Chapter 37

On a snowy day, the sun was dim and lifeless, and as evening approached, the sky turned dark and eerie.

Taking advantage of the last bit of light, Tian Lai Di hurried to the vegetable patch at the gate to cut a large cabbage. After she finished, she carefully put back the straw covering, making sure all the vegetables were shielded from the cold, before heading back to the kitchen.

“San Mei, making dinner? What delicious food are you cooking tonight? Count me and your brother in,” Wang Hongyan said, one hand resting on her waist — which showed no sign of her pregnancy — and the other hooked around her husband’s arm. Her face wore an enthusiastic smile, but her words were spoken as if it were only natural.

She was attractive, with thick brows, large eyes, and a plump figure, appearing slightly taller than Tian Changqing beside her. In terms of looks alone, she fit the type elders favored at that time.

Lai Di felt somewhat intimidated by this older sister-in-law, always sensing a critical and scrutinizing look from her that made her feel uneasy. She couldn’t exactly explain why, but she instinctively disliked it.

However, having grown up as the family’s “invisible child,” Lai Di didn’t dare show her displeasure and instead tried to avoid her as much as possible.

Luckily, despite her imposing nature, this sister-in-law looked down on the conditions of the family home and mostly lived with her in-laws. Today, however, she had returned for some unknown reason.

Lai Di didn’t really want to respond to Wang Hongyan, but her timid nature won out, and she eventually stopped in her tracks, mumbling, “For dinner… tonight, I’m making cabbage stew with bean paste.”

Wang Hongyan’s face showed distaste, conveniently forgetting that back at her parents’ home, she couldn’t even have dishes like this.

She held her back and pushed her belly forward slightly. “Why so plain? I’m carrying the Tian family’s precious grandson. Stir-fry a plate of eggs for me, and make it nice and greasy.”

Tian Changqing chimed in, “Yes, Lai Di, crack in a couple more eggs. I want some too.”

Holding the cabbage, Lai Di stammered for a long time but couldn’t bring herself to refuse. The family’s eggs were something she couldn’t take freely.

Seeing her little, pale face that, rather than looking sickly, somehow made her seem even more delicate, Wang Hongyan’s eyes gleamed with a flicker of disgust and envy.

Out of all the girls within the eighteen villages, it was the Tian sisters she despised the most, especially Tian Mi.

It couldn’t be helped; she’d been compared to Tian Mi since she was little. Anyone who’d seen Tian Mi and then saw her always said the same thing: “You’re pretty, but still a little inferior compared to that little Tian Mi Yatou from the Tian Family.”

Everyone had a sense of rivalry, and Wang Hongyan was no exception. So, at a young age, she began harboring hatred towards this unknown girl named Tian Mi.

By the time she was twelve and starting to grow into her looks, she was already in that phase where she cared about appearance. Yet she still heard comments like that.

Unwilling to believe a nine-year-old could look better than her, she went to Shengli Village specifically to see Tian Mi for herself.

Even now, at twenty-three, Wang Hongyan still remembered that moment eleven years ago. She hadn’t actually seen how pretty the girl was, but what she did see was a man in a police uniform, crouching in a corner and secretly handing food to three little girls.

It was right during the natural disaster; the Wang family was poor, and any food went straight to her younger brother. Even if he was a simpleton, he was still a boy.

If it hadn’t been for her own wits in getting food from other boys, she might not have made it.

She had thought everyone’s parents were like hers since all the girls in their village were considered dispensable.

But it turned out that wasn’t true — at least not for the Tian family.

That imposing Tian police officer actually saved his rations to feed the girls, while he stood by with a smile, guzzling water.

This left a huge impact on Wang Hongyan. From that day on, she couldn’t help but pay more attention to Tian Mi, even if Tian Mi never knew who she was.

Later, she heard that all the Tian family girls went to school, so she made a fuss at home, crying and pleading to be sent too. Back then, Wang Hongyan didn’t understand why girls needed to study; she just felt that if Tian Mi had it, she should have it too, and her competitive spirit was inexplicably awakened.

As they grew older, Wang Hongyan was determined to use her looks to marry into the city, thinking that becoming a city resident would finally put her a step above Tian Mi.

