Chapter 48.1

Chen Meijiao stood at the gate of Wen Nuan’s yard, looking a bit worried as she asked Deng Juxiang, “Sister Juxiang, will Comrade Wen Nuan mind my sudden visit?”

Chen Meijiao had been to Wen Nuan’s house once before, but that time was to apologize after her mother-in-law maliciously slandered Wen Nuan, claiming she had taken over her position in the cafeteria. The two of them hardly knew each other.

However, Deng Juxiang’s relationship with Wen Nuan was different. During the Spring Festival, even though Meijiao was in confinement after giving birth, she had heard that Wen Nuan had specially sent chicken soup to her home. Their relationship was quite good.

She understood that Sister Juxiang wanted to comfort her by taking her out to relax and chat with others. Meijiao was willing to come along simply to reassure Juxiang, letting her know that she was okay.

Deng Juxiang took her hand and smiled. “Don’t worry, Xiao Nuan is a really nice person. You’ve been to her house before, right? She even mentioned to me that she was looking forward to you coming over to play.”

Deng Juxiang was eager to take her out to relieve her stress. Ever since Meijiao had given birth to her daughter, she had been stuck at home all day. Even after her confinement, she hardly moved around, and although the baby was still very young, Aunt Zhang wasn’t too busy to take a walk outside.

Especially after what had happened to Chen Meijiao, staying cooped up at home would drive anyone mad.

It was already difficult to control emotions after childbirth, and with the added stress of such troubling events, Deng Juxiang couldn’t imagine how Meijiao had managed to get through it.

Deng Juxiang couldn’t change Chen Meijiao’s choices, but she wanted to help her escape the oppressive environment at home, even if just temporarily. While she couldn’t persuade her, sitting down together for a chat would surely be beneficial for her.

Chen Meijiao nodded, saying, “That’s good.”

Hearing Deng Juxiang’s words reassured her a lot. She then adjusted her hat, feeling that it had covered the bruise on her forehead, and finally walked into Wen Nuan’s yard.

The weather in the Northern City was still quite cold. Although it had stopped snowing, a cotton jacket was still necessary. Deng Juxiang looked at Chen Meijiao, who appeared thin and frail even in her cotton jacket and silently led her into Wen Nuan’s home.

When Wen Nuan and Sister Guihua saw Chen Meijiao arrive, they acted as if nothing was wrong and quickly invited her inside.

Yesterday, Shen Bairong came over with some water chestnuts and sugarcane. This morning, thinking that everyone would be coming to make pastries, Wen Nuan had cooked some water chestnut and sugarcane soup.

As soon as Sister Juxiang mentioned bringing Chen Meijiao over, Wen Nuan had already washed several cups and poured one for her. “Comrade Chen, here, have some warm drink. If you finish this, there’s a big pot over there; you can refill.”

After entering, Chen Meijiao instinctively lowered her head, as if trying to hide the bruise on her forehead. When she received the cup from Wen Nuan, she slightly raised her head and said, “Thank you.”

Wen Nuan smiled. “No need to be polite; just treat this place like your own home.”

It was only then that Wen Nuan noticed the edge of Chen Meijiao’s knitted hat had a faint bruise, but it was not very noticeable anymore.

However, compared to that slight bruise, the more striking aspect was the noticeable swelling around Chen Meijiao’s eyes, which had clearly been crying. She looked extremely haggard and thin.

Since the last time she had visited, there have been obvious changes in her condition.

After giving birth, the drastic drop in hormone levels often led to feelings of exhaustion, but Chen Meijiao’s state was worse than Wen Nuan had anticipated. Not only did she appear pale and emaciated, but her overall spirit seemed exceptionally poor.

Wen Nuan had heard from Sister Juxiang that Chen Meijiao used to be the beautiful woman everyone praised in the family compound. She was tall, with fair skin and delicate features; she truly was a beauty.

It seemed that the troubles Chen Meijiao had faced recently had caused her significant emotional harm and deep distress.

Before picking up Chen Meijiao, Deng Juxiang had already informed the others to act as if they were unaware of anything, just to bring Meijiao over to chat and make some pastries, so she wouldn’t feel too depressed.

Once inside, Chen Meijiao had remained a bit guarded, her face lacking expression, only managing a distant smile. She took a few delicate sips of the water chestnut drink in her hands.

As she tasted the faint sweetness in her mouth, she couldn’t help but look at Wen Nuan and smile. “This tea is delicious; it has a unique sweetness. Comrade Wen, what did you put in it?”

Upon hearing her question, Wen Nuan patiently replied, “I added some water chestnuts and sugarcane, so it has a bit of sweetness. If you like it, I can pour you some more.”

