Chapter 6: Nourishing Little Zhongling

“Mom made some rice for you. Want some?” He Jingshu asked with a bright smile, holding a bowl of rice.

“Mom, I don’t want rice. Sweet potatoes are fine,” Little Zhong Ling replied sensibly, remembering how He Jingshu said earlier there wasn’t much food at home.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Lingling. Let Mom and Dad handle those things.” He Jingshu looked at her skinny little child and felt that improving her nutrition couldn’t wait any longer.

“Mom, why isn’t Dad back yet? Tiedan said my dad abandoned me…” Little Zhong Ling asked sadly, having never met her father before.

“You can’t believe what Tie Dan says, and from now on, don’t believe anything from your grandparents either. If your dad didn’t care, how could Mom afford rice? Your dad is out there protecting the country. He’s a hero,” He Jingshu said while hugging her child. She didn’t blame Zhong Youliang—even though he had been forced into marriage, he never stopped sending home his allowance.

“Yay! My dad is a hero!” After hearing her mother’s words, Little Zhong Ling looked much happier.

Once He Jingshu saw her daughter had calmed down, she got busy in the kitchen. Zhong Ling followed along to help, and He Jingshu appreciated how eager she was. Even though she was now in this time period, she knew being too different wouldn’t be good for Zhong Ling.

He Jingshu steamed rice, made radish and pork bone soup, and stir-fried some vegetables. Little Zhong Ling ate heartily, and He Jingshu was deeply satisfied. She didn’t dare cook anything too rich; in this era, people were used to meals with little oil or salt. Eating lavishly too suddenly might upset their stomachs, so she had to go step by step.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiuying returned home with a pound of meat, shocking the rest of the Zhong family. Could it really have come from their notoriously abusive sister-in-law? The same woman who avoided them like the plague?

“Mom, did our sister-in-law suddenly have a change of heart?” the eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang Xiaofen, asked.

“Yeah, I heard she even cut ties with her own family,” the second daughter-in-law, Wang Dahong, said in disbelief. She used to pity He Jingshu for being bullied, even tried to help, only to get yelled at. She’d never spoken to her again since.

Zhang Xiuying explained everything she knew to the family. Whether her youngest daughter-in-law had truly changed, she couldn’t say. Her moods were unpredictable, and poor Zhong Ling had been living in fear.

The family exchanged glances—maybe she really had changed. Well, time would tell.

Seeing how tempted her grandsons looked, Zhang Xiuying took her daughters-in-law to cook. It was a rare treat for the whole family to eat meat, and everyone was overjoyed.

But things weren’t so peaceful at Zhang Fugui’s house.

They failed to collect grain in the morning, and the younger grandson even busted his lip. After returning home, he threw a tantrum demanding an egg. Zhang Daya reluctantly boiled one for him. But then, the older grandson came back with a broken arm. Zhang Daya and her daughter-in-law wailed in distress.

“That’s enough! Stop crying and take Tieniu to see Old Zhang for bone-setting. What’s the point of crying?” Zhang Fugui barked at his chaotic household, gritting his teeth in frustration over his adopted daughter severing ties with them.

“But we need money to see Old Zhang! Where would we get any?” the Zhangs lamented. They were spendthrifts and lazy workers, and without He Jingshu’s support, they were too poor to scrape by.

“Didn’t we get some eggs the other day? Take a few with you,” Zhang Fugui said, referring to the dozen eggs they got from their estranged daughter.

Zhang Daya, worried about her grandson, reluctantly agreed.

“No way! We haven’t divided the household yet. Why does Tie Niu get all the eggs?” Tie Dan’s father protested. Tie Niu’s dad got angry too—his son had a broken arm and his brother was nitpicking over eggs. A fight broke out immediately.

Watching his sons and daughters-in-law bicker like enemies, Zhang Fugui slammed the table.

“If you think it’s unfair, then divide the household!” he yelled, disappointed in both sons.

Divide the household? No way. Who knew if the old couple would play favorites? What if they got the short end? That shut everyone up.

Zhang Daya hurriedly took Tie Niu to Old Zhang. After a quick check, he knew it wasn’t a fall—someone had twisted the arm on purpose. But seeing who they were, he kept quiet. That family was infamous for being difficult.