Lucky Wife

Spring 1962

Outside the village health clinic in Xihe Village, the village chief and several villagers were discussing how to settle the refugees who had fled here today.

Famine was rampant at this time. Escaping was very common. The village chief's sister-in-law had fled from another place because her family couldn't have enough food to eat. However, the food in Xibe Village was already limited. The allocation of food was based on the population of each household. Even their own people didn't have enough to eat, so it was impossible to easily give food to the refugees who came here. Therefore, the refugees who couldn't stay would be sent back.

If there were refugees who wanted to stay in the village, they either had to join the production team for labor or go to the mountains to clear land. Either way, it was not easy. In the end, they would still rely on the food that was evenly distributed from others. It was meager, but still better than fleeing. The problem now was that these two girls were sickly, thin, and pale. One of them had a severe leg injury when she arrived, and she was accompanied by two children who were around seven or eight years old. They didn't seem capable of working, and even if they could, how much could they do? In this era, if one couldn't work, they were useless. Xibe Village couldn't afford to accommodate them.

However, for women, there was another way to stay, like the village chief's sister-in-law who married a local man and could survive by eating her husband's food. If they got married and had children, they would naturally become part of Xibe Village and be registered as residents, so they wouldn't be sent back.

In this era, don't blame people for being indifferent. Those who couldn't work shouldn't expect to eat. The food in the village was already scarce, and with the famine outside, although they wouldn't starve in Xibe Village, food was still in short supply. They couldn't afford to feed refugees for free. Those who could stay would stay, and those who couldn't stay would be sent back to their original places. If everyone could stay, it would become a disaster for them.

The village chief cleared his throat and said to everyone, "One of these girls has a severe leg injury. The village doctor has already examined her. Even if it heals, she will be disabled for life. She won't be able to do heavy work in the future. I just asked, her parents and sister died on the way here. The two children are her sister's orphans. The other girl is physically healthy with only minor external injuries. Once she wakes up and eats something, she will be fine. These are their situations. Let's see if anyone has a spare place at home and can kindly take them in, providing some old clothes and blankets."

"What? Disabled and unable to do heavy work? That's practically being disabled."

"I don't want a disabled person in my family, let alone with two children and no family left. They'll only be a burden."

"If we want to keep someone, it should be the one who is physically healthy. We won't take in the disabled one."

"Because the disabled girl can't work, taking her in is like adding three more mouths to feed. Who can be so selfless to let them eat and drink for free?"

Yan Shu heard the commotion outside, as well as the children's cries. She suddenly opened her eyes and regained consciousness. Her thoughts were still stuck in the moment of being devoured by zombies. She thought she was sure to die, but when she became fully conscious, she realized that her mind had an extra unfamiliar memory. It turned out that she had transmigrated into the body of a cannon fodder supporting female character with the same name in a period novel.

The wall in front of her was painted white, and the cracks in the wall seemed quite old. The surrounding environment was very simple but noisy. There were two dirty children, a boy and a girl, who looked to be around seven or eight years old. Their young faces were filled with weariness. Their thin skin had sunk in, and their dry lips were cracked. They looked at her with teary eyes. When they saw Yan Shu open her eyes, the child who was too weak to even muster any strength spoke with a slightly excited voice.

"Auntie, Auntie, you're awake."

Yan Shu tried to sit up but felt pain and weakness all over her body. She couldn't muster any strength at all, and her right leg couldn't move at all.

Memories came flooding back. Through the memories of the original host, she learned that due to the lack of harvest for the past two years, there was a famine in her hometown. Many people were so hungry that they resorted to eating tree bark. The original host and her family fled, but her parents and sister died on the way. Only she and her two nephews survived by chance. They planned to go north and find her brother-in-law who was serving in the army.

In fact, no matter what obstacles and difficulties the original host encountered along the way, she never gave up on the children. Only when the children were safely handed over to her brother-in-law could she find the motivation to continue.

