenty taels a year, not counting writing materials."
"Right mom, just send Qi-Tou. I don't need to go. Besides, I don't like studying," Liu-Tou said softly.
Hearing this, Xu Xiu was momentarily speechless.
After a long pause, she finally said, "Give mom some more time. I'll definitely earn enough to send you both."
"Mhm, mom, we believe you!"
The brothers then started pulling shots while Xu Xiu used her how to dig.
When full, they carried the baskets back to the courtyard.
Back in the yard, Zhang Zixuan had already processed the bamboo.
Seeing Xu Xiu return with baskets full of bamboo shoots, he picked one up and asked, "Need to peel all these?"
"Mhm, peel them all. After peeling, boil them in clean water to remove the bitterness."
"Okay, I'll start peeling then boil them later."
"Dad, I'll help too!" Er-Ya said in her childish voice as she emerged.
"Good girl Er-Ya, go play over there. Daddy can handle this."
Zhang Zixuan was already satisfied with being able to move freely and do handiwork.
Watching father and daughter working together, Xu Xiu suddenly felt life was fulfilling.
Compared to her apocalypse self who only knew missions, wasn't this warm, domestic life what she truly wanted?
With this thought, she immediately picked up her basket and headed back to the bamboo grove.
But just past the doorway, she gently patted her chest, carefully sensing.
She murmured, "Rest assured, I'll definitely take good care of them all."
She knew these feelings originated from the body's original owner.
Yet she too cherished this warm, beautiful sensation.
Since she'd taken over this body, it was her duty to care for those the original owner cherished.
She would protect everyone worth protecting.
Perhaps it was psychological, but after saying this, the weight in her heart instantly lifted.
After making dozens of trips back and forth, Xu Xiu finally started building structures with Zhang Zixuan's processed bamboo.
"The water here is so clear," Xu Xiu marveled.
"Dig the pit a bit deeper later. That way it can be preserved for more years."