A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

As soon as Old Man Chen left, the tense atmosphere in the courtyard did not dissipate. On the contrary, it became even more oppressive because of Old Woman Chen's murderous gaze.

Chen Shuyan was humiliated in public, and his face was so dark it looked like it could drip water. He flung his sleeves and went into the house without even saying hello.

Chen Yuxiang looked at the mess on the ground and felt uneasy.

"Jinzhu, although your grandfather agreed, your grandmother, with her temperament, will never let it go so easily."

Wang Jinzhu waved her hand dismissively.

"Mom, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. If we don't make a scene today, the cooking chores will truly become our family's responsibility from now on."

"You can endure this injustice, but I can't."

Chen Shi opened his mouth, but after a long while he could only manage to utter, "Tianfang's mother is right, you...you'd better be careful."

Wang Jinzhu didn't reply, but just looked at Chen Tianfang.

"Come on, let's cook. I've been busy all morning, and my stomach is rumbling."

Chen Tianfang didn't waste any words, not even glancing at the second branch of the family, and simply replied with one word: "Okay."

The family went into the kitchen.

The stove was dark and small, the rice jar was only half full of brown rice, the bag next to it contained dark mixed grain flour, and the wild vegetables in the vegetable basket were wilted and drooping.

Chen Yuxiang skillfully rinsed the rice, but as soon as her hand reached into the rice jar, she very naturally scooped out a small bowl of white rice from the bottom.

"Mother, what are you doing?"

Chen Yuxiang trembled at the question, and almost dropped the bowl in her hand.

"This is...this is for Shuyan. Studying is mentally taxing, so he needs to drink congee to keep his mind sharp."

The Chen family's long-standing "rules".

Even if the whole family drinks vegetable porridge, they still have to make sure Chen Shuyan gets his bowl of plain porridge and eggs.

Wang Jinzhu's face instantly darkened.

"Mother, go back."

"Huh?" Chen Yuxiang was stunned. "Jinzhu, Shuyan, he..."

"What's wrong with him? Studying takes a lot of brainpower, but doesn't my husband work hard hunting and farming? Don't our parents work hard too?"

Wang Jinzhu snatched the small bowl away.

wow-

She poured all the white rice back into the brown rice container and stirred it a few times with her hands to mix it thoroughly.

"From today onwards, whatever is cooked in the pot, that's what we'll eat."

"No one is allowed to be treated specially."

Wang Jinzhu stared at Chen Yuxiang and said, word by word, "Mother, Tianfang, Tianwei, and Tianrun are your own children. Don't you want them to have a good meal?"

Chen Yuxiang's eyes instantly reddened.

Of course she wanted to.

Watching Chen Shuyan eat plain rice while her own child drank thin soup, her heart ached.

"Jinzhu, I..."

"Mom, don't worry about it, I'll do it."

Wang Jinzhu patted her hand, signaling Chen Yuxiang to start the fire.

She worked quickly and efficiently, dumping brown rice, mixed grains, and wild vegetables into the pot all at once, and then sticking a ring of mixed grain pancakes around the edge of the pot.

Before long, the aroma of a hearty, rustic meal wafted from the kitchen.

Breakfast is served.

Chen Shuyan stared at the bowl of paste, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Where's my congee?"

Wang Jinzhu served herself a bowl of porridge and took a pancake, without even glancing at him.

"Plain porridge? The rice jar is empty, where would we find spare rice to make plain porridge?"

"That's all that's left in the pot, take it or leave it."

"You!" Old Mrs. Chen pointed at Wang Jinzhu, "You've gone too far! Shuyan's health is precious, how can she eat this kind of thing! Eldest daughter-in-law, you did this on purpose!"

"Yes, I did it on purpose."

Wang Jinzhu raised her head, her eyes cold.

"Grandma, didn't you understand what I said yesterday? Taking turns cooking is fair and reasonable."

"Today the eldest son's family is cooking, so whatever they eat, the whole family eats the same. You think the food isn't good? Fine, tomorrow it's the second son's family's turn. You can have your second aunt cook some delicacies."

Her gaze shifted to Chen Shuyan, filled with mockery.

"Chen Tongsheng, you pride yourself on being a scholar, the most knowledgeable in propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame? Your whole family tightened their belts to support your studies, and yet you comfortably hog all the money yourself. Have all the Confucian classics you've learned gone to waste?"

"You ignorant woman, studying is so mentally taxing, what do you know!"

Chen Shuyan's face turned red and white as he was scolded. He suddenly stood up and pointed at his bowl.

"I'm not eating today! I'll starve, and then we'll see who takes responsibility!"

He was waiting for Wang Jinzhu to back down.

Wang Jinzhu's eyes lit up, and she picked up the bowl of porridge and pushed it in front of Chen Tianfang.

"Tianfang, eat more."

"Your cousin felt sorry for you working so hard hunting, so he gave you his meal. Don't let his kindness go to waste."

Chen Tianfang was taken aback. Looking at the extra bowl of porridge in front of him, and then at his wife's bright eyes, the awkwardness in his heart vanished.

Without saying a word, he picked up the spoon and started eating heartily.

Chen Shuyan stood frozen in place, his face turning green.

Old Mrs. Chen and her second wife's family were completely dumbfounded.

After all that fuss, Chen Shuyan ended up with no food, while Chen Tianfang benefited instead.

"You...you all..." Chen Shuyan trembled with anger. He had never suffered such humiliation in his life.

"What's wrong with us?" Wang Jinzhu took a bite of her pancake, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Isn't my cousin hungry? Then go back and study. After all, the whole family has supported you for so many years, and you're still only a student. If I were you, I'd be embarrassed to drink plain porridge."

Chen Shuyan looked at Chen Tianfang, who was eating heartily, and then at Wang Jinzhu, who looked completely innocent, and felt his blood rush to his head.

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, went back into the house, and slammed the door shut.

"Oh dear, my precious grandson!" Old Mrs. Chen cried out with heartache.

Wang Jinzhu didn't even lift her eyelids, turning to Chen Tianwei and Chen Tianrun and saying, "Eat, you need to eat to have energy. From now on, in our house, whoever doesn't eat, the food is yours."

The two children looked at Wang Jinzhu, then at their parents, and seeing that there was no objection, picked up the pancakes and began to eat them heartily.

Chen Xiufen felt heartbroken seeing her son starving, but she was intimidated by Wang Jinzhu's ruthlessness and dared not utter a sound.

She could only glare at Wang Jinzhu a few times before whispering to Chen Yang, "Honey, what do you think about this..."

Chen Yang lowered his head and pretended to be dead.

Breakfast ended in an eerie silence.

The eldest son ate his fill.

The second wife and Old Lady Chen were seething with anger.

After the meal, Wang Jinzhu pushed the bowl away.

"Let's go, pack up, and head up the mountain."

"Up the mountain?" Chen Yuxiang asked, puzzled.

"hunt."

Wang Jinzhu said matter-of-factly, "With the little food we have at home, if we don't go up the mountain to hunt some wild game, our whole family will starve. After all, we still have a freeloader cousin to support."

She deliberately raised her voice, so that people in the east room, the second room, and even the neighbors next door could hear her clearly.

Chen Tianfang looked at her, his eyes shining with a light he had never seen before.

He nodded, got up, and went back into the house to get his bow and arrows.