Chapter 41 : Gap

Chen Xianyun entered the room with a warm smile, carrying several bowls of food, three boiled eggs, and five steamed buns.  

“Lizi, how do you like the decorations in the new house? Are you satisfied? I’ve put the dowry you brought in the next room for you,” she said kindly.  

She lifted the green floral-patterned curtain, revealing the inner room. Inside were cabinets and quilts that Jiang Li recognized, items she had brought from her mother’s home.  

“If you don’t like how things are arranged, feel free to change them anytime. And if you need anything, ask Shaoqiang to take you to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it. You must be tired after all the work this morning, so eat something and take a good rest.”  

It was the first time Jiang Li met her mother-in-law. Chen Xianyun’s round face radiated kindness, and her tone was gentle and approachable, showing she was an easygoing person.  

“Thank you, Mom,” Jiang Li said softly.  

Hearing her call her “Mom” brought visible joy to Chen Xianyun, who nodded enthusiastically. “After you finish eating, I’ll take you to meet the rest of the relatives,” she said with a broad smile.  

The more Chen Xianyun looked at Jiang Li, the more pleased she was. How could this child be so beautiful? Just seeing her brought joy, reminding her of how Shaoqiang resembled his father.  

She reflected on her younger days. Back then, many in the village had proposed to her, but Shaoqiang’s father was the poorest among them. He didn’t even have a decent set of clothes to wear all year round. Yet, she chose him without hesitation.  

She had always been drawn to good-looking people, and her decision to marry him proved right. Her late husband had been not only handsome but also gentle, always discussing matters with her instead of being domineering.  

Her in-laws had also been kind, never interfering in their marriage. The only regret was that her husband had passed away too early.  

Tears welled up in Chen Xianyun’s eyes as she thought about it. If her husband were alive to see Shaoqiang married, he would have been overjoyed.  

She decided that tomorrow, she would ask Shaoqiang to take Jiang Li to his father’s grave to burn incense. Then again, remembering the ban on feudal superstitions, she changed her mind. ‘I’ll just burn incense at home and visit the grave during the New Year,’ she thought.  

She also worried about Jiang Li’s delicate frame, deciding it was best to avoid any strenuous or unsafe journeys.  

“I’ll leave now,” she said to Jiang Li. “If you don’t feel like cleaning up after eating, just leave it here, and I’ll take care of it later.”  

In the village, it was customary for a new bride to avoid doing any work for the first three days after marriage. Besides, Chen Xianyun was not the type to treat her daughter-in-law harshly. She was accustomed to doing her own chores and saw no reason to burden Jiang Li.  

Jiang Li exhaled softly, smiling as she nodded.  

—  

Meanwhile, Jiang Hongmei followed Zhuang Guoliang all the way to Bailutang, stopping just outside the Zhuang family’s house.  

Passing by a lively wedding celebration, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. The cheerful atmosphere, the tantalizing aroma of meat, and the sight of guests feasting at several tables under the eaves of a large, tidy yard made her drool with jealousy.  

Her attention was suddenly drawn to a familiar figure, Qi Shaoqiang. He was smiling warmly, holding a glass, and toasting with the guests.  

What? Could it be that Qi Shaoqiang’s house was right next to Zhuang Guoliang’s?  

Jiang Hongmei felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She squinted and saw the blue brick and tile house, along with the spacious farmyard, it all looked eerily familiar.  

Memories from her past life flooded back. Shortly after marrying Qi Shaoqiang, they had moved into a tube-shaped apartment in the city, and she had avoided returning to the village for holidays. That’s why she hadn’t recognized the house earlier.  

And what about Jiang Li? Was she inside that blue-brick house with glass windows, enjoying a meal of rich, savory meat?  

Jiang Hongmei’s heart was consumed with jealousy, so intense it felt like it would bleed. Her nails dug deeply into her palms, leaving painful imprints.  

“What are you standing there for? Waiting for someone to invite you?”  

