Chapter 22 He had wrapped his arms around her slender waist twice before.

Yang Guixiang suddenly roared, "Since when did we take two thousand jin of grain from them? It was only about fifteen hundred jin."

Jinhua was heartbroken, feeling as if she were bleeding, when she saw that the pork cracklings she had left in the kitchen for her son’s evening meal were gone. She couldn't bear to eat them herself; they were reserved for her precious Bao'er.

She rushed out, hoping to catch the culprits, only to find that the two little brats were already long gone, along with half the food from the table. She shouted, "Mother! Those little hussies stole the pork cracklings! There isn't a single grain of rice left in the rice steamer for tonight."

Yang Guixiang cursed furiously, "Those little animals! Don't think they'll be coming back for dinner tonight; that's out of the question!" She then pointed at Jinhua’s nose and scolded, "You wasteful woman, why couldn't you hide them properly?"

As they walked, Su Heng sniffed the food. "Sister, why do I smell meat? This dish must have been stir-fried with lard. We haven't had lard in our house for over half a year." He looked at the glistening vegetables; they certainly hadn't skimped on the oil.

Su Wanwan explained how she had mixed the rice with lard in the Su family’s kitchen. Su Heng was shocked. "What? There was lard in it? If only we could have brought the lard back today!" Then, he chuckled, happy that they had at least brought home four large bowls.

Su Wanwan smiled; there would be plenty of time to get more tonight. There were other oil jars, and there was definitely something fishy going on there. She shared her plan for the next steps with her brother on the way.

Su Heng’s eyes lit up as he listened. "Oh my, sister, why are you suddenly so clever? I never noticed you being so full of ideas before."

Su Wanwan said with a straight face, "Look at how much we’ve suffered. I had to wise up." She pointed to the food in their bowls. "Look at the good life they lead, and look at the life we have."

Su Heng nodded repeatedly. "That old hag isn't even human. It’s as if we aren't her grandchildren at all. The favoritism is just outrageous." Su Wanwan took these words to heart.

When they reached home, Su Heng exaggeratedly recounted the events. "You wouldn't believe how well they live at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. They have a whole basin of rendered pork cracklings!" He gestured with his hands to show the size. "The rice steamer is filled with steamed white rice. Everyone in the house can eat their fill, unlike us, where one pancake sometimes has to last the whole day."

Su Jianjun ate his rice in silence. Rice mixed with lard was indeed delicious. To think his parents were living so well that they could afford to eat rice with lard. It would be a luxury for his own family to have it even once a month. Recalling the vile things that family had said when scolding his daughter, his expression darkened. "Next time, don't let them take any grain back. From now on, we’ll store our grain and other things in the newly dug cellar."

Su Wanwan put some of the rice and cracklings from her bowl into Xiao Hei’s bowl. She then scooped a small portion into a separate bowl, added a splash of soy sauce, and began to eat. This body was far too thin; she needed to consume more nutritious food. In her previous life, she would never have eaten like this for fear of gaining weight, but now she needed to put on some meat. She wanted to return to her original self: 168 centimeters tall, about 100 pounds, with a C-cup figure—lean where needed and curvy where it counted.

Su Heng followed suit, adding soy sauce to his rice, which made it taste even better. After the meal, Su Wanwan told her father about the oil she had seen at the old Su residence and her plan to gather pig feed the next day before heading out with her second brother. Su Jianjun fell into deep thought upon hearing about the amount of oil at the Su house.

Su Heng looked at his sister and asked, "Are we taking a basket to Grandpa’s house tonight? I haven't retrieved it from the educated youth dormitory yet. I’ll go get it now."

Su Wanwan’s eyes brightened. "Second brother, we need to bring a backpack tonight; the basket is too small. Aren't you going to the city this afternoon to gather information? I’m not working today, so Xiao Hei can take me to get it." She nudged her brother’s back. "The basket isn't important. You need to rest your body; we have a tough battle to fight at Grandpa and Grandma’s house tonight."

Su Heng figured that made sense. Since his sister could go to the dormitory in broad daylight, he agreed. His sister really cared for him.

Back in her room, Su Wanwan entered her space, took a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and combed her hair before stepping back out. She looked at the dog lying on the ground. "Xiao Hei, take me to find Xie Beishen."

The dog stood up immediately, gave a single "Woof," and headed outside. Su Wanwan smiled; she knew this dog could understand her now. This was a perfect opportunity to find Xie Beishen. She followed Xiao Hei along the trails, realizing this must be the path her brother had taken that night.

Soon, they arrived in front of a small courtyard. It was modest, with only two rooms and a makeshift stove under the eaves. Xie Beishen was nowhere to be seen, but Lin Yu was sitting on a small stool in front of the stove, focused intently on a book while holding a pair of fire tongs in one hand. He looked like an intellectual, reading even while cooking, with a pot bubbling over the fire. His intense gaze made it seem as though he were studying a profound text; he didn't even notice her and the dog approaching.

What a diligent youth, she thought. But when Lin Yu turned the page, the cover was revealed: *Martial Arts Novel*. Su Wanwan realized she had given him too much credit.

The dog beside her let out a "Woof." Lin Yu looked up and closed the book. "Why are you here?" He assumed she was looking for "Brother Shen" again—after all, he was handsome and had a good family background.

Noticing the pot was about to dry out, Su Wanwan pointed at it. "You should stir that. What are you making? It looks all black—is it even edible?" It was truly a disaster of a dish.

Lin Yu dropped the fire tongs, stood up quickly, and stirred the contents. "Pork stewed with vermicelli. I just added too much soy sauce." He had been distracted by his book and his hand had slipped.

Su Wanwan looked at the pot, speechless. She really couldn't tell that the black mess was pork stewed with vermicelli. Her eyes drifted back to the book in Lin Yu’s hand. She was curious why such a book existed in this era. "Educated Youth Lin, let me hold the book for you first. Don't burn it—that would be a pity. You should serve the food."

Lin Yu was about to refuse, but Su Wanwan had already taken it from his hand. She flipped through a few pages and sat down on the small stool he had just vacated to read. *Hey*, he thought, *wasn't the rumor that the captain’s daughter never even finished primary school? She certainly doesn't look like someone who can't read.*

He picked up a large bowl and scooped out the food. "You still haven't answered me. Why are you here?"

Su Wanwan kept flipping through the book. "Oh, I came to get a basket."

Inside the house, Xie Beishen easily overheard their conversation.