During the meal, apart from Qingfeng—who only ate twenty dumplings—Zhao Xiaoling and Zhao Qingsong each ate forty dumplings.

Qian Mu(Qian Mother) and Qian Chunhua each had thirty-five, which shocked Chunhua.

Before transmigrating, she could only manage fifteen dumplings per meal.

She hadn’t realized how deprived this body was.

Qian Xingshan was the most outrageous—he ate sixty dumplings and even licked his lips afterward with longing.

“Big Sis, they were so good. If only we could eat like this every day,” Xingshan said dreamily.

Qingfeng nodded. “It’s even better than what we eat during New Year—it’s actually enough.”

Qingfeng was truly stuffed, his little belly round and tight.

Qingsong looked worried. “If we eat like this every day, wouldn’t it ruin the family?”

Qian Mother gave Xingshan a slap on the head. “You’re old enough to know better. Even Qingsong is more sensible than you.”

Xingshan scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

Chunhua waved a hand. “As long as we work hard and earn money, we’ll make sure to have dumplings often.”

After the meal, with help from her “little cotton-padded jacket” Xiaoling, Chunhua washed the dishes and tidied up the kitchen.

“Mother, keep an eye on the kids for me. I’m going to the village chief’s house,” Chunhua said as she dried her hands.

Qian Mother looked worried. “You’re going to tell the chief about what you heard in the county?”

Chunhua nodded.

Qian Mu(Qian Mother) said, “Go ahead, but don’t say too much.”

Chunhua understood her mother’s concern.

She wasn’t foolish enough to reveal everything.

She only planned to mention that she’d seen people in the county stocking up on grain and charcoal. Once the chief knew, he could decide how to handle it.

Her goal was to get the village to store grain—so no one would come looking at her own stash when trouble came.

Ultimately, it was all to protect herself.

“Xingshan, come with me to the chief’s house.”

Xingshan, who had been chopping wood in the yard, obediently put down his axe.

Chunhua took him along deliberately.

The future of the Qian family rested on Xingshan. From now on, she intended to bring him along for all important matters—he’d learn just by being by her side.

When they arrived, the village chief’s family was eating lunch.

Chunhua began by thanking Sun Hongying for standing up for her earlier under the locust tree.

Then she brought up what she’d witnessed in town.

Chief Wang was silent for a long time. Finally, he shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, “In chaotic times, all people suffer.”

Then he looked at Chunhua and said, “Tomorrow I’ll gather the villagers for a meeting and subtly pass along the information. Chunhua, this is for your ears only. Do not speak of it to anyone else.”

Seeing his serious face, Chunhua understood.

The world was already in turmoil, but the authorities still wanted to control public opinion.

The chief’s warning was really for her protection.

She couldn’t help but worry about the people she overheard at the noodle stall. If the government found out what they’d been saying in public, they might be in trouble.

Xingshan had been listening attentively the whole time. Only now did he realize why his sister brought him—it wasn’t just for company.

Though he didn’t fully understand war and drought, he did know what it felt like to go hungry.

On the way home, he was unusually silent.

Chunhua asked, “Are you scared?”

Xingshan shook his head. “Not scared. Just a little worried.”

“Worried about what?”

“Worried about Mother. Worried about you. Worried I won’t be able to protect you.”

Chunhua smiled. “That’s all I could ask for. Don’t worry. If the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. The county has a magistrate, Huanghualing has Chief Wang, and our home has me.”

She joked lightly, trying to reassure him.

But Xingshan frowned. “Big Sis, I’ve grown up already.”

Chunhua nodded. “Yes, yes, you’ve grown up. Our home has you.”

Xingshan declared, “Once the new kitchen is finished, I’ll go to the mountains every day to chop wood. I’ll fill both our wood sheds to the brim.”

Chunhua said, “Good. I’ll take care of buying grain and making sure we have enough food stored.”

Xingshan added, “Sis, that stick you used the other day—it was amazing! With that, we don’t need to be afraid of bandits or refugees.”

Chunhua knew he meant the stun baton. “Your brother-in-law brought it back when he was a security escort. If I get the chance, I’ll get you one too.”

Xingshan was thrilled. “Thanks, Sis!”

Chunhua warned, “That stick is powerful, but if we ever face a large group of bandits or refugees, running is more important than fighting.”

She was worried her young brother, bold but inexperienced, would become reckless just because of a powerful weapon.

Xingshan grinned. “Don’t worry, Sis. I’m not stupid. Two fists can’t beat four hands. Even a tiger fears a pack of wolves.”

Chunhua was impressed. “Not bad, little guy.”

Xingshan scratched the back of his head. “Dad taught me that.”

At the mention of their father, both siblings fell silent.

From the original Chunhua’s memories, she knew their father had been a barefoot doctor in Huanghualing.

Villagers would come to him for herbs and treatment when they were sick.

His medical skills were uncertain, but his martial arts were some of the best in the village. He used his skills to collect herbs in the wild.

Eight years ago, during one such trip into the mountains, he was attacked by a tiger and died.

When they found his body, only bones remained.

After that, the Qian family declined rapidly.

The Zhao family strictly forbade the original Chunhua from helping her natal family—or even visiting often.

Before marriage, she had learned quite a bit of medicine and herb preparation from her father.

Sadly, Xingshan had been too young and had only picked up a bit of martial arts.

Later, Chunhua could use this as an excuse for her medical skills—she’d say she learned from her father.

When they got back to the Qian home, Qian Mu was in the main room, sewing an extension onto Xingshan’s pants. He’d grown taller, and his pants were too short.

She was too frugal to make a new pair, so she just added a strip to the old ones.

Chunhua took note of this silently. Their family was still too poor.

“Mom, I’m here to take the kids home,” Chunhua said as she stepped into the room.

Qian Mu looked up. “Everything settled?”

Chunhua nodded. “It’s done. You can stop now, Mom.”

Before leaving, Chunhua asked about Qian Xinglei and Teacher Qian.

Qian Mu replied, “Xinglei’s a decent man, but when the plagiarism incident happened, he refused to explain himself after returning home. The truth is unclear. There’s probably more to the story, but he won’t say, so no one knows what really happened. Why are you asking?”

Chunhua explained that she planned to send Qingsong to study with Teacher Qian.

Qian Mu nodded. “That’s a good idea. The world’s unstable now. Even if you sent him to the county every day, the roads aren’t safe. It’s better to keep him close. Xinglei’s knowledge is more than enough to teach the basics.”

With her mother’s approval, Chunhua was reassured.

She decided to take Qingsong to check out the local school the next day.