Tang Yifang was so startled she nearly jumped three feet in the air, her face going pale, then paler, and for a moment she couldn’t speak at all.
How had she forgotten, this daughter of hers had just been the one chasing Wang Qiucui around the whole courtyard with a broom.
When had her daughter become so fierce?
“You, what do you mean by this?” Tang Yifang said, her voice trembling.
“You don’t understand what I mean?” Qiao Xihe sneered coldly. “Let me spell it out, from now on, if you make trouble for the children and won’t let them eat, then you don’t get to eat either. I know you have money on you, and you can cook for yourself, but as long as I’m here, you won’t get things exactly as you please.”
“I’m your mother!” Tang Yifang said, her voice shrill. “How can you treat me like this!”
“I know you’re my mother.” Qiao Xihe gritted her teeth. “If it weren’t for that… do you think you’d still be standing here fine and well?”
Tang Yifang’s eyes suddenly went wide.
“Stop causing trouble. For the sake of our blood relation, I can let you live comfortably, and when you’re old, I’ll take care of you until the end. But my patience has limits. If you want to end up thrown out in the wilderness someday, then keep it up.”
With that, Qiao Xihe turned and left.
In the original owner’s memories, Tang Yifang really did feel maternal love for this biological daughter of hers.
Whatever good things there were, she’d always give them to her own daughter first.
That was exactly why Qiao Xihe hadn’t laid a hand on Tang Yifang.
But she had no intention of letting the plot play out the way it did in the book!
And she still needed to pursue the protagonist group. If Tang Yifang kept causing trouble and getting in the way of her pursuit, then she couldn’t afford to keep being soft-hearted either.
Qiao Xihe walked outside and saw all four members of the protagonist group standing at the door.
Shen Wanjin and Shen Wanyin looked at her so pitifully that her heart melted.
“Sister,” Shen Wanyin called out to her softly. “Are you okay?”
They had thought Qiao Xihe had given up on them, but then they’d heard a loud bang from inside, followed by Qiao Xihe laying down harsh words to Tang Yifang.
Shen Wanyin was overjoyed.
She was still young, after all, and didn’t hold grudges, after this whole string of events, she had already begun to slowly grow fond of this eldest sister.
Especially when Sister had defended her in front of Wang Qiucui, that had touched her so much!
“I’m fine.” Qiao Xihe’s expression softened too. “Don’t worry, I’ll make some more food.”
Fortunately, there were still plenty of wild vegetables from today’s dig.
And fortunately, the only thing on the table had been the stir-fried wild vegetables, there was more where that came from all over the mountain, which was exactly why Qiao Xihe had dared to flip the table so boldly.
Tang Yifang slunk back into her own room, and Qiao Xihe mixed up some dough, added the wild vegetables in, and got ready to pan-fry a few wild vegetable cakes in oil.
Shen Wanyin trailed along behind her like a little shadow the whole time, and Shen Wanzhou and the others didn’t stop her.
While Qiao Xihe was kneading the dough, Shen Wanyin tugged at the hem of her clothes and said, “Sister, you were so amazing hitting the bad guy with the broom just now, can you teach me?”
Qiao Xihe was amused, and started to reach out to pat her head, but seeing her own hands covered in flour, she gave up on the idea.
“Little Yin’er doesn’t need to learn that. Later on, you’ll learn much more impressive skills.”
After all, one day you’re going to be a female general known across the land.
“What are skills?” Shen Wanyin blinked, confused.
Qiao Xihe wasn’t sure how to explain it to her either. Just then, the door curtain was pushed aside, and Shen Wanzhou and Shen Wanmu walked in carrying an armful of firewood.
Neither of them said anything, they just set the firewood down by the stove and helped Qiao Xihe get the fire going.
Qiao Xihe smiled slightly and kneaded the dough a little faster.
After a while, the fragrant wild vegetable cakes came out of the pan, and the smell drew Shen Wanjin over too. She stood at the kitchen door, biting her finger, watching eagerly, wanting to go in but not daring to.
“Little Jin’er, come here quick.” Qiao Xihe waved her over. “Pancakes taste best hot, they’re no good once they go cold.”
Seeing her two brothers and her sister already there, Shen Wanjin walked in, hiding beside Shen Wanzhou, her eyes never leaving the plate of wild vegetable cakes.
Qiao Xihe remembered, the book had mentioned that Shen Wanjin was a bit of a foodie.
When the Third Prince pursued her, he’d gone all out buying her every kind of delicious food.
Thinking of that, maybe this was the angle she should use when the time came to pursue Shen Wanjin.
“Little Yin’er, here’s one for you.”
Qiao Xihe put a wild vegetable cake into a small bowl and handed it to Shen Wanyin. Shen Wanyin took it, swallowed hard, but instead of eating right away, held the bowl and walked over to Shen Wanjin first.
“Sister, you eat it.”
Shen Wanjin’s eyes were practically glued to the cake, but she still shook her head and said to Shen Wanmu, “Second brother, you eat it.”
Shen Wanmu in turn said to Shen Wanzhou, “Big brother eat first.”
Qiao Xihe said, torn between laughing and crying, “All right, all right, I made several of them, there’s enough for everyone. Here.”
She gave one to each of them and took one for herself too, eating until her mouth was shiny with oil.
Last night’s plain boiled cabbage and watery porridge had been so bland, these wild vegetable cakes today finally gave her a real appetite.
Tang Yifang still hadn’t eaten, but Qiao Xihe wasn’t going to worry about that.
Someone like Tang Yifang needed a lesson before she’d behave.
After they finished eating, Shen Wanzhou and Shen Wanmu washed the dishes, and Qiao Xihe thought about heading up the mountain again.
Besides wild vegetables, she wanted to see if she could find anything else up there.
Just then, Tang Yifang came out of her room, saw her, and gave a cold snort.
Qiao Xihe had no intention of paying her any mind.
But then, to her surprise, Tang Yifang walked up to her and stuffed a small pouch into her hand.
Qiao Xihe opened it and looked, there was actually some money inside, maybe a few dozen coins.
“What’s this?” Qiao Xihe asked, puzzled.
“Money, of course. Isn’t there hardly any food left in the house?” Tang Yifang said. “You can’t just keep digging up wild vegetables forever, we need to buy more rice and flour. Hmph, that dead husband of theirs won’t come home, and there’s not much money left…”
Holding the pouch, Qiao Xihe’s expression softened a little too. “So does that mean you’re willing to live in peace with the children from now on?”
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, do whatever you want!”
With that, Tang Yifang turned and went back inside.
She had no choice, even though she really disliked those children, she disliked even more the thought of her own biological daughter turning against her.
Qiao Xihe was truly her only family left.
Qiao Xihe smiled, and without hesitation, put the money away.
As long as Tang Yifang stopped causing trouble, that would be enough.
Then this family could live peacefully.
Qiao Xihe gave up the idea of going up the mountain and decided to go to the general store outside the village first to buy some rice and flour.
The general store was located between their village and the neighboring one, not too far, about half an hour’s walk.
Shen Wanzhou and Shen Wanmu came out after finishing the dishes. They seemed to have heard what Tang Yifang had just said to Qiao Xihe, and after holding it in for a while, Shen Wanmu finally asked, “Are you going to buy things?”