With Lin Fugui’s words, Jiang Qiuyue felt satisfied.  

The house she was currently living in now belonged to her. She was given three bowls, three pairs of chopsticks, and ten pounds of coarse rice, ten pounds of sweet potatoes, and ten pounds of potatoes from the food supplies.  

There was also the vegetable plot behind the house—Jiang Qiuyue took about fifty square meters for herself. She planned to build a kitchen and an outhouse, unwilling to share with the Lin family anymore.  

Once everything was divided, it was already late. Hu Haizhi repeated his earlier words, “Qiuyue, don’t be afraid. If anything happens, come to me. If anyone dares to bully you or your children, I’ll make them pay!”  

Jiang Qiuyue was a military dependent. If anything happened to a military family under his watch and it escalated to the town authorities, he, as the brigade leader, would face serious consequences.  

“Alright, Brigade Leader, let me see you out.” Jiang Qiuyue escorted Hu Haizhi and the others to the gate. When she returned to the yard, she saw the Lin family glaring at her with hostility.  

Wang Chunhua, who had lost her money, was heartbroken to the point of tears. “Are you satisfied now? You’ve taken all the money. How are we supposed to live from now on?”  

“Mom, you’ve got it wrong again. Shouldn’t you be the ones who are satisfied?” Jiang Qiuyue was no saint and couldn’t muster any sympathy. “If you hadn’t treated me so poorly and called Beibei and Nanan ‘little bastards’ behind their backs, I wouldn’t have been so disheartened. Today, it was because Sanzhu stole food and cursed at me that I got scared and demanded the family split. So blame yourselves.”  

Splitting the family was for the best. With her own yard, she could do whatever she pleased—no more rushing to cook before the Lin family returned. She could lie around if she wanted.  

Wang Chunhua, furious, pinched her youngest son. After Jiang Qiuyue left, she cried and asked, “What do we do now?”  

Lin Fugui’s brows were also tightly furrowed. “Stop crying. Do you want to be laughed at even more? Let’s wait for Dazhu’s reply. If he abandons us, I’ll report him to the army for being unfilial!”  

“That’s right! Dazhu can’t just ignore us. I raised him with my own hands!” Wang Chunhua wiped her tears. Maternal affection wasn’t the point—how much money she could squeeze out was her real concern.  

While the Lin family pinned their hopes on Lin Dazhu, Jiang Qiuyue went next door to the Niu family.  

Aunt Niu had spoken up for her today, and since she needed help building a wall, she decided to give the Niu family a chance to earn some money.  

“Qiuyue, is that you? Have you eaten yet?” Aunt Niu set down her chopsticks and stood up.  

The family was having dinner, and their meal was similar to the Lin family’s—wild greens boiled with sweet potatoes and a plate of pickled vegetables.  

“Not yet,” Jiang Qiuyue replied. As soon as she spoke, Aunt Niu fetched a bowl for her, but she quickly declined. “The kids are waiting for me at home, so I won’t eat. I came to ask if Brother Niu and Uncle Niu would be willing to do some work for me. I’ll pay them, and I’ll provide lunch too.”  

Aunt Niu had two daughters and two sons. The daughters were married, the eldest son had a child named Niu Zhuangzhuang, and the youngest was in middle school in town. Their family wasn’t small, and life wasn’t easy for Aunt Niu and her husband, who had to support the whole household.  

Especially since Aunt Niu’s health wasn’t good, she couldn’t work in the fields to earn work points, which meant one less source of income.  

“What payment? We’re neighbors. Just tell us what you need, and they’ll help you tomorrow,” Aunt Niu insisted, shaking her head and refusing the money.  

But Jiang Qiuyue couldn’t possibly let them work for free. “Auntie, hear me out first. Since the family’s split, I want to build a wall to separate my yard. I also plan to build a new kitchen and an outhouse. It’s not a one- or two-day job—it’ll take at least ten days to half a month. Payment is a must. I’ll pay thirty cents per person per day. If you refuse, I’ll have to hire someone else.”  

Hearing that Jiang Qiuyue wanted to build a wall and a kitchen—tasks that couldn’t be finished quickly—Aunt Niu grew hesitant.  

Jiang Qiuyue turned to Niu Dali. “Uncle Niu, if you don’t take the job, I’ll have to pay someone else anyway. If you do it, I’d feel more at ease. You wouldn’t cheat me, right?”  

“Of course not! You know what kind of people we are,” Niu Dali immediately replied. “Alright, it’s settled then. But forget about lunch—we live so close, we can just eat at home.”  

