Tao Wanniang chatted idly with the people in the dilapidated temple. Ping'an Town was truly out of money, and even the beggars were preparing to leave.

"Your two sons have been gone for a while, haven't they? The steamed bun shop isn't that far away."

After an unknown amount of time, the old beggar reminded him.

Tao Wan's mother then realized that something was wrong. Surely her two sons wouldn't run away with the money!

Tao Wanniang's gaze swept over her two daughters-in-law with a somber expression, and her face fell.

"Mother, could something have happened on the way? Dogwa's father is the most honest and kind-hearted person, he would never abandon us."

Wang Hongyu immediately spoke up for her man, her eyes anxiously looking towards the entrance.

Holding her son, Zhou Xiaoyun immediately chimed in, "Ergou's father is the most filial, Mom, don't overthink it!"

"Hehe!" Tao Wanniang sneered. Just as she was about to say something, she saw her two sons stumble in.

"Mother, Mother, help me!"

The two brothers ran into the house shouting. Ling Dahu's hair was all ruffled like weeds, and his face was covered in red, swollen patches. But he held his chest tightly until he saw Tao Wanniang before letting go.

Ling Dapeng was in an even worse state; his clothes were torn into strips, and blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Mom, the hooligans in Ping’an Town are terrifying. They tried to rob us when they saw Da Peng and me buying steamed buns. We had to risk our lives to protect them.”

Ling Dahu spoke with a mixture of anger and grievance as he handed the flattened steamed bun to Tao Wanniang.

To be honest, Tao Wanniang was a little disgusted. They weren't white flour steamed buns to begin with, and Ling Dahu had them stuffed into his chest. She frowned as she looked at them. There were only four steamed buns.

"Where's the scoundrel? Have you gotten rid of him?" Tao Wanniang asked, her face not looking too good.

"We've shaken them off! We ran through several streets, turning east and west, and finally made it back." Ling Dapeng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said breathlessly, "Mom, we didn't eat the steamed buns."

"It's good that you're back. You can share the food," Tao Wanniang said with a sullen face. Robbery wasn't surprising, but she was very unhappy about it!

"Mom, you eat first!"

Seeing Tao Wanniang's gloomy expression, Ling Dahu said with some alarm.

"I'm not eating anymore. I can go hungry. You can share with the children."

Tao Wanniang didn't have much of an appetite and was thinking about how to find more food. There were only four steamed buns; she wasn't about to fight over them.

“But Mother…” Ling Dahu was unsure of Tao Wan’s mother’s meaning and wanted to say something more.

"Don't you want to eat it? If you don't want it, give it to your wife and kids, don't waste it!"

As Tao Wanniang spoke, she walked outside. "I didn't exert any effort, and it's okay if I don't eat for a day."

Before Ling Dahu could say anything more, Wang Hongyu stopped him.

"Gouwa and Huani are hungry," Wang Hongyu said in a low voice.

How do you divide four steamed buns?

Ling Dahu and Ling Dapeng were in a bit of a predicament.

"The old woman wasn't very tired during the day, so she won't eat. Let our little Qiao'er have a bite."

Aunt Liang said shamelessly, "Children really can't go hungry!"

Finally, Ling Dahu and Ling Dapeng each got one, Wang Hongyu and her two children each got one, Zhou Xiaoyun and her son each got one, and Xiao Qiao'er got one too, so they divided up the four steamed buns.

As for the old beggar and the others, even though they were starving, they couldn't bring themselves to ask for food, since they only had four steamed buns!

Tao Wanniang was hungry, and standing outside the dilapidated house, she was very agitated!

rustling... rustling...

Squeak, squeak...

Tao Wanniang heard something in the corner of the wall, looked closely, and gasped.

A snake as thick as a wrist is eating a mouse.

Tao Wanniang was immediately struck by a thought, then a smile appeared on her lips. "Great! I was just worried about not having anything to eat. This snake, as thick as a wrist and over a meter long, seems a bit of a waste not to make soup."

The snake that had eaten the rat then coiled up the pillar and swam to the beam, seemingly preparing to rest.

Tao Wanniang turned around and went into the house.

"Have you eaten? Hurry up and get your gear ready, there's a big thing outside."

As she spoke, Tao Wanniang took the kitchen knife into her hand.

"Mom, what's that big thing? What are you doing with a kitchen knife?"

Ling Dapeng asked in confusion, "I ate a steamed bun and drank a few sips of water, but I still don't feel anything in my stomach!"

"There's a big snake here, and it's probably not full yet. Whoever catches that big snake, I'll make snake soup for you!"

Tao Wanniang's eyes gleamed with a longing for food.

"What?! A snake?! The snakes in this house are the guardians of the home! You can't hurt them!"

Upon hearing this, the old beggar immediately stopped him.

“Baojia, whose house is this? Yours, or yours?” Tao Wanniang asked rhetorically, pointing at each person with a kitchen knife.

"All I know is that my stomach is empty, and there's food available outside. What about you? Don't you want a sip of snake soup? Or a bite of snake meat?"

"You haven't eaten meat in a long time, have you? This snake is so big, we could make a whole pot of it. You really don't want it?"

Hunger made the other two beggars in the dilapidated house forget everything else; they immediately stood up and agreed to help.

The Ling brothers were a little scared when they heard that it was a giant snake, but since Tao Wanniang had spoken, they had to bite the bullet and go for it!

"Women and children stay inside and don't go out. Everyone else, come with me!"

Tao Wanniang said domineeringly.

Once outside, several men used bamboo poles to poke at the snake, and soon the large snake fell off the beam.

Tao Wanniang, quick-witted and agile, seized the opportunity and chopped off the snake's head with a kitchen knife.

After skinning and cleaning the internal organs, half of the water in Tao Wan's large kettle was used up, and the remaining half was used to heat the pot.

Without scallions, ginger, and garlic, the snake tasted very fishy, ​​but the snake soup was extremely delicious. Inside the dilapidated house, several people sat together, and in the end, their stomachs were all warm and cozy.

The old beggar who had previously said that snakes shouldn't be touched also got a bowl, but after drinking the snake soup, his tone changed.

"Hey, little sister, you're right. People are starving to death, why bother with all those taboos? Even if they really die, they shouldn't be starving ghosts!"

"I heard that starving ghosts are never full when they go down to the underworld. Sister, thank you so much! You've finally let this old beggar taste meat!"

"Do you all know the local thugs in Ping'an Town?"

Now that she had a baby, Tao Wan's mother decided to get revenge for her two sons and first find out about the local ruffians.

"I recognize most of them. What, young lady, do you want to cause trouble for them?"

The old beggar couldn't help but ask curiously, "This Tao Wan woman looks so thin, but she's really brave!"

"How dare you hit my son! I deserve to get my revenge!"

Tao Wanniang said in a sinister tone, "Gentlemen, you must be quite familiar with the situation in Ping'an Town, right? Help me, Tao Wanniang, this time. I dare not promise anything else, but as long as my family has something to eat, I will give you a bite too. How about it?"

After Tao Wan's mother finished speaking, her son and daughter-in-law were both deeply moved. The Ling brothers not only felt a warm glow in their stomachs, but also a surge of warmth in their hearts. Their mother was truly wonderful!