After waking up in the hospital, Tong Zhenzhen was filled with guilt—blaming herself for arguing with Tong Xuelu and feeling sorry for making her parents worry over her weak health.

Despite their urging, she insisted on being discharged, saying it was too much of a waste of money to stay hospitalized.

Father Tong and Mother Tong already felt they owed their biological daughter, and seeing how sensible she was only made them feel more disappointed in Tong Xuelu’s lack of maturity.

But when the family returned home, they were met with unexpected news—Tong Xuelu had left!

Tong Zhenzhen looked utterly shocked. “Sister-in-law, Tong Xuelu really left?”

That didn’t sound like the vain, attention-seeking Tong Xuelu she knew.

This had to be one of her manipulative tactics—retreating in order to gain sympathy, making the Tong family feel guilty and miss her!

So cunning. So sly.

Chen Yueling gave her a glance. “Why would I lie to you? She’s been gone for several hours already.”

“She didn’t even say anything before leaving?”

Just earlier, Mother Tong had been frustrated with Tong Xuelu’s immaturity, but now upon hearing that she was really gone, a wave of sadness welled up inside her.

Tong Xuelu might not be their biological daughter, but they’d raised her with love for over a decade. You can’t just cut that bond off overnight.

Seeing her mother’s reaction, Tong Zhenzhen felt a wave of discomfort deep in her chest.

But on the surface, she wore an expression of guilt. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have argued with her. I should’ve just let her scold me. Then maybe I wouldn’t have fainted, and she wouldn’t have stormed off without a word. Mom, don’t be sad—I’ll go find her and bring her back.”

Every word struck right at the heart.

On the surface, she was blaming herself—but every sentence was laced with implications that Tong Xuelu was unreasonable and ill-tempered.

Chen Yueling’s suspicion deepened. This sister-in-law of hers wasn’t as simple as she looked.

She raised a hand to stop her. “Zhenzhen, the reason your little sister left was to make space for you. If you go after her now, won’t that just make her sacrifice meaningless? What if you bring her back and you two start fighting again?”

“……”

Tong Zhenzhen nearly choked on her own breath.

Make space? What space?! The rightful place of the Tong family’s true daughter was hers from the start—Tong Xuelu was the imposter who’d taken what didn’t belong to her!

And besides, who was the one causing all the drama? She wasn’t the one picking fights—Tong Xuelu was the unreasonable one!

But she couldn’t say any of this out loud. It was infuriating!

Chen Yueling ignored her and turned toward the Tong parents. “Dad, Mom, Little Sister said she didn’t want to make things harder for you two, didn’t want the house to be filled with arguing every day. So as the outsider, she chose to leave. She also told us to take good care of you in the future…”

Mother Tong’s eyes turned red as she listened. “When did that girl become so thoughtful… It’s heartbreaking just hearing that…”

“……”

Tong Zhenzhen’s expression was sourer than rotten tofu.

Thoughtful, my ass.

Anyone can spout a few nice-sounding lines. That doesn’t make you a saint!

And what was going on with Sister-in-law all of a sudden—why was she suddenly standing up for Tong Xuelu?

Bunch of two-faced snakes!

—

Tong Xuelu, meanwhile, had no idea that the trap she’d set for Tong Zhenzhen was already working so perfectly.

After unloading the things she bought into her room, she casually grabbed a handful of milk candies and two eggs, then headed to Aunt Cai’s house next door.

The little boy was in the yard watching ants move house. The moment he saw her, he came running over with a big grin: “Pretty sister!”

Tong Xuelu handed him two candies. “What’s your name?”

The little boy clutched the milk candy tightly in his tiny hands, grinning so wide his eyes nearly disappeared. “My name’s Zhu Dan!”

Zhu Dan?

Tong Xuelu almost choked on her own spit. “Then… is your older brother named Gou Dan?”

Zhu Dan’s mouth dropped open in an ‘O’ shape, clearly shocked that she knew, then he nodded enthusiastically. “Big Brother’s Gou Dan, Second Brother’s Yang Dan, and I’m Zhu Dan!”

“…”

Well, looks like your whole family cornered the market on eggs, huh?

Just then, Aunt Cai came over and tried to snatch the candy from Zhu Dan’s hand. “That’s precious stuff! Take it back, don’t let that little rascal waste it!”

Tong Xuelu quickly stopped her. “Aunt Cai, it’s just a bit of candy. Let him enjoy it. You’ve been looking after our Mianmian so much—I should be thanking you, not taking things back!”

Flattery never fails.

Aunt Cai broke into a beaming smile. “Oh, what are you talking about—no need for thanks. We’re neighbors, lending a hand is just the right thing to do!”

A good kid—grateful, well-mannered, and knows how to return a favor.

