Chapter 19

Chen Chun, Chen Hua, and Chen Yue were the first to hear the accusations, feeling a wave of shock and fear. But soon, their attitudes shifted, and they arrogantly turned to Gu Zhenqi:
“You’re just an outsider. Matters of the Chen family aren’t for you to decide. You—”

Gu Zhenqi didn’t give them a chance to continue their noisy protest. She opened her notebook and began reading directly from her records:
“January 23, 1969: Chen Chun took three eggs, two corn cakes, five jin of cornmeal, three cabbages, and half a jin of cotton.”

“February 5, 1969: Chen Chun took two eggs, a bowl of corn porridge—bowl included—two pickled radishes, and five pieces of sun-dried pickled radishes from the windowsill.”

“February 15, 1969: Chen Chun took one jin of white flour, one jin of rice, five White Rabbit milk candies, two spoonfuls of sugar. February 28, 1969, Chen Chun…”

“In total, in 1969 alone, Chen Chun returned to her maiden home 30 times. She took 20 jin of cornmeal, 2 jin of white flour, 2 jin of rice, 5 jin of millet, 15 eggs, half a jin of white sugar, 10 White Rabbit candies, 15 corn cakes, 2 bowls of noodles, 6 bowls of corn porridge, 10 mixed grain buns, 1 liang of meat, 1 wild pheasant, and 1 wild rabbit…”

When Gu Zhenqi finished reading the list of what Chen Chun had taken in 1969 under the guise of “visiting home,” the villagers’ gazes toward her completely changed. They began whispering among themselves.

Chen Chun was about to defend herself when Gu Zhenqi quickly cut her off. Facing the villagers, she smiled:
“I won’t list everything one by one—otherwise, we’d still be here tomorrow morning!”

“Everyone, please wait a moment. I’ll now calculate and summarize what Chen Chun, Chen Hua, and Chen Yue have taken over the years from their maiden home without any explicit permission.”

After saying this, Gu Zhenqi exchanged a look with Wang Guiying, then sat back down and began flipping through her notebook, writing with a stub of a pencil attached to it.

Seizing the moment, Chen Chun, Chen Hua, and Chen Yue hurried to Wang Guiying with flattering smiles, their attitude making a 180-degree turn. They pleaded softly:
“Mom, you’re our birth mother. How could you bear to let us lose face in front of everyone? Don’t let an outsider make things hard for us. Mom, if there’s an issue, can’t we just discuss it privately at home?”

Wang Guiying glared at them without any sign of softening. Her expression was resolute:
“What were you doing all this time? I’ve spoiled you far too much! Now you don’t know right from wrong. If you think this matter is going to be swept under the rug, let me tell you clearly—it won’t happen!”

Chen Yue glanced at the watching villagers and became increasingly anxious. Of the three sisters, she had the worst situation at her husband’s home—
A mean and bitter mother-in-law, a sly father-in-law, a troublemaking sister-in-law, a biased and overbearing brother-in-law, a short-tempered and brutish husband, and a creepy, lecherous brother-in-law who liked to help out widows. Even her younger sister-in-law ordered her around.

Her in-law’s home was a living nightmare. Each time she came back to her maiden home to “scavenge,” she was avoiding pressure and enjoying a brief respite.

If she fell out with her maiden family now, she knew life at her in-law’s would become even harder—unbearable, even.

Terrified, Chen Yue’s eyes filled with tears. She tugged at Wang Guiying’s sleeve and pleaded in a whisper, fearful of being overheard:
“Mom, I’m begging you. Just agree to our compensation request. Don’t let Gu Zhenqi tally everything. Please, just let it end here. If my in-laws find out, I won’t be able to explain myself when I go back.”

To preserve her dignity, even this plea was unusually humble compared to her usual brash style.

Wang Guiying sneered bitterly:
“Just like the old saying goes—‘Daughters marry out, they belong to someone else’s family.’ Since you all got married, not one of you has shown the slightest bit of filial piety to your own mother. Everything’s about your husband’s family—your words, your thoughts, your actions! Over the years, you’ve drained your maiden family to support your husband’s homes!”

Seeing a chance to speak, Chen Hua interrupted without thinking:
“Isn’t that just because our husband’s families were poor? We couldn’t just let everyone starve! What’s wrong with helping a little from the maiden home?”

That single sentence ignited Wang Guiying’s fury. Her heart ached, filled with regret—for ever giving birth to them, for indulging their behavior. Now she was nearly driven to her death by their selfishness!

“Do you remember how your father died?”

Holding back her pain, eyes red with anger, Wang Guiying ground her back teeth as she forced out the words. The taste of blood and rust filled her mouth from biting so hard.

Hearing this, Chen Chun, Chen Hua, Chen Yue, and even Chen Guo and Chen Qiang, who had been silent on the side, all lowered their heads like wilted eggplants, saying nothing.

Wang Guiying gave a cold snort:
“What, speechless now? Cat got your tongues? Looks like you do remember! Chen Chun, you say the Chen family owes you—what about what you owe your father?”

“That year, during the famine, it snowed for five days straight. After the snow stopped, the mountains were sealed in. Our family hadn’t eaten for four days. Your father saw you all lying weak in bed, too hungry to move. He was desperate. He gulped down two ladles of water to fill his stomach, and waded through snow waist-deep to the mountains to find food for you.”

“He never came back. Ten days later, when the snow had melted slightly, the team leader and others carried back his frozen, stiff body. Why don’t you talk about how you owe him, huh?”

As Wang Guiying spoke, she could no longer suppress her sorrow. Her voice cracked as she wailed in grief and rage. The last line was shouted in fury.

Chen Pengfei’s death had always been a hidden wound in the Chen family’s heart. For years, no one dared bring it up openly.

During every festival or Qingming, only Chen Guo or Chen Qiang would be sent to burn paper offerings at his grave—always in a hurry, never staying long.

The guilt weighed too heavily. No one dared face it directly.

Now, Wang Guiying had ripped open that bloody wound. The guilt instantly consumed Chen Guo, Chen Qiang, Chen Chun, Chen Hua, and Chen Yue, who all lowered their heads and silently cried.

Now that the truth had been spoken, there was no turning back. Wang Guiying no longer held onto any sentiment of mother-daughter affection. Her heart had been hurt beyond repair.

“You dare to cry? If you even had a shred of guilt toward your father, you wouldn’t have come back again and again to suck your maiden family dry!”

“You say your husband’s families were starving. And what—me, your brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews—we don’t get hungry? Are we made of steel? Or have we become immortals, able to survive without eating or drinking? Go ask the villagers here—who among them had surplus grain? Who among them ate their fill even once in a year?”