Zhao Xiangyu’s sharp voice cut through the air. Jiang Hongmei looked up to see Zhao Xiangyu glaring at her with a mocking expression.  

“What’s the matter? Jealous of your ex-fiance’s fortune? Then why didn’t you marry him? Why spend our Guoliang’s money?”  

Anger surged through Jiang Hongmei, but she bit her lip and lowered her head. She knew Zhuang Guoliang didn’t care for her much. If she offended her mother-in-law as well, life in this household would become even more unbearable.  

“Mom, I just got here. How would I know whose house this is? I was just looking around,” she said softly, trying to appease her mother-in-law.  

A woman with a noticeable black mole on her chin and a slight squint hurriedly came over. “You must be our Fourth Brother’s wife. I’m your eldest sister-in-law. You’ve come just in time, dinner is ready.”  

Jiang Hongmei felt a glimmer of relief that at least one person in the family seemed kind.  

However, her relief quickly turned into disgust when she entered the yard. The ground was muddy, and several half-dressed children of varying ages screamed and ran around wildly. Some of the younger ones weren’t wearing anything at all.  

Her discontent deepened when she walked into the kitchen and saw the food on the table. Her face fell immediately.  

Steamed buns made of coarse black flour and cornmeal, a small dish of pickles, and a large pot of boiled beans. The only thing remotely resembling meat was two boiled eggs.  

This was her wedding day! Even if there wasn’t a grand banquet, couldn’t they have prepared something better? This was worse than the regular meals back at her own home.  

Wu Meili, her eldest sister-in-law, cast a glance at their mother-in-law before turning to Jiang Hongmei. “Sister-in-law, there are a lot of people in the family, and life is tough. Please don’t hold it against us. At least Mother saw you coming and added some oil to stir-fry the vegetables,” she said with a sly smile.  

She used her chopsticks to stir the beans, revealing a few small pieces of lard residue at the bottom. “See? With these, the dish tastes just like meat,” she said.  

“Grandma, I want to eat meat! Mom, I want meat!” whined a dark-skinned boy, around eight or nine years old, as he rolled on the ground in a tantrum.  

Zhao Xiangyu quickly picked him up and comforted him, “Dabao, don’t cry. Grandma will give you some meat.”  

She used her chopsticks to dig out the few bits of lard residue from the beans and fed them to Zhuang Dabao. Then, with the same saliva-coated chopsticks, she stirred the beans again, leaving traces of leftover food floating in the pot.  

The sight made Jiang Hongmei nauseous. She hadn’t eaten anything that morning, so she could only dry heave, bringing up nothing but bitter acid.  

“Mom, could Fourth Brother’s wife be pregnant?” Wu Meili said, feigning concern while winking at Zhao Xiangyu. Her eyes sparkled with malice.  

Wu Meili resented how Zhao Xiangyu favored her eldest son, treating him like a king while relegating her husband to the role of a beast of burden. Meanwhile, their educated sister-in-law Cui Lingling looked down on everyone and refused to show Wu Meili any respect.  

She hoped Jiang Hongmei’s arrival would stir chaos, making life miserable in the fourth household.  

Zhao Xiangyu narrowed her eyes. She miscalculated the timing, morning sickness wouldn’t occur this early. Could this shameless girl really be pregnant? Was she trying to pin another man’s child on Guoliang?  

No, she needed to investigate this carefully and inform Guoliang right away. This family couldn’t afford to raise another man’s child.  

When Jiang Hongmei finally stopped retching and returned to the dining table, she was shocked to see the state of things. The bowls were spotless, as if licked clean by a dog. Not even a crumb of steamed bread was left.  

A little girl with shifty eyes sat nearby, gnawing on a steamed bun dipped in vegetable juice.  

Zhuang Guoliang was leisurely peeling the last boiled egg. He ate most of it himself, then popped the remaining piece into Zhuang Xiaobao’s mouth.  

Meanwhile, Zhuang Xiaoyu stretched out her grubby fingers, scooped up bits of egg yolk from the table, and licked them off with satisfaction.