Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiuyun thought of the food that had just been given away. Her face changed slightly. She didn’t want Gao Xiulan to know; otherwise, there might be less food. She quickly replied, “What could it be? The Pei family isn’t doing so well either.”

“It can’t be that bad. I heard Pei Lao San’s pension is quite substantial,” Gao Xiulan said with a hint of surprise. “Could it be that Eldest sister didn’t bring anything good? I heard they didn’t invite many people to the wedding and even turned away their own uncle.”

Zhang Xiuyun was furious. Even if her daughter had done something wrong, she couldn’t let Gao Xiulan speak ill of her. Yet, she couldn’t come up with a clear rebuttal and could only say, “You’re talking nonsense!”

Gao Xiulan laughed, “Everyone knows this. I’m not making things up—”

Fortunately, the two women who had received the food from Jiang Xi stood up at that moment. They scolded Gao Xiulan and defended Jiang Xi. They placed their hands on their hips and sneered at her: “Gao Xiulan, what are you talking about? What does the girl bring home have to do with you? Why are you spreading rumors here?”

“It’s really like a dog trying to catch a rat^[1]means someone is doing something they aren’t good at or that isn’t meant for them.!” Another woman added, “Big sister is such a filial child, and she has such good character. The Pei family is lucky to have her. We won’t let you spread nonsense about her.”

Gao Xiulan, squeezed out of the conversation, didn’t dare to say more and looked embarrassed. “I was just joking, wasn’t I?”

“Don’t accuse people unfairly when joking. Eldest sister is a new bride and is sensitive! What if such a good child gets upset because of you?” The woman glared at her again.

The other villagers chimed in, “Yes, Eldest sister came back this time with a lot of gifts.”

Some pointed to Jiang Sanmei, who was having fun: “Look, Sanmei was well cared for. She has taken a big burden off her mother’s shoulders. Isn’t that enough?”

Some people sighed, while others used this to make a point: “Really? The clothes they are wearing are all new, right? Since their father died, I haven’t seen these three children in new clothes. The Pei family is so good to them; they’re closer to them than their own mother.”

After all, Zhang Xiuyun supported her mother’s family, and her brother was always asking for money. Everyone in the village was aware of this.

When they gossip, they often talk about it, but as outsiders, they can’t interfere. Even if they dislike Zhang Xiuyun, there’s nothing they can do. Now that the Jiang family girls finally have someone to rely on, they are all pleased.

Zhang Xiuyun, initially relieved that Gao Xiulan was silenced, now felt a bit uncomfortable and self-pitying. 

She thought it was clearly for the benefit of her elder sisters.

They were different from other girls. They had no brothers to help them, and in the future, they would only have nephews to rely on. But no one understood their situation.

Feeling overwhelmed, Zhang Xiuyun wanted to go back.

Just as she was about to leave, Jiang Sanmei, who had kept an eye on her even while playing, noticed her. The little girl’s expression froze, and she quickly left her friends and ran over to hug her mother: “Mom, I don’t want to go back. Let’s play a little longer.”

Zhang Xiuyun asked, “Aren’t you hungry? You’re playing while I go back to cook.”

Children these days usually love to eat.

But Jiang Sanmei really wasn’t hungry. She had just been given a lot of snacks. She shook her head decisively and continued to act coquettishly: “I’m not hungry, not hungry. Mom, let’s play a little longer!”

Zhang Xiuyun was pestered and had no choice but to agree, thinking her elder sister should be able to handle cooking: “Alright, play a little longer.”

Jiang Sanmei secretly sighed in relief and went back to playing, her gaze occasionally darting to her mother.

Zhang Xiuyun felt that people were looking at her strangely, and she sensed something was off. However, she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

They finally decided to head back home after Jiang Sanmei repeatedly begged to stay a bit longer, and most of the people around them had already left. Jiang Sanmei glanced nervously in the direction of the Jiang family home, wondering why it was taking so long.

Just as she was thinking about it, an old man who hadn’t left yet suddenly muttered, “Hey, which shop is making buns? They smell so good!”

Zhang Xiuyun also sniffed the air subconsciously. There really was a rich aroma of steamed flour wafting through the air.

It wasn’t a holiday or any special occasion, so why would someone be steaming buns?

She suddenly thought of the flour her elder sister brought back. Those were all white flour, and she had been planning to give them to her younger brother after her sister left. Her nephews probably hadn’t had white flour buns in a long time. Then she remembered how generous her elder sister had been that morning.

Zhang Xiuyun’s face changed, and without waiting for her dawdling daughter, she walked back quickly.