Chen Meijiao held the cup with both hands, feeling the warmth of the tea transfer to her, which made her heart warm as well. “No need; I can get some myself later. You go ahead and be busy.”

Seeing that her expression had finally relaxed a bit, Wen Nuan asked, “We’re preparing to make chestnut pastries. Would you like to try making some too?”

That morning, Wen Nuan had asked Gu Qinghan to help steam the chestnuts and then mash them, and the dough was ready to be formed into pastries. It didn’t require much skill.

Of course, even if the pastries didn’t turn out well, it didn’t matter; they could treat it as practice and enjoy chatting together.

Chen Meijiao was silent for a moment before nodding uncertainly. “I’ve never done it before. If I mess up, Comrade Wen, please don’t mind.”

Deng Juxiang had been observing Chen Meijiao and noticed that she seemed willing to join in the activity. She smiled and said, “I can’t do it either. We can just learn slowly from Xiao Nuan.”

Sister Guihua chimed in with a laugh, “Exactly! We’re not professional chefs from a state-run restaurant. It’s just for ourselves, so even if we don’t do it well, it’s fine. Xiao Nuan isn’t the kind of person to be stingy.”

Wen Nuan looked at Chen Meijiao and asked, “You know how to roll dough, right?”

“Yes.” Chen Meijiao nodded instinctively, behaving like an eager student.

Wen Nuan stood beside the Eight Immortals table, pressing her slender hands into a piece of light yellow dough, and waved her hand, saying very casually, “Then come over and help me. The more people we have, the faster we can finish the pastries. You can handle rolling the dough.”

Wen Nuan’s tone was so friendly that Chen Meijiao momentarily felt as if they were long-time friends.

When she met Wen Nuan’s bright, sparkling eyes, something in her heart—her sense of resistance and strangeness—began to fade, making her subconsciously want to draw closer.

In fact, as she met Wen Nuan’s gaze, she had the illusion that Wen Nuan could see through her façade, recognizing that she was not happy.

Chen Meijiao prepared to put down the cup of water chestnut drink in her hand, but after a moment of thought, she took another sip. The sweet warm water made her feel revitalized. After finishing her drink, she slowly walked over to Wen Nuan.

After walking over, Wen Nuan indeed handed her the rolling pin without hesitation. “I’ve already cut the dough. You just need to roll it out. It doesn’t have to be as thin as dumpling skins—just a bit thicker like this. When we bake it, the outer layer will be especially flaky and crispy, really delicious.”

As soon as Chen Meijiao took the rolling pin, she caught a whiff of a milky fragrance and curiously asked, “What a nice smell! Did you add milk?”

“No, it’s malted milk powder,” Wen Nuan replied. “Also, there’s lard; it makes the outer flaky crust even more fragrant and crispy. If you don’t like the chestnuts inside, you can replace them with other fillings, like mung beans or red beans. Of course, if you prefer savory, you can use minced meat.”

Chen Meijiao smiled and said, “I like sweet fillings.”

Wen Nuan glanced at her while continuing to knead the dough. “That’s perfect! Sister Guihua and Sister Juxiang both brought sugar, so this chestnut filling should be sweet enough. You can take some home to eat later; the weather isn’t too hot yet, so it can be stored for a while.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Meijiao quickly replied, “No need; I’ll just try a couple here.”

For some reason, she didn’t want to take these delicious treats home, and she felt a bit petty, not wanting her mother-in-law or husband to enjoy such tasty food.

Wen Nuan smiled but didn’t press the matter further.

On the other side, Sister Juxiang and Sister Guihua had been watching Wen Nuan knead the dough, noticing that it was similar to making glutinous rice balls, just with one additional step at the end to flatten it. They then began to busy themselves.

When several women gathered together, the conversation naturally flowed, especially for Sister Juxiang, who felt uncomfortable if she wasn’t talking. She started to share about her husband being away on a mission recently, leaving her at home with her mother-in-law to take care of the child, which inevitably led to some friction.

However, Sister Juxiang and her mother-in-law usually only had small spats; if they argued tonight, they would make up by tomorrow, never holding grudges overnight.

After Sister-in-law Ju Xiang finished her complaints, it was Sister-in-law Gui Hua’s turn to speak. She recounted how her mother-in-law had once made her drink a lot of herbal remedies.

Chen Meijiao had been silently listening to the two sisters-in-law chat. However, she noticed that Wen Nuan, apart from occasionally saying a few words, had not actively mentioned her own mother-in-law.

Chen Meijiao’s gaze fell on Wen Nuan’s fingers as she kneaded the dough. Under her skilled hands, the soft dough transformed into round dumplings, looking exquisite.

