Chapter 7
"Mommy..." Tommy stood timidly at the door, his small hands nervously twisting the hem of his shirt. His thin cheeks bore two bright patches of red, and his malnourished hair had a dull, yellowish tint.
Emily Johnson crouched down to meet his eye level. "Would you like some chicken?"
Tommy froze, his wide eyes filled with disbelief. He had expected another scolding—not this.
"Y-yes..." His voice was barely a whisper.
Soon, the tantalizing aroma of chestnut stewed chicken filled the kitchen. The rich scent made the two little boys fidget like hungry kittens by the doorway.
"David, it smells so good..." Tommy swallowed hard.
David kept a wary eye on their mother's busy figure, his small hand gripping his brother's shirt tightly. New clothes, new shoes, and now meat? None of this felt real.
Only when a steaming chicken leg was placed in his hand did David dare believe it. He took a careful bite, and the savory juices burst in his mouth.
"Slow down," Emily said, her heart aching as she watched them devour the food. In this era, even meat was a luxury for children.
"Tomorrow, we'll go pick wild berries in the hills," she mused, making a mental note to familiarize herself with local edible plants. If she accidentally bought exotic fruits from her phone, it would raise suspicions.
"But there are wild boars in the hills!" David suddenly looked up, his greasy face creased with worry. "Daddy never lets us go."
Wild boars? Emily tensed. The wilderness here wasn't as safe as in modern times.
"Then... we'll just stay near the foot of the hills."
After dinner, David volunteered to wash the dishes. Emily watched the tiny boy—barely taller than the stove—and felt her heart melt.
"Good job!" She ruffled his hair, noticing how he stiffened slightly at her touch.
Late at night, Emily lay in bed studying her phone. PennyDeals was the only app that worked, but strangely, her attempt to buy pork again failed.
"Only one purchase per day?" Frowning, she scrolled through her order history and noticed a pattern—there seemed to be a limit on items of the same category.
She quickly placed orders for a solar charger and two more sets of clothes. For underwear, she chose modest vests—anything too revealing wouldn’t do in this era.
"What kind of system is this...?" Muttering to herself, she washed the new clothes. She had no intention of wearing the original undergarments.
Tiptoeing to the children’s room, she peeked through the window. Moonlight bathed their faces, which finally showed a hint of healthy color.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo—"
Before dawn, the rooster's crow jolted Emily awake. Rubbing her temples, she realized a serious problem:
In a world without alarm clocks, how was she supposed to sleep in?