A month ago, out of kindness, the original host saved a girl named Liu Anan who had been abducted on the road. As a result, she fell and felt excruciating pain in her leg. At that time, she couldn't afford to seek treatment and dragged her injured leg all the way here. It wasn't until they arrived in Xibe Village and had the doctor examine her that she found out her leg was broken. However, it was too late for treatment, and even if she recovered, she would still be left with a lifelong disability.

After becoming disabled, the original host was shunned in the village and couldn't find her brother-in-law. Knowing that her condition was terminal, she died, leaving the two children orphaned and in a pitiful state.

At the moment of the original host's death, Yan Shu suddenly awakened to the related memories of this period novel. She realized that Liu Anan was actually the reborn female lead of the novel. Everything she did had a purpose, including getting the original host to save her. She was determined to come to Xibe Village, not to find someone to treat the original host's leg, but to seek refuge with the future wealthy male lead.

The original host had always wanted to find someone to entrust the children to, but what she didn't expect was that her brother-in-law had died last year. Liu Anan, who had been reborn, knew this very well. The original host would never be able to find a dead person, so she intentionally deceived the original host into saving her and traveling together. Her plan was to wait for the original host's death and take in the two unattended children under her own household. This way, she could gain a good reputation in the village and then go through the proper channels to claim the compensation from the children's father's unit.

After receiving the compensation, Liu Anan would intentionally abandon the two children and marry the male lead without any guilt. She would use the money to become rich and prosperous in the village. Eventually, the two children would be kidnapped by human traffickers, and their fate would be unknown.

The original owner died with regrets and resentment, wondering why they saved this heartless and wicked woman. If they hadn't saved her, even if they couldn't find anyone, their child and themselves wouldn't have ended up in such a situation. But her consciousness was already extremely weak and couldn't be changed. She placed her hope in Yan Shu now.

Yan Shu could feel the original owner's pleading emotions and faintly heard a voice while unconscious.

"I'm entrusting my body to you. From now on, you are me. I'll leave you the compensation money. Please, can you take care of my two children? That's my only request. I'm begging you."

She silently agreed in her heart, "Okay."

After saying this, she could clearly feel the original owner's remaining emotions dissipating because she had agreed to her last wish.

Yan Shu looked at the two children beside her and thought they were pitiful as well. They had lost all their relatives and now could only rely on themselves. Although the environment here was difficult, there was still hope to survive. It was much better than the apocalypse. Since she had taken over the original owner's body, as long as she lived one more day, she would fulfill her wish.

By the time the sun set, the village chief had arranged everything for Liu An'an and found the best temporary residence in the village. This girl was diligent and offered to stay in their village and participate in labor. The village chief had a good impression of Liu An'an.

After Liu An'an's situation was settled, the village chief remembered that there was another girl at the clinic. After asking around, none of the bachelors in the vicinity were willing to take in Yan Shu and the two children.

The bachelors who had tried to please Liu An'an earlier were now avoiding Yan Shu and the children. They took back any gifts they hadn't given out. After hearing Yan Shu's situation, none of them were willing to let them stay. Yan Shu was too ugly and disabled, and having children with her was a burden. No one wanted to take them in.

If they couldn't find someone to take them in, the village chief would have to let Yan Shu stay in his own house. However, his family had to work in the fields and couldn't take care of the injured Yan Shu. If they took her in, they would have to spare someone to take care of her, which they couldn't afford.

After thinking it over, the village chief finally thought of a suitable family - Old Lady Liu.

Old Lady Liu had two daughters, and both of her sons were married and had their own families. It was convenient for only two daughters to live in their house. Moreover, Old Lady Liu didn't have to work because of her poor health. The village chief discussed with her, and she readily agreed to temporarily take in Yan Shu and the children. Old Lady Liu was known for being kind-hearted, so she agreed without hesitation when the village chief asked.

