Chapter 1: Chen Ping'an Has Changed

The rooster had just crowed, and the light in the Chen family's house in the east came on. Jiang Yar quickly got up, tied her hair into a twist braid with a headband, washed her face with cold water, and then turned off the light and walked to the kitchen.

She cooked a pot of porridge by boiling mixed rice and sweet potatoes, and then took out a handful of pickled vegetables from the coarse pottery jar and chopped them into small pieces for later use.

Just after the Chinese New Year, there was smoked bacon hanging on the stove, silently emitting a faint fragrance. She set up a chair, took a knife, and after some consideration, cut off a small piece no longer than her thumb.

Fried with the pickled vegetables, the bacon was especially delicious, leaving a lingering taste in the mouth.

Of course, she wasn't qualified to eat meat. The thumb-length meat was divided into three small pieces, one for the mother-in-law, one for the father-in-law, and the rest had to be saved for her husband, Chen Ping'an.

It was almost February, and the imperial examination for scholars was approaching. The meat was reserved for men to nourish their bodies.

Thinking about this, she went to the jar and picked up an egg. Her hand had already touched the bottom of the jar. It was so cold that even the hens refused to lay eggs.

After finishing these tasks, she went upstairs to invite her in-laws to have their meal. There was little work in the fields before spring, and men could sleep a little longer, but women couldn't. There was always endless work to be done around the house, such as feeding pigs, raising chickens, collecting firewood, and picking wild vegetables... never-ending busyness.

When Jiang Yar woke up Chen Ping'an, he was stunned for a moment, unable to react for a long time. Why had he come back again? Looking at his delicate hands and then at Jiang Yar, who was as thin as a yellow flower, his eyes became slightly moist, and he suddenly embraced her.

"Yar Jie!"

Jiang Yar didn't expect Chen Ping'an to suddenly hug her, and she was so frightened that she didn't know what to do.

She was a foster daughter-in-law of the Chen family. Her father had passed away, and her mother had remarried. Disliking her as a burden, the Chen family bought her for two taels of silver.

Chen Ping'an was the only son of his mother, who had sharp eyes and was clever from a young age. He was sent to school at a young age.

The cost of his education was a burden, and the main and second wives each had their own children. They were already tired of having to spend money to educate him, so they decided to split the family.

His mother also feared that she would be old and poor and wouldn't have money to marry off her youngest son, so she bought Jiang Yar.

She was hardworking, ate little, and did a lot of work, and the two elders never skimped on her meals. In fact, she was better off than being hungry one day and full the next with her mother. Besides, with a stepfather, who knew what would happen? In this day and age, a girl's life was cheap. After raising her, she could be sold to a master as a concubine.

She was not ambitious and didn't want the luxury and wealth of a large mansion. She just wanted to be a virtuous and upright wife. Moreover, Chen Ping'an had a good appearance and was praised for his good learning. He was a rare child prodigy, which made her happy.

But he didn't like her. She was older than him, illiterate, and not good-looking. Coupled with the gossip of the children in the village, he was even more disgusted, so he had never been so close to her.

"Did you have a nightmare? It's okay, it's just a dream." Jiang Yar gently patted Chen Ping'an's back and comforted him softly, then went to fetch hot water for him to wash his face.

Scholars were delicate, and if they touched cold water, their hands would crack and they wouldn't be able to write.

"Time to eat!" Upstairs, Mrs. Wu sat in the main hall, and Mr. Wu sat beside her, wearing a slightly worn gray jacket with his hands in his pockets.

Chen Ping'an and Jiang Yar sat at the lower end. When everyone was seated, Mrs. Wu began to serve the dishes. The elders didn't move their chopsticks, so the younger generation couldn't pick up the food.

Mrs. Wu first picked a large piece of bacon from the plate and put it in Chen Ping'an's bowl, then picked one for herself and Mr. Wu. There was still a small piece the size of a fingernail left in the plate. Mrs. Wu looked at it and put it in Jiang Yar's bowl, reminding her, "Look at your thin arms and legs. How can you expect to carry on the Chen family's lineage? Eat more!"

Jiang Yar felt shy and glanced at Chen Ping'an, who didn't make a scene this time, so she picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Although her mother-in-law told her to eat more, she didn't dare to eat too much. After eating until she was about seventy percent full, she put down her chopsticks and washed the dishes with hot water.

"Yar Jie!" Just as Jiang Yar finished washing the dishes, she saw Chen Ping'an rushing in from outside, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the eastern room.

"What's the matter?"

"For you!" Chen Ping'an closed the door, took out a chicken egg still warm from his pocket, and put it in Jiang Yar's hand. Wasn't this the egg she had cooked for Chen Ping'an? Why hadn't he eaten it?

Jiang Yar didn't dare to accept it and quickly threw it back to Chen Ping'an, "You should eat it quickly. It's almost time for the imperial examination, and the egg is for nourishing your body. How can I eat it? If the mother-in-law finds out..."

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, then Mother won't know, right?" Chen Ping'an refused to take it, peeled the egg, and put it in Jiang Yar's hand. The fourteen-year-old girl had tender hands, but they were frostbitten and had cuts. Seeing them next to the white and tender egg was heart-wrenching!

In his previous life, he hadn't focused on her. Even when his parents died and she strained her eyes to support his education, he thought it was what she should do since the Chen family had raised her. Later, when his mentor took an interest in him and intended to marry his legitimate daughter to him, she seemed to understand something and left with her belongings overnight. Little did she know that she would encounter bandits and fall off a cliff, leaving no trace of her body.

At that time, he still thought she had run off with the money. It wasn't until later that he realized it was all a plot by the legitimate daughter. But even if he married the legitimate daughter, had children, what could he do? It was too late to regret it!

In his previous life, he had worked hard and risen to a high position, but he had failed her.

Since he had been given a second chance by fate, he would rather take a thorny path than let her down.

Jiang Yar held the egg in her hand, her heart feeling warm. Chen Ping'an saw her eyes slightly red, and her hands trembling, so he quickly took a bite, "How about this, we each take a bite! I've eaten so many eggs anyway, I won't miss one or two bites!"

As the sweet egg was split open in his mouth, Jiang Yar licked her lips and felt that she had never eaten anything so delicious in her life.

"You look so beautiful when you smile, you should smile more!" Seeing her with tears, a gentle warmth filled Chen Ping'an's eyes as he spoke those indescribable words of affection.

"You study well, I'll go gather firewood!" Jiang Yar blushed, her heart pounding, and quickly pushed the door open and ran out, her braids bouncing as she went.

Chen Ping'an was different today. He would secretly give her eggs to eat and say those embarrassing words. Although she didn't know why, she was delighted by this change.

With these thoughts in mind, she felt more energized.

Chenjiawan was located in front of a small stream and backed by a large mountain. She first went to the stream to dig a few holes and set the net, waiting to collect it in the evening. Then she went to the mountains to gather firewood.

The people in the mountains were diligent, and the firewood near the village had been mostly collected. She walked a long way to gather a small bundle, thinking that Chen Ping'an was busy studying for the upcoming exam and didn't dare to delay, so she ran farther and farther.

Mushrooms?

Jiang Yar looked at the yellow mushrooms under the pine tree, her eyes lighting up. She quickly crawled over. In this season, there were very few mushrooms left, unable to withstand the cold. Whenever it snowed, they would shrink back. Today, these were all covered by the pine tree leaves, which allowed them to grow.