Perhaps out of fear that another age of chaos might erupt, people here clung stubbornly to routine.
They loathed the monotony of their daily lives, yet could think of no way to change it. Studying literature and practicing martial arts remained the mainstream pursuits, generation after generation.
Occasionally, someone would unearth a craft passed down from their ancestors and master it. The moment that happened, they were welcomed into the halls of the powerful, rising overnight to wealth and prestige, their family name suddenly bathed in glory.
Lying on the hard wooden bed, Jiang Huaiyu felt sore from head to toe—yet her mind was wide awake, buzzing with energy.
Perhaps she could rely on the knowledge she had gained in her previous world—a civilization with five thousand years of ritual and refinement—to carve out a better life here.
At least, she was grateful this world wasn't so rigidly feudal that women were forbidden from showing their faces in public.
Huaiyu had already made up her mind.
She would give Tangbao a good life.
At the very least, she needed to secure some property—buy land, build assets—so that when he grew up, he could afford to marry and start a family without struggle.
But first things first.
She needed to prepare breakfast for her son, visit the neighboring households to get acquainted, and then seriously think about how to earn her first pot of gold.
Watching Tangbao open his mouth wide and gulp down the porridge in one eager bite, Huaiyu's heart melted into a puddle.
The little one was truly easy to care for—quiet, well-behaved, and content. Even knowing he wasn't her biological child, she now treated him as her own without the slightest hesitation.
Using the clean, dried sling from the night before, she strapped Tangbao to her back. After a moment's thought, she headed to a sugar-maker's house near the village entrance and bought two packets of malt sugar.
Spending ten copper coins made her wince, but she had no choice. Everything else cost even more—and it wouldn't do to show up empty-handed.
Holding one packet of sugar, Huaiyu hesitated briefly before heading to the house on her left.
The shouting she'd heard last night seemed to have come from that direction. She could only hope the closest neighbor would be tolerable.
If not—
Then this sugar would be courtesy first, conflict later.
Standing before a wooden door riddled with wormholes, Huaiyu knocked gently.
"Auntie, are you home?"
Footsteps sounded inside. Soon, the door creaked open, revealing the woman of the house.
She stared at Huaiyu in surprise—then immediately broke into a smile.
"You must be the young lady who just moved in next door! Come in, come in! Oh my, why did you bring gifts? You're all by yourself with a baby—why be so polite?"
That was what she said.
But Xu Chunhua didn't refuse the sugar. In fact, there was a faint trace of disdain in her eyes as she looked at it.
In her view, buying malt sugar was a waste—she'd rather have two pounds of pork. Sugar was something only children cared for.
"I just moved in and wanted to pay my respects," Huaiyu said softly, smiling. "By the way, Auntie—did you hear someone shouting last night? Such foul language… every household has children. Letting them hear that sort of thing really harms one's virtue."
Xu Chunhua already harbored instinctive dislike toward Huaiyu, whose beauty outshone her own by leagues. Hearing this, she nearly exploded on the spot.
But then her eyes caught the soft gauze outer robe Huaiyu was wearing.
Greed wriggled in her heart like a worm.
She forced a smile and warmly grabbed Huaiyu's hand.
"Oh my, villagers are all like that. By the way, you moved here alone—did something happen to the man of the house? It must be hard, raising a child by yourself. Don't worry, if you need anything, just come to Auntie. If I can help, I surely will."
Huaiyu felt a headache coming on.
The words sounded kind, but the naked greed in Xu Chunhua's eyes wasn't even hidden.
She struggled to pull her hand free. When she glanced down, her skin had already been pinched red.
Suppressing her discomfort, Huaiyu exchanged a few perfunctory remarks before quickly taking her leave.
After she left, Xu Chunhua's three children—who had just returned muddy from digging for eels—came charging inside.
Spotting the malt sugar on the table, they instantly forgot everything else, clamoring for a taste.
Xu Chunhua doted most on her youngest son.
No matter what, the eldest son and youngest daughter could never rival his position in her heart.
There wasn't much sugar to begin with. Xu Chunhua broke off a piece, gave two-thirds of it to her youngest son, and tossed the remaining third to the other two children to split.
Watching them fight over the sticky sweetness, she suddenly thought of Jiang Huaiyu's graceful figure and beautiful face.
Her brows furrowed.
"Remember this," she snapped. "From now on, none of you are to talk to the people next door. And you're not to play with their child either. Got it?"
"Why, Mother?" the youngest son asked between licks of the sugar, eyes wide.
"She's obviously a seductress," Xu Chunhua sneered. "Who knows which brothel she crawled out of? What if she's carrying filthy diseases?"
Xu Chunhua herself wasn't attractive. Though only twenty-three, she looked closer to forty. Being called Auntie by Huaiyu had made her grind her teeth with rage.
"Mother, what's a filthy disease?" the eldest son asked, mimicking his younger brother in hopes of earning praise.
Xu Chunhua snapped back to herself and shot him a glare.
