Liu Hongmei had been married into the Song family for several years and knew her mother-in-law’s temperament well.

When her mother-in-law said something like this, it was never a joke.

If she were to be kicked out today, her mother-in-law would certainly bring in a new wife for Xiangdang by tomorrow.

And how many stepmothers genuinely treat their stepchildren well? If that happened, wouldn’t her son Wenhao be the one to suffer?

No love from his father, no care from a stepmother.

That was simply unacceptable.

Liu Hongmei shivered and quickly begged for mercy.

“Mom, it was just a moment of foolishness on my part. I said something wrong. Please don’t be angry with me. For the sake of Xiangdang and Wenhao, can you be the bigger person and forgive me?”

After saying that, Liu Hongmei even shed a few tears as if she had been terribly wronged.

Chen Juhua, who had been in a good mood chatting with her granddaughter, immediately grew irritated at the sight of Liu Hongmei, the troublemaker. Waving her hand impatiently, she said, “Enough. Stop your fake tears and get back to your room. Just the sight of you annoys me!”

Feeling wronged, Liu Hongmei covered her face and hurried back to her room.

With Liu Hongmei gone, the courtyard of the Song family finally quieted down. Lin Yuehong, who was working in the kitchen, spoke candidly to her sister-in-law, Zhao Xiuying:

“Big sister, it’s been years since the third sister-in-law married into the Song family. How could she still be so clueless? Mom’s already troubled enough and she still has to go and make things worse.”

Zhao Xiuying wasn’t one for gossip, so she simply smiled without saying anything.

Lin Yuehong knew her sister-in-law’s temperament well, so she chuckled twice and fell silent.

After this little drama caused by Liu Hongmei, life in the Song family returned to its usual peaceful state.

But everyone in the Song family knew that this peace was only on the surface. At least Liu Hongmei was not content deep down, though she didn’t dare to say anything.

After all, in this household, what the mother-in-law said was final.

If she didn’t watch herself and ended up angering her mother-in-law again, she’d definitely be sent back to her parents’ house.

Just thinking about the gossip she heard during her last visit to her parents’ village made Liu Hongmei fume with anger.

No matter what, she had to stay put and behave at home.

The entire Song family was eagerly waiting for the three Song brothers—Song Xiangdong and his two siblings—to return home.

Day after day passed and still, there was no word from the brothers who had been gone for five days.

But there was some good news—the rain that had poured down for five consecutive days and nights finally stopped on the sixth morning, and the sun came out.

With the sun shining, the children in the village ran wild like little monkeys let loose and the Song family boys headed for the hills.

Song Wenxuan and Song Wenjie, the two brothers were preparing to return to school as their break was coming to an end.

The classroom where Song Wanyue studied had been flooded due to the heavy rain, so the school extended the break while the teachers and students worked on repairing the classroom.

With the weather clearing up, the Dahe Mountain production team got busy again.

After five days of rain, the wheat seedlings in the fields were nearly ruined, so Song Jiandang, as the team leader, organized the village’s able-bodied men to quickly dig drainage ditches to get rid of the waterlogged fields.

Once the water was drained, they had to rush to replant the crops. Otherwise, the year’s harvest would be wasted.

The Mountain production team was bustling with activity, with everyone working from dawn till dusk in the fields.

The able-bodied men of the village were responsible for digging the ditches, while others were out weeding and fertilizing.

The Song family was no exception. Since the three Song brothers were away, they were short on hands.

Chen Juhua led the whole family to work hard in the fields. Song Wanyue, wearing a small straw hat and carrying a little hoe, wanted to join in but was sweet-talked and persuaded by her grandmother to stay home.

With no work to do in the fields, the little girl took her six-year-old cousin, Wenhao, and a small basket up the mountain to gather wild vegetables.

It was now April, and the wild shepherd’s purse and other greens on Dahe Mountain were growing lush and tender. Many young girls from the village liked to go up the mountain to gather wild greens together.

These wild greens, once cleaned, made a delicious dish at home.

Six-year-old Wenhao was a little rascal who loved to run around the mountain and village. He adored his pretty cousin, Song Wanyue and would often show her off to his little friends.

“See, my sister is the most beautiful!”

The village kids would hear this and run home to pester their parents, wanting a sister as pretty as a fairy.

