First was their daughter. Her bowl was piled high, but it held only four or five pieces of potato—the rest was all meat.  

Next was the old man. Lin Shuisheng was given two chicken wings and a bowl of potatoes.  

Then came the family’s able-bodied laborers. The eldest son, Lin Yougen, got the chicken neck, while the second son, Lin Youzhu, got the chicken head.  

The eldest son’s wife, Liu Yulan, received the chicken liver and heart.  

When it was the second son’s wife, Li Zhaodi’s turn, Wang Xiu’e’s chopsticks veered midair as she instead gave her eldest granddaughter, Lin Hongying, a piece of meat and a small half-bowl of potatoes.  

Li Zhaodi watched helplessly as the chicken meat she had been eagerly anticipating slipped away, and her anger instantly flared.  

“Mom, I haven’t gotten any yet.”  

Wang Xiu’e shot her a cold glance. “You slack off when it’s time to work but are the first in line when it’s time to eat. Li Zhaodi, you lazy good-for-nothing, have you already forgotten everything I said today?”  

The tantalizing aroma of meat had Li Zhaodi practically salivating. Desperate for a bite, she immediately softened her tone and began pleading.  

“Mom, just give me one piece of meat. I promise I’ll work hard tomorrow and never slack off again.”  

“Mom, please. It’s been so long since I’ve had meat that I’ve almost forgotten what it tastes like. Just give me one piece.”  

“Don’t even think about it,” Wang Xiu’e refused without hesitation.  

Li Zhaodi’s eyes burned with resentment, and she cursed her mother-in-law in her heart, wishing the old hag would just drop dead.  

Lin Youzhu, concerned about the child in Li Zhaodi’s belly, looked pleadingly at Wang Xiu’e, who was busy serving her granddaughter. “Mom, Zhaodi is pregnant now and needs the nutrients. Could you maybe…?”  

Seeing this ungrateful son who cared more for his wife than his own mother, Wang Xiu’e felt a chill in her heart and retorted sharply, “What, should I throw my old bones into the pot too and boil them to nourish your wife?”  

“Mom, you’ve got me wrong. That’s not what I meant. I just…” wanted to make sure my unborn son gets enough to eat.  

Men his age already had several sons, but he only had Changfu.  

Having too few sons meant being looked down upon in the village, and having none at all was even worse.  

Just like his elder brother and sister-in-law—behind their backs, the uncles and aunts called them “childless losers.”  

Wang Xiu’e was irritated by his timid, cowering expression, but she didn’t embarrass him outright. Instead, she picked out the chicken butt from the pot and gave them to Li Zhaodi.  

Though Li Zhaodi was unhappy about getting the chicken butt, she figured even a tiny scrap of meat was better than nothing. If she really angered her mother-in-law, she might not even get that.  

The chicken butt, barely larger than a fingernail, still tasted delicious to her. But before she could even savor the flavor, it was already gone.  

So, she turned her gaze to her husband, who was gnawing on the chicken head.  

“Youzhu, the son in my belly says he’s craving meat.”  

Lin Youzhu had no choice but to reluctantly hand over the half-eaten chicken head.  

Wang Xiu’e glanced at the couple but said nothing.  

If one was willing to ask and the other happy to give, what could she, as a mother, say?  

Wang Xiu’e had given everyone in the family a share of meat. When it was her turn, all that remained in the pot were a few pieces of soft, stewed potatoes.  

She scraped them all into her bowl and began eating.  

Lin Wanwan, sitting beside her, noticed immediately that Wang Xiu’e’s bowl contained nothing but potatoes. She picked up her chopsticks to give her mother some of her own meat.  

Sharp-eyed Wang Xiu’e saw what her daughter was doing and pulled her bowl away.  

“Sweetheart, my teeth aren’t good. I don’t like meat—you eat it.”  

In these times, who didn’t like meat? Lin Wanwan knew she was lying. Without another word, she divided half of the meat in her bowl between Wang Xiu’e and Lin Shuisheng.  

Lin Shuisheng and Wang Xiu’e looked at their thoughtful daughter, their eyes reddening with emotion.

No wonder everyone says a daughter is her parents’ warm little cotton-padded jacket—she’s so much better than those good-for-nothing sons who only know how to take.  