But in those days, city folk looked down on villagers. Even if a city boy liked her, his family didn’t approve, and some even went so far as to insult her openly. She herself wasn’t interested in men who were either divorced or unattractive.

With her constant picking and choosing, her age increased, her reputation declined, and then she met Tian Changqing.

Tian Changqing was a fool, spilling all his family’s details within half an hour of knowing her.

Wang Hongyan knew he was Tian Mi’s eldest brother — after all, she had paid such close attention to Tian Mi.

Before, she’d been focused solely on marrying into the city, so she hadn’t considered this option. Now that a city marriage was almost impossible, she thought joining the Tian family wasn’t a bad idea.

First, the Tian family’s situation was decent. Second, by becoming Tian Mi’s sister-in-law, she could keep her firmly under her thumb forever.

Moreover, with how indulgent the Tian family was towards Tian Changqing, Wang Hongyan felt she’d have a high chance of controlling Tian Mi’s marriage.

So what if she was prettier? So what if she had her father’s love? Who she married in the end would still be up to Wang Hongyan.

After all, a woman’s confidence always comes down to her husband and son.

Wang Hongyan had even started envisioning Tian Mi’s miserable future, rehearsing words of ridicule and ways to kick her when she was down.

But she didn’t expect a wildcard to appear.

When Liu Xiangdong found her, Wang Hongyan was green with envy.

Back then, one of the city men she fancied had only a temporary job, with his whole family of over ten people crammed into a 30-square-meter room, yet he still thought Wang Hongyan wasn’t good enough.

Why? Why did Tian Mi get, with no effort at all, the good fortune that Wang Hongyan schemed so hard to fight for?

What’s more, the Liu family, one of the top families in the town that she couldn’t even dream of joining, had Tian Mi casually rejecting them.

Not only did she turn them down, but Liu Xiangdong even went to extreme lengths for her. He set a trap for Wang Hongyan, making her accuse Tian Changqing of misconduct, and then used that to scare Tian Mi, demanding that she marry his foolish younger brother in exchange for her brother’s safety.

When Tian Mi had nowhere left to turn, Liu Xiangdong would swoop in like a hero to “rescue” her, capturing her heart.

Meanwhile, Wang Hongyan would finally get her longed-for city job and status.

She didn’t see anything wrong with what Liu Xiangdong was doing; in fact, she envied it. If a man put in such effort for her, she’d be overjoyed.

And later, under Liu Xiangdong’s watchful eye, given the choice to ruin Tian Mi using dirty tricks or secure a respectable job, she chose the latter.

As for Tian Changqing, he was nothing but a dim-witted fool. A few sweet words, and he’d come running back. And if not? No problem — she’d just get rid of the baby. With her urban household registration and stable job, how could she not find a better man? Soon enough, it would be up to her to decide whether she even wanted Tian Changqing.

But it seemed heaven wasn’t ready to let her plans succeed.

Just as Wang Hongyan was smugly plotting her way up by stepping over Tian Mi, the once-dominant Liu family unexpectedly fell from power. Meanwhile, Tian Mi, whom she despised, packed her bags and headed North — to marry a Regiment Commander, no less.

She hadn’t even had the chance to exercise her authority as the elder sister-in-law.

At first, she didn’t know what a Regiment Commander’s position entailed, assuming it was just some poor soldier’s post, and she heard the place he was stationed was especially harsh. 

Two days later, however, she learned from her father-in-law that a Regiment Commander was actually equivalent in rank to the County’s Deputy Magistrate — and that’s only after a half-rank reduction when military officers transitioned to civilian positions. Otherwise, he’d be at a county magistrate’s level.

If just a purchasing agent like Liu Xiangdong at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative made her green with envy, what about Tian Mi, whom she’d despised for years? Tian Mi hadn’t just married well; she’d become an official’s wife, marrying a man from Beijing. Wang Hongyan nearly fainted with fury.

The only consolation was that, from what she heard, the man was quite a bit older.

She figured Tian Mi’s husband must be old and ugly; otherwise, why would a city official, especially a high-ranking one, marry a rural woman? There were plenty of beautiful girls out there. Maybe he was even a widower with kids.

