The dishes stir-fried with the thirteen-spice seasoning released an aroma so rich it seemed to pierce straight into the heart.
“Mother, can we eat now?” Cheng Kang drooled even more shamelessly than little Cheng Yunfan.
Until Ye Manshu gave permission, nobody dared touch the food.
She divided the dishes into three portions.
“Boss, take this share to your Great-Uncle Doctor Li. Second Son, take this portion to your Great-Uncle the village chief. Third Son, bring this one to your Great-Uncle, the clan leader.”
She had to specify clearly—there were quite a few great-uncles in the family.
These three men were the ones who had always doted on Ye Manshu the most.
Maintaining good relationships with them would make life far more comfortable.
Village Chief Li Daoshun had originally wanted to refuse, but the overbearing fragrance hit him before he could speak.
In the end, he said nothing and decided he would eat first before going to lecture that troublesome niece of his later.
Clan Leader Ye Wu had the exact same thought.
As for Doctor Li, he immediately connected the aroma with the medicinal herbs Ye Manshu had taken earlier.
Could this smell really come from those herbs?
It smelled incredible.
Unable to resist, he devoured two full bowls of rice alongside the dishes while Madam Zhao repeatedly urged him not to overeat at night.
Doctor Li directly stuffed himself with digestive medicine afterward.
“There, problem solved.”
Madam Zhao was left speechless with anger.
Meanwhile, Ye Manshu herself ate enthusiastically.
This body was desperately craving rich food—probably from a long-term lack of oil and meat.
As a result, even Ye Manshu found herself unusually greedy.
To prevent Cheng Kang from devouring most of the meal again, she had Madam Yang divide the food equally into portions. Nobody was allowed extra.
Sun Shi had been forced by Ye Manshu to rest for the entire day and felt rather nervous because of it.
Yet during cooking, Ye Manshu still hadn’t allowed her to help.
Only at mealtime was she permitted to sit at the table.
When she saw Ye Manshu instruct Madam Yang to give both her and her two daughters white rice and meat dishes as well, she thanked her repeatedly.
Ye Manshu couldn’t be bothered with everyone else’s reactions.
She focused entirely on eating.
Da Ya and Er Ya quietly asked Sun Shi,
“Mother… can we eat too?”
Sun Shi cautiously glanced toward Ye Manshu. Seeing that Ye Manshu wasn’t paying attention to them at all, she whispered back,
“Eat. Grandma allowed it.”
The two little girls immediately picked up their chopsticks.
Oh wow—it smelled amazing!
By now, Cheng Yunfan’s entire attention had been captured by the food. He no longer had any thoughts about stealing from others.
Everyone had the same portions, and his share wasn’t small either.
He completely immersed himself in the delicious aroma.
Cheng Kang’s mouth stretched wide as he shoveled rice into it. While eating, he mumbled incoherently,
“Good… so good…”
Cheng Yuan and Madam Yang were practically hypnotized by the fragrance. The entire meal consisted of silent, focused eating.
Cheng Qian had long since been seduced by the smell. Already starving, he could hardly endure it.
After one bite, he felt that every delicacy he had eaten outside before couldn’t compare at all.
How could food possibly taste this good?
For once, the family peacefully shared a harmonious meal together.
Though Ye Manshu still felt dissatisfied with her children and grandchildren, as long as they listened obediently and worked properly, she had no intention of being stingy with food.
Besides, this approach also benefited Sun Shi and the two granddaughters equally.
Otherwise, if she singled out Sun Shi and the girls for special treatment, it would only create another imbalance in the household.
Ye Manshu had noticed something.
Sun Shi’s two daughters were genuinely adorable.
They resembled their mother completely—large eyes, double eyelids, tiny mouths, bright expressions.
If raised well, they would become true beauties once grown.
And although the girls feared her, they also possessed genuine affection and admiration toward her.
Unlike Cheng Yunfan.
Despite how much the original owner had spoiled him, he already showed signs of becoming an ungrateful little brat.
If those tendencies appeared again, she would crush them immediately.
A three-year-old child could still be corrected.
The next morning, before Li Daoshun could even seek out Ye Manshu, she went looking for the village chief herself.
“Little Uncle, I need your help with something.”
Li Daoshun snorted.
He knew perfectly well that after accepting food from her, there was definitely no good news coming.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it quickly! And don’t you dare come crying that someone bullied you again. Who in this village would even dare bully you?”
Ye Manshu grinned.
“Hehe, it’s not that. Third Son’s no longer studying in the county, so we’re planning to open a small school in the village. We’ll need your approval.”
