Perhaps it was because she had been used to living from meal to meal, but upon hearing Qian Hongmei’s words, Jian Xiu did not immediately refute her.

If it had been before, she might have kept such a large piece of wild boar meat for herself.

But now, Jian Xiu truly did not care about such things anymore.

Ignoring Qian Hongmei, Jian Xiu went outside again and brought in the rice, along with some wild vegetables and dried bamboo shoots from the ox cart.

“Sister-in-law, these dried goods were sun-dried by us. If you want to eat them, just soak a bowl in advance. They taste quite good when cooked like this.”

“Oh? What is this?” Qian Hongmei asked curiously.

Hearing this, an idea suddenly formed in Jian Xiu’s mind.

However, looking at the frail state of the whole family, she knew that no matter how many plans she had, she could only carry them out once they regained their strength.

But it seemed that the bamboo shoots wouldn’t be profitable for long.

After all, sooner or later, the other villagers would catch on. Once the entire village started collecting them, the earnings would be divided, and there would be even less profit.

On the other hand, the plantain herb could still be gathered just like their neighbors did.

Thinking this, Jian Xiu turned to Qian Hongmei and said directly, “Sister-in-law, let’s take care of today’s matters first. I’ll explain everything to you later.”

Qian Hongmei was completely puzzled.

Why couldn’t she just say it now?

In her mind, if something could be explained, it should just be said directly.

But looking at her sister-in-law, Qian Hongmei felt that she had changed a lot.

Yet, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly had changed.

The feeling she got was that Jian Xiu had become someone with clear direction and purpose.

Even Qian Hongmei herself didn’t understand why, but with Jian Xiu around, she felt a sense of reassurance.

“Sister-in-law, and this—this is bracken fern. It’s also quite a good food. At this time of year, the bottom of the mountain is full of it. Just rinse it in clean water, soak it overnight, and stir-fry it—it tastes really good.”

Jian Xiu carefully explained to Qian Hongmei.

Although it was just a simple wild vegetable, here, it was a precious food that could fill one’s stomach.

In the past few years, Quanyong County had suffered from floods, and the villagers had endured extreme hardship.

It was said that after a great flood, a great drought would follow, and indeed, the entire county had nearly no harvest.

Many people were forced to sell their children—not because they wanted to, but because it was the only chance for survival.

If only they had known about these wild vegetables back then, perhaps fewer people would have starved to death.

“Jian Xiu, can this really be eaten?” Qian Hongmei asked incredulously.

Since the bracken fern hadn’t been dried, she could easily recognize it.

“Yes, I’ve been eating it for a long time. When Fen-jie returns, have her take Jie-jie and the others to the back mountain to collect more. After rinsing, you can pickle it for storage too.”

“Really?”

“Of course! Why would I lie to you?” Jian Xiu replied as she put down the sack of rice she was carrying.

This rice was something she had brought back from the county town last time—she had bought a total of fifty pounds, and they had only eaten a little so far.

She estimated there were still about forty pounds left.

However, when Qian Hongmei saw the rice, her eyes widened in shock.

“Jian Xiu, what are you doing? Rice and wild boar meat—does your mother-in-law know about this?”

“We’ve already separated from them,” Jian Xiu said calmly.

Just as she finished speaking, as if remembering something, she added:

“No, not just separated—we’ve cut ties completely. The old house has nothing to do with us anymore.”

“What? Cut ties?”

“Sister-in-law, don’t be surprised. Ever since cutting ties, my life has actually gotten much better.”

Hearing this, Qian Hongmei lifted her head to carefully examine Jian Xiu.

Whether life was good or not could easily be seen from a person’s appearance.

Jian Xiu used to be so thin that she was practically skin and bones, with sallow skin and a sickly pallor.

She was always covered in dirt, as she had been the one doing all the hard labor.

But now, though she was still thin, her entire demeanor had changed.

Seeing this, Qian Hongmei felt genuinely happy for her.

“It’s good that you cut ties. At least you don’t have to suffer under your mother-in-law anymore. Now, you and your family can finally live in peace.”

As she spoke, Qian Hongmei remembered the wild boar meat from earlier and added,

“But even though you’ve cut ties, you still have to be careful with your money. Silver doesn’t come easily—you can’t be so reckless with it. What if one day you have nothing left to eat…”

Realizing what she was saying, Qian Hongmei quickly covered her mouth and spat, “Pah pah pah! That won’t happen! I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that it’s good to be frugal.”

“I understand, I understand. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Jian Xiu reassured her in a soft voice.

As the two of them talked, Jian’s mother slowly regained consciousness outside.

The first thing she saw upon waking up was Zhang Zixuan sitting in a wheelchair.

For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating.

“Mother, you’re awake? Are you hungry? Wait a moment—Jian Xiu and sister-in-law are in the kitchen. There should be food soon.”

“You’re… Zixuan?” Jian’s mother asked in disbelief.

She hadn’t seen her son-in-law for two years.

The last time they met was when he had just been rescued.

That had been the last time they visited him.

And now, after all this time…

“Yes, Mother, it’s me—Zixuan.”

“Can you walk now?” Jian’s mother asked again.

“Not yet. I’m sitting in this wheelchair that Jian Xiu specially made for me. It can move on its own.”

“Xiu’er? Where is she?” Upon hearing her daughter’s name, Jian’s mother became emotional.

She had only one son and one daughter.

Over the years, they had suffered more than even the Zhang family.

She knew her daughter had a hard life at her in-laws’ home.

Even though they themselves were struggling, they never went to bother her, hoping she could at least have a peaceful life.

But fate had been cruel.

Her daughter had barely lived a stable life for two years before her son-in-law fell off a cliff.

And from then on, he had been bedridden for years.

Jian’s mother had felt heartbroken about it, but there was nothing she could do.

She had wanted to help, but she was too powerless.

“Mother, don’t worry. Jian Xiu is in the kitchen with sister-in-law making food. We’re doing well now,” Zhang Zixuan quickly reassured her.

Just those two sentences had left Jian’s mother breathless.

Clearly, she hadn’t eaten for days.