Chapter 6

Gu Zhenqi deliberately avoided mentioning Ge Yun and gave her a quick glance while speaking.

Wang Guiying’s face first showed surprise, then disbelief, but within a moment, all of it turned into a warm smile. Cheerfully, she said, “You silly child. Your family loves you and specially brought this for you. How can we eat it? You should keep it for yourself. I’ll just make some corn porridge and steam a few sweet potatoes for lunch—something simple will do.”

Gu Zhenqi pulled Wang Guiying over to the stove and glanced at the large portions of food laid out, hinting at her to look. With a bit of grievance, she said, “Mom, are you sure I can eat all this by myself? I used to be immature. My brother came to visit this time and we talked a lot. I suddenly realized I was too headstrong before. Now I just want to make a good meal for you and everyone as a way of saying sorry. You don’t want to forgive me, so you won’t eat what I cooked?”

Then she acted a little unreasonable, tilting her head and crossing her arms, saying, “Hmph! Mom, if you won’t eat, then I’ll take Ruiduo and Fei’an back to my parents’ place. I’ll have my brother come and take all this delicious food back home. Let the villagers see just how well the Chen family eats!”

Wang Guiying had a firm grip over her other two daughters-in-law, but she never knew how to deal with this youngest one. Maybe it was because she loved her youngest son the most, and that affection extended to his wife. She just couldn’t stay mad at her.

She gave a helpless smile and pretended to glare at her. “You… I really can’t do anything with you. Fine, I’ll eat. Everyone will eat!”

“Big sister-in-law, if you won’t eat, I guess it’s because you don’t care for this stove,” someone teased.

Ge Yun immediately plastered on a smile and boldly looped her arm around Gu Zhenqi’s, trying to curry favor. “Third sister-in-law Zhenqi, I was wrong, truly! Please don’t hold it against me. Be the bigger person!”

Zhenqi wasn’t swayed. Wang Guiying gave Ge Yun a sharp look and said irritably, “Serves you right. That mouth of yours—see if you dare speak so carelessly again!”

Ge Yun lightly slapped her own mouth and laughed, trying to please. “No more loose talk. I won’t say another word like that!”

Zhenqi burst out laughing at Ge Yun’s cowardly antics. In the three years since marrying into the Chen family, she had been nothing but difficult—never helped with anything around the house, nor cared about any household matters.

It had been Wang Guiying, Chen Guo, Chen Qiang, Ge Yun, and Fan Chun working to earn labor points to support her and her two kids.

As for Chen Kuo’s stipend, she spent some on herself and on visiting her parents, but most of it she saved—none of the Chen family ever saw a cent of it.

The family hadn’t split up yet, and even though she never contributed, she reaped all the benefits. It was no wonder Ge Yun and Fan Chun had complaints—it was only natural. And truthfully, they hadn’t even been that harsh about it.

Zhenqi thought: if it were me, I’d have thrown her out and gone independent already. Why keep supporting a lazy freeloader?

All things considered, Ge Yun and Fan Chun were actually very decent sisters-in-law by 1970s standards. Now that Zhenqi had essentially lived another lifetime, she looked at people more deeply—at their essence.

“All right, big sis. My heart is broader than the sea—you can’t compare. I won’t hold a grudge. Eat to your heart’s content. I guarantee you’ll be stuffed by lunchtime!”

“Alrighty then! Zhenqi, you said it—I’ll eat like there’s no tomorrow!”

“I said it. Now go wash your hands with Mom,” Zhenqi said with a slightly helpless smile.

“No rush. Wait for the others to return. Water is hard to carry,” Wang Guiying stopped Ge Yun, who was eagerly heading to wash her hands.

“Mom, what are we having for lunch today? I could smell something delicious from far away!” came a loud, familiar voice from outside the courtyard—it was Fan Chun.

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked into the kitchen and went straight for the stove. One glance and she saw the dishes—braised pork with vermicelli, chicken with wild mushrooms, stir-fried pork with chili, tomato and egg soup…

Her eyes nearly popped into the food. Grinning ear to ear, she asked, “Mom, it’s not even a holiday—why all the fancy dishes? We didn’t even have this much meat for New Year’s!”

Wang Guiying quickly pulled her away. “Look at you drooling—careful you don’t drool into the food!”

“Hehe, Mom, it’s just been so long since I’ve had anything this rich. My mouth’s gone numb from bland food!”

“It’s not me who made it. Zhenqi specially cooked it for the whole family,” Ge Yun said quickly, trying to win points and maybe an extra portion later.

