In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

"Brother Qin, how are these pheasants?"

Chu Wu brought the pheasant back to Qin Shaolang's side and showed it to him.

Qin Shaolang couldn't help but nod.

"Okay, the fur color is quite good."

Chu Wu chuckled when he saw that Qin Shaolang had understood his thoughts.

"Brother Qin has the potential to be an official, he just lacks a mentor."

These words were the highest praise in Chu Wu's heart. For soldiers, those officials who could gain merit without going to the battlefield were the ones they envied the most.

Qin Shaolang coughed lightly and then greeted him.

"Eat first, then come with me to take care of Zhang Qiao's matter."

Today's lunch was the same as yesterday's: rice with two spoonfuls of lard and soy sauce. Su Tang had carefully prepared the rice for Qin Shaolang and Chu Wu, so there were no rice husks.

The helpers occasionally get to eat, but they've long been used to it and just swallow it all at once.

Standing beside the earthen kiln, Zhang Qiao looked at the white rice in her hand, then at the rice with soy sauce and lard that others had in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Daughter, don't blame your mother. Your mother had no choice back then. Now your father has offended someone, so we're just grateful to have rice to eat. Don't complain."

Zhang Qiao was still rambling on and on, but her daughter was already hungry and was busy eating.

Suddenly, Zhang Qiao carefully rummaged through the rice in her bowl.

"Mom, it seems like they added lard to it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiao quickly leaned over to take a look and, sure enough, found a small piece of lard hidden at the bottom of the bowl.

She carefully parted the rice in her bowl a little more and saw the rice underneath, which was soaked in oil.

A warmth welled up in my heart.

She quickly scooped all the oily rice from her bowl into her daughter's bowl.

"Child, eat more; you're not well."

"Mom ate too much last night, and her stomach is still bloated."

Seeing her daughter eating happily, Zhang Qiao felt a sense of happiness, but a hint of resentment quickly rose within her.

Even if Er Mazi used a tenth of the money he had for alcohol to supplement the family income, his wife and daughter could at least afford some food and wouldn't go hungry. Their daughter's health wouldn't be so poor.

For Zhang Qiao, an adult, going hunting and eating meat wasn't a big deal, but her daughter, who was at the age where she was growing, was also doing it, so how could her health possibly be good?

……

The distracting thoughts lingered in their minds until after they finished eating, when the mother and daughter put their bowls back somewhat guiltily.

It's already incredibly lucky that her husband, who offended Qin Shaolang, could still get the treatment of a regular "helper" from him.

Just as the mother and daughter were about to continue working, Qin Shaolang, carrying a straw, led Chu Wu to the earthen kiln.

He shouted as soon as he appeared.

"Zhang Qiao and her daughter are here. What's going on today? You know Er Mazi and I have a grudge, yet you still came to work for me and even cheated me out of food?"

Amidst the terror on Zhang Qiao and her daughter's faces, Qin Shaolang glanced at the rice bowl on the table.

"Oh ho, you're eating at my house?"

Upon hearing the conversation, Lin Hui, who had come after hearing the news, sensed something was wrong.

How did Zhang Qiao and her daughter manage to get a meal?

This disrupted her original plans.

Er Mazi and Qin Shaolang had a grudge. Er Mazi came to help but didn't eat, which was his way of apologizing, knowing that the man in her family had gone too far.

But now that they've eaten, the whole thing has turned into this: the mother and daughter, knowing full well that it's a holiday for the two of them, still want to come here to help out!

There is a huge difference between the two in essence; the former is for the purpose of apologizing, while the latter is more like an act of extreme shamelessness.

"How come these two, mother and daughter, are eating together?"

Lin Hui was secretly displeased.

But how could she know how much effort Su Jin had put into finding the mother and daughter in order to deliver lunch to them as Qin Shaolang had instructed?

It took a lot of patient and earnest persuasion to finally get them to eat their meal in peace.

The changes that occurred when Qin Shaolang gave the order had already exceeded Lin Hui's expectations.

Before Zhang Qiao could speak, her daughter knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"It was my gluttony, it was me who ate it, don't blame my mother, hit me if you want."

Qin Shaolang glanced at the girl and couldn't help but chuckle.

"We haven't even paid you back for your medical treatment last time. You've hurt you badly, and now you want to renege on your debt?"

No one expected Qin Shaolang to respond in this way.

It seems he has found a reason not to take action.

Zhang Qiao quickly kowtowed.

"I will try my best to pay this money."

Qin Shaolang scoffed.

"I know your family is rich, and Er Mazi is still out drinking, how could you not have money? But the money isn't yours to manage. If you could control even a single penny, you wouldn't be in arrears on your medicine bills."

Having had everything exposed by Qin Shaolang, Zhang Qiao lowered her head helplessly.

If she could get the money, she wouldn't need to be so humble and stifled by a single medical fee.

After waiting a moment, Qin Shaolang saw that Zhang Qiao was indeed unable to speak, and then continued.

"You'll stay here as long-term laborers to pay off your debts. Don't expect to be paid every day, but we'll provide you with one meal a day. Once this place is repaired, we'll consider the debt paid off."

Zhang Qiaoben didn't have much of a thought and nodded quickly.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Qin."

Being able to get a bowl of rice every day is considered a very good treatment in this day and age; all she has to do is work as a helper.

Qin Shaolang watched as Zhang Qiao responded repeatedly, his gaze falling on her daughter.

She's so thin! She's almost as thin as Su Jin and Su Tang.

It should be noted that the Su sisters were escorted here, and those days were unbearable, which is why they were so thin and weak.

But she had no such experience, yet she still became so thin and weak from hunger, which shows how little Er Mazi cared about his family.

"Alright, that's settled then."

After saying that, Qin Shaolang called Chu Wu over, and the two of them gave a few instructions to the others before leaving together.

On the way, Chu Wu asked curiously.

"Brother Qin, this Er Mazi is inhuman, why are you siding with his wife?"

Qin Shaolang pondered for a moment, and the image of that night resurfaced in his mind: the mother who, in order to treat her daughter's illness, wore a winter coat full of holes, tripped and fell in the night, yet still managed to hold onto the wine jar in her arms.

What truly moved Qin Shaolang and made him willing to lend them a helping hand was the impeccable maternal love that Zhang Qiao displayed that night.

"I'm a rather superstitious person. I've always believed that there are gods watching over us, and that Heaven is watching what people do. Helping her is just an act of kindness and accumulating good karma."

Qin Shaolang did not reveal his true thoughts, but instead used a charlatan-like tone to gloss over the whole matter.

He didn't want to explain further, because people in this world might not have such a deep understanding of maternal and paternal love.

They didn't realize the extent to which parents could spoil their children in peacetime.

In particular, most of these people have many brothers, unlike the world where Qin Shaolang lives, where most children are only children.

The two sides had different fundamental beliefs, and he couldn't explain it clearly.