Chapter 5: Ye Qiu Educated the Children, Two Sisters-in-law Compete

Oil was poured into the pot as if it cost nothing. If Zhao Menglan saw it, she would definitely feel distressed enough to slap her thigh.

From the original body’s memories, Ye Qiu knew that separating the household was not simply for the sake of cooking separately—it was more because Zhao Menglan was stingy with cooking, and there was hardly any oil in the food.

Usually, when cooking, she would dip cotton into the edge of the oil jar, wipe a circle at the bottom of the wok, and then start stir-frying. The key was that Zhao Menglan only cared that the food was edible; she did not care much about the taste.

Every day, they ate like they were feeding pigs. No wonder the original body had wanted to split the household as soon as possible.

When Ye Qiu saw the oil temperature rising, she poured the small fish into the pot. Instantly, the sound of sizzling crackled, and the fragrance was intoxicating. Once the fish had been fried once, Ye Qiu scooped them out and set them aside for later use.

Outside the kitchen, Lu Zhibei was already peeking his head in. “Brother, do you smell that aroma?”

Lu Zhinan glanced at his younger brother and nodded in a deliberately mature way. “Mm.”

Lu Zhibei took two deep sniffs of the fragrance in the air, twisting his small body, then leaned in toward Lu Zhinan and whispered: “Brother, don’t you think Mom has gotten better?”

“She didn’t use to help us bathe, and now she even bought us clothes.”

Lu Zhinan patted his brother’s head. “Mom has always been good.” Although she had done many bad things before, it must have been for their own good.

As for Ye Qiu’s changes, Lu Zhibei welcomed them happily. He muttered under his breath: “I wonder how many small fish we’ll get to eat this time.”

Ye Qiu deep-fried the yellow croaker for the second time in hot oil. When they turned golden, she scooped them out. She tasted one herself first. The fish bones inside had been fried crispy, and she nodded in satisfaction. She called out to the two children outside: “Zhinan, Zhibei, come eat some fish.”

By evening, Ye Qiu glanced outside at the darkening sky. It was time to start preparing dinner. She remembered the scallion pancakes Zhao Menglan had brought for the two children earlier. Ye Qiu coughed lightly, signaling the two children not to eat yet.

“Zhinan, later you’ll take some small fish to your grandma.”

“Mom, we don’t even have enough for ourselves.” Lu Zhibei pouted. Seeing his mother grab a big handful, he hurriedly said: “Give Grandpa and Grandma enough, but not too much.”

“You little miser. Your grandma treats you so well, lets you eat with her every few days, and you can’t even spare her a few small fish?” Ye Qiu laughed. She didn’t expect Zhibei to be so protective of food at such a young age. That wouldn’t do.

“No, I’m not…” Lu Zhibei stomped his foot. Seeing his mother still teasing him, he angrily hugged Ye Qiu’s leg and kept silent.

Seeing his younger brother so flustered he couldn’t even speak properly, Lu Zhinan kept a straight face and explained to their mother: “He’s afraid all the fish will be eaten by Lu Tianjie. Before, when Eldest Aunt’s family had meat, she didn’t let me or my brother have any.”

Ye Qiu hadn’t expected such a thing. From Lu Zhinan’s mouth, she learned that before, when the eldest branch’s Lu Hailiang had hunted a pheasant in the back mountain and made soup at home, the aroma was so strong that Zhinan and Zhibei had smelled it.

The two children, though craving it badly, didn’t ask to eat. But Lu Tianjie smugly took a chicken leg home and ate it right in front of them with great relish. Zhao Menglan had intended to let the two children drink some soup, but when Zhuang Meifeng saw this, she was so angry her nose nearly twisted.

The pheasant was something her own man had hunted. Letting the parents eat was one thing—but why should another woman’s children get some?

After hearing her elder son’s account, Ye Qiu immediately poured half the fish from the bowl and instructed the two children: “Watch your grandparents eat. When they’re done, then come back.”

Lu Zhinan had thought his mother would scold him for being petty. Hearing this, he instantly lifted his head proudly, stood up straight, and carried a small bowl of fried fish, pulling his younger brother along as they ran out.

Ye Qiu was holding in a breath of anger. She was not the type to repay grievances with kindness. Since the eldest branch could do such a thing, Ye Qiu was not someone to be easily provoked.

Even though they had split the household, blood was still blood. No matter what, Zhinan and Zhibei were still Lu family children. They called the eldest branch’s wife “Eldest Aunt.” yet she couldn’t even let them drink soup.

Not to mention, if it weren’t for her own husband’s military allowance, the Lu family would still be living in a thatched hut. The whole family was ungrateful enough, but taking advantage of Lu Huaichuan’s absence to bully his children—Ye Qiu would never allow it.

Her elder son was obedient, her younger son lively. Ye Qiu genuinely treated them as her own children. After all, being a mother without having gone through childbirth, and guarding a “living widowhood” life, was not bad at all.

Thinking about how the two children had been bullied over a bowl of chicken soup, Ye Qiu decided she would go to the county’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative first thing in the morning. She would raise the children to be fair-skinned and chubby no matter what.

Meanwhile, the Lu family was gathered at the table eating. In the middle was a large basin of colorful food—cabbage stewed with potatoes—made personally by Zhao Menglan, with barely any oil. Lu Zhongming looked at the meal and almost couldn’t bring himself to eat.

Noticing that two people were missing at the table, he pondered for a moment and asked: “Where’s First’s Wife?”

Lu Hailiang didn’t dare say that his own wife had seen the second sister-in-law not working and was now lying in bed pretending to be sick. He stammered: “Meifeng isn’t feeling well today. She’s resting in the room.”

Lu Huaiguo, hearing his elder brother say that, lowered his head in embarrassment. Of course, he knew Eldest Sister-in-law was sulking. But he was helpless—his lazy wife simply refused to work, insisting it was for the sake of the son in her belly.

Thinking about how he was nearly thirty without a son to his name, Lu Huaiguo grew anxious and could only let Wu Laidi have her way.

Zhao Menglan gave a cold snort, not even sure who she was aiming at. “Yes, just my luck—one after another falls ill. I’ve been in the Lu family for decades and never been sick once.”

“Guess I’m just not blessed. I’m destined for a life of hard work—taking care of sons, taking care of grandsons, and now I even have to take care of daughters-in-law.”

“Mom, we’ll help in a bit.” Lu Hailiang quickly assured her. Not to be outdone, Lu Huaiguo picked up two chopsticks’ worth of vegetables and placed them in Zhao Menglan’s bowl. “Mom, I’ll go back and talk to Laidi properly. This is too much.”

Looking at her two sons only made Zhao Menglan angrier. She irritably ate a few bites and was about to get up when she saw Zhinan and Zhibei arrive. Immediately, her attitude changed. “Da Wa, Xiao Wa, have you eaten yet?”

Lu Zhibei stepped forward with a grin. “Grandma, my mom fried small fish today. She asked us to bring you some.”

“Your mom fried these?”

Seeing the bowl of small fish, Zhao Menglan was so shocked she couldn’t speak. How much oil had this cost? How much of Chuanzi’s allowance had been spent? Would it be enough for the three of them to live on?

“Yes. My mom said Grandpa and Grandma have always been good to us, so we should be filial to you.” Compared to Zhibei, Lu Zhinan was much more clever. He slightly polished Ye Qiu’s words, making the two elders smile from ear to ear.

Lu Zhongming was so pleased that he waved the two grandsons over, lifted them onto his lap, and called to his wife to go inside and find some snacks for the children. Zhao Menglan was overjoyed and ran into the room at once.