Chapter 2

Sizhe sat at the table, tentatively reaching for a steamed bun. Good—his stepmother wasn’t watching, so he could eat. The sweet and sour stir-fried tomatoes and eggs were appetizing, pairing perfectly with the buns. Siqi’s bowl had also been thoughtfully filled with half a portion, allowing her to scoop the food into her mouth with a spoon.

Even though his stepmother had changed, Sizhe still didn’t dare eat too much. After two buns, he set down his chopsticks. Nan Sheng, unsure of his appetite, cautiously asked, “We’re out of alkali noodles, so the buns taste a bit sour. Do you not like them, Sizhe?”

Sizhe frowned and glanced at her. In these times, having enough to eat was already a blessing—who cared if the food was sour? He was just afraid that if he ate too much, his stepmother would start beating them again.

When her son didn’t respond, Nan Sheng didn’t press further. Instead, she pushed the remaining two buns toward him. “Eat up. It’s hot out, and leaving them overnight will spoil them.”

Her reasoning was simple: a full stomach meant a better mood, and a better mood would surely boost their affection for her.

Seeing her sincerity, Sizhe finally dug in, devouring the buns and even wiping the plate clean with the last one to soak up every bit of the tomato and egg sauce.

Lin Han had joined the military at fourteen, back when his family was poor and he needed a way out. Before marriage, he had saved up money, which Father Lin and Mother Lin used to build three rooms—the very ones they lived in now.

The eastern and western rooms were for sleeping, while the middle one served as the kitchen and a small living area.

Nan Sheng stayed in the eastern room. She retrieved the small box where the original owner had hidden money, unlocked it, and found a pile of cash and ration tickets inside. After counting, it totaled over 800 yuan—all hers now!

Five hundred of it was Lin Han’s savings, given to her before he returned to the military. As a soldier, he wasn’t one for schemes. Since the original owner had agreed to care for his children, he had entrusted her with everything.

The remaining 300 yuan was the betrothal gift from the Lin Family to the Nan Family, also paid by Lin Han himself, meant for buying a sewing machine and a watch. But the original owner had refused to purchase anything, so her parents gave the money back to her as a dowry. They had been deeply unhappy about her marriage to Lin Han, nearly cutting ties over it.

The rest was a mix of Nan Sheng’s frugal savings, Lin Han’s military stipend from the past two months, and the money she made from selling eggs.

The male lead was a schemer—he didn’t like the original owner and only wanted to swindle her out of her money, even pretending to be in a relationship to deceive her.

Nan Sheng was amused. Seriously, were toxic male leads trending these days?

“Dreaming of returning to the city? Keep dreaming!”

That night, Nan Sheng slept deeply. Her body was still weak and needed recovery. By the time she woke up, Sizhe had already left for work, but Siqi was rubbing her empty stomach, whimpering.

“Mom, I’m so hungry!”

Nan Sheng smiled. Kids were easier to win over—just a little kindness, and they’d start acting sweet. How adorable!

She fetched a basin of water, washed up, then cleaned Siqi’s face and hair. The little girl stayed still, sensing that her stepmother was different today.

With only cornmeal and coarse grains at home, Nan Sheng couldn’t whip up anything fancy. She made a simple porridge and stir-fried greens, making do with Siqi for the meal.

Since she had chores to do, Nan Sheng sent Siqi out to play. The girl hesitated. “Mom, don’t I need to gather wild vegetables?”

Nan Sheng patted her head. “There’s enough for the chicks. Take the day off and go play, okay?”

“Yay!”

Siqi was thrilled—she loved playing with her cousin at Third Uncle’s house.

Nan Sheng reminded her, “Stay away from the mountains and the river. And if you visit a friend’s house, don’t take their food. Got it?”

Siqi nodded. She understood—food was precious, and she shouldn’t impose. “I won’t wander, Mom. I’ll just go to Third Uncle’s to play with my cousin.”

Nan Sheng was naturally tidy, and since the original owner had neglected the kids, she had to step up.

She cleaned the siblings’ room, washed their dirty clothes, and only remembered the lack of alkali noodles for buns when it was almost time to cook.