“It’s not the same. Just go along with it.” Jiang Qiuyue didn’t give the Niu family a chance to refuse. As she spoke, she walked toward the door. “It’s decided then. I’ll wait for you at home tomorrow, and we’ll go buy bricks together.”

She had already discussed with Hu Haizhi about borrowing the village tractor for a day, and she would cover the fuel costs.  

By the time she returned home, it was already dark. Jiang Qiuyue hastily cooked some dough-drop soup for the two children, fed them a simple meal, and went to bed early.  

The next morning, Niu Dali and Niu Jianshe came to find Jiang Qiuyue, and together they went to the production brigade.  

Wang Youren took them to the brick factory. On the way back, Niu Dali hesitated several times, wanting to bring something up but feeling too embarrassed. In the end, Jiang Qiuyue was the one who asked if there was something on his mind.  

“Well, it’s like this—my wife’s younger brother has several sons, and they all eat a lot. I was thinking, since Jianshe and I are working a bit slowly, could we bring two more boys to help? That way, we can finish faster.”  

Niu Dali wanted to help his brother-in-law’s struggling family but worried Jiang Qiuyue might misunderstand, so he quickly added, “It may seem like more people, but the job will take fewer days! The total pay won’t increase!”  

Jiang Qiuyue also wanted the work done quickly, so she smiled and agreed.  

“Great! Then I’ll have them come tomorrow!” Niu Dali was an honest man, and so was his son. The father and son worked hard unloading the bricks.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Qiuyue went to cook. Since she had gone to the brick factory today, she hadn’t had time to buy meat. For lunch, she hand-pulled noodles and stir-fried pickled cabbage with lard.  

The handmade noodles were chewy and smooth, and the lard and pickled cabbage made the dish fragrant but not greasy. Jiang Qiuyue loved spicy food, so she added some homemade chili sauce. One bite brought immense satisfaction.  

The Niu father and son devoured the meal enthusiastically. Niu Jianshe gave a thumbs-up. “Sister-in-law, your stir-fried pickled cabbage is amazing—I’ve never tasted anything better!”  

Jiang Qiuyue smiled. “I didn’t have time to buy meat today. Tomorrow, I’ll make something even tastier for you.”  

Niu Dali hurriedly waved his hand. “No need! We’re just country folks—we’re not picky. It’s not like it’s the New Year, so don’t go buying meat for us.” He already felt guilty eating lunch at Jiang Qiuyue’s place, as if he were taking advantage of her. If she spent money on meat too, he’d be too ashamed to face her.  

Jiang Qiuyue just chuckled. But the next morning, she still went into town to buy meat.  

After the family split, she had received two hundred yuan—now she was practically rich! There was no reason to skimp on herself. Besides, the Niu family was working hard for her, so she wanted to treat them well.  

Having been to the black market once before, she was much more confident this time.  

Jiang Qiuyue bought ten pounds of meat in one go, startling the butcher. “Miss, are you hosting a banquet?”  

“Something like that,” Jiang Qiuyue replied casually, not wanting to draw attention. It wasn’t like anyone knew her anyway. “I’ll take some pork belly and lean meat.”  

Fatty meat was the most expensive, but she didn’t like eating pure fat. Seeing her spend generously, the butcher offered her pork bones at a discount, so she also bought three pounds of marrow bones.  

She also picked up thirty eggs, a large carp, and some seasonings before finally hauling a new iron pot home.  

By the time she returned, Niu Dali and three young men were already working vigorously in the yard. Lin Beibei, acting like a little host, occasionally brought them water.  

“Beibei, come help me light the fire,” Jiang Qiuyue called out, and both Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan came running eagerly.  

“Mom, I’ll help you!” Lin Beibei loved helping his mother these days—she always praised him, and even his little sister seemed to smile more.  

He didn’t fully understand what “splitting the family” meant, but his mother said they wouldn’t have to fight with Grandma for the kitchen anymore, and that made him happy.  

Wang Chunhua had refused to let Jiang Qiuyue use the kitchen again, so Jiang Qiuyue had Niu Dali set up a makeshift stove first. The new pot needed to be seasoned with lard to prevent food from sticking in the future.  

She marinated the meat and hung it up to dry, then simmered the bones into a broth. Soon, a rich aroma filled the air.

The Jiang brothers smelled the delicious aroma, their stomachs growling loudly. They sidled up to Niu Jianshe and asked, “Cousin, was the mixed noodles Sister Lin made yesterday really that good?”  

