After the female supporting character in the quick transmigration series realized her mistakes

Ruolan took a cucumber from the basket and happily walked to the water vat next to the peach tree in her yard, which was laden with fruit, to wash it clean.

It was still early before work ended, so Ruolan went to rest under the peach tree.

On such a hot day, lying on a rocking chair under the lush peach tree, munching on a cucumber that's been rinsed in cold water, and listening to the melodious chirping of cicadas is simply the most refreshing thing ever.

Listening to the babbling water beside her, Ruolan drifted off to sleep.

When He Fen returned, she saw her stepmother asleep under the peach tree and instinctively stopped in her tracks.

They had to be very careful in their words and actions towards this stepmother, lest they anger her, or their father would not let them off easily.

In fact, Ruolan woke up when she heard the door creak, but she was still a little groggy and too lazy to move.

She glanced at what He Fen had brought back. Hmm, there were two enormous termite mushrooms and a large bunch of fresh wild ferns.

Ruolan doesn't really like eating mushrooms; she always feels they have a strange taste.

However, she really likes to eat wild ferns stir-fried with cured pork, and since she remembered that there was still a small piece of cured pork at home, she decided to stir-fry it today.

So Ruolan gently said, "Hefen, I see you've been working so hard lately that your face looks pale. You're both working so hard, it breaks my heart to see you like this. Let's stir-fry the last piece of cured meat at home today so you can have some good nourishment."

When He Fen heard that there would be meat tonight, her mouth stretched to her ears in a wide grin. But then she thought about how her younger siblings weren't home, and she wondered if it would be okay for them to eat alone.

So Fen cautiously reminded her stepmother, "Mother, my younger brother and sister aren't coming back today. Should we wait until they get back before we cook?"

Ruolan looked at Hefen with a smile, "There's no need to wait for them. Herong and the others are enjoying themselves at school, protected from the wind and rain. I feel more sorry for the three of you at home."

Thinking of this, Ruolan looked worried again, "Alas, it's all because my body is too weak and I'm always sick. I can only trouble you three siblings."

“But there’s nothing we can do about it. A family can’t survive on your dad’s salary alone, so you all need to help out more. We can’t let your dad get overworked. He’s the pillar of our second branch of the family. If your dad collapses from exhaustion, this family will fall apart.”

He Fen felt terrible when she heard her stepmother say that. Her stepmother's health had almost recovered, but during the famine years a few years ago, she had saved her share of food for them.

The stepmother herself starved herself to death and fainted several times. They were terrified, fearing that she would never wake up. She did wake up, but in the end, she had ruined her health from hunger.

With such a stepmother, how could the three siblings possibly be wary of her? Everything she did was for their own good.

When He Fen saw her stepmother about to get up, she quickly went over to help her.

"Mother, don't move. Just rest here. We'll take care of the rest."

Every time they cooked, the stepmother would drag her weak body to the kitchen to help them. Although she couldn't do any heavy work, she said that just watching them cook made her extremely happy.

Ruolan forced a smile. "It's alright. Look at me, I'm doing fine, aren't I?"

"Well, I can't do much else, but I can still offer my help. I'll do what I can to help you, so that I won't seem like a useless person."

Looking at her stepmother, He Fen couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

She stepped forward gently, took her stepmother's hand tenderly, and softly comforted her, "Mother, please don't take those gossips circulating in the brigade to heart. What do they know? They just talk nonsense."

However, Ruolan simply lowered her head, her eyes slightly red, with tears welling up in them.

She said in a slightly choked voice, "Yes, they all say I look radiant, as if I'm living a very comfortable life."

He Fen held her stepmother's hand tightly, squeezing it firmly as if to encourage her, and said, "Mother, don't think like that."

"How could they know the hard work you've put in behind the scenes? Your radiant appearance is just an illusion."

“You may look fine on the outside, but in reality, your body is already extremely weak. Who can truly understand the exhaustion you endure every day, taking care of the housework and your family?”

"As for your health, don't we family members know better than outsiders? So, Mother, you must believe in yourself and not be hurt by those rumors."

After speaking with Fen, he felt that it was inappropriate to say it that way, because nowadays even the word "weak" would make his stepmother feel sentimental.

He quickly changed the subject, "Since you want to help, then sit here by the door and watch me cook. You can see the kitchen clearly from here."

Isn't it obvious? She specifically chose this spot so that she could have a clear view of the entire kitchen.

Ruolan felt that she had the potential to become a wicked mother-in-law in the future.

An hour later, just as He Fen was about to finish cooking, He Min returned.

Before she arrived, her voice preceded her: "Mother, I'm back."

"Oh, it's good to be back. You must have had a hard day." He Min called out crisply, and Ruolan responded gently.

Looking at her son, who was covered in dirt, Ruolan said with a helpless yet caring expression, "Go take a shower first to cool off. I saved a big tomato for you; you can eat it after you shower."

He Min found that his mother was always exceptionally kind to him, which made him incredibly happy. Although he felt a little guilty towards his other brothers and sisters, he simply loved this special treatment.

Yes, He Fen, who had just received special treatment from Ruolan, thought the same thing.

When Ruolan went to pick vegetables, she had no idea that Hefen would bring back two dishes that could be cooked.

So, the meal tonight was very plentiful. As soon as Shuisheng and the other man returned, the food was already on the table, just waiting for them to start eating.

Looking at the table full of dishes, Heping exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, what a special day it is today! There are so many dishes!"

There are cold cucumber salad, stir-fried wild vegetables with cured pork, braised eggplant, stir-fried dried tofu with cured pork, and sauerkraut fish.

This fish was caught by the villagers from the river. It's tender and fresh, but it has a lot of bones.

The Xie family used to only have two dishes, but today there are five, which is quite a feast.

Shuisheng also brought back an apple for Ruolan, just one, as it was exclusively for her.

Looking at the pitiful eyes of He Fen and her two children, Ruolan said with heartache, "Brother Shuisheng, why don't you cut it into five pieces, and each of you can have one piece?"

Shui Sheng was not happy: "It's just one apple, even if you cut it into four pieces, it won't be enough to fill your teeth. Ignore them, you eat it yourself."

After saying that, he glanced at He Ping and the others a few times, "What do you think?"

Hey, they all nodded in unison, afraid of upsetting their father if they were too slow.

Seeing that none of them were eating, Ruolan had no choice but to reluctantly put the food away and eat it after the meal.

Everyone was laughing and joking during the meal; it was quite lively.

Shuisheng told Ruolan funny stories about their warehouse, making her laugh out loud.

He Fen would occasionally put food on Ruolan's plate, her eyes filled with concern.

After all, she received a reward from her stepmother today, and now she's very enthusiastic towards her stepmother, wanting to treat her even better.