Chapter 6

Tian Sanzhu had originally been about to say something to her, but when he saw the ox trying to move off, he had to pull back his hand to grab the reins. Huang Cuihua took the basket from him and told Tian Yufen to hurry and get on the cart, but Tian Yufen instead reached out to take Lin Xi’s basket. She gave her younger sister-in-law a “hate iron for not becoming steel” look.

Even though they weren’t from the same village, Lin Xi’s recent behavior had become well known within a ten-mile radius.

The village gossip network was like a 21st-century 5G connection—something that happened in the morning would be known by everyone in the village and even in the neighboring village by noon.

In other families, it was always the mother-in-law making things hard for the daughter-in-law. How come in her sister’s family, it was the opposite? The whole household was completely under this woman’s thumb—pity her sister and the two kids.

“Third Uncle, Third Aunt.”

Lin Xi knew that the original person whose body she now inhabited had been unlikeable, but that was the original owner, not her. She felt no psychological burden at all, so she called out to them cheerfully and quickly climbed onto the cart.

Tian Sanzhu cracked his whip to get the ox moving, and only then did Tian Yufen glance at Huang Cuihua and say:

“Sister-in-law, what are you doing in town? And with little Ni’er too?”

Huang Cuihua touched the child’s forehead and sighed:

“This child was playing by the river this morning with some older kids. By noon she started running a fever, so your Third Uncle and I brought her to get an injection and some medicine.”

“…”

As Tian Yufen chatted with her brother and sister-in-law, the little girl in Huang Cuihua’s arms stared at Lin Xi. Lin Xi noticed the gaze, rummaged through her basket for biscuits and candy, and took out a few pieces of milk candy to tease the child.

“Your name’s Ni’er, right? Here, have some candy.”

The little girl’s eyes lit up at the sight. Back in those days, candy and biscuits were expensive treats that rural children might only get a few times a year.

Milk candy was even more expensive than meat—ordinary families rarely bought it, and even if they did, they’d only buy a few pieces. Many rural kids had never tasted it at all.

Although Ni’er was clearly drooling, she didn’t reach out. Instead, she looked up at her grandmother. Huang Cuihua wasn’t sure what Lin Xi’s attitude was, so she hesitated. Tian Yufen said:

“Third Sister-in-law, let the child take it! We bought plenty.”

So Huang Cuihua stopped being polite and told her granddaughter:

“Go on, take it. Say thank you to your cousin’s wife.”

Only then did Ni’er shyly stretch out her little hand for the candy, murmuring:

“Thank you, Cousin’s Wife.”

Lin Xi handed her the candy, then also gave her a few biscuits.

Huang Cuihua glanced at the two baskets full of goods and said to Tian Yufen:

“Buying so many nice things—don’t you care about saving money?”

Her words were directed at Tian Yufen, but clearly meant for Lin Xi to hear. Tian Yufen just laughed and said:

“These are all things Xi bought with her own money. She said she needed them, so I just tagged along to help carry.”

The three adults chatted happily along the way. Ni’er, now a bit perked up after her shot, wasn’t so afraid of Lin Xi anymore, especially after eating her candy.

When Lin Xi asked her questions, she’d answer in a soft little voice, which was so sweet and childlike it melted Lin Xi’s heart.

Lin Xi could hardly wait to get home and win over the two kids there as well.

Huang Cuihua and her husband insisted on escorting the two women home. Since they lived in neighboring villages, it wasn’t far.

When they arrived, Lin Xi pulled five large pork buns from her basket and handed them to Tian Yufen:

“Mom, give these to Third Uncle’s family.”

Seeing the buns, Tian Yufen felt a pang in her heart—her daughter-in-law really did seem to have changed for the better.

Huang Cuihua and her husband firmly refused the buns, but in the end Tian Yufen stuffed them into her sister-in-law’s arms before they would leave.

As soon as they stepped inside, they saw light from the kitchen fire. Since there were only two children at home, Lin Xi panicked, thinking there was a fire, and dropped her basket to rush in.

What she found instead was two little ones—one crouched by the stove feeding the fire, the other standing on a stool stir-frying greens.

“Grandma!”

The little girl, seeing Tian Yufen, dropped the stick in her hand and ran into her arms with tear-filled eyes.

It was already getting late, so the kitchen was dim. Even so, Lin Xi could see the bowl of burnt-black stuff on the stove…

And the greens in the wok…

She glanced at the child standing on the stool busily cooking, and without caring about his reaction, she went over, took the spatula, and lifted him down, saying:

“It’s too late today. Let’s have pork buns instead. You two go to the room and wait—it’ll be ready soon.”

Gu Yang stood stiffly in place:

The bad woman hugged him—now he wasn’t clean anymore!

But he was still little and couldn’t beat this bad woman yet.

Hmph! When he grew up, he’d make her cry and roll on the ground, just like she had beaten them before!

After comforting her granddaughter, Tian Yufen saw Lin Xi take out the buns and a few eggs from the basket.

She thought to herself, Good thing I was carrying that basket earlier—if Lin Xi had tossed it like that, the eggs would be smashed.

Lin Xi set the buns and eggs aside, then handed the siblings some biscuits and milk candy to tide them over.

She and Tian Yufen had already eaten two buns each in town, so they weren’t hungry, but the two poor kids at home must be starving.

“Mom, take them outside. I’ll make some soup and heat up the buns so we can eat.”

“I’ll do it. The smoke in here will choke you, and with your bad foot, you should rest with the kids.”

“I’m fine—it doesn’t hurt when I’m standing. Could you just get me the oil instead?”

“Alright.”

Tian Yufen was really liking her daughter-in-law today—she was even better than when she first married in. She hoped she’d stay this way.

The two children watched their grandmother and the “bad woman” in silence. They couldn’t understand why she hadn’t hit or scolded them today—or scolded Grandma either.

Gu Yang guessed she must be trying to please Grandma to trick her out of money—just like the village aunties had said.

Lin Xi quickly scooped the greens out of the wok, scrubbed it clean, heated oil, and poured in beaten eggs to fry until golden.

The aroma filled the kitchen, making its way into the children’s noses. With candy in their mouths and biscuits in their hands, they still craned their necks to peek eagerly into the wok.

Even Tian Yufen’s appetite was stirred—she’d fried eggs before, but never as fragrant as this. She was even more surprised that Lin Xi knew how to cook.

Lin Xi gave the eggs a few tosses, added water and salt to make egg drop soup, then found a few small tomatoes in the vegetable basket, washed and cut them, and tossed them in.

She set a bamboo steamer on the pot, placed six buns inside, and steamed them over the soup.

When she turned to get something to serve with, a sudden stab of pain made her bare her teeth and clutch the stove for support.

She’d been walking all day, and with the mental distraction, she’d managed fine. But now she’d forgotten, and the pain nearly made her soul leave her body.