In this episode, a struggling family faces hunger and scarce food. The mother fiercely guards the last of their meat and sweet potatoes, demanding her children follow strict instructions despite their protests. She orders one child to wash and chop sweet potatoes while another is sent to pick wheat sprouts. At odds with her children's concerns, she insists on gathering sour wild hawthorns to make malt sugar and candied hawthorn, aiming to turn their scarce resources into income. The episode ends with the children reluctantly providing the gathered ingredients, as the mother promises to start making money together, leaving their uncertain future hanging in the balance.