Chapter 18

Gao Xuelian settled down at her parents’ house, feeling at ease.

She decided that unless Yu Tuanjie came and knelt to hand over the money, she wouldn’t go back!

Her brother Gao Daliang was truly a great man. Whatever good food there was, it was always shared with Gao Xuelian and Bench. He would say to his wife and son, “Xuelian is just staying at her parents’ house for a few days because she was bullied, why are you two fighting over the mother and son? Don’t you worry about what others will think if they hear about it?”

Ma Yufen, watching from the side, felt very uncomfortable!

But what bothered her the most wasn’t her husband’s kindness to his sister-in-law.

It was Yu Li’s words!

Bench looked very similar to Gao Daliang.

It wasn’t like the typical resemblance between uncles and nephews. This was a case where the more you looked, the more they seemed alike!

Even some small habits, hair color, and tooth shape were nearly identical!

The more you looked, the more unsettling it became.

Then, she looked at her own son. Although he was Gao Daliang’s biological child, he didn’t resemble him as much.

But the most crucial thing was that Gao Daliang and Gao Xuelian weren’t biological siblings!

Once a secret was exposed, it could quickly ferment and grow.

Ma Yufen couldn’t help but think back to how Gao Daliang had treated Gao Xuelian over the years, and she felt like she was going crazy!

Actually, among the three brothers in the Gao family, the other two brothers had a very ordinary relationship with Gao Xuelian.

So, was there really some untold secret between them?

Ma Yufen decided to stay calm and observe for now.

But Gao Xuelian couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

While taking Bench to the market, she ran into Wu Guohua’s sister, Wu Tong.

It was Wu Tong who had gone to the Gao family to inform them that Gao Xuelian had been arrested, all to see the Yu family fall into misfortune!

Unfortunately, things hadn’t turned out the way Wu Tong had hoped.

The Yu family quickly resolved the situation and continued to live comfortably.

On the other hand, their own Wu family’s situation had worsened.

That slut Yu Li had refused to visit, and Wu Tong’s mother had been so angry that she fell ill and couldn’t recover. She was now in a condition similar to when she had been gravely ill a few years ago, needing others to feed her, bathe her, and massage her. Wu Tong simply couldn’t handle the caregiving duties!

She was exhausted every time and, after a few days, pretended not to see it and stopped helping.

She secretly used the wages sent by her brother Wu Guohua to buy clothes, go to restaurants, and date, completely neglecting both her mother and son.

When she finally came back home after having fun, she just brought back some food for the two of them.

Wu Tong’s mother was furious, gasping for breath as she scolded her, saying that she had no conscience and was worse than Yu Li!

Wu Tong hated Yu Li even more and wished for her to fall into misfortune!

She immediately told Gao Xuelian about the situation in the Yu family.

“Sister-in-law, you don’t know, the Yu family really isn’t worth a thing! When you were arrested, none of them came to see you. Instead, they were eating big meals every day. Your husband and mother-in-law even went to the river to sell pancakes and mixed soup!”

“I went to see for myself. The business is booming, and the money they’re earning is probably all being spent on Yu Li, right? Yu Li really doesn’t understand! The Yu family’s money should be spent on the grandson, but she, an unmarried daughter, just sucks the life out of her parents’ family!”

Gao Xuelian was so excited: “Really?! They’ve gone into business?”

She couldn’t believe it. How could Yu Tuanjie, that useless fool, dare to go into business?

But when she went to see for herself, she really found Yu Tuanjie and Chen Ailan busy serving customers!

Yu Li was also there today, helping to clear the dishes and greeting customers with a beaming smile.

“Wow, these pancakes with the mixed soup are so delicious! They fill you up! I’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll order a bowl!”

“Aunt Yu, your cooking is even better than the town’s restaurants! It smells so good!”

“Move aside, move aside! Is there more? I’ll take three orders!”

…

Watching people scramble to hand money to Chen Ailan, Gao Xuelian was furious!