That wouldn’t do. After some thought, she headed to a neighbor’s house. “Granny Zhang, are you home?”

The system was reliable when it came to simple social interactions—as long as it didn’t involve major plot points, it would remind her how to address people.

The Zhang family was out working in the fields, leaving only the frail Granny Zhang at home to handle chores. Hearing the call, she opened the door and was visibly surprised to see Nan Sheng.

“Oh, Lin Han’s wife! Come in, come in!”

The villagers whispered that Lin Han’s wife mistreated the children, but Granny Zhang believed she was just young and inexperienced—time would help her bond with them.

“Granny Zhang, I’ve run out of alkali noodles. Could I borrow some? I’ll return them after I buy more in town.”

Kind-hearted, Granny Zhang led her to the kitchen. “No need to talk about borrowing among neighbors. Take what you need.”

Nan Sheng had brought a small bowl, and Granny Zhang poured half a bowl’s worth from her alkali noodle bag. “Sizhe’s gone to work again? That boy should be in school—he’d have a brighter future.”

Sizhe was a top student, always scoring first in exams, well-known in Xiangyang Village. Granny Zhang wanted to persuade Nan Sheng to let him return to school.

“He dropped out on his own, stubborn as he is. But after working these days, he’s probably regretting it. I’ll send him back to class in a day or two.”

Nan Sheng mixed truth with lies to salvage her reputation. Sizhe had indeed quit school—afraid his stepmother would starve Siqi if he wasn’t around.

The original owner, seeing him idle, had forced him to work for extra rations.

Granny Zhang was delighted for Sizhe and warmed up to Nan Sheng. “Good, good! We’re close neighbors—come to me if you need anything.”

Back home, Nan Sheng started kneading dough. In this heat, the buns would be ready to steam in under an hour after adding the alkali noodles.

With time to spare, she also made porridge and stir-fried green beans. But Sizhe had already returned from work—where was Siqi?

Assuming his stepmother had sent her to gather vegetables again, Sizhe turned to leave, but Nan Sheng stopped him.

“Check Third Uncle’s place. Siqi said she was going to play with her cousin.”

At this hour, if she wasn’t back yet, Third Aunt might assume she was there for a free meal.

Relieved to hear Siqi was at Third Uncle’s, Sizhe left—but he didn’t return either. Nan Sheng figured they must have stayed for dinner.

As she ate, a boy rushed in—Lin Sicheng, Eldest Brother Lin’s second son.

“Auntie, it’s bad! Sizhe got beaten by Third Uncle, and Siqi was slapped twice by Third Aunt. You’d better go see!”

Nan Sheng’s blood boiled. “What happened? Why did Third Brother hit my kids?”

She grabbed a thick stick from the firewood pile on her way out.

Lin Sicheng said, “I don’t know. Maybe Third Aunt hit Siqi first, then Sizhe went to reason with Third Uncle and got beaten too.”

Xiangyang Village had over 300 households. Third Brother Lin Jianshe lived about 200 meters away—a short sprint.

A small crowd had gathered outside Lin Jianshe’s house. Inside, Eldest Brother Lin’s family stood protectively in front of the children.

When Nan Sheng arrived, Third Brother Lin and his wife barely paid her any attention—they all knew the second sister-in-law wasn’t particularly invested in her children.

Sizhe was currently shielded between Eldest Brother Lin and his son, with two cane marks on his arm and his clothes covered in dirt. He wasn’t crying, though, instead glaring defiantly at Third Brother Lin.

Siqi was cradled in the arms of her eldest aunt, rubbing her eyes and calling for her mother, clearly having suffered quite a bit of distress.

Before anyone could react, Nan Sheng swung a stick straight at Lin Jianshe. "How dare you lay a hand on my kids? Don’t you have your own? If you’ve forgotten how to act like a decent human being, I might as well send you straight to your next life!"

No one had expected Nan Sheng to react this way, and before Lin Jianshe could dodge, he took several hard blows. As he stumbled back, the stick struck his face. His wife, Sun Qian, snapped out of her shock and lunged forward, ready to fight Nan Sheng.

"You’ve got a death wish! How dare you hit my man!"

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