Second brother Gu was pushing the cart, his mind preoccupied with how much money he could make the next day, so he didn’t hear the gossip.

Su’s father and Gu’s father, two men of similar age, had a lot in common and were chatting animatedly.

Su’s mother, meanwhile, rode her bicycle back home to cook. She wanted to prepare the most delicious dishes for her daughter-in-law and her family.

Gu Jiaojiao pushed Su Shuoci, listening to the gossip behind them. Whether it was good or bad, it didn’t affect their mood.

They were a young couple newly in love, and besides, the gossip was all praise for them.

The people in the compound who knew Gu Jiaojiao had watched her grow up from a fragile, delicate girl.

As a child, she had been quiet and gentle, and everyone assumed she would grow up to be graceful and composed.

Who would have thought that by the age of seventeen, she would turn out to be not only ungraceful but also unreasonable, causing chaos in the Sheng household?

“Turns out we were all wrong. Gu Jiaojiao is still that quiet, gentle girl. It’s the Sheng family’s real daughter who’s the unreasonable one.”

“Why do you say that? Do you know something?”

“My colleague lives next door to the Sheng family. She says the house is still in chaos.”

“Really? Did we misjudge her?”

“Absolutely. The eldest son of the Sheng family hasn’t been home for a week. He used to come back every weekend.”

A middle-aged woman, whose daughter had a crush on Sheng Shijing, spoke up disapprovingly.

“Really? Is your colleague the stepwife of the Dong family? She’s a sworn enemy of Mrs. Sheng.”

“Even though they’re enemies, Ren Xiaofang wouldn’t lie. She said the third son of the Sheng family secretly visited the Su family.”

“Why secretly? Couldn’t he go during the day?”

“Ah, you don’t understand. They’ve cut ties, so going during the day would be awkward.”

“In my opinion, it’s not about being awkward. He’s probably afraid of his real sister causing a scene.”

At this point, everyone’s opinion of Gu Jiaojiao soared, and many joined in criticizing the Sheng family’s real daughter.

“Watch your mouths. If you don’t know the truth, don’t spread rumors on the street.”

A girl’s angry shout interrupted the gossiping crowd. Everyone turned to see.

Sheng Xinglian and her entourage were standing behind the crowd, her face red with anger, on the verge of tears but holding them back.

Xiaoyu, who had been speaking up for Sheng Xinglian these past two days, had been rewarded with snacks, especially a yolk pastry.

The moment she put it in her mouth, the crispy outer layer crumbled, the salty yolk mixed with the sweet filling, and she couldn’t bear to swallow it.

Sheng Xinglian and Song Zijin had secretly tasted the forbidden fruit. Song Zijin, having just discovered the pleasures of intimacy, generously bought her a few yolk pastries.

“Who’s spreading rumors? Ren Xiaofang, who lives next to the Sheng family, said it. If you don’t believe it, go ask her.”

A middle-aged woman who didn’t know Sheng Xinglian retorted loudly.

“Before the Sheng family’s real daughter returned, Ren Xiaofang never said the Sheng household was in chaos.”

“Wuwu… Wuwu… I shouldn’t have come back. I shouldn’t even be alive. Even my existence is a mistake… Wuwu…”

This time, Sheng Xinglian was genuinely crying. She had been waiting all afternoon for Song Zijin to bring her cold skin noodles.

It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to eat cold skin noodles. After all, she had lived a life of luxury for ten years in her past life. What couldn’t she eat?

What she wanted was Song Zijin’s infatuation and attention. But she waited until school ended and still didn’t see him.

Yesterday, after they had secretly tasted the forbidden fruit, Song Zijin had waited for her at the school gate after school and reluctantly walked her to her building.

At noon today, they had gone to the small grove behind the school to spend some intimate time together. Song Zijin had promised to skip class in the afternoon to buy her cold skin noodles.

She had waited until school ended and still hadn’t seen him, which made her feel extremely upset and filled with pent-up anger.

On her way home, she overheard gossip that was unfavorable to her. How could she not cry?

The gossipers were just bored; no one was trying to make a big deal out of it.

Seeing the Sheng family’s real daughter crying so heartbrokenly, everyone quickly dispersed onto other paths.

A few people muttered as they walked away, “We didn’t provoke you. You’re the one crying.”

“That’s right. We just told the truth, and you’re already crying. Do you bully Gu Jiaojiao like this at home too?”

They couldn’t afford to offend the Sheng family. It was precisely because they couldn’t afford to offend them that they gossiped in secret to balance their minds.

Especially since the Song family was involved—they were the bread and butter of the compound. The supply and marketing cooperative and the state-run restaurant were both managed by the Song family.

But everyone knew that the law couldn’t punish the masses. Gossiping in a group wasn’t a crime.

If caught alone, it would be a different story. In a matter of moments, the road was empty except for Sheng Xinglian and her entourage.

Her entourage consisted of teenage girls who, though usually fierce, didn’t dare to confront the older women directly.

They hurriedly wiped Sheng Xinglian’s tears. “Sister Lian, don’t cry. Seeing you like this makes me want to cry too…”

“The day after tomorrow, Gu Jiaojiao will be coming back to school. We’ll settle the score with her then.”

“Time flies. Gu Jiaojiao’s two-week marriage leave is almost up.”

“Wuwu… Stop talking. I’m going home.”

Sheng Xinglian stomped her foot and ran off, not wanting to listen to these foolish people spouting nonsense.

She decided to go home and ask the fool if he had beaten Gu Jiaojiao. With that fool’s stupidity, even if he didn’t beat her, he would at least have cursed her out.

When Gu Jiaojiao and her family returned home, Su’s mother had already cooked several dishes. The chicken soup had been prepared by Gu’s mother.

Following their usual routine, everyone washed their hands and sat down to eat, then counted the money. Su Qinchun, following Gu Jiaojiao’s instructions, served each person a bowl of chicken soup.

The chicken soup, infused with ginseng, wasn’t particularly tasty, but everyone knew ginseng was expensive and good for the body.

Gu’s eldest brother and grandfather hadn’t recovered fully. Their bodies were severely depleted and would need time to recover through herbal remedies and dietary therapy.

Gu Jiaojiao had given them high-grade nutritional fluids, so they were in good spirits and had hearty appetites.

“Jiaojiao, you’re too thin. Drink more chicken soup,” Gu’s mother said lovingly, scooping a spoonful of soup from her own bowl for Gu Jiaojiao.

“No, no. The soup doesn’t taste that great. We should each drink our own portion. I don’t want to drink more than my share.”

“Haha… I think it tastes delicious,” Gu’s grandfather said honestly.

“Then please help me drink my portion, Grandpa,” Gu Jiaojiao teased immediately.

“Jiaojiao, you said that drinking more or less than your share is bad for your health.”

Su Shuoci was worried that his wife would drink less, which would be bad for her health.

“Haha… Everyone should drink their own portion,” Gu’s father laughed.

While the soup couldn’t be shared, the dishes could. But Su’s mother had prepared plenty, so even after sharing, everyone had enough to eat. The Su household was filled with joy as they drank soup and ate together.

Dong Qihua and his father had gone to work immediately after lunch. They made a detour to the Su family and enjoyed a delicious meal.

For dinner, they couldn’t go to the Su family again. Eating their own food felt unpalatable.

Dong Qihua had saved some spicy strips to go with his meal, while his father could only watch, thinking about asking his nephew-in-law for some spicy strips the next day.