The parents would be both amused and exasperated. Where could they possibly find a fairy-like sister for their kids?

Even Qin Baozhu from the Qin family envied Wenhao for having such a beautiful cousin and ran home to pester his grandmother for a fairy sister.

Qin Baozhu was the apple of his grandmother’s eye, and when she saw him rolling on the ground, covered in snot and tears, she hurried over to console him:

“Oh my, my precious baby! The ground is cold. How can you roll on it like that? Come on, let’s go inside. You can roll on the kang instead. It’s much more comfortable, right?”

But Qin Baozhu wouldn’t be swayed. He kept rolling on the ground, shouting, “I want a fairy sister! I want a fairy sister!”

*What? What is my dear grandson asking for now?

A fairy sister?

What’s that? Is it one of those fairy dolls from a picture?*

Qin Baozhu’s grandmother was completely baffled. With a puzzled look, she leaned in and asked her precious grandson, “Baozhu, what’s this fairy sister you’re talking about? Is it one of those dolls from a picture?”

“Ugh! You useless old woman! I want a beautiful fairy sister, just like Song Wanyue from the Song family not some stupid doll!”

Qin Baozhu, who usually acted like a little tyrant at home, didn’t even respect his grandmother. In his frustration, he kicked her leg, leaving a dirty footprint on her pants. Yet, the old woman just smiled proudly.

“Oh my, my Baozhu is getting stronger! Look at those little legs, so full of strength! Alright, I’ll go find you a fairy sister.”

*Really?*

Hearing this, Qin Baozhu immediately stopped rolling on the ground, popped his dirty fingers into his mouth and stared up at his grandmother, snot running down his face.

“Of course, when has grandma ever lied to you?”

She patted his head with a chuckle and led him to the front yard. At that moment, Qin Rongrong was washing clothes in the yard. Without warning, the grandmother pushed Qin Baozhu forward and said with a smile, “Baozhu, isn’t this the fairy sister you were looking for?”

Qin Rongrong, flattered by the comparison, smiled softly, thinking that every girl liked to be told she was beautiful. Being called a “fairy sister” was certainly a compliment.

With a gentle voice, she asked, “Baozhu, why were you looking for your sister?”

But to her surprise, Qin Baozhu pushed his grandmother’s hand away, spat on the ground, and shouted, “You idiot! I want a real fairy sister, someone as beautiful as Song Wanyue from the Song family, not an ugly freak like you!”

Qin Rongrong’s face twisted in anger at these words and she reached out to hit Qin Baozhu. But before she could, her grandmother pushed her away, causing her to fall into the muddy yard, where she landed in a puddle, getting a mouthful of mud.

The old lady didn’t care. All she could think about was how this wretched girl dared to hit her precious grandson right in front of her. Did she have a death wish?

She launched into a tirade, cursing and pinching Qin Rongrong, who was nearly in tears from the pain.

*Song Wanyue! It was always that little brat Song Wanyue!*

Qin Rongrong clenched her teeth in fury, nearly biting through her lips.

Meanwhile, Song Wanyue had no idea what was happening at the Qin family’s home.

At that moment, the sun was shining brightly, warming the entire Dahe Mountain. The locust trees on the hillside were in full bloom, their fragrance spreading for miles.

Under one of the large locust trees, Song Wanyue, wearing her little straw hat, looked up at the clusters of pure white flowers, smacking her lips like a little glutton.

She really wanted to eat some fried locust flowers with eggs.

Or maybe a bowl of fragrant locust flower rice would be just as good.

But with a small sigh, she realized she was too short to reach the flowers, and she couldn’t climb trees either. What could she do?

“What are you doing?”

A cold, deep voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

The little girl turned around at the sound, and there, under the dense shade of the trees, stood Ye Chenchuan, tall and imposing.

“Brother Chenchuan, it’s you!

 I was just thinking of trying to climb up and pick some locust flowers to take home, but… I’m too short.”

The little girl scrunched up her face in frustration but then noticed the tall man’s long legs and smiled sweetly.

“Brother Chenchuan?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you like some locust flowers?”

Ye Chenchuan: ???
———–

Heyy, Noaf here. Thank you for taking the time to read my first translation. Do support me more for other. This novel updates on Wednesday and Sunday.