Chapter 50

After a long day of work, the Cheng family returned home, all feeling sore and tired. However, they were comforted by the fact that there were dumplings waiting for them.

As the saying goes, “The original soup transforms the original food.”

Su Qianqian had prepared a large platter of dumplings, along with a bowl of broth on the side. She also made some dipping sauce and steamed eggplant, which she mixed with seasoning sauce for a particularly delicious flavor.

This method of cooking saved oil, as eggplant usually soaks up a lot of it.

She had gradually adapted to life here, always trying to create delicious meals in a way that didn’t waste money.

“Delicious! Aunt, I’m so glad you’re back, or we wouldn’t get to eat such good food.” Chuanchuan’s appetite had improved a lot recently, and he was always full after every meal.

Though Cheng Yue’s money had been brought home, Zhu Tianfang, being frugal by habit, still hesitated to spend it. After all, it was Cheng Yue’s hard-earned money, and she wanted to save it for emergencies. She figured they could make do for now.

“You little rascal, are you complaining that Grandma doesn’t give you good food?” Zhu Tianfang pretended to be angry.

Chuanchuan grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Grandma, I’m just buttering up Aunt so I can get even better food.”

“Where did you learn to be so slick?” Wu Yuexiang poked her son’s head, though without any malice.

“No, it really is delicious! Aunt, do you want me to help you with reading and writing?” Chuanchuan thought that since Aunt had made so many good dishes, he should offer to do something in return.

Su Qianqian nodded, “Sure, thank you, Chuanchuan.”

Chuanchuan felt a little shy, repeatedly saying, “It’s the least I can do.” He loved the backpack and stationery Aunt had bought him. He was sure that when he went to school, his classmates would be envious.

After dinner, there was still work to do, but no one complained. After all, it was harvest season, and only by collecting all the crops could they avoid hunger in the winter.

The Cheng family was happy, and Su Qianqian’s return had clearly improved their standard of living, filling them with energy.

However, whenever they thought about Cheng Yue wanting to divorce Su Qianqian, they couldn’t help but feel troubled.

That night, as Zhu Tianfang and Cheng Youmin lay in bed, Zhu Tianfang asked, “Erbao’s mom is doing pretty well, why does Cheng Yue still want to divorce her? Did something happen in the city that we don’t know about?”

“We’ll know when Cheng Yue comes back. If nothing serious happened, he should reconsider the divorce. Otherwise, the three kids will suffer. They didn’t have a father before, and now they’ve ended up with a mother like that—it’s too hard on them.” Cheng Youmin was normally a tough man, the head of the family, but he couldn’t help but feel pity for the three children.

“I really believe Erbao’s mom has changed. She no longer has that fierce and unreasonable attitude. Before, when you got close, her glare… I can’t really explain it, I’ve never been educated enough to put it into words.” He just felt that now, spending time with Su Qianqian was very comfortable.

Su Qianqian was gentle and polite, and she seemed to know a lot. She was also kind to the three children.

For Zhu Tianfang, as long as Su Qianqian treated the three children well, she didn’t expect her to treat the adults in the same way.

The next morning, Zhu Tianfang and Wu Yuexiang were stunned when they went to collect eggs and ducks from the coop.

“Mom, what’s going on? Since sister-in-law came back, there are so many more eggs!” Wu Yuexiang picked up seven or eight eggs, looking shocked.

“Really? Is she some reincarnation of an egg-laying fairy?”

Wu Yuexiang burst into laughter, “Mom, is there such a fairy?”

Su Qianqian happened to overhear the conversation and was taken aback. An egg-laying fairy? A chicken lady?

Cough, that’s quite unnecessary!

“Mom, big sister, since there are extra, let’s use them to cook. I’ll make some egg pancakes for everyone. Let’s save the duck eggs for later, and I’ll make some century eggs.”

“Alright, here you go.” Zhu Tianfang handed her the eggs.

In the past, eggs were saved to be exchanged for money, but now that life was a little easier, they sometimes ate them, though not often—usually only once every ten days or half a month.

She cracked three eggs into a bowl, added water and flour, then mixed in some chopped scallions and minced meat before frying them in the pan.

The smell wafted through the air.

She cut the egg pancakes into pieces, brushed them with her secret sauce, and brought them to the table. Chuanchuan and the three little ones were already salivating, eagerly staring at the food, but they didn’t dare eat until the adults had arrived.

