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

Chapter 40 Exquisite Food

The villagers swallowed hard, watching with envy.

Chen Cheng, on the other hand, ate one steamed bun after another, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After eating a full 10 steamed buns, Chen Cheng said with lingering satisfaction, "I'm full! These steamed buns are truly the best food I've ever eaten."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi and Chen Mu nodded in agreement. For them, who hadn't eaten meat for several years and hadn't even eaten much white rice, steamed buns were indeed a more delicious food than anything else in the world.

Chen Jiang and Chen Si didn't quite agree with Chen Cheng's statement, but they still praised the taste of the steamed buns. Their soft texture and sweet aroma made them extremely satisfied.

Of course, steamed buns also have their downsides. They're too dry if you eat them on their own, so you have to eat them with water.

Also, the steamed buns were delicious, but they filled you up too quickly. The four strong young men, Chen Shi, Chen Mu, Chen Si, and Chen Jiang, each ate three before they were too full to eat anymore.

In other words, Chen Cheng, this big-bellied man, had a big appetite and could eat ten of them in a row.

"Are you all full?"

Chen Dao glanced at the steamed buns in the bucket. Sure enough, steamed buns were more filling than porridge. Chen Cheng and the others could usually finish a bucket of porridge, but this time they couldn't finish a bucket of steamed buns. There were still about 10 steamed buns left in the bucket.

"I am full!"

Chen Cheng scratched his head and chuckled, "Thank you, Brother Cheng, for the steamed buns!"

"You deserve this."

Chen Dao responded with a smile.

By this time, everyone, including him, had already eaten the steamed buns, and Chen Dao didn't plan to keep the remaining 10.

"Cheng-ge'er".

Chen Dao thought for a moment and said, "There are ten steamed buns left. You can each take two back for your families to try!"

Upon hearing Chen Dao's words, the eyes of the five people immediately lit up.

Chen Cheng said somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother Dao, isn't this a bit inappropriate? You've already done enough by feeding us; how could we possibly take it home?"

In Chen Cheng's honest and straightforward mind, being able to eat his fill at Chen Dao's house was already a great favor, especially since it was a precious food like steamed buns. If he were to take the steamed buns home to eat...

That's a bit too greedy.

"Yes, Brother Dao, how could we possibly accept both food and gifts?"

Chen Shi said the same thing. Although his family was poor, the three brothers were relatively simple and honest. They were somewhat unwilling to take advantage of others by eating or taking things for free.

"fine!"

Chen Dao waved his hand and said, "Steamed buns will spoil if left out for too long. Why don't you take them home and eat them? Here, two for each of you. Take them home for your families to try, and then come back to work."

If possible, Chen Dao was still willing to try to win over the hearts of the villagers. The five people working at his home, including Chen Cheng, were all honest and kind-hearted. If he did them a favor, they would definitely remember it.

So Chen Dao stuffed two steamed buns into each of their hands and told them to take them back to their families to try.

"That's...okay!"

Chen Cheng hesitated for a long time, but still chose to accept the two steamed buns. Actually, he also wanted his family to try this delicious food, especially his mother...

Chen Cheng had witnessed his mother's hardships since he was a child, and naturally hoped that his mother could eat better.

Soon, Chen Cheng and his four companions each grabbed two steamed buns and ran home as fast as they could.

The villagers who were watching the commotion nearby looked at each other in bewilderment as they ran away.

"Where are Chen Cheng and the others going? Aren't they going to work after eating?"

“I knew these guys wouldn’t work hard! If you ask me, Brother Dao, you might as well hire me to work. I’m hardworking and I eat less than Chen Cheng.”

"I think I just saw Daoge give each of them two steamed buns. Could it be for them to take home?"

"That must be it! Damn it, the Chen brothers are shameless, taking advantage of us!"

"Damn it! Why can't I find such a good physical job!"

"..."

After figuring out the whole story through a combination of guesswork and deduction, the villagers' eyes turned red with envy, and they wished they could replace Chen Cheng and his four companions.

There was no other way. To the villagers, a job that allowed them to have enough to eat and bring steamed buns home for their families was no different from working for the emperor.

…………

…………

At Chen Cheng's home.

Liu Yan was cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

To Earthlings, food usually refers to things like rice, but in Chen Cheng's home, food consists of handfuls of rice husks and bran powder.

At this moment, Liu Yan was stirring a clump of rice bran powder in the pot. Some unground rice bran floated on top of the clump. This was the breakfast for Liu Yan's three underage children and Liu Yan herself this morning.

"Mom~ We're back!"

Just then, Liu Yan's ears twitched as she heard a loud voice coming from outside.

"Why is Cheng-ge'er back?"

Liu Yan's heart tightened. At this time, Chen Cheng and the others were working at Chen Dao's house. Why would they run home at this time?

Is it possible...

Just as Liu Yan was having a bad feeling, the three Chen brothers ran into the kitchen.

"Mother, we're back!"

"Why are you back?"

Looking at the three happy Chen brothers, Liu Yan felt no joy on her face, but rather a heavy heart.

Chen Cheng and his two companions went to Chen Dao's house to help with the work, which relieved a considerable amount of their own food burden. However, the three of them unusually went home early, which made it hard for Liu Yan not to have bad thoughts.

"Mom, look what we brought back!"

Chen Cheng didn't notice Liu Yan's expression. Instead, he took out two snow-white steamed buns from his pocket and handed them to Liu Yan as if they were precious treasures.

"This is?"

Liu Yan stared at the steamed bun in front of her, her face full of doubt. She had spent most of her life in Chenjia Village and had never left, so naturally she did not recognize steamed buns as a food.

Although she didn't recognize it, Liu Yan knew that the snow-white, fist-sized object in front of her was definitely edible, because it emitted a sweet fragrance.

"This is a steamed bun!"

Chen Shi also took out the two steamed buns he had been holding onto and excitedly boasted, "Mom, let me tell you, Dao Ge'er is so generous! He gave us steamed buns today! I heard that these kinds of food sell for three coins each in the city, they're really expensive!"

Three coins each?

Liu Yan's hand, which had just taken the steamed bun, froze in mid-air. Judging from the weight of the bun, it weighed less than two ounces, yet it cost three coins...

For Chen Cheng's family, three copper coins could buy a pound of bran flour. If they were careful with their food, a pound of bran flour could sustain their two children for a day. However, the value of a single steamed bun was equivalent to the daily rations for both children...

This is more than just precious; in Liu Yan's opinion, even the emperor in the capital doesn't eat anything more than this.