Wang Hongyan had originally comforted herself that marrying into the Tian family wasn’t so bad. At least her husband was young, decent-looking, and the best things in the household were always reserved for her and Changqing.

But now, after just twenty days or so of schooling, the third sister — whom she’d last seen with a sallow complexion — had become noticeably fairer, and this stirred up a new wave of darkness in her heart.

She despised the Tian sisters, especially the beautiful ones, for they reminded her of the humiliation she’d felt under Tian Mi’s shadow for twenty years and the fact that Tian Mi, now an official’s wife, was beyond her reach.

For the first time, Wang Hongyan took a serious look at the practically invisible third sister.

And slowly, her expression darkened.

Unexpectedly, this little wretch had grown into a rather delicate beauty, with an especially soft and pitiful aura.

Having spent years mingling with men, Wang Hongyan knew well that most men had a weakness for gentle, fragile women.

If she couldn’t deal with the favored Tian Mi, couldn’t she at least manipulate the invisible Tian Lai Di?

After all, her dim-witted brother was already 21…

With that thought, a smile crept back onto Wang Hongyan’s face as she eagerly looked Tian Lai Di up and down.

Lai Di shivered under her gaze, feeling an eerie sensation as if she were being watched by a snake.

Just as she braced herself to leave, she felt a sudden force pull her backward.

The next moment, a small figure stepped in front of her.

Ignoring her foolish older brother and that malicious… the little girl’s gaze lingered briefly on Wang Hongyan’s belly, but she held back her thoughts and simply looked past the two, grinning and baring her teeth as she looked up. “Dad, you’re back!”

Wang Hongyan, feeling both fear and respect for her father-in-law, turned around instinctively at those words.

But behind her, there was only darkness; there was no sign of her father-in-law.

Realizing she’d been tricked by a grade-schooler, she immediately turned back, only to catch sight of the two little girls darting into the kitchen.

Furious, Wang Hongyan smacked Tian Changqing hard a few times and cursed, “That wretched girl, such a sly, lazy freeloader!”

“Oh? Who’s the sly, lazy freeloader? Talking about yourself?”

At that, Wang Hongyan’s eyebrows shot up in anger as she turned to retort, only to be met with a pair of stern eyes. “Dad… Dad? You’re back.”

Realizing the meaning behind her father-in-law’s words, she felt both angry and ashamed, yet she didn’t dare argue. Instead, she forced an awkward smile.

Tian Hongxing, a police officer, had no good impression of his scheming eldest daughter-in-law, especially after suspecting her involvement in Liu Xiangdong’s harassment of Mi Yatou. Knowing she might have played a role only intensified his distaste.

If he ever found solid evidence… hmph! He wouldn’t hesitate to uphold justice, even if it meant punishing his own family. No matter how insignificant her actions might seem, he would see to it that she spent a few days in custody for some reflection.

Such utter disregard for the law!

Ignoring the couple’s ingratiating smiles, Tian Hongxing gave a cold snort and asked, “What are you here for?”

Over the years, Tian Changqing had grown accustomed to his father’s increasing indifference. He wasn’t afraid of him because he knew that whatever he wanted, he could just ask his grandparents or mother, and his father wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. So, grinning, he replied, “Mom misses her grandson, so I brought Hongyan back to have dinner together.”

Tian Hongxing looked at his son with a mix of emotions. “It’s only been a couple of months. How do you know it’s a grandson and not a girl?”

At that, both of their faces fell. “Dad, are you cursing us?”

Tian Hongxing… Although he did have a slight preference for sons, how was suggesting it might be a girl considered a curse? Such nonsense.

The Tian family’s dinner was quite sumptuous that night.

Recently, the family had exhausted their savings for Wang Hongyan’s wedding, forcing Luan Hongmei to scrimp and save for everyone’s meals.

Tonight, since the eldest son and daughter-in-law were back, the table had an extra plate of scallion-fried eggs, along with stewed spicy tofu and cabbage in sauce.

While Luan Hongmei didn’t particularly like her eldest daughter-in-law, she showed a bit of warmth, mostly for the sake of her belly.

But most of her attention was on her eldest son.

Not only did she place a whole plate of eggs in front of Tian Changqing, but she would occasionally, with a loving smile, add a few pieces to his plate, fearing his single pair of chopsticks might not suffice.

