Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Wild Chicken

After finding the coal mine, Yang Xue gathered some dried branches and fallen leaves to camouflage the site. She made a discreet marker nearby before finally heading back.

Meanwhile, Yang Yu and Yang Tian had collected some wild fruit and were pacing back and forth in a frantic circle, having waited a long time without seeing any sign of Yang Xue.

Just as they were preparing to go look for her, they spotted Yang Xue slowly walking toward them from a distance.

The two immediately ran toward her in a joyful rush. “Second Sister! Second Sister, where did you go? We couldn’t find you—we were worried sick!”

Yang Xue pulled a bird from behind her back. “Ta-da! Look, what’s this?”

The moment they saw it was a wild chicken, their attention shifted instantly. Their faces lit up with even greater surprise. “Wow! Second Sister, it’s a wild chicken! A real wild chicken! Where did you get it?”

“I caught it in the mountains. It was quite a slippery one, so it took some effort. Sorry for making you wait so long.”

Of course, Yang Xue hadn’t actually chased it through the brush; she had retrieved it from her Space. The Space was teeming with wildlife, and Yang Xue wasn’t about to waste energy hunting on the mountain when she could simply pluck one out—saving both time and effort.

Yang Yu and Yang Tian didn’t mind the wait at all. They had only been worried about her safety; now that they knew she had delayed catching a chicken, they were even more forgiving.

Yang Tian stared at the bird, already imagining how delicious it would taste cooked. His mouth began to water. “Second Sister, it’s fine, it’s fine! Let’s hurry back. Big Sister and Mother will be so happy when they see you caught a chicken!”

Yang Yu’s eyes were also burning with anticipation. “Yeah, Second Sister, let’s go back quickly.”

Seeing their expressions—as if they were ready to swallow the chicken whole right then and there—Yang Xue felt a mix of amusement and heartache.

Amused because their expressions were genuinely cute and endearing; heartbroken because she realized that throughout their young lives, they had barely tasted meat. That was the only reason they looked so starved for it.

Sigh… Poor things.

“Alright, let’s go back and cook some chicken.”

Yang Yu and Yang Tian immediately cheered at the top of their lungs. “Yay!”

…

As the three of them approached the cave, Yang Xue spotted a familiar figure speaking with Qian Yue’e from a distance. A closer look revealed it was Sun Qiuping.

Recognizing her, Yang Xue’s gaze darkened instinctively. Yang Yu and Yang Tian noticed too, and their small faces immediately slumped.

Yang Yu looked up at Yang Xue anxiously. “Second Sister, are Grandpa and Grandma on the mountain too? Will they try to steal our chicken?”

Yang Tian’s face crumpled into a frown. “Second Sister, let’s hide the chicken first, otherwise Grandpa and Grandma will definitely take it away.”

Yang Xue gave them a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I’m here. I won’t let them take it.”

Internally, Yang Xue was puzzled. When did the old Yang family come up the mountain? Had they come up with the other villagers that night? But that didn’t seem right; they had watched the remaining villagers arrive and hadn’t seen anyone from the Yang household.

Could they have come up today? Surely not. Was the old Yang family really that hard to kill? With such violent winds, rain, and flooding, they should have been blown away or swept into the current—dead or crippled at best. Even if they survived, they would be too exhausted by the storm to move. So how was someone appearing on the mountain looking perfectly fine?

With these doubts, Yang Xue approached and called out, “Mother, we’re back.”

Qian Yue’e turned around and beamed. “You’re back! Are you all alright?”

“We’re fine,” Yang Xue replied, then shifted her gaze to Sun Qiuping. “Second Aunt, why are you here?”

Sun Qiuping’s eyes were already glued to the chicken in Yang Xue’s hand. She couldn’t help but swallow hard before explaining how she had brought the children up the mountain that night.

Yang Xue raised an eyebrow, surprised that Sun Qiuping actually had the brains and the initiative to flee on her own. Observing the conversation, she noticed Sun Qiuping wasn’t acting with her usual mockery or sarcasm, and Qian Yue’e seemed relaxed. Yang Xue felt somewhat relieved; Sun Qiuping didn’t seem to be a threat to her family.

Hearing that only Sun Qiuping and her children were on the mountain—and that the rest of the old Yang family was absent—Yang Yu and Yang Tian’s worried faces finally began to relax. Although they had never been close to this aunt, she had never personally hit or bullied them either, so they viewed her with neutral indifference.

Just as they let their guard down, a single sentence from Sun Qiuping made them jump. She stared at the chicken and asked, “Xue girl, did you catch a wild chicken?”

Yang Yu and Yang Tian’s internal alarms went off instantly. They glared at her defensively.

Yang Xue remained expressionless, giving a curt nod. “Mhm.”

The children’s defensive stance was so obvious that Sun Qiuping couldn’t miss it. She couldn’t help but tease, “Oh, look at you two little things. Are you afraid I’m going to eat your chicken?”

“Fine, fine. I just came by to chat with your mother. I should head back and see if my kids found anything to eat.”

Being teased didn’t embarrass Yang Yu or Yang Tian. They didn’t relax a bit until they saw Sun Qiuping walk far away.

Qian Yue’e said helplessly, “Acting like that will make your Second Aunt sad.”

Yang Yu bit his lip. “But… but the Second Sister worked so hard to catch that chicken.”

Yang Tian added, “Yeah, what if Second Aunt wanted to take it?”

Having grown up in the chaotic environment of the old Yang household, their defensiveness was deeply ingrained. Qian Yue’e didn’t know what else to say.

Yang Xue looked at the two of them. “Well, knowing how to guard against people with ulterior motives is a good trait.”

“However,” she continued, “you must learn to observe. Not everyone has bad intentions. You have to learn to relax when it’s appropriate.”

“Otherwise, if you keep the string pulled too tight every single day, you’ll snap eventually.”

Having too high a guard could lead to personality flaws, which wasn’t a good thing. If they stayed this guarded against everyone, it would eventually evolve into a subconscious distrust of even those closest to them.

Yang Yu and Yang Tian didn’t quite understand, but Yang Xue wasn’t in a hurry. “It’s alright. You’ll figure it out in time.”

They both nodded. “Okay. We’ll listen to Second Sister.”