Very soon, at Li Xiandong’s new home, a makeshift table made of a few stones and a wooden board was set with two large bowls of wild vegetables. Though the dishes had bits of meat, they were still wild greens. Beside them was a basin filled with a pot of semi-dry coarse rice. 

This meal was prepared under everyone’s watchful eyes. The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment. 

The young craftsman was clearly displeased: the host had chosen excellent bricks and stones, but skimped on the food? It was the first day of work and the first meal—there wasn’t even any proper meat, and they actually served wild vegetables? 

As the host, Li Xiandong felt awkward. He forced a smile and called out, “Come, come, let’s eat.” 

He knew the meal was a bit plain, but he truly didn’t want to lower himself to beg his stepmother. Li Xiaohan had explained it all beforehand, yet he still felt embarrassed in the moment. 

The members of the Li family at the table understood Li Xiandong’s situation and sympathized with him. Since they were family, it wasn’t a big deal. But the builders they were eating with were outsiders. 

Sure enough, the young craftsman’s lips curled downward in displeasure. In contrast, the older craftsman looked at the two oily dishes, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating with Li Xiandong. 

But the moment he tasted the food, the old craftsman smiled and said, “This is good. The lady of the house can really cook.” 

He then grabbed a big chopstick-full of food, found a stone to sit on, and began eating heartily. 

As soon as the old craftsman spoke, the mood lightened. The rest of the Li family followed suit, and soon, they were all taken in by the wild vegetables. 

“So this is what it tastes like when you mix oil with wild vegetables? A bit sour and even a little sweet!” said the always-enthusiastic Li Deyou as he took another big bite. 

“This chopped shepherd’s purse with diced meat is really good too—has that nice meaty flavor,” chimed in Li Jiayin, the second-youngest. 

Seeing everyone complimenting the food, the young craftsman finally tried a bite himself—he couldn’t just eat plain rice, after all. 

And once he started, he couldn’t stop. 

Seeing even the toughest one give in, Li Xiandong finally relaxed. 

Since men and women ate separately, Madam Wang and Li Xiaohan were eating alone in a shed. 

“Mother, I told you everything would be fine, but you didn’t believe me.” Li Xiaohan reassured her while munching on the vegetables. 

Madam Wang picked up a bite of shepherd’s purse, chewed slowly, and finally believed her daughter—everything really had worked out. 

After lunch, Li Xiannan finally rushed over. 

Seeing that everyone had already been working for half a day while he, the younger brother, only arrived in the afternoon, Li Xiannan explained a little awkwardly, “I’m late because Father and Mother asked me to mark the boundary stones in the fields.” 

No one minded. It was understandable. 

Even between blood brothers, clear accounts were necessary. Setting boundary markers right after the division of property was the best way to avoid future disputes over tiny bits of land that could damage family ties. 

“That’s how it should be. But you’re late, so you missed a chance to try your sister-in-law’s cooking,” Li Xiandong said with a smile. Now that he thought about it, once the family split, they were truly separate households—it didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. 

“Exactly, Brother Xiannan. You came late. We only discovered at lunch how good Sister-in-law’s cooking is. But you can still try it tonight,” said the ever-enthusiastic Li Deyou. 

“Oh, definitely, definitely,” Li Xiannan said with relief, thinking they were just being polite. 

After a short rest, the men resumed their work. The weather was clear, and the sun blazed overhead. It was ideal for laying a house foundation. Dry conditions ensured stability, whereas heavy rains would force construction to slow down or stop entirely. That’s why, whenever the weather held, they had to race against time. 

Meanwhile, Madam Wang and Li Xiaohan washed all the dishes clean using plant ash. 

The praise they received at lunchtime gave Madam Wang a boost of confidence. That afternoon, she picked up her basket and went out to the fields again, returning with a full load of wutacai (black cabbage). 

As for how to cook it, Li Xiaohan suggested: 

“Mother, everyone’s sweating a lot while working and feeling really thirsty. Why don’t you use some of the wutacai to make a soup?” 

She added, “But just boiling it in water might be too plain. How about adding an egg and thickening it with a bit of flour?” 

So, for dinner, they had one dish of cold dressed wutacai, and one bowl of wutacai egg soup thickened with flour. 

Thanks to the wild vegetable dishes at lunch, everyone was already open to having more at dinner. 

As long as it tasted good, no one cared if it was wild vegetables. 

“Hmm, this wutacai tastes really good. It’s fresh at first bite, but has a nice, firm texture when you chew it. This wutacai soup in particular really hits the spot in this weather,” Li Deyou remarked as he ate, nodding as he spoke. 

“If you like it, have some more,” Li Xiandong replied with a pleased expression. 

He carefully observed everyone. Although no one else was as outspoken as Li Deyou, they were all eating quickly. The younger craftsmen no longer looked resentful, and the older ones were also burying their heads in their bowls, eating heartily. 

Li Xiandong let out a sigh of relief—he had passed this test. 

After dinner, Madam Wang and Li Xiaohan cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, lit some mugwort to drive the mosquitoes away, and left Li Xiandong to watch over the home while they returned to the old house. 

Back at the old house, dinner had just ended. When Li Xiaohan stepped through the door, the whole family was sitting out front enjoying the cool evening air. 

Seeing the mother and daughter return, Madam Chen was the first to glance over, unable to hide the mockery and curiosity in her eyes—she had locked the kitchen before going out that day, just to prevent a repeat of the previous incident. 

Now, she was just waiting to watch a joke at Li Xiaohan and Madam Wang’s expense. 

Unfortunately for her, Li Xiaohan didn’t play along. She simply smiled and said, “Grandfather, Grandmother, we’ve been busy all day and we’re tired. We’ll wash up and head to bed.” 

“Mm, go ahead,” Li Shengli replied listlessly. As long as they didn’t bother him, anything was fine. 

Madam Chen, however, was left fuming—unable to let it out, yet unable to swallow it down either.