I woke up in the middle of the night and began cultivating my internal energy, drawing upon the memories stored in this body. According to the knowledge of the previous owner, cultivators are highly esteemed in this era. A single cultivator can defeat ten or more martial artists based on the strength accumulated through their internal energy. In my previous life, the organization I was part of researched similar techniques, but they yielded no results. Perhaps the pollution in the modern world prevented them from absorbing the earth spirit energy. My mother, who clearly had a significant background, taught me how to cultivate. My father was also involved, but the previous Bellona was sworn to secrecy about it. I continued my cultivation until I heard a noise in the nearby room, prompting me to get up and change into a different robe.
" Good morning." Elder Brother greeted me as he proceeded to wash up.
Seeley, still half-asleep, followed suit but stopped when he saw me and asked why I had woken up so early.
I simply hugged him and greeted him with a "Good morning" in return. He laughed and leaned on me.
" Both of you should wash up first," Uncle Jiang chimed in from behind us, light-hearted laughter accompanying his words. Both of us washed up and began our training. We knew we couldn't afford to slack off, so after Uncle Jiang set up the fire to boil water, he joined us to supervise our training. They both had a series of training exercises passed down from our father. As I started my training, they looked at me with confusion.
" I... well, I can't tell you everything, but some of it was taught to me by my mother, and the rest is my own martial arts training. I can teach you later," I explained, referring to the training I had received in the organization and incorporating some techniques frequently practiced by the old Bellona.
Each of us focused on our own world during training. Eventually, I noticed Cree sleepily training with Uncle Jiang. It brought a smile to my face – he was such an adorable little thing!
After two hours of training, we changed out of our clothes. I sighed, realizing that we were in desperate need of money. Since our escape, we had been wearing commoner's clothing that was coarse and rough. I only had two faded robes and a few torn pieces of inner clothing.
After changing, I checked on the leaf jelly I had prepared the day before. The water had solidified into a jelly-like substance and was ready to be eaten. Seeley started the fire while I chopped the necessary ingredients. I made a mental note to buy some seasonings.
In a pot, I reheated the leftover porridge and added some dried mushrooms to it. On the stone stove, I wiped the earthen wok and added a small amount of oil to sauté some garlic and onion. Then I added thin slices of ginger and dried chili.
" Bal, be careful not to make the fire too big. The garlic can easily burn," I warned. I added some salt, soy sauce, and a cup of water.
" Eh? What's that?" Elder Brother peeked over my shoulder.
" Older brother, could you continue stirring it? Just watch it until it simmers down," I handed him a wooden spatula and took three large pieces of cassava. After washing them, I started cutting them into thin slices.
" Younger sister, it's done," Elder Brother announced.
" Hmm, please help me pour it into a bowl," I requested as I prepared to add the sauce to the leaf tofu. Then, I began frying the ripe red chili and asked Eldest Brother to pound it into powder, just like the salt. While they did that, I asked Seeley to make the fire bigger this time so that the fried cassava would turn out crisp and crunchy.
Eldest Brother started setting the table, while I preheated the chili sauce and instructed Seeley to season the fried cassava with chili powder and salt.
" Bal, isn't it a bit too much?" Seeley asked, puzzled.
" I plan to give some to our neighbor," I explained. I had already separated a small portion of jelly tofu and fried cassava onto a plate.
" Eh? Why? Didn't you say we shouldn't bother with them?" Both of them looked at me with confusion.
" Hmm, Bellona is right," Uncle Jiang suddenly spoke up, his eyes filled with admiration for me. 'It looks like Young Miss is decisive and intelligent,' he thought.
I didn't bother explaining to them and called Cree.
" Eh? Euno-wa-wait! Explain to us?" I heard Seeley say as I left the kitchen. I was confident that Uncle Jiang would explain it to them, so I didn't feel the need to elaborate. I mentally laughed.
IN THE KITCHEN
UNCLE JIANG POV
" Uncle Jiang?" Although the First Young Master stood in silence, I could see the confusion in his eyes, much like the Second Young Master.
" If you have, give; if you lack, seek." They were taken aback. I knew that both Young Masters were intelligent and only needed a slight hint to grasp the underlying thought. What surprised me was that the Young Miss had already figured it out.
" Hmm," the Elder Young Master nodded.
" It is better to return the borrowed pot with a little something you last cooked in it. Previously, that family of hunters in the neighborhood helped us greatly. They provided rations and even sold us some household materials at a low price."
" Friendship alone cannot exist without a gift, just as support cannot exist without friends. We are new to this village, and eventually, we may need their support."
Both of them looked towards the door and smiled.
Bellona entered and sat down. None of us mentioned anything, but I could see that both Young Masters held the Young Miss in high admiration. Cree should be the one delivering the food—eh? Cree? Why? I wondered why the Third Young Master was the one—A scene flashed through my mind.
"Generosity is consistent not in the sum given, but in the manner in which it is bestowed," Master Moore once said.
I could see the shadow of the extremely intelligent Master Moore in the little figure of the Young Miss. He was right, and the Young Miss was right. A child's innocence and enthusiasm cannot be disliked by anyone. A small gesture can bring great joy, as if the one presenting it treats it as a treasure. I held great admiration for the Young Miss. Haha! The heavens are fair. I can see a great hope that we will soon find the House Master and make a comeback.
Bellona had no idea that such a simple matter had caused such a commotion. She was just too lazy to go herself and didn't want to interact with other people.