Chapter 5

Outside the kitchen, in the courtyard, Old Man Li did not notice that Luo Zhi'er and her daughter had not come to eat.

He picked up some pickled vegetables in his bowl and sat on a large stone by the courtyard, focused solely on shoveling food into his mouth.

A few teenage boys scooped up every last drop of the large bowl of egg drop soup that had just been brought to the table!

Li Gui frowned in displeasure; this was the reason he could never stand staying at home.

However, looking at the empty bowls spinning on the table, he swallowed hard; before he could even scoop some, it was gone.

Helplessly, he picked up some shredded radish to help wash down the food, which was truly difficult to swallow.

He began to complain, saying with disdain, "Mother... remember to put more eggs in next time."

"It's all because of these stinky brats! Gui'er, look, there are still some egg ribbons and greens at the bottom of the bowl. Mother will scrape them out for you to eat, okay!"

Madam Zhou said placatingly.

She thought that when no one was looking later, she would fry an egg for her Gui'er.

She hurriedly stood up and used her chopsticks to scrape all the remaining bits from the bottom of the bowl into Li Gui's bowl.

Li Gui frowned; seeing his mother use the chopsticks he had already used to mash food into his bowl made him feel momentarily nauseated...

"Are you reincarnated as a starving ghost or something? Leave some for your little uncle!"

Madam Zhou scolded the younger ones again!

Saliva flew everywhere!

Little Madam Zhou pursed her lips; only her youngest son was a treasure, but were her own children and husband not?

To grab, she must grab! Why not grab? Being able to snatch a few egg ribbons wasn't bad!

"Mother, my Yunliang and Mu Qing are at the age where they are growing!"

Madam Zhou grumbled, "What, you're still dissatisfied even after they've eaten it all?"

"Mother, your daughter-in-law just feels that since they are all descendants of the Li family, you shouldn't be biased!"

"What? In the future, I am going to enjoy the blessings of our Gui'er, but what about you? What blessings can you give this old woman?"

"Serve your whole family?"

Little Madam Zhou's face turned sheepish.

Madam Chen looked at the unsightly scene of the eldest family at the table with great disdain, spitting in contempt; the country folk truly had no manners.

She looked with heartache at her two *ge'er* sons, especially as the second one began to wail loudly.

"Jiabao, don't cry. Isn't it just eggs? When Mother goes back to town, I'll have your grandmother fry some for you!"

"Just this stuff, hmph, it's not like we haven't eaten it before!"

She snorted with a sarcastic tone...

The watery, bland food was long since difficult to swallow.

If it weren't for that matter regarding the wheat, she wouldn't want to stay in this village for even a second longer.

It had made the second son, Li Lei, unable to hold his head up...

Completely no one cared whether the two girls, Liu Liu and Miao Miao, were currently in their growing stages...

Because of the busy harvest season, Li Sanmao had not gone hunting for some time; with only this little bit of meat in the house, they hadn't even managed to distribute it evenly...

Under the complaining gaze of his wife, the second son also wordlessly picked up some cold pickled vegetables and fed them into his mouth, eating them with corn grits!

It made him want to vomit; he worked all year round to earn money for the family, only to eat this stuff!

Halfway through eating, he smelled a fragrant, mouth-watering scent of meat drifting through the air; it was so fragrant he almost drooled.

"What is that smell?"

Old Man Li stopped and sniffed...

"Father, it seems to be meat."

The second son also took a deep breath and sniffed!

"Where did meat come from?"

"Could it really be the snake meat made by that fat Luo? Can a snake be made this fragrant?"

Madam Zhou said in disbelief, hesitating.

"Mother, I'll go take a look, just wait a moment!"

Little Madam Zhou's eyes darted around; she stood up, grabbed her bowl, and ran quickly. Entering the kitchen, she saw Luo Zhi'er and her daughter drinking soup, and the aroma was truly delicious...

"Hehe! Third Sister-in-law, what is this? You're eating so happily! Why are you eating alone?"

Luo Zhi'er didn't even lift her head. "Sister-in-law, what we are eating are just things that aren't fit for the table. Mother wouldn't let Miao Miao and me eat the food you make, so how can it be called eating alone?"

Wasn't this "eating alone" because they had deliberately separated the two of them?

Little Madam Zhou's brow furrowed; she felt that this third daughter-in-law was somehow different now, her words piercing straight to the heart!

She placed another piece of snake into Miao Miao's bowl: "Miao Miao, eat more!"

"Mmm, Mother, this snake soup is really delicious! Snake meat is actually very tasty!"

Watching Miao Miao gulp down the soup and eat the meat, Luo Zhi'er felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction! There was a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"Sister-in-law, you have rice and dishes, so don't tease the two of us!"

Madam Zhou's eyes rolled around. "Look at what you're saying, Third Sister-in-law. What kind of food do we have? It's hard even to fill our bellies. I won't be picky about this snake meat, let Sister-in-law have a taste..."

Having said that, she swallowed repeatedly and ran to the stove to scoop a full bowl for herself. After taking a sip, her eyes lit up!

"This is too delicious! Third Sister-in-law, leave a little more for us, don't eat it all!"

She scooped a bit more to fill her bowl before running back out!

Luo Zhi'er stood up, got a large bowl for Miao Miao, and scooped in plenty of snake pieces until it was full. "Miao Miao, eat quickly, it might be gone in a moment!"

"Ah, Mother, how about giving some to Liu Liu to eat?"

Luo Zhi'er said, "Don't worry, they won't be able to resist coming to scoop some later; they will get to drink it."

She also filled her own bowl; she knew her own body well—if she didn't nourish herself properly, it would be a matter of life and death!

Sure enough, as soon as Little Madam Zhou went out, Madam Zhou ran in: "You little brat, this snake meat is so delicious, why didn't you scoop some out for your parents-in-law, your brothers, sisters-in-law, and nephews to taste?"

Luo Zhi'er gave a cold smile. "Mother, it was you who wouldn't let me go out and eat with you all, saying this snake was dirty and disgusting. Now you're blaming us..."

Madam Zhou was fuming with rage. What had happened to this third daughter-in-law? Previously, she would say whatever she was told, but today she had already countered her several times...

"Mother, Little Uncle doesn't like eating this, you must not give it to him..."

Having said that, she gave a meaningful smile.

"You!"

Madam Zhou couldn't be bothered to argue with her, because this snake soup was simply too delicious that she couldn't help but drool...

A few iron ladles scooped the pot clean. As she walked away, she said, "Hmph! It's all gone into the dog's belly, there's only this little bit left, who can even eat it!"

"Mother, why is Grandma not taking back her words? She just said who would eat this stuff, and now it's all scooped up!"

Miao Miao said curiously.

"Miao Miao, you are still young, you don't understand the adult world. When things involve interests, they can change in an instant!"

"Oh." Miao Miao was dazed and confused. Luo Zhi'er patted her head: "How is it? Are you full?"

"Full, but it was too delicious. Miao Miao has never eaten anything so tasty before, I want to eat more..."

"Hehe! It's good that you're full. Next time, Mother will make something even more delicious for you!"

"Yay! Mother, you are so good."

(End of Chapter)