Liu Sanjin came home early from work that afternoon and waited by the door of the main hall, hoping to confront Xie Jinghao. Lately, her third daughter-in-law had been making frequent trips to the Song Wei’s house with her child in tow, and Liu Sanjin was suspicious. She’d heard from one of the village gossips that Shen Meng had been to the county today and brought back two large bags—no doubt packages sent by her son. She was determined to find out what was inside.

When Xie Jinghao returned, holding her young son Xiaogang’s hand, she froze upon seeing her mother-in-law waiting at the door.

“Mother, you’re home early! I’ll start making dinner right away.”

“Wait,” Liu Sanjin called sternly. “Come over here. I need to ask you something.”

Xie Jinghao glanced over at her mother-in-law, then guided Xiaogang over.

Though Liu Sanjin was usually harsh with Xie Jinghao, she was gentler with Xiaogang, her grandson.

“Come here, Xiaogang. Let your grandma hold you.”

Xiaogang clung tighter to his mother. “I want Mommy. Xiaogang wants Mommy.”

Liu Sanjin’s expression soured, and she cast a dark look at Xie Jinghao, clearly blaming her for driving a wedge between her and Xiaogang.

“Hmph! Stop poisoning my grandson against me. Xiaogang and I are very close, aren’t we, my dear?” she said, glancing accusingly at Xie Jinghao. Then, with a sneer, she added, “You just came back from your sister-in-law’s house. Did she say anything?”

“Ah, yes, Mother,” Xie Jinghao said nervously. “She gave me this month’s pension for you and said to remind you not to work yourself too hard.” She’d been so anxious to make dinner that she’d forgotten to hand over the money.

“Hmph. I knew it—you were planning to hold out on me,” Liu Sanjin snapped, pocketing the money. “Is that all? Where are the ration tickets? And what about the package? I heard she brought back a huge bag today—none of it was shared with us?”

“Oh, no, Mother,” Xie Jinghao replied, licking her dry lips nervously. “That package wasn’t from Big Brother. I saw his letter, and it only mentioned the remittance slip. That package was from some of his fellow soldiers, sent for Mingyang and the other kids—mostly noodles, dried mushrooms, things like that.”

At this, Liu Sanjin’s face turned red with fury. She nearly jumped up in anger. In her view, as long as they were still under the same roof, everything her eldest son sent belonged to her to manage. She couldn’t stand the idea of Shen Meng hoarding those items.

“She’s hiding everything! I’m going to talk to her!” With that, Liu Sanjin shot up and marched toward Song Wei’s house, leaving Xie Jinghao speechless.

After her mother-in-law left, Xie Jinghao quickly took Xiaogang inside. She unwrapped a piece of cloth around her waist, revealing a handful of Golden Monkey candies and a small packet of brown sugar Shen Meng had given her. She swiftly hid them in a chest, locking it tightly before letting out a relieved sigh.

Xiaogang snuggled into her arms comfortably. Xie Jinghao, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about Shen Meng’s suggestion of living in a separate household. She longed for the freedom to live her own life. If she could live separately, she wouldn’t have to keep treats hidden or worry about anything being taken away from her child.

Meanwhile, inside her house, Shen Meng was happily watching Mingkai and Mingfang try on their new clothes, when suddenly, a loud and relentless pounding echoed from the door. She frowned.

“Mingfang, quickly hide everything in the cupboard. Keep an eye on your brother, too. I’ll go check.”

Mingfang’s face turned pale, but she scrambled to gather up the clothes and hide them in her mother’s cupboard. She didn’t fully understand, but she trusted that there must be a reason her mother was asking her to do this.

The banging grew louder, attracting the attention of nearby neighbors, who began peeking curiously to see what was happening.

“Third Grandma,” one of them called, “what’s going on? Why the fuss?”

Liu Sanjin wiped his eyes and sobbed twice, saying. “It’s about my son, Zhenping. He sent a letter, and I haven’t even been allowed to read it. I just don’t know what he’s written… My daughter-in-law is hiding it from me.”

Wang Lianhua, the neighbor, shook her head sympathetically. “Poor you. Zhenping hasn’t been home in years. He sends a letter every month, but you haven’t been able to read it? Maybe you should talk to Mingyang’s mother when she comes out.”

Liu Sanjin’s plan had been to stir up some anger against Shen Meng, but hearing Wang’s softer words of concern threw her off. Her irritation grew, and she banged even louder on the door.

“Is she acting up again, Sister?” chimed in her cousin Chen Zhaodi, known for her own fiery personality. “You should discipline her. If it were me, I’d have straightened her out a long time ago. You’re too soft—that’s why she feels free to walk all over you!”

Wang Lianhua hurriedly slipped back into her yard, intimidated by her mother-in-law’s words.

“I don’t have your luck,” Liu Sanjin grumbled, giving her hair a quick primp. “It’s only my eldest daughter-in-law that’s troublesome. My other daughters-in-law are so respectful. Jiaojiao even lets me stay in the big house after moving back. I’m just…so lucky, really…”

Her other daughter-in-law was indeed kind, but her youngest son, Jiaxuan, had been hinting for ages about wanting to fix up the house. Now that he was the warehouse keeper for the production team, he’d managed to save a bit of money—money she couldn’t take for herself. The money in her hand were her funeral savings and she wouldn’t use it! And really, it didn’t make sense for her eldest to live in a brick house while Jiaxuan was stuck in an earthen one, right?

By now, a few other neighbors had gathered, their curiosity piqued by the ruckus. Shen Meng had been standing quietly behind the door, listening. Finally, she opened it, her face pale and gaunt, blending with the dim light to look as if she were some kind of ghost.

“Oh my!” gasped someone.

“Dear heavens, what a fright!” another muttered.

“What happened to you, Zhenping’s wife? Why do you look like this?” a concerned voice called out.

Liu Sanjin herself recoiled, taking a few steps back as Shen Meng leaned weakly against the doorframe, looking exhausted.

“Auntie,” Shen Meng rasped, adding a few coughs for effect. “I was so happy to get a letter from Zhenping. Not wanting to trouble others I went myself. But the trip really wore me out, and I’ve been sick ever since. I’ve barely gotten out of bed this afternoon.”

“Didn’t Mingyang or Mingliang take care of you?” one neighbor asked.

Shen Meng looked down, as if ashamed. “Zhenping’s fellow soldiers sent mushrooms and noodles from Yunnan for the children. We haven’t eaten all day, and we can’t wait to cook it tonight. Mingfang’s been watching over me while the boys went out to fish for dinner. It’s late, and they’re still not back yet. I’m really worried.”

Liu Sanjin’s mouth opened, a long list of grievances ready, but Shen Meng’s words had left her momentarily speechless. With everyone’s sympathetic eyes on song wei, she swallowed back her anger, trapped by the web of Shen Meng’s cleverly placed words.