CHAPTER 378: CHAPTER 376: AUSPICIOUS SNOW FORETELLS A GOOD HARVEST, DISASTROUS SNOW BRINGS CALAMITY

Usually, when Mrs. Xiao Li saw her, she would always call her "Jiaojiao" as if she was very close to her. Of course, Mrs. Xiao Li referred to herself as "mother."

But today, when Mrs. Xiao Li saw her again, it was as if she became a different person.

Holy shit, could she really have changed into someone else?

Without any reason, a trace of fear emerged in Yuan Bao’s heart.

After all, Yuan Bao herself had come from another world, even though she was born into this one. But before her, there was another Sheng Xueyi, who was also a transmigrator and had even been reborn once.

If Mrs. Xiao Li had a similar situation, it wouldn’t be impossible.

Yuan Bao hadn’t figured it out yet, and Mrs. Xiao Li had already left with her youngest son.

Throughout the entire interaction, Mrs. Xiao Li’s attitude was completely different from before, making Yuan Bao suspect that she might have been replaced by someone else.

"Nanny Xue!"

Yuan Bao looked at Nanny Xue beside her, "Go follow her and see what she’s up to this time?"

"Yes!"

Nanny Xue obediently agreed and quickly followed to see Mrs. Zeng’s Mrs. Xiao Li.

Even though Yuan Bao suspected Mrs. Xiao Li was a different person, the chances of that happening were too slim. No matter how lucky she was, she wouldn’t repeatedly encounter transmigrators, right?

The most important thing is, if Mrs. Xiao Li had indeed been possessed by a transmigrator, then to avoid exposure, the person would surely try to maintain Mrs. Xiao Li’s original personality or pretend to have lost her memory.

But right now, none of that is happening!

So either the transmigrator is incredibly foolish, or Mrs. Xiao Li is still Mrs. Xiao Li!

Comparatively, Yuan Bao felt it was more likely Mrs. Xiao Li was still Mrs. Xiao Li.

Her previous fear was likely just scaring herself.

Returning to her courtyard, Yuan Bao quickly emptied her mind. Rather than worrying about Mrs. Xiao Li, she needed to practice her sword skills!

No matter what changes take place with Mrs. Xiao Li, nothing will affect her.

Nanny Xue quickly returned from Mrs. Zeng’s and brought back firsthand information.

Mrs. Xiao Li is still Mrs. Xiao Li.

However, the current Mrs. Xiao Li has changed her attitude towards Yuan Bao. Or perhaps she’s realized that no matter how much she tries, she cannot change the harm she caused Yuan Bao.

"Nanny Xue, do you think she’s sincere?"

Yuan Bao was somewhat uncertain.

Regarding Mrs. Xiao Li, her biological mother, Yuan Bao never quite understood what she was thinking.

Sometimes she’s cunning like a sly fox.

Other times, Mrs. Xiao Li is incredibly foolish.

Such unpredictability makes it so not just Yuan Bao, but even Yuan Zhaodi, who shared a pillow, couldn’t see through Mrs. Xiao Li’s thoughts.

"Village chief, I don’t know."

Nanny Xue couldn’t provide an answer to Yuan Bao’s inquiry.

Even someone as experienced as Nanny Xue, who had seen countless intrigues in large households, found it difficult to grasp Mrs. Xiao Li’s intentions.

Just like Yuan Bao’s view, sometimes Mrs. Xiao Li is truly clever, and sometimes, truly foolish. The most baffling thing is, you never know when she will be clever or when she’ll be foolish.

The result is, when you overestimate her, her actions shatter your beliefs. And when you underestimate her, she can catch you by surprise.

"Then, let’s go along with what she says!"

Business is business!

Yuan Bao pondered and made a decision.

Since Mrs. Xiao Li wants to break from the past and honestly be her Fourth Aunt, she will certainly allow her to do so.

...

Days passed by.

This winter’s snow was relentless.

They say a timely snow promises a bumper harvest, but continuous heavy snow can become calamitous.

The heavy snow crushed many houses.

Because of the continual snow, roads were cut off.

Many households with insufficient firewood were facing the threat of freezing and starving to death.

In fact, these families didn’t lack food, but without firewood, how can they cook the food into meals?

Eat raw?

Adults can chew raw food, but how can the elderly and young children?

With roads cut off, orders from the court couldn’t get through.

In Yunyang City, the Wei Family stepped forward, organizing the city’s major families to start providing porridge on the streets while mobilizing the city’s garrison to start clearing snow and open up roads.

It’s important to know that city dwellers lack firewood, while villagers might lack food.

Of course, they might lack firewood as well.

According to Mrs. Wei Shen, this snowstorm is something she’s never seen in her life.

Even though the Wei Family took action, opening roads is not something that can be done overnight.

Given that the snow on the roads is already knee-deep for adults.

That’s just the snow on the roads, whereas some paths leading to forests have snow deep enough to bury a person.

Listening to her foster mother’s murmurs, Yuan Bao sighed silently.

In her space, she had enough firewood, but she couldn’t take it out directly.

Due to the continuous snow for days, her Breathing Technique practice had to pause.

On her way back from the Wei Family to the Yuan Family, Yuan Bao heard cries continuously.

Even though the families in the city were distributing porridge on the streets, at night when cold descends, families without sufficient firewood still had people freezing to death.

The cries from both sides of the roads were because of this.

Yuan Bao didn’t stop the carriage but let the driver continue all the way back to the Yuan Family.

That night, Yuan Bao decided to take a gamble.

She quietly added some sleep-inducing powder to her family’s dinner.

This powder, Yuan Bao obtained after seeking help from her foster father following an assassination attempt. It was meant to be one of her life-saving ace cards, but now she quietly applied it to her family’s quarters.

So, that night, most of the Yuan Family slept soundly.

Only the courtyards of Song Family’s and Mrs. Peng, still in confinement, remained unchanged.

Yuan Bao hadn’t added the powder to them since her little cousins were still nursing.

The night deepened.

Yuan Bao dressed up and quietly slipped out from the house.

She had to engage in disaster relief!

The ample firewood in her space could now save lives.

With recent training, Yuan Bao’s speed was fast; her short legs ran swiftly.

Every so often, she would leave a pile of firewood on the street.

Once someone discovered the firewood, the city’s dwellers could survive this crisis.

If someone approached, Yuan Bao would hide in the roadside snow piles, using a piece of white cotton cloth to successfully employ the Invisibility Technique and avoid the patrolling soldiers.

Then, as patrolling soldiers discovered the piled-up firewood by the roadside, Yunyang City gradually became lively.