Yang Zhongyi’s birthday…

A banquet!

Shen Zhihuan’s good mood instantly vanished.

After seeing off the neighbor who delivered the message, Shen Zhihuan turned to Li Qiuhua with a firm expression. “Mom, you take Little Brother tomorrow. I’m not going.”

Just thinking about how Shen Zhilan once spat in the original owner’s medicinal soup made Shen Zhihuan disgusted. She never wanted to see her again in this lifetime.

“No matter what your second sister has done, she’s still your sister. Now that she’s sent an invitation, how can you, as her younger sister, not attend? What will people think?” Li Qiuhua frowned.

Although her second daughter had many bad habits, they were still sisters.

Li Qiuhua hoped that one day, when she was no longer around, her second daughter might still look after her siblings for the sake of their familial bond.

“Mom, I’m not going either. I want to stay home with Third Sister,” Xiao Weidong quickly added.

In the past, whenever their mom wasn’t around, Second Sister would pinch his butt and call him useless. He didn’t want to go to her house at all.

“You’re both going,” Li Qiuhua declared, making the decision final.

The Next Day

At dawn, Li Qiuhua was up, boiling porridge and preparing cold, marinated cucumbers. She then began rummaging through the house to find suitable gifts for the Yang family.

The bottle of Daqu liquor had been purchased from the village supply store the previous day after hearing the news.

Canned food, malted milk powder, White Rabbit candies, sponge cake… If Shen Zhihuan hadn’t stopped her, Li Qiuhua would’ve added their last bag of milk powder to the gift bundle.

Seizing a moment when Li Qiuhua wasn’t looking, Xiao Weidong swiftly removed the White Rabbit candies from the bundle and hugged them tightly to his chest.

“You stingy little thing,” Li Qiuhua teased. “Is that how a good uncle behaves?”

“I don’t want to be anyone’s uncle,” Xiao Weidong retorted before running into Shen Zhihuan’s room with the candies. When he came out, his hands were empty.

Shen Zhihuan gave him a thumbs-up and whispered, “Good job.”

Xiao Weidong giggled, his face lighting up with joy.

Li Qiuhua glared at Shen Zhihuan in mock irritation. “You’re a bad influence on him.”

By the time the sky brightened, Li Qiuhua had wrangled a reluctant Shen Zhihuan and Xiao Weidong, now dressed in their new clothes, and dragged them out the door with their gifts.

Since it was a holiday, no one was rushing to work. After breakfast, many villagers gathered under the parasol trees in the east of the village to chat.

When they saw Li Qiuhua’s family dressed neatly and carrying bundles, someone joked, “Qiuhua,you are all dressed up like this—are you taking Zhihuan to meet a match?”

“Have you ever seen a bride’s family bring gifts to a match?” Li Qiuhua responded with a laugh. “It’s my second son-in-law’s birthday. Since it’s the holiday, we thought we’d join the celebration.”

“Isn’t your second son-in-law a director now?” someone chimed in.

“We haven’t all been together for a while, so who knows?” Li Qiuhua replied with a polite, vague smile. “You all take your time chatting. We should get going.”

The villagers watched with envy as the family headed down the main road.

“Li Qiuhua once said she’d recruit a live-in son-in-law for Zhihuan. I wonder which lucky fool will benefit from that,” one person sighed.

“Zhihuan is a really good girl. She’s good-looking, smart, and can write articles. It’s just that her health is not good. If she could be better…” a young man said while sighing.

“She’d never go for someone like you,” Li Jiabao sneered. “She’s leagues ahead of you, even with her health issues.”

“She wouldn’t pick you either!” the young man retorted indignantly. They were both equally unimpressive—neither had any right to judge the other.

“I heard that Boss Zhu from Xilin Village has his eye on Zhihuan. Do you think they’ll cross paths today?” someone hinted suggestively.

Li Jiabao cursed under his breath and hurried home.

As soon as they reached the Yang family’s courtyard, Shen Zhihuan felt a burning gaze from behind. She turned her head slightly, ignoring the source.

In the kitchen, she saw the original owner’s eldest sister, Shen Zhimei, bustling about—chopping and washing vegetables. Meanwhile, Shen Zhilan stood idly at the kitchen door, holding her son Yang Yang.

Shen Zhihuan frowned.

“Come in, in-laws!” Old Lady Yang greeted warmly, her eyes quickly darting to the gift bag in Li Qiuhua’s hands.

Li Qiuhua smiled and handed over the bag.

“Is this Zhihuan?” The old woman’s eyes widened in astonishment.

The last time she saw her, Zhihuan looked pale and lifeless. Now, she seemed like a completely different person.

“Hello, Auntie Yang,” Shen Zhihuan said with a faint, perfunctory smile. Her soft voice made Boss Zhu’s heart tremble.

He had even gone to the county to get a fresh haircut for today. To appear younger, he’d shaved his beard twice that morning.

While he couldn’t change his age, he’d done his best to look presentable.

“Zhihuan, you’ve grown even prettier, like a fairy! I almost didn’t recognize you,” Old Lady Yang praised, her wrinkles deepening as she smiled.

Shen Zhihuan lowered her gaze, hiding the mockery in her eyes.

She had guessed Shen Zhilan’s intentions as soon as the neighbor delivered the invitation. What she didn’t expect was that the entire Yang family shared the same scheming mindset.

“In-law, you’re being too kind,” Li Qiuhua interjected. “Zhihuan’s my most troublesome daughter. She’s frail and temperamental. If she doesn’t get her way, she’ll tear the house down. That’s why I don’t dare marry her off—I’m afraid someone might lose patience and beat her to pieces.”

Old Lady Yang’s smile froze.

“Mom, how can you keep her at home forever? Are you planning to support her for the rest of her life?” Shen Zhilan frowned, visibly displeased.

“Why not? I’ll support my third sister forever!” Xiao Weidong puffed up his chest.

“You still need Mom to support you. How will you support your sister?” Shen Zhilan scoffed.

“I’m old enough now. I can earn work points to take care of her,” Xiao Weidong insisted.

Shen Zhilan’s face darkened. “You—”

“Zhilan, go check on Zhongyi. He went to buy groceries and hasn’t returned,” Old Lady Yang interjected softly. Her words silenced Shen Zhilan immediately.

Shen Zhihuan raised an eyebrow, mentally applauding Old Lady Yang.

“Evildoers will eventually be subdued by other evildoers!
The ancients did not lie to me.”

“Mom, you’re here,” Shen Zhimei emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands.