The house in front of her, painted snow white, had its old paper windows all replaced with bright, transparent glass ones.
Looking down at the ground, it was no longer the yellow mud floor of the past, but now completely cemented, smooth and even, with the door also replaced—a new door painted in its natural wood color.
The family used to be very poor.
Everyone in the neighborhood was fixing up their homes, but only they could not afford it.
She had to go to school, her foolish elder brother wanted to take a wife, their father’s hand was injured, and the little money he made each month was barely enough to scrape by, leaving virtually nothing to spare.
The reality before her eyes told her that everything from before was just a "dream." Awake now, everything had changed.
She was a participant, even a changer, but she could not remember a thing; her mind was a blank space, unable to recall anything.
Thinking of something, she hesitated, "You say I’m running a business now?"
She was so timid, blushing even when speaking to someone, how could she have taken the path of business?
Gu Yecheng nodded, "You started by selling hot sauce, then opened a factory for it."
Xiaofeng couldn’t imagine that she could be so competent. On closer thought, setting aside the issue of personality, she indeed found it easy to learn anything she put her mind to.
For instance, during high school, she actually understood everything, but feared that even if she got into a university, she wouldn’t be able to attend, so she didn’t take the exams.
Of course, Taozi played a role in this too. She constantly filled Xiaofeng’s head with how badly her stepmother would treat her, and after scaring herself, Xiaofeng gave up hope.
"By the way, what is Taozi doing now? Is she at home? If she is, I’d like to talk with her." She hadn’t seen Taozi since returning to the village—had Taozi gotten married or gone to earn money elsewhere?
"She..." Gu Yecheng didn’t actually know Taozi’s situation. The last time Xiaofeng returned, it seemed something had happened in Lihua Village.
"I’ll go look for her," Xiaofeng turned to leave, "You should know that Taozi and I used to be good friends."
"Don’t go," Gu Yecheng pulled her back, "She’s not at home. You can ask your brother about her later."
Xiaofeng’s gaze fell on the wrist he was holding, and her face turned beet red as something occurred to her.
Gu Yecheng also realized this issue; in fact, the gesture was a very natural one.
He lightly smiled, "Not used to it, are you? You’ll get used to it over time."
He let go of her hand, "Go back to the room."
Xiaofeng followed Yecheng back into the house, returning to the room that belonged to her.
There weren’t many things in the room: a few books, some clothes, and as for the belongings she had before, it seemed not much was kept.
Seeing the comb on the table, she remembered that she seemed to have a bronze mirror in her bag. She carried the Bronze Mirror with her every day—it seemed she was quite fond of the Copper Realm.
"Daddy." The boy and girl twins ran over, "We want to go catch fish in the river; can you take us? Uncle said you’re the best at catching fish."
In the countryside, the twins naturally found everything fascinating, feeling as if they didn’t have enough eyes to see or hands to do all they wanted. The chicken laying eggs had been very interesting just a moment ago, and now they were eager to try catching fish in the river.
Life in the countryside indeed seemed to be much more interesting than in the city.
Although Imperial Capital had its fun, nowhere else offered such endless exciting things to do.
"Let’s go, I’ll take you." He glanced at the house and called out softly, "Xiaofeng, I’m taking the kids to catch fish. Do you want to come?"
Xiaofeng shook her head, "You go ahead; I’ll stay at home for a while."
Hearing Xiaofeng’s reply, Gu Yecheng found the equipment at home, grabbed a bucket, and led the twins to the riverbank.
This river, not far from Lihua Village, was not unfamiliar to him. When he lived nearby in the past, he and his grandfather raised many good things in the river.
Of course, those things were no longer there. With neither him nor his grandfather around, leaving those creatures behind would have scared anyone to death.
"We’ll fish here," Gu Yecheng found a familiar spot, "You and your sister stay here and watch while I go check the nets with this little fishing net."
Up ahead was a deeper whirlpool, which typically provided the best hiding spots for fish, but was also the deepest.
The twins watched their father’s every move with excitement.
When they stayed at the manor last time, it was also their father who caught the fish. In their minds, he was very skilled at fishing.
Gu Yecheng smiled at them, continuing forward.
From what he remembered, there were no big fish here, mostly palm-sized crucian carp, which were also good—perfect for making soup for the children.
Two young boys, the older one about seven or eight and the younger five or six, appeared to be brothers. Curious at the sight of someone fishing, they ran over.