Just as she was thinking, Sanya said, "This white flour was sent by Ergouzi's mother yesterday. Mother said your head was injured and you need to eat well to recover, so she saved a steamed bun made of white flour for you."

Oh, so that was it. Lin He then understood why it was strange for such a poor family to have white flour steamed buns at every meal.

Sanya pushed the porridge and the bun toward Lin He. "Sister, hurry up and eat. It's cold, and it gets cold fast. It won't taste good once it's cold."

Lin He stroked her head. Just as she was about to stuff the bun into her mouth, she saw Sanya staring intently at the bun. Lin He broke half of the bun and handed it to her. "Eat."

Sanya shook her head, refusing to take it. "Mother said it was saved for you because Second Sister hit her head yesterday. I already ate coarse grain porridge this morning; I’m full."

Lin He gave a wry smile. It was truly the environment that forced such a young child to understand so much. Still, she managed to stuff half a bun into Sanya’s hand. "Sister has eaten half a bun and drunk a bowl of porridge; that's enough for me. I can’t finish this half, so you help me eat it."

After all, she was still a child and couldn't resist the allure of the white flour bun. She accepted it and devoured it in a few quick bites, letting out a sound of pure satisfaction. "It's so delicious! I haven't had this in so long."

Hearing that, Lin He’s nose stung. In her past life, so many people wasted so much grain for various reasons, yet here was this child, so overjoyed by a single white flour bun. It truly tugged at her heartstrings.

However, Lin He couldn't afford to dwell on it. She quickly stuffed the rest of the bun into her mouth and took a sip of the coarse grain porridge. She nearly spat it out—it was bitter and astringent, and the grains were hard to swallow, lodging painfully in her throat as she forced it down. But Lin He knew she had to face this reality and adapt to this life.

After finishing breakfast, Lin He and Sanya planned to go look for their little brother.

Lin He took Sanya’s hand and slowly walked outside. Reaching the courtyard gate, Sanya turned back to close the dilapidated door securely. Lin He found it somewhat amusing; with such an impoverished household, who would bother to steal anything? Yet, she also marveled at how sensible children were at this time, capable of managing so many tasks at such a young age.

Having grown up accustomed to modern life and the privileged upbringing of contemporary children, Lin He realized that in ancient times, four or five-year-olds were expected to handle most responsibilities besides actual farm labor, such as looking after younger siblings and doing household chores. This was the meaning of 'poor children mature early.'

Lin He and Sanya walked forward slowly. Lin He surveyed the area. The village was large, with houses spread far apart. Each household occupied a considerable amount of land, and their homes were fronted by small courtyards, entered through a large gate leading to the inner yard where the house stood. Wealthier families might keep pigs or chickens in the back courtyard.

This was the advantage of ancient times: land was plentiful. The size of these homes could accommodate a grand villa by modern standards.

Just as she was pondering this, someone called out from ahead, "Er Ya! Er Ya!" Lin He looked up to see a middle-aged woman calling her. She didn't know who it was. The woman was slightly plump, appeared kind, and maintained a constant smile, holding a bundle of what looked like wild green vegetables in her hand.

Lin He asked, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged woman’s smile vanished, replaced by an expression of pure inquiry.

Sanya quickly interjected, "That's Ergouzi’s mother, Sister. You don't remember? We all call her Aunt Xu. Aunt Xu is such a kind person." Then, turning to the woman, she added, "Aunt Xu, my sister hit her head and can’t remember some things. It’s alright."

Only then did Aunt Xu relax, saying, "It was all because of my Ergouzi. Last night, his father gave him a severe beating. Thank heavens it wasn't anything serious, or what would have happened!"

Lin He smiled lightly. "Aunt Xu, it's fine. Ergouzi didn't mean it. I’m fine now, see?" Lin He instinctively felt Aunt Xu was a good person and likely very familiar with her family, so she offered a few polite words.

Aunt Xu said, "Mm. Second girl, I wonder if it will leave a scar. The doctor said thankfully the wound wasn't deep, so it shouldn't scar. If there is a small scar later, you can buy some ointment to rub on it; it should be fine."

Lin He smiled, then walked on with Er Ya and Aunt Xu. Aunt Xu mentioned she was heading further ahead to pull some pigweed for the pigs and walked with them, chattering the whole way about village matters.

It turned out the village was called Lin Family Village. Most residents shared the Lin surname, though there were some families who had moved in, like Aunt Xu’s, who were not Lins. The village was quite large, perhaps over two hundred households, divided into Upper Lin Family Village and Lower Lin Family Village. Lin He’s home belonged to the Lower Lin Family Village, which had over a hundred households. The villagers were not affluent; the vast majority subsisted on farming.

Many families didn't own their own land but leased it from a landlord named Xia. Landlord Xia owned over a thousand mu of fertile land, all leased out to the people of Lin Family Village. After paying their lease rent, the grain harvested was barely enough to feed their own families, which is why everyone was so poor. Lin He’s family was among the poorest because they had many children but few laborers, meaning their basic food rations were insufficient.

Lin He and Aunt Xu also learned that the dynasty was called the Yun Dynasty, apparently not corresponding to any specific historical era but a fictional setting divorced from recorded history. The crops grown here were unlike any from her previous world; they had crops typical of both the south and the north, primarily wheat and corn, along with rice. However, very few people cultivated rice because the yield per mu was low and the seeds were expensive. Poor people like them had rarely, if ever, seen rice, though they had heard of it.

Having gathered most of the essential information, Aunt Xu veered off onto another small path to gather pigweed. Sanya and Lin He continued forward. After walking for a few minutes, a small child was calling from under a tree ahead, "Second Sister, Third Sister, I’m over here!"

Lin He looked ahead and saw a child, about three years old, wearing a short jacket patched in two places. The child was thin but looked much better off than Sanya and herself; his complexion was generally normal, likely benefiting from being the youngest and a boy, thus receiving more favor.

Sanya called out, "Xiao Bao, let's go home."

Xiao Bao obediently walked over and took Sanya's hand. He looked at Lin He, who smiled at him and said, "Xiao Bao, come, let Sister hold you."

Xiao Bao piped up in a childish voice, "No! Sister is hurt. Xiao Bao is big now; I can walk by myself." He emphasized this by taking a couple of deliberate steps.

Lin He saw him staggering slightly and feared he might fall. "Second Sister knows you're big. Come here."

Xiao Bao walked over and took Lin He's hand, and they walked back together. Upon returning, Lin He found a small stool and sat in the yard, watching Xiao Bao and Sanya happily running and playing.

Lin He pondered: the family was this poor; what should she do? How would they live? There were only two laborers supporting a large number of mouths, all of them growing children who needed sustenance. This situation couldn't continue; she needed to find something to do.

When she snapped back to attention, Lin He realized she had become accustomed to the high-pressure life of her previous world, immediately focusing on survival issues here. But it wasn't an immediate crisis, and this body was still so small—what could she accomplish right now? Slow and steady.

Lin He looked at the few trees planted in the yard. She didn't know what kind they were; their leaves covered the entire yard. She asked Sanya for a broom woven from reeds and began sweeping slowly. Although the house held few possessions, cleaning it up would certainly feel better. She first tidied the two rooms, wiped down the sparse furniture with a worn cloth, swept the floor, then cleaned the kitchen, and finally swept the courtyard meticulously.