My best friend is living a famine-stricken life; you're going crazy, I'm farming.

Yang Fenglan ladled all the porridge from the pot into a basin, washed the pot, and took a few pieces of wood ear fungus and bracken that were not yet completely dried, then shredded them for later use.

He stuffed a handful of dry grass into the stove, lit it, and while the fire was burning, scooped half a spoonful of lard into the pot.

Heat the oil, then add the wood ear mushrooms and bracken fern and stir-fry.

The aroma of lard immediately burst forth.

Yang Fenglan involuntarily swallowed.

"Xiaoyu, add some more firewood."

"Oh." Shen Yu took some small firewood branches, estimating that it would be enough to stir-fry this dish.

Yang Fenglan said, "Add more, and we'll boil some hot water for a bath to get rid of the bad luck we picked up at the Zhou family's place."

"Okay." Shen Yu pursed her lips, her eyebrows curving slightly.

Place the oily wood ear mushrooms and bracken in a large bowl, and add a ladle of water to the oil pan.

Yang Fenglan washed the wild vegetables she had dug up that morning, put them all in a pot to cook, and then used chopsticks to pick out a few pieces of oil residue from the oil jar and put them in as well.

With oil and salt, the wild vegetables are so delicious that they make your mouth water.

The only downside was that it was a little lacking in chili peppers.

The thought of the book's setting, where chili peppers hadn't yet been introduced to this world, made Yang Fenglan feel heartbroken.

The two of them ate their fill of millet porridge and two side dishes.

Zhou Jingyi dared not eat too much, as it would make urination and defecation inconvenient. As for his legs, it was best not to move them if possible.

After finishing their meal, Shen Yu offered to wash the dishes. "Aren't we going into the mountains today?"

"I'm not going. I'll rest for a day."

Yang Fenglan carried all the things that had been drying out into the sun.

The water in the pot was heated up, and she filled a basin with hot water and brought it into the house.

There was no bathtub or tub at home, so we could only wash ourselves with a cloth. Being able to heat water was already a luxury.

Most families are reluctant to use too much firewood to boil water.

This kind of firewood isn't something you can just pick up anywhere. Every household goes into the mountains to collect firewood, so the competition is fierce and it's not easy to find any.

I wiped my whole body down twice, washed my oily hair, and changed into clean clothes. Finally, I felt refreshed.

Yang Fenglan sat under the eaves drying her hair, while Shen Yu stood at the kitchen doorway, lost in thought.

"Xiaoyu, there's still hot water, why don't you take a shower too?"

“I…” Shen Yu looked troubled.

She used to wash her clothes in the west room when Zhou Jingyi was out, but now that someone is in the west room, she hasn't washed them for several days.

It's really embarrassing.

Having lived for thirty years, Yang Fenglan saw through Shen Yu's concerns at a glance.

He then said, "Come into my room and wash up."

Shen Yu then went to fetch water.

After Shen Yu finished washing, he said, "Xiao Yu, it's still early, why don't we go do the laundry together?"

She wants to eat fish.

Eat fresh food whenever possible, because when a severe drought comes, you might not be able to eat it even if you want to.

It's best to leave the small amount of vegetables that's been drying in the sun as is, and save them for later.

Shen Yu didn't bring many clothes from her parents' home, and she usually washed them after changing into them, so she naturally agreed to Yang Fenglan's suggestion.

"But what about all these drying in the yard?"

"..."

Having just severed ties with the Zhou family, Yang Fenglan wasn't sure if Wang would belatedly realize her mistake and feel resentful, and then come to steal things.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "I'll put it away again."

So, he hurriedly packed his things into the house and led Shen Yu to the river to wash clothes.

As luck would have it, they ran into Gu Ming again by the river.

He was squatting by the river, beating his clothes.

With Gu Ming was a fair-skinned but thin young girl.

The little girl is eight years old, but she is malnourished and not growing tall, looking about the same age as a six-year-old.

Her face was flushed from the sun, and she stood to the side anxiously watching Gu Ming.

"Brother, let me wash for a while. I always do your laundry when you're away at school."

Gu Ming smiled slightly, looking at the little girl with gentle eyes, and patted her head. "Good girl, I'll be washed up in a little while. Go and rest under the tree. You won't look good if you get a tan."