The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

Chen Zhi froze as she carried the meat, then smiled and said, "I bought it secretly because I was worried about being seen, so I took it upstairs first."

Aunt Liu nodded in agreement, "It's not good. Although the checks aren't as strict now, there's no document that explicitly says street vendors are allowed. Your concerns, Madam, are valid."

Chen Zhi nodded, "That's exactly the point."

"I think the master was furious today, and he probably won't take care of our food and drink anymore. But now that the young master is awake, you don't need to worry about food and supplies, madam. He'll take care of everything. He's a capable man." Aunt Liu had a lot of confidence in her young master.

Mentioning this, Chen Zhi pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket, both large and small denominations, and stuffed it into Liu Ma's hand, saying, "Take this to buy groceries, and come back to me if you run out."

Liu Ma stared at the money for a moment, thinking, "There must be several tens of yuan. The young mistress just gave it away like that?"

Think back to when she went to the Xi family's place, she spent ages smiling and begging for money before she only got a few coins in return!

Aunt Liu couldn't help but feel relieved; the young mistress was truly magnanimous.

"Do you still have any money to spend?" Aunt Liu wondered if this was all the young mistress's savings.

"Yes, don't worry." Chen Zhi walked straight to the kitchen. "Aunt Liu, your cooking is delicious. Could you teach me how to cook?"

Aunt Liu beamed with joy at the praise, "Sure, as long as you're willing to learn, I'll definitely teach you everything I know."

The meat was fresh, still with traces of blood, so Liu Ma had no doubts.

But upon seeing that large, round piece of meat, Liu Ma fell into deep thought. "What is this?"

"Python meat, supposedly caught in the mountains," Chen Zhi said in a low voice. "Do you know how to prepare this?"

Aunt Liu shook her head, then nodded. "I've eaten smaller snakes before. During those years of frequent disasters, many people starved to death. We ate everything—tree bark, grass roots, even clay. To be able to eat snake was a blessing from heaven. I see this piece of snake meat is quite large; let's try the salt and pepper method."

Chen Zhi thought it was feasible; Xi Lang had made salt and pepper version before, and it was delicious.

"Two chickens, one to make soup, and the other to make chicken porridge tomorrow morning. We'll add a few chestnuts, it'll be so delicious." As she spoke, Aunt Liu couldn't help but swallow.

Chen Zhi also wanted to eat, "Go ahead and cook it, there will be fresh meat tomorrow at noon."

"Sigh, as long as there's meat, that's fine." Aunt Liu was happy. "You and the young master are both thin, so you should eat meat to nourish yourselves."

Chen Zhi thought so too, "Aunt Liu, you should eat with us."

Chen Zhi helped Liu Ma with the kitchen work, and the two chatted and laughed together, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

After dinner was cooked, Chen Zhi went upstairs to call Xi Lang, only to see Xi Lang coming out of her room carrying a quilt.

"We'll move to this side to sleep, and we'll move your things over here in a bit."

Why?

Chen Zhi felt that the room she was sleeping in now was quite nice, only a little smaller than Xi Lang's room, but much larger than the house in their Sandong Village, about twice the size.

Xi Lang looked helpless. "The thing under the bed makes me uncomfortable."

Chen Zhi: "But don't you still have some in your body?"

"Yes." Xi Lang paused, "Most people would feel uncomfortable being near me now. Don't you feel anything?"

Chen Zhi: "It's just a bit cold."

Xi Lang didn't know what to say.

"What is this black energy in your body?"

"...Just think of it as a virus."

"Do you have a way to remove it? Or should we continue buying jade and emeralds?"

"No need, I can remove them. Also, once I'm better, I'll help you remove the black aura from your jade and emeralds as well."

"No rush, they're worthless anyway."

"That piece of imperial green jadeite can sell for several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan, and it will only get more and more expensive in the future."

"That's so valuable! Then get rid of that one first."

Xi Lang smiled and said, "Okay."

The two enjoyed their dinner immensely, as if they had returned to their days in Sandong Village.

After dinner, Chen Zhi wanted to talk to Xi Lang, but seeing the weariness on his face, she held back. After all, Xi Lang was awake, and they had plenty of time.

The two lay on the bed, Chen Zhi sleeping on the inside and Xi Lang on the outside. Just when Chen Zhi thought Xi Lang was asleep, an arm reached out and hugged her.

"Be good, don't move, let me hold you for a while." Xi Lang rested his chin on Chen Zhi's fluffy head, smelling the unique herbal fragrance on Chen Zhi's body, and his consciousness gradually blurred.

Chen Zhi nestled obediently in his arms, a smile curving her lips.

The weather was excellent the next day.

Chen Zhi opened her eyes and saw the sun outside the window.

"Awake?" Xi Lang's voice was hoarse.

Chen Zhi nodded, "I'll go wash up first, then I'll go see if Aunt Liu has made breakfast yet."

Aunt Liu said she was going to make chicken porridge, and she wanted to see how it was made.

Judging from the sky, perhaps Aunt Liu has already finished preparing it.

Chen Zhi went downstairs and, sure enough, smelled the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.

"The porridge is cooking, I'll make a few egg pancakes too," Aunt Liu said with a smile.

