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After being called in and scolded by their mother. Jiang Xiangnan and the others quickly ate lunch.

The thick porridge that had been served to their mother was only half-finished, leaving more than half a bowl.

It was all poured back into the large iron pot, stirred evenly, and a portion was set aside for Jiang Xiangdong, who had gone out to fetch a doctor.

The rest was evenly distributed into each person’s bowl.

Mother had made it clear—food in the house would now be divided equally, regardless of age or gender!

Jiang Xiangnan squatted in the courtyard, taking big gulps of cornmeal porridge while glancing at Xiaohua.

After a moment, he grinned and asked, “Xiaohua, you ate a whole egg. Do you want Third Uncle to help you eat some of this awful porridge?”

Mother had said that whoever could eat should eat.

Those with bigger appetites had to either figure out how to feed themselves—by finding work in the city to earn wages or foraging for wild vegetables—or simply go hungry.

If they managed to bring home extra food or money, they would be given a larger share.

Asking Xiaohua for food was just one of those “ways to figure it out,” wasn’t it?

Xiaohua blinked her big eyes at Third Uncle, her little head spinning with thoughts.

She might be small, but she wasn’t stupid!

The porridge was precious—if she couldn’t finish it, she could save it for Mother or her little sister. Why should she give it to Third Uncle, who even said it tasted bad?

Jiang Xiangbei shot his Third Brother a look of disdain and silently shuffled farther away from him.

Third Brother was ridiculous.

When Mother had wanted to throw Xiaohua and Xiaocao away, he hadn’t said a word.

Now he had the nerve to ask Xiaohua for food?

Xiaohua probably wouldn’t be able to finish her porridge, but wasn’t that why Eldest Sister-in-law was there?

She had just given birth a few days ago and was still in confinement—she needed to eat more.

Mother had given Xiaohua the same share of food, clearly to help support Eldest Sister-in-law.

How could Third Brother not see that? So greedy and foolish!

Feeling the judgment from his younger brother, Jiang Xiangnan awkwardly scratched his nose and focused on eating his wild vegetable porridge.

He then muttered, “Xiangbei, later Third Brother will go check the fish traps with you.”

“No way! That’s my fish trap. If you want to catch fish and shrimp, set up your own!” Jiang Xiangbei refused without hesitation.

Mother had said that everyone had to rely on their own abilities—the more they earned, the more they got to eat.

He wasn’t about to share the fish and shrimp he had worked so hard to catch!

Jiang Xiangnan grumbled, “Fine, I’ll do it myself. It’s just fish and shrimp—I can scoop up a whole basket without even trying.”

The problem was, catching them wasn’t the issue.

Big fish were tricky and hard to catch.

The fish traps mostly snagged tiny fish and shrimp—small, bony fish barely the length of a finger, full of bones but with hardly any meat.

Without frying them in oil, they were practically inedible and only good for feeding the chickens and ducks.

The little river shrimp were slightly better, but only just.

Their shells made up most of their bodies, and the tiny bit of shrimp meat in the tails wasn’t even enough to fill the gap between one’s teeth.

Plus, they were a hassle to eat—hardly worth the effort.

But—sigh.

This wasn’t the time to “be a beggar turning down stale rice.” Even a fly’s leg was still meat. Even tiny river shrimp could help fill the belly!

If they didn’t work hard and stay diligent, they’d go hungry—and that was a misery nobody wanted to experience.

Jiang Shui watched her Third Brother suddenly spring into action and thoughtfully glanced toward the house.

In the past, food in the family was always prioritized for the brothers.

She, Eldest Sister-in-law, and Xiaohua got barely anything—thin, watery gruel that did nothing but keep them from starving.

Fourth Brother used to go out often, setting fish traps, catching loaches and eels, and gathering snails and river mussels.

These things were common in Xingcheng and not worth much, but loaches and eels were still meat.

Occasionally, he would peel shrimp tails for Xiaohua to eat, and the snails, mussels, and tiny wild fish could be crushed up to feed the chickens and ducks, helping them lay more eggs.

It was a good thing for the family.

But Mother never acknowledged it.

Maybe she thought it was simply Fourth Brother’s duty, so she never gave him any extra rewards—not even a word of praise.

Whenever he complained, she would just say, “We’re all one family,” shutting him down. Over time, Fourth Brother started doing it less and less.

Catching loaches and eels, gathering snails—these were tiring jobs, so he stopped doing them altogether.

He would still set fish traps now and then, but the small fish were mostly used to feed the chickens and ducks, while the tiny shrimp tails were secretly cooked by Eldest Sister-in-law for Xiaohua.

Third Brother, though—he was smart. He refused to do anything at all!

Other than working in the fields during busy seasons, he didn’t lift a finger.

Whenever he had free time, he just lay around, completely still.

According to him, no matter how much he earned, it would all go toward their little brother’s schooling in the city, so why should he work himself to death supporting the whole family?

It wasn’t like he was the only one eating, but being well-rested was a comfort only he could enjoy.

Life might not necessarily be sweet after hardship, but enjoying it now was definitely sweet!

Jiang Shui hadn’t expected her usually lazy Third Brother to suddenly become motivated and go fishing for shrimp.

She smiled and called out, “Third Brother, if you work hard, you might catch a big fish and sell it in the city for some silver. If you catch enough, you could even build yourself a house!”

Jiang Xiangnan snorted and didn’t respond.

Did she really think catching a big fish was that easy?

She sure had a vivid imagination!

Seeing his silence, Jiang Shui continued, “If you ask me, Third Brother, you might as well go to the county city and look for work. See if any rich households need temporary labor—wouldn’t that be a great way to earn money?”

If she were a man, she would have gone to the city to find work long ago!

The land at home could only produce enough food to barely keep them alive—not enough to be full, but not enough to starve, either.

Why not look for better opportunities in the city?

Jiang Xiangnan pressed his lips together, saying nothing, but his mind was already spinning with possibilities.

In the past, no matter how much he earned or gained, he had to hand it over to Mother, and it all belonged to the whole family—he got nothing for himself.

But things were different now.

Mother had said that those who earned more could keep a share for themselves.

If that was the case… wouldn’t earning more mean saving more for himself?

Enough thinking!

First, he needed to start with fishing—at least make sure his belly was full.

Oh, right—loaches and eels!

Those could still fetch a few coins in the city.

Even just a few copper coins could buy a pound or two of cornmeal, enough to cook a nice meal!

Excited by the thought, Jiang Xiangnan gulped down the last of his cornmeal porridge, rushed into the kitchen to put away his bowl, grabbed the tools from the yard, and dashed toward the river.

Seeing his suddenly motivated Third Brother, Jiang Xiangbei quickly finished his wild vegetable porridge and ran after him.