The little girl was naturally adorable. At this moment, she wasn’t showing the sharp, mean side she often displayed in front of Jiang Lian. Instead, her mischievous and clever expression made Ye Wen feel a rare pang of affection for her.
Ye Wen finished making the flatbreads and, using the oil in the pan, quickly cooked a pot of vegetable soup.
After hesitating for a moment, she took two eggs from the cabinet, beat them, and added them to the soup.
From the original owner’s memories, she knew autumn harvest was no easy task.
In just ten days or so, it could wear people out completely.
Now the whole family, from the eldest to the youngest, relied on the eldest and second son working hard in the fields. If they exhausted themselves, the family would starve.
After finishing the meal, Ye Wen thought for a moment and took out four flatbreads. The flatbreads were large; an adult woman could eat two and be full. But since Jiang Lian had just given birth and was caring for a child, she took extra.
She also served a bowl of vegetable soup, making sure to scoop extra egg into it.
Carrying the bowl, Ye Wen headed to the east wing.
Tian Chunhua saw this and panicked. “Mother, is the egg soup and flatbread for Big Sister-in-law? Isn’t this a waste for our family?”
Ye Wen knew exactly what she was thinking. She sneered, “If not for her, do you think it’s for you?”
“Oh, that’s fine then! Thank you, Mother!” Tian Chunhua even reached out to take it.
“Slap!” Ye Wen slapped her hand away. “Stealing food from someone in confinement—aren’t you ashamed?”
Startled by the sudden slap, Tian Chunhua was a bit indignant but dared not defy her mother-in-law. She stayed put, feeling wronged, as Ye Wen carried the tray into the east wing.
Ye Wen pushed open the door.
On the bed, Jiang Lian instinctively hugged her child closer. Mother and daughter both wore panicked expressions. Was the mother-in-law going to harm the baby again?
Ye Wen didn’t know Jiang Lian’s thoughts and assumed the original owner had been so cruel that she had made the woman fear her. But now, it was her body—was she really that terrifying?
With a stern face, she carried the bowls into the room.
But as she approached, she was shocked.
Jiang Lian’s progress bar for reform had dropped to just 1!
What could have happened in less than two hours to drop it from 80 to 1?
Just as Ye Wen was puzzled, the system’s cold voice rang out: “Detected that Jiang Lian has thoughts of poisoning her entire family. Host should quickly change her mindset, or the reform task will fail.”
What?
Jiang Lian wanted to poison the whole family?
Ye Wen immediately understood. A cruel mother-in-law, a mama’s-boy husband, a meddlesome sister-in-law, a spiteful co-sister… not one of them was good.
When honest people are pushed to the edge, they become most dangerous. This outburst likely shattered the last bit of Jiang Lian’s sanity.
The immediate priority was to stabilize her.
Ye Wen’s mind raced. She decided to start with the child.
“That little girl—” she deliberately said in a harsh tone.
Sure enough, Jiang Lian trembled, and her reform progress bar immediately dropped to zero.
“I thought about it… the baby’s born, and raising her could bring a bride price,” Ye Wen quickly added the second half of the sentence.
Jiang Lian stiffened, then her body relaxed slightly. Her progress bar rose from 0 to 10.
She had been terrified, thinking the mother-in-law was going to harm the baby, but now the mother-in-law said she would let the child live!
Bride price or not, what woman hadn’t been used by her parents to bring dowry to her brothers’ marriages? As long as her child lived, a little hardship didn’t matter.
Jiang Lian almost cried but held back. She feared the mother-in-law, worried that if she cried, she would be scolded again.
Unexpectedly, Ye Wen handed over the two bowls.
The bowls were filled with flatbread and soup—her mother-in-law was serving her food!
Jiang Lian doubted it. Could her mother-in-law really be so kind? Was there a hidden poison in it?
Ye Wen watched Jiang Lian’s reform progress drop again from 10 to 5 and sighed.
What was she afraid of? Poison?
“Eat! When you’re done, have Xiannan clear the bowls!” Ye Wen barked, setting the bowls by the bed. “Recover quickly so you can work. Cooking wears me out!”
Jiang Lian’s heart felt like riding a roller coaster. Her progress bar jumped to 15.
So the mother-in-law didn’t want to hurt her; she just wanted her to recover faster to help with cooking.
Relaxing, Jiang Lian looked at the bowls. They contained warm, soft flatbreads and a bowl of vegetable and egg soup.
She had expected rough flour bread and plain water, but it was a good meal. Eggs!
She had been married into this household for three years and had never eaten a single egg. The household had three hens, but all eggs went to the second and third sons, or were sold for money.
Jiang Lian’s eyes watered. The mother-in-law had made this meal specially for her confinement!
Her reform progress shot back from 15 to 80.
Ye Wen watched the fluctuating progress bar and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. This silly girl was so easy to please—a simple flatbread had brainwashed her?
But Jiang Lian’s grateful eyes gave Ye Wen goosebumps. To hide her discomfort, she barked, “What are you thinking? I’m not cooking special for you. Tonight, everyone eats the same. The men do hard labor; they need good food to avoid getting weak!”
“Eat quickly! After that, have Xiannan clear the bowls!”
With that, Ye Wen stomped out, deliberately slamming the door.
Jiang Lian was startled by the loud noise. Xiaocao (her daughter) also shivered and burrowed into her mother’s arms.
The girl had been scolded many times at home; even a loud noise scared her.
Jiang Lian held her daughter, gently patting her back, then silently watched the closed door.
The door blocked the autumn wind.
A postpartum mother and newborn mustn’t be exposed to drafts.
She realized the loud noise wasn’t so harsh after all.
Carefully, Jiang Lian picked up the bowl.
After the whole day, she was dizzy from hunger—first from giving birth, then arguing with the mother-in-law, she hadn’t even had a sip of water.
The hungry baby had cried for a long time but now finally slept.
Jiang Lian knew if she didn’t eat now, she might faint—and she still needed to produce milk.
She devoured the flatbread, occasionally spooning soup to Xiaocao.
The little girl, starving too, stuffed the bread into her mouth.
How could bread taste so good?
Jiang Lian’s nose stung. All these years, she had done all the cooking herself and never known the mother-in-law’s skills were so good.
The flatbreads were soft and delicious, the soup had golden egg ribbons, and the seasoning was perfect.
“Delicious…” Xiaocao mumbled, crumbs on her mouth.
Jiang Lian wiped her daughter’s face and silently memorized the taste.
Once she recovered, she would learn these dishes from her mother-in-law. When her daughters married one day, these would be a skill to show off.
This meal was the first full meal Jiang Lian and her daughter had eaten in this household.