In contrast, Chen Meijiao had just attempted to shape a few, but they turned out ugly and uneven. Placed next to the dumplings made by Wen Nuan, hers resembled deformed fruits, making her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Why had her dumplings turned out so poorly?

After shaping a fair number of dumplings, Wen Nuan took some to the kitchen to fry them.

Chen Meijiao took the initiative to offer her help with the fire. She watched as Wen Nuan skillfully placed the dumplings into the hot oil. Under the pressure of the sizzling oil, the pale yellow dough began to expand slowly, like spring bamboo shoots flourishing after a rain, rapidly sprouting tips that transformed into golden-brown crispy skin. The fragrant aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen.

This was Chen Meijiao’s first time watching someone make crispy dumplings. Before marrying Zhang Zhibin, she seldom entered the kitchen at home; her mother usually handled cooking, and sometimes her two sisters-in-law helped. Her main responsibility had been eating.

After marrying Zhang Zhibin, she had cooked occasionally but not very well. Both Zhang Zhibin and her mother-in-law had remarked several times that her cooking was unpalatable.

Later, she joined a logistics kitchen, and with the guidance of her colleagues, she finally improved her culinary skills. However, she still could not satisfy her husband and mother-in-law.

In truth, she did not enjoy cooking at all. Yet, both her mother-in-law and husband insisted that these were tasks for a new wife. After becoming pregnant, she continued cooking but sometimes felt annoyed and exhausted, not wanting to do anything.

After finally giving birth, she had taken a break during the month of confinement, but during this time, her mother-in-law had started to instruct her to take on household chores again.

Whenever it was time to cook, her mother-in-law loved to take the baby outside and chat with the neighbors in the courtyard.

After hearing Sister-in-law Ju Xiang and the others vent their frustrations, Chen Meijiao also wanted to say a few things. However, she did not enjoy speaking about such matters.

Especially since she noticed that Wen Nuan wasn’t participating much in the conversation, only responding occasionally, Chen Meijiao felt less inclined to speak up.

Before long, Wen Nuan returned with the golden-brown crispy dumplings she had fried, taking them outside to the courtyard for Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei.

The few children were playing with Lele in the yard, which made things easier for Wen Nuan. As soon as the dumplings came out of the pan, she took several over for them to eat.

Lele was more interested in playing with the older children than with Wen Nuan. Now that there was delicious food, she was especially joyful, urging her two older sisters to feed her.

Chen Meijiao watched from the kitchen door as Wen Nuan crouched down and affectionately kissed one of the children on the cheek. The child hugged her neck and returned the kiss.

It was a truly heartwarming scene.

Before long, Wen Nuan returned with an empty plate, a gentle smile on her lips.

Chen Meijiao gazed at Wen Nuan’s delicate and beautiful profile, striking and exquisite, with joy and happiness radiating from her face. For a moment, she felt dazed.

Once, it seemed, she had also been that kind of girl—happy and content.

Wen Nuan didn’t notice her and continued to scoop up the chestnut pastries from the pot, smiling as she said, “The kids all say it’s delicious. Looks like this time it turned out really well.”

Chen Meijiao nodded and handed Wen Nuan a larger tray, saying, “I can smell it and it already seems delicious.”

Just as she finished speaking, Wen Nuan had already picked up a freshly made, sizzling hot dumpling and placed it in a bowl, pushing it toward her. “You should try one too, but don’t eat too many. I added lard, so it’s a bit greasy. You still have to breastfeed; it could cause blockages.”

Chen Meijiao paused upon hearing Wen Nuan’s words. Without thinking, she replied, “My mother-in-law wants me to wean the baby so I can return to work at the logistics kitchen.”

Wen Nuan furrowed her brow and asked, “Do you want to wean the baby?”

When it came to breastfeeding, the mother’s decision was indeed the most important.

But Chen Meijiao mentioned that her mother-in-law wanted her to stop breastfeeding.

She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

Her daughter was still very young, and she simply could not bear to sever that bond. If she weaned the baby, her mother-in-law would undoubtedly take care of the child all day long, even to the point of sleeping with her.

Wen Nuan replied straightforwardly, “Then you shouldn’t listen to her. You are the child’s mother; no one can make decisions for you and your baby.”

Chen Meijiao hesitated for a moment but didn’t say anything, as she truly couldn’t imagine what the consequences would be if she opposed her mother-in-law.

She glanced at Wen Nuan, changing the topic. “Sister Wen, you must have a good relationship with your mother-in-law, right?”

Wen Nuan suddenly smiled, her smile bright and radiant as she looked at her and said, “Quite the opposite.”

