The burly man had originally thought that Third Brother only wanted the pheasant, and since the mushrooms were just a freebie thrown in by that kid, there was no harm in keeping them for himself.  

It wasn’t that he was greedy—it was just that wild mushrooms from the mountains were incredibly fragrant. For folks like them, who lived in town rather than in the villages where they could live off the land, such mushrooms were a rare treat.  

But now that Third Brother had noticed, the burly man could only scratch his head and chuckle sheepishly: “The kid said it was a freebie, just some mushrooms…”  

Hearing this, Third Brother’s eyes lit up: “That boy knows how to eat! Braised chicken with mushrooms is the best. Quick, hand them over—I’ll get my wife to cook them right away. My old mom’s been craving this!”  

With no choice, the burly man tearfully handed over the mushrooms: “Third Brother… can I at least get a bite of that braised chicken?”  

“Anything else, sure—but not this.” Third Brother smacked him on the head. “You really wanna fight my old mom for food?”  

The burly man: “…”  

Third Brother rushed home, where his wife was sighing as she carried a bowl out of his mother’s room. As he changed his shoes, he asked, “What’s going on?”  

His wife sighed. “Don’t even ask. Mom only ate half a bowl of rice again.”  

The old lady truly had no appetite—it wasn’t that she was being difficult, she just couldn’t eat. That half-bowl was only because she forced herself, not wanting to worry her son and daughter-in-law.  

Normally, Third Brother would’ve sighed along with her, but this time, he grinned. “Don’t worry—look what I brought back.”  

He pulled out the pheasant, its legs tied, from a bag. The bird flapped its wings wildly, scrambling away as if trying to escape.  

His wife gasped. “You actually got a pheasant? Where’d you find it? And it’s still alive!”  

Third Brother chuckled. “Mom’s been craving it—of course I had to get one. And not just the pheasant, look—mushrooms too!”  

He opened another small bag to show her.  

His wife glanced inside and nodded. “These are good too—look freshly picked. Must’ve cost a lot, huh?”  

“Nah, they were free. That kid, young as he is, knows how things work—said they were a freebie with the pheasant.” Third Brother grinned. “Alright, hurry up and cook it. Braised chicken with mushrooms—let’s get Mom fed.”  

His wife nodded. “Got it!”  

The two of them worked all morning. Since the old lady was frail, the chicken needed to be stewed longer to make it tender.  

But as they sat in the living room chatting, they suddenly heard movement from the old lady’s room. Third Brother turned to see his mother hobbling out with her cane.  

He and his wife rushed over to support her. “Mom, do you need to use the bathroom?”  

Since recovering from her illness, the old lady had been listless. She used to love going out for walks, but now she barely even left her room, spending most of her time sleeping.  

But instead of answering, she waved them off. “No need to help. What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant.”  

Third Brother and his wife exchanged glances and smiled.  

His wife said, “It’s just about ready. I’ll go dish some up for Mom.”

Before long, she returned with a bowl of golden-brown braised chicken and handed it to the old lady. Like a child, the old woman inhaled the aroma and, without even urging her son and daughter-in-law to eat, eagerly took a bite.

The chicken had just come out of the pot and was still hot, but the old lady refused to spit it out. The meat, soaked in rich broth and stewed for hours, was so tender it practically melted off the bone. And the mushrooms—one bite was enough to make her eyes widen with delight.

Any claims of having no appetite vanished. The old lady ate and drank her way through a small bowl. Third Brother took the empty bowl and asked, “Mom, how is it?”

But he didn’t even need to ask—her expression said everything.

The old lady declared, “Another bowl.”

Third Brother’s wife couldn’t help but swallow her own saliva. Just how delicious is this? But how could she possibly compete with her mother-in-law for food? People would laugh at her.

After finishing her first bowl, the old lady’s craving was somewhat satisfied, and she finally had the presence of mind to say, “You and your wife should eat too. And save some for the kids when they get back from school.”

Before Third Brother could respond, she added, “There’s a whole chicken here—no way I can finish it all. And in this weather, it won’t keep. Later, take some to your brother and sister too—let them have a taste.”

With the old lady saying so, Third Brother naturally agreed.

His wife served the old lady another bowl, then eagerly dished up portions for herself and Third Brother. After taking a bite, she gasped. “Did I really make this? It’s so good!”

The old lady chuckled. “The ingredients are top-notch—it’d be delicious no matter how you cooked it.”

Third Brother’s wife nodded in agreement.

Third Brother, meanwhile, thought to himself, I’ve eaten plenty of good stuff in my time. They’re exaggerating.

Then he took a bite.

“!!!”

…

Meanwhile, the Jiang household was also in high spirits. Jiang De, Zhao Meilian, and Jiang Junqing, having just finished their work and eaten dinner, were called into Grandma Jiang’s room.

“That friend of Yao’er’s bought our pheasant,” Grandma Jiang said with a smile. “Yao’er gave me the money—thirty yuan in total.”

“Thirty?!” Zhao Meilian gasped. “That’s… how is it worth so much?” That could buy a lot of grain!

Grandma Jiang, having seen her share of the world, chuckled. “Rich folks pay for rarity. Besides, pheasants are hard to catch. The price is a bit high, but not unreasonable…”

“I called you here so you’d know. With this money, we can hold out until the team distributes the grain.” No longer worried about food, Grandma Jiang seemed much more relaxed, her face glowing with happiness.

