Footsteps came from outside the yard. After a long day working in the fields, the eldest and second sons finally returned in the dusk.
“Mother!”
The brothers called out one after the other.
Hearing that title made Ye Wen feel uneasy. She was only twenty-six, had never even dated in the modern world, and now she had to act as mother to two young men in their teens and twenties!
She couldn’t help feeling awkward, but what could she do? She was here now, and if she didn’t complete the task, she absolutely couldn’t go back.
The second son came in first, barehanded.
Ye Wen immediately noticed his progress bar above his head—15 points.
Ha! True enough, people from the same family face similar challenges. These two were no different in reform difficulty.
He wore a simple short garment. He looked seventeen or eighteen, thin, wrapped in a faded indigo cloth shirt. His small face was sharp and lean, and his skin had a waxy yellow tone.
His eyes darted constantly, as if calculating something, showing an unusual cunning for his age.
It was harvest season, and even though he had slacked off at times, exhaustion still showed in his expression. Seeing Ye Wen, his eyes lit up: “Mother, did you come out to meet me? Let’s go back quickly—the night is cold. Don’t catch a cold yourself.”
He thought his mother must have come out because she was worried he worked too hard, and he wondered if she had secretly prepared some good food for him.
Pleased, he went to change his clothes first. After a day of labor, he was covered in mud.
Ye Wen searched her memory of how the original owner interacted with Wen Xiangxi and couldn’t help smirking.
This kid was probably thinking she had secretly hidden food for him, right?
Dream on!
The old lady had always favored him. When the youngest son was away, the second son—slick-tongued and somewhat capable—would find small ways to make money, occasionally bringing back some fresh treats. That always pleased the original owner.
So the original owner would secretly cook special meals for him. But he never worked properly, often slacking in the fields and leaving all the hard work to the eldest son.
Ye Wen looked on coldly. He had ways to earn money but only used small snacks or cheap cosmetics to please the original owner.
And the old lady was delighted, not realizing these were just casual handouts.
Take the silver hairpin on the second son’s wife—it was worth at least a tael or two. But when it came to buying things for the old lady, he would only buy cheap silk flowers. Not to mention the eldest couple, who deserved gratitude—he hadn’t given them a single thing. Selfish, indeed.
Lost in thought, Ye Wen saw the eldest son dragging his tired body into the yard.
Instinctively, she glanced at his progress bar—80 points. Decent, but his tendency toward domestic violence needed urgent attention.
Under the dim light, Ye Wen carefully studied the eldest son.
This twenty-year-old young man had dark skin, sharp features, and a tall but excessively thin frame. Years of being oppressed by the original owner and the harsh farm work had left him slightly stooped, losing the natural vigor of youth.
Studying his face, Ye Wen nodded to herself. Everyone in this family, except Tian Chunhua, had good looks. The children were handsome and beautiful; the original owner must have been a beauty in her youth.
She touched her rough cheeks and resolved that once she saved enough exchange coins, she would buy skincare products to maintain herself. At thirty-six, in the modern world, she was still in her prime.
Even if she wouldn’t remarry in this ancient setting, she still had to take care of herself—she didn’t want to live with the face of a forty-year-old.
Looking at the eldest son again, he wore a coarse cloth shirt soaked with sweat, clinging to his back, with bits of straw and mud stuck to it. His steps were unsteady, and the yoke on his shoulders had left two red marks. One hand held the yoke shakily, while the other carried two large hoes.
Seeing the eldest son covered in farm tools and comparing him to the bare-handed second son, it was obvious that the second son had pushed all the work onto the eldest.
“Mother, the night is cold—watch out for colds,” the eldest said in his simple, sincere voice, breaking her thoughts. Unlike the second son’s sly words, this concern was genuine.
Ye Wen smiled faintly. “Go wash your hands first; your wife just gave birth.”
“Gave birth?” The eldest froze. Seeing his mother’s calm expression, his heart sank—surely another money-draining girl.
“What’s so special about a girl…” he muttered, disappointment written all over his face, his steps growing heavier.
Ye Wen understood his thoughts immediately. Seeing his son’s traditional bias for boys made her want to scold him fiercely.
But she had to maintain her image. According to the original owner’s personality, it was considered good if she didn’t directly scold Jiang Lian. How could she speak up for her?