Tian Xiangyang, being the youngest, had grown used to his mother ignoring him whenever his elder brother was around. Yet he still felt a pang of disappointment, pursing his lips and lowering his head to sip his porridge without daring to reach for the eggs.

Lai Di and Pan Di, too, were used to this and didn’t bother vying for the eggs. Instead, they focused on their cabbage, occasionally picking out a few pieces for their younger brother.

Finally, unable to stand it, Tian Hongxing rose, picked up the plate of eggs, and under his wife’s glare, served a few pieces to each of the three children, of course not forgetting to put some in his own bowl as well.

After all this, more than half of the best pieces of the eggs were gone.

Seeing this, Luan Hongmei’s maternal instincts flared up. Just as she was about to make a fuss, she noticed that Si Yatou^[1]Fourth girl was still greedily taking a few more pieces and placing them in Lai Di’s, Xiang Yang’s, and the old man’s bowls.

Now, the already small portion of eggs was nearly gone, and those were supposed to help her eldest son regain his strength. Luan Hongmei shot to her feet with a “Whoosh!” and raised her chopsticks, ready to lash out…

“Bang!” Tian Hongxing slammed his hand down on the table, creating a heavy thud. If the table weren’t made of old mahogany, he probably would have broken it.

He scowled, glaring at his wife and the eldest son and daughter-in-law, who had shrunk back in fear, and scolded them coldly, “Eat if you want, and if you don’t, then get out!”

As rough as Luan Hongmei could be usually, she was a little frightened when her husband truly lost his temper.

After a few moments of silence, she glared at Si Yatou, who was eating diligently, and then, wearing a scowl, moved the egg dish back in front of her eldest son, refraining from taking even a single bite herself.

Seeing this, Tian Hongxing’s expression turned even grimmer, though he said nothing more and picked up his chopsticks to continue eating.

After dinner, Wang Hongyan, sensing the mood, quickly nudged Tian Changqing to head over to the grandparents’ place.

They had originally planned to stay here, but seeing how dark Tian Hongxing’s face had become, they didn’t dare linger.

However, just before leaving, Wang Hongyan glanced once more at San Jie, Lai Di, who was dutifully clearing the table, and finally left, satisfied, holding her belly.

Outside, the sky had turned completely dark. Luan Hongmei, worried about her son, insisted on accompanying him, planning to escort him to the grandparents’ home before coming back.

Once everyone had left, Tian Hongxing patted Xiang Yang’s small head, reassuring him, “Don’t envy your elder brother. They’re all ill, but as long as you study hard, you’ll understand when you’re older…”

Tian Xiangyang still didn’t quite understand, but he didn’t want to worry his father, so he obediently nodded. “I know, Dad.”

“Good boy. Tomorrow, Dad will bring you some candy,” Tian Hongxing said.

Pan Di immediately interjected, “Dad, San Jie and I want some too!”

Lai Di blushed. She was almost seventeen; she couldn’t still be greedy for candy! Though she really did want some.

Tian Hongxing gave her a light tap on the head and said with a laugh, “When has Dad ever left you out? You’ll all get some.”

Pan Di chuckled, “Dad is the best.”

Hearing this, Tian Hongxing couldn’t help but smile, and his somber mood lifted a little.

Noticing this, Pan Di’s eyes lit up, and she took the opportunity to complain, “Dad, I think something’s off with Wang Hongyan. She’s been giving San Jie weird looks. She stared at her earlier, and then took another look just before leaving.”

Tian Hongxing frowned. He’d always known that Si Yatou was sharp and competitive, but she was protective of Lai Di and Xiang Yang, so he didn’t doubt her, despite her young age.

Recalling his previous suspicions about his eldest daughter-in-law, he felt a cold chill run through him.

He kept a calm expression, just raising his hand to pat Si Yatou’s head and asked, “What was wrong with her look?”

Being still young, Pan Di thought for a long time before coming up with a rather unflattering description: “Like… looking at livestock, with bad intentions. Could it be that since Er Jie got married, she’s set her sights on San Jie, planning to marry her off to that foolish brother of hers?”

