Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 439: The Feeling of Home

Qin Yao took a deep breath of the slightly cool air of the spring night, swinging her fist just before it was about to hit Yin Le’s head, narrowly missing its target.

The fierce wind from the punch brushed past Yin Le’s cheek, making her eyelashes flutter slightly.

It was clear she was a bit flustered, but not too much. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"You’re really vicious, aren’t you!" Qin Yao tapped Yin Le’s forehead with her fist, gritting her teeth in anger.

Fine, whatever, let it be!

At dawn tomorrow, I’ll pack her off to the factory for hard labor!

Qin Yao led people inside, and the family had already quieted down, with the father and sons asleep.

Qin Yao pointed to the water barrel at the kitchen door, "Go clean yourself up."

She went inside to find bedding and an extra rag, handed the rag to Yin Le, and laid the bedding in the small side room off the corridor.

Once the bedding was ready, Yin Le finished washing and followed along.

It was too dark at night to see anything, but Yin Le could feel that the courtyard was neatly arranged, the ground was clean, and there was a faint fragrance of flowers and fruits inside.

The air was dry, the candlelight bright, and the place was bustling, completely different from her dim and humid shack in Xinghua Village.

This place... feels like home.

"You’ll sleep here tonight," Qin Yao left the candleholder and was about to leave after giving instructions.

Yin Le quickly expressed her thanks and watched her enter the main house before closing the door and lying down in the small side room.

That night, Yin Le had a dream.

She dreamt that her elder brother and sister-in-law came to find her, saying they had called off the marriage to the old gentleman and were going to take her back home. They said she could do whatever she wanted at home and her parents wouldn’t force her to marry.

When she woke up from the dream, seeing the unfamiliar wooden beams above her, Yin Le was already in tears.

Because even in her dream, she had woken up knowing that such a family only existed in dreams within dreams.

Liu Ji was always the first to get up at home, but today, when he returned from the restroom, he was surprised to find some rustling noise in the front yard.

Could it be that Ah Wang dared to get up even earlier than him today?

He wondered if he wanted to live anymore, knowing so little of social etiquette!

With a hint of suspicion, Liu Ji walked through the corridor to the front yard, seeing Yin Le sweeping with a broom, nearly scared out of his wits.

"Why are you here?" Liu Ji asked in shock.

Afraid his eyes were fooling him, he rubbed his eyes hard, looked again, and Yin Le had already turned around, slightly bowed to greet him.

Although Qin Yao refused to accept her as a disciple, Yin Le had decided in her heart that she was her master.

Therefore, the person before her was the master’s master.

Upon seeing the master’s master, a junior should naturally salute.

Yin Le didn’t intend to hide anything and spoke directly, "I respectfully inform the master’s master that I snuck in last night, and my benefactor took pity and allowed me to stay overnight."

Of course, if possible, she wouldn’t mind sleeping on the floor and staying here for a long time.

"What did you call me?" Liu Ji asked.

Yin Le set the broom aside and stepped forward, properly bowing, "Yin Le greets the master’s master. Is there anything the master’s master would like to instruct? Yin Le is willing to serve."

Liu Ji thought to himself that his wife at home had finally met her match.

He quickly waved his hand, "I’m fine, you continue with your work. I’ll retreat first."

Having completed his morning tasks, he had to go to the Lotus Courtyard to serve. He had to not only entertain the old man but also be prepared for his tests at any time, which was hardly less busy than Qin Yao.

"Yin Le bids farewell to the master’s master." Yin Le bowed again, seeing Liu Ji enter the study room before she stood up.

Just as she turned to resume sweeping, she found her broom had been taken by someone else, who was busy sweeping with enthusiasm.

Thinking it must be someone from the benefactor’s family, Yin Le, who hadn’t seen him before, cautiously inquired:

"And you are?"

Afraid her face might scare the person, she deliberately brushed her bangs forward to cover the scar on her cheek.

Ah Wang looked up, sized her up, noticed the distinctiveness on her face and seemed slightly surprised, but wasn’t scared.

He spoke tersely, "I’m Ah Wang."

With that, he continued doing his work.

Yin Le introduced herself, "Ah Wang, I’m Yin Le, you can also call me Yue Niang."

They seemed about the same age, and Yin Le didn’t know if she was older or younger, so she didn’t call him brother.

Ah Wang replied with an "Oh," looked at her warily, as if afraid she might take over his work, with a strong sense of crisis.

After finishing the sweeping, Ah Wang went to the kitchen to start the fire, heating water and emptying leftovers into the slop bucket, adding a few scoops of rice bran, stirring evenly, and mixing in chopped rotten vegetable leaves to feed the chickens and cows in the backyard.

This mix was the chickens’ and cows’ favorite. As Ah Wang approached with the bucket, knowing food was coming, the chickens in the cage flapped excitedly, clucking noisily.

After feeding the household livestock, Ah Wang would lead Old Huang down to the riverbank to let it roam and graze on fresh grass.

Returning after leaving the horse to graze, he’d pass by the vegetable garden, pick a fresh vegetable, and head home to start preparing breakfast for the family.

By now, the children would be up, and Ah Wang would divide up the ready rice balls among them, pack their lunch, and stash it in their book boxes.

In a whirlwind, he dashed to the old residence, jumped onto Liu Zhongjia’s carriage, and went off to school.

With a new big sister at home, the Da Lang brothers and sisters didn’t have time to ask as they rushed to school.

However, this morning Qin Yao wasn’t woken up by calls of "Mother" because Yin Le, having nothing to do, finally found something she could do—doing the children’s hair.

She had no clue how to handle kitchen tasks; in the past, living in wealth, she had never had to manage such things herself.

But Yin Le was very talented at doing hair. She had learned many hairstyling techniques since childhood.

Today, Sanlang’s hairstyle was finally no longer a messy bun.

Yin Le styled a topknot on his head and let two thin braids hang down from the temples.

Sanlang’s skin wasn’t fair; no rural child’s skin was unless they didn’t go out and play.

But his skin was tender.

Qin Yao specifically bought moisturizing oil, making them apply it daily on their way to school; the children’s skin was smooth and neat, and their looks were decent. With the hairstyle done, they seemed like young gentlemen from a notable family.

Si Niang also got a brand-new hairstyle—trailed side bun.

Adorned with the beaded hairband Qin Yao bought, her beauty level went up two tiers.

Si Niang admired herself in the copper mirror, extremely pleased, secretly hoping the guest big sister would help with her hair again tomorrow morning.

After sending off the family’s children, Liu Ji also carried his book box and headed out to the Lotus Courtyard.

Running late, in one hand holding his breakfast and the other dragging his book box, his stamina already honed, he could jog while eating without even panting.

The courtyard quieted down again, leaving only Ah Wang busy in the kitchen, and Yin Le standing in the hall’s corridor unsure of what to do.

As for Qin Yao, if there’s no urgent matter, this was far from her waking time.

In the kitchen, the aroma of food continuously wafted over, making Yin Le rub her belly and swallow secretly.

Getting up so early, her stomach was already rumbling.

But she hadn’t done any chores yet, and anyone she wanted to help with, that boy named Ah Wang would mysteriously appear and snatch the work away.

At first, Yin Le thought he was being polite, but later she realized, this guy was odd—he truly feared she would take his job!

Just... work, is this something so precious that it must be fought over?

Yin Le scratched her head, not quite understanding.