Chen Zhi sniffed. "It smells delicious. Do you have any more eggs at home? If you don't have enough, you can go and buy some. Don't worry about saving money."

Aunt Liu: "We still need to save money where we can, but when it comes to food, I'm definitely not stingy."

Chen Zhi: "As long as you know it, that's fine."

Chen Zhi still trusted Liu Ma.

The chicken congee was delicious, the chicken was tender and soft, and the chestnuts were powdery and glutinous, sweet and delicious. Paired with an egg pancake, Chen Zhi accidentally ate until she was stuffed.

Xi Lang ate two bowls before stopping.

"The sun is shining outside, go and sunbathe first. I'll go and bring the blankets out to air them." Chen Zhi said as she went upstairs.

Xi Lang watched her retreating figure with a gentle expression.

Chen Zhi moved a chair outside for Xi Lang, but then worried that he might be uncomfortable sitting in it. "Should I bring the sofa out?" she suggested.

Xi Lang's lips twitched. "That won't be necessary."

"Anyway, it doesn't take much effort," Chen Zhi said.

With Xi Lang's tacit consent, Chen Zhi carried the sofa out the door and placed it on the open ground by the entrance. After Xi Lang lay down, she went upstairs to get a blanket and covered him with it.

"Are you still cold?" she asked.

Xi Lang shook his head.

Chen Zhi was relieved.

"Would you like to lie down with me for a while?"

"I'm not going to lie down anymore, I want to go out for a walk."

She needs to buy a pair of slippers.

But she didn't have a ticket.

Chen Zhi planned to go to Yang Hong to see if he had any ideas.

Xi Lang wanted to tell Chen Zhi not to go, but his eyes lingered on her, unwilling to look away.

However, Chen Zhi didn't see it; she walked away without looking back.

Xi Lang: "......."

Yang Hong remained at the usual spot. He figured Chen Zhi probably wouldn't come today, but what if she wasn't?

Just in case something goes wrong, he came to wait early in the morning.

"You don't need to wait for me here every day," Chen Zhi said, first giving her address, "You can come find me here if you need anything."

Yang Hong thought for a moment and then gave his home address. "I live in a large courtyard now. When you get there, just say you're looking for Yang Hong, and they should be able to give you directions."

Chen Zhi made a note of it, and then mentioned her purpose for the day: "I want to buy a pair of slippers, but I don't have any tickets."

Yang Hong thought for a moment, "I know places where you don't need tickets, but the things are more expensive."

Chen Zhi isn't afraid of high prices; she's not short of money right now.

The place Yang Hong mentioned is a privately owned shop that hasn't been open for long. It doesn't dare to operate openly, and most of the customers are acquaintances.

The shop's door was half-open, and upon entering, there were several shelves displaying everything from large iron pots to small sewing needles—a very comprehensive selection.

The fact that they were able to acquire so many goods shows that the owner of this shop has a powerful background.

"What are you doing here, kid?" The shop owner patted Yang Hong on the head, not believing that Yang Hong had the money to buy his items.

Yang Hong chuckled sheepishly, "I'm not buying it, I'm bringing your customers."

The shop owner then looked at Chen Zhi behind Yang Hong. Chen Zhi was standing with her back to the light, so the shop owner couldn't see her face clearly. He could only tell that she was a woman, tall and wearing a thick cotton coat, but her shapely figure was still visible.

She must be a beauty.

The shop owner's attitude softened slightly, and he asked, "What would you like to buy?"

"A pair of slippers," Chen Zhi said.

Shop owner: "Sandals or cotton slippers?"

Chen Zhi was taken aback. Did they still have cotton slippers?

It's not that she's ignorant; fabric is expensive, and the people in Sandong Village practically only have one pair of shoes all winter long. She'd never even heard of cotton slippers or anything like that.

"Can I take a look at them all?" she asked.

"Sure, what size do you wear?" The shop owner went to get the shoes, then said to Chen Zhi, "Go to the backyard, it's brighter there, you can see better."

Chen Zhi followed the light source and walked to the back door. Just then, the shop owner who was looking for slippers in the back yard looked up.

Many years later, the shop owner still couldn't forget this scene. On a warm autumn day, sunlight streamed obliquely into the room, and a woman stood on his doorstep, facing the light, half her body bathed in it, half in darkness. Her skin was as white as snow, like the finest porcelain; her features were perfect, without a single flaw; her eyes were clear and bright, like the purest pool of water. When her clear gaze swept over him, his entire body went numb.

This isn't a human; it's clearly a mountain spirit, here to steal people's souls.

Chen Zhi received the plastic sandals and then touched the cotton slippers.

"These are cotton slippers. They're warm and convenient to wear at home in winter." The shop owner's gaze fell on Chen Zhi's face, and the closer he got, the more he realized how breathtakingly beautiful the girl was.

Chen Zhi touched the two pairs of slippers. The plastic slippers looked nice, but they were very hard, especially in winter. However, she needed to wear them when showering, so they were a must-have.

The cotton slippers are soft and warm, and Chen Zhi wants to buy a pair for Xi Lang.

Fine, I'll buy two pairs.

If only Xi Lang has it and she doesn't, Xi Lang will be unhappy.

Oh dear, why not buy a pair for Aunt Liu too?

That's the decision: "Buy one pair of sandals and three pairs of cotton slippers."