Jiang Yingqiu had been born a peasant. Although her elder brother had become the leader of another brigade, their family had remained poor.

In the Mo family, Mo Beihan was usually away, and there was no man of the household. Jiang Yingqiu was in poor health, and still had two teenagers to raise. The entire family depended solely on Mo Beihan, and he carried a heavy burden.

To Zhang Xiaohui and Gu Ruoqing, a good prospect would be someone in the city who did not have anything to do with agriculture.

In this era, everyone aspired to move to the city. City dwellers did not need to farm, and it was easier for them to find a job. They also had a monthly food allowance and plenty of coupons. Unlike the villages, where everything except grain was hard to obtain.

Because they had no coupons!

On one hand, Zhang Xiaohui and Gu Ruoqing were proud of being peasants. On the other hand, they greatly desired to lead the lives of pampered young ladies. It was as if they felt ent.i.tled to live the kind of lifestyle found in rich families.

A cynical look flashed across Gu Qingyao's beautiful eyes as she pondered why they thought in this way. She did not say anything else, but brought the things back to her room.

In these times, housing was scarce and in many families, the children were forced to squeeze together. But in the Gu family, Gu Yunshen had given her and Gu Ruoqing separate rooms, no matter how difficult it was.

Although the room was small, Gu Qingyao liked it very much.

Lunch was brown rice porridge. Gu Qingyao cooked very little, only a small bowl for every person. In any case, from today onwards, she definitely would not give Zhang Xiaohui and Gu Ruoqing any opportunity to have a good meal.

She used the mushrooms and wild herbs to make a soup, then fried a portion of the mushrooms, and that was lunch.

When the dishes were placed on the table, Gu Ruoqing widened her eyes and said, “Is that all we're eating?”

Gu Qingyao said expressionlessly, “Consider yourself fortunate to have food. How dare you be so picky? We must not be hedonistic. We must live thrifty and prudent lives. Do you understand?”

Gu Ruoqing: “…”

Zhang Xiaohui: “…”

Hedonism was to be eschewed in this era. Everyone was afraid of the term, including Zhang Xiaohui and Gu Ruoqing. At Gu Qingyao's remark, Gu Yunshen glared at them dangerously. They immediately kept quiet out of fear and began to eat angrily.

After the meal was over, Zhang Xiaohui did the dishes. Gu Yunshen had originally asked Gu Ruoqing to wash them, but Zhang Xiaohui could not bear to let her do it, so she washed them herself.

After that, the two of them returned to doing laundry and was.h.i.+ng mushrooms.

Gu Qingyao glanced at them, then went to get the broom and cloth to clean up the area. Zhang Xiaohui was exhausted by the time she finished the laundry. It was exactly noon, and she wanted a nap, so she went back to her room.

When Gu Ruoqing saw that her mother had gone to sleep, she also sneaked away.

Gu Qingyao ignored them. After a while, she went to her grandparent's room.

Grandfather was tidying the room, while Grandma rested on the bed. Gu Qingyao smiled. Grandfather really doted on Grandma.

Two bowls appeared in Gu Qingyao's hand. Each bowl contained half a bowl of rice, and a few pieces of red braised pork. “Grandfather, Grandma, did you have enough just now? Eat this.”

Gu Chonghua and Wen Ruyu's eyes widened when they saw that their youngest granddaughter had brought them food.

Their son had told them a simplified version of their granddaughter's strange encounter. But they had not really believed it. However, the food handed to them was definitely real.

Their son had not explained too much, so they had not asked too many questions. Their son had always been reliable, so they naturally trusted him.

They were shocked to see it with their own eyes.

The two of them took a bowl each and said, “Heavens! It's really white rice and meat!”

Gu Qingyao was amused. “Of course it is. Grandfather and Grandma, go ahead and eat. I have plenty more here! But be careful and don't let anyone find out.”

Gu Chonghua said, “Of course. This is no laughing matter.”