Chapter 2

Shuiqing stepped out of the dimly lit house and saw two thin, frail daughters kneeling in the scorching sun in the courtyard, surrounded by relentless ‘relatives’ looking down on them.

She glanced around and didn’t see the original owner’s three sons, presumably still working outside and not yet back.

Seeing her come out, Fan’s mother, with her drooping eyelids lifted, swept away her previous nervousness and confronted her daughter-in-law defiantly, “The old Fan family has raised you two up, fed you, clothed you. So how come the food from the old Fan family has raised two ingrates who eat inside and steal outside?”

The daughter-in-law was like a soft persimmon, easily manipulated by others.

Originally, it was unreasonable to push her down in the morning, but now that her two daughters, raised by her, dared to steal food, it was a perfect opportunity to press the daughter-in-law to produce money.

The eldest son’s family had many sons and heavy burdens, the second son’s family had young sons, and the second son was the breadwinner. Only by relying on her could they support the eldest grandson…

Shuiqing was annoyed as soon as she heard this!

This was no different from saying, “I raised you up, didn’t I? So you shouldn’t complain.”

But at least the former didn’t let the children go hungry or cold, the material needs were met, while the Fan family was actually withholding food from their daughters.

Being a grandmother, how could she shamelessly speak so confidently to her two granddaughters!

Shuiqing scanned the courtyard outside the house fence, holding a bowl of food and watching the villagers who were watching the excitement, her voice not lowered at all as she said, “Eating inside and stealing outside? I dare to ask, who is inside and who is outside? If I, an outsider, am outside, then isn’t the mother-in-law who married into the old Fan family also an outsider? The eldest and second daughter-in-law are the true members of the Fan family, so they can’t be accused of eating inside and stealing outside, can they?”

The women outside the fence burst into laughter.

“Fan’s sister-in-law, I remember your maiden name is Huang, right? After being called the Fan family for decades, did you forget your own surname?”

“By your logic, your daughter-in-law is an outsider, so aren’t you an outsider too?”

“In that case, the eldest and second daughter-in-law on the ground are the true members of the Fan family! Oh, this distinction between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ is really hard to define.”

The midday sun was scorching, and Shuiqing took the opportunity to lift up her two daughters kneeling on the ground.

The two girls still had tears in their eyes, their thin bodies trembling from the beatings. As they stood up, they first leaned on their “mother”. The three of them tightly huddled together in the large courtyard.

The eldest and second daughter-in-law held back their tears. Mother was actually protecting them?

She was protecting these two lowly girls who had no status in the family.

But when they were being beaten, mother came out to protect them, unlike usual, when she would hide in the house every time.

It turned out that having a mother to protect you felt so good…

Fan’s mother’s original plan fell through. She stood there dumbfounded, and after a while, she said, “It’s still their fault for secretly distributing food.”

Shuiqing rolled her eyes to the sky in her heart. Her granddaughters giving half a piece of black bread to their mother, whose life was uncertain, was treated by Fan’s mother as if they had committed an unforgivable sin!

She didn’t go along with her mother-in-law’s words but shifted her gaze to ask, “Mother-in-law, take a good look at your two granddaughters. They’re in their teens and as thin as corn stalks in the field. The clothes they wear are hand-me-downs from several cousins, with patches upon patches before they reach them. Is this what you call providing for them, as you claim?”

“It’s said that family matters should not be aired in public, but since you brought it up first, daughter-in-law can only speak up. These two girls have never had a full meal from childhood to adulthood! They go to bed hungry every night, their stomachs growling in pain, feeling weak and shaky from hunger. They fall asleep to the sound of their hungry stomachs rumbling. Do you think that’s a pleasant feeling?”

Playing the victim, who wouldn’t?

The women in the crowd tended to support the weaker party. “Let me say something fair, Mrs. Fan, you’re too biased. It’s not like the old days when there wasn’t enough to eat. No matter the quality, the granddaughters should always be fed properly.”

“Just because these girls are small doesn’t mean they eat little. Even if we economize a bit, it should be enough for them to eat their fill.”

