Chi Yue looked at Zhong Meixian. “Grandma, are you talking about me?” She pointed at herself.  

Zhong Meixian immediately grew awkward. “No, no, I was just… chatting with your mom!”  

She forced a laugh.  

She might be old, but she wasn’t senile.  

It was one thing to criticize her own daughter-in-law, but who would dare say anything about their granddaughter-in-law?  

If word got out, wouldn’t people say she was a meddlesome old busybody?  

She wasn’t so clueless as to lack that much sense!  

“Really, it wasn’t about you,” she added with another awkward chuckle.  

Chi Yue smiled faintly. “Right, I figured since even my mother-in-law hasn’t said anything, you, as my grandmother, definitely wouldn’t either.”  

Zhong Meixian nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, exactly.”  

Then she shot Wen Tang a glare.  

Wen Tang looked sweet and innocent, not at all like someone who would stir up trouble. Zhong Meixian could only blame her for being foolish—misunderstanding her meaning and causing this mess.  

Even after being glared at, Wen Tang remained perfectly docile. “Mom, you weren’t talking about me, right?”  

Zhong Meixian: “…”  

Wasn’t the whole point of speaking in veiled terms to avoid saying things outright?  

But now, confronted directly like this, Zhong Meixian pressed her lips together. “No, I was talking about someone else!”  

“That’s good. If you had been talking about me, I’d have been upset!”  

“People always say a mother-in-law isn’t the same as a real mother, but I think I’m very fortunate, don’t you agree, Mom?” Wen Tang asked with a bright smile.  

Zhong Meixian nodded.  

And then—  

Wait a minute. Why did she feel like she’d just been played by this little daughter-in-law?  

By noon, the whole family had returned, and lunch needed to be prepared. There were plenty of leftover meat dishes from yesterday’s banquet, so not much cooking was required, but rice still had to be steamed.  

Gu Jinfeng washed her hands and glanced at her mother, then at her sister-in-law, before finally calling out to her own daughter-in-law. “Xiao Yue, come help me with lunch.”  

“I’ll handle the rice—you take care of the stir-fry.”  

Chi Yue could cook, but she wasn’t necessarily skilled at managing the old-fashioned wood-burning stove.  

Wen Tang darted over to Zhong Meixian and wrapped her arms around the older woman’s. “See? I told you I was lucky. I am lucky—I married into a good family. My husband pampers me, and my mother-in-law pampers me too. She wouldn’t dream of bossing me around.”  

Chi Yue immediately chimed in, “No wonder people say a mother-in-law isn’t the same as a real mom!”  

She huffed. “Even outsiders bully me, but I never expected my own family to treat me like this!”  

Gu Jinfeng: “…”  

She shot a pleading look at her mother, begging her to say something.  

Yes, she had to be mindful of her sister-in-law, but that didn’t mean her sister-in-law got to turn her own daughter-in-law against her!  

Just as Gu Jinfeng’s desperate gaze landed on her mother, Wen Tang clung to her mother-in-law’s arm and said breezily, “A mother-in-law isn’t your real mom—if you want to hit her, hit her. If you want to pinch her, pinch her!”  

Zhong Meixian lowered her head, refusing to even glance at her daughter.  

Chi Yue crossed her arms. “Hmph! If even your own parents aren’t safe, then your in-laws definitely shouldn’t expect special treatment.”  

Gu Jinfeng: “…”  

She pressed her lips together, feeling as though the morning’s work had left her throat parched.  

Just as she was about to open her mouth and insist she wasn’t a wicked mother-in-law, Gu Yanli walked out of the side room carrying a bamboo tray. That was where the grain was stored—he had brought out rice.  

“I’ll handle lunch,” he said. “Elder Sister, Dad, you two go rest inside.”  

He’d been fetching the grain earlier and hadn’t heard the storm brewing between the two pairs of in-laws.  

Seeing her husband step up to cook, Wen Tang immediately released her mother-in-law’s arm. “Husband, do you want my help?”  

