She Only Cares About Cultivation

Of course, despite the doubt, neither of the sisters asked, and after toiling for about ten days, they finally managed to tidy up both inside and outside the house.

The courtyard wall stands three meters high, adorned with many shards of glass. Neither the front yard nor the back reveals any view of their household. Even the door is tightly secured. Could it be that three women, without any man’s help, managed to fix the house?

What surprised them even more was how smoothly things progressed with the village chief, swiftly handling the residence registration. Hearing that a girl who had been wronged wished for a separate household registration, it was granted promptly, revealing that everyone harbors compassion, except the girl’s family, sigh...

"Your place is more grand after renovation than mine. There’s a pear tree and a persimmon tree behind the house, now enclosed within. Anyone wanting to pick them won’t find it easy. And these grindstones..."

The thing that astonished An Yi the most was when they moved aside a pile of stones, they discovered a hidden well in this household.

Upon reflection, it dawned on An Yi that they used to make tofu. Exhausted with the hassle of fetching water outside, they had secretly dug the well themselves. Otherwise, villagers nearby would likely flock to draw water from their home. Upon seeing this well, An Yi couldn’t help but praise their foresight in choosing such a fortunate spot.

"Sister, why don’t you come live with us? You can stay in the hall while we live in the side rooms. This place, once repaired, looks so good and spacious. The gossiping women in the village are green with envy!"

An Yi chuckled and shook her head, "A golden nest or a silver nest can’t compare to my humble doghouse. I wouldn’t join the bustle with you two. But with this well, remember to keep up appearances by fetching water outside, even if all it ends up watering the vegetables. Just make a show of it when there’s a crowd.

"Sister, don’t worry, we understand. From now on, we’ll close the door and live our own lives."

An Yi pondered, "If you meet good men in the future, you might still..."

Both shook their heads without hesitation, "No, even if someone genuinely means well for us, I don’t want my children to bear stigma all their lives. That wouldn’t be fair to them. It’s better this way. In the future, if any of us passes away, the others will handle the funeral arrangements. The last one will suffer some burden, but surely the villagers wouldn’t abandon us when the time comes.

Why does this sound so bittersweet?

An Yi sighed, patting their shoulders, "Let’s not talk about this. I’ll teach you about surviving in the future, okay?"

This year is 1953, and before the commune is established in 1958, there are five years. Even if we don’t do business for the last year, there are still at least four years remaining, right?

Her cow has space now, and the calf has grown. Four years later, it will be in its prime. Since she raised it herself, she must tuck it away in space beforehand, or it’ll belong to the collective. She needs to plan every contingency to avoid significant losses.

The three women will rely on its care in the future. That’s why she doesn’t intend for them to engage in big businesses, exposing themselves to criticism again?

She’d heard enough hurtful remarks in preceding years. After jumping into the river, they’re no longer the people they once were.

Hence, she wants to teach them how to make tofu.

"Make tofu?" The sisters covered their mouths in surprise, instinctively turning to look at the courtyard’s grindstones and well. After seeing An Yi’s serious expression, they hesitantly asked, "Is this true?"

"Of course! I mentioned teaching you survival skills, right? Coincidentally, I know how to make tofu. With your chosen house, you have decent conditions. We don’t need to sell it in the town. The surrounding villages alone will suffice for sales. Rest assured, I can guarantee that our tofu will be superior. This way, we’ll have business in the winter, even if it doesn’t fetch money, it can barter for grains, can’t it? And if they bring beans over, we can exchange them too. With beans, we can actually make many things like soybean paste, soy sauce, tofu skin—these can all be our derivative products,"

"Sister, you must have studied, right?" An Yi shrugged noncommittally, "What if I have? I’m just a farmer now."

With a hint of past memories, something probably unpleasant, the sisters’ eyes grew moist once more.

"Sister, thank you. Don’t worry, we will learn seriously."