Yang Chuxia glanced at Ms. Luo and didn’t say much, then went straight back to the third branch of the family. After the shrimp paste in the jar had cooled down, she poured some oil on it, sealed it, and put it together with the drunken crab. She thought that she might have another source of income next time she talked with Shopkeeper Li, and then she could start looking for a place to build a house.
By the time she had finished making the shrimp paste, it was getting dark, and Ms. Wang had already begun preparing dinner. Since Yang Chuxia had used the fresh shrimp for the shrimp paste, Ms. Wang fried some dried shrimp with leeks instead. The fresh scallops they had prepared during the day were also used, and after washing them, they were steamed in a large bowl. In the afternoon, Old Aunt-in-law Gen sent over two vegetable melons and some green peas, which were also stir-fried. Lastly, they made a lot of egg soup to serve as porridge for the night.
Back in the day, Ms. Wang would never have dared to dream of having such a meal. But ever since the family split, they could often enjoy such meals, and their life seemed to be getting better and better. Ms. Wang was smiling happily as she set the dishes on the table.
Later, as the sky turned black, Ye Zi’an and Yang Dachuan returned from town.
The whole family happily finished their dinner, and then Ms. Wang went to clean up the dishes and chopsticks.
Meanwhile, Ye Zi’an and Yang Qingrui, along with others, began to study and read under the oil lamp.
Yang Chuxia didn’t join them in studying, because she knew that Ye Zi’an would be returning to his own home in a day or two, and her kind-hearted and studious elder brother would go with him. Considering the distance of Ye Zi’an’s house, it was not very safe for the two young boys to live there, and they had recently offended several people, so there were concerns about their safety.
So, she decided to take advantage of her free time and quickly make some self-defense weapons. She was all too familiar with self-defense weapons; in her previous life, she had been the number one female special agent in the military, and weapons for killing and arson were no strangers to her.
Especially the pistol, which she could assemble even with her eyes closed. As for making it, it wasn’t difficult, but the materials were limited, and there were no good materials available in this era. After thinking about it, she gave up on the idea. Besides, such a rare item would attract too much attention in this imperial society, and it was better not to bring it out, lest her current status would attract unwanted attention.
She thought about it carefully and decided to make small crossbow arrows and sleeve arrows instead. They were simple, practical, and most importantly, suitable for this era. If the weapons weren’t powerful enough, there would be less killing.
She didn’t have any iron sheets or wires at home, and it would take time to get them from the town, so she used wood instead.
The first thing she made was the small crossbow arrows, which were simpler and quicker to make than the sleeve arrows. After making them, she held one in her hand and aimed it at the wall of her house, and when she saw the wooden arrow accurately nailed into the wall, she was satisfied.
After making one, she made another, and after trying them out, she found that they were both small and flexible.
However, these items, even though small, were still inconvenient to carry and could only be used at home. Sleeve arrows were better - she could make a six-arrow plum blossom sleeve arrow that could fire six arrows at once.
But it was too late today, so she decided to do it tomorrow and make more arrow shafts while she was at it.
Ye Zi’an, who was teaching Yang Qingrui and Yang Qingtong how to read on the side, had noticed her actions long ago. Seeing the things in her hand, his eyes flashed with fanaticism. However, he held back and thought that he could ask Xiaxia about it tomorrow just the same.