The Zhou family began preparations, and Zhou's father also gathered the heads of each family together to share the information that Zhou Mingqian had gathered.

Shen Banxia could feel that the entire Zhoujiazhuang village was bustling with activity. While the weather was still rather cold, all the children in the family, big and small, were being chased up the mountain to collect firewood.

Although these days everything is about collectivism, as long as you don't cut down big trees or just gather some firewood, no one will say anything.

As Shen Banxia was pondering what she could prepare, Zhao Di arrived.

"Aunt, this is an egg that Uncle asked me to give you," she said, taking out a still-warm egg from her bosom.

This is a diligent and kind little girl. Thinking about the child's future, Shen Banxia couldn't help but sigh.

Both are main characters in the drama, but Zhou Mingjiao is inexplicable. Besides being selfish and self-centered, she only knows how to sponge off her parents, while Zhao Di is someone you feel sorry for and like.

She's a seven-year-old girl, but she looks about the same as those five-year-olds from my previous life.

Her small body was so thin that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was skin and bones, and her hair was as dry and yellow as straw.

This little girl feels sorry for her parents and her younger sister, but she doesn't feel sorry for herself at all.

I peeled the egg, cut it in half, and said, "Eat it."

Zhao Di swallowed timidly, "No need, Auntie."

She didn't dare, and for some reason, she was quite afraid of her aunt, and her uncle was also fierce; after all, he was a formidable person who dared to confront her grandmother.

"Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"I really don't want to," Shen Banxia said, seeing that the little girl was almost crying.

Before leaving, "Look, open your mouth." Zhou Zhaodi subconsciously opened her mouth and tasted the sweet flavor. The little girl's eyes lit up. This was much sweeter than corn stalks and smelled wonderful.

Perhaps because of the sugar, the little girl was no longer afraid of Chen Banxia. "Auntie, is this sugar? It's so delicious! This is the first time I've ever eaten sugar. Auntie, you're so kind."

Shen Banxia couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She touched the little girl's hair and said, "Reach out your hand."

Looking at the three candies in her palm, Zhou Zhaodi blushed, both excited and scared. What if her uncle took them back if he found out?

“Aunt, Aunt, I, I can’t accept it,” Zhao Di said awkwardly.

"Take it, Pandi and Laidi haven't eaten yet."

Perhaps thinking of her younger sister, Zhao Di no longer refused, "Thank you, thank you, Auntie, you are so kind."

Shen Banxia shook her head and chuckled.

Actually, scripts can be quite influential. In a script featuring Zhao Di as the protagonist, I play her terrible aunt who never stops taking advantage of others, bullies her parents, and even steals their food.

Shen Banxia couldn't help but feel ashamed. She didn't deny that she was a food lover, but she really wasn't that shameless as to steal food from a child.

Sigh, I don't know who wrote the script, it's utter nonsense.

Shen Banxia grew angrier the more she thought about it, and saw that Zhao Di's neck was almost tucked into her clothes. "Don't be afraid, Auntie won't eat people, really."

"Forget it, that's her in the script, not her in real life," Shen Banxia thought, and finally felt a little better.

There was nothing Shen Banxia could do. She felt that as for someone like Zhou Mingjiao, so be it if she was a bad person. She even wished she could be even worse, since Zhou Mingjiao wasn't even a human being anyway.

Seeing the little girl shivering, Shen Banxia noticed that she was still wearing two layers of thin clothing. "Where's your coat?"

"I gave it to my little sister because she has a cold and her head is burning up. I'm not afraid of the cold." This statement would be convincing if her teeth weren't chattering.

Shen Banxia grasped her hand, and wow, it was as cold as an icicle.

"Come over here and warm yourself by the fire."

"I...I still need to gather firewood," the little girl said anxiously.

"Alright, it's not a big deal. Didn't you say your sister had a cold? Is it Pandi or Laidi?"

"It's Pandi."

“Why didn’t you come to your aunt for medicine? Don’t you know your aunt is a doctor?” Shen Banxia said.

“My mother said I don’t need to take medicine, just sweat it out,” Zhao Di said softly.

Shen Banxia sighed. Sometimes she really couldn't understand her second sister-in-law, Li Erya.

Even though they haven't separated their households yet, and taking medicine should be considered a public expense, she's always afraid of troubling others and being scolded by her mother-in-law.

At home, he lived like a ghost, with his wives taking turns cooking for him.

As for Shen Banxia herself, Zhou Mingqian took care of her. He did indeed keep his promise made before the marriage that he would take full responsibility for his family's affairs.

He does everything – getting things done, arguing, everything.

We've gone off-topic. My second sister-in-law, I don't know if she's just naturally inclined to work, but when it was Zhou Mingqian and my third sister-in-law's turn to do the work, she took it over too.

But after each time, he would put on an act of "I'm wronged and I'm suffering, but I won't say a word."

Sometimes, Shen Banxia's eyes hurt from looking at it.

Not only that, but she also taught the three girls to be timid and hesitant. Only Zhao Di was a little braver, which was like picking the radish from the short ones.

Zhou's mother was a typical patriarchal woman, except for her own beloved daughter.

He never gave the four girls in the family a kind look.

That's a bit of a tangent. "This is cold medicine. Give it to Pandi first to bring down her fever. I'll check on her when I get back."

“But, but Mother, Mother said…” Zhao Di lowered her head. In fact, she had wanted to come and find her aunt for a long time, but her mother wouldn’t allow it.

"It's okay. Just say it was from me. Tell her to come to me if she has any problems. A cold can be a minor or major illness. Don't let it become a serious one."

"Thank you, thank you, Auntie," Zhao Di said, clutching the medicine tightly. She was actually worried; some people had become mentally impaired because of fever.

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