“Why would I lie to you?” Niu Jianshe had been raving about Jiang Qiuyue’s cooking ever since he got home. “Didn’t you smell it? We’ll probably have noodles for lunch again today.”  

Jiang Youcai swallowed his saliva. “I saw Sister Lin stewing pork bones—it’s been ages since I last tasted meat. When can we eat?”  

His older brother Jiang Youde smacked him on the head. “Eat, eat, that’s all you think about. It’s not like you’ll miss out. Hurry up and work—she’s paying us, after all.”  

“Got it, bro! I’ll get right to it!” The thought of pork bone soup made Jiang Youcai work even harder.  

The wall wasn’t finished yet, and Qian Li was also cooking. When Lin Erzhu and his brothers saw Jiang Qiuyue stewing pork bones, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.  

They tried to ignore it, but even after retreating to their room, the tantalizing scent still reached them.  

Lin Sanzhu, who had been beaten by his father earlier, was full of resentment. “I told you, brother and Mom, why did you have to badmouth Jiang Qiuyue behind her back? If you hadn’t, we might’ve gotten some meat too.”  

“And you have the nerve to say that?” Lin Erzhu glared at him. “If you hadn’t stolen food, would Jiang Qiuyue have found an excuse to split the family?”  

“How is this my fault? You and Mom were the ones who made her lose faith in this family first!”  

As the two brothers were about to argue, Lin Fugui slammed the table. “Shut up, both of you! Until Dazhu replies, you better behave. If anyone causes trouble again, I’ll beat them first!”  

The recent family troubles had left him exhausted. He couldn’t deal with Jiang Qiuyue himself—he could only wait for his eldest son’s response.  

Lin Erzhu and his brother didn’t dare say another word, but the aroma wafting in from outside made their stomachs growl even louder. Lin Sanzhu could only chug water to suppress his hunger.  

After Jiang Qiuyue finished stewing the bone broth, she cooked the noodles.  

Bowl after bowl of noodles were ladled with the rich, savory broth and topped with stir-fried pickled cabbage. The Jiang brothers stared at the food, eyes wide with anticipation.  

Niu Jianshe wiped Jiang Youcai’s drool away in mock disgust. “Control yourselves, or you’ll scare the kids.”  

Jiang Qiuyue served the noodles to her two children first, then called Niu Dali and the others to eat. “Eat as much as you want—there’s more in the pot.”  

She knew young men had big appetites, especially after physical labor, so she had cooked extra.  

“Thanks, Sister-in-Law!”  

Jiang Youcai couldn’t wait. He took a sip of the bone broth first—it was so delicious it felt like his eyebrows might fly off. Ignoring how hot the noodles were, he wolfed them down. “So good… *pant*… so good!”  

Jiang Youde was too busy eating to speak. Niu Jianshe, however, took his portion home to his wife and child.  

When he returned, Jiang Qiuyue handed him another bowl of bone broth she had set aside. “I saw Zhuangzhuang hanging around eight times already. Take this for him and the others to try.”  

“N-no, we can’t accept this.” Niu Jianshe hadn’t expected Jiang Qiuyue to think of his family. His face flushed—she must have noticed him taking food home earlier. “Really, we—”  

“You’re helping me with the work, so it’s only right that I feed you. But this is to thank Aunt Niu—she’s helped me a lot before. Didn’t you say we’re neighbors? We should look out for each other.” Jiang Qiuyue smiled. “Go on, I still have things to do.”  

Blushing, Niu Jianshe went home. When he came back, he carried a bamboo basket filled with fresh seasonal vegetables. Without waiting for Jiang Qiuyue’s response, he set it down by the stove. “Mom said since you just split from the family, Aunt Lin probably won’t let you into the vegetable plot. These are for you. If it’s not enough, I’ll go pick more.”  

With that, he hurried off before Jiang Qiuyue could refuse.  

Jiang Qiuyue happily accepted the gift. Good neighbors were better than distant relatives. With Lin Dazhu away, maintaining a good relationship with the Niu family would make life much easier.  

Living peacefully was all about mutual kindness. If everyone around her were as unreasonable as the Lin family, life would be unbearable.  

Seeing that Jiang Youcai and the others had almost finished eating, Jiang Qiuyue deftly instructed Lin Beibei and his sister to wash the dishes.  

“Sister-in-law, what are we eating tomorrow?” Jiang Youcai asked between satisfied burps—this was his top concern now.  

Jiang Qiuyue grinned. “Braised fish!”