Back at the new home, Sun-shi and Yang Ruoqing began moving things.
They didn't have much to begin with, and with everyone working together, it took less than an hour to move everything. Even the bedridden and immobile Yang Huazhong was carried to the cleaned-up little side room at the back by Daniu.
Yang Ruoqing picked up the little three-legged stool and took one last look at the small room where she had first arrived in this world. Then she gently closed the door and walked straight to the small courtyard behind.
There were still three small rooms. But since they had originally been used as storage, these rooms were even lower and more dilapidated than the ones they lived in before.
Many places in the house leaked when it rained. Fortunately, my Fifth Uncle and Second Cousin had stuffed some straw into the holes, making things a bit better.
Sun-shi laid out the bedding and helped Yang Huazhong lie down. Then she hurried over to help Yang Ruoqing make her bed. When she saw how much damper and darker this room was, tears once again began rolling down her cheeks in thick drops.
Compared to her mother's heavy emotions, Yang Ruoqing remained calm. She even had the presence of mind to comfort her.
"A golden nest, a silver nest—none as good as your little doghouse. Mom, don't cry. We should be happy. From now on, everything we earn will be ours. Life will only get better from here!"
Sun-shi was a little surprised by her daughter's comforting words.
She could bear hardship and didn't mind living anywhere—but she was heartbroken for her daughter. Yet seeing her daughter act so grown-up, even turning around to console her, Sun-shi didn't know how to feel.
"Good girl!"
"Heehee." Yang Ruoqing smiled sweetly and glanced at the sky outside.
"Mom, it's probably almost lunchtime. You should go talk to Grandpa and Grandma about borrowing the kitchen."
Reminded of the task, Sun-shi quickly wiped her tears and nodded.
"Yes, I'll go now."
She hurried out of the room toward the front courtyard where Old Man Yang and Tan-shi were resting.
Meanwhile, Yang Ruoqing finished tidying up her room and went to check on Yang Huazhong and Sun-shi's room next door.
Aside from their bed, there was a small sleeping platform built against the wall—for her two younger brothers, Da'an and Xiao'an. A simple washbasin stand, a crude clothes cabinet, one table, and two chairs filled the tiny room, leaving only a narrow walkway.
After chatting with Yang Huazhong for a few minutes, Yang Ruoqing went next door to see how the stove-building was going. The new stove was made from yellow mud. It was smaller than the one at the old Yang house but still had two burners—one for cooking rice and boiling water, the other for stir-frying.
But since they hadn't bought any pots, bowls, or utensils yet, the stove just had two big gaping holes in it, making it look quite strange.
These past few days, while staying with Yang Huazhong, most of her conversations—though casual—had a purpose.
From him, she learned that this era was called the Great Zhou, but it wasn't the Zhou dynasty from Chinese history.
They lived in Changping Village, and the towering mountain behind the village, so tall it looked like it touched the sky, was called Sleeping Ox Mountain.
Thirty li (about 15 kilometers) from Changping Village was Qingshui Town, which held markets on the 1st and 15th of each month, drawing villagers from all around.
She also got a rough idea of the prices of daily necessities in this era and mentally converted them into modern currency equivalents. As she stood in the kitchen, her mental calculator clattered away, and before long, she had figured out how much it would cost to fully equip the kitchen.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the kitchen. Yang Ruoqing snapped out of her thoughts and saw Sun-shi poking her head in.
Yang Ruoqing was slightly startled. That hurried glimpse told her something was wrong—Sun-shi looked troubled.
Her heart clenched. Could it be…?
She quickly stepped out of the kitchen. Sure enough, Sun-shi stood under the eaves outside, her face pale.
"Mom, what's with that look? Grandma didn't let you borrow the kitchen, did she?" Yang Ruoqing asked directly.
Sun-shi glanced at her and lowered her gaze. She gave a small nod.
Yang Ruoqing had always had a bad impression of Tan-shi. Now, she was furious. But she also knew that going to the front courtyard to make a scene wouldn't help and would only make things awkward for Uncle Changgeng and Daniu.
What now? It was almost lunchtime. What would everyone eat?
At that very moment, Daniu's wife, Dayun, arrived. In one hand she carried a rusty little iron pot, and in the other, a cloth bundle. As she walked, the bundle clattered with a crisp metal sound.
"Qing girl's mom…"
"Dayun!" Sun-shi called out and, with Yang Ruoqing, welcomed her into the kitchen.
As soon as Dayun stepped in, Daniu—still working on the stove—snapped at her:
"Why are you just getting here now? It's almost noon!"
Dayun looked aggrieved and shot him a glare before turning to Sun-shi with an apologetic smile.
"I was in a hurry to come, but someone from my mother's family arrived just as I was leaving. I waited out the rain a bit, and as soon as they left, I came right over."
"It's fine, it's fine," Sun-shi quickly reassured her.
Dayun opened her bundle. Inside were a rusty old pot, several clay bowls, a few pairs of chopsticks, and some jars and containers.
When Sun-shi and Yang Ruoqing saw the contents, their eyes lit up with joy.
Over by the stove, Daniu saw the "junk" his wife had brought and immediately grew angry again.
"Woman, what are we supposed to do with this pile of trash?"
"What do you know?"
This time, Dayun wasn't afraid of him at all. She stood tall and shot back:
"You're a grown man—how would you understand the struggles of a cook starting from scratch? If the new kitchen doesn't have these essentials, are you going to eat raw meat and uncooked rice?"
Daniu froze, looked at the empty stove, scratched his head, and muttered,
"Well, that… makes sense."
It was raining, Yang Huazhong couldn't move, and Sun-shi had no way of going into town to buy kitchenware. Looked like his wife had thought of everything.
Meanwhile, Sun-shi and Yang Ruoqing were already happily crouched next to the pile of supplies as Dayun began explaining what was in the jars.
"This one's salt. This is oil. This is chili paste I made myself."
"I heard your in-laws only gave you fifty jin of rice—and that's with the husk. You probably don't have time to hull it. This is some of our freshly milled white rice. I milled fifty jin total—ten I gave to my family to try, and then I brought for you. Just to help out for now."
(End of Chapter)