“Mother, is this really white porridge? It smells so good!” Lui Tou asked excitedly.

Beside him, Qitou also smiled and said, “Mother, it’s been so long since I’ve had such thick porridge.”

“Er Ya, what’s wrong?”

“Mother, I don’t dare eat it. I’m afraid that if I eat this meal, Grandma will beat us again and stomp on my stomach to make me vomit it out!” Er Ya said.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu felt a sharp pang in her heart.

She pulled Er Ya into her arms and gently comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, Er Ya. Mother will always be here to protect you, just like today.”

As soon as she said this, Jian Xiu was momentarily stunned.

She couldn’t believe such gentle words had come from her own mouth.

Since when had she developed such a motherly heart?

Even she didn’t know.

The large pot of porridge was completely finished by the five of them.

Even Jian Xiu herself couldn’t help but drink three big bowls.

“How was it? Are you all full?”

“Full! I’ve never eaten this much before!”

“Good. Tomorrow, I’ll stew that old hen to nourish you all. How does that sound?” Jian Xiu said again.

She hadn’t forgotten that she had wrung that chicken’s neck earlier today.

It would be just right to use it to strengthen their bodies.

What Jian Xiu didn’t know was that while the five of them were talking and laughing, Old Madam Liu was on the other side, nearly exploding with rage.

“My hen! We only have two laying hens at home! I was counting on them to lay more eggs so I could save them for my eldest grandson when he comes back from the academy!” Old Madam Liu wailed.

Old Zhang was furious too.

He never expected that his usually timid and obedient fourth daughter-in-law would suddenly become so fierce.

But when he thought about her behavior today, he found himself at a loss on how to deal with her.

“Old man, look! Just a little bit of fine rice, and that wretch took it all! I was saving that for my eldest grandson!”

Their eldest grandson was Dawang’s son, Datou.

Because he was the first grandson, Old Zhang and Old Madam Liu had gritted their teeth and sent him to Hua Heng Academy in the county.

Since he was studying there, they had specially asked the village’s only scholar, Zhang Xiucai, to give him a proper name—Zhang Tianyi.

It had been two years since he left for the academy, and every time he came home, Old Madam Liu would always save the best food for him.

Before she could finish her rant, she suddenly saw Jian Xiu walking toward her.

Seeing that Old Zhang was also there, Old Madam Liu momentarily forgot what had happened during the day and immediately started cursing, “You damn wretch, why don’t you just—”

“Move.” Jian Xiu interrupted her coldly, her face expressionless.

Looking into Jian Xiu’s half-narrowed eyes, Old Madam Liu instinctively swallowed her words and obediently stepped aside.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu simply let out a disdainful snort, then bent down and picked up the hen from the ground right in front of them.

She gave them both a light glance before sneering and walking toward the shabby black room that belonged to their fourth household.

“Old man! Look at her! Just look at her! What kind of behavior is this?!”

Old Zhang was also seething with anger but found himself helpless.

It was only then that Old Madam Liu finally realized—Jian Xiu had come to take her hen!

Without thinking, she immediately chased after her. “Put that down! That’s my hen!”

“Yours?” Jian Xiu sneered. “Didn’t I say it this morning? Whether it’s the chickens, the ducks, or even that pig in the yard, I raised them all. Didn’t I also say that I won’t stop eating until I’ve finished them all?”

Old Madam Liu was dumbfounded by her words. Before she could even respond, Jian Xiu spoke again.

“I’m someone who always keeps my word. Now, even if you want to kick us out of the family, I won’t agree. Do you know why?”

“Why?” Old Liu blurted out.

“Isn’t it obvious? Because I haven’t finished eating all the chickens, ducks, and pigs yet!”

With that, she casually swung the hen over her shoulder and walked away, leaving behind a carefree and confident figure.

At this moment, Old Madam Liu should have been grateful that she hadn’t provoked Jian Xiu further.

Otherwise, she wasn’t sure if she would even be alive right now.

After all, the only reason Jian Xiu had tolerated so much today was because she was too weak and hungry to fight back.

If she had been at full strength, Old Madam Liu would have been half-dead by now.

“Old man… what did she just say? What does she mean? What does she mean by ‘eating all my chickens, ducks, and pigs’?”

Old Madam Liu was completely stunned by Jian Xiu’s words.

Her face turned pale with fear.

She had been counting on that pig to have a good feast for the New Year!

That pig wasn’t even a hundred pounds yet—if they ate it now, she would suffer a huge loss!

The next day, Jian Xiu woke up early.

Right in front of everyone, she brazenly began preparing the hen she had taken yesterday.

Er tou immediately turned to Fang and whined, “Mother, I want to eat meat too!”

Fang thought to herself, I want to eat some too.

After handling the chicken, Jian Xiu confidently walked into the kitchen, took some salt, and then returned to their small, dark room.

Not long after, a rich and delicious aroma filled the air.

Even Old Madam Liu couldn’t help but swallow hungrily.

Inside the small room of the fourth household…

Jian Xiu had thrown the entire hen into the pot.

To her, eating chicken was only satisfying when she could eat big, juicy pieces.

“Mother, it smells so good! Can we really eat this chicken?” Lui Tou asked eagerly.

“Of course! It’s all yours. In a bit, I’ll pull off a big chicken drumstick for you!”

“I don’t like drumsticks,” Lui Tou suddenly said.

“Me neither. Give them to Sister and Father instead,” Qitou added.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu immediately understood their intentions.

Such thoughtful children.

There were only two drumsticks, but there were three kids—naturally, it wouldn’t be enough for all of them.

When the chicken was fully cooked, Jian Xiu took off the two large drumsticks.

She also pulled off two big wings.

Although the Zhang family wasn’t wealthy, this hen was quite fat.

Just one wing was almost half a pound.

She handed a wing to Lui Tou and gave the two drumsticks to Qitou and Er Ya.

“Mother, you should eat this wing instead! I’ll just drink the soup,” Lui Tou said, trying to hand the wing back to Jian Xiu.

“You eat it. I don’t like wings,” Jian Xiu replied, casually placing the last wing into Zhang Zixuan’s bowl.

Zhang Zixuan said nothing.

He knew that no matter how much he spoke, she wouldn’t listen to him anyway.

The next morning, Jian Xiu once again walked out into the courtyard.

“What are you trying to do now?” Old Madam Liu stiffened and asked.

Jian Xiu didn’t answer her.

Instead, she walked straight toward the fattest duck in the yard.