After Jiang Xiangbei finished washing his hands and returned to the room, Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Come and eat quickly."
As she spoke, she handed the chopsticks to Jiang Xiangbei.
Jiang Xiangbei frowned, his expression icy as he said, "I'll work hard to earn money, I definitely won't slack off. Don't do these things anymore. As long as you don't hit my younger brothers, I'll obediently give you all the money I earn."
The other three brothers remained silent, just obediently staying by Jiang Xiangbei's side.
Jiang Xia looked at Jiang Xiangbei, noticing the weariness on his face and the forced strength in his eyes, and her heart ached for a moment.
Jiang Xiangbei took a paper packet from inside his clothes and placed it on the dining table. "There was no work today, so no wages, just this one bun."
As he spoke, Jiang Xiangbei pushed the paper packet toward Jiang Xia.
The other three stared intently at the bun.
In the past, Jiang Xiangbei often brought back some food—sometimes buns, sometimes steamed buns. To the three younger brothers, the evening was the happiest time of day.
Because when Jiang Xiangbei returned, it meant they wouldn't be beaten or go hungry.
Jiang Xiangbei would bring back wages, and although it was little, Jiang Xia would be in a slightly better mood and wouldn't hit them.
Jiang Xiangbei would also bring back food, and they could enjoy a good meal.
Jiang Xia, of course, knew all this.
She glanced at the paper packet on the table, reached out to open it, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.
A plump, round white bun sat in the middle, looking particularly tempting.
"Gulp—"
The children swallowed their saliva in unison.
But they all knew this wasn't something they could eat.
If Jiang Xiangbei had brought back wages, Jiang Xia would have bought food for herself. But today, with no wages, Jiang Xia would surely keep the bun for herself.
They definitely wouldn't get any.
Jiang Xia looked at the bun in front of her, then at the little kids across from her, and finally, her gaze settled on the youngest, Jiang Linxi.
"Little Xi, do you want to eat it?"
Jiang Linxi immediately nodded honestly, but then, as if realizing something, quickly shook his head, saying timidly, "Little Xi isn't hungry, Little Xi isn't greedy, Little Xi won't eat…"
Seeing her youngest son so sensible, Jiang Xia felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She reached out, picked up the bun, and broke it apart.
Jiang Yinan grew angry. "If you're not going to eat it, why ruin it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that Jiang Xia had already divided the bun into five small portions.
Jiang Yinan was left speechless.
Jiang Xia sighed helplessly. "Our family has five people in total. Even if it's just one bun, it has to be divided into five portions. We absolutely cannot have a situation like before where one person eats it all alone."
As she spoke, Jiang Xia handed a portion to each of the four.
The four children looked at the bun in their hands, their feelings complicated.
Hearing Jiang Xia's words made it even stranger.
In the past, Jiang Xia always kept all the good things for herself, and the four of them couldn't even think of touching a bit.
Today, how could Jiang Xia say such a thing?
Seeing the four of them standing there dumbfounded, Jiang Xia said, "What's wrong? Hurry up and eat!"
"I put pumpkin in this porridge. It's sweet and delicious."
As she spoke, Jiang Xia picked up her bowl and took a sip.
The texture of the coarse rice really wasn't great, something Jiang Xia had long known.
In modern times, people eat brown rice to lose weight, but even diet brown rice tastes better than this.
However, the family currently had no other food, so they had to make do.
Fortunately, Jiang Xia found half an old pumpkin. The pumpkin had been dried thoroughly and was very sweet. Adding it to the brown rice helped balance out its coarse texture.
Jiang Xia ate half of her portion, but the four children remained motionless.
She said, "Hurry up and eat. It won't taste good once it gets cold. Finish up and go to bed."
The three younger children all looked at Jiang Xiangbei in unison.
Jiang Xiangbei nodded and said, "Eat."
Although he didn't understand why Jiang Xia had changed, he had no way to deal with it. All he could do was be even more cautious than before and take things one step at a time.
The four children sat across from Jiang Xia to eat, preferring to squeeze together rather than sit beside her.
Jiang Xia sighed helplessly in her heart.
It seemed the road to winning over these four sons would be long and full of obstacles.
Jiang Xiangbei took a sip of the porridge and thought it was actually quite good.
He glanced curiously at Jiang Xia, unsure whether this porridge was really made by the cruel woman in front of him.
Noticing his look, Jiang Xia smiled and said, "Xiaobei, is the porridge good?"
Jiang Xiangbei didn't respond and lowered his head to continue eating.
Jiang Linxi chimed in, "It's delicious! So sweet, really tasty!"
Jiang Xia smiled contentedly.
Beside them, Jiang Yinan sneered disdainfully, "Bootlicker."
Even as he said this, he finished every last drop of porridge in his bowl.
After they finished eating, Jiang Xiangbei stood up to clear the dishes.
But Jiang Xia was faster, swiftly gathering the bowls and chopsticks. "I'll wash the dishes. You all hurry and get ready for bed."
"Xiaobei, I'll boil some hot water later. Remember to come take a bath so you can sleep better."
As she spoke, Jiang Xia had already turned and gone outside.
The four children sat on the kang, momentarily at a loss.
Jiang Linxi said in a childish voice, "We always used to clear the dishes. Does Mother know how to wash them?"
Jiang Yinan curled his lip and glared at Jiang Linxi. "You're really getting used to calling her 'Mother.' Have you forgotten how she treated you before?"
Jiang Linxi pouted. "But Mother didn't hit me today!"
Jiang Yinan spread out the quilt, climbed into bed, and said, "Then hurry up and sleep, and pray she won't hit you tomorrow either."
Hearing this, Jiang Linxi turned to Jiang Xiangbei angrily. "Big brother, do you think Mother has changed for the better?"
Jiang Xiangbei pursed his lips and remained silent.
Seeing this, Jiang Yangdong pulled Jiang Linxi aside. "Big brother is tired. Fourth brother, let's go to sleep. If we stay up too late and make noise, maybe she… will lose her temper again."
At these words, Jiang Linxi looked a little scared and didn't dare speak anymore, following Jiang Yangdong to bed.
Soon, the rhythmic breathing of the two brothers could be heard.
Outside the broken window came the sound of Jiang Xia humming a tune while washing dishes.
It was truly bizarre.
Jiang Yinan cautiously lifted his head, looked at Jiang Xiangbei who was still awake, and whispered, "Big brother, what should we do?"