But living in Old Lady Liu's house wasn't a long-term solution. It was fine to take them in for a day or two, but it wouldn't be practical in the long run. They would have to let Yan Shu recover from her injuries first, and then they would figure it out.

Yan Shu's leg was put in a splint at the clinic to fix the fractured bone. Nowadays, going to the hospital required a quota, and the village had limited spots for medical treatment. In the village doctor's opinion, even if she went to the hospital, her leg would still be disabled, so it wasn't worth wasting a quota. They treated her hastily and sent her back to recover.

Since walking was inconvenient, the village chief had someone take her and the children to Old Lady Liu's house.

The two children were crying the whole time they came. Their bodies were thin, skin and bones, and their eyes were bulging from severe malnutrition. It was heartbreaking to see.

Old Lady Liu sighed and asked her eldest daughter to prepare clothes for Yan Shu. She also boiled hot water for Yan Shu and the children to clean themselves. With yellowed eyes, she muttered, "Times are tough in the years of famine. We're all poor people. We can eat now, so let's help each other a little."

Liu Chunhua also nodded in agreement, "I'll clean up a room for them later."

After months of fleeing, Yan Shu and the children had been tormented beyond recognition. Now, they finally found temporary shelter in Old Lady Liu's house, giving them a slight sense of security. After thanking the old lady, they ate warm porridge and felt the exhaustion wash over them. Yan Shu fell asleep on the bed.

For the first time in a year, the two children lay on a dry and comfortable bed. Even in their sleep, they held onto Yan Shu's arm tightly, embracing the only family they could rely on in this world.

Before the apocalypse, Yan Shu was a food blogger. However, during a recording in the outskirts, she accidentally got scratched by a strange tree and the green sap stuck to her wound. After that, she unexpectedly mutated and gained two types of wood and water abilities.

Her wood-based ability comes from a green spirit vine, which has healing powers and can rejuvenate any living being. Her water-based ability is a spring full of spiritual energy. After the end of the world, the environment is polluted everywhere, and clean water sources are becoming scarce. This spring is her reliance for survival.

After five days, Yan Shu's body finally improved a bit. She used the spirit vine to heal her injuries, and the green aura slowly infused into her disabled right leg. She could feel the broken bones slowly realigning, and the damaged tissues gradually recovering.

The splint that the village doctor had put on her was heavy and not flexible at all. It didn't help her leg recover at all, so Yan Shu removed it. She tried to stand up and felt that she could walk slowly. The Liu family was surprised at how quickly Yan Shu's injuries healed. They usually didn't let her move and only allowed her to rest in the house.

Yan Shu intentionally or unintentionally used her abilities on the two children as well, so their bodies recovered well. Apart from being a little thin, they didn't have any other health problems. However, since the original owner's family died while fleeing the famine, Nini and Shitou lost their parents at such a young age and became somewhat introverted. They didn't like to talk and relied heavily on Yan Shu, especially listening to her words.

In the past few days, the two children have been active in the village, but they deliberately avoid contact with the villagers, except for the Liu family. They don't like to interact with strangers, so they avoid them when they see someone. Unexpectedly, they discovered a river behind the village, but the water was deep, and they were too timid to approach. When they came back and told Yan Shu, she immediately remembered.

This river is called Xibe River. According to the description in the text, there are wild fish in the Xibe River, but the water quality is poor, and there are few fish. The river is also too deep and dangerous. Many people have drowned before. Only a few people have the ability to catch fish, including the male protagonist. Moreover, the male protagonist is lucky enough to catch fish and exchange them for food and meat vouchers in the city. This is also one of the characteristics that others envy him for.

To completely restore Yan Shu's leg, these abilities are not enough. Before, the original owner had not eaten a full meal for about a year, and her body was thin and weak. It would be difficult to recover in a short time.

However, she was not the kind of person who would sit and wait for death. Her body had just improved a bit, and she felt that she couldn't always rely on the Liu family for food. So she came up with the idea of catching river fish to supplement their meals.

