Suddenly, he smelled the aroma of meat. He thought he was hallucinating from hunger, since there was only the Chen family's dilapidated thatched hut near the east end of the village. Given their circumstances, even if everyone in the village had meat, Chen's eldest son and second son, as well as that vixen aunt, would never have it.

However, the fragrance wafted to his nose again. Tian Youwei stretched his neck and sniffed hard, walking forward like a lapdog, sniffing as he followed the scent, and finally stopped not far from the Chen family's thatched house.

The closer you get, the stronger the aroma becomes.

Good heavens, it really does taste like the Chen family's?

Are the Chen family eating meat?

And the taste... well, Widow Ye only gets to eat meat once or twice a year, which he considers the best he can get. But the taste now is hundreds of times better than when his family used to cook meat.

Just smelling it made Tian Youwei's mouth water.

After smelling it for a while, he took off running home.

Then he rushed straight into the house.

"You damned wretched creature, why are you running so fast? Are you being chased by some short-lived ghost?" Widow Ye scolded her son for his reckless behavior.

Tian Youwei wiped the drool from his mouth and shouted, "Mother, I want to eat meat!"

Widow Ye was stunned for a moment, wondering if she had misheard.

"Mom, when are we having meat at home? Is today okay?" Tian Youwei asked urgently.

Enraged, Widow Ye grabbed a carrying pole and started hitting her son, chasing him around the yard while yelling, "You short-lived devil! You vengeful devil who's come to collect debts! Meat? You think you can just say 'meat' like that? Does your mother not want to eat meat? Look around the village these days, who has the spare money to eat meat?"

In the countryside where people toil in the soil for a living, winter is the hardest time to endure. Everyone tightens their belts and reduces the number of meals. Yet this kid still has the audacity to want to eat meat!

Meatballs can only be made during the summer and autumn harvests. After selling the new rice, people would go to the county town to buy a couple of ounces as a treat.

This kid stole something, lost his shoes, and now he wants to eat meat. All of this combined infuriated Widow Ye, who showed absolutely no mercy in her attack.

Tian Youwei scurried around trying to avoid it, but he still got hit several times with the carrying pole, making him wince in pain. He was still very indignant and shouted, "Even Aunt Yin, who is so poor, can eat meat. The meat in the Chen family boy's house smells so good! Why can they eat it, but I can't!"

Widow Ye was taken aback for a moment. "What did you say?"

Tian Youwei was furious. "The two boys from the Chen family are eating meat! It smells so good, much better than the meat you used to make, Mother. It smells so good that I want to rush in and snatch it. I want to eat meat, I want to eat meat!" Tian Youwei sat on the ground and started acting like a rogue.

Widow Ye said bitterly, "You should learn from your short-lived father and his shameless ways."

She was furious, and picked up the carrying pole to continue hitting him. "If you're so capable, go find me a father who earns a stipend! What's the use of just being envious, you useless thing!"

The reason why Lady Yin ate meat must be because she received a stipend.

That's a tael of silver, and just thinking about it made Widow Ye envious.

"Isn't finding your father your responsibility? You're incompetent and you're blaming me? Look at yourself, you're nowhere near as good as Aunt Yin!"

Even her son dared to criticize her. Widow Ye was so angry that her eyes turned red. She chased Tian Youwei all over the yard, hitting and cursing him. "You heartless little brat! I raised you with my own hands, and you dare to talk back to me? You like that Yin woman? Then go and be her son!"

As Tian Youwei ran and jumped, he retorted, "I'll go tomorrow. Anyway, I'll get beaten up no matter where I am. At least I'll have meat to eat over there."

Widow Ye was furious; the courtyard was filled with the sounds of beatings, scolding, and screams.

Inside the thatched hut.

The two of them, one adult and one child, ate until their bellies were round and full, and then they lay sprawled on the ground, feeling utterly content. If there were a deck chair like this, with a small fire burning around them, it would be the epitome of bliss.

The eldest son looked at his mother, somewhat incredulous. These past few days had felt like a dream, so wonderful.

The chicken was fragrant, smooth, and tender. When mixed with rice in the broth, it was so delicious that he almost swallowed his tongue.

And that round thing, Mom said it's called banana taro. He'd never eaten it before; it's powdery, soft, and incredibly delicious. And Mom makes jelly with the leaves—fragrant, smooth, and bouncy, absolutely delicious! And white rice...

Oh no! He used to think that white rice was the most delicious thing in the world. Da Wa couldn't believe it. Now he actually thought that white rice was just so-so.

Erwa was still savoring the meal; there was so much meat today, he was so full that he didn't even lick the bowl clean.

Later that evening, when his stomach was a little emptier, he was still thinking about licking the bowl clean.

"Get up, the ground is cold!" Yin Lan sat up and instructed, "Da Wa, take some of the tree jelly over there to your grandma. Remember, only for your grandma."

"Erwa, take the other, bigger bowl to Grandma Zhao's place and tell her it's an extra dish. Ask them how they like it and if they can find this kind of food in town."

The two children received their assignments, and now their mother has gradually become more and more important in their eyes. She can even magically turn leaves into vegetables, she is practically omnipotent, so they both listen to her.

The two little ones immediately rushed out.

Yin Lan was cleaning the pots and pans at home. In this era, there was no dish soap, so she could only rub them with wood ash. Hey, it actually worked quite well.

I'll wash it now, otherwise the two boys will be licking the bowl clean when they come back.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!