After getting off work that evening, Lin Lan went back to tidy up as usual, check on the ducklings, and help Han Qingsong plant some vegetables that could still be grown in this season.

"Ask the old lady if she can make a small bowl of noodles for Xiaowang. He has a weak stomach, so he has diarrhea. Coarse food is hard to digest." The day before yesterday, Xiaowang followed his brothers and sisters out to eat wild fruits and grass roots and ended up having diarrhea. Although the diarrhea has stopped, he is still listless and has no appetite.

Lin Lan felt sorry for him and wanted to get some fine food for him, but all the food in the house was in the hands of the old lady.

Han Qingsong also cares about Xiaowang, "I'll talk to mom."

Although he didn't say anything, he saw it all. Lin Lan was wearing tattered clothes, and she was so thin that she didn't have any flesh on her body. Her waist was so thin that he could break it with one hand. Then he looked at his children, all of whom were pale and thin. Da Wang had been missing for three days and was like a wild child. Although Er Wang's wheat ears were a little cleaner, his clothes were also unbearable to look at. Not to mention San Wang, who soaked in the river all day and had only a pair of torn pants on. Xiao Wang had poor eyesight and an even worse health. He was skinny and small, and his big head and big eyes made him look particularly pitiful.

He sent Erwang to tell grandma to make some noodles for Xiaowang. If he doesn't like noodles, some dough balls will be fine.

When it was time for dinner, Lin Lan discovered that not only were Xiaowang's noodles and dough balls gone, but even the cornmeal cakes were gone. They had all been replaced with black, rough dough balls.

She pinched a piece of the dough and tried it. All the hardship scenes in her memory came to her mind. Vegetable substitutes, starch, and other things... She had severe bloating and constipation, and her whole body was swollen...

This is clearly a mixture of wild vegetables, maybe even mixed with sweet potato leaves and ground flour from the stalks used to feed pigs? This is a complete waste of food!

It’s only been two days since they separated and the food supply has dropped sharply. Could it be that they don’t want them to come back to eat or what?

Moreover, this farmer's meal does not require any technical skills. For breakfast, you can add the previously made pancakes, steamed buns, boiled sweet potatoes and the like. If you are in the mood, you can also make some porridge. For lunch, you can add pancakes and other staple foods and then cook vegetables in salt water with a little oil. If there is no vegetable for dinner, you can add sticky porridge or something like that.

Even if Lin Lan didn't like cooking in her previous life, she knew that these dishes required no technical skills at all.

But why is my sister-in-law’s cooking so bad?

Not only is it unpalatable, these past few days - ever since the separation of the family, she has discovered that the food at home is really getting worse and worse.

Now we are catching up with those families who can’t even afford to eat as Sanwang said, “sweet potato rice, sweet potato soup, three meals a day, making us hungry.”

Look at this hard wowo head in your hand, it can kill a dog!

This kind of nest is mixed with the flour ground from sweet potato leaves and sweet potato stems. The one called "starch" during the three-year hardship period is a meal substitute. People will get constipated if they eat it. In severe cases, the whole body will be swollen and even the stomach will be bloated.

The Han family was transported back to the days before liberation overnight.

Lin Lan was furious. Even adults couldn't eat this, and children's delicate intestines and stomachs would be underdeveloped, not to mention that Xiaowang was sick!

She glanced at the old lady, who said in a dead tone that she had no appetite.

The grown men didn't say anything. The eldest sister-in-law of Han ate silently, but the second sister-in-law of Han only drank the sticky porridge and didn't eat the steamed buns.

As for the children, most of them ate sticky porridge, only Da Wang was chewing the hard-to-swallow porridge. This child was stubborn and taciturn, and had a very silent temperament, but he never complained or was picky about food. Thinking about his past life, he was a gangster and was shot to death... Lin Lan's heart skipped a beat.

Erwang and Maisui took two bites, then swallowed them with their necks stretched out. They didn’t want to eat any more.

As soon as the wheat ears were put down, Mrs. Han looked at them and immediately scolded: "Why are you still wasting food? Do you think it's not tasty? I'm not hungry. Think about the three years of hardship. Not to mention vegetables like this, even dried wild vegetables were good. How many people ate flour made from corn stalks, bean stalks, and roots of crops? Do you still think the food is not good now?"

Sanwang pouted, "Grandma, what is this food? Even the poorest and laziest families in our village don't eat this."

Is this pig food?