The Liu family's financial condition is not particularly good, but in her memory, they are one of the few good-hearted people in Xibe Village who are willing to help them. However, after the original owner died, Liu Laotai passed away not long after due to poor health. This made Liu Laotai's two sons resentful of taking them in, thinking that their mother's death was because of them. With Liu Laotai's family already struggling in such poverty, having three more mouths to feed added a lot of trouble. Being able to take in Yan Shu and the children also added a lot of pressure.

In this life, it was Yan Shu herself who was taken in by the Liu family, and she planned to repay Liu Laotai's help in her own way.

The next day, Liu Chunhua returned from the field.

On the way, the villagers were curious and asked her, "Old Liu's daughter, you've been hosting that ugly girl and her family for several days now, right? It's not right to let them stay like this."

Others chimed in, "Exactly, your family has already split, and it's just you and your two sisters working to earn a living. Now with three extra mouths to feed, can you handle it? Why don't you talk to the village chief and kick them out?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chunhua's face turned sour, but she still retorted, "It's not a big deal. We can always make do with the food. That girl and her child are both pitiful. They've gone through a lot just to survive. They were already suffering enough, how can we do such a thing?"

"But we're worried that they'll hinder you and your sisters from finding good husbands. Sympathy won't feed you, it'll still be your family going hungry. Don't you know how serious the famine is outside? People are even eating tree bark. With three handfuls of millet, you can find a wife. Your mother is too generous, taking in three freeloaders."

"Your family is too foolish. The village chief sent the ones who can't work to your house, they just eat and drink without giving anything back. The food you give them is probably wasted. The other girl is strong and healthy, and she even has some education. The village chief arranged a technical job for her. She'll earn more than you with less effort. The family that took her in has hit the jackpot."

"And that girl is healthy, so she won't be a burden to anyone. Even if she settles in our village, she's welcome. The disabled girl your family took in has no use and only adds to your troubles. When the food runs out, your whole family will regret it."

Liu Chunhua was frustrated by the incessant comments from these people. She felt very uncomfortable, but couldn't find the words to argue back. After holding it in for a while, she finally snapped, "My mother is kind-hearted and willing to take them in. They haven't eaten your food, so what does it have to do with you? Mind your own business."

After saying that, she ran off, still hearing someone cursing her for not knowing any better and deserving to be burdened and starve in the future.

In fact, both Liu's mother and Liu Chunhua were gritting their teeth and persisting in hosting Yan Shu and her children. Liu's mother was always a kind-hearted person. She had experienced the hardships of famine when she was young and had been saved by kind-hearted people, so she could empathize. When she saw Yan Shu, she thought of her younger self and wanted to help in any way she could. Even if it didn't provide much assistance, as long as they didn't starve to death, she felt she had saved three lives. It may not have been a great help, but it was within her ability and her conscience could bear it. They would find a way to get by.

As Liu Chunhua approached the door of her house, she took a deep breath and calmed her emotions. Suddenly, she smelled a very fragrant aroma. She had never smelled anything so delicious in her life. The scent made her stomach growl. What could it be? How could it smell so good?

After searching around for a while, she finally found the source of the delicious smell right at her doorstep.

Liu Chunhua couldn't believe it. She confirmed once again that the delicious smell was indeed coming from their own house.

The key was what they cooked at home. With such a wonderful smell, how could she not know about it? If there was something delicious, their situation wouldn't be so difficult.

As soon as she entered the house, she saw her younger sister eagerly looking at the kitchen with chopsticks in her hand.

Seeing her come back, her little face lit up like a flower, and she whispered, "Sis, we have fish to eat today."

"??"

"Where did the fish come from? Did someone give it to us?"

Normally, they couldn't afford any meat. The only piece of meat they had was some salted pork that was preserved months ago. They couldn't bear to eat it even when they were craving for it.

"No, it's all thanks to Yan Jie. She actually went fishing."

"What? Her leg isn't heale