Chapter 12: Second Sister-in-law Apologized  

As the old saying went: “A big tree branches out, and a big family eventually separates.”  

For a large family like the Fu Family, with a long line of grandchildren in the third generation, it would have been customary to divide the household once the youngest son got married.  

This was what Su Ruanruan thought, but she also knew this was something she could never bring up.  

The elders always preferred a big family living together. The liveliness made it feel like a prosperous household.  

Even if there were conflicts in such a large family, who didn’t have ups and downs in life? When trouble arose, people chose to hide their wounds, and after a night’s sleep, life went on as usual.  

Not only did Fu Chunshan and Wang Maoni refuse to split the family, but the six brothers of the Fu Family, along with their wives, had no intention of dividing the household either.  

As long as the family remained undivided, they could all live at the Brigade Leader’s home.  

Although Fu Chunshan was strict and would not use his position for personal gain, there were still minor benefits that came with being under his roof.  

Once the family separated, however, things would be different.  

After sorting through the original owner’s memories, Su Ruanruan knew that dividing the family was impossible. So, she only thought about following Fu Wenjing to the Military Unit.  

As long as she went with him, whether the family split or not wouldn’t matter to her.  

Once she left, distance would take care of everything. With the mountains high and the emperor far away, and with communication not being advanced in this era, there would be little to no interaction, which meant no conflicts or disputes.  

As for sending back half of Fu Wenjing’s allowance every month, she didn’t mind at all.  

She had just arrived in this world and still had too many familiar faces around, making things inconvenient. But once she joined the Military Unit, with Taobao there, money would never be a concern.

The only issue now was figuring out how to follow Fu Wenjing to the Military Unit.  

They had only been married for a day, and Su Ruanruan wasn’t sure if it was the right time to bring up the matter.  

Would Fu Wenjing want her to go with him?  

Or would he feel guilty about not being able to fulfill his filial duties in person and decide to leave her behind to care for his parents on his behalf?  

After all, in this era, many men thought this way.

“Ruanruan, what are you thinking about? Time to eat!”  

Hearing Fu Wenjing’s voice, Su Ruanruan snapped out of her thoughts and looked toward the doorway. “I’m coming.”  

As she responded, she stood up and quickly walked toward the door.  

Just as she reached the entrance, she heard Li Laidi’s voice again.  

“Seventh’s Wife even needs someone to call her for meals. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was some capitalist’s pampered young lady!”  

In this era, calling someone a capitalist’s daughter was no different from cursing them to death.  

Su Ruanruan’s expression instantly turned cold. “Our old Su Family has been poor farmers for eight generations. We’ve never had a capitalist in the family, let alone a capitalist’s daughter. Second Sister-in-law speaks so confidently—could it be that you were once a capitalist’s daughter yourself? Otherwise, how would you know what they’re like?”  

“You—!”  

Li Laidi’s eyes nearly bulged out in anger. Just as she was about to retort, Wang Maoni suddenly appeared at the main room’s doorway and scolded her.  

“Second Son’s Wife, what nonsense are you spouting here? I think you’ve had too much to eat! You won’t be eating lunch today—go to the fields and pull weeds! The grass in the private plot is almost taller than you!”  

At these words, Li Laidi’s expression changed instantly.  

They had stewed pork for lunch, and she had smelled the fragrance from the courtyard.  

It wasn’t often they got to eat meat—how could she miss out on this?  

With a forced smile, Li Laidi quickly tried to explain to Wang Maoni. “Mother, I was just joking with Seventh’s Wife! She’s young and took it seriously. How could you take it seriously too?”

Wang Maoni’s expression did not soften at all. Instead, she let out a cold laugh. “Is this something you can joke about? You call her a capitalist’s daughter—then what does that make our family for marrying her? Are you saying your father is too tired of being Brigade Leader and should step down to rest?”  

“No!” Li Laidi’s face turned pale in an instant. “Mother, heaven knows I never meant that! I was just speaking without thinking. Look at my careless mouth—of all things to say, I just had to say that. I swear I won’t say anything like it again.”  

As she spoke, Li Laidi even gave herself a slap on the face. Then she turned to Su Ruanruan with a forced smile. “Seventh’s Wife, I wasn’t thinking straight just now. I was just talking nonsense. Don’t take it to heart—Second Sister-in-law is apologizing to you.”  

Su Ruanruan gave her a sweet smile. “We’re all family. Since Second Sister-in-law has apologized, of course I’ll accept it. But I’d still like to remind you—trouble comes from the mouth. It’s fine when you speak carelessly in front of family, but if you say things like this in front of outsiders, it won’t be so easy to brush off.”  

Li Laidi’s face twisted, but with Wang Maoni watching closely beside her, she had no choice but to force a smile and nod. “Seventh’s Wife is right. I’ll definitely change.”  

Wang Maoni shot Li Laidi a cold glance before turning around and heading back inside.  

The moment Wang Maoni left, Li Laidi’s expression changed instantly. She straightened her posture and sneered: “Seventh’s Wife sure has a sharp tongue.”

Su Ruanruan smiled sweetly and thanked her. “Many thanks to Second Sister-in-law for the compliment.”

After saying this, she didn’t bother to see what kind of expression Li Laidi was making. Instead, she tugged on Fu Wenjing’s sleeve. “Let’s go help bring the food to the table!”  

Fu Wenjing smiled and nodded. “My wife is so hardworking. Let’s go together.”  

They weren’t the only ones heading to the kitchen to help.  

At this moment, the kitchen was practically overflowing with people.  

After all, even during the New Year, pork wasn’t always guaranteed on the table. But today, they could actually eat some—no one wanted to be left behind.  

Su Ruanruan had genuinely intended to help, but with so many people crowded inside, she couldn’t even step through the doorway. Left with no choice, she and Fu Wenjing had to retreat.  

This region, located in the north-central part of the country, ate both wheat-based foods and rice. However, since they didn’t grow rice locally, it had to be transported from elsewhere.  

City dwellers who wanted to eat rice could buy it with grain tickets and money. Villagers, however, didn’t have the same access.  

Those with relatives in the city could send extra money and have them buy some. Those without connections could only try their luck at the black market, where bartering was just as common as paying with cash.  

The Fu Family had some white rice, but it was mostly broken rice, typically used for making porridge rather than steaming as plain rice.  

For lunch, they would occasionally steam rice, but it was always “two-grain rice”—a mix of sorghum and millet. Essentially, it was coarse grain rice.  

The texture of this rice couldn’t compare to pure white rice, but it was filling and satisfying.  

Being able to eat a substantial meal of two-grain rice was already a sign of a well-off household.  

That was exactly what the Fu Family was having for lunch today.  

Rice itself was an everyday staple, nothing special. What made today’s meal remarkable was the fact that the dishes contained meat.  

Three catties of pork belly was a decent amount, but with so many people in the Fu Family, it was still far from enough.