Chapter 7

Li Ailian had thought that Gu Yinyin was only trying to scare her, but who would have expected that the big Captain and the leader of the Women’s Federation really came over?!

There were so many families in the village who made trouble, and the big Captain never bothered with them. Why did he have to come and deal with her family’s matter today?

No matter what, Li Ailian could only open the door. When she saw the big Captain and the leader of the Women’s Federation, she immediately forced a smile and said: “Big Captain, look, this…”

The big Captain did not wait for her explanation and scolded: “Li Ailian! This is a civilized society now. With your mouth full of filth, what kind of appearance is that! Our Hongxing Village still has to undergo evaluations. If you end up affecting our village’s reputation, I’ll make you regret it!”

Li Ailian hurried to apologize, speaking quickly: “No, Big Captain, please listen to me explain. It wasn’t that I wanted to make trouble or curse at people, it’s this Gu Yinyin and Educated Youth Lin…”

The big Captain slapped his hand on the table. “Comrade Li Ailian! If you keep talking nonsense, believe it or not, I’ll have the team punish you!”

Li Ailian froze, and the big Captain was so angry that he nearly trembled. “□□ already said that the people must unite and love one another, yet you bully even your own daughter-in-law. Tell me, isn’t it because you lack study and haven’t made progress?”

Gu Yinyin took out the key, planning to unlock the door to put their things inside, but when she tried, she found that the lock would not open. She sneered coldly in her heart, then pulled Director Qiu of the Women’s Federation over and burst into tears. “Director Qiu, why don’t you help me, just help me get a divorce from Guo’an! Look, now we can’t even get into our own home. How are we supposed to live with two children like this?”

She squatted down, hugging Da Wa and Xiao Wa, and quickly whispered into their ears: “Cry!”

Da Wa said nothing, but Xiao Wa’s lips trembled and she wailed loudly. She was truly worthy of being a future pillar of the entertainment world—her tears poured down in torrents as she cried out: “Mama! I’m hungry! I want food! I’m so hungry!”

Gu Yinyin also sobbed and sniffled, wiping away tears nonstop. Da Wa originally had not wanted to cry, but hearing his mother and sister’s sobs, he suddenly turned his head.

“Uncle Big Captain! How much is my father’s monthly salary?”

The big Captain was taken aback. Shen Guo’an’s work was helping the production team transport goods. There was a mine here, and every three months they delivered coal outside. Shen Guo’an could drive, and it was always him who drove the truck out for delivery.

His wages were collected from the production team. Being able to drive was a very valuable skill, and his salary was by no means low.

“Fifteen yuan a month.” the big Captain said, lowering the figure on purpose. He did not want to get too deeply involved in Shen Guo’an’s family affairs.

Da Wa’s expression was grave. “Uncle Big Captain, my father earns fifteen yuan a month, but look at what my sister and I wear, what we eat, and how we’ve grown up. You’ve seen it with your own eyes! In the village, most children over seven can already go to school. I only studied for half a semester before my grandma said I was stupid, said there was no money, and wouldn’t let me study anymore. Every time my father’s wages are handed to my grandma, my sister and I are treated like children with no one to care for us. Not only that, they even beat my mother. Today, in front of you, I want to ask my grandma—why treat us like this?”

Li Ailian, exposed so directly, flew into a rage from humiliation and cursed: “You little beast, what nonsense are you spouting! Did I starve you or keep you from drinking water?!”

Director Qiu immediately glared at her. “Comrade Li Ailian, if you keep cursing people, then come with us to the brigade office and shout it into the loudspeakers. Let the entire village see your quality and your character!”

She walked over to the big Captain, glanced at the mother and two children who were still huddled together crying bitterly, and sighed while shaking her head. “By rights, Shen Guo’an’s wages aren’t low. Yet look at these two children, dressed in rags, so thin and frail. Who would believe they aren’t being neglected? Li Ailian is truly biased—beating and cursing her own daughter-in-law, locking the door to bar them entry, taking her son’s money and refusing to spend it on her grandchildren. This is far too much!”

The big Captain squinted at Li Ailian. “If you still don’t understand what you’ve done wrong, then we’ll go to town and let the town leaders educate you!”

