Bang, bang, bang…

Shen Zhihuan finished packing the manuscripts she had proofread into an envelope, stretched lazily, and prepared to take a midday nap. Suddenly, the sound of knocking came from the courtyard gate.

Glancing in the direction of the gate, Shen Zhihuan’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. Kicking off her shoes, she climbed onto the bed.

Ever since Qin Bin delivered the quilts, someone had been knocking on her door every few days.

The thin-skinned ones gave up after being turned away once or twice, but there were always those shameless ones who came back repeatedly…

“Auntie!” Da Ya’s childish voice called out from outside the gate.

Shen Zhihuan flipped off the bed, slipped into her shoes, and ran to open the door.

Outside the gate, the two little girls exchanged a tearful glance when they heard the sound of footsteps in the yard.

The moment the wooden gate opened, Shen Zhimei’s eyes reddened.

“Elder Sister, Da Ya, Er Ya, what’s going on…”

Shen Zhihuan paused, startled, as she saw Shen Zhimei carrying the new quilts they had sent her not long ago, along with a large bundle slung over her arm. Da Ya and Er Ya were also carrying sizable packages.

“Little Sister…” Shen Zhimei’s eyes filled with tears that silently rolled down her cheeks.

“Auntie…” The two little girls also teared up, looking pitiful.

“Come in first,” Shen Zhihuan said, taking the bundles from the little girls and ushering the trio inside.

After setting down the packages, Shen Zhihuan fetched some warm water from outside to wash Da Ya and Er Ya’s faces. She also brought out some egg cakes and glutinous rice sticks from Li Qiuhua’s room for the little girls to eat.

Once the two were settled, she handed Shen Zhimei a wet towel and asked, “Elder Sister, what happened?”

Shen Zhimei covered her face and began sobbing uncontrollably.

“Grandma wanted the quilts and cotton to use as a dowry for Auntie, but Mother refused. So Grandma told Mother to take me and Er Ya and leave the Qian household,” Da Ya choked out between sobs as she nibbled on an egg cake.

“Have you eaten?” Shen Zhihuan frowned.

“No,” Da Ya said, glancing at her mother, who was crying so hard she was losing her voice, and timidly shook her head.

“Eat some egg cakes for now, and I’ll make you some sweet egg soup,” Shen Zhihuan said, standing up.

“Auntie, we’re not hungry,” Da Ya said hurriedly, grabbing Shen Zhihuan’s hand and shaking her head with reddened eyes.

“Auntie, really, we’re not hungry,” Er Ya quickly added.

Sweet egg soup…

Though the girls had never tasted it, they knew anything with both sugar and eggs was precious. How could they waste something so valuable?

“Little Sister, don’t trouble yourself. We’re not hungry,” Shen Zhimei said hoarsely, wiping her tears.

“Elder Sister, don’t worry. There are plenty of rooms here, and with Mother and me around, you and the girls won’t go hungry,” Shen Zhihuan reassured her, pressing the wet towel into her sister’s hands before heading to the kitchen.

Soon, three large bowls of sweet egg soup were placed on the table.

Shen Zhimei looked at the bowls with a heart full of pain. She tried to take one to share with Shen Zhihuan, but as soon as she moved, Shen Zhihuan gently pushed her back into her seat.

“Eat quickly. It doesn’t taste good once it cools,” Shen Zhihuan said, placing the bowls in front of the three.

Not long ago, she had bought around twenty chickens from Qin Bin and raised them on the small island in the middle of the lake behind the resort.

Now, she could collect about ten eggs a day.

The “island” was actually a mound of dirt left over from the construction of an artificial lake. It had been too expensive to haul the soil down the mountain, so Shen Zhihuan’s grandparents, who were newlyweds with limited funds at the time, had simply piled it in the middle of the lake to save costs.

Unexpectedly, the mound had become a feature of the resort, attracting hundreds of white cranes to settle there.

Though the cranes were gone now, it turned out to be an ideal place for raising chickens. The locked iron gate leading to the island kept the chickens from wandering into the orchards and provided natural fertilizer for the peach and hawthorn trees growing there.

“I really can’t eat this much,” Shen Zhimei said, swallowing hard as she stared at the large bowl of sweet egg soup in front of her.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten an egg. The only memory was from a time when her grandfather, grandmother, and father were all still alive, and their family was whole.

“Stop saying that and eat,” Shen Zhihuan ordered, glaring at her.

Under Shen Zhihuan’s watchful eyes, the three obediently finished their sweet egg soup, down to the last drop.

Da Ya, ever the thoughtful one, collected the bowls to wash them.

“Auntie, what can I do?” Er Ya asked, standing up.

“You can go take a nap in your grandmother’s room,” Shen Zhihuan said with a smile, playfully pinching Er Ya’s bony little face.

“…Taking a nap counts as work?” Er Ya blinked, confused.

“You can go gather wild vegetables with your sister by the mountains later,” Shen Zhimei said gently.

The household already relied solely on her mother to earn work points. Now that she and her daughters were back…

At the thought, Shen Zhimei’s red-rimmed eyes welled up with tears again. If it weren’t for having no other choice, she would never have returned to burden her mother.

All she could do now was work harder, eat less, and try not to cause trouble for her mother and sister.

“Elder Sister, I’ve been writing articles for a magazine in the capital, earning over a hundred yuan a month. The magazine also sends me ration coupons, cloth coupons, and meat coupons from time to time. So don’t worry about me taking care of the three of you—just settle in and relax,” Shen Zhihuan said softly, holding Shen Zhimei’s hand.

“A hundred yuan…” Shen Zhimei was stunned.

Her brother-in-law, a manager at the textile factory, didn’t even earn forty yuan a month. Yet her little sister made over a hundred yuan just by writing articles at home.

It was hard to believe.

In her entire life, the most money Shen Zhimei had ever held was the fifty-six yuan and thirty cents in her pocket—fifty-five of which her mother had recently given her on two separate visits.

“I’m just afraid of burdening you and Mother,” Shen Zhimei murmured, wiping her tears.

“We’re family—there’s no such thing as burdening each other. With you, Da Ya, and Er Ya here, it feels much livelier,” Shen Zhihuan said with a smile, playfully tapping Er Ya’s little nose.

In her previous life, after her grandparents passed away, the empty villa had felt unbearably desolate. She had spent countless nights feeling like a wandering ghost, surrounded only by cold stocks, funds, and bank accounts.

Thanks to the original owner of this body, she now had the chance to experience the warmth of family.

“Elder Sister, don’t overthink it. Eat and drink as you please. Unless your husband and mother-in-law come to apologize, you’re not going back. If it comes to it, I’ll take care of the three of you for life,” Shen Zhihuan said firmly.

If they returned to the Qian household after being kicked out, no one there would take them seriously anymore.

Qian Xingwang…

In Shen Zhihuan’s inherited memories, he was a spineless man blindly loyal to his mother. Her elder sister’s misfortune was being married to someone like him.

Whether Shen Zhimei could endure this hardship was uncertain.

Now, it was a test of patience and determination.