When Ma Hua returned home, he saw his mother staring at him with a hostile expression.

Ma Hua was startled by her mother's appearance. Who had angered her this time?

"Mom, what's wrong with you today! Who's so bold as to make you angry?"

Unexpectedly, Ma Hua's words enraged the mother: "What did I do wrong! How dare you ask? If it weren't for you..."

How can they not eat?! And you have the nerve to ask who made me angry? Who am I working so hard to cook for?

"Fine, don't eat it then! I'll feed it to the dog later! What's wrong with you? You're disgusted by it, aren't you?!"

Ma Hua only realized that he was the one who caused the trouble after hearing his mother's scolding.

It turns out I told them last night that I'd bring back something delicious for lunch today, meat, no less. Now the whole family is waiting for me!

Damn it, it's all Sha Zhu's fault. If it weren't for them, I would have already braised the meat and brought it back.

"My fault, my fault, don't be angry. They were blind. Your cooking is so delicious."

They even complained; we need to have a serious talk with them. Mom, don't you think? If they won't eat, I will.

"They're just unlucky, Mom. Look what I brought you back."

"Ta-da! These pig's trotters are good for your skin and are packed with protein!" Sha Zhu proudly pulled out several boxes of braised meat from his small bag.

At this moment, Father, Elder Brother and Sister-in-law, along with Ziming and Zishan, miraculously appeared out of nowhere and returned to the dining table.

"Ahem, eat, eat. It's your mother's thoughtfulness after all. Look at you all, how can you be like this?"

"Hurry up and eat! What are you waiting for?" The father coughed twice, then, without any further politeness, reached out with his chopsticks to pick up the braised pig's head.

I was going to put it directly in my mouth, but then I saw my wife's unfriendly expression.

He then brought the meat from the chopsticks to his mother's mouth and said weakly, "It must be you, my wife."

"Honey, come and try it. See if Xiao Hua's cooking skills have improved!"

The mother then took a smug taste, and immediately frowned. It was...well, it didn't taste good.

It's not that it's not delicious; it's fatty but not greasy, fragrant but not fishy, ​​and has an unforgettable aftertaste. But it seems to taste different from what's served in Beijing.

"Eat up, eat up," the mother said helplessly, seeing everyone's expectant looks.

"Oh. Time to eat meat!" Ma Zishan cheered and started eating as soon as her grandmother said it was time to eat.

Ma Hua frowned. This wouldn't do; they had to eat it secretly.

Then he said to his parents, elder brother and sister-in-law, "Didn't I go make sausages for someone today?"

Someone said I could buy some with my own money, without needing ration coupons. I'm thinking of buying some, what do you guys think!

"Great! That's wonderful, Xiaohua. How many can you buy?" The mother's eyes lit up. No need for ration coupons! That's great!

"Yeah, Xiaohua, how much can I let you buy?" the older brother said excitedly.

"The exact amount isn't confirmed, but it's definitely enough for our family to eat every day. They also asked me to help them make cured meat next week."

They said they could make cured meat without ration coupons, but they said it had to be kept secret and couldn't be spread around.

"I'm considering whether to buy it! I'm just worried that eating meat every day will be too conspicuous," Ma Hua said mysteriously.

"I think Xiaohua's concerns are not unfounded. These days, who eats meat every day?" the mother nodded thoughtfully.

"Mom, that's meat! Meat!" the older brother said anxiously.

"Shut up! What kind of world is this? Still eating meat? It's so chaotic outside. What, do you want people to know your family eats meat every day?" the mother said angrily.

As soon as his mother got angry, the eldest brother immediately became obedient, and his mind, which had been preoccupied with eating meat every day, gradually cleared up.

"Mom, I think we can buy it, but we have to agree on this in our family. No one can go out and talk about it, and we have to eat it secretly."

When Ma Hua saw his mother was angry, he quickly offered a solution. He wasn't trying to make the whole family angry, but rather to intimidate them.

Making money quietly is the right way to go. Otherwise, how do you explain how your family can eat meat every day when you only have so many meat coupons for a year?

Besides, it's impossible for the system's courtyard to be overflowing with good things while your family continues to eat meager rations.

Although MCA has been offering milk cakes and milk skin from time to time, it's far from enough. If we have the means, our families must eat well.

MCA just threatened my family.

Ultimately, it's because the MCA is afraid, especially with the Lunar New Year just around the corner. The most terrifying time is coming; the people have suppressed their resentment towards the rich for so many years, and they can't afford to be the ones to suffer the consequences.

"Alright, I understand. Let's eat first!" Mother nodded, not saying anything more, but instead urging everyone to eat quickly.

On the other side, in the courtyard, the deaf old lady and Sha Zhu were waiting and waiting.

They waited until the deaf old woman's stomach started rumbling, but Lou Xiao'e still hadn't appeared.

The old lady also began to wonder, why does it take so long to get a divorce?

Sha Zhu heard the old lady's stomach rumbling and said, "Grandma, why are you doing this? I'd better go and cook for you first. I don't know why you insist on doing this!"

"No need." The deaf old lady waved her hand at Sha Zhu, then directed him to take out a box of pastries from the small cupboard: "Here, have some of this first to tide you over."

"Wow. From Guixiang Village? Where did you get these pastry coupons?" Sha Zhu looked at the pastry box in front of him with a face full of surprise.

"Eating won't shut you up." The deaf old lady chuckled and beckoned Sha Zhu to come and eat.

Little did they know that the thief outside the door overheard all of this. "You old bastard! You eat my food every day!"

You drank my food, and now I'm still hungry and can't even have braised pork. And you guys are sneaking snacks in the house.

Banggeng licked his lips. He had hardly ever eaten candied hawthorns, let alone snacks.

Banggeng glanced angrily into the deaf old woman's room.

Meanwhile, Yan Bugui, who was on guard duty at the courtyard, finally met Xu Damao.

Xu Damao was not as happy as expected; instead, he looked dejected.

Seeing Xu Damao's expression, Yan Bugui didn't dare to rush forward to greet him.

When Xu Damao saw Yan Bugui's appearance, he gave a wan laugh and stepped forward to greet him: "Uncle Yan, do you think I look like a clown?"

Yan Bugui quickly waved his hand: "How could that be? What are you talking about?"

Yan Bugui was also puzzled. Hadn't Xu Damao gone to get a divorce from Lou Xiao'e? Why did he look so lost and disoriented now? He was puzzled and couldn't figure it out.

"Heh." Xu Damao chuckled coldly twice, then remained silent and walked home on his own.