Did you actually go out and rob someone?

Old Mrs. Su crouched down, holding little Tianbao in her arms. Her hands, calloused and deformed from a lifetime of hard labor, looked exceptionally careful as they gently stroked the green leaves of the small bok choy.

"These are the vegetables we grew ourselves. We'll pick the ones that mature first and dry them in the sun. We won't have to worry about food for two months. We'll save the rest for seeds and manage another two crops before the year ends." She smiled and raised her eyes. Under the scorching summer sunlight, her weather-beaten face was filled with utter contentment.

Su Da and Su Er beamed, their eyes crinkling into mere slits. "Is this the first step of our family successfully taking root at Mount Tubei? Can we barely call it vegetable self-sufficiency now?"

Liu Yulan and He Dahang smiled gently from the side. "When the vegetables weren't doing well, we were actually worried the whole time, afraid those people from the Twelfth Pier would notice the greens maturing and come back to smash and grab. Fortunately, we've made it through safe and sound."

Su Xiu'er said happily, "After this, they really shouldn't come to trouble us anymore. Listen to everyone else in the surrounding vegetable plots—they're all laughing."

The Su family burst into hearty laughter.

There was no need to listen closely; the cheers from nearby had already drifted over.

It was already the end of June, and the vegetable plots of the surrounding households had also entered their harvest period, ready to be picked and cooked.

This joy of a hard-won harvest amidst hardship and oppression felt all the more profound and thrilling than anything else.

Not long after they came out from the vegetable garden, the courtyard gate of the Su family was knocked on successively.

Wave after wave of people from the neighborhood arrived.

They were all bringing vegetables as gifts.

"Su family! A batch of chili peppers in my plot has ripened, so I picked some and brought them over to you. I separated a small packet of the fully ripened ones inside—once dried in the sun, you can use them as seeds!"

"These are chicken-feather greens. I transplanted them back from the mountain, and they all survived, hahaha! The potatoes will take a bit longer, but I'll bring them over to you when they're ready!"

"These are my family's tomatoes..."

"My family's luffa gourds!"

"Yesterday I found a nest of bird eggs in the mountain and secretly brought them back. Keep them hidden and eat them! Shh!"

In just a short moment, the Su family courtyard was filled with all sorts of vegetables.

The family was both amused and deeply touched.

Old Master Su waved his hand grandly, "Take them in. Everyone is enduring hardships and scraping by. Later on, we'll save more vegetable seeds from our plot and distribute some to them as a return gift."

The three young boys had their eyes locked onto those three bird eggs from the very beginning, drooling as they eagerly asked, "Grandpa, Grandma, are we boiling the bird eggs tonight?"

Old Mrs. Su chuckled and patted each of the little boys' heads in turn. "We'll boil them! It's getting hot, and bird eggs don't keep well. We can't just let them spoil and go to waste."

"Yay! We're having bird—delicious food again!"

The adults laughed heartily once more. "Little rascals, you even know how to keep a secret."

The dinner that evening was exceptionally lively.

The Su family cooking pot had two green vegetable dishes going, and Su Xiu'er even specially beat the three bird eggs into a bowl of steamed egg custard, sharing it among the three boys and little Tianbao. Otherwise, three tiny eggs wouldn't even be enough for a single bite each.

Tianbao looked somewhat curious about the egg custard.

In both her past and present lives, this was the first time she had ever eaten such a thing.

In a palm-sized wooden bowl, the three bird eggs had been steamed into over half a bowl of custard. It had a light yellow hue, so tender it looked as if a slight shake would shatter it. A sprinkle of scallions gifted by others was dusted on top, and with the emerald-green garnish, it looked even more enticing, its rich aroma spreading wide.

"Look at her, staring without even blinking," the old woman's smiling voice sounded above Tianbao's head, her large hand affectionately pinching the tot's tiny nose. "Our Tianbao has never eaten egg custard before, hasn't she? Does it look tempting? Grandma will feed it to you. This is good stuff; eating it often helps you grow tall and nourishes the body."

Su An, Su Wen, and Su Wu, the three little rascals, squatted at the old woman's feet. Inhaling the enticing fragrance drifting from the bowl, their mouths watered, yet not a single one of them cried out to eat first.

