After hearing Ye Wen’s words, the second son felt his heart pound. In the past, he had relied on his cleverness to get little advantages from mother. But today’s words clearly meant that path was cut off.
When their father was alive, he often scolded him for being too sly. Now that mother planned to follow father’s wishes, he would be constrained in everything from now on. Just thinking about it made cold sweat break out on the back of his neck.
Eldest son Wen Xiangdong, however, remained as honest as ever. When mother spoke of “East,” he never strayed to “West.” Third son Wen Xiangnan was even more calm, knowing mother always treated her favorably.
Seeing no one speaking, Ye Wen began to distribute the food.
First, she served eldest son five pancakes and a large bowl of egg and vegetable soup—enough for a grown man to fill his stomach.
Before she could even carry it out, the second son cheekily reached over with a smile. “Thank you, mother!”
Ye Wen flicked her wrist, effortlessly dodging his hand, and placed the bowl in front of the eldest son. “This is for your eldest brother.”
Wen Xiangdong stared blankly at the overflowing bowl in front of him. He could hardly believe his eyes—this bowl of food was for him?
In the past, whenever the family ate, mother would always serve the youngest first. If the youngest wasn’t home, then it would go to the second son. And him? He was always the last to get food. Over the years, he had grown used to his mother’s favoritism.
Now, holding the heavy bowl, his fingers trembled. This portion was more than double what he usually got!
In the past, mother always said, “Even if your brain doesn’t work well, eating too much is useless,” and only let him eat seven or eight tenths of a meal, saving the rest for the youngest. Today, this was unprecedented.
For the first time in years, mother seemed to care about him. His normally numb and indifferent heart felt a gentle breeze.
He hurriedly lowered his head and wiped the wet corner of his eye with his sleeve.
The second son’s eyes widened in disbelief. How could mother give so much food to eldest brother? In the past, eldest was always last!
Then he thought, maybe there would be enough left for him too.
But when it was his turn, Ye Wen only gave him three pancakes and a bowl of soup. Wen Xiangxi immediately panicked. “Mother! Why does eldest get five and I only get three?”
As the second son complained, the eldest hunched his shoulders instinctively.
Years of being scolded had conditioned him to respond immediately to younger siblings’ complaints, hoping to calm things and avoid mother’s anger.
He hurriedly lifted his bowl to give some pancakes to his brother, hoping mother wouldn’t get angry again.
But before he could, Ye Wen called sharply, stopping him.
She gave the second son a cold glance. “Your eldest brother was in the field before dawn. You? You dawdled until the sun was high. Do you think I’m blind? When Xiaonan delivered lunch at noon, you weren’t even there. Tell me—where were you?”
Having inherited the original owner’s memory, Ye Wen naturally knew what had happened today.
Hearing mother mention the work, the second son’s arrogance immediately shrank. He stammered, “I… I was tired, so I rested in the woods for a bit…”
Ye Wen’s eyes narrowed. “And you still have the nerve to ask why you got less food?!”
She placed the wooden spoon in the pot, splashing a few drops of soup. “From now on, whoever works more eats more, whoever works less eats less.”
The family froze, chopsticks in hand. In the past, mother always favored the second son. Whenever there was good food and the youngest wasn’t home, it all went to the second son. Eldest was always seen as only capable of working the land, never allowed to eat his fill.
Now… could things really be changing?
The family exchanged glances, each thinking their own thoughts.
Only the eldest son was overjoyed.
His face flushed red, eyes slightly wet. For the first time in years, mother had shown him such care. Deep down, she still cared for him—she wasn’t completely biased. He silently vowed to be doubly filial from now on.
The second son, however, was filled with frustration. What had happened to mother? Why didn’t she care about him anymore? In the past, even if he slept until late, mother wouldn’t mind and might even save him some food.
Tian Chunhua, his wife, felt anxious. If her husband couldn’t get favor in front of mother, and she had been lazy this afternoon, she would surely get in trouble too. She held her child tightly, thinking that since grandmother doted on her eldest grandson, this would protect her as a mother.
Wen Xiangnan stared at mother blankly, realizing she was very different today.
In the past, mother was a common farmer woman—narrow-minded and quick-tempered. But today, her every gesture carried poise. Even distributing food seemed graceful and calm.
Uneducated Wen Xiangnan couldn’t find words to describe it, but felt mother now had the refined air of a wealthy city lady.
She silently decided to follow mother closely, so she wouldn’t embarrass herself in the homes of wealthy families in the future.
Ye Wen had no time to care about anyone’s thoughts, and continued distributing food efficiently.
When it was second daughter-in-law Tian Chunhua’s turn, she nervously clutched her sleeve. Seeing mother pick up a large pancake, she relaxed—this one pancake would fill her about seventy to eighty percent.
Unexpectedly, Ye Wen twisted her wrist, tearing the pancake in half—half went back to the basket, half into the bowl. When serving soup, it was mostly water with few vegetables, so clear you could see your reflection.
Tian Chunhua was stunned.
She stared at the half pancake and thin soup, bitterness rising in her heart.
This tiny portion wasn’t enough to fill her stomach.
But she didn’t dare complain. Today, mother didn’t even care about the head of the household; who was she, the daughter-in-law, to speak?
“Mother…” she murmured, voice barely audible, “this isn’t enough. Yaozu is still waiting to feed. If I don’t eat enough, I won’t have milk for him…”
She glanced at mother, hoping this argument would work. Grandson was grandmother’s favorite—surely she wouldn’t let him go hungry?
Unexpectedly, Ye Wen didn’t even look up, busy serving Wen Xiangnan. She said flatly, “Half this pancake is already for the child. Without Yaozu, you’d be eating wind tonight.”
Wen Xiangnan happily accepted the two pancakes and the large bowl of egg soup. Normally, mother would only give one pancake—today, she got two!
“Xiaonan helped with the cooking today, so this extra pancake is a reward,” Ye Wen said, glancing at the second daughter-in-law. “From now on, this will be the rule: whoever works hard eats more. Those who slack off—” she deliberately prolonged the word, “—will go hungry.”
Wen Xiangnan bit into her pancake, feeling it was especially sweet. This was food she had earned through work, and it tasted different because of that.