Chapter 10: Blame

Jiang Lian was a little bewildered. Why did this silly second sister-in-law suddenly feel so different?

Before, every time she came home, her second sister-in-law would always follow her around, clinging to her older sister, making Jiang Lian, as the younger sister, feel quite awkward.

“Your second sister-in-law isn’t silly anymore. She’s recovered!” Jiang Cong noticed the confusion in his sister’s eyes and took the initiative to explain.

Jiang Lian was instantly surprised. She had only been away for a few months, and now her second sister-in-law was suddenly not foolish anymore?

But this was good news. She should be happy about it. Quickly suppressing her astonishment, she smiled and said:

“Then congratulations, Second Brother! They say you’re on a lucky streak—you’ve been assigned to teach in the city, and now Second Sister-in-law has recovered. Your future days will only get better and better!”

Jiang Cong smiled and nodded. He glanced at Qin Man beside him and said,

“Let’s hope so!”

Qin Man also smiled back at him. Honestly, she really appreciated Jiang Cong’s gentle personality—calm and considerate of others’ feelings.

But later, she realized that Jiang Cong was only gentle with his family. To outsiders, he was rather cold and distant. He reserved all his warmth and love for the people he cared about, which gave Qin Man a great sense of security.

Jiang Lian poured a cup of water for both her second brother and second sister-in-law before sitting down for some small talk. It wasn’t until guests arrived at the hostel that Jiang Cong took Qin Man with him and left.

“If you’re not too busy, make sure to come back for a meal. Otherwise, the next time we meet might not be until the New Year!”

“I got it, Second Brother. I’ll find time to come back. I have to go now—I’m busy!”

Jiang Cong took Qin Man home. The sun was getting hotter, and as soon as they got back, Qin Man gulped down a few big mouthfuls of water to quench her thirst.

The children were thrilled to see their father bring back so many delicious treats, jumping up and down in excitement.

Song Mei came out of the room with Niu Niu. Seeing the candied jujubes and preserved plums in the hands of the younger siblings, Niu Niu couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

Before Jiang Cong could say anything, Jiang Yu, being an obedient child, immediately shared her treats with her cousin.

“Niu Niu, have some candy!”

Her chubby little hands held two jujubes in one and a few preserved plums in the other, offering them all to Niu Niu.

Niu Niu had no manners at all—perhaps spoiled by her mother. She didn’t even say thank you, just took the sweets and gobbled them down in a few bites before looking at her two younger siblings again.

“More!” She reached out, demanding more.

Jiang Yu wasn’t stingy. If Niu Niu wanted more, she gave her more. By the end, most of the jujubes and plums were gone, with barely any left for herself.

Qin Man noticed that the children were getting reluctant, so she stepped in to protect her little ones.

“Too much candy isn’t good for your teeth. You’ll get cavities. Mommy will put them away, and you can have some tomorrow, okay?”

Jiang Yu and Jiang Li obediently nodded, handing the sweets over to their mother.

“Jiang Yu doesn’t want cavities!”

“Jiang Li doesn’t want them either!”

The two little ones shook their heads earnestly, their cuteness overwhelming.

Qin Man put away the remaining candy and, together with Jiang Cong, wiped down the persimmons with liquor. After three or four days, half of them had turned red. She tasted one and found it incredibly sweet!

Taking a bite, she couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. Fruits from this era were simply tastier than those from later generations—both in texture and sweetness.

“Tomorrow, let’s take twenty or so to the county to sell!”

“Alright. We should get up early and catch the 7 AM bus!”

“Mm-hmm!” Qin Man nodded with a smile.

That night, while they were eating dinner, Niu Niu suddenly complained that her tooth hurt, holding her cheek and sobbing.

“What’s wrong? Why is your tooth suddenly hurting?” Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks and asked.

Niu Niu just kept crying without saying anything, looking more and more pitiful.

Song Mei, her mother, didn’t seem worried at all. Instead, she rolled her eyes at her daughter.

“What else? She’s just greedy. Now she knows what a toothache feels like!”

“Kids around seven or eight are at the stage where they start losing baby teeth. They should eat less candy,” Qin Man commented.

“If you know they should eat less candy, why did you even buy those preserved plums?” Song Mei snapped impatiently, blaming her.

Qin Man: “?”

A big question mark appeared in her mind. She wasn’t one to hold back—if someone was unreasonable, she would argue right back.

“We bought those plums to treat the kids, out of kindness. Even Jiang Yu and Jiang Li, who are just three years old, know that too much candy can cause toothaches. And didn’t Niu Niu eat most of them?

You were there the whole time and didn’t say a word, and now you’re blaming us?”

Seriously, if she hadn’t given Niu Niu any, Song Mei would have had a problem with that too. Now that she did, and Niu Niu got a toothache, Song Mei still had an issue. It was impossible to please her.

Song Mei was left speechless. After mumbling for a while, she finally managed to squeeze out:

“Then next time, stay away from my daughter!”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng’s face darkened. He put down his chopsticks, clearly displeased as he turned to his wife.

“Why are you making such a fuss? Qin Man was just being nice. As a mother, you didn’t keep an eye on your own daughter, and now you’re blaming others. Nothing ever pleases you, does it?”

“What are you saying? So the whole family is ganging up on me now? Even you’re siding with outsiders! I really misjudged you!” Song Mei angrily got up and stormed into her room.

The meal ended on a sour note. Jiang Cheng looked troubled, Jiang Father’s face was dark, and Niu Niu was still crying.

“Take her to Dr. Yang later to get some anti-inflammatory medicine,” Jiang Cheng’s father instructed him.