This was her husband’s business. How could the money go to Chen Ailan? She was the first to disagree!

She had to go back immediately, or the Yu family would turn things upside down!

Gao Xuelian rushed back to the Gao family, pulling Bench with her, determined to leave.

Gao Daliang immediately tried to stop her: “Xuelian! Where are you going? Wait for Yu Tuanjie to come and pick you up!”

Gao Xuelian told him about Yu Tuanjie’s business venture, and only then did Gao Daliang agree. He also reminded her to call him if anything happened.

Ma Yufen stood nearby, watching coldly. Her chopsticks almost broke the steamed bread she was holding.

The more she looked, the more she felt something was off between her husband and his sister-in-law!

But if it was really something inappropriate, exposing it would be ugly.

Ma Yufen hoped that Gao Xuelian would go back to the Yu family and settle down with Yu Tuanjie, and not cause any more trouble at her parents’ house.

Gao Xuelian rushed straight to the Yu family.

It was lunchtime by now.

The whole family had been busy all morning, yet everyone was smiling brightly.

Since the rest of the family was busy, Yu Li had returned home early and volunteered to cook.

Chen Ailan had originally planned to cook after finishing her chores, but when she saw Yu Li had already started, she rushed to check if Yu Li had burned herself.

“Li, wait for Mom to come back and cook! Don’t do it next time!”

After tasting a bite, she happily exclaimed, “Wow, my daughter’s fried potatoes are really delicious!”

Yu Li happily brought out several dishes.

Stir-fried potatoes with cured meat, green pepper with eggs, pig fat stir-fried sweet potato vines, a large plate of steamed bread, and spicy watermelon sauce. The aroma was incredible!

The Yu family’s life hadn’t been this good before.

It was because everyone had made some money these past few days, and they were all tired, so the meal had been made a bit better.

Yu Tuanjie took a bite of the steamed bread, and all his unhappiness was cured by the success of their small business.

“Do you know how much money we made today selling mixed soup and pancakes? Eight yuan! Hahaha, at this rate, won’t we make two hundred yuan a month? After deducting costs, we’ll at least earn more than a hundred!”

Previously, they had made thirty yuan selling pears, but pears weren’t available every day.

However, this small snack business could be done every day.

Yu Xiefang’s eyes were full of excitement: “This business is doable! I’ll take care of the field work, and you can just focus on the business. If you need my help, just say the word!”

Yu Fenxiao also smiled: “I cleared the weeds in the area on the front mountain today, and cut off the messy branches. The pear tree is in that area, so once I finish the fence, we can plant more fruit trees and raise chickens and ducks. We’ll make money from that too, though it’ll take some time.”

Wang Xinghua was also in a good mood: “That’s fine, I have my wages. You all can relax. Even if the business doesn’t go well, my wages can support the family. Today, the factory is promoting me to team leader. It was 28 yuan a month before, but now it’ll be 38. I’ll give all my salary to Mom.”

Chen Ailan was smiling so widely that she looked drunk, even though she hadn’t had any alcohol.

“Wow, the kids are all so capable. As a mother, I’m so happy! We’ll keep working hard, and life will definitely get better! When we have enough money, we’ll build a few big houses and live comfortably!”

“But I can’t take all the money. I made an agreement with Tuanjie. The money we make from this business, he will hand over part of it, and keep the rest. As for your salary, Xinhua, you should keep some for yourself too. Don’t give it all to the family. After all, working outside isn’t easy!”

A gentle breeze blew, and the home-cooked dishes on the table filled the air with a delicious aroma. Everyone chatted and laughed, accompanied by the cicadas’ calls and the setting sun outside, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Yu Li smiled contentedly, feeling completely fulfilled with happiness at that moment.

Just then, Gao Xuelian kicked open the door, holding Bench’s hand, and harshly scolded, “Yu Tuanjie! You’re living so well, huh! Get up!”