He took a few bites of the roe in his hand and stuffed it into his pocket, intending to take it back to feed the ducklings.

Mrs. Han said angrily, "You are not the head of the family, you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are. What else do you know besides eating? Don't you know that you can't even afford to eat at home?"

After this scolding, no one said anything.

Lin Lan looked around, and when she heard Han Qingsong's footsteps entering the yard, she asked Old Lady Han, "Mom, Xiaowang has had diarrhea these past two days, can you make some thin noodle soup for him?"

Old Mrs. Han slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Why do you have so many problems? People live like people. We are all poor peasants. Why should we eat the food of landlords?"

Lin Lan pretended to be wronged and said, "I don't need it every day, I just eat it when I'm sick. Xiaowang can't digest this kind of glutinous rice."

Han Qingsong walked in, washed his hands and came over to eat. He knew what was going on as soon as he heard it.

He asked Erwang, "Have you told grandma?"

Erwang pouted and said aggrievedly: "Dad, of course I did. I've said it several times."

Old Mrs. Han said unhappily, "What's the use of saying it? If there is no fine noodles at home, it's useless for God to say it. You can talk to me later when you want to eat it."

Wheat is only harvested in the summer, so it is impossible to say that there is no fine flour.

Han Qingsong: "If you don't have noodles, just make eggs. I'll do it."

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Han was furious. "There are only a few chickens, and most of them don't lay eggs. You don't make any money now, and there is no cash at home. You have to rely on a few chicken butts as a bank. If you eat them, what can I use to exchange for kerosene salt?"

Erwang curled his lips and muttered quietly: "Save it for my aunt and uncle."

Han Qingsong glanced at the table. Xiaowang looked listless, Mai Sui, a little girl, was worried about her hard black hair, and Lin Lan was wearing a patchwork outfit, which made her look much shabby than her second sister-in-law sitting opposite her.

He had an indescribable feeling in his heart, a sour, slightly stinging feeling, and a stuffy feeling in his chest.

"An egg is three or four cents." Han Qingsong insisted.

"What's the matter? Do you want to settle accounts with mom? You make money, but you're not at home all day, you don't take care of your parents, you don't work to support the family, you must get some money to supplement it, right? You didn't bring back a penny for this quarter, and you still want to eat my eggs. How can you be so heartless..."

"Okay, just an egg!" The old Korean had been silent until now, but now he couldn't stand it anymore, "Make one for the child. He's sick, look how thin he is."

Han Qingsong went into the house, and Lin Lan followed him quickly.

Mrs. Han also rushed over and said, "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Han Qingsong was not at home, so he didn't know what was going on at home, but Lin Lan knew.

She moved quickly and found the small jar of eggs, which was almost full. There was also a jar of noodles, which was still full.

The old lady would roll out and bake cakes every once in a while and ask the children to take them to the county town for their young son and daughter. They often grind flour at home.

The whole family, from the old to the young, eats coarse grains all day long in order to save fine grains for the two of them.

Mrs. Han was still a step behind. She smiled awkwardly and took an egg.

Lin Lan took another one and did it once, and Xiaowang was definitely satisfied.

Han Qingsong said, "Sister-in-law, you eat, I'll come."

It’s quick to cook eggs. Boil a bowl of water at the bottom of the pot, crack the eggs in, boil them for a few seconds and they’ll be cooked. Just scoop out the soup and add a few grains of salt.

In order not to arouse public anger, Lin Lan did not go out, but called Xiaowang into the house to eat.

Xiaowang was very sensible and whispered, "Mom, you eat one and I'll eat one."

Lin Lan drank a sip of the soup symbolically and fed the rest to Xiaowang.

The old lady outside was sour, "He knows to feed his mother, but he doesn't know how to feed his grandma."

After feeding Xiaowang, Lin Lan came over to eat by herself.

She soaked the wowotou in the sticky porridge. Seeing that Erwang and Maisui couldn't swallow it, they didn't dare to throw it away due to the old lady's power. So they winked at them and signaled to give it to their father.

Her playful look caught Han Qingsong's eyes, and he looked at her for a moment longer.

Erwang took Mai Sui's and quietly gave it to Han Qingsong.

Han Qingsong looked at Lin Lan again, then silently took it and ate it himself.

After dinner, the men went out to chat and brag, while the women stayed at home to take care of the children and do housework. Lin Lan took the children home, and on the way she told Erwang and Mai Sui to find a chance to watch how the aunt cooked.