Li Ailian felt resentful in her heart, but how could she still dare to act arrogantly? She immediately put on a bitter expression and said: “Big Captain, I know I was wrong, I truly know it this time. Please don’t be angry. Later we’ll go do work for the production team, and please don’t…”

The big Captain waved his hand. “Tell me, how will you treat Gu Yinyin and her two children from now on?”

Suppressing her anger, Li Ailian answered: “I will treat all three sons’ families equally! You can rest assured!”

Director Qiu immediately asked: “Then what about this door lock? You locked it. How are they supposed to live if they can’t even get in?”

Though Li Ailian was utterly unwilling, she could only order Shen Meijuan to bring out the key and open the door. In front of the big Captain, Gu Yinyin spoke in a weak voice: “Mother, can Da Wa attend school? It’s September now, the school term has just started, so if he joins a class now it’s still not too late.”

Hearing these words, Li Ailian almost wanted to tear Gu Yinyin’s mouth apart, but with the big Captain present, she could not refuse. She could only reply: “Fine, then let Da Wa join a class and study.”

In Gu Yinyin’s beautiful large eyes flickered a trace of disappointment, and she looked toward Director Qiu for help.

They were all rural women—who would not understand one another? Director Qiu immediately said: “Then bring out the tuition fees right now.”

Li Ailian’s belly was full of rage, and she was far from willing to part with money. She was just about to make excuses when the big Captain coughed. “Hongxing Village is striving to be chosen as a Civilized Village. Comrade Li Ailian, if I discover again that your family lacks harmony and love, I’ll definitely drag you out for criticism!”

In the end, Li Ailian had no choice but to grit her teeth and go inside to fetch five yuan as Da Wa’s tuition fee.

Gu Yinyin then lowered her voice and pleaded again. “Mother, if Da Wa is going to school, then we need an oil lamp. The second and third brothers, and Meijuan, all have oil lamps in their rooms. Only ours doesn’t. Could we have one of them?”

At these words, everyone else stiffened. Who would be willing to give their own oil lamp to Gu Yinyin?

The eyes of the big Captain and Director Qiu bore down heavily upon Li Ailian, leaving her with no escape. In the end, she could only say: “I’ll give you one later.”

Gu Yinyin curved her lips into a smile. “Please give it now, Mother. You are always the fairest, and you wouldn’t go back on what you’ve promised the big Captain.”

Li Ailian nearly exploded, but she had to swallow her rage and order Shen Meijuan to bring out her oil lamp.

Shen Meijuan was extremely unwilling. Who did not want an oil lamp once it got dark? Without one, there was nothing to be done in the pitch black—not even getting up at night without stumbling was possible!

But with the pressure of the big Captain and Director Qiu, Shen Meijuan could only hand over the oil lamp.

Gu Yinyin put away both the five yuan and the oil lamp. In truth, she had not wanted these two things all that badly; she only wanted to disgust Li Ailian and the rest.

After the big Captain and Director Qiu left, Gu Yinyin sat at the dining table with her two children, helping herself to the thin porridge.

The Shen family all glared at her. Li Ailian pressed her nails deep into her palm to stop herself from erupting in fury. “Eldest daughter-in-law, even if you could talk your way across the whole world, you still can’t eat this lunch. Wenxiu and Hongmei cooked according to the number of people. Everyone goes out to work. If you three eat this, then what will the others do?”

Gu Yinyin looked at her calmly. “Then what are we supposed to eat?”

Li Ailian rolled her eyes. “Eat what? Go to the kitchen and cook for yourself! Eat whatever is there! Nobody is more delicate than anyone else—what more do you expect to eat?”

Gu Yinyin let out a cold laugh. “There’s nothing at all in the kitchen. How do you expect me to cook?”

“You cook however you want to cook. That’s none of my business!” Li Ailian lifted her bowl of porridge and took a sip.

Still fuming from having had her oil lamp taken, Shen Meijuan snapped angrily: “Eldest Sister-in-law, a capable woman can even make plain water satisfying!”

Gu Yinyin stood up and spat directly into Shen Meijuan’s face. “Pah! Then you make me a pot of plain water to try! You people just don’t want my children and me to eat! Fine, I’ll cook for us myself. But let me say this up front—whatever I cook, none of you are allowed to touch!”

