In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

"Brother Dao, is it really possible to provide meals?"

"Brother Dao, speak up! Does helping your family with chores really mean we get meals?"

"..."

Chen Shi and Chen Mu asked anxiously.

It's no wonder they were in such a hurry; eating is just too important to them.

If helping Chen Dao with his work meant they would be provided with meals, then they could eat at Chen Dao's house, which would reduce their food consumption. This was undoubtedly a very important thing for Chen Cheng's family, whose food reserves were already running low.

Meeting the anxious gazes of the three, Chen Dao nodded: "Meals will be provided!"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Chen Cheng and his two companions' eyes gleamed with eagerness. After exchanging glances, Chen Shi spoke first, "Brother Dao, can my third brother and I also come to your house to help out?"

Chen Mu scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, "Don't worry, Dao-ge! Although we are not as strong as Big Brother, we are definitely capable of doing a good job and can definitely help your family get the house done!"

Chen Dao sized up Chen Mu and Chen Shi. The two had the standard build of the poor, somewhat thin, and far less robust than Chen Cheng, but they should be able to do some heavy work without any problem.

So Chen Dao nodded and said, "Okay!"

"Great!"

Chen Cheng and his two companions were so excited they almost jumped for joy, practically dancing with glee.

Liu Yan, who was boiling water in the kitchen next door, also smiled. The fact that her three sons could find work and eat at Chen Dao's house was undoubtedly a great joy for this poor family. This way, the family's food reserves could be used to feed the children.

"Brother Dao, when do we start working?"

Chen Shi asked impatiently.

"Not in a hurry."

Chen Dao replied, "I still need to find some helpers, so we can't start work until tomorrow. You can just come over tomorrow morning!"

"Row!"

Chen Cheng solemnly assured him, "Brother Dao, don't worry, we will definitely be at your house to help you on time tomorrow."

"Then I'll leave first."

Before Liu Yan could bring him hot water, Chen Dao left Chen Cheng's house to go find Chen Si and Chen Jiang for help.

Chen Si and Chen Jiang's families were not as poor as Chen Cheng's, but they still agreed after hearing that Chen Dao was willing to provide meals.

With that, all five people needed to build the house were recruited. Chen Dao returned home and discussed with Li Ping the possibility of temporarily moving to Chen Da's house.

"Moving to live in the Chen family's house? That would be good!"

After listening to Chen Dao's story, Li Ping nodded. This world, like ancient China, also had strict separation between men and women, but this only applied to wealthy and powerful families. Poor families wouldn't think about such things at all. It's a simple principle: if you can't even get enough to eat, how can you have the mind to think about these things?

Therefore, after hearing Chen Dao say that he was going to stay at Chen Dajia's place for a while, Li Ping only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

So, Chen Dao's family began to move, moving all the useful items from their home to Chen Da's house. Of course, the most important thing was to move their most valuable possessions: grain and the chickens raised in the front yard.

…………

…………

The next day, before dawn, Chen Da opened his eyes.

After waking up Chen Shi and Chen Mu who were sitting next to him, the three of them went out of the house together.

"It's so cold today!"

Chen Mu wrapped his clothes tighter around himself, feeling the biting cold wind and his face almost frozen.

However, the cold did not diminish the burning passion in Chen Mu's heart in the slightest. He had already begun to fantasize about the days when he could eat his fill at Chen Dao's house.

"Hurry up, don't be late."

Chen Cheng said, "Since Brother Dao is willing to give us enough to eat, we can't delay Brother Dao's business."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mu and Chen Shi hurriedly quickened their pace and headed to Chen Dao's house.

Because the distance wasn't far, the three of them quickly saw Chen Dao's house. At that moment, Chen Si and Chen Jiang were standing in front of the door.

"Cheng-ge, you're here too?"

When Chen Jiang and Chen Si saw Chen Cheng and the other two, they hurriedly went up to greet them.

Chen Cheng scratched his head and said with a simple smile, "Brother Dao said he'd provide meals, so the three of us brothers came to help!"

After saying that, Chen Cheng asked again, "Are you two here to help too?"

"Of course!"

Chen Jiang nodded, then looked at Chen Dao's house and said, "Dao-ge'er's house really needs to be rebuilt. It's so dilapidated, it's impossible to get through the winter."

Upon hearing this, Chen Cheng and the other two fell silent. Their house was in similar condition to Chen Dao's. It was alright now, but it would probably be even harder to endure in the winter.

"You're here so early?"

Just then, a voice came from behind them.

Chen Dao and Chen Da walked over side by side, looking surprised, as if they hadn't expected the five of them to be so enthusiastic.

"It's getting late!"

Chen Cheng chuckled憨厚ly, "The sun is almost up, Brother Dao, shall we start working now?"

"No rush, let's eat first!"

Upon hearing Chen Dao's words, the eyes of Chen Cheng and the other two lit up immediately. They thought to themselves, "Brother Dao is really honest. We haven't even started the work yet, and he's already eating."

Chen Si and Chen Jiang also looked expectant. Although they didn't crave food as much as Chen Cheng and the other two, it would be good to save some food at home.

"Dinner is here!"

At this moment, Li Ping and He Cuilian came over carrying a large wooden bucket filled with a mushy food, steaming hot in the cold weather.

"It's delicious!"

Chen Shi couldn't help but touch his lower abdomen; the aroma of the food made him involuntarily swallow.

Chen Cheng's stomach rumbled loudly. He was strong and ate a lot, but because of his family's financial difficulties, he hadn't had a full meal in a long time. The aroma of the porridge made him feel hungry again.

"Come and eat, everyone!"

Hearing the commotion, Li Ping smiled and took out a bowl to serve rice to everyone.

The food made from sorghum flour mixed with rice bran was naturally not very tasty, and it even had a rough texture on the throat, but it was a rare treat for Chen Cheng and his companions.

Chen Cheng took the bowl without complaining about the heat and drank the porridge in one gulp. Then, somewhat embarrassed, he said, "Auntie, could you give me another bowl?"

Eat as much as you want!

Chen Dao said from the side, "But remember one thing: you can only eat here, you can't take it home."

Given the difficult circumstances at Chen Cheng's home, it's hard to guarantee they won't secretly bring food home, so Chen Dao still needs to give them a heads-up.

"Thank you, Brother Dao!"

Chen Cheng hurriedly assured him, "Don't worry, Brother Dao, we definitely won't bring it home!"

Chen Shi and Chen Mu also made a promise, stating that they would never do such an immoral thing.

As for Chen Si and Chen Jiang, there's no need to worry about them. Their families are relatively well-off, so they wouldn't do something like secretly bringing food home.

Besides, with Chen Da watching over them, no one would dare to do such a thing.

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