When Lin Xiyue saw all the supplies, tears immediately shimmered in her eyes. Her man had really changed. Now both the child in her belly and her sister had a path forward.
“What are you crying for, wife? You’re eating meat—shouldn’t you be happy? Your man promises to make sure you live like this from now on.”
Xu Feng gently held his wife, using love to soothe the scars of the past.
Standing to the side, Lin Xixue was also deeply moved. This was the kind of life she could finally look forward to.
“Xixue, why don’t you come cry in my arms too?”
He couldn’t just leave his sister-in-law standing awkwardly by herself—after all, from now on they’d be living together.
That one sentence made Lin Xixue blush furiously. Flustered, she mumbled something and quickly left the room.
Xiyue playfully smacked Xu Feng’s arm. “A’Feng, don’t be like this. Give Sister some time.”
…
“You stewed the whole chicken? And fish too?”
Standing at the stove, Lin Xixue looked a little uncomfortable. She couldn’t help voicing her concern over such seemingly extravagant behavior.
“Just trust me. Believe in your man.”
As long as he spent resources on the sisters, the System would double or even multiply them—there was no need to hold back.
Seeing Xu Feng insist, Lin Xixue didn’t say anything else. As for him calling himself “your man,” she simply pretended not to hear it.
It took an hour to finish cooking. This meal was without a doubt the most abundant one the sisters had eaten since getting separated from their family.
There was crucian carp and tofu soup, wild chicken stewed with mushrooms, and stir-fried venison.
Three meat dishes, not a single vegetable. On top of that, three bowls of white rice—meals like this were rare even in the wealthier households of the village.
The sisters stared at the three meat dishes in front of them, unsure of which one to start with.
“Eat up, wife. Xixue, help yourself.”
Truthfully, even Xu Feng was nearly drooling himself.
The moment the sisters picked up their chopsticks, a chime rang in Xu Feng’s mind.
[Simultaneously spent resources on both sisters. Reward: six times return.]
[White flour × 12 kilograms, white rice × 3 kilograms, wild crucian carp × 3 kilograms, tofu × 1.5 kilograms, eggs × 6 kilograms, wild chicken × 3, venison × 6 kilograms have been placed into the System storage.]
This System really was precise.
Anything not spent on the sisters wasn’t counted at all.
Even though this was just a small beginning, once the snowball starts rolling from the top of the mountain, it would become an avalanche by the time it reached the bottom!
While Xu Feng and the sisters were eating heartily, the neighbors were having a miserable time—especially Aunt Li’s family.
Her three sons were at the peak of their appetites, and the family’s food stores were nearly empty.
Each of them had a bowl of thin porridge and a corn cake for lunch—barely enough to fill their stomachs. The moment they smelled meat, their stomachs started growling.
“Chicken stew with mushrooms… and white rice? Who the heck is living so well?”
The one who spoke was the third son. Even as he spoke, saliva pooled in the corner of his mouth.
“Who else could it be? I still don’t know what kind of dogshit luck that bastard stepped in.”
Every time Xu Qiang mentioned Xu Feng, his heart grew more bitter.
Why was it that the worse a man behaved, the better his life seemed?
“Big Brother, why don’t we go up the mountain with Brother Shoushan too? If we could take down a wild boar, we’d be eating meat every day!”
The youngest couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten meat. Life felt so hopeless.
“If it were that easy, every family would be drowning in meat. Wild boars have thick hides—you can’t even shoot through them sometimes.”
Hearing that, the second son let out a helpless sigh.
“Eat, eat, eat! Why haven’t they choked to death on it yet? Useless trash, blowing through all their meat in one meal—I hope their next meal is crap!”
Aunt Li, distressed by her sons’ hunger, couldn’t help but curse through gritted teeth.
“Mom, I heard that Wang Jun didn’t make it. Why don’t you talk to her—see if she’s thinking about remarriage?”
Xu Qiang’s suggestion was cunning. Everyone in the village knew Wang Jun had been a cripple from the start.
If he could take over Lin Xixue, not only would he avoid paying a bride price, but he’d get a Virgin Young Lady as a second wife.
And it wasn’t just that—Lin Xixue was famously beautiful. Her curves alone would make any man jealous.
As soon as her eldest heard this, Aunt Li’s eyes lit up. Clearly, they were on the same page.
“She’s already moved into Xu Feng’s house. I’ll go see what I can find out right now.”
If she could land a beautiful daughter-in-law for free, that would be the deal of a lifetime.
…
It wasn’t just Xu Qiang’s family that smelled the meat. The widowed Madam Wang from next door smelled it too.
Madam Wang had married into Xu Village from the neighboring one. Her husband had been just like Xu Feng in the past—a complete scoundrel.
A couple years ago, her husband went to the city looking for a prostitute—right when the government was cracking down the hardest.
He got caught, convicted of hooliganism, and was eventually executed by firing squad. He left behind an orphan and a widow to suffer through life alone.
Though Madam Wang wasn’t as beautiful as the two sisters, she still had an attractive figure and a mature charm that made her appealing in the village.
They say wildflowers smell sweeter than houseplants—even the most beautiful can grow dull with familiarity.
“Mom, I want meat!”
Her son was only four or five, a growing child who couldn’t help craving tasty food.
“Blame your deadbeat father! If you want to eat, chew on your mom’s arm!”
How could Madam Wang not resent it? A perfectly good life had been ruined by that dead man.
“Wuwuwu, why does every other family have a dad and meat to eat, and I have nothing!”
If he hadn’t smelled meat, he could’ve endured it. But now that he had, his cravings were unbearable.
The little one fell to the floor and cried loudly, kicking and wailing.
Hearing her son cry made Madam Wang cry too. Life had become unlivable. Where was she supposed to get meat?
Though many men in the village spoke sweetly to her, Madam Wang knew better than anyone what they were really thinking.
They’d eat and leave, pat their butts and vanish—none of them cared whether she lived or starved.
If she had to go to Xu Feng’s house and ask for meat… she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She knew all too well that Xu Feng’s past behavior had a lot to do with her dead husband’s influence.
Lin Xiyue probably hated her to death—why would they share meat with her?
“Sigh… what a cursed life.”
Even now, that dead man wouldn’t let her and their child live peacefully.
“Mom, I really miss Dad. If he were here, he’d find a way to get me some meat.”
Her son’s heart-wrenching sobs nearly broke her.
“Don’t cry, my child. Mama will go ask for meat right now.”
So what if she had to throw her dignity away today? She had to bring back at least a bowl of broth.
They say distant relatives are no match for close neighbors. Sooner or later, they’d need to help one another.
That’s how Madam Wang convinced herself. But as she stepped outside and looked at the house across the way, she still couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Just two steps out, she bumped right into Aunt Li.