Chapter 5 

As they passed each other, Su Xi remembered that the woman, who had become so thin that she looked like a skeleton, was the sister-in-law of this original body’s former best friend.

The woman rolled her eyes at Su Xi’s back, then licked her oily lips, carrying a large basin of clothes. She wobbled her way over to Wang Meihua and crouched down beside her.

“Hey, Cuilan, what delicious things did you eat today? Look at your mouth; it’s so oily. Your family’s food is not bad, huh?” Wang Meihua glanced at the woman next to her, a flash of disdain on her face but a teasing tone in her words.

Cuilan probably didn’t catch the sarcasm in Wang Meihua’s tone, proudly pursing the one slightly fleshy part of her lips. She felt pleased with herself for sneaking some pork that her mother-in-law had pickled for the New Year, and then smearing the fat and oil on her lips. It seemed like she did the right thing.

‘This made their old Wang family look quite well-off. Just look at them; all those envious eyes turned red. The feeling of being envied—oh, what a beautiful sight! ‘

Cuilan suddenly didn’t feel hungry, and her legs weren’t weak anymore.

Apart from her lips feeling a bit tingly from the salty seasoning, everything else was perfect. Well, her mother-in-law was afraid that the precious two ounces of meat wouldn’t last long, so she used a lot of salt for preservation.

So, in the midst of the ‘envy’ of the crowd, Cuilan raised her head with her dark, thin face, appearing as if she was accustomed to such reactions, and said, “What’s the big deal? We have meat almost every other day at home. Didn’t I also have an oily mouth a few days ago? Did you all forget?”

Several women, seeing her proud look and hearing her words, couldn’t help but chuckle, exchanging knowing glances. They didn’t expose her; after all, it wasn’t the first time. They were all in the same boat, and who didn’t know that her family was poor? Just look at the patches upon patches on her clothes; the original color was almost indistinguishable. They just lowered their heads to wash their own clothes, casually changing the topic.

Only Wang Meihua rolled her eyes, leaned closer to the woman beside her, and whispered, “As if no one knows she smeared pig oil on her lips. What a waste of things. If she really ate meat every other day, could she be so thin? Is she trying to fool us? If she has the guts to go back with those greasy lips, let’s see if her mother-in-law won’t teach her a lesson, wasting good stuff.”

“Shh! Don’t let Cuilan hear that; she might faint again later.”

Wang Meihua’s eyes flickered, recalling the time when a young woman had initially disapproved of Cuilan’s behavior. She had directly exposed Cuilan, who, in turn, turned red in anger and furiously turned away.

Her family was a tough bunch, relentlessly arguing until they managed to extract 20 chicken eggs from the young woman’s family to settle the matter.

Since then, no one has said anything in front of Cuilan anymore. Anyway, they treated it as a joke, merely for amusement, as long as Cuilan herself wasn’t embarrassed.

“Hey, have you heard? A few days ago, Xiao Xi was so frightened that she fainted in the back mountain. “Wang Meihua didn’t want to look at the unpleasant face of Wang Cui Lan and changed the subject.

In the countryside, entertainment was scarce, and any slightly significant event would spread throughout the entire village within half a day, especially when the person involved was a “prominent figure” in the village.

“Why haven’t I heard? Xiao Xi is good in every way—educated and beautiful. Much better looking than those educated youth from the city. It’s just that she’s too timid.”

“Exactly, in my opinion, the Su family’s little girl was raised like a young lady from a landlord’s house. Tsk, both parents are dead, yet she still puts on airs. Now she’s obediently doing laundry. In my opinion, with her attitude, it will be hard for her to find a good family in the future.” Wang Cui Lan instinctively licked her increasingly chapped lips, speaking with a hint of bitterness and envy.

Unintentionally, she licked off the oil on her lips. Realizing this, she quickly scooped up some water from the river, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and washed away the taste of salt from her mouth.

Then, absentmindedly wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she noticed the shiny oil on the cuff and regretfully realized that her plan to flaunt her shiny lips for the day had been ruined.

Feeling frustrated and regretful, she wished she could turn back time by a few minutes. In the end, it was all the fault of that wretched Su family’s little girl. If it weren’t for her, would she have wiped away the oil from her lips? She had even planned to show off at another household.

(Lu: Wtf? Why is it Su Xi’s fault?)

Thinking about this, Wang Cui Lan became even angrier. She vigorously rubbed the fabric in her hands, as if pretending the cloth was that damned girl from the Su family who had ruined her attempt to show off.

When Wang Cuilan uttered those words, several women wrinkled their brows disapprovingly, looking at her with dissent.

They usually enjoyed gossiping about various matters, but it was always done without any malice.

Moreover, regardless of the Su family’s history, Su Xi’s parents were martyrs, sacrificing their lives for the country. What Wang Cuilan said went too far. However, considering her tendency to threaten people with her “fainting” at the slightest provocation, even if they disagreed inwardly, most people hesitated to confront her.

Wang Meihua is a straightforward and irritable person, and he is also a relatively good neighbor to Su Xi’s family.

