When the five women, Li Dani and Erni, first arrived, the men in the family were busy helping Master Bai deliver potatoes and couldn't build a house, so they ate with the lady of the house for a while.

The lady did not differentiate between meat, eggs, and refined grains, and fed them all the same things.

During that period, I truly broadened my horizons and ate incredibly well.

However, they knew that it was because the lady was kind that they had such good fortune. They were already very fortunate to have such a good life for a while. They were not greedy. Besides, after they separated and started their own families, the food was much better than what they had eaten in the village. It was like heaven and earth compared to what they had eaten in the village. In fact, it was even better than the food of most families in the village!

But they never expected that the food at the herbal medicine shop would be so good!

Stir-fried bok choy with pork cracklings, the bok choy leaves and soup are glistening with oil, and there are more eggs than bok choy in the loofah and egg soup!

The pot contained more than just dry rice; there was more white, glistening rice than golden millet. At first glance, it was all white, with yellow making up only a small portion.

The five girls, including Li Dani and Erni, were beyond words with excitement, while the villagers were even more astonished.

They stared at the dishes before them, still reeling from the shock.

This is the lunch for the people who work for them.

When they were at home, they were lucky to have dry, dark-colored steamed buns to eat. As for rice, they could only eat millet porridge or cornmeal mush, along with various kinds of cooked vegetables. They never thought they would be able to eat rice.

Rice is so precious, although millet also suffered, but the amount of millet was so small that it was almost negligible, and even if it were all millet, it would be enough for them.

Millet is a coarse grain, and coarse grains used to cost at least seven or eight coins per pound in the city. Not to mention that after the flood, the price of all grains has increased, and even dark flour costs six coins. Wouldn't millet be even more expensive?

But now, millet, a coarse grain, only accounts for a minority, while rice, a refined grain, accounts for the majority!

"Hey, Shuiqing, we're here to work, why do we need to eat so well? I think millet is good enough, and plain millet rice is quite good too." Aunt Wu looked at the steaming millet rice in the big iron pot, swallowed a big mouthful of saliva, and tried to persuade Shuiqing while resisting her craving.

Of course she wanted to eat delicious and filling rice, but she also knew her place. She was there to work and get paid, so how could she eat such good food from her employer?

The other women chimed in, "There are so many of us. This is three big pots of rice. How much money will that cost?"

"The medicinal herbs haven't been turned into silver yet. I'm afraid we'll eat you out of house and home."

"We need to take it slow and steady, otherwise what will we do when we run out of food?"

...

Yan Qiu stepped forward and explained with a smile, "Aunties, ladies, and sisters, please feel free to eat. My mother knows what she's doing."

Mother said that only when you're full will you have the energy to work. If we eat our fill, the extra money we earn from working later will be enough to supplement our meals.

Hearing that they wouldn't be made poor by eating water, the scene quieted down, and the women breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't afford to lose the job they had worked so hard for.

Only when the water is clear can they earn money, and only then can they have work and earn money. From the bottom of their hearts, they sincerely hope that the herbal medicine shop can continue to operate for a long time. Working hard is a must!

With the tension eased, everyone's attention returned to the food.

Upon closer inspection, they were filled with even more amazement.

The bok choy contained a generous amount of pork cracklings, and the bucket was overflowing with an astonishing amount of egg drop soup—more than they would eat at home!

On the stove was a large, rough earthenware basin. Water was poured into it and rice was filled to the bottom. It was said, "Come on, one bowl for each person. Line up to get your rice. After you get your rice, line up to get your dishes. One bowl of egg drop soup for each person. You can get more if you're done. Just eat until you're full. Don't waste food."