“What?” Shen Que slammed her chopsticks onto the table with a loud smack and shot a glance at Wen Yifan, who was sitting silently at the head of the table.
In a sarcastic tone, she said, “Mom, I admit it’s my fault for getting up late and not making breakfast today. But you don’t have to waste money like this. How much must these dozen big buns cost?”
Wen Yifan stood up, took away the soy milk and buns in front of Shen Que, and rolled her eyes. “You don’t have the life of a young lady, yet you’ve got all her bad habits. If you don’t want money spent, then get up and cook.”
“If you don’t want to eat, then get out. Your laziness irritates me just looking at you!”
Shen Que choked with anger. She had no idea what was wrong with her mother-in-law. Of the three daughters-in-law, Wen Yifan used to favor her the most. Not only did she never make her cook, she couldn’t even bear to let her step into the kitchen to boil water.
But these past two days, Wen Yifan had done nothing but make things difficult for her.
“Fine! I won’t eat! This family is impossible to live in!”
Shen Que shot Song Huailin a fierce glare, kicked him under the table, and slammed the door as she went back to her room.
“Typical…” Wen Yifan snorted coldly and picked up the basin of buns to start distributing them.
She weighed the basin in her hands and, when she saw coarse-grain steamed buns hidden underneath, she shot Song Huailin a sharp look. Even buying breakfast, he was playing tricks. Coarse-grain buns were much cheaper than meat buns.
There were only six meat buns in total, just enough to cover the top layer of the basin. Wen Yifan immediately guessed why Song Huailin bought them that way.
Two for his father, two for her, two for Shen Que.
Based on her personality in her previous life, she would definitely have been reluctant to eat them herself and would have given her buns to her eldest son, eating the coarse buns instead.
But she had lived a second life now. She would eat anything—except losses.
Her eldest son’s little calculation was doomed to fail.
She took the two largest meat buns and handed them to Song Wanzhi, kept two for herself, and divided the remaining two—one each—to the other two daughters-in-law.
Song Wanzhi stared at the meat buns in front of her in disbelief. In the past, tasty food like this was only for her brothers. She didn’t even have the right to smell it.
Her eyes reddened. She really liked her mother the way she was now. Though she still had doubts in her heart, she was filled with joy.
Feng Zhuyi hesitated as well, only taking the bun after seeing Song Chenyi nod.
Zhou Zhiyun, however, had already taken a big bite. The rich, oily fragrance filled her mouth, and she squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
Seeing that the buns were gone, Song Kuo forcibly pried half a bun out of his own wife’s mouth and stuffed it into his.
Song Huailin watched the meat buns pass him by, his eyes reddening with anger. “Mom! I want a meat bun too!”
“Then why didn’t you buy more?” Wen Yifan didn’t even lift her eyelids as she took a bite of her bun.
Song Huailin slammed the table and stood up. “I went out early in the morning to buy breakfast for all of you, and I can’t even eat one bun? Mom, even if you’re biased, you can’t be this biased!”
When he slammed the table, Wen Yifan slammed it even louder.
“You think buying breakfast is hard work? I raised you with so much hardship, fed and clothed you. I thought in my old age I could finally enjoy some peace. Instead, you marry a lazy wife who can’t even get up to make breakfast!”
“And you dare slam the table at me? I think your skin’s gotten loose—you want me to tighten it for you?”
“Mom, don’t be angry. Big Brother, you can have my buns. I—I don’t need to eat.”
Song Wanzhi, ever considerate, tried to give her two buns to Song Huailin, but Wen Yifan stopped her.
“Eat your food. From now on, in this house, only those who contribute get preferential treatment.”
Wen Yifan looked at Song Wanzhi with warmth and strength in her eyes. “You’re at a critical time now. Getting into university is your greatest contribution to this family.”
“And from now on, you don’t need to give in to your brothers…”
Before she finished speaking, she looked at the three sons at the table. Her warmth instantly turned to disdain. “All grown and married, and still shameless enough to fight your own sister for food. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Song Chenyi immediately lowered his head in shame. Song Kuo acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and kept stuffing pickled vegetables into his coarse bun.
Song Huailin, flushed red with humiliation, grabbed four steamed buns from the basin and stormed back to his room.
Soon, Shen Que’s wailing and shouting could be heard from their room, and it sounded like the two of them had even started fighting.
Wen Yifan found it almost amusing and shouted loudly, “Got too much energy this early in the morning? Think hiding in your room solves anything? Hurry up, finish eating, and come out to wash the dishes and wipe the table!”
Song Huailin and Shen Que immediately quieted down.
The whole family began eating breakfast in silence.
Song Yanchuan also wanted a meat bun, but he was still aching and didn’t dare provoke Wen Yifan. Feeling aggrieved, he gnawed on a coarse bun.
Song Wanzhi nibbled her meat bun in small bites, as if it were some rare delicacy, occasionally sneaking glances at Wen Yifan as she ate.
After breakfast, once everyone had left for work and school, Wen Yifan put on her basket and headed up the mountain.
Although the system’s mall had a points-upgrade function, it hadn’t explained how to earn points. So she decided to try her luck in the mountains today.
The mountains of the 1960s were lush and green, brimming with vitality at a glance.
As soon as Wen Yifan reached the foot of the mountain, the mechanical voice sounded in her mind: “Congratulations, Host, for discovering wild rehmannia.”
She paused and looked down to see a purple, trumpet-shaped flower covered in fine hairs. An electronic screen appeared beside it with a price tag.
[Wild rehmannia, one yuan per plant. Reward: +1 point.]
Wen Yifan’s eyes widened in disbelief. This rehmannia was sold per plant?
One plant was worth one yuan? How was this any different from picking up money?
She immediately knelt down and, with great reverence, began digging carefully with her small hoe. After she unearthed the entire plant, the system’s voice sounded on cue.
“You have obtained one wild rehmannia plant, worth one yuan. Points +1. Would you like to sell?”
“Sell!”
Hearing that she could earn points, Wen Yifan’s voice carried unmistakable excitement.
“Points credited.”
As the system’s voice fell, a line of text appeared in the mall’s purchase column—
[Spend 1 point to unlock purchase permission for this item?]
Wen Yifan glanced through the mall items and swiped to the soap purchase page. She silently chose “Unlock,” and the gray purchase page immediately lit up as if switched on.
Rare goods like soap normally required ration coupons to buy. But once unlocked, they could be purchased directly with money!
Wen Yifan was overjoyed, but she didn’t rush to buy supplies. Instead, she widened her eyes and crouched low, searching the ground for a second wild rehmannia plant.
By now, she had roughly figured out the system’s rules: the rarer and more precious the plant, the more money and points it could be exchanged for.
Wild rehmannia had virtually disappeared in the twenty-first century, but in the 1960s it wasn’t that rare.
If even a small rehmannia plant was worth so much, what did that mean?
It meant that this entire mountain range within her sight would become her personal treasury in the future.