The more Aunt Cai looked at Tong Xuelu, the more she liked her. She took her hand warmly and invited her inside to chat.

Just what Tong Xuelu had been hoping for.

She’d come over not just to thank Aunt Cai for helping take care of Mianmian, but more importantly—to find out about the two job positions connected to the Tong family.

She told Mianmian and Zhu Dan to play by the door while she followed Aunt Cai into the house.

According to Aunt Cai, Tong Dajun’s job at the loading dock was currently being temporarily filled by Tong Jiaming.

Temporarily—because Tong Jiaming was only eleven years old and didn’t meet the age requirement for official employment.

Even if the factory wanted to look after the Tong family, they couldn’t make him a permanent worker.

As for Mother Tong’s position at the textile mill, Tong Jiaming had temporarily loaned it to a woman named Zhou Fang.

Zhou Fang was the wife of Xu Bengen, a laborer at the factory. They were from the countryside, and she hadn’t had a job before.

As for the compensation and benefits from the government and the factory, the leadership wasn’t comfortable handing over such a large sum to a bunch of children. They said they’d wait for the Tong relatives from their hometown in Beihe to arrive before disbursing anything.

After hearing all this, Tong Xuelu raised her delicate brows slightly, a flicker of calculation in her eyes.

If her guess was right, Tong Jiaming was intentionally stalling the relatives from Beihe while he dropped out of school to start working. Most likely, he planned to sell the two job positions before the relatives arrived, keeping the money for himself.

Future business prodigy, huh? Already this shrewd at such a young age.

Unfortunately, he was still too young. No matter how clever he was, no one took him seriously.

That’s why the factory wouldn’t give the compensation to him, nor would they allow him to make any real decisions about the jobs. This was exactly why, in the book, those bigshot kids had such tragic childhoods.

So, before the relatives from Beihe arrived in the capital, Tong Xuelu had a checklist of things to do: one, get her household registration transferred to this address, two secure the compensation money and transfer or exchange the job positions.

And one more thing—once the relatives showed up, they definitely wouldn’t sit back quietly. She needed to figure out a way to keep them from stirring up trouble.

Time always flies when you’re gossiping.

Tong Xuelu glanced out the window at the fading light and stood up. “Aunt Cai, it’s getting late—I won’t keep you from your chores any longer.”

Aunt Cai glanced outside and let out a gasp. “Oh my, look at the time! We got so caught up chatting I didn’t even notice. Xuelu, you’re welcome to come visit me anytime. But those eggs—you take them back with you!”

Times were tough for everyone, especially for these kids who had lost their parents. She couldn’t, in good conscience, accept their eggs.

“Aunt Cai, please don’t be polite with me. It’s just two eggs—take them, really.”

Before she could insist further, Tong Xuelu, who had always dreaded this kind of back-and-forth politeness even before falling into this book, quickly ducked away and made her escape.

Outside, the sky looked as if someone had accidentally spilled a bottle of orange soda across it, dyeing the clouds in vibrant reds and golds. The warm hues of sunset bathed the entire courtyard.

Cooking smoke drifted lazily into the sky from the houses around them. Some of the neighbors who hadn’t seen Tong Xuelu before stared at her with open curiosity.

She simply smiled and nodded in greeting before heading back inside to prepare dinner.

Every household’s stove was built just outside their front door, so there was zero privacy when it came to cooking.

And to make things worse, the Tong family still cooked with a wood-fired stove.

Tong Xuelu knew how to use one, but it was smoky, inefficient, and a real pain to operate. Her eyes stung just thinking about it.

As she got to work prepping ingredients, her mind wandered—how could she start earning money and get herself into a better living environment?

She poured the rice into a pot to cook. Then she cracked the eggs into a porcelain bowl, washed the baby bok choy and quartered each bunch, and minced some garlic for later.

Tonight’s menu: egg fried rice and garlic sautéed bok choy.

Once the rice started releasing its fragrant aroma, she blanched the bok choy in cold water, boiled it for about ten minutes, then dunked it again in cold water before plating it.

They used lard for cooking. When the wok was hot, she added a generous spoonful of it, followed by soy sauce, salt, and the minced garlic. Instantly, the rich, garlicky aroma wafted through the courtyard.

“Xuelu, what are you cooking? It smells amazing!”

Aunt Cai, who lived closest, couldn’t resist the scent—her stomach practically started growling.

While pouring the sauce over the bok choy, Tong Xuelu replied, “Garlic bok choy, Aunt Cai.”

In this day and age, people usually just boiled their vegetables, maybe with a single drop of oil if they were feeling fancy. No one used this much oil or seasoning like Tong Xuelu was doing.

The other courtyard residents overheard and were stunned.

Using that much oil and garlic on plain greens? Wasn’t that a bit… extravagant?