“She did? Ha! Don’t joke. Usually she won’t even spare a piece of candy for Ruiduo and Fei’an, and now we’re supposed to believe she made all this? She’d rather bleed herself dry than share! I’d sooner believe the sun rose from the west!”

Fan Chun made it crystal clear that she didn’t believe Zhenqi at all.

Zhenqi wasn’t offended. Fan Chun was someone honest inside and out—straightforward and kindhearted. Her accusations were just facts.

Honestly, Zhenqi had no one to blame but her past self for being awful.

In her previous life, Gu Zhenqi was unbelievably generous only to herself. She was stingy to the point of absurdity toward everyone else—only her parents and brothers ever got anything from her, and even they got very little.

No one else could even expect a sip of water from her. If she could bottle her oxygen, she wouldn’t let others breathe it.

With a half-smile, Gu Zhenqi looked at Fan Chun. “Yes, I made the food. Looks like you like it. How about this—pay me for it. One yuan per bite.”

She then glanced at Wang Guiying and Ge Yun to rally support. “Mom, big sis, doesn’t that sound fair?”

At this time, nothing was more valuable than a full meal. Ge Yun, desperate to eat her fill, completely took Zhenqi’s side. “Fair, totally fair! Fan Chun, if you want to eat, pay up. That’s the price for running your mouth!”

Finally, it was her turn to scold someone—and it felt surprisingly satisfying.

The older generation didn’t get too involved. Wang Guiying simply said, “It really was made by Zhenqi.”

Now Fan Chun had no choice but to believe. She even ran to the door to check if the sun really had risen in the west.

Returning to the kitchen, she squinted at Zhenqi. “The sun’s still where it should be. You, stingy to the bone, suddenly cooking all this—what scheme are you plotting?”

Zhenqi walked over with a mischievous grin and suddenly wrapped her arm around Fan Chun’s shoulders, rubbing her fingers together. “Second sis, I’m short on cash lately—can you lend me some?”

Fan Chun panicked, shoved her off, and leapt away like she’d been burned. Glaring, she said, “Ha! I knew it! You never lift a finger without expecting profit. Don’t even try. I’m telling you, I’ve got no money. Mom handles all our cash!”

Hearing this, Ge Yun started to feel uneasy. Maybe she had been too focused on the food. She quietly leaned toward Wang Guiying and whispered, “Mom, do you think she really has a motive? Maybe she really wants money? Isn’t this just a trap? Should we even eat this?”

Wang Guiying was just as baffled by Zhenqi’s strange behavior but didn’t show it. She replied honestly, “You’re doubting her? Don’t eat then. But if she really wants something, eating or not won’t stop her. Think about what she’s done in the past…”

Ge Yun did. Zhenqi once tried to take control of Chen Kuo’s stipend, and when no one agreed, she used her pregnancy to threaten them. She stood on top of a millstone, shouting and making a scene, drawing a crowd of nosy villagers.

In the end, no one dared risk the shame of “forcing a pregnant woman to her death,” so they gave in. She got the stipend.

After that, she always found new ways to manipulate people. No one could stop her. She became someone the whole Chen family feared—like a stubborn parasite.

The memory gave Ge Yun a chill. “Fine, I’ll eat. Not eating would be a waste. Eating is free anyway!”

“Mom, is lunch ready? The morning work was brutal—I’m starving!” came Chen Guo’s voice from the yard.

“Ready, ready! Lunch is extra good today. Wash your face and come eat!”

—-

At the table, facing the mouthwatering dishes and a huge pile of fluffy meat buns, Chen Guo and Chen Qiang couldn’t believe their eyes. They rubbed them a few times and said in unison, “It’s real!”

They looked straight at Wang Guiying, and Chen Guo grinned. “Mom, what’s the occasion? Did we win the lottery or something?”

Chen Qiang laughed too. “Yeah, Mom, what’s the good news? Is little brother coming back?”

That seemed the only possible reason. Their mom cherished Chen Kuo like a treasure. To her, they and their sisters were weeds—he was the only flower.

“It wasn’t me. Zhenqi made everything.”

Chen Guo and Chen Qiang spoke in unison, shocked: “Third sister-in-law? No way! Doesn’t she not know how to cook?”

“Big brothers, don’t worry. I made it. Ever since I married in, everyone’s treated me kindly. A heart is made of flesh—I can feel it.”

As Gu Zhenqi spoke, she led her two kids to the table and carefully seated them next to her, softly reminding them, “Ruiduo baby, Fei’an sweetheart, sit still—don’t fall!”