After all, in their eyes, the in-laws from Shenjia Village were nothing good, especially Shen Qingwan’s mother—she was practically a vampire.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sold her daughter to Lu Wenzhao as a second wife for just a couple of taels of silver.

“If you want to keep it and eat it, then keep it. We won’t take it for free. In a while, I’ll have my second son bring you some millet and coarse flour,” Old Man Lu said, feeling a little embarrassed to take the pork.

In the end, Shen Qingwan walked over and gave him a whole hind leg and twenty pounds of pork belly.

She kept all the bones for herself because she planned to stew them.

To make sure the ribs had more meat on them, she had specifically asked Hunter Zhang to leave extra meat on the bones.

Old Man Lu hadn’t expected Shen Qingwan to give him so much meat.

He originally wanted to take less, but then he thought about how his eldest daughter-in-law always sent the best things to her mother’s house.

So, he simply took the meat and left.

Li Qiujun( Old Madam Lu ) was unhappy about only getting that much meat, but since the old man had already spoken, there was nothing more she could say.

After sending off Old Man Lu ’s family, Shen Qingwan took advantage of the still-hot water in the large pot, added more water, and prepared to cook the meat.

She cut all the pork into large, palm-sized chunks to cook together.

Inside her space, time was frozen.

Although she couldn’t store living things, any food she put in would remain exactly the same when taken out.

Hot food stayed hot, which was why she dared to cook so much at once.

She had only casually mentioned curing meat; with her space, she didn’t need to go through that trouble. If she had time, she might make some sausages.

“Mother, I’ll add firewood for you,” Xiao Yu quickly carried firewood over to feed the flames, hoping that when her stepmother ate the meat later, she would give them some bones.

They didn’t expect to eat meat, but even licking the bones would be satisfying.

“Alright, but be careful not to burn yourself,” Shen Qingwan warned her, keeping the little girl at a safe distance.

Xiao Chen, only six years old, also carefully carried sticks of firewood over.

He was already very sensible for his age.

The two children had only eaten a little in the morning at the old house, and now they were starving. Shen Qingwan’s stomach had already grumbled several times.

She went back inside and took out a spice bag from her space, throwing it into the pot.

Soon, the pot emitted a delicious aroma.

As the fire burned hotter, the water inside bubbled, and the mouthwatering scent spread in all directions.

The neighbors stretched their necks, sniffing eagerly.

They knew that Shen Qingwan’s family was eating meat today, but they hadn’t expected her to start cooking so early.

And the smell—it was just too enticing.

“Grandma, I want to eat meat too,”

At Wang Daniu’s house, her five-year-old grandson, Goudan, clung to her leg, whining for meat.

Wang Daniu pinched his little cheek and sighed, “Good boy, Grandma wants to eat meat too. But in times like these, not many families can afford it. Our family certainly can’t. Tonight, I’ll make pancakes for you instead.”

“I don’t want pancakes! I want meat! Waaaahhh!”

The little one burst into tears, making Chen Zhaodi furious.

“Other people can eat meat because they have the ability. Crying won’t change anything. Our family only has cornbread. If you keep fussing, I’ll throw you into the mountains.”

Chen Zhaodi’s threat made Goudan stop crying immediately.

Luckily, their daughter, Erniu, was older and more sensible, so she didn’t make a fuss.

But it wasn’t because Erniu didn’t want to eat meat—she just knew that throwing a tantrum wouldn’t get her any.

It wasn’t just Wang Daniu’s grandson who was crying.

At Aunt Zhang’s house, her two grandsons, Damao and Ermao, were wailing even louder.

The three- and four-year-old boys were at an age where they didn’t understand reasoning. No matter what their elders said, they just kept crying.

Aunt Zhang was furious.

Unfortunately, their house was closest to Shen Qingwan’s, so the mouthwatering smell kept drifting over.

Even adults found it hard to resist, let alone hungry children.

..

Meanwhile, at Shen Qingwan’s house, the meat was finally done.

She scooped everything out and started cooking the next batch.

She planned to cook it all at once so she wouldn’t have to do it again later.

“Here, try it! See if it’s good,” she said, handing two large, meaty ribs to the children.

Xiao Yu stared at the ribs in shock, unable to believe her mother was actually giving her meat.

“What are you waiting for? Eat! Tonight, we’re feasting on meat. Eat as much as you want!”

As soon as Shen Qingwan spoke, Xiao Chen eagerly grabbed one.

“Meat!” he cried out, taking a big bite.

His voice was muffled as he chewed. “So good, Mother! So good!”

Xiao Chen had never eaten meat before, so he had no memory of its taste.

This was his first time, and it was unbelievably delicious.

Xiao Yu also started eating.

Shen Qingwan, starving herself, put more meat into the pot, added firewood, and then started eating a rib.

When Lu Wenguang arrived with the grain, Shen Qingwan was happily devouring her food.

The scent made him swallow involuntarily.

He had smelled it from afar and never expected it to be coming from his sister-in-law’s house.

“Hey, Second Brother! Come, have some!”

She grabbed a large rib from the basin and shoved it into his hands before he could refuse.

Lu Wenguang had just put down the grain and didn’t even have time to say no before he was handed a steaming rib.

Seeing everyone eating so happily, he couldn’t resist taking a bite.

The flavor—it was unforgettable.

He wanted to bring some back for Zhou Huiniang and his daughter, Xiaojun, so he only took two bites before stopping.

Noticing his reluctance, Shen Qingwan guessed his thoughts and said, “Second Brother, after you eat, take some back for the children, as well as for Father, Mother, and Huiniang.”

She scooped out more than ten pieces of pork spine for him.

As for the ribs, she kept those for herself.

The spine still had a lot of meat on it, and more than ten pieces filled a whole basin.

Lu Wenguang wasn’t good with words, so instead of declining, he quickly finished his rib, thanked her, and left with the basin.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Chen finished one rib each but didn’t dare reach for another, only staring longingly at Shen Qingwan.

She knew they were still afraid of her because of the original owner’s past abuse.

Changing that would take time.

“One each is enough, or you’ll get a stomachache.”

These ribs were big.

Two each was plenty.

Even she felt full after eating two.

Meanwhile, the smell had drawn a group of hungry children outside the fence.

They stretched their necks, trying to see inside. If Shen Qingwan hadn’t closed the gate, they might have stormed in.

Her yard was only fenced with simple wooden stakes, making everything inside visible.

This was why she decided to cook all the meat at once—if she cooked it every day, the entire village would curse her.

As the sun set, the villagers returning from town finally arrived.