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For dinner, the daughter-in-law served noodles made with a mixture of corn and wheat flour, egg sauce, and a large plate of pickled radish strips.
The radishes had been sent by the second daughter-in-law’s family in the autumn, along with half a truckload of radishes, cabbages, dried wild vegetables, corn flour, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.
The second son’s three children also came home. The oldest was six, and the youngest was three; all boys. Seeing their grandparents, the little ones shouted in unison, “Grandpa! Grandma!”
“Mm, let’s eat,” Li Mancang patted the children’s heads. He was very fond of them. The eldest son had married late and still didn’t have children after two years of marriage. He had watched these children grow up, and they were close to him.
The whole family sat down to eat. The second daughter-in-law served the noodles, mixing them well and handing a bowl to her and Li Mancang.
Wu Zhiqiu felt a moment of confusion. In her past life, had Chunni also served them like this? Why did she have no memory of it?
The second daughter-in-law looked at Wu Zhiqiu staring at the noodles. “What’s wrong, Mom? Is there not enough sauce?”
“No, no. Your noodles are even better than mine.”
This was the first time the second daughter-in-law had heard her mother-in-law praise her.
The second son also glanced at his mother, wondering what had gotten into her. Usually, she wouldn’t even look at his wife, but today she was actually praising her.
The second son examined the noodles carefully. They were the same as always. Why was she complimenting them today?
The second daughter-in-law was simple-minded. She felt that after all this time, her mother-in-law had finally accepted her. Her eyes welled up.
“Mom, please try it. If you like it, I’ll make it for you every day!”
Hearing the second daughter-in-law’s choked voice, Wu Zhiqiu felt a pang of guilt. A single compliment had moved the child to tears, proving how much she had disliked her daughter-in-law.
She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The noodles were smooth and had a subtle corn and wheat aroma. The egg sauce was rich and flavorful.
“Delicious!” she commented honestly.
“The second daughter-in-law’s cooking is better than yours!” Li Mancang ate heartily, praising his daughter-in-law.
The second daughter-in-law turned away, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t control herself.
“Alright, let’s eat. The noodles will get soggy,” the second son pulled his wife back down to sit.
The children’s eyes darted around, looking from one person to another.
The third son was also observing his mother. Why had her attitude toward his sister-in-law changed so drastically today? Was she giving up on the eldest son and trying to get closer to the second son?
Would she favor the second son in terms of property? That wouldn’t do!
They finished the noodles quickly—two hours of hard work, consumed in five minutes!
The third son waited for his parents to finish their meal.
“Mom, Dad, Meina and I…”
“We don’t care about your business, but don’t you dare touch our property! My property belongs to me and no one else! I’ll retire next year, and I’ll wait for my pension. You don’t need to worry about it!”
“Mom, what am I supposed to do? Without property, Meina’s family won’t agree to our marriage!”
“That’s your problem; I don’t care!”
“Mom, how can you be like this? When the eldest brother got married, you even gave eight hundred yuan as a bride price!”
“I didn’t give a single cent when your second brother got married. Why are you comparing? You reminded me. Tomorrow, I’m going to get that eight hundred yuan back! Which family gives their daughter’s dowry to her in-laws?”
Wu Zhiqiu immediately remembered. She had been so overwhelmed upon returning that she had forgotten. She wouldn’t let herself be taken advantage of! She would treat the eldest daughter-in-law as if she didn’t exist!
The third son… that wasn’t what he meant. Moreover, after two years of marriage, could they still get the bride price back?
“Mom, I’m not asking you to get the eldest sister-in-law’s bride price back. I just…”
“You also want a lot of bride price! And you also want my property! Right?!” Wu Zhiqiu gave the third son a chilling smile.
The third son gulped. That was his intention, but seeing his mother’s attitude, he dared not say it, but he still nodded.
Wu Zhiqiu looked at her scheming youngest son, seeing him trying to grab money and property for his own little family.
“Third son, your sister-in-law insulted me today; you heard it, right?”
The third son didn’t understand why his mother was asking this, but he sensed something was amiss.
“Your mother was insulted, and you did nothing. How dare you ask your mother for anything? Why should I give you anything? Because you’re scheming? Because you think you’re smarter than others? Because you don’t respect your parents? Because you just watched the commotion?” Wu Zhiqiu scoffed.
The third son’s face flushed crimson under his mother’s barrage of questions.
The second son and his wife sat up straight, finally understanding why their mother’s attitude had changed so drastically!
“Mom, I didn’t react in time,” the third son tried to explain.
“Did you react now?” Wu Zhiqiu asked.
The third son nodded. Could he not react after being questioned so directly?
“Then go beat up that couple!”
The third son…
Li Fengchun also looked at her mother in surprise.
The second son suddenly stood up and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Wu Zhiqiu quickly called out.
“I’m going to beat the eldest son and his wife to death!”
The third son…
Li Mancang…
Wu Zhiqiu…
“I’m going too! I’ll beat the eldest daughter-in-law! You beat the eldest son!”
Wu Zhiqiu… This couple was really fierce! She had been trying to goad the third son, and they actually took it seriously!
“Where are you going? Sit down. Let the third son go!”
The second son and his wife reluctantly returned to their seats. They didn’t understand why they couldn’t go, but the third son had to.
The third son…
“Mom, don’t say such things out of anger!” The third son was speechless. He wasn’t as foolish as his brother.
“Then don’t say those absurd things. If you get married and give half your salary home like your brother, I’ll help you with the bride price. Of course, the bride price, including wedding expenses, cannot exceed eight hundred yuan!”
“Mom, with my salary, if I give half to the family, who would marry me?” The third son panicked.
Wu Zhiqiu raised her hand. “If you don’t rely on the family for your marriage, you don’t have to give money to the family. Similarly, you need to move out immediately after getting married. As long as you live in this house, you must pay living expenses!”
“Then why doesn’t the second brother have to pay living expenses?” The third son tried to get out of it.
“How do you know your brother doesn’t pay? Your brother gives twenty yuan to the family every month. Didn’t you know?”
The third son shook his head. He really didn’t know. How could he have said such a foolish thing if he had known?
“Your brother pays living expenses, and your sister-in-law does all the housework! If you can do the same, I can help you with your wedding.”
The third son shook his head like a rattle. Meina couldn’t do housework, and it was absolutely impossible for her to serve the whole family like his sister-in-law!
“Then figure it out yourself. Forget about money and jobs. It’s already been difficult enough raising you, and I don’t want you to marry a spoiled brat and have to support her.” Wu Zhiqiu didn’t want to live with He Meina for a single day.
“Mom, there’s no such thing as a mother who doesn’t care about her son’s marriage!”
“There’s no such thing as a son who watches his mother being humiliated and just watches the commotion!”
“Mom, I said I didn’t react in time!”
“Now I’m giving you a chance to make amends!”
“If I beat up my brother, will you help with my wedding?”
“According to your second brother’s standards!”