Jiang Sanmei was startled and quickly followed.

_

“Really…” Zhang Xiuyun found that the closer she got to her home, the stronger the fragrance became. She was completely annoyed and a little disappointed.

No wonder the third sister didn’t let her go back; it turned out to be to let the eldest sister mess around at home! These three children have only been away from home for a few days. How could they be so wild?

But when she angrily pushed open the gate, ready to scold her daughter, she couldn’t say a word.

Her uncle’s family was all there in the yard. They were sitting around, and the elder sister, who was usually as quiet as she was, was among them, chatting and looking cheerful.

Zhang Xiuyun’s entrance was so sudden that everyone looked at her.

The anger on her face froze. “Brother, you’re here.”

Uncle Jiang’s smile faded slightly. “Yes, Eldest sister said she made some dumplings and asked us to come over to eat.”

Aunt Jiang also came out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula in her hand, smiling as she said, “Yes, Eldest sister is such a considerate child. She even helped with the cooking. Sister-in-law, you don’t have to be busy; just take a rest. The food will be ready soon.”

Zhang Xiuyun nodded hesitantly. “Okay.”

Jiang Sanmei, who had been following behind, patted her chest in relief and looked at her elder sister with admiration. After calling her uncle’s family over, her mother felt too embarrassed to get angry.

Jiang Xi smiled slightly and stood up as well. “Auntie, are the buns ready? I’m hungry.”

“Let me see.” Aunt Jiang responded immediately, opened the lid, and the aroma of the flour instantly became much stronger, making everyone’s mouths water. She poked a bun with chopsticks and found it soft. She immediately said, “Okay, okay, come and eat.”

“Wow, time to eat buns!” Jiang Sanmei was the first to rush over.

Several cousins also came over excitedly: “Buns! Buns! Mom, give me a piece!”

“It’s like you’ve never eaten before. Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone.” Aunt Jiang rolled her eyes at them and handed out the buns one by one. The food had been divided in advance to prevent anyone from eating too much and leaving the slow eaters without any.

There were twenty buns in the basket, and each person got two or three buns. But people in those days had big appetites, and they ate more because they usually weren’t full, so there definitely weren’t enough buns to go around.

Jiang Xi could eat three by herself. She smiled and said, “Auntie, let’s steam the rest too.”

Zhang Xiuyun quickly stopped her: “That’s enough. If we steam too much, it will spoil easily now. Why steam so much? It’s a waste.”

“How is it wasted? If you eat it, it won’t be wasted. If we can’t finish it, we can give it to others.” Jiang Xi replied matter-of-factly. “Mom, I can’t just take care of myself when I come back this time.”

As she said this, she took a bite of the bun. The soft bun skin was bitten open to reveal the meaty filling inside.

When Zhang Xiuyun saw this, her eyes widened in shock: “You filled them with meat?!”

Jiang Xi nodded. “In this weather, the meat can’t be left out; we have to eat it quickly.”

“I hid the meat. How did you take it out?” Zhang Xiuyun asked sharply. After asking, she guessed that the meat must have been taken out by breaking the lock. This kind of thing often happened with children in the village.

In the past, the three sisters were well-behaved and sensible, so she wasn’t overly cautious with them. But seeing the meat buns being distributed, Zhang Xiuyun’s heartache increased. She lost all her composure. She didn’t care about her husband and elder brother, and scolded, “Why are you so ignorant?! Your uncle hasn’t even eaten the meat yet! No, no, save the meat buns and give them to your uncle later…”

The surroundings, which had been bustling with noise because of the meat buns, suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

After all, these things were not theirs, and everyone felt embarrassed to eat them when their owner was unhappy about it.

Uncle Jiang looked a little upset, but he didn’t know what to say.

But Jiang Xi didn’t let it slide and frowned directly. “Mom, have you forgotten? I said that there’s no reason for me to give my things to the Zhang family!”

Zhang Xiuyun’s face turned pale, and she said unhappily, “What do you mean? Do you really want to cut ties with your uncle? Do you not want me as your mother anymore either?”

The surroundings became even quieter. Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei didn’t dare to eat and looked at their mother with some fear.

She had always had a gentle temper and had never truly lost her temper. Unexpectedly, she lost her temper now and was so angry that she was shaking all over.

Jiang Xi sneered and took a line from unreliable men: “If you think so, there’s nothing I can do.” After saying that, she stuffed the bun into her mouth, went into the kitchen, and put the remaining buns on the steamer one by one.

