“Guu—” Lin Xiaoyu’s stomach let out a long rumble.

“Hungry?”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded with a blush.

Old Madam Li reached into her pocket and pulled out a red envelope. It was a red envelope meant for Liu Qin as a customary gift for changing her form of address, containing twenty yuan.

She took out a ten-yuan bill.

“Take this to the cafeteria and get some food.”

Lin Xiaoyu didn’t take it. “Big brother said he’d bring us meals.”

Old Madam Li sneered, “If we starve to death, your big brother might not even be able to get here. Go buy it yourself. Get some meat too. Without a ration ticket, it might cost more.”

The three elder men at home were eating lavishly — big fish, big meat — so there was no reason for the two women to be drinking thin porridge at the hospital.

Lin Xiaoyu took the money and went to the hospital cafeteria.

She borrowed a food container and bought a stir-fried cabbage dish and a braised pork dish, plus a large steamed bun.

The total cost was one yuan fifty cents, and she returned eight yuan fifty cents to Old Lady Li.

Old Madam Li pocketed the money and sat down on the bed to eat with her daughter.

..

After sending off the last guest, it was already late afternoon.

The tables and stools borrowed from neighbors had all been returned; only the bowls and chopsticks remained to be washed before returning.

The bowls and chopsticks sat piled in two large wooden basins at the kitchen door.

The yard was unkempt, and both the kitchen and the room were messy and uncleaned.

“Tiring to be busy all day,” Lin Chengcai slumped into a cool chair.

Lin Guodong walked over and sat down.

Suddenly he remembered something, slapped his forehead, “Ah, I forgot to bring food for Mom.”

After coming back, they were busy eating and then busy sending guests off, and completely forgot about bringing her meals.

Lin Yongnian’s mouth twitched downward as the pain from a wound on his face made him grimace and grit his teeth, “Hiss, your mom has money on her. She can buy food herself. She won’t starve.”

Lin Guodong thought for a moment, “That’s true.”

“Old Lin.” Neighbor Aunt Zhao came to the door. “I’m here to get my family’s bowls. We need them tonight.”

They had lunch at Lin’s house, but since they were eating at their own home in the evening, they needed their bowls.

“Bowls? Aren’t the bowls still unwashed?” Lin Yongnian looked at his eldest son.

Lin Guodong: “I don’t think so…”

Why ask him? Washing dishes isn’t his job.

Aunt Zhao frowned, “Your family has so many people, and no one’s washed the dishes yet? Don’t tell me you’re waiting for Shuping to come back and do it?”

This woman was so sick she’d been hospitalized.

And this whole family was waiting for her, the patient, to return to wash the dishes?

That’s just heartless.

Shuping always praised her sons for being capable and filial, but where’s the filial piety?

She’s in the hospital, and no one’s even worried or went to visit her.

Instead, they’re waiting for her to come back and tidy up.

Lin Yongnian said, “Who wants her to come back to wash? We’re all busy. Eldest, go call your wife to come wash the dishes and return them to the neighbors.”

Zhang Jiao heard her father-in-law telling her to wash the dishes from inside the room.

Already upset because Liu Qin’s betrothal gift and “getting off the vehicle” red envelope were higher than hers, she immediately grabbed her small purse and picked up her son to leave.

“Wife, where are you going?” Lin Guodong stood up.

Zhang Jiao put on a stern face and said sarcastically, “Nobody in this family respects me. Of course, I’m going back to my parents’ home.”

Lin Yongnian was confused, “Eldest daughter-in-law, what do you mean? Who doesn’t respect you here?”

“Exactly,” Lin Chengcai chimed in.

Aunt Zhao leaned against the doorframe, amused.

“You and my mother-in-law.” Zhang Jiao said, “My betrothal gift was so little, and the ‘getting off the vehicle’ red envelope was small too. You two elders gave Liu Qin a betrothal gift of 888 yuan and a 200 yuan red envelope. Isn’t that looking down on me? Thinking I’m not as good as Liu Qin?”

“If you look down on me, then I’m leaving.” Zhang Jiao said, then left with her child.

If she didn’t leave now using this excuse, when else?

Stay home and clean up?

Lin Guodong paused for three seconds, then chased after her, “Wife, don’t go.”

He didn’t want to stay home — staying home meant washing dishes.

Lin Yongnian was dumbfounded.

He never imagined that the difference in betrothal gifts and red envelopes for the second daughter-in-law would cause the eldest daughter-in-law to go back to her parents’ home.

Aunt Zhao was perceptive, “Oh, your eldest daughter-in-law is trying to get you to make up the difference in gifts.”

Lin Yongnian frowned, “The family money has been mostly spent on the second son’s marriage. Where’s the money to make up for her? Besides, that betrothal gift was what her family demanded — not something we proposed.”

Actually, there was some money at home, but he was reluctant to use it all to make up for the eldest daughter-in-law.

Aunt Zhao said, “No matter who brought it up, such a big difference leaves anyone unhappy. There’s an old saying: It’s not the scarcity, but the unfairness that hurts. It’s not about having less, but about it not being equal.”

If it were her in-laws, and her betrothal gift was less than her sister-in-law’s, she wouldn’t be happy either. So although she and her sister-in-law married in five years apart, their gifts were the same.

Lin Yongnian was speechless.

Lin Jianshe, who came out after cozying up with Liu Qin in the new house, said, “Dad, my eldest sister-in-law is just petty. Don’t spoil her. She’ll come back slinking in two days.”

Lin Jianshe thought his eldest sister-in-law was always making a fuss.

His wife’s betrothal gift was higher, red envelope bigger, so what?

Why make trouble?

That’s just making things unhappy for the two of them.

His eldest sister-in-law’s home had two sisters-in-law, both not easy to get along with.

Staying at her parents’ home longer would only bring her side-eyes for eating an extra half bowl.

Such a headache.

Lin Yongnian rubbed his head.

“Ah, you guys stop sitting around, hurry up and wash the dishes so I can take them back.” Aunt Zhao urged again.

Old Lin stood up resignedly when he saw Lin Jianshe.

The latter took a step back. “This is the first day of the wedding for the groom and bride. There’s work to be done.”

Aunt Zhao shook her head, thinking the men of the Lin family were all lazy, blaming Li Shuping for taking such good care of them.

She’d lived in the compound so many years and never seen these Lin men do any housework.

“Old Lin…”

“Old Lin, I’m here to get the bowls.”

Other neighbors came to collect their bowls as well.

Old Lin Yongnian accepted his fate and stood up.

At the hospital, Old Madam Li’s IV drip was finished. “There’s nothing else. If you feel okay, you can go home.”

Go home?

For what?

To wash dishes and clean up?

She hadn’t forgotten.

When Lin Jianshe got married in her previous life, she and Xiaoyu had cleaned up until nine at night.

The three elder men said they were tired from a full day’s work and didn’t move.

Zhang Jiao left with Junjun, upset about the betrothal gifts.

She wasn’t going back.

Whoever wants to clean that house can clean it.

“I still feel a bit dizzy.”

Nurse: “Then stay another night for observation.”

“Okay.”

Lin Xiaoyu said, “Then I’ll stay at the hospital and keep you company.”

“Good.” Old Madam Li smiled and patted her daughter’s face.

She was still a little cotton jacket—someone who cared.

Lin Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment.

In her memory, her mother had always been most loving to the two older brothers, holding them, patting their heads, wiping their sweat.

It was the first time her mother had smiled so gently while touching her face.