Li Dani and the other four had already finished eating. Noon is the hottest time, and the lady said it was easy to get heatstroke, so they were not allowed to do any work. Therefore, after lunch, they usually cleaned up the dishes and washed them before going back to their rooms.

Upon hearing the knock, Li Dani got up and quickly ran to open the door.

Shui Qing knew from the sound of banging on the door that something strange had happened.

Hu's mother and Qin Yilin also stopped talking and waited calmly.

Before Li Dani went to open the door, Shui Qing had instructed her not to take the person to the tea room, but to bring them directly here—the tea room had excellent tea and freshly made yam pastries, and they couldn't let outsiders have them.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't just one troublemaker; it brought along a whole horde of helpers!

Not only did Aunt Zhang come, but her daughter Zhang Chunhua also came, along with her sister-in-law Sun Jinhua, Fan Sanzhu, and Fan Sizhu.

"Second Aunt".

"Sister-in-law."

"The Fan family."

After calling out to everyone, the five of them all turned their attention to the cold noodles on the boxwood table, and the sound of them swallowing their saliva was particularly clear.

Shui Qing was glad that she didn't cook a big meal for lunch like usual, but only simple cold noodles, so it wouldn't be too conspicuous.

However, the cold noodles were seasoned with vinegar and chili oil, making them sour and spicy, which whetted everyone's appetite.

Qin Yilin and Sun Jinhua's family had never gotten along, and at this moment they pretended not to see anything, picking up their bowls and eating cold noodles with gusto.

Unlike usual, Hu's mother didn't stand on ceremony and followed Qin Yilin, finishing the rest of her bowl in a few bites.

"What's this? It looks delicious." Aunt Zhang swallowed hard, her mouth watering.

The group waited for Shui Qing to be polite and treat them to a meal, and then they took the opportunity to eat a bowl themselves.

Shui Qing said calmly, "It's nothing good."

She then looked at the children and said sternly, "Hurry up and eat. Jiajia only made this much. If you don't eat, there won't be any left."

The children on the table quickly shoveled the unfinished food into their mouths.

Sun Jinhua panicked and rushed forward, only daring to pull at her daughter Fan Zhaodi, angrily saying, "You child, leave some for your old mother and brother!"

A few days ago, Uncle Huang and Uncle Huang took away a lot of grain, and since then, the family's food intake has been halved. She can only eat half full a day, so she thought she would come over during mealtimes to have a treat.

Unexpectedly, Hu Shuiqing, with her sour and mean tongue, didn't even mention eating with them. Hu's mother was also impolite, not saying a single polite word.

In the past, she could hit and scold her two little girls, Daya and Erya, whenever she wanted. But things were different now. Especially with a boy staring at her, as if he would pounce on her if she dared to touch Daya, how could she dare to make a move?

Fortunately, her own daughter was here too. She couldn't accept eating other people's food, but she couldn't accept eating her own daughter's.

Fan Zhaodi put down her bowl and chopsticks, hugged her mother's waist, and cried out, "Mother, are you here to take me home? You're finally taking me home!"

"Waaah, okay, I'll give everything in this bowl to Mom and my brothers. As long as you take me home, Mom, I'll give it all to you!"

Fan Sanzhu paused his outstretched hand and withdrew it.

We can only afford to eat half a meal a day now, how can we feed another person!

Sun Jinhua was taken aback, and said awkwardly, "What nonsense are you talking about, child? People who don't know better would think you're not doing well with your aunt."

Fan Zhaodi continued to cry, "Auntie is very kind, but I am my mother's daughter, not Auntie's daughter. I can't keep eating and drinking here for free."

"Mom, you've come to take me home today, right? Did my two older brothers come to pick me up too?"