Jiang Xiangnan’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.

He was sure that he must have misheard it.

In their family, aside from his younger brother, his mother had always favored him the most.

Usually, he didn’t even need to ask his older sister-in-law for anything—he could command his little sister and even his older brother.

His mother, at worst, would scold him verbally, but she never took any real action.

That must still be the case now, he thought.

He stammered, “Mother, I…”

“The eggs are in the vine basket by the back door, take two—no, take five to make boiled eggs. Your sister-in-law is still in her confinement period, so give her two. Your niece is still sick and hasn’t recovered, give her one. The remaining two are for me,” Shen Qing said clearly, giving her instructions.

Originally, she had thought of making egg custard or egg drop soup, but both could be easily reduced, and who knew how much would end up on their plates.

Boiled eggs were much clearer and there was no risk of cutting corners.

Currently, in this family, Huo Bing had given birth less than ten days ago.

They usually ate little and poor-quality food.

After childbirth, she needed to recuperate, but if she didn’t replenish her energy, even if they fled from a flood together, they would have a hard time surviving.

Little Hua(Xiaohua), who was only three years old, was even more fragile and weak, like a bean sprout.

If she were in Hua country, she would be doted on and cared for, with milk, fruits, biscuits, and candies every day.

If she got sick, her parents and grandparents would be so anxious they would want to trade places with her.

But in the Jiang family, when she got sick, her biological grandmother wouldn’t even spend money to buy her medicine, intending to just abandon her.

Her foolish father even agreed, and the uncles didn’t say a word.

Eating one egg wouldn’t ruin the family.

Even if the family collapsed, it would be because the adults were useless, not the fault of the children.

Once Shen Qing finished speaking, the room fell silent, with only the sound of inhaling breath.

Everyone’s eyes widened involuntarily, their mouths slightly open, and they looked at Shen Qing in shock.

“Mother, what happened? Why are you different all of a sudden?” they thought.

Those eggs were precious; they could even be exchanged for salt and other goods.

Usually, only the youngest brother, who went to school at the academy, could have one egg at dinner when he came home.

The rest of the sons barely got one, and the daughter-in-law, little Hua, and younger sister didn’t even get soup!

It was understandable that the mother would eat two eggs, but why would she give eggs to Huo Bing and little Hua?

Shen Qing’s mind was quick, and she had already prepared a reason for herself.

She had originally considered claiming that her deceased husband had come to her in a dream, but she quickly abandoned that idea.

Her father-in-law had not been a particularly good person in life.

He only had a good reputation because he had pushed the original owner to take the bad reputation on his behalf, while he remained in the background.

A person who wasn’t great in life couldn’t suddenly have a change of heart after death, could they?

Could he really come to her in a dream to tell her to treat her daughter-in-law and granddaughter better? A three-year-old child wouldn’t believe that!

So, she was left with another reason: “I had a long, vivid dream. In the dream, the Bodhisattva gave me guidance. I can’t go into details, but the main message was this: if we want our family to thrive, we must treat everyone equally. If not, we will face a great disaster, and no one in our family will have a good end.”

Throughout history, people have always attached great importance to gods, Buddhas, and dreams, especially when they occurred together.

And she wasn’t wrong.

The original owner’s unequal treatment had caused chaos in the family, and indeed, no one had come to a good end—no one in the whole family had even died peacefully.

Jiang Xiangdong, the eldest son of the family, was always obedient to his mother.

He would believe and follow whatever she said, good or bad.

Hearing Shen Qing’s words, his first reaction was to agree: “Mother really has divine favor! Even the Bodhisattva came to you in a dream! Alright, we’ll do as you say.”

Jiang Xiangnan opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but he felt that doing so would be disrespectful to the gods, so he silently swallowed his words.

Jiang Xiangbei wasn’t too concerned.

From the corner of his eye, he kept glancing outside, his expression slightly anxious.

Jiang Shui wanted an egg, but she couldn’t ask for it.

She couldn’t take from little Hua either.

She looked up at her older sister-in-law, then thought of the newborn little grass in the room, and said, “Mother, I’ll keep an eye on third brother while he makes the eggs, we can’t waste them.”

Shen Qing gave a quick acknowledgment and gestured for them to hurry and make the boiled eggs—she was really hungry, and the corn porridge without oil and with little salt was hard to swallow.

After Huo Bing had delivered the corn porridge to her mother-in-law, she felt uneasy, even her heart was full of unease.

She didn’t know where to place her hands and feet.

She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. Lowering her head, she saw her eldest daughter looking at her with eager eyes and asking softly, “Mother, can Hua Hua really eat an egg? Are eggs really delicious?”

The tears Huo Bing had been holding back finally couldn’t be contained.

She wiped her tears away, choked on her words and replied softly, “Yes, they’re delicious. I’ll give you one later.”

She had two eggs, and yet her mother-in-law gave her two…

Little Hua shook her head seriously and replied, “No need, Mother should feed my sister, I can’t eat too much. I’ll share with little aunt.”

Walking behind, Jiang Shui, listening to the soft voice, felt warmer and sweeter than having eaten an egg.

Shen Qing looked at the scene before her and felt quite satisfied.

If she gave eggs to her own sons, they would think it was their right.

They were sons, so it was only natural for them to eat well.

They didn’t need to cook, wash clothes, or clean the house; it was just expected.

When it came to farm work, they had to rush to harvest and plant crops.

As part of the family, Huo Bing and Jiang Shui also had to work, because food was the most important thing.

Since women worked in the fields during busy times, they should also share the other chores during the off-season, and food should be shared equally.

Remembering something, Shen Qing called out to the door: “Eldest son, come back.”

Jiang Xiangdong quickly turned around and ran back, smiling broadly as he asked, “Mother, what’s the matter?”

Shen Qing pointed to little Hua.

Huo Bing’s heart immediately tightened as she recalled that her mother-in-law hadn’t yet said anything about not abandoning little Hua or little baby!

She instinctively thought that her mother-in-law had changed her mind and would no longer abandon the children.

But after all, her mother-in-law hadn’t yet explicitly said so.

She tightly hugged her eldest daughter, her heart in her throat.

“Your daughter is sick. Aren’t you going to call a doctor to take a look?” Shen Qing said irritably.

Filial piety is good, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of neglecting one’s children to please parents.

Harm to other relatives for the sake of one’s parents is foolish filial piety!

Jiang Xiangdong didn’t expect it to be about little Hua.

He looked at his daughter, wearing patched-up rags, with a face that was pale and emaciated, but with an unusual flush.

He was stunned, and a strange, sour feeling surged in his chest.