“Ah?” Chen Meijiao was quite shocked. She then said, “I just heard the two sisters-in-law talking about their mothers-in-law and thought you had a good relationship with yours, which is why you didn’t join in the conversation.”

Wen Nuan pondered for a moment before laughing and replied, “My mother-in-law doesn’t like that I had a daughter and says I’m lazy. And my family sees me as a cash cow, wanting to scrape some money off me. Later, when the father of my child was transferred to the Northern City, I brought the baby along with me.”

Chen Meijiao was stunned, not expecting that the Wen Nuan everyone in the compound envied was actually not favored by either her maternal or in-law family.

She immediately thought of herself. Although she wasn’t liked by her mother-in-law, her family was wonderful. Whether it was her parents or her brothers and sisters-in-law, they all doted on her.

It was just that years ago, she had been too willful. For Zhang Zhibin, she had fallen out with her family and had said some very hurtful words.

Chen Meijiao hadn’t contacted her family for two years.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to; she just didn’t have the face to do so.

Perhaps it was also stubbornness, refusing to admit that she had misjudged people and married the wrong person.

“It’s fine,” Wen Nuan smiled lightly. “I don’t mind those things.”

Wen Nuan had never spoken about her family to anyone in the compound. Even with Sister-in-law Gui Hua and the others, it wasn’t that she was unwilling to talk; she just felt those matters were in the past. Her life might be ordinary now, but she felt very happy.

Chen Meijiao gradually calmed down. After a long silence, she said, “I thought someone as good as you would surely be liked by many people.”

Wen Nuan smiled and said, “That’s impossible. No one can be liked by everyone. As long as the people I like like me, that’s enough.”

Chen Meijiao was taken aback, her face turning pale, and she didn’t say anything.

Noticing Chen Meijiao’s silence, Wen Nuan continued, “The dumpling shouldn’t be too hot now; you should try one.”

Wen Nuan also poured her a little water chestnut juice, worried that she might choke.

Tears welled up in Chen Meijiao’s eyes as she looked at the crispy dumpling Wen Nuan had prepared for her. After a while, she finally reached out to take it, stuffing the golden, crispy pastry into her mouth.

The freshly made dumpling was fragrant and crunchy. With the first bite, the crispy outer layer crackled, while the soft, sweet chestnut filling had a perfect balance of sweetness—not too sweet, but also not bland. It was genuinely delicious.

Paired with the sweet and refreshing water chestnut juice, it was even tastier, instantly bringing back memories of the days spent by her mother’s side—

She had once been so happy.

Wen Nuan chuckled and asked, “How is it? Is the crust crispy?”

Chen Meijiao nodded, tears that had been welling up finally slipping down her cheeks. Choked with emotion, she said, “It’s so fragrant and crispy. I’ve never eaten such delicious dumplings before.”

Only now did she notice that there were also a few white sesame seeds on the crispy skin.

“Delicious food, I’ll take a few more home later. We made a lot today,” Wen Nuan smiled and said, “I’m going to prepare a cast-iron pot dish with big goose and abalone braised chicken later. You should stay and have a meal together. Don’t waste your energy on people and things that aren’t worth it.”

Chen Meijiao was stunned for a moment, suddenly understanding something.

Wen Nuan might not have received affection from her own family or her in-laws, but she had gained her husband’s love.

Just now, Sister Guihua had also mentioned that her mother-in-law disliked her for not being able to have children. However, in order to make Sister Guihua happy, Captain Zhou sent his mother back to her old home.

But how did her own man treat her?

The dull ache from the bruise on her forehead reminded her that she was not loved.

If he loved her, would he hit her?

No.

Her father loved her mother; although he was a bit patriarchal, he would never lay a hand on her mother. Her brother also cherished his sister-in-law, taking care of all the household chores while she was pregnant; how could he bear to hit her?

But what about her husband?

Just because she refused to listen to her mother-in-law and go back to work early, he beat her with fists and kicks.

Even though afterward he cried, pleading with her, kneeling down and hitting himself while saying it wouldn’t happen again.

Looking at her husband’s face full of regrets, she also believed he would change.

But now, when she thought about it, would he really change?

If Zhang Zhibin truly loved her, he wouldn’t have only known how to escape during their marriage, nor would he have laid a hand on her!

She felt so foolish; why had it taken her so long to understand this?

Chen Meijiao covered her face and suddenly burst into tears. In the living room, Deng Juxiang and Zhang Guihua heard the crying and quickly rushed over.

Wen Nuan, however, made a “shh” gesture and continued flipping the pastries, lowering her voice to the two sisters-in-law and saying, “Let her cry it out, it’s a way to vent your repressed emotions.”