The mother and son were working nearby, quietly talking trash about others and acting like everyone else was stupid.
Lu Wanqing heard them insulting and scheming against others. In a radius of dozens of miles, she could hear every sound—whether it was an animal moving or a person walking. That’s the advantage of her ability: her senses were sharp, her body was strong, and she had endless energy.
Today, everyone was stunned. The lazy girl from the Lu family was actually helping with the work.Could it be that she was rejected and emotionally shaken?If it were before, she would never lift a finger to help.A girl like her had been spoiled rotten, acting like she owned the place.If she were from any other family, she would have been beaten to death long ago.
After working for a while, Lu Wanqing returned home and began preparing lunch.She sighed. It looked like she would have to come up with another excuse again.She didn’t want to just sit in the space, eating a few wild vegetables and those dry buns that made it hard to go to the bathroom.No way—she would never accept that, not even if she were beaten to death.
Heh heh, isn’t it just making up an excuse? I already have one.The almighty Grandpa and Grandma—aren’t they the most useful?“Grandpa, Grandma, I’m sorry…”
When others finished work, they smelled the food from far away.There was meat in the air—when did their daughter start cooking so well?When did her culinary skills improve?
Xu Mengyi went inside first.“My precious daughter, what did you cook? Why does it smell so good?The smell is so strong that people outside can probably smell it too.Daughter, everyone is starving right now.Have you seen how pale and thin everyone is?”
“I know you’re capable now, but we still have to keep a low profile.If everyone else is starving and our family is fat and well-fed, people will resent us.You can never know what’s in someone’s heart.”
“Mother, don’t worry. It’s only a little food.My abilities are much bigger than that.From now on, you just enjoy life with me.I’ll take you to the city and rent a big house.Everyone will have their own room, not like now, crowded in a dark, tiny, broken house.We’re not thieves, so why be afraid of others?If anyone dislikes us, let them come at me.If I don’t beat them until they’re toothless, then I’m not Lu.”
“You! When did you become so aggressive and wild?You weren’t like this before.Oh, I know—it’s all because of that damned Lin Yuchuan.If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have changed like this.I swear I won’t let the Lin family go.”
“Mother, eat first. Eat first.We can talk about that later.Isn’t it too unfair to starve ourselves just because of others?”
“Alright, alright. Let’s eat.I’ve smelled the scent for a while and I’m curious what you cooked.These days feel like a dream—completely unreal.Two days ago, we were worrying about not having enough wild vegetables.”
“Who would’ve thought that after you fell in the water, we could eat meat every meal and never go hungry.I’m afraid this is just a dream, and when I wake up, everything will be gone.And…”
“And what, Mother?” Lu Yunxuan asked, confused.
“You little brat, why are you always talking so much?I’m not telling you.”
“Who told you to talk so much?With your big mouth, you’ll say something you shouldn’t.If you let people find out—”Xu Mengyi paused, then said, “If that happens, our family will be in danger.”
“Mother, I didn’t— I didn’t.I don’t have a big mouth.My mouth is very small, okay?”
“Hmph. Who knows which little demoness has bewitched you again.You’ll be tricked into talking and won’t even notice.You’re my son; I know your temperament.Out of all five of you, you’re the least clever.”
“Mother, it’s clearly my sister.Why are you always blaming me?You’re so unfair.I don’t want to live anymore.”
“You little brat, if you keep talking like that, do you believe I’ll break your leg?If I break your leg, I’ll raise you for the rest of my life.You’ll only get dishwater to drink.”
“Mother, did you even give birth to me?Did you pick me up from a trash pile?I’m so wronged—so wronged.”
Xu Mengyi slapped him.“I really want to beat you to death.Look at your sister—she worked so hard and cooked such a big meal all by herself.You’re useless.You can’t do anything, you just eat everything, and you always cause trouble.”
“Mother, am I really that bad?”
Everyone at the table burst into laughter.They were just joking, but the fifth child actually took it seriously.
Although the Lu family lived in the countryside, each of the children was beautiful and exceptional.They seemed out of place in the village, like they didn’t belong there—like they were from a distinguished family.Even if they wore rough cloth clothing, they still carried a noble air.
At first, the villagers were curious.But after a while, they became used to it.This family seemed like they had come from the heavens.
The lunch was especially rich:stir-fried eggs with chili, radish and pork rib soup, tofu cooked with minced pork, potatoes stir-fried with cured meat, and stir-fried cabbage.The rice was made from the better “second-grade” rice.Lu Wanqing originally wanted to cook high-quality rice, but she worried that if they ate so much good rice, her mother would scold her.
Everyone ate until they were full, and then realized how much grain they had consumed.From now on, they might have to tighten their belts.But they couldn’t criticize their daughter for cooking so well.
And fortunately, their daughter was more sensible today—she didn’t send any of the food to Lin Yuchuan.In the past, she would have sent it all to him.
After the meal, the daughters-in-law began washing dishes.As they washed, they glanced at each other, wanting to speak but holding back.
“Hey, do you think what’s wrong with the youngest sister today?What’s gotten into her?She’s acting weird.”
The second daughter-in-law tapped her head.
“Second sister-in-law, don’t talk nonsense.If Mother hears this, how do you think she’ll punish you?Just wash the dishes. Why so many words?”
“Hey, hey.Third sister-in-law, I was just speaking casually.Don’t you think something’s strange about her today?And we’re speaking so quietly—how could Mother hear us?”
“Tsk. I’m not stupid.Do you think I’d say something bad about her in front of Mother?”
The eldest daughter-in-law continued washing dishes silently.But in her heart, she was thinking the same thing:What’s gotten into the youngest sister today?
If this had been the old days, when the family had so much food, would it ever have stayed with them?They would have sent it straight to the Lin family.
Back then, the Lin family was well-fed and fat, while their own family remained thin and pale.