Yuan Chun glared at Wang Cui, warning her, "Starting tomorrow, Da Linzi and his siblings must bring back two baskets of pigweed each day in exchange for work points, or they can forget about eating."

Don’t talk about how the kids are still young; Daya and Erya started picking pigweed on the mountain to earn work points at four or five years old. If Daya and Erya can do it, why can’t Ma Laoer’s three worthless grandkids?

In the past, the original head of the family didn’t favor Ma Laoer but did favor his three kids. The best food in the house, besides Ma Xiangling, was mostly consumed by Ma Laoer’s three children, yet they never did any chores, always eating and then going off to play, returning to eat again only when tired and hungry.

Now, Yuan Chun certainly doesn’t want to raise a bunch of slackers.

Yuan Chun picked up the chopsticks and divided the meat.

Yes, dividing the meat.

The Ma family would make a meat dish, and the original head would handle the distribution.

Before, the original head was partial to Ma Xiangling, and when there was chicken stew, Ma Xiangling got a whole drumstick, the eldest grandson got a drumstick, the younger grandson received a large chicken wing.

Qian Hongmei and her daughters could only eat chicken butt and claws.

Now, Yuan Chun allocates the best parts to Qian Hongmei and her daughters, and Ma Laoer also gets a piece of chicken breast, as you need to feed the ox well if you want it to work hard.

Wang Cui was given half a piece of chicken breast.

Da Linzi and his siblings only got chicken claws and butt.

The siblings were dissatisfied but didn’t dare to make a fuss, afraid of getting beaten by their grandmother.

The two chicken heads were given to Ma Xiangling.

Yes, sulking and sleeping in the room without eating lunch, Ma Xiangling was lured out by the aroma of chicken soup in the afternoon.

She was afraid that if she didn’t do any chores, she’d miss out on chicken at dinner, so she voluntarily swept the yard.

The evening’s steamed buns were made by Qian Hongmei.

Ma Xiangling volunteered to help with the fire.

Thus, Yuan Chun didn’t refuse to let her eat.

But Ma Xiangling, looking at the two chicken heads in her bowl, glared at Yuan Chun in anger, "Mother, you know I don’t like chicken heads, yet you give them to me to eat. You... you won’t give me a drumstick, at least some pieces of chicken."

Yuan Chun sneered, "Well, you just swept the floor and tended the fire; giving you two chicken heads is already pretty good. If you want chicken, go to the field tomorrow and earn enough work points. If you can earn six work points, I’ll give you half a piece of chicken breast."

Ma Xiangling was so angry her tears fell, "Mother, are you really my mother? You never let me earn work points before."

"That was before. Back then, your big brother could earn stipends to support the family. Now, without your big brother’s stipend supplementing household expenses, you all don’t want to earn work points. Do you want me, an old woman, to earn work points to feed a bunch of slackers?"

"Alright, I’ll give you a bone, but if you don’t go earn work points tomorrow, you won’t get to eat. Don’t think doing a bit of housework means you’ll get food. I’m telling you, Ma Xiangling, your days of luxury are over. From now on, you’ll obediently go to the fields to earn work points like the other girls in the village, or you can go to the county town and get a job, handing over your salary to the family every month. In any case, don’t expect me to pamper you for free anymore."

Ma Xiangling was utterly heartbroken, sobbing with grief.

She really wanted to smash the chicken heads in the bowl on the ground but didn’t dare.

That day, she got beaten many times, and Ma Xiangling finally realized her mother wouldn’t pamper and spoil her like before.

If she dared smash the food bowl, her mother could definitely beat her to death.

However, Ma Xiangling still complained, "Third brother doesn’t have to hand over his salary, so why must I if I go to work? His job was bought with family money, too. Boohoo, Mother, you’re favoring third brother."

Yuan Chun sipped on the fragrant chicken soup, saying, "I’ll go ask for your third brother’s salary tomorrow. Hmph, I spoiled him before, allowing him to keep his whole salary, but now that there’s no income, and our family hasn’t been divided, it’s unreasonable for him to keep his salary while relying on the family for food and drink."