Erwang understood immediately, "Mom, you said my aunt deliberately made bad food for us to eat?"

Lin Lan motioned him to lower his voice, "It's not your aunt, it must be your grandma. She's angry about our separation and doesn't want to give us food."

"Really? Why is she so mean!" Sanwang heard and squeezed over, "I'll go take a look."

He turned around and tried to run back, but Da Wang pulled him back, "The store is closed, why are you running?"

When they came out, Second Aunt closed the door.

Da Wang carried San Wang away.

When she got home, Lin Lan asked the children to wash their faces and feet, then took the mugwort for mosquito repellent to the door and prepared to go to bed.

She rushed all the children back into the house and looked for an opportunity to talk to Han Qingsong alone.

"Have you seen the food these two days?"

Han Qingsong rinsed his feet with water, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Don't you see? Ever since you came back to divide the family, the food has been getting worse and worse. Today, even the vegetables were taken out."

Han Qingsong thought for a moment and said, "The nest is a bit thick."

"It's just a little thick?" Lin Lan looked at him and explained, "Even in those years, the old lady and the others had never eaten this kind of meat!"

Hearing the complaint in her tone, Han Qingsong understood what she meant, "Do you think mother deliberately cooked this kind of meal?"

Lin Lan said sarcastically: "Why, you can't imagine it."

Han Qingsong frowned, unable to accept the old lady's behavior. He also thought that most elderly people who had experienced three years of famine would have this problem, being reluctant to eat and wear. "She shouldn't deliberately mistreat the child..."

After all, Xiaowang was given eggs to eat at night.

"Tsk!" Lin Lan rolled her eyes. Except for her foolish son who had an 800-meter filter for his mother, everyone could see that Old Lady Han was not a good person.

"You've been away from home for years, so you don't know the situation. I won't tell you much, just watch it yourself." I'm away from home all day, and I thought my mother was very reasonable. Didn't you see it clearly this time when I came back?

The old lady didn't say a word of concern for Han Qingsong. She just wanted money and agreed to split the family business when she knew he wanted to change his career.

After the family was divided, they gave her nothing, so she wanted to take whatever Han Qingsong got first.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the old lady did this on purpose.

In the past, the original owner was capable but weak, so the old lady was happy to pretend to be an understanding mother-in-law, but in fact, she was very bad.

She didn't mean to sow discord between Han Qingsong and the old lady. After all, they were mother and son. She just wanted Han Qingsong to see clearly the unfair treatment she and the child were receiving in this family.

Also, let him see clearly that the old lady was not as nice to them as he thought.

Anyway, let's give Han Qingsong a heads-up first, don't think she's the one causing trouble.

The next day, she whispered with Erwang, Maisui and Xiaowang, asking them to find a way to watch Auntie cook.

Sanwang must not know about this. He is a straightforward person and cannot hide anything. Besides, he listens to Dawang, who has a big prejudice against Lin Lan and must not be allowed to know.

As a result, Erwang and Mai Sui went there several times but never saw Han Dasao cook two kinds of rice. They always used vegetables instead of wotou. They asked other children but got nothing. Moreover, if it was not meal time, the old lady would scold them and tell them to hurry up and cut grass to earn their share of the work.

The children all thought that Lin Lan might be overthinking, after all, everyone was eating the same thing.

Lin Lan didn't think so. Based on her understanding of the old lady, she was definitely sick of the cat.

The two large jars in the east room were filled with grain, and there was also grain in the half-room. My aunt was not at home, so the old lady locked the door and didn't let anyone in.

The eldest sister-in-law can just hide from the third room and steam other cakes and steamed buns. As for the children being threatened by the old lady, who dares to say anything?

I guess if you want to talk you have to eat the same thing as them.

She secretly observed two meals and found the flaw. Lin Lan came up with an idea after a little thought.

She wanted to catch them in the act and see what else they had to say.

The next day she got up early, and before daybreak she tiptoed off the kang and went out to Old Han's house.

The gate is closed.

She first strolled to the back of the house, and sure enough, she heard the sound of Han's wife lighting a fire and pulling the bellows, as well as some muttering.

Then she heard Han's second wife shouting in a low voice: "Gaoliang, Xiaofu, get off the kang quickly, hurry up and eat your two-grain cake, or your third wife and the others will come later and you'll only be able to eat sweet potato leaf dumplings."

Sure enough, he played this trick behind their backs!

