Chapter 18: Aunt, You’ve Suffered

Without saying a word, the waitress immediately served up the dishes, with braised pork and rice both placed in large bowls, costing a total of fifty cents.

“Braised pork is sold out.” The waitress hung up the sold-out sign.

The crowd immediately began to grumble.

“This comrade just arrived; why should she get the last portion?”

“It’s so unfair.”

The waitress snorted coldly, her attitude extremely unpleasant: “If you want to eat, eat; if not, then forget it. If you keep making noise, the other meat dishes will be sold out too.”

The crowd fell silent instantly, daring to be angry but not saying a word.

Thus, the two sisters found an empty seat amidst the crowd’s watchful eyes.

In the 1970s, the portions of braised pork were generous, with each bite a perfect mix of fat and lean. It was stewed slowly until tender, melting in the mouth, fragrant but not greasy.

Jiang An’an took another spoonful of rice, the thick dark red sauce soaking into each grain, the salty-sweet flavor rich with meat juices, happiness radiating from her expression.

For some inexplicable reason, Meizi felt a sense of accomplishment as if she were raising a child: “Later, I’ll weigh two pieces of ribbon fish for you to take home and fry.”

“Sure, I brought a lot of money!” Jiang An’an said, patting her pocket confidently.

At that time, ribbon fish had no additives, being purely natural marine products; just frying them would surely be delicious.

In the end, half of the braised pork remained, and Jiang Meizi borrowed a food container from the waitress so Jiang An’an could pack it up to take home for their parents to try.

The Hongxing Community was a residential area affiliated with the steel factory, a five-story “tube building.” Each floor had a long corridor with dozens of small rooms lined up across from each other.

Jiang Meizi’s brother-in-law, Zhang Xuejun, had followed in his father’s footsteps and was now a second-level technician, earning a high salary of thirty-five yuan a month, with various benefits during holidays.

Thus, being a worker was something to be proud of at that time, a sign that the ancestors were smiling down.

The Zhang family’s allocated welfare housing was on the third floor. As Jiang An’an followed her sister through the narrow passage, she heard a series of wails before they even approached, with neighbors gathering at the Zhang family’s door, holding their bowls and watching the commotion.

Jiang Meizi was already used to this and thought for a moment before advising, “No matter what my sister-in-law says later, just treat it as nonsense and don’t take it to heart. Don’t tell Mom when we get home. Once Zhang Xinrou finishes her confinement, I’ll find ways to deal with her.”

A flash of harshness quickly crossed her eyes, clearly indicating her pent-up resentment toward her sister-in-law.

Jiang An’an pressed her lips tightly, deliberately keeping an eye out, deciding to observe the Zhang family’s attitude closely. Given her sister’s tendency to share good news but not bad, she would swallow any grievances herself.

“Dad, Mom, my little sister is here.” From a distance, Jiang Meizi called out first.

Her mother-in-law was good at reading the room; upon hearing that her daughter’s family had arrived, she would definitely be cautious and would try to rein in her sister-in-law.

Suddenly, the cries inside the house paused for a moment, then erupted even more fiercely.

“My life is truly miserable; my mother-in-law and husband both despise me for only giving birth to worthless girls. I can’t go on living; I might as well just die!”

“I won’t breastfeed; you can’t feed that worthless girl either. Let her starve!”

“Mom, you mustn’t let the Jiang family in. My in-laws have had four daughters; it’s their Jiang family that has ruined our Zhang family’s fortune.”

Jiang An’an furrowed her brows; blaming the Jiang family for having daughters was simply unreasonable. When she turned to look, of course, her sister’s face was as black as a pot bottom.

Jiang Meizi rushed into the crowd, heavily placing the bag of mountain goods on the threshold, staring at her sister-in-law with a forced smile that didn’t reach her eyes, her face half-hidden in shadow like a vengeful spirit: “Say that again?”

Zhang Xinrou, pale-faced, hid behind her mother.

Her mother-in-law, Wu Ping, thought that it was bad, quickly trying to mediate: “Meizi, don’t hold it against Xinrou; she’s still young and doesn’t understand.”

Not this again! Jiang Meizi was so angry she clenched her fists.

“Having three daughters and still not knowing how to speak properly is indeed quite ignorant. Could she be… intellectually disabled?” Jiang An’an exclaimed dramatically, as if she had discovered something incomprehensible, covering her lips in shock, and finally sincerely suggested, “If there’s a problem, it needs to be treated!”

Zhang Xinrou & Wu Ping: …

Ironically, Jiang An’an’s expression was serious, her beautiful apricot eyes filled with concern and sympathy for those with intellectual disabilities, making it hard to tell if she was being deliberately provocative or just too sincere.

“After carrying a child for ten months and giving birth to an intellectually disabled daughter, not abandoning her and raising her. The endless worries and unending suffering—Mother-in-law, you’ve truly been wronged these years.”

Zhang Xinrou: ???

Wu Ping’s mind was in a muddle: Has she been wronged?

Jiang An’an stepped forward to hold her hand, sighing: “Second Sister often says she has a great mother-in-law who manages everything inside and outside the home, and at the factory, she’s a woman who stands shoulder to shoulder with the men. I must say, the Zhang family’s prosperous days today owe a large part to your contributions.”

Not just Wu Ping, but even the onlookers outside felt that her words were deafening.