Opening a private school absolutely required notifying the village chief so it could be formally announced.
“Really? Have you got a location yet? Is it your Doctor Uncle’s old house?”
“That’s the place.”
“Good! I’ll have your two cousins clean it up for you. Don’t worry about tables and benches—I’ve got old ones at home we can move over.”
Li Daoshun was practically overjoyed.
For once, his troublesome niece wasn’t causing chaos. Instead, she had finally stopped Cheng Qian from wasting money on studies and made him start earning money by teaching.
At that moment, the curtain lifted and Ye Wu entered.
“I heard my little niece was here. What’s going on?”
Ye Manshu immediately smiled and invited him to sit.
This was the head of the Ye clan—a very thick thigh worth hugging tightly.
“Second Uncle, you’re looking younger and younger! Even your beard has fewer white hairs now!”
Ye Wu looked at his niece carefully.
She was clearly the same person, yet somehow completely different from the woman he had seen a few days ago.
Her spirit felt different.
In fact, she reminded him more of how she had been in her teenage years—lively and vibrant.
Among five brothers and countless boys, she had been their one treasured little niece.
Naturally, she had been spoiled to the heavens.
But who could have predicted that over the years, her behavior would become more and more outrageous? Borrowing money without repaying it, secretly selling land, secretly selling daughters…
The older generation had been deeply disappointed.
She even yelled at them that nobody was allowed to interfere in her family matters, and that she would fight anyone who tried.
Yet whenever someone genuinely bullied her, these old men still couldn’t help rushing to protect her—only to get cursed out afterward.
Sometimes Ye Wu wanted to slap himself.
How pathetic.
But yesterday’s food had been too delicious.
Unable to resist eating it, he now found himself indebted by appetite.
That was why, after hearing Ye Manshu had come to the village chief’s house, he had hurried over himself.
Hearing her sweet words now felt like returning to the past.
Ye Wu immediately brightened.
“How could I possibly look younger? I’m old now. Hurry up and tell me why you suddenly sent food over. Is something serious going on?”
Ye Manshu repeated the matter about opening the school.
Ye Wu nodded repeatedly in approval.
“This is a good thing. You were always too indulgent with your Third Son before. Don’t worry—if he misbehaves, we’ll beat him for you.”
Meanwhile, out in the fields, Cheng Qian sneezed several times in a row.
Who was talking about him?
His back still hurt terribly, but his mother showed zero sympathy and refused to let him rest.
Soon enough, the Cheng Family School was officially established.
The villagers weren’t wealthy, so very few families could afford education.
Only five students came.
The tuition had already been lowered to the absolute minimum.
Half a tael of silver per year.
In the county, tuition cost two full taels.
Yet even half a tael was beyond the reach of most families.
Brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were expensive. Books were even worse.
Considering the villagers’ conditions, students weren’t required to buy books. They could simply copy characters onto paper while following Cheng Qian’s lessons.
These five students all came from slightly wealthier families. Their parents simply wanted them to recognize characters and avoid becoming illiterate, or perhaps improve their chances of finding work in the county someday.
Even shop assistants were generally preferred if they could read.
As for families truly dreaming of passing the imperial examinations?
There were none.
Watching Cheng Qian’s own educational journey had taught everyone the truth.
The imperial examination system was basically a giant money-devouring monster capable of draining an entire family dry.
Back then, the Cheng family had once been among the better-off households.
Ye Manshu’s parents had practically given her their entire fortune, and their life had been far better than most villagers’.
But once Cheng Qian started studying, things worsened year by year.
Eventually, they became poorer than average families.
Most of the year they couldn’t even afford steamed buns and mainly survived on thin porridge.
Only because Cheng Kang was so hardworking—farming, taking odd jobs, hunting wild animals—did the family avoid starving.
Even then, the daughters still ended up nearly being sold.
Thus, the families sending children to the school only hoped they’d learn basic reading and writing.
Nobody bought books.
Whatever Cheng Qian taught was what the children learned.
With five students, the school collected a total of two and a half taels of silver.
All of it went directly into Ye Manshu’s hands.
Teaching hours lasted three shichen per day—two in the morning and one in the afternoon.
For the remaining time, Ye Manshu still forced Cheng Qian to work in the fields.
Cheng Qian complained bitterly,
“Mother, teaching is already exhausting enough!”
Ye Manshu glared at him.
“Tired? Then stop teaching and work full-time in the fields instead.”
Cheng Qian immediately shut up and obediently went back to farm work.
Two and a half taels and he thought he deserved rest?
Dream on.