Thanks to that recipe, Shao Qingfeng successfully stewed the pork belly until it was tender, fragrant, and delicious. The rich sauce coated the neatly cut pieces, making mouths water with its irresistible aroma.  

While other households carefully sliced off an ounce or two of meat to stir-fry, he chopped up a whole pound and simmered it slowly over low heat, drizzling in liquor for flavor—not a single drop of water was added throughout the process.  

It was dinnertime, and the scent wafted into every household. The residents of the entire apartment building smelled the meat, their oil-starved stomachs growling with hunger. Suddenly, the cornmeal in their hands didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.  

Even the usually satisfying steamed cornbread became hard to swallow at that moment.  

Everyone knew it was probably the Shao family eating meat again. “The young couple just got their marriage certificate today—it’s no big deal if they upgrade their meal.”  

Newlyweds in the military were entitled to a pound of pork and a pound of eggs—a benefit everyone received. Sensible people wouldn’t choose to visit at this time, as it was one of the rare opportunities for the couple to eat their fill of meat.  

At Widow Zhou’s house, Zhou Jinbao suddenly threw the sweet potato in his hand to the ground with a loud “thud,” shouting, “I want meat! I want meat!”  

“It’s been so long since I’ve had meat!”  

Zhou Yinhua also swallowed hard, drooling. “Mom, I want meat too.”  

Three pairs of dark, gleaming eyes fixed on Widow Zhou, who said, “Go, go congratulate your Uncle Shao. Eat your fill before coming back!”  

Regimental Commander Shao was young, had a high stipend, and was generous—he wouldn’t fuss over a few kids. As for Lin Hongying—she was thin-skinned, the kind who wouldn’t let out a peep even after three strikes, meek and easily bullied, a soft persimmon to be squeezed at will.  

Widow Zhou lowered her voice and instructed, “Your Uncle Shao has a lot of good stuff at home today.”  

At the Shao household, Lin Hongying was making vermicelli stewed with minced meat.  

An elderly woman had gifted them pickled cabbage, and an old man had given them vermicelli—both rare and precious ingredients. The pickled cabbage was exceptionally well-fermented, its sour aroma making Lin Hongying’s mouth water. She chopped some minced meat and cooked it with the cabbage and vermicelli.  

Sour, fragrant, and delicious.  

Just then, Zhou Jinbao burst in like a cannonball. “Uncle Shao, it smells so good! Give me some!”  

Zhou Yinbao drooled as he reached straight for the pot. If the stew hadn’t still been bubbling fiercely on the stove, he might have already grabbed a handful.  

Zhou Yinhua had brought a bowl with her and snatched the ladle from Shao Qingfeng’s hand, trying to scoop meat into it.  

Zhou Jinbao’s eyes darted around greedily. “Wow, Uncle Shao even has candy!”  

The two boys tore open the oil paper wrapping the candy. Yinbao eagerly stuffed his pockets full, and when they couldn’t hold any more, he shoved some into his mouth. Zhou Yinhua spotted the pair of clean, soft socks and brand-new gloves on the table and quietly slipped them into her pocket amid the chaos.  

Lin Hongying stared in shock at the three children who had suddenly barged in.  

Her face turned cold. “What are you doing?”  

Zhou Yinhua timidly pulled her two brothers closer, her eyes still coveting everything in the room. “We… we came to congratulate Uncle Shao and Aunt Lin on your marriage.”  

Lin Hongying glanced at Shao Qingfeng, meeting his equally astonished expression.  

Shao Qingfeng rarely encountered such situations because he seldom cooked at home—today was a first. In the past, out of respect for his late comrades, he might have shared some food with the kids.  

He had vaguely heard about these children’s antics, but seeing was believing.  

Lin Hongying watched as the unruly children nearly turned the house upside down, her head throbbing with a headache.  

Their precise, well-practiced movements showed they’d done this many times before. One was scooping braised pork, another grabbing candy, and the third stuffing goodies into pockets—if no one had put them up to this, Lin Hongying wouldn’t believe it.  

Her face icy, Lin Hongying silently closed the door and picked up a broom.  

She grabbed the three brats and gave each a swift smack with the broomstick, leaving them stunned.  

Though Lin Hongying’s body was thin, it wasn’t weak. Years of farm work had given her strong arms, and her slaps stung like hell.  

The children immediately burst into loud, dramatic wails, casting pleading looks at Shao Qingfeng.  

“Cry any louder, and you’ll get ten more lashes!” Lin Hongying threatened. “Let’s see whose backside blooms first.”  

Zhou Jinbao thought she was joking, but when he realized she was dead serious, he finally screamed at the top of his lungs: “Mom! Mom! Save me—”  

“It hurts so bad! My butt’s gonna split open!”  

Widow Zhou, who had been gleefully eavesdropping outside, panicked when she heard her children getting spanked. She frantically banged on the door. “Lin Hongying—Comrade Lin, open up!”  

“Talk it out nicely—why hit the kids?” She wiped her tears. “My life is so hard—my man’s gone, and now anyone can bully this widow and her orphans.”  

She could cry all she wanted.  

Inside, the sound of “smacks” continued relentlessly.  

Lin Hongying caught one after another, even calling for backup: “Shao Qingfeng, hold Zhou Jinbao for me!”  