“This money, in the end, was earned by Yao’er. Ah, this child is so young, yet already worrying about the family.” There was a hint of pride in Grandma Jiang’s voice. “I think our Yao’er is a capable kid. Now that I’m at ease about him, and since the family is in a tight spot, the money should go to household expenses. But Yao’er isn’t a little kid anymore—if he can earn money, we can’t leave him with nothing. I plan to set aside ten yuan for him. I called you here, first, so you’d know, and second, to ask if anyone objects.”

Of course, no one objected.

Their family was truly united—unlike other households where multiple sons and their families lived together, each with their own hidden agendas.

Jiang Huan said, “Yao’er doesn’t spend recklessly. I don’t mind.”

Jiang Le hadn’t expected his grandma to leave him a portion of the money. After a moment’s thought, he didn’t refuse—having money on hand would make it easier to justify bringing out items from the System Store later.

Otherwise, if he secretly used things he bought alone, he’d feel guilty.

As for this money, Jiang Le planned to save it. Based on the original story’s timeline, it would definitely come in handy later.

…

Jiang Le waited until he heard Jiang Junqing’s snores before quietly opening his eyes and slipping out of the room.  

Guagua was practically vibrating with excitement: [Host, you’re finally making your move! What’s the plan?] 

Though Jiang Le hadn’t acted these past few days, he’d already formulated a strategy. From the system, he’d learned the signal Wang Mutou and Zhang Xiuhua used to arrange their secret meetings. Now, he just needed to execute his plan.  

He couldn’t just outright tell Wang Shitou, of course—but if the man saw it with his own eyes, wouldn’t that settle things?  

Truthfully, even without Guagua’s urging, Jiang Le wanted to resolve this quickly. The sooner Zhang Xiuhua was kept “busy,” the sooner she’d stop fixating on his family.  

Last night, when Jiang Le had gone to the outhouse, he’d caught Zhang Xiuhua peering creepily over the fence at their house. The sight had startled him so badly he nearly yelped. What the hell is wrong with this woman?! 

Who the heck stayed up all night spying on people? And yet, somehow, she still had the energy to work during the day. Unbelievable.  

Jiang Le: [Guagua, I’ll need your help in a bit.]  

Guagua: [How?]  

Jiang Le: [Can you imitate a dog barking?]

Guagua: [……] 

…

Zhang Xiuhua had been exhausted these past few days, constantly supervised by Sun Yulan while working. Yet, no matter how tired she was, she just couldn’t sleep.  

She was seething. Every time she thought about how Jiang Le had not only humiliated her but also landed her under Sun Yulan’s watch—forcing her to work an extra hour every day—her teeth clenched with hatred.  

She was so furious she couldn’t sleep!  

Beside her, her husband’s thunderous snores filled the room. Zhang Xiuhua was so annoyed she almost kicked him—until suddenly, she heard a scratching sound at the door.  

She froze, thinking she’d misheard. But then, after a pause, three distinct barks sounded outside.  

Immediately, she sat up, glanced at Wang Shitou—who was sleeping like a dead pig—and quickly threw on her clothes before sneaking out.  

Wang Shitou remained deep in sleep, completely unaware his wife had left.  

Until—  

BANG! 

A loud crash, like something heavy hitting the ground, jolted him awake. He bolted upright, eyes darting to the empty space beside him on the kang.  

“Xiuhua?” he called out, frowning. “What are you doing outside?”  

No answer.  

Wang Shitou swung his legs off the bed, shoved his feet into his shoes, and checked the children’s room. All of them were fast asleep.  

Only Zhang Xiuhua was missing.  

Forgetting about the noise for a moment, he stepped outside. Under the moonlight, he spotted a figure in the distance—Zhang Xiuhua, walking toward the back hills.  

A bad feeling settled in his gut. Silently, he followed.  

…

Meanwhile, at the Chen household, Chen Haigui woke up with an urgent need to relieve himself. Half-asleep, he stumbled outside—only to jump in fright when he saw a shadowy figure passing by.  

Squinting, he recognized Zhang Xiuhua.  

What’s she doing out this late?

He muttered a curse under his breath but didn’t think much of it. After finishing his business, he shuffled back inside.  

The moment he climbed into bed, Sun Yulan kicked him.  

“Quit making noise,” she grumbled. “I finally fell asleep.”  

Chen Haigui chuckled sheepishly. Then, remembering what he’d seen, he decided to share—maybe it’d cheer her up.  

“Hey, guess who I just saw?”  

“Who the hell would be out this late?” Sun Yulan rolled her eyes. “Unless it was a ghost.”  

“Honestly, it did scare me at first,” he admitted. “I was half-asleep, and suddenly there’s this figure walking past. Then I realized—it was Zhang Xiuhua!”  

Sun Yulan, who had been disinterested, suddenly perked up. “Zhang Xiuhua? Where was she going?”  

“Uh… toward the back hills, I think.”  

Sun Yulan’s eyes gleamed with sudden, familiar excitement. In a flash, she threw off the covers and started dressing.  

Chen Haigui blinked. “What are you doing? Not sleeping?”  

“Sleep? Ha!” Sun Yulan snorted. “I’m going to see what the hell Zhang Xiuhua’s up to, sneaking around in the middle of the night!”  

She grabbed his arm. “I’m not going alone. You’re coming with me.”  

Chen Haigui: “…”  

…I should’ve kept my mouth shut.