Jiang's sister-in-law was unhappy because of the goat milk issue. Jiang Chutong and Jiang Shaoning were a little better and didn't dare to make a fuss. But Jiang Shaoqin pestered his mother for a long time, asking her to buy a ewe so he could drink goat milk.

Jiang Shaoqin is the eldest son, and Chu Tong, who is two years younger than him and is a girl, is far less favored than him, the so-called eldest grandson. Jiang's sister-in-law spoils her quite a bit, and the rest of the Jiang family also dotes on her.

Later, Jiang Shuyun and Jiang Shuwen got married and had children, who were several years younger than Jiang Shaoqin. Mu Yi'an, who had been quiet before, didn't say much and didn't argue about many things, just living her own quiet life. Li Qiuniang had a straightforward temper, but as a newlywed, she wouldn't say much.

Of the three daughters-in-law in the family, Jiang's eldest sister-in-law was implicitly considered the leader, and she also considered herself the eldest daughter-in-law, always putting herself above her two younger sisters-in-law in everything she did. Who would have thought that after Mu Yi'an recovered from her injury, she would change and even unite with Li Qiu's mother.

In the main room, Sister-in-law Jiang was sulking alone. In the kitchen, Mu Yi'an finished tidying up and prepared to cut grass for the sheep, and even checked if there was anything chewable on the mountain to bring back some.

She had already planned out lunch: vegetable dumplings.

"Second sister-in-law, what are you planning to do for lunch?"

"Make some cornmeal dumplings. I see there's a lot of spinach in the field, and it'll get too old if we don't eat it soon."

Mu Yi'an also saw a large patch of spinach while milking the goats in the morning. It was quite tall, with stalks as thick as a finger. If it wasn't eaten soon, it would start to produce seeds.

"My second sister-in-law is a great cook; everything she makes is delicious!"

Li Qiuniang herself isn't very good at cooking, but she genuinely thinks her second sister-in-law's cooking is delicious.

Mu Yi'an only knows a few home-style dishes. Before, her family lived in the mountains, and the variety of dishes they could cook was limited. Later, she moved to the city, and conditions improved, so she didn't cook much anymore. Occasionally, she would cook a meal, but she would learn by watching videos. However, back then, there was a wide variety of dishes, so even if she hadn't cooked them, she had eaten them.

"I just cook some home-style dishes, maybe with a variety of options, but the taste is just average."

"That's still better than me. I really don't want to cook. I'd rather do some manual labor."

Li Qiuniang liked to practice martial arts and swordplay when she was at her parents' home; she really didn't like cooking or embroidery.

"Everyone has their own strengths. If you ask me to do some physical labor, I can't do it."

"I'll be content when conditions improve and I can hire a cook to cook for me."

"Your expectations are a bit low. Let's work harder and strive to live a life where we don't have to lift a finger to dress ourselves or eat our fill. We won't have a bunch of servants, but we won't have to do any housework either."

"Second sister-in-law, you really dare to dream big. However, you have a better chance. If your second brother makes the list in the next autumn imperial examination, you'll stand out."

The two sisters-in-law were in the kitchen, dreaming about the good days to come and hoping that day would come soon.

"Mom, we're going to cut grass for the sheep. We'll be back before we cook."

"Okay, you go ahead, I'll look after the child."

Jiang's mother waved her hand. She no longer goes to the fields or cooks. She just washes her own and Shuheng's father's clothes and takes care of the children.

Watching Mu Yi'an and Li Qiuniang leave together again, Lin Wanru felt uneasy. She muttered a few unpleasant words to herself, but there was nothing else she could do.

Mu Yi'an has been in a great mood these past few days. She's finally able to get out and relax, and she's willing to be a little tired. Li Qiuniang is even happier. She's always loved going out, and if it weren't for the children keeping her tied down, she'd love to go up the mountain every day.

"Second Sister-in-law, it rained last night, will there be mushrooms today? Even if there are mushrooms, I don't know what they are, I only know how to eat mushrooms!"

"I don't know many people either. Let's take a look. If we find something, we'll collect it. If not, it doesn't matter. Taking a stroll every day makes me happy."

"Yes, I feel the same way!"

The two of them chatted and laughed as they entered the woods. Their main task was to cut grass for the sheep.

"Let's go, let's look over there. There shouldn't be anything good left in the area where everyone else went."

When it comes to mountain running, Mu Yi'an is a professional.

Li Qiuniang herself didn't understand, but she followed orders and wouldn't pretend to know what she didn't.

The two men carried long wooden sticks and walked along, patting the bushes on both sides to scare away any snakes that might be nearby.

After walking uphill for a while, there were almost no traces of anyone walking there, and we entered a pine forest.

"Qiu Niang, there are pine mushrooms here, quite a lot. We won't go home empty-handed today."

Mu Yi'an saw the pine fungi that had just emerged from under the pine needles. Most of them had not yet opened their caps and were just small mushroom heads.

"Second sister-in-law, where is it? Is this it? It's a bit purplish. Is it really edible?"

"It's edible, and the taste is quite good."

Mu Yi'an and her friends don't live in many places, but she knows that in Northeast China they call this "pine umbrella," and it's not plentiful and quite expensive.

The two sisters-in-law started picking mushrooms. Both were quick and efficient, and in no time, they had picked all the mushrooms in the pine forest, filling half a basket. They then found some more in a nearby pine forest, but seeing that it was getting dark and they needed to go back to cook lunch, they headed home.

The vegetable dumplings at noon tasted good. I also made stir-fried cabbage and mushrooms. The remaining mushrooms were dried by Mu Yi'an.

The Jiang family has a fixed daily food allowance. Whoever cooks is responsible for purchasing the food, and the rest is their own.

She found many of the ingredients herself when cooking these past few days, so she always had some food money left over, which is what Sister Jiang envied.

She sometimes had leftovers when she cooked, but not many. She didn't do much housework when she was at her parents' home, and she never went up the mountain to pick vegetables. She had many brothers and sisters-in-law, and the family hadn't separated, so she was still very pampered.

Now, seeing her two younger siblings busy going up the mountain every day, spending very little money on each meal, and receiving praise from everyone, she feels incredibly envious. She can't bring herself to go up the mountain to pick vegetables; they only have a few kinds of vegetables at home, and to save money, they would have to cut back on food, which is absolutely unacceptable.

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