At that moment, the second son came out, freshly dressed. He tossed his clothes to the eldest: “Here, Big Brother, take the dirty clothes to your wife so she can wash them.” His tone was like giving orders to a servant.
This entitled attitude made Ye Wen, already troubled by suddenly being “mother,” even more frustrated. The eldest’s wife just gave birth, and the second son dared to make her wash clothes? How low had the original owner degraded the eldest couple?
“Wen Xiangxi, your wife just gave birth today. How dare you ask her to wash clothes?” she bit back her anger but couldn’t hide her teeth-gritting fury. “And don’t you have hands yourself? Your brother has to carry a yoke and hoes—can’t you lift something yourself?”
“Why? Didn’t she go back to work after giving birth to Xiaocao before? Big brother is just carrying two hoes—he can handle it. Mother, why worry?” The second son was indifferent, even puzzled by his mother’s sudden anger.
He had just heard his wife had another daughter, not a son. Why would mother defend her? And defending big brother? Ridiculous—mother often asked him to carry things for big brother anyway.
“She’s your brother, not your servant. From now on, do small tasks yourself.” Ye Wen felt her chest tighten, almost choking.
The original owner had degraded the eldest couple to the extreme, and all the younger siblings followed suit. The whole family had no respect for the eldest and his wife.
The eldest rubbed his eyes in disbelief. What did he just hear? Mother scolding the second son while defending him?
Had she mixed up who to scold? But he heard her continue:
“I don’t care how things were before. From now on, wash your own clothes. Carry your own things. I’m serious,” her voice was fiery. “Your brother does over half the work every day and is already exhausted. If I see you making him carry anything, try me!”
“Go wash up and come eat!”
The second son, confused by his mother’s sudden anger, wanted to argue but caught his wife signaling him.
Though he didn’t understand, he knew something had happened at home he didn’t know about. Otherwise, his wife wouldn’t signal him. With confusion and reluctance, he went quietly to fetch water and wash the clothes.
Seeing this, Ye Wen finally felt some relief. She returned to the kitchen, expressionless, and sat at the table, waiting for everyone to wash up before eating.
The eldest stood still, his mind echoing her words: “Your brother is already exhausted.” His nose tingled; his mother noticed his hard work. Shaking his head to suppress the emotion, he washed his hands, hesitated, and then returned to the room.
Seeing his wife had just eaten, the eldest picked up the empty bowl and set it aside.
Jiang Lian, startled by her husband’s sudden return, hugged her daughters and moved to the foot of the bed.
She feared he had been provoked and was coming to punish her and the children.
His wife’s anxious behavior irritated Wen Xiangdong. “Lian, a girl is a girl. We’re still young. Later we can have a son.”
Jiang Lian froze. Could it be… he didn’t know she had pushed her mother-in-law? Nervously, she glanced at him but didn’t dare speak.
Seeing her silent, Wen Xiangdong furrowed his brow. He assumed his mother had come to scold her because she gave birth to a girl again.
He knew his mother well—often she was just unreasonable.
But with his father gone, his mother had raised them alone. As the eldest, he had to lead in filial duty. And his wife only got a little scolding; it was his mother’s heart that was hurt!
Sighing, he picked up the empty bowls from Jiang Lian and the children, ready to go eat.
Kitchen
The air smelled delicious. The dim lamp cast a warm glow over the simple meal.
Tian Chunhua, holding three-month-old Yaozu, finally sat down.
The baby could have stayed asleep in the inner room, but she insisted on holding him—grandmother doted on the eldest grandson, and holding the baby ensured she got an extra spoon of egg custard.
“Mother, Big Brother hasn’t come yet. Let’s start eating,” said the second son, rubbing his hands and reaching eagerly for the oily flatbreads.
He had worked all day in the fields and was starving. Usually, a thick porridge for dinner was considered good. Tonight, there were oily flatbreads and vegetable soup with golden egg ribbons.
Though the Wen family was better off than most farmers, they had to save most of the ten-acre harvest to pay for the third son’s schooling in the county. Everyone tightened their belts, even using minimal oil in cooking.
Now, smelling the long-missed aroma of oil, Wen Xiangxi’s throat bobbed.
“Slap!”
A crisp sound—Ye Wen’s ladle hit Wen Xiangxi’s hand firmly.