Zhao Dashan was chopping firewood in the yard.

The aroma of rabbit meat filled the air, making his mouth water instantly.

He quickly wiped his mouth when no one was looking, then turned his head and saw that Lao Si had his tongue out, licking the air like a starving little puppy.

“So delicious…”

Zhao Sidan swallowed hard, but no matter how much he swallowed, he couldn’t stop himself from salivating.

He had just eaten two bowls of porridge in the morning, so he shouldn’t be hungry.

But for some reason, his stomach kept growling.

His feet moved uncontrollably toward the kitchen.

Inside, he saw the pot bubbling, filled with rabbit meat and radish. The broth seeped out from a crack in the pot.

Cheng Wanwan sighed.

The pot was already small and even had a crack.

She made a mental note to buy a new one from the marketplace when she had the chance.

She covered the pot with the lid, then cracked an egg into a bowl and whisked it, preparing to make a wild mushroom and egg soup.

There was also a handful of long beans, which she planned to stir-fry.

That should taste pretty good.

Seeing her cooking like this, Wu Huiniang felt numb.

Something was off with her mother-in-law since yesterday.

No matter what food they had, she insisted on eating it all in one meal, as if she had no intention of preparing for the future.

Forget it—since they had food, they might as well eat it. Better than having her mother-in-law give it away to the Cheng family again…

Wu Huiniang busied herself helping out.

When Cheng Wanwan turned her head, she saw Zhao Sidan standing at the kitchen door, drooling so much that his clothes were soaked.

She chuckled, lifted the lid, and the fragrance of the stew filled the air.

She picked up a piece of rabbit meat and smiled.

“Sidan, open your mouth.”

Zhao Sidan dazedly opened his mouth.

Cheng Wanwan blew on the meat to cool it before popping it into his mouth.

“Mm!”

Zhao Sidan’s eyes widened.

Oh my god, it was too delicious!

He had never tasted anything this good before. He almost wanted to swallow his tongue along with it.

Cheng Wanwan asked, “Does rabbit meat taste good?”

Zhao Sidan froze. This was rabbit meat? Should he spit it out?

Just as he was hesitating, Cheng Wanwan stuffed another piece of rabbit meat into his mouth.

“Go call your second and third brothers back for dinner.”

Zhao Sidan swallowed the meat in one gulp. It was too good… In his heart, he silently apologized to the rabbit.

Then, he dashed outside to fetch his brothers.

Wu Huiniang quickly scooped the rabbit meat into a serving dish. Under her mother-in-law’s instructions, she made mushroom egg soup, stir-fried the long beans, and finally put millet into the pot to steam.

On the small wooden table, three dishes were laid out along with six bowls of millet rice.

Zhao Dashan, who was still chopping wood, didn’t want to continue anymore.

His mouth kept watering, and his eyes couldn’t stop glancing at the dining table.

Wu Huiniang walked over to wipe his sweat and whispered, “Dashan, is it really okay to eat like this?”

They had already eaten a lot of white rice last night.

Now, they were finishing all the millet and cooking up all the rabbit meat.

Sure, they’d be full today, but what about tomorrow? Would they just drink the northwest wind?

Zhao Dashan split another log with force. “If Mother arranged it this way, there must be a reason. Just listen to her.”

Wu Huiniang sighed, then bent down to collect the chopped wood and neatly stack it in the kitchen.

Cheng Wanwan sat on a stool in the main hall, fanning herself with a large tree leaf.

The weather was too hot. After working in the kitchen, she was covered in sweat.

No matter what, she had to take a bath tonight.

She had barely rested when Zhao Sidan came running back.

“Mother, Tie Zhu said Second Brother and Third Brother went to Chengjia Village.”

Chengjia Village—her original body’s maternal home. It wasn’t far from Dahe Village, about an hour’s walk there and back.

These two brats, what were they doing in Chengjia Village?!

Cheng Wanwan threw away the leaf and stood up.

“Dashan, come with me to Chengjia Village!”

Last night, Second and Third Brothers had wanted to go to Chengjia Village to demand their money back.

She had stopped them, thinking they had given up. But now, they had sneaked off anyway.

Everyone in Chengjia Village had the surname Cheng.

Tracing back three generations, they were all one family.

There was no way they’d allow two outsiders with the surname Zhao to cause trouble.

Cheng Wanwan and Zhao Dashan didn’t even eat lunch before heading off in the scorching noon sun.

In the original body’s memories, Chengjia Village wasn’t far.

The original owner used to visit frequently.

But Cheng Wanwan felt like it was an endless journey.

Her legs ached, and she still hadn’t even seen a single rooftop.

People in ancient times really had it rough—traveling everywhere on foot made her question life itself.

Once she had money, she would definitely buy a carriage!

But then she laughed bitterly.

One moment she wanted to buy thick quilts, the next she wanted a new pot, then she wanted to build a house… And now, a carriage?

She sure had big dreams, but reality was harsh.

After walking for what felt like forever, they finally saw a village.

Chengjia Village was bigger than Dahe Village and looked wealthier.

But just like Dahe Village, it lacked water—every rice field was parched.

Cheng Wanwan walked straight to the Cheng family’s house.

Before she even stepped inside, she saw a sight that made her blood boil.

Zhao Ergou and Zhao Sanniu were tied to the locust tree in the courtyard!

The sun was beating down on them, and they hadn’t had any water.

Their lips were cracked and bleeding, their faces deathly pale, looking like they could faint at any moment.

“Ergou!”

“Sanniu!”

Zhao Dashan rushed in furiously.

The two boys saw their big brother and thought they were saved.

But when they looked up and saw Cheng Wanwan’s cold expression, their faces turned even paler.

A long time ago, their mother had suffered at the hands of the Cheng family. When they tried to stand up for her, she had beaten them instead.

No matter how bad the Cheng family was, she never let them make trouble for them.

But they had been too angry.

That’s why they snuck over today.

They didn’t care if they couldn’t get the twenty taels of silver back—they just wanted to make the Cheng family suffer a little.

But it looked like they had messed up. Would their mother still side with the Cheng family?

Zhao Ergou and Zhao Sanniu leaned weakly against the locust tree, their chapped lips stinging in pain.

“Dashan’s mother, you came just in time!”

Old Madam Cheng stormed out of the house, furious.

“These two Zhao brats are absolute scoundrels! They tried to steal a chicken from our family! Our last mother hen, the one that laid an egg a day—its neck was snapped by these little bastards! That hen laid thirty eggs a month, which could be sold for dozens of copper coins. And now, it’s gone!”

Cheng Wanwan turned to look at the two boys.

They didn’t dare meet her eyes.

So… it was true.

Old Madam Cheng continued, “That hen was a treasure! Thanks to it, your nephew can go to school! I won’t ask for much—just two taels of silver, right now!”

Hearing this, Cheng Wanwan laughed.

This Cheng family was ridiculous.

Yesterday, they had beaten the original owner to death.

Today, they tied up her sons. And now, they had the audacity to demand money?

Fine. If they wanted to settle accounts, she’d settle everything—down to the last copper coin!