Chapter 11: What Did the Three Brothers with Big Appetites Eat Before?

“Including lunch, our daily food expenses basically range between one to two qian. If we control it well, one qian per day is enough. That’s three taels of silver per month, and over thirty taels per year.

With so many of us, eating meat and eggs every day, we only spend a little over thirty taels a year. How cost-effective is that? Sister-in-law still has a silver note, plus what was left after paying off Second Brother’s debt this morning, which is enough to feed us for three to five years.”

Wen Nuan Nuan didn’t reveal the actual amount of savings, afraid that they were too young and might accidentally leak it.

Moreover, if calculated according to today’s standards, it would definitely be more than this amount—absolutely several times over.

Not to mention anything else, just the Braised Pork with Small Abalone used two jin of pork belly. Abalone is something that can’t be bought with money in this non-coastal mountainous area.

But who told her she had a refrigerator?

All free of charge.

And it’s better not to put too much pressure on the children.

She had seen many people on forums say that they were taught from childhood that their families were so poor they couldn’t even afford to cook, as if they might end up homeless and sleeping on the streets at any moment. They worried every day about what would happen if their parents lost their jobs or stopped earning money, which led to them being timid with money even as adults—unwilling to buy things they liked or eat what they wanted, unable to spend or invest.

Even when they already had the means to treat themselves better, they subconsciously felt they didn’t deserve it.

Wen Nuan Nuan thought that the brothers had already suffered too much before. Now, she should make up for it as much as possible.

Not just materially, but also spiritually.

After all, no amount of delicacies or luxurious clothing in adulthood can make up for the regrets of childhood.

Leng Tian and Leng Chen glanced at each other and remained silent.

Leng Yun keenly sensed something was off and pressed, “Sister-in-law, is that how the accounts are calculated?”

Of course, the accounts weren’t calculated that way.

Wen Nuan Nuan silently complained in her heart.

But on her face, she smiled and replied, “Oh, it’s just an estimate. You haven’t even learned arithmetic yet. You’ll understand once you study arithmetic.”

If only you had a primary school diploma, you wouldn’t be fooled so easily.

Children who haven’t gone to school are so easy to trick.

No wonder nine-year compulsory education was promoted in later generations.

“Even if it’s not enough for three to five years, it’s fine. By then, we’ll all have grown up and will earn lots of silver for Sister-in-law to use,” Leng Chen calmly added.

The other two nodded heavily.

Oh my, Wen Nuan Nuan was overwhelmed again!

Does this mean she’s won over all three children?

And it’s only the second meal.

Future generals and tycoons, shouldn’t you be a bit more reserved and make things more challenging?

No, no, no—the above was just her random, messy thoughts. Please don’t increase the difficulty.

From transmigrating from her unique two-bedroom, one-living-room modern home to this family that lacks everything, and being a cannon fodder with a tragic ending, it’s already miserable enough.

Could heaven, seeing how diligent and dedicated she is, give her another hint?

For example, others who transmigrate or transmigrate into books have systems. Where’s hers?

Others have beginner’s gift packs. Where’s hers?

Others have tasks and assessments, with rewards upon completion. Where are hers?

Compared to these, she’d rather know clearly: Why did she transmigrate here? What task does she need to complete to return?

Since she’s here, where did the original owner go?

Even if she has to live this life of lacking food and clothing for the original owner, at least give her some hints.

Otherwise, she would have chosen to return to her small home, for which she had finally scraped together a down payment and was now burdened with a mortgage.

After waiting for a long while, there was no prompt sound at all.

Wen Nuannuan slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

Then it occurred to her that perhaps the refrigerator was her reward.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Even when she went to take the bus, the one she needed had just left. Suddenly, a pie fell from the sky, and she foolishly caught it earnestly.

She was practically being sold and still helping count the money.

Wen Nuannuan felt somewhat troubled, but life had to go on.

Not only did it have to go on, but it had to be lived with flavor and warmth.

Just like lunch, it was another clean-plate campaign.

Everything was eaten clean.

This time, Wen Nuannuan was genuinely surprised.

At noon, she had thought they ate everything cleanly because they hadn’t eaten breakfast and were hungry.

But they had eaten their fill at noon, had Peach Crisp in the afternoon, and the dinner dishes were even more plentiful than lunch—yet they still finished everything!

“Are… are you full?” Wen Nuannuan had originally wanted to ask if they were overstuffed and needed to walk it off, but she was afraid they might think she was complaining about how much they ate, so she changed her question at the last moment.

She saw the three boys hesitate for a moment before nodding lightly.

Seeing their hesitant expressions, Wen Nuannuan understood perfectly—they could still eat more!

She really wanted to ask the author of “The Prime Minister’s Overwhelming Power,” how is this even possible!

Three half-grown boys plus her, four people, six dishes, and four thick Steamed Buns—how could they still not be full!

She had originally taken out the beer duck to reheat it but thought it would be wasteful if they couldn’t finish it, so she put it back. Now she realized that even if she heated it, they could still eat it all!

No wonder she had been given a refrigerator full of food. Leng Xiao hadn’t even returned yet. If he did, this refrigerator full of food would probably be just enough.

Wen Nuannuan couldn’t imagine what would have happened if, after discovering the refrigerator’s anomaly, she had been lazy, indifferent, or afraid of the effort and decided to wait a few days before filling it. If she had crossed over with only a handful of food, she might be crying her eyes out by now!

Fortunately, she was a woman of action. Fortunately, she had meticulously organized and planned the refrigerator’s interior, filling it to the brim without leaving a single gap.

Only then could she live a comfortable life in this ancient era where food and clothing were scarce.

“Tomorrow, Sister-in-Law will make more. You’re still growing, so eat more to gain some weight. That way, when you shoot up in height, it won’t feel like you’re being stretched painfully.” In modern times, this was called growing pains.

“How did you manage before? Did you have enough to eat?”

“During winter and spring, when food was scarce, we often didn’t have enough. Summer and autumn were better, especially autumn, when there were plenty of wild vegetables and fruits. The ones that didn’t keep well were eaten first. Actually, we’re easy to feed. As long as it’s edible, non-toxic, and harmless, we’ll eat it just to fill our stomachs.” Leng Chen wanted to say that Sister-in-Law didn’t need to give them such good food, but thinking of the meals they’d had these past two times, his inner greed ultimately won out.

He suddenly felt a bit disgusted with himself. Sister-in-Law was treating him wholeheartedly, yet he was greedy for delicious food, wasting her money.

He could have survived on wild vegetables and fruits alone.

Wen Nuannuan thought, no wonder they could eat so much. They had been living on wild vegetables and fruits, with no meat, eggs, rice, flour, or even oil and salt. No wonder they ate so much yet remained thin and small—they lacked nutrition!

The modern emphasis on a balanced diet of meat and vegetables was scientifically sound.

Even disregarding the science, a balanced diet of meat and vegetables simply tastes better and stimulates the appetite.

Wen Nuan Nuan looked at the three thin, small figures, her heart aching faintly. Her little face remained expressionless as she suggested with a light tone, “Let’s chat! I want to get to know you better. I’ll go to the kitchen first to wash some fruit. Eldest Brother, come help me bring the canned yellow peaches I made this afternoon. We can eat while we talk!”