Chapter 2

Bai Zhi rushed into the kitchen as soon as she got home. She remembered that no one in the family had eaten yet. The original owner had taken some money with her last night to look for that pretty-boy educated youth she was infatuated with. Instead, she had personally witnessed him getting all lovey-dovey with a young woman from the village. Devastated, the original owner had stepped into the river on her way home. Bai Zhi thought the original owner was simply foolish. Whether it had been intentional or accidental, it was obvious that she had been trying to end her life. In the end, the original owner developed a fever and died from it. That was how Bai Zhi, who had died of cancer in her previous life, ended up taking over this body. Bai Zhi had been in poor health in her previous life. Although she had been reborn in the 1980s this time, she considered herself lucky. This body was perfectly healthy, without a single illness. She decided that in this life, she would live a long and healthy life. She would live to be ninety-nine! But the most important thing about staying alive was having food to eat. She hadn't felt hungry when she first woke up, but after everything she had gone through, Bai Zhi realized that she was now starving. She quickly searched the kitchen and discovered that her family really had almost nothing to eat. She honestly didn't know how they had managed to survive before. All she could find were a few potatoes, several chili peppers, and a bag of cracked corn. "Well, it's better than nothing." Accepting her fate, Bai Zhi rolled up her sleeves and started heating water to make porridge. She planned to cook some cracked-corn porridge and stir-fry some spicy shredded potatoes as a side dish. While Bai Zhi was busy in the kitchen, two little heads quietly poked out from a distance. "What is Mom doing?" Lu Shengrong asked softly. Lu Tuan'an didn't want to call Bai Zhi "Mom." She felt that Bai Zhi didn't love them at all, so she saw no reason to acknowledge her as her mother either. "Probably making food. She hasn't eaten anything since she came home last night, so she must be hungry. Shengrong, let's go. I'll take you to Grandma and Grandpa's house to eat." "But..." Lu Shengrong grabbed his sister. "What? Don't tell me you're expecting that woman to give you something to eat?" "No. It's just that Grandma and Grandpa don't have any money left... We shouldn't go bother them." Lu Shengrong had a gentle personality, but he understood more than most children his age. He knew that his grandparents didn't have much money to begin with, and Bai Zhi had taken most of what they had a few days ago. If they went to their grandparents' house for food now, they would only put more pressure on them. Lu Tuan'an realized it too. Ever since they were born, they had basically survived on their grandparents' care. It had been fine when their grandparents still had money, but now they barely had anything left. With the two of them constantly relying on them, they couldn't keep doing that. But if they didn't go to their grandparents' house, where were they supposed to eat? They had originally planned to catch some river shrimp to fill their stomachs, but the tools they had worked so hard to make had fallen into the water. Lu Tuan'an's stomach growled loudly. She rubbed her flat little belly. The two of them hadn't eaten anything for two whole days. They were starving. Just then, an incredibly delicious aroma drifted out from the kitchen, making Lu Tuan'an even hungrier. She had no idea what had happened to Bai Zhi today or what delicious food she was making, but it smelled unbelievably good. Lu Tuan'an was swallowing her saliva when she suddenly heard someone call her. "Lu Tuan'an! Lu Shengrong! Come eat!" Bai Zhi shouted loudly from the kitchen. She knew the two children had come back and probably hadn't gone anywhere, so instead of searching for them, she simply called out. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the two little children appeared at the kitchen door. "Go wash your hands. We're having cracked-corn porridge and stir-fried shredded potatoes today. I only added a little chili, so you two can eat it too. It has a bit of flavor, and it'll taste even better with the porridge." Bai Zhi glanced at them and said a few words before turning around to serve the porridge. But when she turned back, she found the two children still standing there, staring at her. "Go wash your hands. Why are you staring at me?" At that moment, Lu Tuan'an and Lu Shengrong wore expressions of complete disbelief. What had they just heard? Their mother had called them over to eat? And not only could they have porridge, they could even eat vegetables?! What was going on? Was she planning to fatten them up and sell them?! Could this be their last meal?! The two children thought of countless possibilities in an instant. Their expressions kept changing, one moment pale and the next flushed with unease. "What are you two thinking about?" Bai Zhi realized that her sudden change was simply too drastic for the children to accept. She patiently tried to speak as gently as possible. "Are you both hungry? I just finished making dinner. Why don't we eat together?" Lu Tuan'an and Lu Shengrong still looked at her as if they were staring at a ghost. They couldn't believe a word Bai Zhi was saying. There was nothing Bai Zhi could do, so she turned around and went back into the kitchen. Just when Lu Tuan'an and Lu Shengrong were convinced that Bai Zhi must have some ulterior motive, two small pieces of roasted potato were suddenly placed into their mouths. The roasted potatoes were warm and fragrant, instantly soothing their starving stomachs. At that moment, the two children didn't have time to worry about anything else. They quickly swallowed the potatoes. "Some of the potatoes were too small, so I roasted them directly. I coated them with salt water first. What do you think? Are they tasty?" Bai Zhi asked. The two children hesitated for a moment before finally nodding honestly. No wonder the potatoes tasted so good. Bai Zhi had coated them with salt water before roasting them. Bai Zhi was actually willing to give them potatoes seasoned with salt? Could it be that she really meant it when she said they could eat with her? Seeing that the two children had relaxed a little, Bai Zhi immediately took one hand each and led them to the water basin, where she helped them wash their hands. Then she brought them to the table and made them sit down properly. Before Lu Tuan'an and Lu Shengrong could even ask a single question, their attention was completely captured by the steaming bowls of cracked-corn porridge placed in front of them. Although it was only cracked corn, Bai Zhi had cooked the porridge until it was very soft. The corn wasn't harsh on the throat, and she hadn't added too much water, making the porridge thick and filling. The two children didn't say a word. They simply hugged their bowls and began eating in huge mouthfuls. "Slow down. There's still plenty in the pot. You can eat until you're full." Bai Zhi had used all the available grain to make the meal, and there was definitely enough for the three of them. "Here, try these shredded potatoes too. They taste even better with the porridge." Bai Zhi put a serving of spicy shredded potatoes into each child's bowl. There was only a little chili, so the children could eat it, and the spice would also help stimulate their appetites. After taking a bite, Lu Tuan'an and Lu Shengrong no longer needed Bai Zhi to serve them. They began grabbing the shredded potatoes themselves, stuffing huge mouthfuls into their mouths as though they were afraid the food would disappear. It was obvious that the children were genuinely starving. Seeing them eat like this, Bai Zhi felt a pang in her heart. The original owner had given birth to these children but never raised them. If their grandparents hadn't taken care of them all this time, they probably would have starved to death long ago. Regardless of everything else, when it came to her children, the original owner had truly deserved whatever consequences came her way. "Slow down. From now on, I won't let you go hungry." Bai Zhi's words seemed to be meant for the children, but they also felt like a promise to herself. She silently swore that she would take good care of these two children. Lu Tuan'an lifted her head from her bowl, her little mouth still stuffed with food. "You don't work. How are you going to raise us? With the money you took from Grandma and Grandpa?" Hearing this, Bai Zhi suddenly remembered something else that was important. Her husband, whom she had only met once, wasn't important. But her parents-in-law and her two sisters-in-law were still freezing in the thatched hut next door. No matter what, she had to go bring them back.