Still, Lin Shuisheng couldn’t bring himself to eat the meat in his bowl. He turned to Wang Xiu’e beside him and said, “Old woman, this meat…”  

“Our daughter gave it to you out of filial love. Just eat it. When we have the means later, we’ll buy more for her.” A faint smile finally broke through the usual weariness on Wang Xiu’e’s face.  

Their daughter cared for them, and she couldn’t let that kindness go to waste.  

Lin Shuisheng gave a slow nod and lowered his head to eat.  

The chicken was richly flavored, and the potatoes, soaked in the broth, were even more delicious. Everyone kept their heads down, savoring every bite, unwilling to look up.  

Lin Wanwan finished the meat and potatoes in her bowl, eating just enough to feel mostly full.  

By the time she returned to her room to rest, the kitchen just a few steps away had already erupted into a squabble over the chicken bones she had just gnawed clean—with the gluttonous Li Zhaodi emerging victorious.  

There was no meat left on the bones, but sucking on them for flavor was better than nothing.  

Meanwhile, at the educated youth outpost…  

Ever since Wang Xiu’e had come by that morning to invite him over for chicken, Zhou Zhongwen had spent the entire afternoon at work fantasizing about a big, fragrant drumstick.  

But no matter how long he waited, no one from the Lin family came to fetch him. His anticipation slowly turned to anxiety.  

Even the cornbread in his hands had lost its flavor.  

Fellow educated youth Wang Yonghao, noticing Zhou Zhongwen’s distracted state, teased him with a smirk, “Zhou, didn’t Auntie Wang invite you for meat tonight? It’s already this late—why hasn’t anyone come to get you? Do you think she forgot?”  

The moment Bai Wenwen heard “Auntie Wang,” her alarm bells went off. She glared at Zhou Zhongwen from across the table and demanded sharply, “Who’s this Auntie Wang? Why would she just randomly invite you to eat meat?”  

Before Zhou Zhongwen could explain, another male educated youth cut in, “How many ‘Auntie Wangs’ are there in our brigade? Who else but Wang Xiu’e, the one who’s always scrounging off others?”  

“If you ask me, Auntie Wang must’ve taken a liking to Zhou here and wants him as a son-in-law. Everyone in the brigade knows her youngest daughter has a crush on him.”  

The moment those words were out, the others at the table burst into laughter.  

Bai Wenwen’s face darkened. She shot Zhou Zhongwen a furious glare, then covered her face and ran out in tears.  

Zhou Zhongwen immediately chased after her, terrified that his golden opportunity might slip away.  

After all, he had been dreaming night and day of securing Bai Wenwen as his ticket to becoming the son-in-law of a high-ranking Beijing revolutionary committee director.  

Now, of all times, he couldn’t afford any mistakes.  

The remaining educated youths in the room stared dumbfounded as the two dashed out one after another.  

“We were just talking about Zhou. Why did Bai react so strongly? Does she like him? Was she jealous hearing what we said?”  

Wang Yonghao, realizing he might have stumbled upon a massive scandal, grew more and more excited, his eyes practically sparkling with gossipy delight.  

The only one who knew the truth, female educated youth Wang Cancan, curled her lip and spilled the beans without hesitation: “Zhou and Bai got together last month. At this rate, they’ll probably go register their marriage at the commune soon.”  

She shared a room with Bai Wenwen and knew all her dirty little secrets.  

On the surface, Bai Wenwen was with Zhou Zhongwen—but behind the scenes, she was also secretly stringing along the brigade leader’s youngest son.  

Wang Cancan had personally caught the leader’s son sneaking food to Bai Wenwen multiple times.  

Food was precious these days, yet he just gave it away like it was nothing. The injustice burned Wang Cancan with envy.  

She was also an educated youth, and she wasn’t any less attractive than Bai Wenwen—so why did no one ever give her anything?  

The others were stunned by this sudden bombshell.  

The quick-tongued Wang Yonghao blurted, “But wasn’t Zhou all cozy with Auntie Wang’s chubby daughter? How did he end up with Bai? If this is true, isn’t this just promiscuity?”  

If word got out, not only would Zhou Zhongwen be in trouble, but it would also drag down the reputation of all the educated youths in the brigade.  

Their already shaky standing would take an even worse hit.  

A heavy silence fell over the group.