“Yeah, it’s not like the older boys can eat us out of house and home. Hey, Mrs. Fan, your grandsons are growing up so strong! They’re as sturdy as calves. Just feed the granddaughters the same way.”

“Hahaha, no need to say that, who would bear to do otherwise.”

…

Mrs. Fan opened and closed her mouth, wanting to explain but seeing her thin granddaughters and not knowing where to start.

They were all villagers from nearby, living in the same village, seeing each other every day. She had a reputation to uphold!

As Sun Jinhua listened to the villagers’ unanimous criticism and saw her mother-in-law faltering, she smiled and said, “Children are different from each other. Some children grow as much as they eat, while others, no matter how much they eat, don’t gain weight. They all eat from the same pot of food, but it’s not the same for everyone.”

“In my opinion, it’s ultimately because my son is blessed, and the nieces aren’t. Otherwise, why would two girls not gain weight even though they eat the same?”

Mrs. Fan perked up at this, nodding continuously. “Yes, yes, the girls aren’t blessed!”

How could her grandsons not be good when they were so chubby and adorable? Children had to be chubby and plump to be likable!

Shuiqing knew clearly in her heart, eating from the same pot of food? One could eat dry food, the other only could eat watery food. One could eat chicken legs, the other could only gnaw on chicken necks, and even then, it was just a small piece of the neck. Could this be called eating from the same pot of food?

She didn’t refute but followed up, “Since sister-in-law has said so, and mother-in-law agrees, let’s make the food at home the same from now on. It’s also a good opportunity to see if the daughters are blessed.”

Sun Jinhua didn’t expect Shuiqing to add fuel to the fire. For a moment, she choked up.

Staring at Shuiqing with triangular eyes, her brows furrowed.

This wasn’t right.

Her sister-in-law was as harmless as a harmless pumpkin. She couldn’t argue back no matter how much she tried. She usually kept her head down, her chest low, nodding meekly. How could she dare to confront her now!

She just wanted to say that daughters weren’t as good as sons, so why did her sister-in-law jump to the future of sons and daughters eating the same food?

Mrs. Fan was unhappy. Her granddaughters would belong to other families in the future. If they ate too much, wouldn’t that be a waste of food!

She hurriedly said, “No, that won’t do!”

Then, seeing the villagers’ astonished exclamations, she felt embarrassed and tried to make up, saying, “It’s not good for girls to get fat, right? As a grandmother, I have to think about their future marriages, don’t I?”

Standing beside her mother, the protected Second Daughter gained some courage. She spoke loudly, “Uncle’s wife said she’ll sell Big Sister to be married to Uncle. Granny, can someone who’s been sold still have a say in her marriage?”

Mrs. Fan’s face immediately turned red.

Sun Jinhua’s face also reddened. She glared fiercely at Second Daughter, then turned to the crowd and said, “Children talk nonsense, don’t believe them!”

If she had kept it a secret until she had sold her, when Big Brother brought his wife home, even if people talked about it, it would fade away over time.

But if it was revealed before the sale, it would be completely different.

It wasn’t a time of war or famine. Families that sold their children were always looked down upon. If more people talked about it later, she might be drowned in spit!

Once it affected Big Brother’s marriage, she, as a mother, would be the sinner of the Fan family.

Before, Big Brother, who had been silent all along, heard Second Daughter’s words, then looked around at the women talking, and began to complain, “Mother, you can’t even handle a small matter properly.”

Mrs. Fan couldn’t bear it anymore. Her hand reached out skillfully to pinch Second Daughter. She scolded as she pinched, “You little brat, explain it to everyone, or I won’t let you off tonight.”

Shuiqing stepped forward, blocking Mrs. Fan’s hand reaching out to pinch someone. She smiled gently and said, “Mother-in-law, let me handle this. Children can’t explain things clearly.”

Mrs. Fan, Sun Jinhua, and others didn’t know why, but as they looked at the smiling figure in front of them, they felt a chill down their spines.

Would Shuiqing speak up for them?