Tong Mianmian came running over, eyes glued to the plate of bok choy, swallowing hard. She looked just like a little kitten eyeing its treat—completely adorable.

Tong Xuelu couldn’t help but laugh. “Mianmian, are you hungry?”

The little dumpling shook her head, still gulping as she said, “Mianmian’s not hungry. I’ll wait for my brothers to come home and eat together.”

Tong Xuelu smiled. “What a sweet girl. Go on inside and play for now, it’s smoky out here. We’ll eat once your brothers are back.”

Mianmian nodded like a pecking chick, then turned and toddled back inside on her short little legs.

Once she was gone, Tong Xuelu scooped the freshly cooked rice into a large bowl and fluffed it up. She beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, then got to work.

Once the wok was hot, she added a spoonful of lard, tossed in the rice and gave it a few quick stirs, then poured in the egg mixture and stirred briskly, flipping the contents of the wok with practiced ease.

In less than two minutes, a steaming, golden batch of egg fried rice was ready—fluffy, fragrant, and absolutely mouthwatering.

The breeze carried the aroma straight into Aunt Cai’s nostrils, making her stomach growl in protest and her cravings go wild.

She couldn’t resist any longer. Rushing over for a peek, she gasped in amazement. “Heavens, Xuelu! How did you make your fried rice look this good and smell this incredible?”

“It’s nothing special,” Tong Xuelu replied casually. “When it comes to cooking, if you’re willing to use oil generously, it’ll always smell good.”

“You’ve got a point there,” Aunt Cai nodded approvingly. “It’s just… oil’s expensive. With your situation, you’ll have to be careful not to use too much.”

She offered the advice kindly, out of genuine concern.

Tong Xuelu nodded with a grateful smile.

Then Aunt Cai asked curiously, “To be honest, I was a little worried earlier that you wouldn’t know how to cook. Did you help out with cooking where you lived before?”

Tong Xuelu lied without blinking. “Mm-hmm, I used to help cook at my adoptive parents’ house.”

In reality, the original Tong Xuelu had never lifted a finger in the kitchen—she had lived like a pampered princess in the Tong household. The one who knew how to cook was her.

She hadn’t been born a schemer. She just grew up without knowing the warmth of a real family. Her father remarried less than a year after her mother passed away, and from that point on, she might as well have been invisible at home.

To gain approval, she’d learned to cook. At first, it was all just to win a sliver of attention.

But in the end, she nearly became the family’s live-in maid.

Her stepmother and stepsister stomped all over her pride. The stepsister was especially twisted—constantly stealing from her. First her clothes, then her best friend, and finally… even her fiancé.

As the saying goes: You either explode in silence or die in it. In her case, she transformed in silence—into a certified green tea b*tch.

By the time she transmigrated into this book, everyone in her original household had been thoroughly put in their place.

What started as a survival skill had become one of her most powerful weapons on the path of green tea mastery.

Now that she had landed in the 1970s, she had every intention of sharpening that weapon to perfection.

Aunt Cai’s exclamation, combined with the irresistible aroma wafting through the courtyard, quickly drew a crowd.

Everyone came over, curious to see what was cooking—only to be met with the sight of golden fried rice, each grain glistening like it had been wrapped in gold. The rice was fluffy, separate, and radiated warmth and deliciousness.

With its perfect color, enticing smell, and clear promise of flavor, one glance was enough to make mouths water.

The rich, savory scent hit everyone like a wave. Almost in unison, they swallowed hard—followed by a chorus of stomach growls.

One elderly lady, caught up in the moment, reached out with her spatula, ready to scoop straight from the wok.

Tong Xuelu reacted instantly, snapping the lid shut. “Fried rice tastes awful once it’s cold.”

Stingy little thing.

The old woman pouted, muttered under her breath, and walked off with her spatula.

Most people around here lived frugally—short on both food and clothes—so even though the fried rice was tempting beyond belief, no one dared ask for a taste.

Taking the opportunity, Tong Xuelu quickly brought the fried rice and the garlic bok choy inside. She was just stepping back out to wash her face when she looked up and saw two boys standing silently at the doorway.

The older one looked around eleven years old. He stood ramrod straight, with a lean face and long lashes that cast shadows over his deep, unreadable eyes.

The younger one, maybe seven or eight, had a spiky buzz cut that made his head look like a little porcupine. His round eyes darted all over her face, curious and guarded.

They didn’t look much alike, but there was one thing they shared—a distinct lack of warmth in their gazes.

Judging by their appearances, Tong Xuelu guessed these were her “new” brothers: Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin.

Two future powerhouses, standing right at her doorstep.

Well, cluck-cluck—here come the golden chickens.

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Tong Xuelu: Activating the gourmet side quest. Come to Mama, little future bosses.