Sun Shi's eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at Yang Ruoqing's face, afraid that if she even blinked, this beautiful dream would shatter.
Her lips curved upward uncontrollably in a smile, but tears flowed down from her eyes.
Such a beautiful dream—she didn't know how many times she'd dreamed of this scene over the years, but none of those dreams had ever felt this real. Every time she opened her mouth to speak in the dream, she would wake up.
So this time, Sun Shi bit down hard on the back of her own hand, refusing to let herself make even the slightest sound.
Seeing this cheap mother with such an expression on her face, Yang Ruoqing was a bit surprised.
But after thinking it through, it made sense.
When your own child has been given up on by the village doctor, by the fortune tellers from nearby villages, and even by the entire Yang family—such despair could easily be imagined.
It was understandable that she'd have a hard time accepting it right away. Ah, the hearts of parents in this world—how pitiful.
With a soft sigh in her heart, just as Yang Ruoqing was about to speak again, her stomach suddenly let out a loud gurgle. That sound finally pulled Sun Shi back from her daze.
"Qing'er! My good girl!" Sun Shi suddenly withdrew her hand, and with a loud "Wah!", threw her arms around Yang Ruoqing, bursting into tears.
Yang Ruoqing didn't move, letting Sun Shi hold her like that. Let this pitiful mother have a good cry and release all that pent-up emotion in her heart!
Just then, the broken wooden door of the west wing room was suddenly pounded on from outside, followed by Tan Shi's scolding voice: "Wailing like a ghost in the middle of the day—what for?! Your father just laid down for a rest, and in the afternoon the men still have to go out and work in the fields!"
"Mother, Qing'er—she just—"
Sun Shi's heart was overflowing with the joy of Yang Ruoqing regaining consciousness. At that moment, she wasn't even afraid of Tan Shi anymore. She lifted her head from Yang Ruoqing's broad, thick shoulder, and turned around eagerly, ready to share this wonderful news with Tan Shi.
But she never expected that as soon as she opened her mouth, Tan Shi would cut her off harshly.
"Dead already? Good! Better to die early and reincarnate sooner! Everyone can finally have some peace, and she can find her own way out! Once Lao San gets back, you all better think about sending her out of here. Don't go through the main door—don't bring that bad luck into this house!"
After spitting out that string of harsh curses, Tan Shi spat on the ground, turned on her heel, and left quickly, as if afraid that staying a moment longer would let the bad luck from that room cling to her.
From a distance, her muttering could still be heard: "…Someone dying during harvest season—what terrible bad luck!"
Inside the west wing, Sun Shi sat there dumbfounded, her face alternating between pale and flushed. She bit down hard on her lower lip, her thin body trembling slightly.
Yang Ruoqing knew very well—Sun Shi was furious, but also terrified by Tan Shi's words. Honestly, the fact that she didn't spit up blood and faint right on the spot meant she really was a seasoned doormat by now.
And how could Yang Ruoqing herself not be angry?
She even started wondering if that woman outside was really her biological grandmother. How could a person's mouth be so vicious?
No, this wasn't just vicious—it was downright cold-blooded, completely devoid of familial affection!
In her previous life, she had been an orphan. She never tasted what family warmth felt like. Though she had long been used to being alone, deep inside, that yearning for kinship was something only she herself knew.
Now reborn into this ancient farming family, though life here was dirt poor, her cheap mother's genuine care and love had ignited a bit of warmth in her long-frozen heart. She had even begun to foster some faint hopes toward this big Yang family.
Just now, when Sun Shi had wanted to tell Tan Shi about her waking up, Yang Ruoqing hadn't stopped her.
But now, she realized she had been wrong—terribly wrong.
Family affection was not something you could find just by wanting it. The reason why Sun Shi and her husband treated her so well was only because she was their biological daughter.
But the other members of the Yang family might not feel the same way.
Yang Ruoqing shifted her clumsy body closer to Sun Shi, who was sitting by the bed quietly wiping away tears, and tried to comfort her. "Mother, don't be upset. That's just how my grandmother is…"
Before she could finish her sentence, Sun Shi suddenly reached out and covered her mouth with her palm.
Sun Shi's eyes widened, and she lowered her voice to whisper urgently to Yang Ruoqing, "Child, are you being foolish again? The heavens are watching from above! She's your grandmother. No matter what she says about us, we can only endure it. Speaking ill of your elders behind their backs will bring punishment from the heavens…"
The corner of Yang Ruoqing's mouth twitched. What kind of twisted logic is this?
Filial piety—blind, foolish filial piety!
Character determines mindset, and mindset determines destiny. Sun Shi's way of thinking needed to be corrected—but not now.
Yang Ruoqing understood a truth very well: Three feet of ice isn't formed in a single day. Trying to change Sun Shi's submissive mentality wasn't something that could be rushed. It would take time, slowly and subtly influencing her bit by bit.
So, Yang Ruoqing changed the subject. Clutching her growling stomach with a pitiful expression, she said to Sun Shi, "Mother, after talking so long, I'm starving. Is there anything to eat?"
Only then did Sun Shi snap out of it and remember what she had come into the room for.
Slapping her thigh in frustration, she exclaimed, "Listen to me, with this head of mine—I completely forgot! I've wasted so much time, it's probably cold by now…" Saying this, she moved quickly toward the table.
Yang Ruoqing's gaze followed her, falling on the chipped clay bowl on the table. Another bowl had been turned upside down on top of it, presumably to help keep the food warm.
This was the first time since transmigrating into this poor farming family in ancient times that she had seen their food.
I wonder what kind of meals rural folks in this world eat. Sitting up straight, she rubbed her hands together with anticipation, her eyes glowing as she watched Sun Shi bring the bowl over.
Sun Shi lifted the inverted bowl and set it aside. A wave of sweet, earthy aroma from sweet potatoes drifted out, making Yang Ruoqing's round, chubby face light up as she widened her eyes to inspect the contents carefully.
It was mixed-grain rice with chunks of sweet potato, piled high in a mound. On top were a few wilted cabbage leaves, half a piece of pickled cucumber, and a spoonful of stir-fried soybeans.
The cabbage leaves were dark and mushy, clearly not stir-fried with oil but simply boiled in water. The cucumber strip was shriveled, blackened, and emitted a faint sour stench. The delicious anticipation she'd just felt was instantly cut in half. Only the stir-fried soybeans looked decent—golden and crisp.
Sun Shi noticed the change in Yang Ruoqing's expression and was puzzled.
Didn't my daughter just say she was starving? Why is she just holding the bowl and not eating now?
"Why aren't you eating while it's hot? These beans—I cooked them myself! Weren't they always your favorite before?" Sun Shi couldn't help asking.
Yang Ruoqing snapped out of her thoughts. So this bowl's best-looking dish is Sun shi's handiwork. No wonder.
As for the other two dishes, she didn't need to guess—they were made by the old woman from earlier.
"Oh, I just zoned out for a second. I'm eating now." Yang Ruoqing smiled at Sun Shi, took the chopsticks from her hand, and was just about to dig in when she suddenly paused again.
"What's wrong now?"
(End of chapter)