Reincarnation and Rebirth

"Big sister, where are you taking us? Mother said we can't go into the mountains."

Su Wan'er turned around and gave them a mysterious smile, "Big sister will take you to eat something good."

Su Xiang'er was completely confused, but Su Zhao'er clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Is it chicken? That's great!"

Su Ming, nestled in her arms, giggled and mumbled indistinctly, "Chicken, seven chickens..."

"Oh, Ming'er can say 'chicken' now?" Su Wan'er exclaimed in surprise. "You little gluttons, your big sister will take you to eat some right away."

"Big sister, where did you get this chicken?" Su Xiang'er asked from behind.

"I caught a pheasant on the mountain just now, and I stewed it in an earthenware pot. I was afraid the smell would attract attention, so I went a little further away."

Around noon, most people went home to rest, and the mountains were quiet except for the rustling sound of their footsteps. However, the excitement of being able to eat chicken encouraged them, and they forgot their fear.

Reaching a place with few wild vegetables and few people passing by, Su Wan'er handed Su Ming over to Xiang'er and walked towards a large rock. Using the rock as cover, she took out a clay pot from her spatial storage and also grabbed three large, red apples.

"Come here quickly."

The stone was large and flat, making it perfect for use as a dining table.

When the younger children saw the earthenware pot on the table and the aroma wafting from it, they couldn't help but sniff and swallow. Su Zhao'er pointed to the fruit next to her and said happily, "Wow, there's fruit too! I've never seen such beautiful fruit before. Big sister is amazing!"

How much older was Su Xiang'er? "Big sister, do these fruits grow so well in the mountains?"

Indeed, the wild fruits in the mountains are all small and not this red; one bite and you'll break a tooth.

"Well, maybe I was just lucky."

Su Xiang'er was still just an eleven-year-old child. After her older sister said that, she nodded and said, "Yes, big sister is lucky. She fell from such a high mountain and only needed to lie down for a day to recover."

Uh, let's ignore this problem.

Su Wan'er tore off two chicken legs and gave one to each of her two younger sisters.

"And you, big sister?"

"My eldest sister likes to eat chicken wings." This is the truth. Su Wan'er likes chicken wings and chicken feet, but she has no interest in chicken thighs.

Seeing that her two younger sisters still didn't make a move, Su Wan'er sighed, "I know what you're thinking, but do you think that if I take this chicken back, our family will be lucky to even get a sip of soup?"

"But Mother, it's been so long since we've had meat," Su Zhao'er said, blinking her big, watery eyes.

“The last time we ate meat was during the New Year. My parents didn’t eat much and secretly saved the meat for us,” Su Xiang’er said, her voice trembling with tears. “If only Mom were here.”

Upon hearing this, Su Wan'er recalled that the couple would indeed save the best food for their child. She didn't know how to express her opinion about them. If she said they were good, they didn't have the ability to protect their child. If she said they were bad, they would do their best to give the child more, but it would be very little.

"You all know Mother's temper. If we really leave it for her, she might give it to Grandpa and Grandma. Do you think Grandpa and Grandma will forgive us then?"

Indeed, once, Su Wan'er finally found a nest of wild eggs on the mountain. Excitedly, she cooked the eggs, ate one herself, and secretly took the rest back home. That evening, she took them out to share with her family. Who knew that that eccentric Wang Shi would take two wild eggs to offer to Su's parents? This was terrible. Not only were the remaining three eggs taken, but Su's mother also scolded them severely, saying that they were greedy and ungrateful, and that everything in the Su family was shared. To punish them, she didn't give them any food the next day. Although Su Wan'er felt remorseful at the time, she didn't think Wang Shi's actions were wrong.

But now Su Wan'er was stunned by Wang's outrageous actions. She wanted her in-laws to think highly of her and praise her children for being sensible and capable, but she failed to see through the selfish and self-serving nature of the old lady Su, causing her children to suffer for no reason.

Su Xiang'er probably thought of these things as well, and lowered her head and stopped talking.