She couldn’t stand such vulgar language. Without much thought, she retorted, “Wang Cuilan, your words have crossed the line. Why do you care about Xiao Xi so much? Your words are too offensive. Besides, are Xiao Xi’s parents ordinary people? They are martyrs. Your idle talk could cause trouble. Be careful.”

“Oh, Wang Meihua, Xiao Xi lives a life like a young lady. What do you care for them? Who do you think you are?” Wang Cuilan wasn’t afraid of her. With a snap, she threw the clothes she was washing into the basin, stood up, raised her voice, put her hands on her hips, and started shouting at Wang Meihua.

Wang Cuilan would only dare to gossip behind people’s backs. If confronted face-to-face, she wouldn’t dare. Xiao Xi’s brother was like a wolf cub, fiercely protective. Although he was only 19 years old, he was tall and strong. If he knew what she said about Xiao Xi behind her back, he might tear her apart.

Unexpectedly, she didn’t draw the attention of the wolf cub with her few truthful remarks. Instead, it was the old woman, Wang Meihua, who started complaining. Disgusting! Bah!!

Wang Meihua wrung out the last piece of clothing in her hand and threw it into the wooden basin. She shook off the water stains on her hands and moved her legs, which were slightly numb from squatting. She stood up, leaned the wooden basin against her hip, and sneered at Wang Cuilan’s still somewhat shiny mouth. She scoffed, “I, Wang Meihua, may not be a very important person, but I’m not as rotten to the core as some people. What’s wrong? Are you jealous that Xiao Xi looks good and has a good family background? But Xiao Xi’s parents sacrificed their lives for her to live a comfortable life. Unlike some people who put oil on their mouths to act important, you thought everyone was clueless? Pah! Truly embarrassing!”

After saying this, Wang Meihua didn’t care about Wang Cuilan’s face, which had turned black and red instantly. She walked away with big strides, but considering Wang Cuilan’s usual tendency to faint, she unconsciously quickened her pace and quickly disappeared from everyone’s sight.

“You!!!” Wang Cuilan trembled, extending her fingers that looked like chicken claws and pointing at Wang Meihua’s retreating figure. She was so angry that her nose was crooked. She shook her fingers, gasping for breath, looking like she was about to faint.

Seeing her like this, the other women were afraid of getting involved in this family’s disputes. Regardless of whether the clothes were clean or not, they quickly carried their wooden basins and ran away in a hurry.

Wang Cuilan… If she tries some eggs or flour, it will be too difficult for them to take out.

Everyone had vanished without a trace, and Wang Cuilan stopped pretending. She vigorously pounded and rubbed her clothes, as if she were killing her father’s enemy. With a “ripping” sound, the already fragile, patched-up clothes were torn apart by her, leaving her so infuriated that she clutched her chest and groaned. It took her a while to curse and grumble, carrying the semi-dirty clothes away from the riverbank.

Vowing in her heart, she promised that next time she would definitely manage to extort something from them, especially from Wang Meihua, that shrew. Wang Cuilan was not one to be easily bullied.

But thinking about the encounter with Su Xi just now, Wang Cuilan’s eyes flickered. Unable to extort Wang Meihua, couldn’t she instigate her younger sister to go and ask Su Xi? After all, it wasn’t the first time.

With this in mind, Wang Cuilan’s mood instantly became delightful; even her hungry and weak legs felt a bit lighter.

……………

Su Xi was oblivious to the gossip by the riverbank. When she returned home, she was met with Grandma’s disapproving gaze, as expected.

After scanning the courtyard and not finding her brother, she asked, “Where’s Brother?”

Chen Xiangyun tapped her granddaughter’s head, took the clothes from her hands, and hung them on the clothesline without looking back. “Zhu Zi from Wang’s family came to call him to the back mountain, saying they were going to see if they could catch some wild chickens or rabbits. Nowadays, people are almost starving. Where can you find wild chickens and rabbits?”

Su Xi was intrigued; she wanted to go too. She found the large expanse of mountains and forests behind the village quite interesting and planned to explore it when she had time.

The place she grew up in was a plain area with no mountains at all.

“You’re not allowed to go to the back mountain, do you understand?” Chen Xiangyun hung the last piece of clothing and suddenly remembered the incident a few days ago when her granddaughter was frightened and brought back from the back hill. She immediately turned to look at her granddaughter, who seemed lost in thought.

Upon hearing this, Su Xi, with an obedient expression, shook her head and said, “I won’t go out. I’ll stay at home and study. The final exams are in a few days, and I want to get good grades to enter high school.”

As for what she truly thought, only she knew.

After her granddaughter fell ill, she became more obedient. Grandma nodded, her face filled with contentment. The little girl now knew the importance of studying. Holding a basket, Grandma walked towards the storage room, smiling, “Alright then, you stay home and study well. Grandma will wait for our Xixi to go to college!”

Su Xi replied, “Can I come too?”

Chen Xiangyun had already taken out a straw hat from the storage room and covered her head with it. He stepped onto the bamboo basket used for serving vegetables and waved his hand, refusing to say, “No need for you. You stay at home and focus on your studies. I’ll go pick some vegetables before the sun gets too scorching and make lunch.”

Upon hearing this, Su Xi no longer insisted and reluctantly returned to her own room.