I don't recognize her! Staring at the stranger with a friendly and sincere face, Lin Ziyin felt very awkward.
"Sister Bai, the master said my second sister has amnesia, so she can only recognize her family members for now." Lin Changting kindly explained to the woman.
"So that's what it is. She did have a serious head injury." The woman sighed and then looked at Lin Ziyin with sympathetic eyes. "But waking up is certainly a good thing."
"Yes." Lin Changting nodded like a little grown-up.
"Right." Lin Yanzhi also fervently nodded in agreement.
"Thank you for your concern, Sister-in-law." Not being familiar with her, Lin Ziyin had no choice but to hide her uneasiness behind her shyness.
"It's almost noon, you guys shouldn't stay outside too long." Sister Bai kindly reminded them.
"We will leave soon." Lin Ziyin answered with a faint smile.
Sister Bai was slightly surprised to see the once shy Lin Ziyin now so forthright and relaxed.
However, remembering Lin Ziyin's amnesia made it clear to her. "I have to go cook. I'll leave first, but once you're better, make sure you come to my house to visit."
"Of course." Lin Ziyin nodded in agreement, although she didn't really have the time to wander around.
The three watched Sister Bai hurriedly leave, and then they slowly started to walk home together.
"Changting, what are big brother and sister-in-law doing?" Lin Ziyin took the opportunity to ask her younger brother about the family's situation.
"They are preparing the fields to plant rice." Lin Changting answered without hesitation.
"And Grandpa?" For the past few days, Lin Ziyin had been bedridden. Every day, she saw only her oldest sister bustling about with the housework and embroidering while watching over her. Her brother Lin Changshu, sister-in-law, and grandfather were only home at meal times.
She had no memory of what her family members had been doing.
"Grandpa cuts firewood in the mountains in the morning and delivers it to the temple in the afternoon." Lin Changting took extra care of Lin Ziyin, fearful that she would tumble due to discomfort. He would assist her whenever he noticed any uneven paths. Although Lin Yanzhi was only three years old, he would also try his utmost to aid her.
The old man has to chop wood in the mountains even when he is unwell? Lin Ziyin frowned upon hearing this.
In the midst of their conversation, the three slowly returned home.
"Elder sister, now that I am well, you don't need to cook separately for me anymore," Lin Ziyin said.
"We still have enough rice to make a few more meals for you. We can discuss it further once we run out." Lin Zige was busy in the kitchen cooking lunch; she responded while bustling about the kitchen.
Knowing she couldn't persuade her, Lin Ziyin did not insist further.
She did indeed feel much better. After taking a walk and breathing some fresh air, her mood lifted.
Because Lin Zige adamantly refused to let her assist in the kitchen, Lin Ziyin carried a small stool and sat with her two younger brothers in the courtyard, admiring the distant view while occasionally chatting with Lin Zige. "Sister, do we own a lot of farming land? Can our brother and sister-in-law manage it all?"
"We have slightly more than three mu of paddy fields, and a bit more dry farmland - about seven or eight mu. A few days ago, your eldest brother and sister-in-law sowed the soybean seeds," Lin Zige responded loudly from the kitchen.
Lin Ziyin let out a secret sigh.
It seems like they have quite a lot of land at home. However, in ancient times, the yield per mu was starkly different from today's. Most of their land was used for planting soybeans and sorghum since this area was known for its harsh cold winters. Even now, in April, the chill night had them buried under blankets.