“Jiabao, you should take these back,” Li Qiuhua said, her tone laced with unease as she eyed the pheasants and rabbit in Li Jiabao’s hands.

The last time he came over to help carry grains, Li Qiuhua already felt something was off.

Shen Zhimei stood to the side, similarly unsure of what to do. Particularly when she noticed Li Jiabao’s frequent glances toward her younger sister, her brows furrowed so deeply they seemed capable of crushing a mosquito.

Though she had married young, Shen Zhimei still knew enough about people like Li Jiabao.

As the only son in his family, he had been spoiled rotten by his grandmother, Mrs. Li.

He is infamous within ten miles. Wherever there was trouble—brawls, gang fights—Li Jiabao was almost always involved.

On top of that, he loved to hover around young women, whether they were unmarried girls or wives.

People in the village despised him, but no one dared provoke him. Even the feisty Widow Chen only dared to hurl verbal insults from a safe distance, never daring to confront him directly.

“This is from my father; he caught it himself. There’s plenty more at home. With the weather so warm, it’ll spoil if we don’t eat it. Aunt Li, please just take it as a favor to us,” Li Jiabao said with an ingratiating smile, quickly reciting the lines he had prepared in advance.

Facing the scrutinizing stares of the Shen family, even someone as thick-skinned as Li Jiabao began to feel the pressure.

He and Brother Yu had grown up together, running around naked as kids. Surely brother Yu had mentioned him to this girl before?

So why was she acting so indifferent?

“Jiabao, I bought meat just yesterday. We really can’t eat this much. Please, take it back,” Li Qiuhua said with an awkward smile.

“But Sister Zhimei is here. Aunt Li, please keep it to add to your dishes,” Li Jiabao said, doubling down.

What was a little self-respect compared to his brother Yu’s happiness?

Under the grapevine trellis, Shen Zhihuan glanced at the tense scene. She walked over, took the pheasants and rabbit from Li Jiabao’s hands, and pulled out a large one-yuan note, slapping it into his hand.

“I can’t accept this,” Li Jiabao said, his face stiffening as he glanced at the money. He instinctively tried to return it to Shen Zhihuan.

If brother Yu found out he had taken money from Zhihuan, he might just kick him to death.

“Either you take the money, or you take the pheasants and rabbit back,” Shen Zhihuan said with a smile.

Li Jiabao froze, his grin faltering.

Could it be that Zhihuan had truly decided… to give up on brother Yu?

“It’s getting late, and we still need to prepare lunch,” Shen Zhihuan said, casting a pointed glance at the courtyard gate. Her message was clear.

“Alright then, Aunt Li, I’ll take my leave,” Li Jiabao said stiffly, forcing a smile before quickly turning to leave.

Once Li Jiabao was gone, Shen Zhimei rushed to shut the gate.

“Little Sister, how could you…”

Li Jiabao was nothing more than a thug. Associating with someone like him would ruin her chances for a good marriage.

“Elder Sister, this rabbit is for you to handle. I’ll boil some water for the pheasants,” Shen Zhihuan interrupted, cutting her off.

The matter was straightforward: goods for money. She didn’t see the need to overthink it.

“Third Sister, I’ll go boil the water,” Xiao Weidong said. He shoved the last piece of his snack into his mouth, sprinted into the kitchen, and began fetching water and lighting the fire in one seamless motion.

“Elder Sister, Li Jiabao isn’t as bad as you think,” Shen Zhihuan said, patting Shen Zhimei on the shoulder.

Anyone with such a clear gaze who secretly helped the elderly in the village couldn’t be entirely bad.

Shen Zhimei still looked uneasy. “But…”

“Elder Sister, I’m starving. If you don’t hurry, we’ll have to combine lunch and dinner into one meal,” Shen Zhihuan teased, playfully shaking her sister’s arm.

“Alright, alright, you go rest. Elder Sister will take care of it right away,” Shen Zhimei relented, rolling up her sleeves and getting to work.

Having walked for hours and dealt with the Yang family, Shen Zhihuan indeed felt tired. She nodded and retreated to her room to rest.

Shen Zhimei, now fully focused, grabbed the rabbit by the feet and went to the corner of the yard to skin it.

When the water boiled, Li Qiuhua pulled out some milk powder, prepared three bowls, and cooled them down on a bench at the kitchen door. She then carried a bowl into Shen Zhihuan’s room.

Shen Zhihuan, lying down to rest, heard the door open.

“Lunch is still a while off. Drink some milk first to fill your stomach.” Li Qiuhua said gently, blowing on the milk to cool it before handing it to her daughter.

“Mom, later, give Elder Sister some money, along with the milk powder and snacks from the cabinet for the two girls,” Shen Zhihuan said, sipping her milk.

“Don’t stew the rabbit legs until they fall apart. Take them out once cooked and let Elder Sister take them back for the girls.”

She genuinely liked the two little ones—they were sweet and well-behaved.

“Would 20 yuan be enough?” Li Qiuhua asked.

“Give her 50 yuan and say it’s from the articles I wrote.”

The fewer people who knew about the ginseng sale, the safer they were.

“Mom, you haven’t told Elder Sister or anyone else about… us selling that thing, right?” Shen Zhihuan suddenly asked.

“Of course not. What do you take me for?!” Li Qiuhua lightly flicked Shen Zhihuan’s forehead.

“I was just worried you might have slipped up,” Shen Zhihuan said with a playful grin, finishing her milk in one gulp.

“Are you hungry? Should I bring you some snacks?” Li Qiuhua asked, brushing a lock of hair from her daughter’s face.

“No need,” Shen Zhihuan replied, hugging her mother’s waist like a spoiled child.

Having a mother felt so wonderful!

“This girl! The older you get, the clingier you become. Now lie down and rest; I need to help your sister with lunch,” Li Qiuhua scolded affectionately, giving Shen Zhihuan a playful pat.

“Understood!” Shen Zhihuan saluted and lay back down.

Li Qiuhua adjusted the blanket over Shen Zhihuan and left the room with the empty bowl.

“Mom, you drink this instead,” Shen Zhimei said, eyeing the untouched milk.

“This is for you. Drink it,” Li Qiuhua insisted, heading toward the well to wash the empty bowl.

“Then let’s split it in half,” Shen Zhimei suggested, reaching for the bowl.

“Just drink it! Don’t make me angry,” Li Qiuhua said, hiding the bowl behind her back.

Watching this, Xiao Weidong gulped down his milk, ran into the house, and fetched the milk powder to make another bowl for Li Qiuhua.