Chapter 28: When Mom Shows Favoritism

The two of them jogged all the way to the woods behind the house, panting as they leaned against a tree to catch their breath—just like when they were kids.

Neither of them showed any fear; instead, there was a hint of excitement in their eyes.

It had been a long time since they had run like this.

“Mianmian, I’ve noticed you’ve changed.”

Feng Mian’s smile stiffened.

Feng Xiaojing continued, “Girls change a lot after eighteen—you’re looking better and better.”

Phew! So that’s what she meant.

“Hey, I’ll give you a box of snow cream later. Look at your face, it’s so red it’s almost cracking.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Xiaojing’s eyes were full of longing, but then she thought more carefully and deflated a little.

“Forget it. Snow cream’s so expensive. How could we afford that?”

“How can we not afford it? If I give it to you, then you can.”

“I know Auntie left you some money, but you should still save it.”

Feng Mian tapped her face gently and said, “Silly, if you don’t take care of your face, it’ll get frostbite. Then the medicine will be even more expensive.”

Xiaojing touched her cheek and sighed helplessly, “What does it matter? If it’s bad, it’s bad. People in the village have rough skin anyway.”

“Village folks can be rough, but an eighteen-year-old village girl can’t. I heard your uncle and aunt want to hire a matchmaker to find you a better family. A girl’s face is very important.”

Hearing this, Feng Xiaojing grew even sadder.

“They want to marry me and sister off quickly, so they can get the bride price from the future husbands like they did for big brother and second brother. I’d rather they not find anyone suitable.”

Three years ago, Zhao Hui kicked Feng Mian out, saying the eldest cousin was getting married. It’s already been three years, but the bride still hasn’t been mentioned—they’re just waiting for their daughters to grow up and collect bride prices.

Feng Mian knew this very well.

Girls in this generation are truly pitiful—scolded daily as a loss.

The truth is: girls work hard from a young age, exploited by their family, then exchanged for a bride price when they grow up.

After marrying, they’re further exploited by their husband’s family.

As for the boys? Usually they don’t work as much as girls at home but eat more. When they grow up, marrying a wife and building a house means peeling the skin off their parents and sisters.

So tell me, who really is the loss?

Luckily, as times change, this kind of situation is becoming less and less common.

The two chatted for a while in the woods, then guessed it was almost mealtime and headed back.

“Today was really fun. When I have time…” Feng Xiaojing thought for a moment and whispered, “Mianmian, after you get married, can I still come play with you?”

“Of course! You can come find me anytime you want, as long as you have the time.”

Xiaojing smiled with relief.

Grandpa Feng Guodong had already been helped to sit in a chair by uncle and cousin. When he saw them come back, he quickly called Feng Mian over.

Feng Mian went to speak with Feng Guodong, while Zhao Hui grabbed Feng Xiaojing and pulled her inside.

“You still get mad at your sister even though she’s sick? Don’t you have any conscience?”

“Mom, I’m not mad at her.”

“Your sister’s so upset she cried, and you’re still stubborn.”

“I really wasn’t mad. Mianmian came looking for us, but sister said we were noisy, so we went out. I really wasn’t mad at her.”

Zhao Hui slapped her across the face.

“Still arguing? Go inside and apologize to your sister right now.”

Zhou Xiaojing’s face flushed, tears welling up in her eyes.

Silently, she thought, I really wasn’t mad. Why don’t they believe me?

But she knew why no one believed her—because explaining never helped. She just wouldn’t listen.

It had always been like this—no matter what she did, her sister was always right, and she was always wrong.

No matter what her sister said, she believed it. But whatever she herself said, no one believed. Explaining was just like making excuses.

Although she and her sister were twins, her sister was here to repay kindness, while she was here to seek revenge. Mom and Dad didn’t like her at all. She simply couldn’t compare to her sister.

The joy she had felt chatting with her cousin in the woods had completely vanished.

She had turned back into the timid, restrained Feng Xiaojing—lowering her head like a quail, confessing like a true sinner in front of Feng Xiaomei.

“I was wrong, I’m sorry, sister.”

“Hmph. You must finish knitting this scarf by tomorrow night, or else you don’t get to sleep,” Feng Xiaomei said sternly.

Feng Xiaojing obediently took the scarf and began knitting.

Just endure it. Soon, in six days, she would be married off.

…

The Feng family made dumplings, boiled some cured meat, stir-fried a few vegetables, and with the dishes Feng Mian brought, that was their New Year’s Eve dinner.

It was the most sumptuous New Year’s dinner they had ever had growing up.

The two cousins and their aunt were like starving ghosts reincarnated—rushing to grab food as soon as it was served.

Uncle and Xiaojing didn’t dare compete. Zhang Shi saw how they were acting and got angry. After grabbing a few pieces for Grandpa, she muttered to herself.

Since it was New Year, she said no more.

Feng Xiaomei couldn’t compete either and was angry, banging her chopsticks loudly.

Aunt, thinking of her pregnancy, scolded her two sons and served Xiaomei two pieces of meat.

Feng Mian was eating hairy crabs.

No one fought over this dish because, in this era, rural crabs were mostly fed to ducks.

“Mianmian, have some beef,” Grandma put a piece of beef into her bowl.

Feng Mian gave it to Feng Xiaojing, who was too intimidated by her own mother’s gaze to move her chopsticks. “Cousin, you eat it. I’ve already eaten beef at home.”

She turned to Zhang Shi and said, “Grandma, don’t worry about me. I’ve eaten beef already. I love crabs.”

Zhang Shi sighed and, seeing the large plates almost empty, said nothing more.

Feng Mian ate the crab herself but also gave Xiaojing a piece.

“Can we really eat this?” Feng Xiaojing asked suspiciously.

“Of course you can. Come, I’ll show you how.”

She taught her how to pick out the meat, dip it in sauce, or eat it directly.

At first, Xiaojing was a bit unaccustomed, but after a few bites, she found it tasted good no matter how she ate it.

Under the disdainful eyes of Zhao Hui and others, the two girls finished the entire plate of hairy crabs.

…

After dinner, Feng Mian said she wanted to leave. Originally, Grandpa and Grandma wanted her to stay up and keep vigil with them, saying her cousin would send her home later.

But Feng Mian declined.

No TV to watch, no phone to scroll through—everyone sitting together just meant listening to Aunt nagging on and on.

Talking about other families’ matters, criticizing people. Nothing good to say.

She used the cold weather as an excuse, wanting to go back early and get into bed.

Cousin carried a kerosene lamp and escorted her home, reminding her to lock the doors and windows before leaving.

Feng Mian boiled a pot of water when she got back, then filled a big eighty-centimeter-long hot water bag and slipped it into her bed to warm the covers.

Having a warm bed to snuggle into—isn’t that better than a boyfriend?

Her bedroom wasn’t small. At the very back of the main hall was a sealed-off doorway.

It was the kind where the doorframe was left intact, so it could be taken down and turned into a door at any time.

Feng Mian guessed that when the house was originally built, they probably planned to separate this bedroom into two rooms once the kids got older.

They would build a partition wall in the middle, and the inner door would open, creating two independent bedrooms.

When they built their love nest together, they must have really loved each other. Unfortunately, it ended in such a tragic way.