Chapter 20 Eat Together

Seeing that Tian Yongmei seemed intimidated by Song Jianjun and was starting to back down, Wang Huishu immediately nudged her from behind and whispered, “Mom, no matter how the money went missing, we have to find a way to get it back. What are we going to do otherwise?”

What she meant by “otherwise” was that without the money, she wouldn’t be able to pay for school — and that was a matter that could affect her entire life.

Tian Yongmei thought the same. After all, their family had really lost the money. And no matter what, Wang Huimin was still her daughter. They just had an argument — what’s the big deal? Even if this was reported to the authorities, they were the victims. What mattered most now was making sure her elder daughter’s education wasn’t affected. As her mother, she had to get that money back.

She refused to believe that such a large amount of money could just disappear into thin air. Once they really searched thoroughly, she wasn’t afraid of Wang Huimin refusing to admit the truth. In thinking this way, Tian Yongmei conveniently forgot that Wang Huishu wasn’t even her biological daughter — Wang Huimin was.

Facing Song Jianjun’s sharp gaze, Tian Yongmei stiffened her spine and said, “Even if a married daughter is like water thrown out, she’s still my daughter—blood is thicker than water.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to keep her here, I just want to get the money back. Since son-in-law believes the village committee should be involved, I have no objection. As long as we can find the money, that’s fine by me.”

Seeing that all she talked about was money, showing all her concern for Wang Huishu—who wasn’t even her real daughter—and none for her biological daughter, Song Jianjun felt chilled for Wang Huimin. He now understood why she had been willing to go to such lengths—even “marrying” a crippled, older man like him—just to escape this household.

He tightened his hold around her, face sinking coldly. “Since mother-in-law agrees, we’ll leave this matter to the village committee. We’ll talk when they’ve reached a conclusion.”

“But Xiaomin’s nose is bleeding from your beating. I’m taking her to see a doctor first. If anything serious happens to her, no matter who laid the hand on her, I will hold them accountable.”

Tian Yongmei looked like she wanted to speak, but couldn’t find the words. Her expression darkened.

Song Jianjun ignored her completely and turned to the crowd. “Now that we’ve decided what to do, I’m taking Xiaomin home.”

With that, he wrapped his arm around Wang Huimin and led her away in the direction of his house. With Song Jianjun there, Tian Yongmei didn’t dare stop her anymore.

The crowd, seeing that the show was over, quickly dispersed and headed back to their own homes.

Only Wang Huishu remained a little worried. “Mom… is all that money really gone? Even if we alert the village committee, there’s no guarantee we’ll get it back. What do we do?”

Tian Yongmei, though anxious to death herself, still comforted her precious daughter. “Don’t worry, Xiaoshu. I don’t believe that money could just disappear. It’s got to be that wretched girl. I’ll definitely find a way to get it back. I won’t let your schooling be delayed.”

Wang Huishu could only nod. Then she and Tian Yongmei went straight to the village committee to report the matter, saying they had lost a significant amount of money.

In those days, the police station was far away in the county town. Reporting to the village committee was considered going through official channels. If the culprit was found, legal responsibility would follow.

Only someone like Tian Yongmei could be so shameless — turning a family dispute into something this public, dragging her own daughter through the mud.

On the other side, Song Jianjun helped Wang Huimin home. Just then, Song Fu had finished cooking breakfast and was waiting for Song Jianjun to come back and eat. Seeing that he had brought Wang Huimin home — and that she was wearing his coat — Song Fu’s face immediately darkened.

He hadn’t gotten over his anger yet, but due to his third uncle’s intimidating presence, he didn’t dare say anything.

Song Xiaolong and Song Xiaoxue were still young, and they listened to their third uncle in everything.

Song Jianjun helped Wang Huimin sit on the heated brick bed. “Xiaomin, how do you feel? I’ll go get a doctor to come take a look. If you’re really injured, we’ll have to go to the county hospital right away.”

At the time, most villages only had barefoot doctors who could handle minor ailments. For anything more serious, one had to go to the county hospital.

Wang Huimin gently shook her head. “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt. I just bled a little when she hit me earlier. It’s nothing now.”

Song Jianjun said, “Still, we can’t ignore it. A nosebleed isn’t a small matter. Let’s eat first, then I’ll find a doctor.”

Song Fu had already led his younger siblings to set the table. The food was all served.

Back then, grain production was low. Good-quality grain had to be handed over as state quota. Families were left with just enough to survive. Only wealthier households could afford fine rice and flour—most families only got to eat that during festivals.

This morning’s breakfast was cornmeal porridge with a few reheated cornflat cakes and a small plate of pickled vegetables—just enough for the four of them.

Wang Huimin was brought back unexpectedly, so there was no portion for her.

The table was an old, worn round wooden one, with a few mismatched stools—all handmade by Song Jianjun himself. Each of the three kids got a flat cake and a bowl of porridge.

Song Jianjun served Wang Huimin a bowl of porridge and gave her his own flat cake. He also fetched her a small spoon. “Xiaomin, eat.”

Wang Huimin didn’t eat right away. She looked at him and said, “If I eat your food, what will you eat?”

There was about one bowl of porridge left in the pot. Song Jianjun poured it into his own bowl. “I’ll make do. It’ll be noon soon anyway—we can cook again. Go ahead and eat.”

There were about five bowls’ worth of porridge in total. Usually, each person would get one bowl, and any leftovers were shared. But with an extra person today, no one had extra.

The two younger kids didn’t say anything, but Song Fu wasn’t pleased. There wasn’t enough food to fill them up, and now they had to share with Wang Huimin? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

After what had happened, the woman who was supposed to be his wife had become his aunt. He’d never swallowed that bitter pill—and had long turned Wang Huimin into an enemy. He glared fiercely at her, then quickly lowered his head to eat, afraid his third uncle would notice.

Of course, Wang Huimin noticed the look he gave her—but she couldn’t care less. To her, Song Fu wasn’t even worth a fart. Her attention was all on Song Jianjun.

She split the flat cake in half, gave one piece to Song Jianjun, and smiled. “That’s right. We’ll have lunch soon anyway. One bite is enough—we’ll eat together.”

Song Jianjun glanced at her, didn’t refuse, and took the half flat cake. He took a bite and started eating with his porridge.

Wang Huimin didn’t say another word. As she ate her food, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She had finally escaped Tian Yongmei’s clutches—and her mood was excellent.

When her gaze happened to fall on Song Fu’s face, looking like he’d just swallowed a fly, she felt even better.

Serves you right, you bastard. Choke on it.