Walking through the bustling streets and smelling the aromas drifting from the food stalls, He Wanqing suddenly remembered that they still hadn’t eaten lunch today.
“Grrr…”
Suddenly, someone’s stomach growled loudly.
Village Chief Zhao came to a realization. “You all haven’t eaten lunch yet, have you? Come, I’ll take you to get something to eat first.”
Zhao Zichen immediately sprang out. “Dad, I know a place with delicious food that’s cheap too. I’ll lead the way!”
“So it seems you really have sneaked down the mountain often enough to improve your meals,” Village Chief Zhao said dryly, choking his son with a sarcastic remark before adding, “Hurry up and lead us there.”
Zhao Zichen spun on his heel and led everyone into an alleyway.
“Look, it’s this place. Don’t let the small size fool you—the food’s really good. Luckily it’s already past mealtime, otherwise there definitely wouldn’t be seats.”
Sure enough, the place was tiny. Once all twenty-plus people squeezed inside, the shop instantly felt cramped.
“Hehe, just right—five tables. If we squeeze together, we can still fit.”
The shop owner had been dozing behind the counter. Startled awake by the noise, he opened his eyes and saw the restaurant suddenly full of people, almost thinking he was hallucinating.
“Honored guests, are you here to eat?”
Zhao Zichen lightly leapt forward and instantly appeared in front of the owner.
“Uncle, it’s me!”
“Zichen? You brought all these people?”
“Yep, I recommended your place. Uncle, they’re practically starving. Hurry and have the kitchen make a few affordable but tasty dishes.”
“Alright, I’ll go arrange it now. Xiao Wang, hurry and pour tea for the guests.”
There were five tables total. Each family squeezed around one, leaving the last table for Village Chief Zhao and his son.
But Zhao Zichen thought sitting with his father was boring, so in just a few strides he reached A-Ming’s table.
“Little Baldy, scoot over and make me a seat.”
A-Ming frowned his tiny brows.
Why is this guy so annoying?!
Originally, He Wanqing hadn’t intended to interfere with the younger generation’s socializing, but considering it might help her gather information, she spoke up.
“A-Ming, move closer to Mother.”
Pouting, A-Ming reluctantly shifted over.
Zhao Zichen swiftly sat down at the end of the bench, then looked at He Wanqing with a serious expression.
“Auntie, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Zhao Zichen—Chen as in stars. You can call me Zichen.”
He Wanqing gave him a graceful smile.
“Hello, Zichen. My surname is He, and my husband’s family name is Ye. You may call me Auntie He.”
Although she felt slightly resistant to the title “Auntie,” there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t exactly ask someone that age to call her “big sister.”
“This is my eldest son, Ye Jianshan. He’s seventeen, so he should be older than you.”
“Auntie He, Brother Jianshan is two years older than me.”
“So you’re fifteen? Then you’re one year older than Jianwen and Jianwu.”
Zhao Zichen looked at the two boys in surprise. Their builds were noticeably different.
“They’re twins?”
He Wanqing smiled. “Even though you can’t really tell by looking, they are indeed twins.”
“Jianwen, Jianwu, hello! I’m one year older than you, so you can call me Brother Zichen.”
After saying that, Zhao Zichen waited expectantly.
Unfortunately, Ye Jianwen merely gave him a cold nod.
Ye Jianwu chuckled honestly. “It’s better if we just call each other by name.”
Zhao Zichen, who had been hoping to act like an older brother, became deeply disappointed. But then he lowered his head and spotted the little bald head nearby, immediately reigniting his hope.
There was still one left!
Surely this one would call him “brother,” right?
“Auntie He, what about this little guy? What’s his name?”
“His formal name is Ye Jianming, nickname A-Ming. He’s ten this year.”
“What?! He’s ten?” Zhao Zichen looked utterly disbelieving. He had assumed the child was only seven or eight.
He Wanqing smiled awkwardly. “He didn’t eat well growing up, and we’ve also spent more than a month fleeing famine under harsh conditions.”
Zhao Zichen misunderstood and assumed He Wanqing’s family had fallen into terrible poverty because they had lost the family breadwinner.
“Auntie He, if you run into trouble in the future, just ask my dad for help.
My dad might have a bad temper, but he’s actually a good person. If someone in the village is truly struggling, he’ll always do his best to help.”
At the neighboring table, Village Chief Zhao—who had been secretly eavesdropping with perked-up ears—was so angry his beard nearly flew upward.
That little brat was actually using him to get closer to people!
He Wanqing was amused by Zhao Zichen’s straightforward sincerity.
“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Zichen.”
Zhao Zichen flashed a huge grin. “No need to thank me!”
Then he turned to A-Ming.
