Chapter 15: Returning to Her Maternal Home with Fu Wenjing  

Even as Liu Xiue spoke, her eyes were fixed on Su Ruanruan.  

Su Ruanruan straightened her back and met Liu Xiue’s gaze, a smile on her face, yet she remained silent.  

Liu Xiue was clearly trying to pressure her into offering some fabric voluntarily, but Su Ruanruan had no intention of falling for it.  

After a brief staring contest, impatience flickered in Liu Xiue’s eyes.  

“Seventh’s Wife, don’t take it the wrong way, but a person shouldn’t be so stingy. It’s not that I, as your eldest sister-in-law, lack clothes to wear. At my age, what does it matter what I wear? But your eldest nephew—he’s about to go on a matchmaking meeting. Wouldn’t it be more respectable for him to wear a new outfit? Don’t you agree? Otherwise, the girl’s family might look down on us.  

And if we prepare a few extra feet of fabric as a gift for the girl’s family, they would think more highly of us. Wouldn’t that make the marriage arrangement go even smoother?”  

Su Ruanruan leaned forward slightly, her eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Liu Xiue. “Eldest Sister-in-law, Da Wa is going on a matchmaking meeting? With whom?”  

“Who else?” Liu Xiue said without hesitation. “The one we talked about this morning—Wang Cuizhi!”  

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Maoni interrupted impatiently: “What Wang Cuizhi? Didn’t I already say this morning that it’s not happening?”  

“Why not?” Liu Xiue’s voice rose slightly. “Wang Cuizhi graduated from high school, she’s good-looking with a fine figure, and she works at the Xiancheng Textile Factory. A wife like that is hard to come by even if you searched with a lantern! She even has a good impression of our Da Wa, so why wouldn’t it work?”  

“Don’t talk nonsense with me.” Wang Maoni shot Liu Xiue a cold glance. “The fact that she’s demanding a bicycle is reason enough.”  

Although the current trend was to include Three Turns and One Sound as part of the dowry, very few people could actually afford it.  

Wang Maoni had money, and she could afford to buy a bicycle.  

But the Fu family didn’t have just one grandson—there were nine in total.  

If they bought a bicycle for Da Wa’s wife, would they have to buy one for the others when they got married as well?  

Who could afford nine bicycles?  

No matter what, Wang Maoni would never agree to this.  

Liu Xiue had always been wary of Wang Maoni, but for some reason, today she suddenly seemed emboldened. With a swift motion, she stood up.

“Mother, this is too unfair! When Seventh got married, he gave dozens of yuan as a bride price, along with several hundred jin of grain. And on just the second day of marriage, he went out and bought fabric worth dozens of yuan, plus shoes, pastries, and even a watch. Altogether, that must have cost at least two hundred yuan, right? How come Seventh can buy so much for his wife, but I can’t buy a bicycle for Da Wa’s wife?”  

Wang Maoni did not get angry. Other than the slight chill in her tone, she remained calm and composed.  

“All seven brothers are treated the same. The money they earn—half is handed over to the family, and the other half they keep for themselves.  The bride price and grain for Seventh’s wedding came from the family’s collective funds. When we married you and your younger siblings, the family paid for those too. You don’t have any objections to that, do you?  

As for what Seventh buys for his wife, that’s his own money. I have no say in that. And I never said you couldn’t buy a bicycle for Da Wa’s wife—go ahead if you want to. But the family funds won’t cover it.  For Da Wa’s wedding, the family will contribute at most fifty yuan and two hundred jin of grain—just like what we gave for Seventh. Nothing more. The rest is up to you!”  

Sitting to the side, Su Ruanruan listened and actually felt that Wang Maoni’s words were quite reasonable.  

As the head of the household, fairness and impartiality were crucial.  

Compared to many elders of this era, who tightly controlled the family finances, Wang Maoni was already quite generous—allowing her sons and daughters-in-law to keep half of their earnings and not interfering in how they spent their money. That was already commendable.  

But clearly, Liu Xiue did not see it that way.  

Huffing in frustration, Liu Xiue stomped off, muttering under her breath. Though her words were unclear, it was easy to guess that they weren’t anything pleasant.  

With only Su Ruanruan and Wang Maoni left in the room, the atmosphere became somewhat heavy and awkward.  

Just as Su Ruanruan was about to say something to lighten the mood, Wang Maoni spoke first.  