This steamer was brought by her aunt-in-law. Her own steamer had been taken away by the Zhang family long ago.

Zhang Xiuyun didn’t expect her daughter to still be so rude after she had said all that. She panicked and clenched the bowl in her hand. She put the bowl down and said angrily, “Fine, you’re so great. You got married and found a good in-law family, so you don’t even listen to your mother’s words. You don’t want your uncle either. I won’t eat this bun!”

She covered her face and ran back to her room crying.

The situation became increasingly awkward.

“Big sister…” the two younger girls called out timidly.

Uncle Jiang and his wife looked worried. “Big sister, your mother, maybe we should keep it?”

Several cousins looked at each other in confusion. The meat buns they had been so excited about now didn’t seem as tasty.

Jiang Xi smiled at them and said, “It’s okay. My mother is just being unreasonable. Let’s eat our food. I brought these things here. I never said it was just for my mom. Uncle, Auntie, please eat. Don’t worry about it.”

She urged, adding more wood to the stove, determined to steam the remaining buns.

Seeing her like this, her uncle’s family continued eating. Aunt Jiang finished frying shredded potatoes. There wasn’t much meat, but there was a lot of flour, so she also steamed some plain buns. Aunt Jiang didn’t let her kids eat too many meat buns. If they were still hungry, they could eat the plain buns with vegetables, which were also delicious.

The three Jiang Xi sisters each ate three buns and some vegetables.

After finishing the meal, Jiang’s cousin washed the dishes. Jiang’s second sister looked around, then moved closer to Jiang Xi with a concerned expression and whispered, “Big sister, how about giving Mom two buns?”

Jiang Xi shook her head: “No, Mom won’t want them. If I force her to eat them, she’ll just get upset.”

Jiang Ermei: “?”

Is there anyone who would be unhappy about eating meat buns these days?

She didn’t believe it, but she also knew that her elder sister didn’t want to, so she didn’t say more.

Jiang Sanmei was even more carefree. After eating and drinking, she was happy for a long time just watching an ant.

Jiang Xi picked up a clean bowl and wiped it with a rag. Once it was dry, she put the buns in two by two and handed them to Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei. “Go to Aunt San’s house and Uncle Erhua…”

The two girls nodded seriously and left with two bowls each.

After a while, they came back, and Jiang Xi handed them a few more buns to deliver to other families.

Since Zhang Xiuyun didn’t like these things, she wouldn’t keep any of them!

The people in the village didn’t live far away, so the two sisters ran over, and soon the kitchen was empty. Jiang Xi clapped her hands, satisfied. She restored the kitchen to its original state, then pushed her bicycle and called to the room where Zhang Xiuyun was, “Mom, we’re going home.”

Zhang Xiuyun, who was crying in her room, stiffened. She turned around, feeling suffocated.

Her daughter had done something so outrageous, and now she wasn’t even trying to soften her tone. She could leave just like that?

She became even sadder and turned away, ignoring her completely.

But the next second, Zhang Xiuyun suddenly thought, based on the elder sister’s current personality, would she take all those buns away?

She stood up quickly, ran out with red eyes, and saw the three girls about to leave the yard, their bicycles empty.

Zhang Xiuyun breathed a sigh of relief and said angrily, “Just go. You only come back to upset me. When I’m dead from anger, you’ll be motherless!”

Jiang’s second and third sisters looked down in embarrassment.

Jiang Xi had a faint smile, as if nothing had happened. “How could that be, Mom? let’s go.”

She pushed off with her feet, and the bike moved forward quickly.

The third sister sat on the back seat first, and the second sister followed.

The three of them worked together perfectly and moved quickly, as if they couldn’t wait to leave, not even looking back.

Zhang Xiuyun watched them go away, feeling very upset. It was just like what her brother said: A daughter who is married off is like spilled water and will no longer be close to her mother.

She sighed, thinking of her brother. She wanted to send the remaining buns and steamed buns to him to prevent them from going bad in the hot weather.

However, when she got to the kitchen, Zhang Xiuyun just stood there.

She thought the kitchen would be filled with steamed buns, but it was empty. The only difference from before her daughter came back was that the cupboard lock had been pried open.

Zhang Xiuyun immediately stamped her feet in frustration. “Big sister!!!”

_

Jiang Xi heard the shout from a distance.

She pedaled faster.

But after a few steps, she was stopped by an uncle from Jiangjia Village who shouted loudly, “Big sister, let me use your bicycle. Your second grandmother has fainted!”

Jiang Xi slammed on the brakes and turned back.

***

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