"I'm just worried that our food supplies will go to waste. Food is so precious right now..."

The man's harsh words even made her usually quiet father-in-law resent her. Fang felt inexplicably guilty, but for the sake of her reputation, she muttered under her breath. Her son was the only male heir in the Wang family, and that alone ensured her secure position.

Wang Tiebao glared at her again, and Fang Shi finally shrank back into silence. Her husband had a fiery temper; although he didn't beat his wife, his anger was terrifying. If it weren't for their poverty and the fact that the Fang family had house-building skills, even if the fields yielded nothing, they could still have food to eat. That's why she had tried to get Wang Tiebao's attention! Later, due to the war, fewer villagers needed to build houses, which made their finances tight. Now that the world is at peace, business has come knocking.

Thinking of her family's situation, Fang no longer dared to disobey her parents-in-law. Although the Wang family was poor, they could still eat. Her family probably couldn't even afford wild vegetable porridge!

A few days ago, while her in-laws were out, she secretly sent half a pound of brown rice back home, which she had saved from cooking. It's just that Old Mrs. Han isn't home now, so seeing the rice disappear quickly, she assumed it was because the children were eating a lot!

Actually, although the eldest son's wife is pregnant now, she is experiencing morning sickness and can't eat much. The girls can only drink some thin porridge to fill their stomachs!

"Eldest brother, do you have any opinions? Don't you also think that two mu of land is a bit too much?" Old Han asked Wang Tieniu, her eyes slightly darkening.

Wang Tieniu dared not say anything more. He scratched his head, indicating that he had no objections and would simply follow his parents' instructions. Besides, Madam Qin was a formidable person; following her should be the right thing to do!

Old Mrs. Han nodded, secretly sighing that her eldest son was honest, but who says honest people aren't blessed? She thought her eldest son was excellent, and he listened to her advice!

The eldest son was honest and obedient, and the second son was filial and thoughtful. Old Mrs. Han's brows relaxed.

"Alright, since everyone agrees, old man, let's set aside two acres of land and give it a try. But there's one thing: I insisted on learning this from Madam Qin, and whether it works or not is none of her business! If I hear anyone gossiping about it, don't blame me for being ruthless! I might not dare to say anything outside, but in this house, I, as an old woman, still have the final say!"

As she spoke, she glanced at her second daughter-in-law. Fang Shi remained silent, head bowed, seemingly trying to minimize her influence. Inwardly, however, she thought, "Hmph, those people are all from the north. You southerners who've been growing rice for generations, and you expect to listen to northerners who don't understand? What will you do when things go wrong?!"

Seeing her eldest daughter-in-law Qiu's increasingly thin face, and how she was now sitting there forcing herself to stay awake, Old Han frowned, assuming it was because of the hardships of her pregnancy, and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, you've been pregnant for almost two months now, haven't you? Why do you still have no appetite?"

The fact that her sister-in-law, Fang, was embezzling grain could be kept secret from the children, but it couldn't possibly be kept from Qiu's eyes. Qiu, who had been cooking for over ten years, knew exactly how much rice her mother-in-law had given and how much she had used.

Having lived a humble life at home for so many years, and with her husband not being a strong man, Qiu knew she was no match for Fang. Besides, if this child was another girl, she even contemplated suicide...

"Mother, don't worry, my appetite is much better. I must have lost weight because I wasn't sleeping well during my pregnancy. I will definitely eat well and take good care of myself from now on."

When Qiu saw that her mother-in-law was still thinking of her, her eyes reddened. Although her mother-in-law was a bit tough, she was a clear-headed person. It was just that her womb was not cooperating.

Han seemed to know what she was thinking. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Alright, this isn't a solution. No matter what, the child in your belly is from the Wang family! Here's what we'll do: our eldest daughter is thirteen years old now, so let her take over the kitchen duties from now on, so you won't have to work so hard. As for the second son's wife, taking care of my precious grandson is enough for her."

How could this be allowed? How could she then deduct grain from her family's pay if this continued? Fang Shi, who had just been yawning and thinking of going back to her room to sleep, suddenly opened her eyes. "Mother, this won't do!!"

Seeing everyone looking at her, Fang quickly added, "I meant that Da Ya is still young! Rice is precious, and it would be heartbreaking to waste it! I may be a bit busy, but I'm good at cooking, so Mother, don't worry! I'll make sure my sister-in-law and her baby are well-fed and healthy!"

Just moments ago, Daya was thinking of thanking her grandmother, but when she heard her second aunt say that about her, she was furious. However, knowing that arguing would be useless, she suppressed her temper and said...

“Auntie, I’m not young anymore, and this isn’t my first time cooking! Besides, before Grandma went to help the Qin family, didn’t I always help Grandma with cooking? Don’t worry, just keep an eye on your little brother, he’s the head of our family!”

Daya grinned, her eyes crinkling with amusement. Don't think she didn't know what Fang was thinking—she just wanted more time to sneak a bite! That second aunt's cooking skills weren't even as good as hers! If it weren't for respecting her as an elder, Daya would have confronted her directly!

"Mother, that's not how I am..." Fang was furious, but now that she had just offended her parents-in-law and husband, no one spoke up to help her.

"Alright, is this really worth making a fuss about? You're quite something! It's settled then. Starting tomorrow, Daya will be in charge of the kitchen!" Madam Han made the final decision.

She was thinking to herself, "The eldest child of Qin San Niang's family is only thirteen or fourteen years old, and he can already help manage household affairs. I heard from Liu Shi that his eldest grandson can even go hunting in the mountains and go shopping in the county with his mother! Look at his grandchildren, except for the eldest girl, they are all so timid and hesitant. They all need to be trained!" Therefore, Han Shi was not angry at the eldest girl's self-recommendation; in fact, she had some approval for it.

Fang stormed back to her room, fuming! Her husband, however, was no saint either; before bed, he scolded her, saying she was always looking for trouble and had too much free time! He told her not to go against her parents, or he'd get rough with her!

Listen to what he's saying! She gave birth to his son, and he's still so rude!

"Alright, it's late, go to sleep! Don't think about those things! Your mother asked you to look after our son because she cares about your tiredness. Just focus on taking good care of the child, how could she mistreat you?" Wang Tiebao was exhausted after a long day. After washing up, he didn't have the energy to argue with her anymore. He pulled the blanket over his head and started snoring.

"All you do is sleep, are you a pig?" Fang kicked him angrily, but in her heart she was thinking about how to deduct some grain from his allowance. Her younger brother was going to meet a potential spouse in a few days, and she couldn't do without a decent gift!