“Mother.” Jiang Xiangxi looked up and called out respectfully.

Shen Qing instinctively responded, “Alright, alright, you’re tired, aren’t you? Hurry up and go inside to rest, I’ll heat up a bucket of water later, and you can take a good bath.”

The tall and muscular man was stunned, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.

His mother had never been this kind to him.

Even though the hot water wasn’t ready yet and it was just a verbal concern, in the past, even verbal care like this was absent.

Especially since this time, he was serving the Guan family, and before leaving, his mother had cried and screamed while pounding the bed, pointing at his nose and scolding him.

He had prepared himself to return and be ordered around, but to his surprise, during his service, his mother had sent a large amount of food through his eldest brother.

Now, after returning, he learned that his mother was willing to go to the Guan family to arrange a betrothal, and she was even more concerned about him…

Guan Li softly urged, “Go inside, quickly.”

A wave of warmth surged through Jiang Xiangxi’s heart as he looked at his home and family nearby.

He felt blood rush through his body with excitement!

When passing by Zhou Chuncao, a cold laugh came from her: “Xiangxi, you know your mother better than anyone, don’t you? She’s so old, and she’s still naive like a child. No wonder she hasn’t even gotten you a wife!”

He turned his gaze coldly towards Zhou Chuncao.

His mother hadn’t been particularly good to him before, but he knew his most valuable use was being able to work.

However, whether she was good or not, it was not for others to comment on!

“Aunt Zhou, I respect you as my mother’s friend, but if you disrespect her again, don’t blame me for not being polite.”

He spoke calmly, but his words were sharp.

Zhou Chuncao took a step back in shock.

She had forgotten!

Shen Qing’s sons were ranked according to their filial piety, from top to bottom.

When life was difficult, the eldest and second sons were excessively dutiful.

Now that life was better, they would surely try to pamper Shen Qing as much as possible.

It was just that being scolded by a younger generation was too humiliating for her.

She snorted and turned away, muttering, “We’ll see.”

She would never believe Shen Qing would send a betrothal gift to a woman who often stayed at her house.

Even if she did, it would probably be miserably poor.

In any case, even if there was no betrothal, Guan Li would not run away.

Shen Qing might still be dreaming of marrying Guan Li into the Jiang family.

---

Shen Qing had no feelings for Zhou Chuncao.

She couldn’t understand why the original owner had befriended her.

After seeing how Sun Xiaomai and Zhou Chuncao behaved, she didn’t plan on trying to understand.

She happily entered the house to prepare dinner and called out to the yard, “A-Li, Xiao-Shan, stay for dinner. Xiangxi’s been away for so long, it’s the perfect time for a family gathering.”

When they heard there would be dinner, Guan Xiao-Shan felt embarrassed and almost refused, but when he saw his sister’s flushed face, he silently swallowed his words.

His sister hadn’t seen Xiangxi for a month. If he left, his sister would surely feel awkward eating alone at the Jiang family.

“Thank you, Aunt.”

With three more mouths for dinner, Shen Qing bustled around the kitchen, checking what to cook.

In the past month, their meals had been good.

From the fact that everyone had gained weight, it was clear that they weren’t the same as before, with thin, hollow cheeks.

After a month more, even if they didn’t grow plump, they would surely be more nourished.

As for Jiang Xiangxi, who had just returned from serving, it was a different story.

His siblings had been doing light work, could rest when tired, drink when thirsty, and eat hot meals when hungry.

He, however, had only hard, cold buns to eat, occasionally paired with pork fat scraps, while working grueling jobs like moving stones, lifting wood, and carrying dirt… everything requiring real strength.

Slacking off meant being whipped by the overseers.

Even though he was strong, he had lost a lot of weight during his time away.

It was time for him to recuperate.

In his dream, he had no time to rest.

The endless labor had eventually worn down his body, and Shen Qing could not allow that to happen.

With only about a month left before the famine, she was determined to use that time to restore the health of her family, especially Jiang Xiangxi!

In the water basin were snails sent in the morning, not fully purged of sand and mud, but it was fine.

She would pick them out one by one with a needle.

Normally, she would use flour to clean them, but here she had developed the habit of not wasting any food.

Flour would not be used for this, so she used wood ash to clean them instead.

Wood ash was truly a wonderful thing. It had strong cleaning power and also had sterilizing properties.

After scrubbing, she rinsed them with water twice, and even the tiniest corners were spotless.

The chives in the yard had grown.

She would cut some and stir-fry them with the snails.

This dish wasn’t suitable for children, as their stomachs were weak and couldn’t digest it well, but it could be stir-fried with dried chili to make it spicy.

In the water bucket were some fathead fish, perfect for two dishes.

After stir-frying the fish bones, she added boiling water, then put in thinly sliced fish, and simmered it in a clay pot over low heat.

The fish head would be used to stew tofu, along with cornmeal pancakes around the edges of the pot—she had tried it before, and cornmeal pancakes were tastier than those made with white flour!

The small iron pots she had bought would first be used to bake over ten white flour pancakes, then she would stew them with wild vegetables and pig fat scraps.

In the kitchen, Shen Qing was busy making dinner.

Inside the house, Jiang Xiangxi couldn’t take his eyes off the scene before him.

He had imagined many things before returning, from preparing to face his mother’s anger to becoming confused after his elder brother sent him expensive food multiple times.

He just wanted to return and see what was happening at home.

But no matter what, the scene before him was something he hadn’t expected.

Everyone in the house was working, but it was work he had never seen before, even Ah Li and Xiao Shan were involved.

What shocked him the most was that his aunt had returned!

“Aunt?” He hesitated, unsure of what was going on.

Had she come back temporarily?

Maybe she had said the house was too busy and needed her help.

But then, why hadn’t she come back until now?

Jiang Yu was sitting in a chair with a simple crutch beside her.

She looked up and gently said to her nephew, “Yes, Ah Li has been waiting for you for a long time. You should talk to her for a while; we can chat later.”

Jiang Xiangxi’s gaze fell on his aunt’s leg, which was wrapped with a wooden strip, and the crutch beside her.

His anger surged.

Jiang Yu noticed and comforted him, “It’s alright, your mother and the entire Jiang family have helped me out. From now on, our family will live a good life.”

Jiang Xiangxi understood.

His aunt hadn’t come to stay temporarily—she had truly returned to the Jiang family!

What had happened at home in the month he was gone?

Why had everything changed so much?

But this change was so good, and it made him feel that life suddenly had hope.

---

The dinner was served early, and when everyone saw the dishes, they were delighted.

Jiang Xiangxi, Guan Li, and Guan Xiao-Shan, however, were stunned.

There were four dishes, each with meat!

Even the cornmeal pancakes, though the same, tasted more delicate and soft than those from their own home. What was going on?

Jiang Xiangxi looked at the large iron pot where white tofu was simmering and swallowed. “Mother, did you know I was coming home today?”

So you specially bought tofu.

Shen Qing looked puzzled. “No, I didn’t.”

Oh, the second son didn’t even know that his great-grandfather’s family made and sold tofu!