Chapter 77: Shen Sangyu: I Am a Waste

Li Shuhua stood frozen for a moment, but Shen Sangyu urged her, “Mom, I’m going to the kitchen.”

Without waiting for a response, she walked toward the kitchen, ignoring Li Shuhua’s expression.

Wen Chunyan, upon hearing that Shen Sangyu was coming to wash the dishes, immediately dumped all the bowls in front of her.

Today, the Wen family had just hosted guests, leaving a mountain of dirty dishes piled up, with oil stains floating on the surface of the water.

Not fond of washing dishes, Wen Chunyan noticed Shen Sangyu standing there motionless and assumed she was intimidated.

With a hint of arrogance, she remarked, “You better wash those bowls clean at home; don’t be lazy.”

Since Shen Sangyu had entered the family, most of the household chores had fallen on Wen Chunyan.

With her mother no longer helping, and having no job of her own, she could only contribute at home each day.

She hoped that by being obedient, her mother would help her find a good match.

Now that her second brother was getting married and many guests were visiting, she was thankful that Shen Sangyu was around.

Seeing that Shen Sangyu hadn’t moved yet, Wen Chunyan called out again, “Hey! Did you hear me?”

Shen Sangyu seemed to snap out of her daze, nodded, and then proceeded to wash the dishes.

Despite her earlier words of camaraderie, Wen Chunyan stood by with a smirk, seemingly waiting for Shen Sangyu to fail.

But soon, the smile faded from Wen Chunyan’s face.

She watched as Shen Sangyu’s slender white hands plunged into the greasy water. Just then, the bowl slipped from Shen Sangyu’s grip and shattered on the floor.

“Shen Sangyu! You did that on purpose!” Wen Chunyan exclaimed, clearly upset.

Shen Sangyu looked at her innocently. She hadn’t intended to embarrass Wen Qingchuan after all, she’d be in the village for only ten days to half a month before returning home.

If she didn’t wash the dishes properly, no one would let her do it again.

In her previous life, she had never washed dishes. Even as an orphan, her life hadn’t been hard enough for her to take on such chores.

Later, when she lived with her teacher, cooking and cleaning were handled by her teacher or their assistant.

After that, she attended university and worked at a research institute, where all daily tasks were taken care of for her.

While it was often said that many scientists were useless in daily life, Shen Sangyu had never believed it.

But today, she realized that while other scientists might be fine, she herself was definitely lacking in practical skills.

With an awkward smile, she said, “Sorry, my hand just slipped.”

Wen Chunyan wasn’t buying it. “What do you mean ‘sorry’? I think you did it on purpose! You just don’t want to wash the dishes!”

Shen Sangyu wanted to defend herself, to explain that she really had not intended for it to happen, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Seeing that Wen Chunyan was clearly afraid Shen Sangyu might break another bowl, she pushed Shen Sangyu aside, declaring, “I’ll wash it myself!”

If all the bowls broke, it would be Shen Sangyu’s eldest brother who would protect her, but Wen Chunyan had no such luxury, and she didn’t want to face the consequences.

Wen Chunyan glared at the greasy dishes, washing them faster and faster.

Shen Sangyu, having washed her hands, felt a twinge of guilt for not getting along with the Wen family.

So, she quietly observed in the kitchen. After twenty minutes, Wen Chunyan finally finished the dishes and let out a long sigh of relief, glancing at her wrinkled hands with a hint of sadness.

Turning angrily, she snapped, “What are you staring at? Why don’t you help me put them in the cabinet!”

Shen Sangyu didn’t say anything but carefully cradled the bowls in her arms, taking each step cautiously.

Wen Chunyan, already carrying the rest of the dishes to the cabinet, was impatient. “Can you walk faster? The kitchen is going to be locked!”

Caught off guard by Wen Chunyan’s push, Shen Sangyu stumbled. With about seventeen or eighteen bowls in her hands, they felt heavy, and as she lost her balance, the bowls tumbled down.

“Hey!”

Shen Sangyu wanted to catch the bowls, panic flooding through her she had never felt so frantic in either of her lives.

The bowls shattered on the floor like firecrackers.

Shen Sangyu lowered her head, staring at the broken pieces, and opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.

Wen Chunyan exploded, “Shen Sangyu!”

The noise in the kitchen attracted the entire family. Wen Qingchuan rushed in and, upon seeing the wreckage around Shen Sangyu, felt his heart race.

Shen Sangyu was still a bit panicked, but before she could say anything, Wen Qingchuan reached her and said, “Don’t move; be careful of the glass.”

With one arm around Shen Sangyu’s waist, he quickly lifted her away from the shards.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Shen Sangyu shook her head quickly, feeling guilty. “I broke the bowl; I didn’t mean to.”

Wen Chunyan, still fuming, shouted, “What do you mean you didn’t mean to? You just didn’t want to wash the dishes, so you broke a bowl on purpose!”

Feeling anger rise in her, Shen Sangyu retorted, “If you hadn’t pushed me, the bowl wouldn’t have fallen!”

Wen Chunyan’s eyes turned red as she cried out to Wen Qingchuan, “Brother! Look at Shen Sangyu! She’s just making excuses!”

Wen Qingchuan didn’t even look up but focused on the rice bowls scattered on the floor. “It’s good that she’s okay.

Your sister-in-law has never washed dishes at home before. Don’t let her into the kitchen again.”

“And don’t push your sister-in-law in the future.”

Wen Chunyan was taken aback.

She wanted to argue further, but the fear of Wen Qingchuan’s anger kept her silent.

Although he wasn’t showing any displeasure right now, she was sure that continuing the argument would lead to trouble.

Her eldest brother had changed; he wasn’t the same man he had been ten years ago.

Even Li Shuhua’s admonishing words were swallowed back.

Shen Sangyu felt a wave of relief when she saw that Wen Qingchuan didn’t scold her. Leaning against him, she whispered, “I really didn’t mean it.”

Wen Qingchuan nodded, “I know.”

Then he added, “You go to the room to rest first; I’ll boil some water.”

It was summer, and they hadn’t had the chance to wash properly on the train and bus. Shen Sangyu felt as though she had lost weight.

Thankfully, Wen Qingchuan understood. She nodded gratefully. “Then boil more water.”

Wen Qingchuan smiled, agreeing, and took Shen Sangyu and her favorite snacks to their room.

Wen Qingchuan’s room was small. Aside from a bed, there was barely enough space for a wardrobe, and it was cluttered with various sundries. It didn’t look like a place meant for living.

As though sensing Shen Sangyu’s thoughts, Wen Qingchuan explained, “This is a utility room. I’m sorry to have wronged you.”