Cheng Zhenzhu was also quite full. Although this was the only dish tonight, it was definitely a feast, and the taste was quite good. The chicken was fragrant and flavorful, and the potatoes were soft and chewy. Three potatoes were a lot, and they were picked clean, leaving not a single crumb. There was still a small bowl of chicken left, perfect for making noodles tomorrow morning...

I haven't eaten noodles for a long time and I miss them a little.

The next morning, six kids held the delicious chicken noodles and slurped them with their little mouths. Six and eight finished the noodles last, just like a competition. You drank one more mouthful than me, and I drank one more mouthful than you, until there was no soup left.

These six half-grown boys really have a lot of heart, especially Liu Tiao and his clone Ba Tiao. Cheng Zhenzhu rubbed her forehead in amusement and decided to go "work" to earn money tomorrow...

"You have to wait for me~" Er Tiao burped loudly, took the dishes to the kitchen to wash, and before washing, he did not forget to go back to the living room to tell him that he should wait for him before going out to play.

"Wait for you, wait for you." Yitiao was so excited when he heard his mother say that she was going to take them to "work". He was talking in high spirits.

"Working" should be the same as "going to work," right? It's fun, a bit tiring, but you get tons of sweet potatoes...

Er Tiao nodded and returned to the kitchen with peace of mind.

"But we only provide meals for my mother, not for you." Cheng Zhenzhu continued, pulling Yi Tiao back from his excitement.

Yesterday, I went to a wedding banquet and ran into Chang Huaiying. She said her family was planning to build a house and wanted her to help chop stones... Chang Huaiying also said that since her stone house was built, many people on the island have wanted to build their own, but they're a little embarrassed to ask her for help. After all, they've all said bad things about her before, saying she couldn't live without a man. We're both widows, but she's a far cry from Daming's wife...

Chang Huaiying was sincere and she happened to be free, so she agreed to the other party's request and chose to "let bygones be bygones". After all, when she was building the house, Chang Huaiying's husband also came to help.

There wasn't any real animosity between them. The islanders weren't familiar with depression. They only knew that after Peng Aiqing's death, Cheng Zhenzhu was down and out, not paying attention to her son. It was inevitable that some gossip would be spread. But she didn't act like Xu Xia, dancing in front of Cheng Zhenzhu...

"Ah?" Liu Tiao opened his mouth and blinked his eyes, appropriately expressing his confusion and worry about not having enough food to eat.

"Mom, let's go help too!" A man showed off his strong arms. "We earned a lot of work points last year!"

"Help too." San Tiao pinched the flesh on his arm, showing it to his mother. Qi Tiao and Ba Tiao looked up, still confused. They didn't know what "working" meant.

Cheng Zhenzhu smiled and patted her round heads. "No need. This is different. Mom is going to help with work at someone else's house, just like when we were building our house... Mom has already prepared the food and put it in the pot. One thing, can you add some fuel to the fire to heat up the food at noon and take your brothers to eat?"

She'd been thinking about this since she agreed to Chang Huaiying yesterday. She'd always be unable to take care of them, so she wanted to use this opportunity to train the little ones. Yitiao was already ten years old and in fourth grade, and Ertiao was eight. He usually handled his younger brothers' problems with the demeanor of an older brother, but this time she wanted to let go and see...

"Okay! I promise to complete the task." When his name was called, a sense of trust naturally arose. He was the eldest brother, so it was only natural for him to take the younger brothers to dinner. And wasn't it just about lighting a fire and heating up the food? He could do it!

......

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Er Tiao ran into the living room after washing the dishes. Seeing his brothers gathered together waiting for instructions, he hurried over.

"Mom told us to look after the house!" One pulled Two to the side of Three, his little face very serious, and asked them to stand at attention and line up.

The seven and eight little arms and legs that had just arrived followed the older brothers and tried hard to learn how to stand at attention.

Cheng Zhenzhu was delighted to see the six tall, straight little poplars lined up in formation. After calming down for a while, she continued to instruct, "After you finish eating, remember to give some food to four and five as well. There are dried fish for four and five in the cupboard. Just feed two of them. Mom will be back soon. If you see anyone you don't recognize, ignore them..."

"Yes, mother, we all know it." Yitiao patted his chest and counted to his mother again. One, two, three, four, five, six. Yitiao finished teaching seven and eight to shout "one" and "two", then returned to the team and shouted "six" in a loud voice.

Cheng Zhenzhu listened to the six little kids counting off their numbers, their voices soft yet resounding, and she felt as if she had seen what they would become in the future. One, two, three, four, five, six. Five of them, in the book, became soldiers. One and six were even in particularly dangerous branches of the military—special forces, soldiers...

Honestly, the book's power was so immense that she felt a bit apprehensive and uneasy. After all, it wasn't a happy ending. However, the most pressing issue at hand was finding the young hero and supporting this world. The road ahead was long, and there wasn't just one path.

"Mom is leaving. You and Four or Five Take good care of the house..." Chang Huaiying's home was a little far away, so Cheng Zhenzhu said goodbye to the children while carrying her secret weapon for chopping stones - a three-jin axe.

"Okay~" San Tiao led Qi Tiao and watched his mother leave the yard...

"Eh?" You Yumei also came to Chang Huaiying's house to help today. She was very surprised to see Cheng Zhenzhu. "Sister Zhenzhu, why are you here too? If you come, what will happen to your family?"

"I told them everything before they came. Let them heat up their own meals. The dishes are ready, so they can just heat them up and eat." Cheng Zhenzhu replied.

"Your kids are really capable," You Yumei said with heartfelt emotion. But her own two kids were also good, so she told her to come without worry. They'd heat up their own lunch...

******

"Let's go, let's go~" Liu Tiao felt bored after playing at home for a while and wanted to go out to play. He even stuck his butt out and pulled the stroller to go out.

"No. Liu Tiao, mother told us to take good care of the house. What if we are not at home and someone comes to take things?" Yi Tiao put the cart back to its original place and pried off Liu Tiao's fingers from the cart.

"That's right. Liu Tiao, you just want to go out and play." Er Tiao was appointed vice-captain by his brother, and now he was very arrogant and wanted to control everything. Seeing San Tiao and Qi Tiao lying on their backs reading, he helped them adjust their posture. "We have to listen to our mother, understand?"

He was bored... Six Tiao sat on the small stool, arms entwined. One and Two Tiao were doing their homework, Three Tiao and Seven Tiao were reading a book about Bodhisattvas, and Eight Tiao was the only one playing with him. Eight Tiao couldn't beat him; he always won. It was completely boring.