Chapter 79: A Letter from Rongcheng

The letter was sent by the Rong Street Office.

Its contents consisted of two pages and a newspaper clipping.

The first page detailed the sentencing of scumbag father Song Jianhua, stepmother Li Huijuan, Song Tiezi, and Chen Yun, who were involved in the trafficking case.

What surprised Song Yue the most was…

Stepmother Li Huijuan actually ate peanuts!

This was completely unexpected.

She had assumed that her scumbag father would receive a harsher sentence while Li Huijuan would get off more lightly.

Song Jianhua was sentenced to twenty years, while Song Tiezi and Chen Yun each received ten years.

Aside from that…

The letter also briefly mentioned He Jiao, who was released after receiving a reprimand.

The second page contained a petition signed by the local community, forcing the scumbag father to write a formal declaration severing his father-daughter relationship with Song Yue. The document bore an official seal and had even been published in the newspaper.

The third item was the newspaper clipping, featuring the public notice.

With the announcement in print, their relationship was officially severed.

All of her scumbag father’s crimes and criminal record would have nothing to do with her anymore.

Song Yue pursed her lips, her gaze returning to the first page, where it mentioned Li Huijuan eating peanuts.

Something felt off.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but an inexplicable sense of irritation rose within her.

Instead of dwelling on it, she put all three items into her spatial storage cabinet.

Then, she retrieved the pork belly she had bought in the morning and started preparing lunch.

She had only taken half a day off and still needed to return to work in the afternoon.

The noodles and steamed buns from breakfast had already been burned away—between fighting and handling parcels, she had used up all her energy.

No more hesitation.

She grabbed a pot and set out to braise the pork.

She steamed rice in a clay pot.

Time passed quickly.

By the time the old educated youths returned from work, her braised pork was ready.

The moment they stepped into the communal living area, the rich aroma of meat filled their noses, making them drool.

Since the day Song Yue and her group arrived, they had only caught a glimpse of them eating meat. Ever since then, their meals had been nothing but vegetables, steamed bread, and rice porridge.

They were already stingy with cooking oil, let alone meat.

It had been ages since they’d even seen a trace of meat, while the new arrivals were feasting like kings.

The old educated youths were filled with envy, and their mouths watered uncontrollably.

At the same time, they were overcome with regret—regret that they had fallen out with Song Yue.

If they hadn’t, they might have been able to share in the occasional meat dish whenever she bought some.

But now, it was too late.

Song Yue focused on eating and ignored their stares.

If she knew what they were thinking, she would’ve rolled her eyes to the heavens.

What did they expect? For her to buy meat and share it with them? Was she their personal benefactor?

Lin He and the others returned last, as usual.

Seeing the braised pork on the table, they weren’t particularly excited—they had just eaten meat yesterday.

Lin He greeted Song Yue.

She responded with a smile and a nod.

Then, Lin He went to wash his hands before starting on his own meal.

On the other side—

Li Xinyue and Zhao Zirui tossed a quick comment to Liu Wei:

“We’re exhausted from work. Going to lie down for a bit. Call us when the food’s ready.”

And before Liu Wei could even reply, the two had already turned and disappeared into their rooms.

Liu Wei stood there, stunned. By the time she processed what had happened, they were already gone.

Then, she looked at the cold stove and empty kitchen.

She was the only one left to cook—there wasn’t even anyone to tend the fire.

Frustration flared in her heart.

Were they the only ones tired? As if she wasn’t exhausted too!

She had to cook for three people, yet not a single one of them was helping.

Why should she have to do everything?!

Cursing under her breath, Liu Wei resigned herself to the task.

In her frustration, she seemed to forget one thing—

She might be the one cooking, but all the ingredients belonged to Li Xinyue and Zhao Zirui.

She herself had nothing. Not a single thing.

…

As Song Yue finished her meal, she happened to glance up and caught sight of Liu Wei’s resentful, almost bitter gaze.

Resentful?

She was momentarily stunned but quickly found it amusing.

Of all people, what did Liu Wei have to be resentful about?

She had been mooching off others for food and lodging, even managing to score a place to stay.

And now, she was upset over having to cook?

Song Yue scoffed and ignored her, transferring the remaining braised pork into a bowl before washing the pots and dishes.

Then, she placed the bowl of braised pork into the pot, covered it, and carried it into her room.

As soon as she stepped inside—

Li Xinyue, who had been lying on the kang bed, immediately sat up.

Upon seeing that it was Song Yue, her expression darkened, and she promptly got up and left the room.

Song Yue couldn’t be bothered to deal with her. She simply set the pot down and lay back on the kang for a quick nap.

Outside—

The old educated youths had barely recovered from the earlier torment of the braised pork’s aroma.

And now, they were hit with another wave of food envy—this time, the smell of stir-fried eggs coming from Lin He and Liu Wei’s cooking.

They looked at their own table, at the bland cabbage and potatoes before them… and suddenly lost their appetites.

Zhu Jing, one of the female educated youths, finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“How about this?” she suggested. “After work this afternoon, we head to the river and try our luck?”

“Maybe we can catch some fish and get a taste of meat.”

“Fish is meat too, after all. What do you guys think?”

The old educated youths hesitated.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t tried fishing before—it had never worked.

Niu Yifan, one of the male educated youths, grumbled, “We’ll see after work. Clearing land these past few days has been exhausting. I really don’t feel like moving.”

Zhu Jing was annoyed. “Fine, but if we do catch fish, you don’t get to eat the meat. You can only drink the soup.”

Niu Yifan immediately shot back, “Soup’s fine. I don’t even like fish meat.”

Oh, so you’re just being difficult on purpose, huh?

Zhu Jing glared at him.

Niu Yifan glared right back.

Chen Xue, sensing that an argument was about to break out, quickly stepped in.

“Alright, alright. We’ll check the river after work.”

Zhu Jing, finally satisfied, nodded enthusiastically. “Okay!”

…

Inside her room, Song Yue overheard the old educated youths getting ready for work and immediately got up as well.

Today’s task was the same as yesterday’s—land clearing.

She found herself working alongside the village’s older women and a few middle-aged ones.

The educated youths were a bit farther away.

She kept her head down and focused on her task, when suddenly—

“Song Yue, thank you for yesterday.”

Song Yue: “?”

She looked up to see a middle-aged woman smiling at her.

A stranger. She had never seen this person before.

Why was she thanking her? And for what?

“Who are you?” she asked.

The woman replied, “I’m Song Tiezi’s mother.”

Song Tiezi?

Realization dawned.

Song Tiezi was one of the children from yesterday’s fishing incident.

But was his mother thanking her for giving the fish, or for making the kids leave the riverbank?

Song Tiezi’s mother continued, “We found out what they were up to and gave him a good scolding.

If you hadn’t stopped them yesterday, who knows what could’ve happened?”

Song Yue chuckled. “It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same.”

Song Tiezi’s mother shook her head. “That’s not true. Gratitude should be shown where it’s due.”

“Our family isn’t well off, so all I can offer are my thanks…”