Gu Yanli’s grip on the tray tightened, his throat bobbing. “No need. Jingshen can tend the fire.”  

Lin Jingshen’s school had also given him a few days off. Since the two men were home resting these days, it was only right for them to handle these chores.  

Wen Tang silently gave him a thumbs-up. A man who could cook eliminated half the competition!  

Now this is a high-quality man.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Gu Yanli nodded. “Alright, then go tidy up the room.”  

Wen Tang blushed slightly and slipped away with a soft, “Mm.”  

Seeing her leave, Chi Yue followed suit.  

Once both brides had disappeared, Gu Jinfeng finally turned to her mother for answers. “Mom, why didn’t you say anything earlier?”  

Zhong Meixian played dumb. “Say what?”  

“What?” Gu Jinfeng planted her hands on her hips. “Weren’t we supposed to make them do the work?”  

“I already asked Xiao Yue to help, but when my sister-in-law said all that, why didn’t you speak up?”  

Zhong Meixian retorted matter-of-factly, “She was the one who said she had good fortune.”

The old lady’s words left Gu Jinfeng stunned. “Mom, what do you mean by that?”  

“What… what do I mean?” The old woman kept up her act, feigning ignorance even with her own daughter.  

Gu Jinfeng threw her hands up. “Aren’t you just picking a fight with me?”  

“If my sister-in-law marrying into the Gu family means she’s got good fortune, then does Xiao Yue marrying into our family mean she’s cursed?” Gu Jinfeng stared at her mother, feeling fury burning through her skull.  

Zhong Meixian didn’t see anything wrong with her stance. In fact, the old lady lifted her chin proudly. “What’s there to argue about? Our family is better than your Lins’.”  

Gu Jinfeng: “…”  

Fuming, Gu Jinfeng nodded repeatedly before finally stomping off back to her own courtyard.  

Just like that, mother-daughter relations were officially severed.  

But Zhong Meixian didn’t think she’d done anything wrong.  

She did believe her son was better. And… wasn’t it a compliment to her that her daughter-in-law thought she’d married into a good family? Didn’t that mean she was a good mother-in-law?  

With that thought, the old lady sat down in the courtyard and began humming cheerfully.  

…

Unaware of the drama outside, Wen Tang and Chi Yue had retreated to their rooms.  

As soon as they were inside, Chi Yue asked, “So what happened with your man last night?”  

“Did you two roll right onto the floor?”  

At the mention of it, Wen Tang’s face flushed. “Uh… the… the bed leg broke.”  

She realized she wasn’t as thick-skinned as she’d thought.  

Chi Yue’s eyes widened. “Damn, your man’s wild!”  

Wen Tang nodded as she changed the bedsheet. “Yeah, he’s… pretty intense.”  

She couldn’t help but think—A man this passionate… and I might have to give him back in just two days? 

“In the book, didn’t it say the male lead saves the female lead by the river on the third day after the wedding?” Wen Tang asked, double-checking with Chi Yue in case her memory was off.  

Chi Yue thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.”  

She was also changing her bedsheet—the bed was a mess, and if she didn’t tidy up, there’d be no sleeping tonight.  

“So that’s… tomorrow? Or the day after?”  

“Holy crap, does that mean I only get to sleep with him for two nights?”  

Wen Tang had just finished putting on fresh sheets when a wave of existential gloom hit her. She flopped backward onto the newly made bed.  

“Don’t worry, we’ll just find better ones later. I’ll stick with you,” Chi Yue reassured.  

“You’d really give up your little puppy-dog husband?” Wen Tang sat up and asked.  

Chi Yue lay back on her own bed and shook her head. “Sure, the puppy-dog type hits all the right spots for me, but you—you’re in my bones. A spot can be dug out, but you can’t peel flesh from bone!”  

“So don’t worry. If you leave, I’m coming with you.”  

“You run at noon, I’ll follow by midnight.”  

Wen Tang grinned, the dark cloud over her heart instantly lifting. “Deal. We’ll run together, and I’ll collect scrap to support you.”  

But soon, an even heavier shadow loomed over her heart.