Nan Sheng had been busy all day, keeping a close eye on Liu Fang and the others as they worked, nearly exhausting them to death. She wasn’t particularly generous in many things, but when it came to holding a grudge, she excelled. By the end of the shift, Liu Fang’s arms and legs were trembling, and the other gossips didn’t dare come near the wife of the Ma family again.
When she returned home in the evening, Sizhe had already prepared corn porridge. Nan Sheng took her daughter to wash up while sending her son to the garden to pick some beans. With lard now in the house, even stir-fried greens tasted like meat, so Nan Sheng didn’t need to slice meat for every meal.
Since Sizhe got home from school earlier than the two of them, Nan Sheng instructed him about cooking, "Big kid, we have enough food at home. When you come back in the evening, alternate between fine corn porridge, coarse corn porridge, and dry rice meals. We all need to nourish our bodies."
"Mm!"
Seeing that his stepmother was working hard and no longer mistreating him or his sister, Sizhe’s favorability toward her rose to 14.
After dinner, Nan Sheng bathed herself and her daughter with warm water before lying down in bed. Qiqi had grown extremely clingy, insisting on bringing her little pillow to sleep with her. The child didn’t need coaxing—she nestled under the covers and fell asleep instantly.
Nan Sheng opened the system panel, but instead of checking the new plot developments, she first claimed her rewards to prevent her favorability from dropping again.
The familiar prize wheel appeared, and she quickly clicked to spin. This time, she won a small box containing three black pills the size of a fingertip.
Nan Sheng was thrilled. "System, system, what kind of medicine is this? Can it bring the dead back to life?"
System: Wrong genre, host! This isn’t a cultivation world!
These pills can enhance physical constitution. For example, if Lin Han takes one, it can heal the hidden injuries he’s accumulated from years of training.
Nan Sheng casually popped one into her mouth, nearly choking on it. Since her own health wasn’t great, she figured she might as well try one.
She had originally planned to check the new plot developments, but the pill took effect too quickly—she fell asleep almost instantly. That night, she felt as if she were soaking in warm water, comforted by a deep, soothing warmth.
"Mom? Brother made breakfast. Come wash up!"
When Nan Sheng was woken up, she was reluctant to leave that cozy state. After shaking off the drowsiness, she got up to wash her face and brush her teeth, feeling as strong as an ox now.
Seeing her son, she felt a little awkward—what kind of mother didn’t cook breakfast or dinner? "Big kid, sorry for the trouble. Mom overslept."
Sizhe just said it was fine. He didn’t know how to steam buns, so he made white rice instead, which smelled delicious. There were also spring onions on the table to dip in soybean paste.
Nan Sheng checked the kitchen and found some embers still burning, so she added firewood to stir-fry an egg sauce. After breakfast, she washed her hands and made rice balls for her son to take to school.
Sizhe didn’t want to bring them—bringing cornmeal buns was already conspicuous enough. If he switched to white rice, he could only imagine how many eyes would be on him.
Nan Sheng lightly smacked him. "Just eat it somewhere no one can see you, dummy."
In the end, the "dummy" Sizhe lost to his stepmother and took two fist-sized rice balls to school. After locking the door, Nan Sheng took Qiqi to work.
"Qiqi, it’s too sunny outside. How about you stay home and nap after lunch?"
There was no place to rest in the fields, and yesterday, Qiqi had wilted by the end of the day. Nan Sheng’s heart ached seeing her like that.
"No! Stay with Mom!" The child was adamant.
Nan Sheng didn’t push further. Qiqi was still young, and she was afraid the girl might wander off to somewhere dangerous if left alone.
Before work began, names were called and tasks assigned as usual. But today, Nan Sheng could match most faces to names. One more day, and she wouldn’t need the team leader’s reminders anymore.
Word had spread about how she’d reported several wives, leading to their work points being deducted. Some applauded her, while others thought she was meddling—previous record-keepers had never interfered like this.
Regardless of their private opinions, no one dared to offend her openly, fearing she’d watch them as closely as she had Liu Fang.
Nan Sheng could feel eyes on her back, but she paid no mind, only musing whether she should buy a small, portable knife for self-defense.
Today, she reduced her inspection rounds to about once every half hour. Passing by the Ma family’s wife, she wondered how the village chief would handle Liu Dahua—surely they couldn’t keep her detained at the brigade office forever.
During dinner, Feng Yueyue showed up again, her expression complicated.
"Sister-in-law, you’ll need to go to the brigade office later. It’s about Aunt Liu and Shen Cui again."
Nan Sheng held her back. "Don’t rush off. Can I skip it? I’m exhausted from working all day."
"Probably not, sister-in-law. Shen Cui says you and Aunt Liu both badmouthed her, so you have to pay compensation too!"
Nan Sheng: "..."
Feng Yueyue left first. After finishing dinner and bathing Qiqi, Nan Sheng prepared to head out.
"Mom, I’m coming too!"
Qiqi could barely keep her eyes open but still clung to her stepmother.
Sizhe also didn’t want her going alone and was ready to skip homework. Nan Sheng looked between them and finally gave in.
"Fine, let’s all go."
This time, the brigade office was even more crowded. Aside from Lin Guozheng, Eldest Brother Lin had brought his two sons, and Third Brother Lin was also present. When Nan Sheng arrived, Third Brother Lin was berating Shen Cui’s husband, Li Zhuang.
"Are you so poor you’d extort money like this? No wonder you’re cursed with no sons!"
Li Zhuang hung his head in shame, while Uncle Li and Aunt Li turned pale—Third Brother Lin’s words had struck a nerve.
But Shen Cui disagreed. "Why shouldn’t they pay? If she and Liu Dahua hadn’t badmouthed me at the door, my child wouldn’t have been lost! Liu Dahua has to pay, and so does she!"
These past few days had been hell for Shen Cui. She wanted to extort as much money as possible so she’d have a safety net even if the Li family kicked her out.
As for why her husband’s family supported her demands, she had promised them that once she got the money, she’d return to her parents’ home and not interfere if Li Zhuang remarried.
"Liu Dahua owes me two hundred yuan, and Lin Han’s wife owes me a hundred!"
When Nan Sheng walked in, the villagers pitied her but didn’t speak up, afraid of drawing Shen Cui’s attention.
"Who’s demanding money from me?"
"Me! Shen Cui!"
Shen Cui glared at Nan Sheng with venom. Why should she get to marry a soldier, live on military allowances, while Shen Cui’s own hard-won son had been lost? The heavens were truly unfair!
But to everyone’s surprise, Nan Sheng agreed. "Fine. How much do you want?"
Lin Guozheng thought his daughter-in-law had been frightened and immediately intervened. "Second daughter-in-law, don’t talk nonsense! You didn’t push her—why should you pay?"
The rest of the Lin family also objected, especially Third Brother Lin, who snapped, "Are you out of your mind? Got money to burn?"
Nan Sheng shot him a glare before walking up to Shen Cui. "I pity you, so I’ll give you a chance to earn money. How about this—five cents per slap, ten cents per kick. If I break your arm or leg, I’ll throw in an extra two yuan. First, tell me how much you want to earn. A hundred yuan is out of the question—that’d cost you your life."
She was still smiling as she spoke, but the moment her words fell, the entire room fell silent.
Even Third Brother Lin shrank back, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin—his second sister-in-law was truly a living nightmare.