One had to admit, Pan Di’s guess was spot on.

Tian Hongxing’s expression grew darker.

He looked over at Lai Di, who was wiping down the table across from them. Her face had gone pale from their conversation, her eyes brimming with tears. He sighed inwardly.

This San Yatou^[2]Third girl—he wasn’t sure whom she took after—was timid like a rabbit, with such a pure heart.

He’d had plans for Lai Di for a while now. With her mother being unreliable, as her father, he had to step in.

Lai Di was so shy and gentle; she’d need someone simple and honest.

He walked over to the anxious girl, patting her small head, a mix of emotions in his heart. Lai Di was already 17; time had gone by so quickly. “Don’t be scared, Lai Di. Dad won’t let you marry a fool.”

Suddenly, Tian Hongxing slapped his forehead, then turned to Si Yatou and said, “Pan Di, check outside to see if anyone’s there.”

Pan Di caught on immediately and went for a quick look around. “Dad, no one’s there. What’s the secret?”

He motioned for the two girls to come closer. “Your Da Jie and Er Jie called today.”

The sisters and Xiang Yang’s eyes lit up at this news, and they looked expectantly at their father.

Tian Hongxing didn’t keep them in suspense. “I don’t know exactly what it’s about, but they said they had something to discuss with you two. We’re set to call them back at eight in the morning tomorrow. Xiang Yang, you’ll come along too. So no sleeping in; we’re all going to the police station together.”

“…”

To save on kerosene, people in the village went to bed early, and the Tian family was no exception.

In the dark, the sisters lay close, whispering to each other, making all kinds of guesses about what their elder sisters might want to discuss with them.

In the end, they couldn’t figure it out, and the two sisters drifted into drowsy half-sleep.

Just as Lai Di was about to fall asleep, her sister’s voice pulled her back. “San Jie, I have a feeling that Wang Hongyan woman is scheming something. Be careful and don’t go anywhere alone. If anything comes up, call me along.”

“…Mm, I know. It’s late now; let’s sleep.” Lai Di was silent for a long time before gently soothing her sister, patting her back in practiced motions.

Pan Di yawned and mumbled, “Then I’ll sleep… Don’t worry, San Jie… I’ll protect you. Tomorrow, let’s tell Da Jie and Er Jie and get ready to… uh… respond…”

The time was already well past when the sisters usually went to bed, so Pan Di quickly drifted into a deep sleep with her third sister’s rhythmic pats. 

But Lai Di, lying on her side, kept patting, lost in thought and unable to fall asleep.

When they woke up the next day, both sisters wore barely restrained, excited expressions. 

After breakfast, they set out towards town with Xiangyang, each carrying a school bag to appear as if they were headed to school.

Tian Hongxing wanted to ride his bike and take all three kids, but the children, ever filial, didn’t want to trouble their father. This moved him deeply, so he walked along with them, pushing the bike.

Chaoyang Village wasn’t far from town — only about a forty-minute walk, mostly because little Xiangyang’s short legs slowed them down.

When the four of them reached the police station, there was still plenty of time.

As the newest recruit, Han Wei was always the first to arrive at the station. Seeing Tian Hongxing bring the children in, he greeted them warmly and pulled a few candies from his drawer to hand over.

“Xiao Han, you go ahead with your work. We’re just here for the kids to make a quick call,” Tian Hongxing said, then habitually picked up the kettle to go boil some water in the back.

Lai Di immediately reached out, “Dad, let me take care of that. I’ll go boil it.”

Seeing this, Pan Di also offered to go to the small kitchen with her sister.

Appreciating his daughters’ filial piety, Tian Hongxing agreed and asked Han Wei, who was engrossed in his paperwork, “Xiao Han, where’s your hot water flask? My Si Yatou can fill it for you on the way.”

Han Wei handed over his flask, slightly startled when he met the awkward expression on the young girl’s face.

He’d thought she was a little kid standing behind Uncle Tian, but now that he saw her up close, he realized she wasn’t that young and noted again how all of Uncle Tian’s kids were not bad-looking.

Having something to do made the time pass faster.

Just as Lai Di and Pan Di returned with a kettle each, the phone rang.

The sisters’ faces lit up, and they hurried over to the phone…