"Eat your sugar—and don't you dare repeat this nonsense in front of your father!"
"…Oh."
Unaware that Xu Chunhua wore two entirely different faces, Jiang Huaiyu carried the other packet of sugar and knocked on the door of the house to her right.
"Who is it? I'm coming—stop knocking!"
The voice inside sounded impatient.
When the door opened, a sharp-featured woman appeared before Huaiyu.
"You're the young lady who just moved in next door, right? Come in."
Zheng Xiaoyue looked even more unapproachable when she frowned.
Yet for some reason, Huaiyu felt that Zheng Xiaoyue was more genuine than Xu Chunhua. Smiling, she followed her inside.
The house was neat and orderly—nothing like the stale, sweaty odor lingering in Xu Chunhua's place.
"It's hot these days. We keep cool water ready," Zheng Xiaoyue said bluntly, pouring her a bowl of amber-colored herbal tea. "Drink. It'll cool you down."
Huaiyu recognized it immediately—a type of herbal cooling tea, commonly just called "cool water" here.
Touched by the woman's thoughtfulness, her smile deepened.
"Thank you, Sister-in-law," Huaiyu said warmly. "I thought I should come greet my neighbors. I hope I didn't disturb you."
Zheng Xiaoyue wasn't used to such gentle, refined speech. She looked a little awkward.
"It's fine! Not a disturbance at all. There's always work to do—this doesn't make a difference!"
Huaiyu seized the opportunity.
"I've just moved here and haven't bought many necessities yet. Things like bedding—could you tell me where to get them?"
Compared to Xu Chunhua's twisted way of speaking, Zheng Xiaoyue's straightforward personality put Huaiyu at ease.
Zheng Xiaoyue glanced at Tangbao on Huaiyu's back, sympathy rising in her heart.
In her eyes, this woman was either widowed or abandoned by her husband's family—cast out with even the child unwanted.
With Huaiyu's delicate appearance, she must once have lived in comfort, only to end up in a remote village like Wangjia Village.
After imagining the story in full, Zheng Xiaoyue said with heartfelt concern, "I have a newly made mattress and cloth quilt. If you need them, you can take them first."
Her sincerity was almost endearing.
Huaiyu felt touched—but replied gently, "Sister-in-law, don't say that. Just tell me how much they cost. I can't take them for free."
Zheng Xiaoyue had actually regretted her offer the moment she made it—one hundred copper coins were still money, after all.
Yet Huaiyu declined as calmly as moonlight and breeze, making her sigh inwardly.
What a good woman. Sensible, gracious, knows when to advance and retreat.
If it had been Xu Chunhua, she'd have already walked off with the bedding—and complained it was a burden.
After some thought, Zheng Xiaoyue offered advice.
"Since you're settling here, you should find a way to earn money. In a couple of days, there'll be a mid-month market. Prepare some silver—buy some chicks and seeds. Chickens can lay eggs for your child to eat, and you can sell the extras. Once they grow up, you can sell the chickens too."
Huaiyu's eyes lit up.
"Sister-in-law, you're truly thoughtful. Thank you—I'll remember this."
Though she already had a few money-making ideas in mind, all of them required time—and careful consideration of whether they suited this world.
The memories she'd gained only gave her knowledge, not lived experience. Many things still needed to be explored firsthand.
Seeing that Huaiyu took her words seriously, Zheng Xiaoyue felt pleased.
"If you need help, come find me. Don't worry about being a burden. It's hard raising a child alone—I'll help however I can."
Huaiyu felt a warmth in her chest and nodded softly, silently grateful for her good fortune.
Though she had arrived in a strange land, at least her neighbors—on the surface—weren't impossible to deal with.
After leaving payment behind, Huaiyu carried the mattress and quilt home. Once the bed was made, she felt immeasurably lighter.
The weather was still hot, but sleeping without bedding risked catching a chill at night—and in this era, even a minor illness could be fatal.
Keeping Tangbao healthy became her highest priority.
She retrieved the pork chilling in the well. The natural coolness kept it from spoiling.
After some thought, she sliced off the fatty portion, uncovered the charcoal in the stove that was still smoldering beneath the ashes, added dry wood, and soon had a lively fire going.
The fat sizzled as it rendered, oil bubbling loudly. A slab as big as her face yielded a small bowl of lard, filling the kitchen with a mouthwatering aroma.
Tangbao sniffed eagerly, again and again.
"You little glutton," Huaiyu teased with a laugh.
She stored the bowl of lard in a small cabinet, locking it to keep mice away.
Tangbao still ate porridge, but Huaiyu's own meal improved considerably.
The remaining oil and cracklings made stewed cabbage extraordinarily delicious. Sprinkled with coarse salt, the fragrance drifted far—spreading to both sides.
Including—
Xu Chunhua's house.
"Mother! What smells so good? I want to eat it!"
Xu Chunhua's youngest son, used to getting the best of everything, immediately widened his eyes and began clamoring.