Lin Lan thought about it, then hurried back to call Erwang and Mai Sui to go to Lao Han's house together.

Han Qingsong got up to carry water to plant vegetables. When he saw them, he asked, "What are you doing in such a hurry?"

Lin Lan raised her eyebrows and said, "I'll find evidence for you!" If you don't catch him in the act, you won't know how powerful he is!

When they arrived at Old Han's house, they didn't knock on the door. Lin Lan climbed over the low wall on the south side. When she was on top of the wall, she saw Han's second wife leading a few children to grab cakes. As they grabbed, they said, "Someone go to the door and watch. When they come, shout and hurry up. Eat quickly, eat quickly!"

Lin Lan shouted rudely, "You are eating secretly!"

She shouted out of the blue, scaring the women and children in the yard who were already guilty of cheating so much that they trembled, and Xiaofu even dropped the biscuit on the ground.

Han Ersao almost threw away her rice basket. She turned her head and looked at Lin Lan, eyes to eyes, as if she had seen a ghost. For a moment, she couldn't believe it, "Old, old third family, how did you get here?"

Lin Lan discovered that in this family you have to be aggressive, you have to be cool when you should be cool, and get ahead when you should get ahead!

She jumped down and quickly ran forward to snatch the rice basket from Han Ersao's hand, "I think you guys are really good."

Erwang and Mai Sui also crawled in, "Humph, shameless!"

Han Ersao's first reaction was to snatch the rice basket back because she hadn't eaten yet.

Mrs. Han blushed with embarrassment, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. She murmured, "The third brother's family, come, come... Today we have a better meal, and they said they would ask the children to call you."

Only the old lady could do such a shameful thing. She disagreed from the beginning. If the third wife knew about this, it would be so funny that everyone would die.

The key is that not all sweet potato leaves are fresh, many of them are dried last year. Only those who have tried them know how they taste. During the three-year disaster, even old Korean ladies refused to eat them.

As a result, the old lady became angry and said that anyone who dared to leak the information would not be allowed to eat, including the children.

So she could only say nothing.

But I didn't expect that the third family would find out about it in just two days.

It's really embarrassing.

Old Mrs. Han shouted from the kang: "What's the matter? Do you think I spent all the allowance? Wasn't it used to subsidize the family's food and grain? This time I didn't receive the money, so of course I have no food to eat!"

Every member of the Han family has to work and earn work points, but don't forget that they also have to support their uncle and aunt-in-law. Even if they don't work or earn work points, their food is supplemented by work points or money given to them by others.

But the old lady likes to talk about raising 11 children.

Lin Lan did not argue with them. "Then let's divide our rations and cook our own meals from now on."

There was no need to mention the issue of food distribution. Old Lady Han would never agree to it, but this time she was in the wrong and didn't want her third son to have any opinions. "If we want to divide it, we should wait until the autumn grain comes. We are almost out of food now. What's the point of dividing food? It's a waste!"

Mrs. Han quietly took out some cakes for everyone to eat together. She lowered her head and was too embarrassed to look at Lin Lan, for fear that Lin Lan would go crazy and commit suicide again. If Han Qingsong saw this, he would definitely think that his wife was forced to commit suicide by her family.

At this time, the old man and the other men also stood up. They were all very embarrassed, but pretended not to know.

Old Korean said: "Go and plow the private plot." Then he picked up the hoe and disappeared without even bothering to eat.

Brother Han followed closely behind, unable to afford to lose face.

Lin Lan looked outside and Erwang made gestures to her. She knew that Han Qingsong and Xiaowang were coming over.

She took the rice basket and distributed cakes to Erwang and Maisui, saying loudly: "I'm going to say something ugly. Either you share the food and we can cook it ourselves. If we are hungry, it's okay. But if you don't share the food and make pig food for our third room, I'll see you next time..."

She paused, glanced at Han's eldest and second sisters-in-law, and heard Han Qingsong's footsteps reaching the gate of the courtyard, so she shouted: "I will smash the pot and chop the table, and no one will eat!"

Han's eldest and second sisters-in-law were so frightened that they trembled, and the children also looked at the third wife in horror.

Your aunt is still your aunt!

The vixen is still the same vixen, only even more ferocious!

Look at that look, more powerful than that of a tigress!

After saying this, Han Qingsong came over.

Erwang immediately shouted, "Dad, look! They are making two-grain pancakes and eating them secretly, waiting for us to come over and give us sweet potato leaf nests!"