She also used the leftover flour mixture to make some dumplings in soup with pickled vegetables and shredded pork, which tasted delicious.

The neighbors nearby caught a whiff and couldn’t help but mutter, “Ever since Su Qianqian came back, she’s always cooking delicious food. What a wasteful woman! It smells so good!”

“Mom, I don’t want to eat steamed buns, I want meat, I want meat!” The child, greedy as ever, didn’t want to eat the bland food at home, and in frustration, the mother hit the child with the spatula.

This breakfast gave them all the energy they needed for the day.

However, at lunchtime, Su Qianqian ran into someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Second Sister?” Su Qianqian recognized her second sister, Su Fangfang, from the memory of the original person.

Su Fangfang was visibly shocked when she saw her, clearly not recognizing her at first. “Qianqian? Is that really you?” She looked so different from the impression she had in her mind.

“Yes, it’s me, Qianqian. Second Sister, what brings you here?” The original owner’s second sister was a good person, often protecting her in their male-preference family. She would share any food she had with the original owner. After she got married, the Su family received a large dowry, and the sisters only saw each other about once a year.

“You… how did you change so much? I didn’t even recognize you.” Su Fangfang stepped forward and looked her up and down. It was indeed her sister, but her complexion had changed, and her aura was different.

The sisters looked somewhat alike, but now, standing together, it was hard to believe they were siblings—mainly because of the huge difference in their personalities. Su Fangfang had a darker complexion and appeared older, fitting the image of a typical rural woman.

“I’ve just thought through some things, so things have changed slowly. Second Sister, you still haven’t told me why you’re here.” Normally, Su Fangfang wouldn’t come looking for her because after growing up, the original owner became more difficult and quarrelsome, often fighting with her second sister.

“By the way, Mom’s sick. I heard you came back, so she asked me to bring you to see her.”

Su Qianqian was taken aback. Sick?

What a coincidence—just when she returned, her mother was sick?

And it wasn’t someone else from the Su family who came to get her, but Su Fangfang, knowing that she was the more honest one and that the sisters had a close bond.

“Then I’ll go back and see her. How serious is it?” she asked.

“She’s lying in bed and can’t get up. I’m not sure how bad it is, but it looks pretty serious to me. She wanted to see you, so I came to get you.” Su Fangfang had already seen Su Mother and found her lying sickly in bed.

Su Qianqian nodded. “I’ll go home first and then go with you to see her.”

She went to tell Zhu Tianfang, who had no objections. “Take some things with you.”

“Okay, I know. I won’t bring the kids. Mom, you all keep an eye on them.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll watch them.”

She was worried that bringing the kids would cause chaos at the Su house, so she decided to go check on the situation herself to see if her mother was really sick.

After picking up a few things at home, she followed Su Fangfang to visit her mother. It took about an hour to walk from Tianshui Village to the Su family home. Su Qianqian was really tired from the walk, still not quite used to long distances.

“Second Sister, how are you doing now? Is your husband treating you well?”

“He treats me well. What about you? I heard you went to the city to take care of Cheng Yue. Why are you back?”

“His injury is better now, so I came back. Life in the countryside is more comfortable.” She didn’t want to worry her second sister, so she didn’t want to say too much.

Su Fangfang seemed to relax. “You, your temper still needs to be a bit more controlled. Don’t always bring money or things back to your parents’ house. You have your own family now, it’s not the same as when you were a girl.”

“You’re right, Second Sister. So, look, I only brought some brown sugar and eggs this time.”

She was prepared for her sister to lecture her, but instead, Su Fangfang smiled with relief. “Finally, you’re listening.”

“Second Sister, I was wrong before. Don’t take it to heart.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t hold it against you. I raised you, after all.”

When the original owner lived with the Su family, hardly anyone cared for her. It was Su Fangfang who took care of her, even though she was still just a little girl at the time. But she still raised the original owner.

It was a pity the original owner had been so brainwashed by her parents that she didn’t appreciate it.

They arrived at the Su household.

“Mom, Fangfang and Qianqian are back!” Su’s sister-in-law called out, leading them to Su Mother’s bedside. Su Mother lay in bed, weak and gasping. “You two are here? Cough, cough…” She started coughing heavily.

“Is it that bad? Should we take you to the hospital?” Su Qianqian asked.

“No need, it’s an old ailment. I’ll be fine after lying down for a while.” While speaking, Su Mother looked at the items Su Qianqian was carrying. “What did you bring?”