Even so, the days when they could eat meat throughout the year could still be counted on one hand.

Let alone Zhang Haifei?

Zhang Haifei also had two sons, and his situation was only slightly better than the current condition of their family.

On most days, not only was meat scarce, even eating white rice was a rare luxury.

Zhangjia Village was already poor, and to make matters worse, a drought had struck a few years ago, further impoverishing the village.

Almost every family had to tighten their belts to get by.

In Zhangjia Village, the old Zhang family was considered relatively wealthy.

At least the old Zhang family had some savings.

This was thanks to the ancestors of the Zhang family, who, for reasons unknown, had made a good amount of money and acquired a lot of land.

By the time it reached the old Zhang’s generation, he had only one son, so everything went to him.

As a result, the old Zhang family not only owned a dozen acres of good land, but Zhang Zixuan had also made a considerable amount of money during his time working at the escort agency.

Without that, Big Brother Zhang Tianyi wouldn’t have had the chance to attend the academy in the county.

Jian Xiu couldn’t help but feel indignant for the original owner and Zhang Zixuan.

The money was earned by their family of four, yet it all went to someone else.

They didn’t even get a single copper coin, and now with the division of the family, if she hadn’t transmigrated here, they might have been left with nothing.

Thinking of this, Jian Xiu’s anger grew even stronger.

She hoped the old Zhang family wouldn’t provoke her; otherwise, she’d make sure they regret it.

“Mother, can we eat the grass in your hand?” Liu Tou pointed to the bracken in Jian Xiu’s hand.

“Yes, this is bracken, very tasty.”

Originally, if the bracken were soaked overnight, the bitterness would be removed, making it taste even better.

But under the current circumstances, she had no time for soaking.

After rinsing the bracken, Jian Xiu casually cut a piece of fat meat and threw it into the pan. Once the oil started to appear, she added the bracken.

Soon, a plate of bracken was ready.

“Mother, it smells so good!” Liu Tou and Qi Tou swallowed their saliva.

“Does it smell good? There’s also pig’s feet,” Jian Xiu smiled and said.

She then filled Qi Tou’s bowl with a big piece of pig’s foot.

“Mother, leave the pig’s feet for father!” Liu Tou said.

“None for anyone else, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have delicious food every day in the future,” Jian Xiu replied.

“Mother, next time you don’t need to make white rice. If there’s meat, we can eat porridge instead,” Qi Tou said wisely from the side.

Though he also wanted white rice, given the family’s current conditions, with sometimes no food for the next meal, he was willing to take it slow.

He didn’t want to live like this, constantly hungry.

Hearing this, Zhang Zixuan, who was not far away, felt a pang in his heart.

If he weren’t paralyzed, he could take a few more trips for the escort agency, and their family of five’s life would slowly get better.

But there were no “ifs.”

When Jian Xiu brought Zhang Zixuan his bowl, he refused to eat.

“Just eat, you still need to work. I’m not working, and I’m not hungry, so I’ll skip it. One meal a day is enough for me!”

“I’ve made a lot, no need to push it away. From now on, I promise you’ll have white rice every day.”

Jian Xiu spoke confidently.

She wasn’t sure whether the plantain seeds would fetch a good price, but with her martial skills, hunting in the mountains wouldn’t be a problem.

Seeing Jian Xiu insist, Zhang Zixuan reluctantly took the bowl from her hand.

At that moment, Jian Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had really feared Zhang Zixuan would refuse to eat.

“I saw you brought back a big piece of wood just now. What are you planning to do with it?” Zhang Zixuan asked curiously.

“I want to make a wheelchair for you.”

“A wheelchair? What is that?” Zhang Zixuan asked, intrigued.

If one looked carefully, they would notice the excitement in his eyes.

Though he had never heard of a wheelchair, now, with only his legs left, it was clear the wheelchair Jian Xiu mentioned was meant for his condition.

“Yes, exactly what you’re thinking.”

“What is it?”

“It’s like a cart. You sit on it and use your hands to push the wheels and move. This way, you won’t have to lie in bed all the time.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zixuan’s eyes instantly lit up.

Then, he seemed to remember something and asked eagerly, “Do you know how to make it?”

“Yes!” Jian Xiu replied instinctively.

But then she remembered the original owner had no woodworking skills at all.

It had only been a few days; she couldn’t have suddenly become a master carpenter, could she?

But Jian Xiu was good at making things up.

So she immediately said, “I didn’t know before, but these past two years, I’ve learned a lot—more than you can imagine.”

Hearing this, Zhang Zixuan felt even guiltier.

“Xiu’er, don’t worry. If the wheelchair really works, I can do many tasks too, and you won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

“I don’t think I’m working hard,” Jian Xiu instinctively replied.

For some reason, whenever she spoke to Zhang Zixuan, it felt as if they were an old married couple.

When she met his deep gaze, she quickly looked away, lowering her head to focus on the camphor wood beneath her, easing the awkwardness between them.

No, it was only awkward for her.

“You can’t do it like that. I remember, before, Dad… Zhang Lao had a set of woodworking tools stored in this room. Did you see them when you were cleaning?” Zhang Zixuan said.

“Father, are these what you mean?” Liu Tou pointed to a pile of items in the corner.

“Yes, yes, that’s the one. Your third brother studied woodworking in the county for a while. I even bought the tools for him,” Zhang Zixuan said with a smile, his eyes full of memories.

Seeing the tools, Jian Xiu was pleasantly surprised.

She walked over, picked up the tools, and immediately started making the wheelchair.

Lying in bed, Zhang Zixuan’s heart ached as he watched Jian Xiu’s familiar movements.

These past two years, how much pain had he caused her?

Whether it was using the chalk line, the plane, or the saw, Jian Xiu handled them with ease.

These were tasks that men should be doing, yet now they had all fallen to her.

“You must have had a hard time these past two years,” Zhang Zixuan said.

Upon hearing this, Jian Xiu froze for a moment, then slowly replied, “No matter how hard it was, we’ve made it through, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we’ve made it through.”