“Your eldest sister-in-law loves to compare herself with others. She doesn’t even consider her own circumstances—she just wants to outshine everyone else. Don’t bother with her. In another seven or eight days, you and Seventh will be leaving for the Military Unit. Once you’re gone, she’ll quiet down.”  

By the end, Wang Maoni’s face carried a trace of helplessness.  

Su Ruanruan nodded obediently. “Mother, I understand.”  

“Tomorrow, you’re returning to your parental home. Go and pack your things. Decide with Wenjing what you want to bring.”  

That was Wang Maoni’s way of saying she wouldn’t interfere.  

In this era, many mothers-in-law were extremely wary of their daughters-in-law helping their own families, some even wishing their daughters-in-law wouldn’t visit their parental homes at all.  

If a visit was unavoidable, the mother-in-law would often inspect everything the daughter-in-law brought along, unwilling to let her take even an extra centimeter of fabric.  

A mother-in-law like Wang Maoni, who simply left things up to her daughter-in-law, was practically an angel.

Su Ruanruan returned to her room in a daze, her mind occupied with a single question—what kind of luck had she stumbled upon to cross over and immediately encounter such a good husband and mother-in-law?  

She didn’t find an answer that night.  

But the next day, when she and Fu Wenjing returned to the Su Family home, she understood.  

Luck followed the law of conservation.  

She had been fortunate enough to gain a wonderful husband and mother-in-law, but in exchange, she had to deal with the worst kind of blood relatives.  

Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing arrived at the Su Family home just before noon. Since the Su family members were all out working, arriving earlier would have meant finding an empty house.  

Fortunately, they all belonged to the same production brigade, though they lived on opposite ends. Even so, it only took a little over ten minutes to walk there.  

They carried the pastries they had bought the day before, which was already considered a respectable gift within the production brigade.  

However, as soon as they stepped through the door, they were met with a wave of cold ridicule from Mother Su.  

Mother Su pinched the string of the pastry box between two fingers, tossed it carelessly onto the table, and looked at it with disdain.  

“Truly, a married daughter is like spilled water. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already forgotten about your parents.  

I heard from the brigade that you went to Xiancheng yesterday—bought pastries, bought meat, bought dozens of feet of fabric, and even bought a watch. And yet today, all you bring us are a few lousy pastries? Who are you trying to embarrass?  

Seventh, I’m telling you, we are your in-laws at the very least. Is this how little you respect us? If you don’t respect us, how do you think that reflects on your wife? People will just say you don’t value her. Otherwise, why else would you treat us like this?  

And you, Ruanruan, you’re married now. From now on, you’ll be serving your in-laws, your husband, doing laundry, cooking, and raising children. What do you need a watch for? Your younger brother is about to go on a matchmaking meeting, and having a watch would make him look good. Why don’t you give it to him?”  

With that, Mother Su stepped forward, reaching out to grab Su Ruanruan’s wrist.  

Su Ruanruan immediately moved her hand to the side. At the same time, Fu Wenjing stood up and positioned himself in front of her, blocking Mother Su.  

Mother Su’s grasp met empty air. She was clearly displeased and tilted her head up to glare at Fu Wenjing, speaking with spit flying.  

“Seventh, what do you think you’re doing? Are you planning to hit me? What kind of soldier are you? Do you dare to lay hands on your own mother-in-law?”  

Fu Wenjing stood firm, like an unshakable rock, shielding Su Ruanruan behind him. “It’s not that I want to use force—it’s that you’re the one trying to. That watch is a gift I bought for Ruanruan. If anyone dares to take it, it’s either robbery or theft. And no matter who they are, I’ll send them straight to the Public Security Bureau.”  

“You—!” Mother Su’s face turned pale with fear as she stared at Fu Wenjing, instinctively stepping backward. “I am Ruanruan’s birth mother!”  

“Exactly. And because you are her biological mother, I’m explaining this to you first. Otherwise, the moment you reached out, I would have already thrown you to the ground.”  

Fu Wenjing had been a soldier for nine years. He had not only fought on battlefields but had also completed numerous special missions. The aura he carried was completely different from that of an ordinary farmer.  

Now, with his presence fully unleashed, Mother Su couldn’t withstand it. She retreated repeatedly, too afraid to argue with him any further. Instead, she turned her attention back to Su Ruanruan.  

“Ruanruan! I raised you for so many years, always fearing you’d suffer, and I even found you such a good husband! Now that you’re living well, are you really going to stand by and watch your man bully your own mother?”