Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

After resting at home for a few days, the redness and swelling on Song Tingting's face had subsided considerably, but there was still a slight bruising around her eyes.

Early that morning, several close classmates came together.

I said I was bringing her her homework and also asking if she still wanted to take the final exams.

Song Tingting clutched her homework book, her eyes wide open.

"I not only want to take the exam, but I want to be number one in the whole school. I want to beat Shi Shanshan, who is clearly only in the top ten of her class but claims to be number three, and Zhou Xuyang, who is standing aside."

Several classmates said that Song Tingting would definitely get first place.

Song Xianglan brought in fruit.

Hearing my daughter's bold words.

I couldn't help but laugh:

"Okay, as long as you get first place in the exam, Mom will give you a big red envelope."

Several female classmates looked over at the neatly cut apples on the plate.

The Song family's courtyard was clean and tidy, unlike the dilapidated houses in the countryside.

Apples are a rare treat in the dead of winter.

"Don't stand there, have some apples." Song Xianglan put the plate on the table and warmly invited everyone, "Since you're here, have lunch at home. Nobody is allowed to leave."

Several classmates were shy.

Just as he was about to decline, Song Xianglan had already made the arrangements in a flurry of activity.

"Tingting, why don't you take your classmates to the beach to relax? I'm going to the slaughterhouse to buy some meat; we'll have a good meal today."

Song Tingting rummaged through drawers and found several brightly colored woolen scarves.

Each student was wrapped up tightly.

Only their eyes were visible as a group of people ran towards the beach, laughing and joking.

It's almost Chinese New Year.

The typhoon shelter was rather deserted. Few fishing boats were out at sea, and rows of small boats were moored in the shelter.

Liu Dahua is a restless person; she comes back from fishing in the nearshore waters.

Song Tingting called out from a distance.

"Aunt Liu."

Liu Dahua stopped the boat and went ashore. "Oh my, scholars are really different. Look at how pretty they are. We didn't have this kind of luck back then. We couldn't read a single word. We only managed to avoid being illiterate by attending literacy classes."

Song Tingting linked arms with Liu Dahua: "Aunt Dahua, my mom said she's having lunch at home, you should come too."

Liu Dahua readily agreed.

Pointing to the net that had just been pulled up, he said, "Give some to your classmates so their families can have a taste."

Besides the five female classmates, there were also two male classmates who were close to them.

Several people chipped in to buy canned food to watch over Song Tingting.

Upon hearing Liu Dahua mention delivering seafood, everyone beamed with joy.

It's not easy to find freshly caught seafood in the city.

"Thank you, Aunt Liu!" the children shouted in unison.

The two boys were also sensible; they rolled up their sleeves and went to help drag the net.

As soon as the fishing nets came ashore, everyone rushed to get on them.

"Wow! This swimming crab is so fat!" A female student named Liu Ting grabbed a large crab with its claws outstretched and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Mine is even better, a red-roe crab! It's heavy!"

Liu Dahua waved her hand:

"Take this to your mom for lunch and she can steam it for you. You can divide the rest and take them home as a small gift from your aunt."

It's incredibly lively here.

Meanwhile, Song Xianglan rode her bicycle to the slaughterhouse.

Knowing her way around the meat counter like a pro, Song Xianglan didn't stand on ceremony: "One cut, give me five catties of spare ribs, the leanest ones. Also, three catties of pork belly, and pack the pig liver and pig intestines too."

Liu Yidao was smoking a cigarette and cursing his apprentice for being so stupid that all he could see were two holes.

Hearing this, he looked up at her, then swiftly chopped the ribs in half with a "crack".

He threw the meat onto the scale without even looking at the scale markings.

But he grabbed an extra piece of meat and stuffed it into the basket.

Song Xianglan raised an eyebrow: "You need to change your temper. Don't scold your apprentices all the time."

The young apprentices next to him were shrinking their necks.

Hearing this, he glanced at Song Xianglan gratefully.

Liu Yidao snorted, exhaling a puff of smoke, and cursed:

"They're all as stupid as pigs. I've taught them ten times and they still can't remember the technique. Back when my master taught me, he really hit me, but I learned it in one go. These brats, they don't learn even after I scold them."

"Times have changed."

Song Xianglan offered a word of advice, "Before, it was like father and son between master and apprentice, but now it's just work. Don't let it turn into enmity. If you really run into trouble, you won't even have anyone who truly wants to help you."

"Take it or leave it, I'm not interested in teaching you anyway."

Liu Yidao's eyes widened, clearly not having listened.

Song Xianglan shook her head; this person was stubborn.

No amount of persuasion could change my mind.

When he got home, Liu Dahua and Liu Chounu were already there.

When Song Xianglan returned with so much meat, the two of them rolled up their sleeves and went into the kitchen to help without saying a word.

"Lanlan, this is quite a commotion today." Liu Chounu turned the pig intestines and liver inside out and took them to the pond in the yard to wash them.

