Chapter 3

Chen Shi was around sixty, dressed in plain cloth, with her graying hair tied into a small bun at the back of her head. Her hunched, short stature and sharp, monkey-like features made her unapproachable.

Indeed, she was not an easy person to get along with.

At this time, the Liu family hadn’t yet divided their property. Liu Yu’s father was the eldest son, with two younger brothers. However, Liu Yu’s father was clumsy with words, and Chen Shi had no regard for the eldest son’s family. She adored her youngest son’s family, showing blatant favoritism that angered everyone. She had her own set of twisted logic—“The older should always give way to the younger. If the younger doesn’t understand, the older should help! If there’s something good, of course, it should go to the younger!”

Chen Shi followed this principle to the letter.

Over the years, the family had been quite well-off. The cloth rations and food supplies meant for the eldest son’s family were all used to support the youngest son’s family, despite the fact that these items had been earned through hard work by the eldest family!

As the nominal grandmother, Liu Yu couldn’t let her stand outside talking through the window, so she had Liu Ye invite her in.

“Grandma, what’s the matter? Please speak,” Liu Yu said politely.

Chen Shi grinned and began, “You’re just like your mother. Your big brother’s family hasn’t had meat in months. Why don’t you slaughter one of those chickens you’ve been raising today?”

Liu Yu was taken aback, unsure if she had heard correctly, “Grandma, why are we slaughtering a chicken? It’s neither New Year nor a holiday.”

The production team had limited quotas for livestock, allowing each family to raise five chickens. Since Liu Yu’s father was the team leader, they were allowed to keep an extra one, so the Liu family had six chickens, with two per household.

In times of scarcity, the two chickens in the eldest family were cherished by Nie Xiaocui, who fed them first every day. The eggs they laid were traded for oil and salt.

Chen Shi smiled broadly, “Your uncle is getting thin. I thought I’d slaughter a chicken to help him out.”

Her “uncle” was tall and strong in Liu Yu’s memory, yet she raised an eyebrow, thinking: the chickens were all cared for by her mother, Nie Xiaocui, and now Chen Shi wanted one? Who did she think she was?

“Isn’t Aunt also raising chickens? If you want to slaughter a chicken for Uncle, just ask Aunt!”

Liu Ye, quick-tongued, bluntly spoke the truth.

To Liu Yu’s surprise, Chen Shi waved her hand and said, “Hah, those two little chickens your Aunt’s raising haven’t even laid eggs yet. What use are they? It’s settled then—today, we’ll slaughter one of the big family’s chickens to fill your uncle’s stomach.”

That was utter nonsense. Liu Yu had heard that the chickens raised by Liu Lao San (the youngest brother) were the best egg-layers. Clearly, the old woman was unwilling to part with her own chickens and was trying to get one from the eldest family for free!

Liu Yu smiled faintly and directly refused, “No. Grandma, I can’t make such a decision without my parents being here.”

Chen Shi’s face darkened, “You ungrateful girl! Looks like your father fed you too well. You don’t even know who your grandmother is! No granddaughter has ever been so stingy!”

The fact that her grandmother favored the youngest son’s family wasn’t Liu Yu’s fault, and she didn’t understand why the eldest family was being bullied. Liu Ye was also angry and crossed his arms, “Grandma, why don’t you slaughter one of Aunt’s egg-laying chickens?”

“Boy, how dare you speak to your grandmother like that! Do you want to get a beating?”

Chen Shi, flustered by the retort, was about to raise her hand to slap Liu Ye but hesitated.

At that moment, Liu Yu stood up and positioned herself in front of Liu Ye, blocking him. “Grandma, if you lay a hand on him, I’ll make sure you crawl out of here.”

Liu Yu had a reputation for being a tough woman—she was large and strong, and when she stood up, she fully shielded her younger brother. Her words were enough to intimidate anyone.

With a friendly smile on her face, Liu Yu said, “Grandma, you can’t take the chicken today. Please go rest in the house.”

Chen Shi, awkwardly retracting her hand, didn’t dare to strike. Indeed, Liu Yu’s slap carried much more weight than hers. It was clear that the threat of being made to crawl wasn’t an empty one.