She had originally wanted to return to her room and fetch her own fine flour, but just as she lifted her foot, something suddenly flashed in her mind!

In the original book, it had been mentioned that Ma Hongmei always complained that her mother-in-law favored the eldest branch, but in truth the old woman treated her the best. She even went out of her way to buy fine flour for her, secretly instructing her to give Tieshuan and Baoni extra meals. In addition, Ma Hongmei had hidden away some eggs, right in the hole at the bottom of the kitchen cupboard.

That hole usually held rat poison, and hardly anyone ever touched it. Who would know that in the innermost part were hidden fine flour and eggs?

Gu Yinyin nimbly went to the vegetable garden, plucked a few scallions, and then returned to the kitchen. From that hole she pulled out Ma Hongmei’s eggs and fine flour. She scooped out a generous bowlful, cracked open an egg, and mixed the golden yolk with the flour, chopped scallions, water, and a bit of salt, forming a smooth batter.

Thinking about how Da Wa would eat, and how Xiao Wa rarely got to enjoy such good things—surely she could eat quite a lot—just one egg would have no real flavor anyway. And besides, they were not her eggs, so what did it matter if she wasted them?

She cracked three eggs in quick succession, mixing up a large bowl of batter. She lit the fire, heated the pan, poured in a ladle of oil, and soon fried up a fragrant plateful of scallion and egg pancakes!

Since porridge would take too long to cook, Gu Yinyin made three bowls of flour-dough soup, one for each of the three of them.

But just plain vegetable dough soup would be far too bland!

After some thought, she pulled out another egg, beat it into the pot, and instantly turned it into a colorful vegetable-and-egg dough soup!

As the aroma drifted now and then from the kitchen, Ma Hongmei began to panic. But reason told her that Gu Yinyin could not possibly know where she had hidden the fine flour and eggs. After all, they had been stashed away for years—that was why her Tieshuan and Baoni had both grown so robust.

But when Gu Yinyin brought out three bowls of egg-and-vegetable dough soup and a heaping plate of scallion-egg pancakes, Ma Hongmei nearly fainted!

No one at the table could eat their bowls of cornmeal porridge and vegetable buns anymore. All of them stared fixedly at the pancakes and the egg soup.

Da Wa and Xiao Wa’s eyes sparkled. “Mama! What are these delicious things?!”

Li Ailian felt a sour pang in her heart. “Where did you get those eggs and fine flour?!”

Heavens above! Eating like this even once would ruin the household!

Gu Yinyin picked up a pancake and stuffed it into Da Wa and Xiao Wa’s hands. The two children ate with relish, utterly delighted.

She herself also took a bite. With genuine country eggs and uncontaminated wheat flour, ah, the pancake was so fragrant, so intoxicating!

Chewing her egg pancake, she spoke with mock mystery. “Funny thing—just as my little sister-in-law said, I poured some clear water into the pot, and who would have thought, out popped a bowl of fine flour and a few eggs? Tsk tsk, how miraculous! Since it was there, why shouldn’t I cook it up and eat?”

Ma Hongmei seethed with hatred. Those eggs and that flour were clearly hers! But she could not admit it. If she spoke up, how could her mother-in-law continue secretly favoring her in the future?

The adults could hold back, but the children could not. Tieshuan, drooling as he watched the egg pancake in Da Wa and Xiao Wa’s hands, suddenly stood up to accuse: “Grandma! Mother! The eggs and flour they’re eating are definitely the ones my mother hid! Otherwise, where could Eldest Aunt have gotten eggs and flour?”

Baoni chimed in as well: “Exactly! My mother hid those eggs and flour in the kitchen for me and Tieshuan to eat. Da Wa and Xiao Wa, you’re not allowed to have them!”

Before Gu Yinyin could respond, the second branch’s Liu Wenxiu’s face darkened. She was usually good-natured, but at this moment she realized that she and her children had suffered a great loss.

“Hongmei, were those fine flour and eggs hidden by you?” Liu Wenxiu’s gaze turned icy as she fixed it on Ma Hongmei.

Gu Yinyin lounged back, crossing one leg over the other, nibbling an egg pancake and sipping the dough soup. Ah, food to eat, drink to drink, and a show to watch—the days were indeed good!