She had expected him to disapprove of her methods, but instead, he pinned Zhou Jinbao down.

Very good. Lin Hongying gave him an appreciative look. If he had been the type to prioritize superficial harmony and avoid conflict, she would have reconsidered this marriage altogether—she wouldn’t bother meddling in such matters in the future.  

Zhou Jinbao wailed as if his heart were being torn apart, never expecting that his most trusted Uncle Shao would actually aid the villainous!  

After a while, even Shao Qingfeng couldn’t help but cough lightly and ask, “Had enough?”  

Lin Hongying nodded, satisfied as she glanced at their red, swollen bottoms.  

She tossed them a bottle of medicated wine for bruises and told them to rub it on each other.  

Zhou Yinhua was a girl and already old enough to understand shame, so Lin Hongying didn’t hit her—just left her standing aside to watch. But she was clearly terrified too, her eyes red like a little rabbit’s.  

Lin Hongying took the candy from Jinbao’s pockets and retrieved the socks and gloves from Yinhua’s.  

With the house finally quiet, Lin Hongying pulled up a small stool and sat in front of them. “Tired of crying? Done? Don’t think I didn’t see everything—I was watching the whole time.”  

“Do not despise small evils.” That means don’t think minor misdeeds are harmless. Over time, small wrongs pile up into big ones. If I didn’t teach you a lesson today, someone else would eventually.  

And by then, it wouldn’t just be a simple spanking.”  

Lin Hongying gave each of them two pieces of candy. The three chastened children shrank back, too scared to take them.  

She stuffed the sweets into their pockets anyway and said sternly, “Open your mouths!”  

Trembling, they obeyed, and a piece of fragrant, tender braised pork was placed into each of their mouths.  

“Good?” Lin Hongying asked, wiping their faces with a towel.  

Tearfully, they nodded in fear. Yes! The pork was amazing.  

Lin Hongying smiled. “That’s right. When someone gives you something, it’s a gift. When you take it yourself, it’s stealing—it’s robbery. Things given willingly taste sweet and safe. But stolen things, no matter how delicious, will always leave a bitter aftertaste.”  

“From now on, if I catch you stealing or snatching anything, I’ll beat you within an inch of your lives!” she admonished patiently.  

“Done crying? If you’re done, I’ll open the door and let you go home.”  

The three brats immediately wiped their tears and claimed they were done.  

Lin Hongying opened the door.  

Every misbehaving child has an enabling parent behind them, and this case was no exception. Lin Hongying braced herself for the real storm.  

Widow Zhou wiped her tears and wailed at the top of her lungs, “I don’t want to live anymore! I can’t live like this! Poor and humiliated—if only their father were still alive, my children wouldn’t be so hungry they had to beg for food, and they wouldn’t have been beaten for it!”  

Lin Hongying filled a bowl with pork and pickled cabbage stewed with vermicelli. Clear the way—she was about to unleash her ultimate move.

Holding a steaming bowl of pork and noodles, the aroma alone was enough to make mouths water.  

The pickled cabbage was top-notch, fermented to perfection—crisp, tangy, and paired with minced pork belly, rich but not greasy.  

She squatted right at the courtyard entrance to eat, glanced at Widow Zhou, and said, “Let me see—in this day and age, who still can’t afford pork?”  

Then, looking straight at Widow Zhou, she added, “Oh. Your family. Well, that explains it.”  

[Resentment from the Wang family +100]

[Resentment from the Li family +200]

[Resentment from the Liu family +300]  

[Resentment from the Zhou family +1000]

The neighbors who had been watching the spectacle suddenly lost their smiles, glaring at Lin Hongying with deep resentment.  

Oh, so you’re eating meat? Must be nice.

Lin Hongying paused mid-slurp. Even this earned resentment?

Widow Zhou shot her a venomous glare. Under normal circumstances, she would have dragged Lin Hongying out and beaten her senseless.  

But today, Shao Qingfeng stood beside her—a man built like iron, the top performer in every military drill. His hands, hard as forged metal, could snap a person’s neck. In front of him, Widow Zhou was nothing.  

All she could do was wipe her tears and whimper, “Regimental Commander Shao… you’re just going to let your wife bully me like this? My Yongyu died so young… I don’t want to live anymore.”  

Shao Qingfeng replied coolly, “If Yongyu were alive, he wouldn’t let the kids act like this.”  

Lin Hongying took another bite and sneered, “Won’t live just because you can’t eat meat? Socialism doesn’t coddle useless cowards.”  

[Resentment from the Zhou family +1000]

[Resentment from the Zhou family +1000] 

[Resentment from the Zhou family +1000]

A neighbor nearby burst out laughing. They had long been sick of Widow Zhou’s hysterics, but who knew you could fight fire with fire like this?  

Before, no one dared to cross her—if she complained to the leadership, everyone would just have to swallow their grievances. The leaders would just say, “Comrade Zhou has had a hard time,” and that would be that.  

Turns out, the Shao family’s new bride was someone who got things done.

The onlookers nodded in agreement. “Sister Zhou, maybe you should listen to Regimental Commander Shao. Jinbao’s already going down the wrong path.”  

“He stole peanuts from my house just the other day.”  

“Don’t even get me started—my dried cured meat went missing too!”