“Thanks for bringing this, Jiaojiao. Oh, and the clothes that the children took off last night are in the basin over there by the water tank. Please take them to wash. Much appreciated!”

Zhou Jiaojiao let out a small laugh and set the breakfast down on the main table without a word. She motioned to Lu Jiaxuan to quickly grab the basin by the water tank and leave, clearly hoping to avoid being asked to do any more chores.

Once they left, Shen Meng perked up, heading over to inspect the breakfast Zhou Jiaojiao had delivered. Just as she expected, there were only a few black bean cakes and a watery soup that was so thin you could almost see your reflection in it.

She knew it—Liu Sanjin was too stingy to keep giving them decent food. Shen Meng certainly wouldn’t eat this, and she wasn’t about to let the kids have it either.

With the children still asleep, Shen Meng quickly went to the kitchen, cleaned the pot, and poured in half a pot of millet porridge she’d taken from her space. She also set five eggs on the steamer tray, along with cabbage-and-vermicelli dumplings. After covering the pot, she got the fire going.

When Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang woke up, they went straight to the east room to check on their younger siblings, relieved to see them still asleep.

“Brother, why are you rushing so early in the morning to check on Mingfang and Xiao Kai? Huh, where did Mom go? She’s not well yet; why’s she wandering around?”

Lu Mingyang: “…”

Idiot, he thought. If we don’t check, how do we know they haven’t been sold off? And here you are only caring about ‘Mom.’ You’re so dense!

“There’s food on the main table,” Lu Mingliang continued. “It must be from Fourth Aunt. Heh, I bet there’s chicken… Ah! Why are there only black bean cakes and thin soup?”

“Be grateful for what you get,” Lu Mingyang said. “But don’t eat it yet. Let’s wait for Mom to come back. Go wash up. I’ll keep an eye on Mingfang and Xiao kai.”

In the past, even having food like this would’ve been exciting, but after eating good food yesterday, he’d hoped for the same today.

As he was sulking, Lu Mingliang suddenly froze. There was movement in the kitchen!!! Quietly, he crept over and sniffed the air. Something smelled good.

Inside, Shen Meng was heating the millet porridge, which started to steam quickly. Just as she was about to head out, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of eager, sparkling eyes.

“Mom, did you make breakfast?” Mingliang’s voice was full of excitement, barely able to contain his curiosity.

Shen Meng nodded. “Yes. When I saw the breakfast your Fourth Aunt brought, I thought you wouldn’t like it. Luckily, we still had some millet left, so I made porridge. And Aunt Tian brought over some cabbage, so I made dumplings. Now hurry and wash your face—we’ll eat soon.”

Mingliang spun around, practically dancing in place. “Mom, I’ll be quick! Hehe, you’re the best. Fourth Aunt’s food is… well, I’m just not a fan of those black bean cakes!”

Barefoot, he dashed back to the main room.

“Brother, hurry up! Mom didn’t run off—she made us a delicious breakfast. We can eat and head to the fields right after. No need to watch over Mingfang and Xiao Kai; they’ll wake up soon enough.”

Turning around, he suddenly realized Shen Meng was standing right behind him, smiling warmly. Startled, he squeaked, “M-Mom!”

Shen Meng waved them toward the kitchen before heading into the east room, where Mingfang and Xiao Kai were sitting up, awakened by Mingliang’s excitement.

“You’re awake! Come on, time to eat. Oh, Mingfang, your Third Aunt will come today to help make your new clothes, so you and Xiao Kai stay here at home. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

Shy, Mingfang rose from Shen Meng’s bed. Shen Meng looked at the little girl’s scrawny frame, feeling a surge of determination to help her grow healthier and stronger.

“Come here, sweetie. Let me fix your hair,” Shen Meng said warmly.

Mingfang hesitated, a little stunned, but then felt Shen Meng’s gentle hands gathering her hair, far better than the hasty job she usually did herself. Xiao Kai sat nearby, watching his mom do Mingfang’s hair in silence, feeling just a bit awed.

When they finally sat down to eat, Shen Meng placed the breakfast Zhou Jiaojiao brought to the side and served the kids the food she made instead. She sliced the two dumplings into six pieces, taking just one for herself and leaving the rest for the children.

The kids were thrilled with the thick millet porridge, savory dumplings, and boiled eggs. Mingliang, delighted, ate two-and-a-half pieces of dumpling and rubbed his full belly with satisfaction.

“Mom, how much food do we have left? Will we run out and go hungry later?” Even though he enjoyed the meal, he was worried about wasting food. Black bean cakes weren’t tasty, but many families ate them and they could fill their stomachs.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure we have enough,” she replied.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Hello? Is anyone home? You have a letter!”

“I’m here! Coming!”

At around 8 a.m., the sun was already hot, and the postman was sweating as he waited outside. Shen Meng grabbed the watery soup Zhou Jiaojiao had left and sprinkled in a handful of brown sugar.

“Hi there, you must be parched in this heat. Here’s some extra soup I made—help yourself,” she said with a friendly smile.

The postman, surprised by Shen Meng’s warmth, glanced at the soup, his thirst winning him over. “Oh, thank you! And here’s your letter and a money order. Please sign here.”

Shen Meng passed him the soup and quickly signed her name. “It’s nothing much, really—this heat is brutal, and you’ve still got a long way to ride,” she said.

The postman drank it gratefully, wiping his forehead before noticing Liu Sanjin coming out from her yard nearby. He quickly pocketed the paperwork, jumped on his bicycle, and left without looking back.

“Ugh!” Liu Sanjin, who had been walking toward the gate, stomped her foot. She had planned to question him about the letter again, but he’d slipped away too fast. She marched up to Shen Meng in irritation.

“Mingyang’s mom, hand over that letter from Zhenping so Jiaxuan can read it out loud. And give him the money order, too, so he can cash it for you. If there’s a claim slip for a package, pass it over too…”

Rolling her eyes, Shen Meng clasped her head. “Huh? Sorry, can’t hear you. My headache’s so bad—I’m going to lie down.”

Before Liu Sanjin could answer, Shen Meng turned and shut the door in her face. Liu Sanjin took a few steps back when the door slammed

Liu Sanjin was fuming. That wretched daughter-in-law! She had definitely planned to take over the money her son sent. Well, she’d had enough. This time, she’d make sure to write back to Zhenping, demanding he come home and divorce her!