Weak and leaning against the bed cabinet, Shen Meng looked at the angry expressions on Zhou Jiaojiao and Lu Jiaxuan’s faces, feeling a sense of satisfaction. In her past life, the original Shen Meng may have been malicious, but were they really innocent? They pretended to be passive, unambitious, and polite, but they were hardly blameless—especially when it came to Lu Mingkai. They knew their child had hurt him, but an apology was all they offered. Yet Lu Mingkai had lost his life.

Now, Shen Meng looked at the children in front of her, and felt a pang in her heart. She supposed it was the lingering spirit of the original Shen Meng. She pressed her hand to her chest and silently promised: she would repay and make amends for all that was owed. This would be her way of repaying the original Shen Meng for granting her a second chance at life.

As she made that vow, a lightness settled over her.

When you worry too much about saving face, it only leads to more concerns and fears—especially when others are around. As Li Debang and Zhang Hongfa saw that Liu Sanjin had finally handed over the money and agreed to give up the house, they felt relieved. At least the matter seemed settled.

“Big Sister, rest assured, Jiaxuan and I will move out right away. We’d planned to do so sooner and let you and the children take the place, but things have been hectic, and we put it off. Tonight, we’ll help you and the children settle in, and as a thank-you, I’ve brought some sugar and eggs, which I’ll send over soon.”

Though she was reluctant, Zhou Jiaojiao knew better than to protest. If Shen Meng died with a grievance against her, she would haunt her. Since there was no way to change the situation, she might as well put on a show for the village head and Party Secretary.

With that, she pulled Lu Jiaxuan along, hurrying out.

Shen Meng had a small smile, then looked at Li Debang and Zhang Hongfa. “I’m sorry to trouble you both with this trip, but in honor of Zhenping, I have one more request. When my family and I moved here, my mother said we’d pool our grain. Although the children and I don’t work much, we do earn some work points, which should go toward our share of the grain. Dad, please have Mingyang go with the village head to sort it out; he’s Zhenping’s eldest son, after all, and he’ll need to start learning how to manage his own household.”

At the mention of being the eldest, Lu Mingyang unconsciously straightened his back.

Liu Sanjin’s face was red with anger, her vision practically going dark. She wanted to tear into Shen Meng but had to hold back, both because outsiders were present and out of fear that Shen Meng really might die. She trusted Lu Zhanghong’s medical skills too much to risk pushing Shen Meng over the edge.

Wu Xianglan, on the other hand, was irritated. She had her eye on the household’s grain supply, hoping to sneak some back to her family. But catching Shen Meng’s gaze, she quickly averted her eyes.

Never mind, she thought. I’ll wait until she’s gone—then I’ll have my pick of the family’s things.

Lu Jiahe had been silent this whole time. Since Shen Meng hadn’t directed any complaints his way, he felt he could stay out of it. The money his mother had contributed and the room his younger brother was giving up didn’t involve him. But grain was a different story. As the household’s main earner, he felt entitled to it.

“No way,” he burst out. “You can’t touch the grain. We’re the ones who work hard to earn it, so why should we split it? You and Mingyang can come eat with us, but there’s no need to separate the grain since we’re not splitting households.”

Shen Meng’s eyes reddened, and she started coughing violently, looking as if she were on the brink of collapse. Wu Xianglan, panicking, pounded on Lu Jiahe’s arm in frustration.

“Be quiet! Did you hear what Doctor Lu said? If she runs a fever tonight, she might not last the week. Do you want her to come knocking on our door in the dead of night?” she whispered urgently.

With a rough push, Lu Jiahe shrugged her off. “Get out of the way. This is men’s business. I said no to splitting the grain, so that’s final. Shen Meng, you and these kids barely earn any work points, yet you’re always looking for a handout. You’ll never get a share of the grain.”

Zhang Hongfa, watching from the sidelines, stepped in. He had come partly because Wang Guizhi had made a fuss, but also to earn some goodwill with Zhenping’s family. His younger brother was about to turn sixteen, and the army would be recruiting soon. If he was selected, he would have to ask someone to take care of him in the army. Since there was a ready-made person, he wanted to establish a good relationship with him.

“Jiahe, you can’t talk like that,” Zhang began, shaking his head. “Your sister-in-law said earlier that the children hadn’t been called in for meals. They’re so hungry, they’re out there catching birds. She’s seriously injured now, and if you refuse to share even a little of the grain, what’s she supposed to do? Have the children starve?”

Lu Jiahe, a bully at home, knew better than to challenge Zhang openly. Still, he dug in his heels. “Fine. I’ll make sure to check in on them myself. The grain, however, stays here.”

Zhang shook his head in frustration. “That’s unreasonable. I’d been thinking we should compensate Zhenping’s wife a little for the accident with the production team’s bull. How about this: the production team will offer ten yuan and thirty pounds of refined grain as a goodwill gesture. Zhenping’s wife, take care of yourself and don’t worry too much. Zhenping is out there serving as a soldier, who knows when he’ll be back? You’ll want to be well enough to see him again.”

Shen Meng gave herself a hard pinch, forcing a stream of tears.

“Thank you both for your concern,” she murmured. “As for the grain—”

“Absolutely not,” Lu Jiahe interrupted, his face flushed with anger. “Over my dead body.”

“Fine then. If you refuse to share, Li Debang and I will be done here. Aunt Wang and Uncle Shen will take this to the commune and let everyone see how the Lu family took advantage of Zhenping’s absence to force his wife to her death. There are some things I didn’t want to explain, but don’t treat everyone like fools. Only a fool would believe lies. Aunt Liu, don’t you agree?”

Shen Meng: “…”

Liu Sanjin, shaken by Zhang’s tone, quickly intervened. “All right, enough. The grain will be shared. Jiahe, close your mouth and step back. And you! Are you just going to stand there and let your husband bully your sister-in-law? Get him out of here.”

Grabbing hold of Lu Mingyang, she turned to the village head and party secretary. “Let’s go divide the grain. You stay and take care of Shen Meng, and I’ll be back with the money soon.”

Hustling everyone out, she left in such haste that she seemed to fear Shen Meng might come up with another demand.

Once they were gone, Shen Meng let out a long, relieved breath.

The first battle after the time travel, a small victory.