“A-Ming, I’m your Brother Zichen now. If anyone in the village bullies you in the future, just shout my name. Guaranteed they’ll all run away!”
“Oh.”
Zhao Zichen’s eager anticipation was instantly extinguished by A-Ming’s flat little “oh.” Even the loose strand of hair fluttering beside his temple seemed to droop in defeat.
These younger brothers truly had no respect for their elders!!!
Before Zhao Zichen could stay depressed for long, the waiter arrived carrying trays of food.
“Guests, these are our shop’s signature dishes. Please enjoy.”
The moment plates of glistening food were set down, He Wanqing’s family of five completely lost interest in chatting.
As soon as the rice arrived, they attacked the dishes with lightning speed.
The other tables were no different.
After just a few bites, entire bowls of rice vanished.
Village Chief Zhao and Zhao Zichen, who hadn’t even started eating yet, stared in complete shock.
T-They ate that fast?!
Immediately afterward, the restaurant echoed with overlapping cries for more rice.
“Waiter, another ten bowls of rice!”
“Waiter, another eight bowls!”
“Waiter, five more bowls!”
…
Every table requested multiple refills.
At He Wanqing’s table, she was the first to finally put down her chopsticks.
Then she covered her mouth and let out a satisfied burp before trying to salvage their image a little.
“Zichen, don’t laugh at us. We just haven’t eaten rice in far too long.”
“Then what have you been eating?”
“Whatever edible things we found in the mountains. Mostly wild vegetables and wild fruits.”
Sympathy immediately appeared on Zhao Zichen’s face.
“Auntie He, your lives were really miserable. But things will get better from now on. Our Shangliu Village has plenty of wasteland. As long as you work hard reclaiming land, you definitely won’t go hungry.”
Since the topic had shifted to farmland, He Wanqing naturally turned toward Village Chief Zhao at the neighboring table.
“Village Chief Zhao, can we freely reclaim any wasteland in the village?”
Village Chief Zhao immediately straightened up and answered seriously:
“Yes. Any patch of wasteland in the village may be reclaimed by you. After you cultivate it, I’ll report it to the county office. Also, grain grown on reclaimed land won’t be taxed until the third year.”
He Wanqing was fairly satisfied with that policy, though wasteland yields were difficult to guarantee, so she continued asking about paddy fields.
Village Chief Zhao replied:
“Paddy fields are divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Upper-grade fields cost eight taels per mu, middle-grade six taels, and lower-grade four taels.”
“But upper- and middle-grade fields are hard to buy even if you have money. Very few villagers are willing to sell those. At best, you might be able to buy lower-grade fields—and even that depends on luck.”
Paddy fields were hard to purchase, while wasteland production was unreliable.
He Wanqing felt that simply relying on farming probably wouldn’t be enough to support the family.
It seemed she would need another path.
Ye Jianshan, who had experience farming, revealed a bitter expression.
“Mother, then what should we do?”
Seeing her eldest son panic, He Wanqing quickly comforted him.
“It’s alright. As long as Mother is here, you won’t go hungry.”
But right after saying that, her eyes drifted toward the stack of empty bowls nearby.
One, two, three, four, five, six…
(っ °Д °;)っ
Her third son had actually eaten ten bowls of rice by himself!
Then she counted the bowls of the other three children.
Even A-Ming—the one who ate the least—had still eaten five bowls!
Meanwhile, she herself had only eaten three bowls!
What kind of terrifying appetites were these?!
He Wanqing hurriedly comforted herself:
It’s fine, it’s fine. It must be because they haven’t eaten properly for too long. It’ll get better later.
(Who could have guessed…)
After everyone finally stopped eating, Village Chief Zhao stood up.
“Everyone finished? Once we pay, we’ll head out.”
The owner and waiter immediately came over to settle the bill.
At He Wanqing’s table—
“Guests, your total is one hundred and eight wen. Five dishes cost seventy-five wen. Rice is one wen per bowl—for thirty-three bowls total.”
The moment that number came out, even He Wanqing felt embarrassed and quickly paid the owner.
The owner himself hadn’t expected this table of customers to eat so much. The kitchen had cooked several huge pots of rice just for them.
After returning to the main street, everyone—now full and satisfied—finally had the energy to leisurely browse the small roadside stalls.
Village Chief Zhao wasn’t in a hurry either. There was still plenty of time.
Spotting a grain shop nearby, he turned to the group and said:
“Everyone can split up here and buy whatever you need. We’ll meet again at the city gates in half an hour.”
This suited He Wanqing perfectly.
But looking at the bundles they were carrying, her grand dreams of going on a shopping spree instantly faded.
She could only prioritize buying what they urgently needed for the next couple of days first.