At exactly eleven o’clock, Li Shuping started her street stall on time.

“Li Jie, is your daughter helping you with the stall today?” Zhou Cuilan asked with a smile.

“I told her to stay home and study, but she insisted on coming with me,” Li Shuping said with mock annoyance, glancing at her daughter who was unloading goods from the cart. “If you don’t get into college, just see if I don’t spank your butt!”

Lin Xiaoyu stuck out her tongue. “I’ll go home and study after we’re done with lunch rush—same thing.”

As for her homework, she had already finished it at school on Friday.

“Comrade Xiao Li, are the dumplings ready to buy?” Wang Mingxue came over carrying a three-tier lunchbox.

Li Shuping looked up and smiled. “Teacher Wang, you’re really early today. I haven’t even started the fire yet—it might be another twenty minutes or so.”

Wang Mingxue shook his head with a smile. “I don’t want them cooked today, just the raw ones. My daughter is visiting with my grandson, and I want to bring them some dumplings to try.”

“Alright, let me wash my hands and pack some up for you. Today we have chive and egg, and carrot and egg.”

“Then give me two portions of chive and egg, and one of carrot and egg.”

Having promised to take his grandson out for braised pork today, Lin Yongnian called on his eldest son and daughter-in-law to take the child and head out just past eleven.

“Dad, let’s take a different route,” Lin Guodong suggested, not wanting to bump into his mother at the alley entrance—especially if she was chatting with acquaintances.

That would be even more awkward.

“Why change the route?” Lin Yongnian snapped. “She’s the one who abandoned her husband and child—Li Shuping should be the embarrassed one, not us!”

He had once thought it was humiliating to walk past her dumpling stall and would deliberately avoid it.

But then he had a change of heart.

She was no longer part of the Lin family; her disgrace had nothing to do with them.

Why should they sneak around like guilty thieves?

Lin Guodong pursed his lips and said nothing more.

As they neared the alley entrance, Lin Yongnian deliberately picked up his grandson and strode straight down the middle of the road.

“Grandpa, there’s Grandma and Auntie!” Junjun pointed to Li Shuping and Lin Xiaoyu behind the dumpling stall.

Lin Yongnian grabbed the boy’s hand tightly and raised his voice. “What grandma? Junjun, you don’t have a grandma anymore—only a grandpa!”

Lin Xiaoyu had been about to call out “Dad,” but upon hearing that, she shut her mouth.

Some familiar faces at the dumpling stall overheard and immediately criticized Lin Yongnian.

“Old Lin, even if you’re divorced from Li Shuping, Junjun is still her grandson.”

“Exactly, that’s not something you should say.”

Lin Yongnian retorted, “She’s the one who said Guodong and the rest could consider her no longer their mother! If she’s not Guodong’s mom, how could she be Junjun’s grandma?”

Lin Guodong scratched his head, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

How humiliating.

Zhang Jiao, his wife, also felt mortified.

She touched her face and turned away.

Everyone at the stall looked toward Li Shuping, silently questioning her.

Was it really true that she had said such things?

“Guodong’s mom, that really wasn’t right of you…”

“Yeah, even after divorce, you can’t just disown your kids.”

After handing a steaming bowl of dumplings to a waiting customer, Li Shuping glared coldly at Lin Yongnian and said, “Why did I say those things? Because Lin Guodong said me running a street stall embarrassed him and told me to stop. That’s why!”

“And isn’t it embarrassing?” Lin Yongnian fired back.

Li Shuping spread her hands. “What’s so embarrassing about earning money through honest labor?”

“Showing your face, smiling at strangers right on the street—you don’t call that shameful?” Lin Yongnian argued.

Didn’t she see herself grinning so sycophantically when handing dumplings to that man?

All that just to sell a dumpling—how shameless.

“Smiling on the street? I’m selling dumplings, not myself!” Li Shuping shouted furiously. “Watch your filthy mouth, Lin Yongnian, or I swear I’ll slap that old face of yours!”

“Smiling on the street”—that was a phrase used to insult women of the night in feudal times!

“…” Lin Yongnian choked, his face flushing red.

He pointed at Li Shuping and announced loudly, “The Lin family has nothing to do with this woman who abandoned her husband and child! Whatever shame she brings on herself from now on has nothing to do with us. Don’t associate it with the Lin family!”

Li Shuping immediately snapped back, “Like I care about being related to you!”

“Oooh, sounds like a total break,” someone muttered nearby.

“Let’s go, Junjun! Grandpa’s taking you to the state-run restaurant for braised pork!” Lin Yongnian shouted, carrying his grandson away.

He wanted everyone to know that the Lin family was doing just fine—they were going out for braised pork!

And that Li Shuping, the woman who abandoned them, and the daughter she took with her, Lin Xiaoyu, could just sit by the street selling dumplings.

Zhang Jiao glanced back at her mother-in-law, then quickly followed her husband.

Staring at Lin Yongnian’s retreating back, Li Shuping muttered, “Lunatic.”

She had started the day in a great mood, but that old bastard had ruined it.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her composure and got back to work.

Lin Xiaoyu quickly wiped the tears that had welled up without her mom noticing.

She bowed her head and made a vow to herself: she would study hard and get into a top university—to make all those who looked down on her mother eat their words!

…

At the State-run Restaurant

The braised pork that Lin Yongnian ordered was served.

But looking at the glistening, richly sauced meat and thinking about how Li Shuping had smiled at that man—he lost his appetite.

“Junjun, eat up. Grandpa got this just for you,” Zhang Jiao said as she put two chunks of meat into her son’s bowl, then popped a piece into her own mouth.

The braised pork at the state-run restaurant really was delicious.

Lin Guodong also dug in—one piece after another.

Their meals at home had been light on oil lately, so he wanted to make up for it.

After eating five or six pieces, he noticed his father hadn’t touched his chopsticks and asked, “Dad, why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m too pissed off after seeing your mom,” Lin Yongnian said, putting down his chopsticks.

No appetite?

Well, that just meant more for him.

Lin Guodong grabbed another chunk of braised pork and popped it into his mouth.

Lin Yongnian glared at him. He was too angry to eat, and his son was scarfing food down like it was nothing.

“From now on, don’t call Li Shuping ‘Mom’ anymore!” he ordered.

She didn’t want to be part of the family? Fine—no one would acknowledge her!

“And Junjun,” he added, looking at his grandson, “don’t call her Grandma. She’s bad. She doesn’t even want to take care of you.”

Junjun repeated obediently through a mouthful of pork, “Grandma bad.”

“That’s right, Grandma’s bad. We won’t call her that anymore.”

After coaching his grandson to disown Li Shuping, Lin Yongnian felt a bit better and picked up his chopsticks again—only to see the plate of braised pork was empty.

“…Where’s the whole plate of pork?”

“Burp…” Lin Guodong let out a greasy belch. “You said you didn’t want it, so I ate it all.”

“…” Lin Yongnian’s hand trembled as he held his chopsticks.