Watching the jerky rice bubbling in the pot, he couldn't help but swallow.
"Step aside—careful, or your saliva might fall in," Zhao Chunhua said, nudging her gently out of the way.
She asked Zhang Tianbao to bring the large wooden basin they used for kneading dough at home, and instructed Zhang Heizi to fetch a bag of black flour.
Everyone gasped in surprise as they watched her pour the black flour into the basin.
"Mom, are we really going to eat black flour tonight?" one of the children asked. "With so much food already, surely there will be leftovers. Won't this be a waste?"
There was less than half a bag of black flour left. If they kept eating it like this, it would only last a few more days.
"From today on, we must have enough to eat at every meal."
Zhao Chunhua ignored them. She poured in half a bag of black flour at once—and then added all the wheat flour she had saved secretly.
When the children saw the white wheat flour mix in, their eyes widened in astonishment.
"White flour?! Mom, where did you even get white flour?" Zhang Tianfu exclaimed, his jaw dropping.
"Keep your voice down," Zhao Chunhua said, smacking his arm lightly. "As if you're afraid the whole village won't know what good things we have at home."
Zhang Tianfu hurriedly covered his mouth.
Fortunately, their living space was remote, and because of past disputes over medicinal herbs, the villagers deliberately avoided them. There was no one around to overhear them.
"Mom, was this flour from that master too?"
Zhang Tianbao suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice.
Zhao Chunhua nodded.
"Master?"
Zhang Baozhu and Zhang Heizi, still unaware of what was going on, looked at him in confusion.
Zhang Tianbao glanced at Zhao Chunhua's expression, cleared his throat, and then recounted their conversation in vivid detail to everyone.
After hearing his story, the two children eyes widened as they stared at Zhao Chunhua.
"Mom, did you really meet an immortal?"
Zhang Baozhu asked, tugging excitedly at her arm.
"Does this mean we'll have plenty of food in the future and never go hungry again?"
The children's eyes sparkled with hope.
"Stop dreaming," Zhao Chunhua said, rolling her eyes and flicking a chestnut toward them.
"The immortal only taught me some skills. He didn't hand me a mountain of gold and silver to squander. If I want to live well, I still have to rely on my own efforts."
The children nodded, clearly delighted.
With the guidance of immortals, their future promised to be better.
Zhao Chunhua stirred the flour a few times, added water, and kneaded it into a smooth dough. She covered it with a cloth and set it beside the fire to rise.
Once the dough had risen, she divided it into evenly sized pieces, shaped them into small pancakes, and baked them in the glowing ashes.
By the time the porridge was ready, the scones were perfectly cooked.
Though still hot, the children eagerly pushed aside the embers and retrieved the bread.
After days of watery porridge, they could finally enjoy solid flatbreads with coarse rice porridge. There was no time for conversation; they ate quickly, mouthful after mouthful.
The coarse rice porridge, enriched with dried meat, paired with the crispy bread, became more delicious with every bite. The feeling of contentment and happiness was simply indescribable.
The whole family finished the pot of porridge, leaving only a few pieces of bread.
Zhao Chunhua handed the leftover bread directly to Xie Lanqin and asked her to keep it safe.
Xie Lanqin took them nervously, carefully placing them into a black bag.
After dinner, Zhao Chunhua instructed the children to add more firewood and boil a pot of water. She prepared some honeysuckle tea for everyone.
Taking advantage of the moment, she quietly added a bit of the magical spring water from her space. She had discovered earlier, while collecting wheat, that this water was sweeter and more thirst-quenching than ordinary spring water, and it could improve physical strength and reduce fatigue.
She often mixed a small amount into the family's drinking water. It was one of the reasons her children remained so healthy.
To avoid suspicion, Zhao Chunhua always used it sparingly. The children never noticed anything unusual.
But this time, as soon as they finished drinking, they felt something different.
"They didn't expect this scented tea to be so sweet and refreshing,"
Zhang Tianbao smacked his lips and said,
"After drinking it, I feel so much lighter."
Zhang Tianfu stretched, feeling warmth spread through his body.
The others experienced similar sensations.
But they all assumed it was just the effect of the honeysuckle.
Only Heizi frowned slightly, sensing that something was unusual.
Later that night, after the children had gone to bed, Zhao Chunhua quietly slipped into her space and began planting all the herb seeds she had brought in during the day.
Once sown, she carefully watered each plant.
To her surprise, the medicinal seedlings that had been weak and withering suddenly became vibrant and full of life.
"The herbs were so frail just now… and now they're thriving!" Zhao Chunhua exclaimed, eyes wide as she looked at the emerald leaves.
Suddenly, she remembered that she still had some saved wheat seeds.
She hurried to the cabin, grabbed a handful of wheat seeds, and scattered them across the field.
To her surprise, the seeds quickly took root and began to sprout.
Even more astonishing, they grew rapidly, leaving Zhao Chunhua speechless.
She had once worried that the crops she cultivated on the land gained through her good deeds would vanish after the harvest.
But now, she felt no such regret.
"This land in this space is incredible! If I make full use of it, I'll never have to worry about going hungry again!"
With those words, she sprang into action.
Zhao Chunhua emptied all her wheat seeds onto the soil. After working tirelessly through the night, she finally finished planting the fields.
When she stepped out of the space, dawn was breaking.
Thanks to having drunk the spiritual water earlier, she didn't feel overly tired.
Since sleep no longer tempted her, she rekindled the fire. The flames leapt up, and the surroundings were immediately bathed in warm light.
Only then did she notice someone was missing.
Zhang Heizi was nowhere to be seen.
Zhao Chunhua looked around, but there was no sign of him.
"Where did this guy go?" she muttered, hands on her hips. She was about to wake Zhang Tianbao and the others to search for him together when a dark figure appeared nearby.
"Mom, why are you up so early?" Zhang Heizi asked as he walked closer.
"Where have you been?" Zhao Chunhua asked in return.
"I had a stomachache, so I went over there to relieve myself," he said, smiling sheepishly, pointing toward the dark jungle behind him.
Zhao Chunhua didn't press further.
Seeing that he couldn't sleep, she asked him to help prepare breakfast for the family.
When Heizi heard the villagers coughing violently, he looked at zhao Chunhua who was sitting by the fire and asked her, "Mom, do you really not care about the villagers?"
"They all think I want to kill them, so why should I care about them?" Zhao Chunhua said with a mocking tone. She added a reminder, "We have to take care of ourselves now, so remember to wear masks recently."
Zhang Heizi nodded, but deep down, he knew she would never truly ignore the villagers.