"It's rare for Tingting's classmates to come all this way, so we can't be stingy."

Song Xianglan cut the pork belly into small strips. "This pork is perfect for making vinegar-braised pork, and also some vegetable balls and seaweed tofu balls. Fry more taro and sweet potatoes too, so the children can take them back with them later. It's a small token of our appreciation."

The kitchen quickly became bustling with activity.

Chop the old duck into pieces, sauté it in hot oil until fragrant, add ginger slices, and then cut open the two large red crabs and throw them in to stew.

Finally, sprinkle on a pound of large clams.

The sweet aroma wafted straight out of the chimney.

In another pot, large chunks of pork belly were braised until glistening with oil, while taro cut into chunks were first deep-fried until crispy, then tossed into the broth to simmer. The taro absorbed the meat juices, becoming soft, sticky, and fragrant—even better than the meat itself.

The oil in the pan sizzled.

Golden and crispy braised pork with vinegar and plump vegetable balls were served bowl after bowl.

This fragrance is so overpowering.

It's practically everywhere.

Old Lin next door was sitting in the yard sunbathing. The smell of this food made his mouth water.

He looked at his two grandsons who were playing in the mud.

The more I look at it, the more I feel stifled by my own life.

The two grandsons stopped playing in the mud and sniffed as they moved closer to the wall.

"Gousheng, ah."

Old Lin couldn't resist and shamelessly shouted:

"Go see if you can get some food for Grandma Song so Grandpa can have a taste?"

Gou Sheng put his muddy hands behind his back, but his short arms couldn't reach them, so he had to hug them to his chest instead. He tilted his head and looked at his grandpa with a mischievous look on his face.

"Grandpa, the key to why you can't get the food is that you fight with Grandma."

Look at your sons, none of them are any good. You should just appease your grandmother. Don't fight for them; it'll only make you look bad.

You're still hoping your grandson will take care of you when he grows up, but don't think about it now.

Upon hearing this, Old Lin was so angry that his beard stood on end.

He took off his shoe sole and was about to beat someone up.

"You little brat! What kind of magic potion did your grandma give you? You're siding with outsiders!"

Gou Sheng reacted quickly.

He took off running to the gate of the courtyard.

Half of his head peeked in.

"You left a bad impression on Grandma Song, so she couldn't get any good food."

The brigade leader said my parents were selfish and brainless, pleasing neither side. They didn't have the guts to be as bad as my third uncle's family.

After saying that, the child ran off in a flash.

They were terrified of getting beaten up.

The adults in the courtyard felt their faces burning with embarrassment.

He wanted to curse but didn't dare to shout, so he could only mutter under his breath:

"That brigade leader is really unfair, why is he saying all this to a child who's only a few years old..."

Song Tingting returned with a group of classmates.

A rich aroma of meat wafted over, stunning the children from the city.

"My goodness, this smells amazing!"

"I've never smelled meat smell this good during Chinese New Year..."

These days, who isn't tightening their belt to make ends meet?

Even if city dwellers had meat ration coupons, they still had to line up before dawn to grab that little bit of fat.

Unlike here.

The aroma is so strong it can make you simmer in the flavor.

Everyone's gaze towards Song Tingting changed; it was now filled with envy.

"Tingting, I really want to switch places with you." Liu Yu sniffed, and her stomach growled loudly.

Song Tingting raised her chin. "No way! My mom is the best in the world, I wouldn't trade her for anyone! In my next life, I still want to be my mom's daughter!"

She wished she could have been born a few years earlier.

That way, Mom can enjoy her life instead of having to worry about her studies.

Song Xianglan came out carrying a large bowl of braised pork and taro stew that was still sizzling with oil. "Go wash your hands and eat, don't be shy, it's all you can eat!"

Two tables were pushed together.

In a large earthenware pot, the old duck and crab soup was still bubbling, its aroma filling the air. There was also braised pork belly with taro, steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans, stir-fried pork liver, stir-fried pork intestines with pickled bamboo shoots, fried pork with vinegar, seaweed and tofu balls…

Several students held their chopsticks, their eyes glued to the food.

This is hardly an ordinary meal.

Is this the standard for banquets held in state-run restaurants?

Song Xianglan put a large piece of meat in each child's bowl, saying, "Come to Auntie's place, it's like coming home. Come visit us whenever you have time. In the countryside, we serve farm-style dishes. The key is freshness and generous portions."

In a short time.

All that remained was the sound of people burying their heads in their food.

Gou Sheng sat on the doorstep, bowl in hand, diligently chewing on a spare rib. He then surprised everyone by saying, "Grandma, Grandpa also wants to come to Grandma Song's house for dinner, but I know you definitely won't allow it."

Liu Chounu cursed, "You old hag, greedy and always trying to take advantage. I should be a widow, but I still have to serve this old thing."