Chapter 11 : Keeping it Fair

“How was your harvest today, you three?” Mother Xiao put down her hoe and asked with a smile.

Jiang Sui and Xiao Lanlan exchanged a glance and smiled. The three of them placed their baskets and backpacks under the eaves, each one brimming with goods.

When Mother Xiao saw this, her eyes lit up in surprise.

“Oh my, you three are really lucky today! Did you stumble upon a good Feng Shui spot?” she asked half-jokingly.

“No, it was the same place we always go to every year. But for some reason, the mushrooms are growing like crazy this year. Maybe it’s because our fourth sister-in-law is in a good mood, so we were lucky enough to find them. We’re planning to go back again this afternoon. There’s still a bunch we haven’t picked. This year, we want to dry more mushrooms so we can sell them for more money in town,” Xiao Lanlan said excitedly.

Mother Xiao nodded in agreement as she listened.

“That’s right, it’s all thanks to your fourth sister-in-law. But be careful when you go back this afternoon, don’t slip or get hurt, understand?”

“Mom, I want to go too! Picking mushrooms is fun! I love picking mushrooms!” Xiao Hechuan said eagerly, his clear eyes filled with determination.

“Okay, our Hechuan is such a good and amazing boy!” Mother Xiao gave him a thumbs-up like she was coaxing a child.

Sure enough, Xiao Hechuan instantly puffed up with pride from the praise.

Mother Xiao smiled, but didn’t forget her daughter-in-law. She walked over and tucked the messy hair on Jiang Sui’s forehead behind her ear, gently brushing the dust off her clothes. Her gentle gesture made Jiang Sui’s eyes sting with emotion.

In truth, she and the original Jiang Sui not only shared the same name, but also had similar lives. She had grown up in an orphanage and was adopted by foster parents at the age of eight. At first, they treated her well and saw her as their own since they couldn’t have children.

But unexpectedly, a year after she arrived, her foster mother became pregnant and gave birth to a younger brother. From that moment on, her life wasn’t much better than the original Jiang Sui’s. She had always longed for motherly love. Now, with Mother Xiao, she finally felt that warmth, and it touched her deeply.

“You must be tired from this morning. Eat more and fill up. You’re so skinny, get chubby quick so your mom can be happy.”

Jiang Sui nodded, eyes reddened. Her dimples appeared when she smiled, making her look especially lovely.

“Why are you crying, silly girl!” Mother Xiao quickly reached out to wipe her eyes when she saw them turn red.

Xiao Hechuan, who was drinking water nearby, heard that his wife was crying and immediately dropped the ladle and ran over.

“My wife is crying? Why is she crying?”

He gently pulled Jiang Sui toward him and looked into her red eyes, then stroked her face tenderly.

“Don’t cry, my dear wife. Smile, you look so beautiful when you smile.”

Jiang Sui burst out laughing at his words, and Mother Xiao and Xiao Lanlan couldn’t help but laugh along too.

“This boy is really sweet,” Mother was clearly very pleased.

In the kitchen, Zhou was busy keeping an eye on the fire and making pancakes. When Mother Xiao walked in and noticed Liu wasn’t there, she asked

“Why are you by yourself? Where’s Third Brother’s wife?”

At that, Zhou wiped her hands on her apron and said helplessly

“She’s lying in her room, says she’s having morning sickness.”

Everyone knew whether Liu was truly suffering from morning sickness or not. She was just being lazy. She had vomited a few times during her first month of pregnancy, but after that, she ate well and slept soundly.

Mother Xiao felt helpless. This was her daughter-in-law, after all. Even though the third son already had a wife, she still assigned her light tasks like helping with the fire, sweeping the floor, and such. But Liu didn’t even want to do that, always finding excuses to slack off.

All the housework ended up falling on the second daughter-in-law. Over time, though she said nothing, resentment began to build in her heart.

It seemed like something needed to be done. If the second family’s frustrations continued to build, something bad might eventually happen.

For lunch, they had cornmeal cakes, pumpkin porridge, pickled radish and vegetables, and some leftover pork from the recent banquet.

Since the men had to work in the fields, they needed to eat well at noon. They relied on hearty, filling coarse grains.

When it was time to eat, Liu came out yawning, sat down at the table, and started eating with a clear conscience. Zhou, the second daughter-in-law, was furious but didn’t dare speak up she could only keep a cold expression.

“Why didn’t you help your sister-in-law with lunch? She must’ve had a hard time cooking by herself.” When the third brother came home and didn’t see his wife in the kitchen, he knew she had been lazy again. So he brought it up himself, feeling embarrassed.

Liu didn’t agree with what he said

“I’m not feeling well. I have morning sickness.”

“Hmph. With an appetite like that, you don’t seem to have morning sickness at all. I think you’re just being lazy.” Third brother said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Liu’s mood changed. She slammed her bowl and chopsticks down on the table

“Xiao Yi, what are you trying to say? The baby I’m carrying isn’t yours? Who are you trying to impress with that sarcastic tone?”

“How am I being sarcastic? I’m just telling the truth.” Xiao Yi felt humiliated being yelled at in front of the whole family, and his face turned dark as he retorted.

“So I’m the one in the wrong now? I’m carrying your child! You saw me vomiting before. What, did I marry into your family just to work like a slave? Now you’re flipping on me just because I didn’t work one day?”

Liu’s aggressive tone was overwhelming. She had a loud voice, and everyone at the table was staring at her.

At this point, Father Xiao slammed his chopsticks on the table in anger. He let out a cold snort, and his expression turned dark. Mother Xiao’s face also looked unpleasant.

Jiang Sui sat quietly on the side, chewing her corn cake. It was only her second day here, and the third sister-in-law was already causing a scene. She really seemed desperate to make her presence known.

“Enough. Let’s eat. Why are you arguing? Are you going to work in the fields this afternoon or not?” Mother Xiao said in a stern voice. Liu was a bit shaken by her tone.

Still, she stood up. After yelling like that, if she stayed and kept eating like nothing happened, it would be embarrassing. So she got up and stormed back to her room angrily.

But she was pregnant, and she had to eat. So Mother Xiao turned to her third son

“Bring her some food in a bit, and talk to her nicely. Stop making a fuss all the time.”

“I understand, Mother.” Xiao Yi was frustrated. This difficult woman of his was way too much, she could talk back to everyone else but no one could say a word to her!

After the meal, Mother Xiao spoke privately with the second daughter-in-law, comforted her, and even gave her a piece of floral fabric from her room. Only then did Zhou smile a little.

That afternoon, Jiang Sui, Xiao Hechuan, and Xiao Lanlan headed back up the mountain with their backpacks to continue picking mushrooms.

They returned to the same spot. Fortunately, no one else had discovered it yet, and the mushrooms were still there. But there was a lingering worry, what if someone else discovered it?