"Xiang'er, I know you are filial, but Mother's temper hasn't changed. No matter how much we take back, it will only benefit others and we may not even get any credit in the end. Think about it, when we kill chickens and eat meat at home, when have we ever had a bite? You are all too thin and small. Look at Ming'er, she looks even smaller than a one-year-old child. That's why I want you to eat more. If there is a chance to separate the family in the future, that would be the best, so we can eat whatever we want without worry."

"Separate the family? Is that really possible?" Su Xiang'er raised her face, looking longingly.

“There’s always a way, so for now, you can eat by yourselves. This pheasant isn’t very big, and I was worried it wouldn’t be enough for us. As for… we’ll see. I also found two wild eggs. We’ll cook them later. If they’re still the same as last time, then you shouldn’t mention taking any more eggs back with you next time, okay?”

Su Xiang'er's eyes flashed, and then she nodded vigorously, "Big sister, I understand."

Hmm, not bad. Although this younger sister has also been influenced by the Wang family, it's not too deep yet, and there's a chance for her to change.

Su Wan'er tore the meat into pieces and fed it to Su Ming. The little guy had only eaten eggs for the first time since he was born, let alone chicken. He ate it with great relish.

Su Wan'er dared not give her too much, lest she suffer from indigestion later. "It's her first time eating tomorrow, so she can't eat too much. How about she drinks some chicken soup instead?"

Little Su Ming looked at Su Wan'er with a blank expression, and Su Wan'er couldn't help but give him a kiss.

A large pot of chicken soup was shared among the three children, and they had almost finished eating the chicken meat. Su Xiang'er even chewed on the chicken carcass bones, which made Su Wan'er feel a pang of sadness.

"Sister, come catch us again next time. We'll figure out a way to eat out then."

"Great."

"Big sister, you're amazing! In our village, only Uncle Dazhuang's family can hunt game."

The Dazhuang that Su Zhao'er mentioned was a hunter in the village surnamed Zhang. He was considered an outsider, as he didn't own any land in the village and his family relied on Zhang Dazhuang's hunting for a living. Last time, when Su Wan'er fell off the mountain, he was the first to find her and take her back to the Su family.

Thinking about this, Su Wan'er felt it was necessary to thank them.

After waiting a while, the group boiled the wild eggs. Su Wan'er found a secluded spot, hid the earthenware pot, and then led her younger siblings down the mountain. Along the way, they collected a lot of firewood. The children were full, in good spirits, and had plenty of energy. Each of them carried a small bundle on their back and walked down the mountain with smiles.

Halfway down the mountain, we encountered Zhang Dazhuang coming down from the other side. He was carrying several pheasants and rabbits, which should be his catch for the day.

Behind him followed his fourteen-year-old son, Zhang Tiezhu.

"Uncle Dazhuang," Su Wan'er greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, Wan'er, your head injury is healed? Why are you going up the mountain again? Be careful."

"I have to thank Uncle Dazhuang that day, otherwise, I don't know when I would have been discovered."

Zhang Dazhuang smiled sheepishly, "It was nothing."

"Uncle Dazhuang has had a good harvest today," Su Wan'er praised.

“Yes, I don’t know what happened today, there are suddenly so many wild animals in the woods,” he said, then handed over a wild rabbit. “Wan’er, take this home and eat it to nourish yourself.”

Zhang Dazhuang and Su Youlu had a good relationship and often helped each other out.

"No need, Uncle. You should take it home and exchange it for silver. Winter is coming soon, so we should buy some grain to stock up." Su Wan'er knew that in two months, the Ziyan Kingdom would conquer Meizhou, and they would all have to flee.

"It's alright, Uncle has plenty more here."

"Really, no need, Uncle, we're going back now." After saying that, Su Wan'er called her sisters to follow. Anyway, she wouldn't be able to eat the wild rabbit after taking it home, so she didn't want to owe anyone a favor.

Seeing the girls walk away, Zhang Dazhuang glared at his good-for-nothing son, "He's usually so talkative, why isn't he saying a word now?"

Zhang Tiezhu blushed and stammered, "Father, Xiang'er is still young."

"Hmph, it's useless."