After washing his face and hands, Daniel Ross returned to the kitchen.
Hannah Carter was standing in front of the grain cabinet.
She turned her head and asked,
"Daniel, do you still have a lot of grain left?"
"Sister Hannah, this is food I saved by being careful and frugal," Daniel explained.
"Whenever I travel through the countryside, this is what I rely on."
Even now, this little troublemaker still refused to give up and kept trying to get something more out of him.
Hannah frowned and asked,
"Can you really finish all this cornmeal and wheat flour?"
"How could I not?" Daniel replied as he pulled over a chair and sat down.
"Whenever I go to the villages, I spend the whole day moving from place to place. It's exhausting work, no less tiring than Jack Miller's."
"So my appetite in the countryside is much bigger than when I'm in the city."
Seeing that Hannah was still staring at the cornmeal and wheat flour beside the grain jar, Daniel added,
"Stop looking."
"I'm already giving you ten pounds of cornmeal to take back."
"I can't give you more than that. I truly don't have any extra."
Hannah sighed inwardly.
Seeing how firm Daniel's attitude was, she chose not to push the matter any further.
If the family truly had no food, then going hungry for a while might be better.
Let Jack Miller figure something out himself.
Before long, the cornbread was ready.
Hannah made six in total.
She ate two herself and handed four to Daniel.
"Why don't you take one more?" Daniel suggested.
This cornbread had been made from coarse flour and was hard to swallow.
Daniel usually didn't enjoy eating it.
Hannah shook her head and smiled.
"You still have a conscience."
"But you should eat more so you have enough energy to work."
She herself came from a rural background and knew just how difficult it was to travel across mountains and rivers in winter.
Daniel hesitated for a moment, but still handed her another steamed bun.
"Eat one more."
"I'm not going too far today, so eating one less won't hurt me."
Hannah's nose tingled with emotion.
This time, she didn't refuse.
She hummed softly in agreement, took the bun, and began nibbling on it.
During the meal, both of them remained unusually quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.
Hannah felt restless.
She couldn't stop wondering how she was supposed to face her parents and uncles after returning home.
She hadn't come back in years.
Not only had she brought no gifts, but she had come hoping to ask her family for food.
That alone was shameful enough.
If Mrs. Miller hadn't kept scolding her and forcing her to come back for grain, Hannah would never have wanted to return at all.
Meanwhile, Daniel was thinking about whether he should go hunting in the mountains today.
It had snowed again last night, and the layer outside was now even thicker.
Traveling along the mountain paths would be difficult.
Hunting would be even more challenging.
Besides, most of the game in the nearby mountain areas had already been thoroughly hunted out.
If he truly wanted better luck, he would probably need to go deep into the dense forest much farther away.
After thinking for a while, he looked up and asked,
"Sister Hannah, do you really want to go back today?"
"Yes, I have to," Hannah nodded.
"Otherwise Henry's grandmother will scold me again."
"Morning or afternoon?" Daniel asked.
"That depends on how things go."
"But I think morning is more likely."
"I haven't been back in many years, and my parents probably won't be happy to see me."
"Staying there too long would only make me uncomfortable," Hannah replied after thinking carefully.
Daniel nodded.
"Alright. I'll stay home this morning."
"If you want to leave, come back this way and I'll take you down the mountain so you can catch the bus back to the city."
Hannah didn't refuse.
Her foot injury still hadn't fully healed, and she couldn't walk very far.
Since Daniel had a bicycle, even if the snowy roads made riding difficult, pushing the bicycle was still better than walking the whole way.
After discussing it, Daniel decided not to go to the mountains that day.
He would first see Hannah off in the morning.
Then in the afternoon, he planned to visit old Mr. Carter next door and ask him to make some furniture.
It would be much cheaper than buying ready-made pieces in the city.
Even though Daniel was now technically the richest man in Chicago because of the system, he still believed in saving money whenever possible.
After returning from the carpenter's house, if time allowed, he planned to cook several pots of beef and rice to store in his room.
That way, whether he went hunting in the mountains or had to travel far, he would always have hot food ready.
After breakfast, Hannah cleaned the kitchen, picked up her basket, and said goodbye.
As she was leaving, Daniel found a straight walking stick from the woodshed and handed it to her for support.
"Walk slowly," Daniel warned.
"The roads are slippery with snow."
"If you fall again, forget about returning to the city today."
Hannah nodded.
"Alright. I'm going now, and I'll come back to see you later."
Daniel sighed inwardly as he watched Hannah leave.
This time, she didn't take the same route Emily had used the day before.
Instead, she deliberately made a long detour and planned to enter Carter Village from another direction.
It was a very cautious move.
After returning inside, all Daniel had left to do was wait.
But he didn't remain idle.
Instead, he began preparing everything he would need for hunting in the mountains the next day.
Guns.
Powder.
Ropes.
Fire-starting materials.
Matches.
An axe.
A shovel.
A raincoat.
A flashlight.
Not knowing whether he might have to stay overnight in the mountains, Daniel also prepared another velvet cloth, spare clothes, and two quilts.
After thinking a little longer, he worried that the mountain wood might be too damp to light properly.
So he went to the woodshed and brought back several bundles of dry firewood.
As a precaution, he stored everything inside the system space.
At noon, he steamed more buns and dumplings, slowly braised several pots of beef, prepared dozens of bowls of rice, baked several flatbreads, and boiled extra water.
All of it would be useful.
Once placed inside the system space, the temperature of the food never changed.
It could be taken out and used immediately, which was incredibly convenient.
After preparing everything, Daniel finally had some free time.
He was just about to return to his room and pick up a book to read when his ears twitched.
He suddenly sensed someone approaching his house.
Now that he had been linked with the system, his senses had become unbelievably sharp.
Nothing within a hundred meters escaped his notice.
When Daniel stepped outside and looked up, he found Hannah had returned.
He immediately wondered why she had come back so quickly.
Is she crying?
Looks like I was right. Her family didn't welcome her warmly at all, Daniel thought.
Seeing that Hannah was having difficulty walking, Daniel immediately went to support her.
As soon as he got close, he saw tears on her face.
"Sister Hannah, did they scold you?" he asked.
"You already knew the answer, so why ask?" Hannah rolled her eyes, wiped her tears, and said in a choked voice.
Daniel laughed, crouched halfway in front of her, then turned his back.
"Come on, get on. I'll carry you back."
Hannah hummed softly in agreement, stepped forward, and leaned onto Daniel's back.
Seeing that she was still upset, Daniel asked curiously,
"Sister Hannah, why did you come back so soon? What happened?"
"What else could happen?" Hannah replied bitterly.
"The house was cold and dusty, just like you said."
"They only have enough corn porridge for one meal a day."
"Before I could even ask for food, my mother already scolded me terribly."
Then she asked in a trembling voice,
"Daniel… do you think I'm a bad daughter?"
"I'm not filial at all, am I?"
Daniel answered honestly,
"Yes. You really are rather unfilial."
Hannah burst into tears again.
Sobbing, she said,
"I never thought you'd say that to me."
"Couldn't you at least say something nice to comfort me?"
"No," Daniel said seriously.
"If I lied to comfort you, that would be cruel in another way."
By the time they returned home, Hannah's emotions had gradually settled.
She finally stopped crying.
Daniel brought her into the kitchen, helped her sit on a chair, and filled a basin with warm water so she could wash her face.
She didn't stay long.
Soon after, Daniel seated her on his bicycle and took her down to the roadside.
When the bus arrived, he handed her the promised ten pounds of cornmeal.
Then Hannah finally returned to the city.