"Give it to little sister first! I'm not craving it; I've eaten it when I was little!" Su An swallowed hard in secret, struggling to pull his gaze away from the bowl of egg custard.

Su Wen and Su Wu also put on an act of not caring in the least, patting their chests. "I've eaten it when I was little too! I've long known what egg custard tastes like! Let little sister taste it this time!"

"It's really delicious! Tianbao, eat more!"

Old Mrs. Su held back a smile. With the three boys watching eagerly, she deliberately scooped out a large spoonful of egg custard, and under their wide-eyed gazes, transferred it into another bowl. She kept scooping until half the bowl was gone before stopping. "I know you're all sensible and well-behaved. Grandma loves little sister, but she loves you just the same. You three little sprites, come on, eat up. Let sister eat a bit more this time to grow taller, and in a couple of months, she can play together with you."

"Yay!" The three boys let out a cheer, their feigned indifference instantly vanishing as they picked up their spoons and dug in happily, eating with gusto.

The others watched with suppressed smiles; Mother's partiality was genuinely unwavering.

"Tianbao, say 'ah', open your mouth, and have a taste. It's delicious."

As the spoon was brought to her lips, Tianbao finally pulled her slightly disdainful gaze away from her brothers. She opened her tiny mouth wide to bite off the entire spoonful of custard, being careful not to let any crumbs stain her mouth.

She was very clean and would never eat as messily as her brothers, who always ended up with a ring of mustache-like food debris after eating egg custard.

As the egg custard entered her mouth, the little baby's eyes suddenly widened.

Oh.

Delicious.

So smooth and tender.

Even better than meat broth.

Watching her little granddaughter's expression, Old Mrs. Su knew she loved it. Joy welled up in her eyes, and she fed her with even greater enthusiasm.

At the same time, a pang of soreness welled up in her heart.

Ever since their little Tianbao was born, the family had simply been basking in her good fortune, yet they hadn't even been able to afford her anything nice to eat.

If someone hadn't brought bird eggs as a gift this time, little Tianbao didn't know how long she would have had to wait to taste egg custard.

"Eldest, take out two pieces of dried meat later. I'll carry them over to Mistress Huo's place. If it's doable, ask her to help trade for some chicken eggs," Old Mrs. Su hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Tianbao is growing bigger by the day, and she won't eat the meat we usually stew. How is she supposed to grow tall like that? Since she loves egg custard so much, we have to find a way to get some back."

Su Da immediately agreed, "Right!"

Dandao always arrived right on time for meals and was currently sitting quietly by the dining table, silently wolfing down his food. Hearing this, he abruptly spoke up, "There are chicken eggs in the city. Give the dried meat to me; I'll go trade for them."

The Su family members were startled. In the past, Dandao only ate his meals and rarely spoke. For him to suddenly volunteer to help surprised the family, while also bringing a pleasant wave of astonishment.

Su Da nodded so hard and fast in excitement it looked like he was pounding garlic. "I—I'll go get the dried meat right now, and I'll pick the very best ones!"

With that, without any hesitation, he dug several chunks of dried rabbit meat and dried chicken meat out of a sack in the corner of the kitchen. All of them were of top quality and generous portions.

Dandao showed not the slightest bit of strangeness at this, nor did he ask any extra questions.

It was as if he didn't care at all where the endless supply of dried meat in the Su family came from.

He ate very quickly. Once full, he picked up the dried meat Su Da had brought out and left.

By the time the Su family finished their meal and washed the bowls, his figure appeared in the Su family's small courtyard once more.

He was still carrying that same old cloth sack he had taken out. Half-full when he left, it was packed to the brim when he returned.

After placing the sack on the ground, the man turned around and vanished once again without a single word.

"Are martial arts experts always this elusive, coming like the wind and going like the wind?" Su Er muttered, twitching the corner of his mouth as he looked in the direction where the man had disappeared.

Su Da gave him a slap on the arm. "Is a master something you can understand? Quickly check what's in the sack!"

With those words, the entire family grew excited.

The sack was opened, revealing a dazzling array of items inside.

At the very top was a small basket of eggs, estimated to be more than twenty, not a single one cracked.

Beneath the basket lay a sack of white rice, a sack of fine flour, a set of porcelain bowls, and even a bundle of blue cotton cloth!

The Su family, "..."

Lord Dandao had actually just gone out to commit a robbery, hadn't he?