Sure enough, as soon as Ye Wen said that, Wen Xiangnan hesitated for a moment.
Then she nodded thoughtfully. “Mother is right. From today on, I’ll never say—”
The words ‘money-losing brat’ rolled around on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down. “I’ll never say those crude words again. Mother, please remind me often. If I say something wrong, scold me hard!”
As she was speaking, there was a sound at the courtyard gate—it was the eldest and second sons returning.
“Mother, what did we make at home today? It smells so good,” the eldest said as he dragged his exhausted body back. A whole day of bending over to harvest rice had left his waist aching, but the fragrance in the air instantly lifted his spirits, making him ask without thinking.
In the past, he would never have dared to ask. First, asking would surely get him scolded. Second, even if there was good food, it would never be his turn anyway, so asking was pointless. It was only because his mother had clearly changed over the past two days that he dared to open his mouth.
The second son had a sharp nose. He sniffed the air, his eyes lighting up. “There must be something good to eat!” Without waiting for Ye Wen to answer, he immediately went to fetch water to wash his hands, ready for dinner.
“We caught some eels this afternoon. Tonight it’s spicy stir-fried eel strips. Hurry up and wash your hands—it’s waiting for you,” Ye Wen said while holding Xiaocao, then turned and went back into the kitchen.
As soon as the dishes were set on the table, everyone gathered around. Even Tian Chunhua, who had been hiding all afternoon, slowly shuffled her way over.
Ye Wen shot her a sideways glance. Tian Chunhua stiffened and awkwardly called out, “Mother.”
Though she didn’t want to acknowledge her, thinking of her task, Ye Wen still nodded coldly.
That single nod stunned Tian Chunhua. She had thought that after grabbing her sister-in-law’s and little sister’s food at noon, her mother-in-law would definitely explode. She hadn’t expected her to still acknowledge her at all.
Tian Chunhua had always been thick-skinned. When given even a little leeway, she would climb right up it. She quickly hugged Yaozu and sat down at the table.
Everyone’s gaze was drawn, almost in unison, to the plate of spicy stir-fried eel strips in the center of the table.
These were the slippery eels they had caught in the fields this afternoon? They had cooked eels before—fishy and unpleasant. Who would have thought that made this way, just looking at them made mouths water uncontrollably.
“Mother, how much oil did you use for this?” the eldest said, looking at the oil seeping out at the bottom of the plate with a pained expression. That amount of oil would have been enough for their family to last three days in the past.
Ye Wen’s mouth twitched. She had thought everyone would praise her cooking. Instead, pouring a bit more oil made the eldest son so distressed.
She was the one in charge of the household. She could use as much oil as she wanted. This kind of rustic dish had to be oily to taste good. She had indeed used a lot today. But seeing how heartbroken the eldest looked, she said,
“The autumn harvest is exhausting. Eating some oil helps replenish your strength, so you don’t wear yourselves out and suffer later.”
Hearing this, the eldest’s heart filled with warmth. His mother was worried about him exhausting his body—she was caring about him!
He immediately stopped worrying about the oil and sank into the joy of being cared for by his mother.
Looking at everyone, Ye Wen said, “We’re a family. As long as you work together and pull your weight, Mother will reward you according to your performance. Today’s meal isn’t proper meat, but it’s still a rare dish for our family in recent years. I used more oil partly for the flavor, and partly because you’ve all been obedient and sensible. It’s time to improve our lives a little.”
She picked up the bowls. “Eldest, Second, you both worked hard today. Come—Mother will serve you.”
She filled two bowls to the brim, added eel strips and some green vegetables, and handed them over.
The eldest took his bowl, staring at the glossy eel strips. The eyes of this tall, burly man instantly turned red. In the past, whenever there was good food, Mother would secretly save it for the third son. The second son, with his sweet tongue, could usually get a taste. Only he, clumsy with words, never got any.
The last time he had eaten meat was during the New Year, when Mother had given him half a slice of cured pork.
The second son was also surprised to see he had the same portion as his elder brother. Mother had actually divided it evenly today?
Still, as long as he got his share, it was fine. Quick-witted as ever, he took the bowl and praised her. “Mother, you’ve got skills like this? It smells amazing! But next time, let Chunhua do it. Don’t tire yourself with this rough work.”
Tian Chunhua caught on immediately and chimed in, “Yes, Mother. Teach me. I’ll do these things in the future.”
The second son and his wife slept under the same quilt—their thoughts were aligned. If Tian Chunhua cooked something this good, at least she could hide half a pot and sneak it back to their room to eat.
Ye Wen understood perfectly but didn’t expose them. She simply filled another heaping bowl for Wen Xiangnan. “Xiaonan helped deliver food and catch eels today. You worked hard too.”
“Thank you, Mother!” Wen Xiangnan accepted the bowl happily.
When it came to Tian Chunhua, Ye Wen only picked a small amount of eel strips for her.
She had considered letting her go hungry again, but too much pressure could backfire. Constant suppression wasn’t a good idea.
“You were willing to cook at noon, which means you listened to Mother’s words. This is yours,” she said, then changed her tone. “But you were lazy at dinner and refused to help, so you only get this much. Besides, you snatched Xiaonan’s and Lian’s food at noon. Tonight’s rice won’t be given to you—it’ll count as compensation to them. Any objections?”
How could Tian Chunhua dare to object? She immediately said, “Mother, I know I was wrong. I was just too hungry at noon and lost my head. I’ll never do it again!”
Ye Wen nodded. In the workplace, you couldn’t deal with thorny employees head-on. Giving them a little sweetness often made them work harder than the obedient ones.
“Eat!” Ye Wen announced. Everyone immediately picked up their chopsticks.
“Mother, this eel is actually so delicious!” Wen Xiangnan’s eyes sparkled. The eel strips were cooked just right—crispy yet tender, numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant. Perfect with rice.
The eldest and second sons were starving and didn’t bother talking, burying their heads in their bowls.
Tian Chunhua looked at the half-bowl of eel strips in front of her. Such an oily, rich dish—she couldn’t bear to wolf it down and instead savored each strip carefully.
But Ye Wen’s cooking was heavily seasoned, full of Sichuan-style numbing heat and spice. The others had rice to balance it out and could handle it. Unfortunately, Tian Chunhua had stolen the buns meant for her sister-in-law and little sister at noon, so now she had no staple food. The spice made sweat pour from her forehead.
Strangely enough, the spicier it was, the harder it was to stop eating. By the time she came to her senses, her bowl was already empty. Her entire mouth burned as if on fire, and she felt like she needed to run around outside just to cool down.
Only then did regret flood her heart. If she had known this would happen, she never would have been greedy enough to steal those three buns at noon. But where was there a medicine for regret? All she could do was curse herself in her heart.
Ye Wen quietly observed everyone. Seeing them eat with such relish, she seized the opportunity and said, “See? This is all what your father taught me. Even eels nobody wanted can be made this delicious. Could the methods he taught for making money be fake?”
At the word “making money,” everyone immediately set down their chopsticks. “Mother, what did Father say could make us rich?”
They were desperate to get rich. With money, half the family conflicts would disappear. The eldest branch wouldn’t have to toil like an old ox, the second branch wouldn’t need to scheme and pinch pennies, the third son wouldn’t worry about school, and maybe the little sister could even marry into a good family. Earning money was simply too important for this household.