Chapter 74: The Warmth of the Mortal World

The little cat crouched down, tucking its tiny paws beneath itself.

It was clear—it wasn’t going down.

Yan Yu thought for a moment. “Do you think that would break your persona as a wild cat?”

It let out a pitiful meow but remained motionless.

Got it!

Yan Yu resigned herself to her fate, poured a cup of water, and waved it in front of the cat.

Then, she started presenting various objects for it to inspect, as if she were trying to win the favor of her feline master.

“Time to eat!” Yan Lao’er (Second Yan) called.

Yan Huaiwen walked over at a seemingly unhurried pace but quickly took his designated seat.

Yan Xiangheng was now always busy helping out when his uncle cooked. As soon as the meal was ready, he sensibly assisted in setting the table.

Li Xuemei and Da Ya had just finished hanging up the laundry. They had washed late today—while other families’ clothes had already dried after half a day in the sun, theirs had only just been hung out.

Having a meal right after finishing chores put Li Xuemei in a great mood.

Especially since there was braised fish today—the tantalizing spicy aroma had been wafting over from afar, making mouths water.

The fish from the creek were small. They would have been even better deep-fried with a batter coating, but since they had been eating dry food along the way, Yan Lao’er decided to splurge on using water and braised them instead.

The fish meat was tender and bouncy, soaked in flavorful broth. Though the tiny fish had many bones, it didn’t affect the taste.

Perhaps due to the clean water, the fish had a fresh, slightly sweet flavor.

Li Xuemei was an expert at eating fish, able to pick out every bone.

Yan Yu, like her father, simply removed the big bones while seemingly ignoring the small ones. Every time they ate fish, they would chew and spit out bones as they went.

Yan Lao’er, on the other hand, had trained himself to have an iron throat—he simply chewed up the tiny fish bones and swallowed them.

Yan Yu had once managed this as well, but now, being younger with a delicate throat, she had to rely on her mother’s help.

Watching her mother skillfully remove the bones from a small fish in just a few moves, Yan Yu gazed at her eagerly, like a baby bird waiting to be fed.

When she finally got a bite, the spicy and crispy broth mixed with the tender fish meat made her squint with happiness.

The main dish to accompany the braised fish was homemade bean paste buns—red beans cooked into a paste, sweetened with a bit of rock sugar syrup.

Sweetness was a flavor that could bring joy.

Even Yan Huaiwen ate one more than usual.

After the meal, they had to take a walk nearby to aid digestion.

Since his eldest nephew eagerly helped clean up, Yan Lao’er took the ox out for a walk, using the excuse of letting it graze.

Yan Yu, as always, trailed along like a little tail.

While the sky was neither fully dark nor fully light, the father and daughter duo took out the branches Yan Lao’er had prepared earlier, still covered in dirt, and planted them throughout the forest.

Fearing a low survival rate, they worked diligently, planting over fifty of them.

“That should do,” Yan Lao’er said, dusting off his hands. “We sold about a dozen trees, right? This should be enough.”

“Twelve,” Yan Yu replied. She had just updated the accounts today, so she remembered clearly.

Yan Lao’er did a quick mental calculation. “After deducting what we bought, there’s not much left over.”

“At least we broke a hundred.”

“How much exactly?”

“113.5.”

Yan Lao’er grinned. “Alright. Next time, we’ll be better prepared—we won’t be as rushed as yesterday.”

“Dad, do you know? Our cat has to recognize things first before it can go looking for them,” Yan Yu said. “It’s probably a difference between species from two worlds.”

“That makes finding things a bit tricky.” Yan Lao’er raised an eyebrow. “Let’s focus on the most important items first. We can take turns guiding it. When we get a chance, I’ll bring it over to Physician Cui’s place for a visit.”

By the time they returned to the group, the villagers had only just begun their dinner.

And the reason for eating so late was incredibly down-to-earth—

They didn’t want the scent of grilled meat to cling to their freshly washed clothes.

The Yan family didn’t have this concern. Their spot was a bit farther away, and since there was no wind in the forest, the cooking smoke rose straight up.

From a distance, the thick white smoke and flickering firelight illuminated that part of the woods.

The villagers’ faces were filled with unmistakable contentment.

The elderly villagers, wary of the intense spice, only dared to eat a couple of pieces of meat before handing the rest of their skewers to the children.

The kids only knew that meat was delicious, and grilled meat was even better.

They gobbled it up, only to be hit by the spice—crying out, sticking out their tongues, and scrambling for water.

Once the heat subsided, with tears still streaking their faces, they refused to stop, taking another bite, another sip of water, and repeating the cycle.

The mothers scolded them out of concern, while the fathers laughed heartily and sneakily handed over more skewers.

The mothers turned around, glaring.

The fathers and sons exchanged mischievous glances.

Watching from a distance, Li Xuemei felt an unexpected sense of peace.

She gently stroked her belly.

The unease of arriving in this world, the fear of an uncertain fate, the hardship of fleeing as refugees, and the sudden arrival of a baby she hadn’t expected…

All her anxiety and stress—things no one else could truly understand—

At this moment, the warm, lively atmosphere around her felt like the best remedy for her soul.

It soothed her worries, eased her restless heart.

Beside her lay a small bundle.

Inside were two bamboo scrolls and a handwritten manuscript.

Li Xuemei ran her fingers over them, feeling their shape carefully.

She had studied the bamboo scrolls extensively, as deciphering the seal script required effort. Though she couldn’t quite recite them from memory, she could accurately recall their contents.

Whether it was charcoal or fragrant soap, they would allow their family to escape poverty once they settled in the north.

This was the power of knowledge.

It was a fishing rod rather than just a fish—a means to survive and thrive.

And the second handwritten book contained crucial medical knowledge, essential for survival and well-being.

After much thought, she realized that she was the best suited to study and master this book.

But first—her daughter needed to transcribe it.

The original had colored illustrations that were not convenient to show others.

A copied version, however, could be freely read in public.

That said… the fact that she could read and write might have to be credited to her husband.

Poor Yan Lao’er—despite not being well-read himself, his wife and daughter were already one step ahead of him.

Yan Yu climbed into the top bunk and immediately reached for the cat.

From the corner of his eye, Yan Huaiwen saw his younger brother once again whispering to his wife and daughter.

He was speechless.

Wasn’t his second brother a bit too affectionate?

Though he had no right to criticize their close-knit family, occasionally, his own son and daughter would look on with a hint of envy.

Which put him, as a father, in a tough spot.

Having been absent from their lives for so long, he wasn’t sure how to act around them.

Should he be a strict father? That seemed too harsh.

A gentle father? But he didn’t know how.

It was the most perplexing challenge he had faced since his rebirth.

Sometimes, he tried to follow Tianyou’s example.

But when he smiled at Da Ya, she looked at him as if he were making a strange face.

Even Heng’er seemed startled.

Sigh…

…

“Mom! I want to learn too! You be the doctor, and I’ll be your little assistant! We’ll save lives together, haha!”

Yan Yu gave her mother a double thumbs-up, beaming with admiration.