Chapter 23: Money-Losing Goods

The large table was full of people. The men had wine in their cups, the women were drinking orange soda. Meng Qinghai raised a toast, “Come on, let’s all welcome Yuqing!”

After the toast, everyone began eating. The men talked about work and policies, while the women chatted and fed their children.

Lian Yuqing focused on eating but kept her ears tuned in to how Cheng Weiwei was trying hard to get close to someone who clearly didn’t care.

Cheng Weiwei tried to serve food to Jiang Min, who coldly rejected her. “No need, eat it yourself,” she said with a frosty face.

Cheng Weiwei, usually confrontational toward Lian Yuqing, was actually being patient in front of Jiang Min’s coldness? That was like the sun rising from the west.

Pan Yuecheng, Jiang Min’s husband, noticed something was off and asked his wife, “What’s wrong? Did you argue with Weiwei?”

Jiang Min was about to speak, but Cheng Weiwei cut her off. “Brother Yuecheng, it’s my fault. I said something wrong and upset Sister Xiaomin. It’s okay if she doesn’t forgive me—I’ll keep trying.”

They had all grown up in the same courtyard. Cheng Weiwei, being younger and the sister of Cheng Xu, had always followed them around since she was a child. It wouldn’t be appropriate to fall out completely with her.

Pan Yuecheng put a piece of pork rib in Jiang Min’s bowl. “Min’er, what did Weiwei do to upset you? Tell me, and I’ll have Cheng Xu scold her.”

Sensing his tone, Jiang Min didn’t push it further. She glanced at Cheng Weiwei, who was still smiling awkwardly beside her. “It’s nothing.”

Cheng Weiwei let out a sigh of relief, but when she saw Pan Yuecheng occasionally putting food in Jiang Min’s bowl and Jiang Min showing no emotion in response, she couldn’t help but feel jealous.

That’s it? The drama ended already? Lian Yuqing curled her lips. Boring.

The soy-braised pig trotters looked delicious, but they were too far. Lian Yuqing nudged the person next to her. “Hey, get me a piece of trotter.”

Even though Wei Dong was talking to others, he had been keeping an eye on her. From the start, she’d been eating quietly, which made him quite content—anything was fine as long as she didn’t cause trouble.

He picked out the biggest piece and placed it in her bowl.

“It’s too big. How do I eat this?” she complained, spoiled.

Sighing helplessly, Wei Dong took the large piece back and gave her a moderately sized one. She finally stopped talking.

Cheng Weiwei choked on her own emotions. A lady with a servant’s fate, pretending to be delicate—clearly just a country girl, yet acting high and mighty, having Brother Wei serve her.

“Brother Wei, I want some trotter too. Could you help me get a piece?” Cheng Weiwei asked sweetly, eyes wide and hopeful.

Before Wei Dong could respond, Cai Guifen cut in with her loud voice, “What’s the big deal? Just say something, I’ll bring it over.”

She loudly brought the whole basin of trotters to Cheng Weiwei. The broth almost spilled on her brand-new dress.

Lian Yuqing couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

Cheng Weiwei’s face turned green. She glared at Cai Guifen—what a tactless village bumpkin.

Meanwhile, a four-year-old girl was still struggling to hold chopsticks when a nearby boy, Xiaohuzi, bumped into her, causing her sticky noodles to spill all over herself.

Liu Cuiying exploded at once and slapped the child across the face. “You can’t even eat properly! Now I have to wash your dirty clothes. What, was I your servant in a past life?!”

The little girl, Xiaohua, burst into heartbreaking sobs. Liu Cuiying raised her hand to hit her again, but her older sister Dahua stepped in. “Mom, she didn’t mean it.”

The next slap landed on Dahua’s back. Lian Yuqing frowned—Liu Cuiying hadn’t held back at all. Xiaohua’s tender cheek swelled up instantly.

Liu Cuiying was the wife of Du Xiaowei, commander of the third battalion. She never treated her two daughters kindly—constantly yelling or hitting them—and Du Xiaowei never intervened. Everyone in the compound had grown used to it.

Xu Qiuhong, as the hostess, finally couldn’t take it. “Cuiying, you’re pregnant. Don’t get yourself worked up over dirty clothes. Just wash them—it’s not a big deal.”

She then took Xiaohua to the restroom.

Liu Cuiying muttered angrily, “Money-losing goods—always causing trouble.”

Lian Yuqing nudged Wei Dong and asked, in a volume just loud enough for the whole table to hear, “What does ‘money-losing goods’ mean? Is that a local saying? Does it mean ‘women’?”

Then she raised her voice, “Oh, then this whole table is full of money-losing goods!”

She turned to Liu Cuiying. “Good evening, money-losing goods.”

The men who hadn’t even stopped eating while the child was crying now fell silent.

Liu Cuiying’s face turned from green to white.

Cheng Weiwei tried to stir things up. “Yuqing, I think you misunderstood Sister Cuiying. Besides, she’s pregnant. What if she gets too upset?”

But Lian Yuqing didn’t fall for it. She smiled coldly. “Comrade Cheng, could you kindly explain to me what ‘money-losing goods’ means?”

Cheng Weiwei froze.

“Please explain what money-losing goods means,” Lian Yuqing repeated, her tone turning chilly.

Cheng Weiwei’s eyes turned red, looking like she was about to cry as she looked toward Wei Dong, hoping he’d speak for her.

Seeing this going nowhere, Cheng Xu, her brother, finally stepped in. “Sister-in-law, Weiwei’s just young and ignorant. Don’t take it to heart.”

Cheng Weiwei pouted miserably—why wasn’t her own brother on her side?

Wei Dong leaned toward Lian Yuqing and whispered, “That’s enough, otherwise it’ll get out of hand.”

Lian Yuqing suddenly put down her chopsticks with a loud clack. “Money-losing goods isn’t a nice term, right? If someone ever called me that, I’d slap them right then and there.”

Though said to Wei Dong, it was clear who she was referring to.

Cai Guifen was stunned—this wife of the battalion commander was really something else.

Xu Qiuhong returned and tried to smooth things over. “Xiaomin, look at how cute Dahua and Xiaohua are. You and Yuecheng should have one soon.”

“Exactly,” others chimed in, eager to change the subject.

The attention shifted to Jiang Min. Her pupils shrank slightly, but she smiled. “We’re not in a rush.”

“You’re not getting any younger. Have one soon. It’ll be hard to have a second or third child after thirty.”

“If you’d had one right after the wedding, the kid could be buying soy sauce by now.”

…

Although Jiang Min said she wasn’t in a hurry, Lian Yuqing could tell from her subtle expression that it wasn’t the whole truth.

Unexpectedly, the gossip circle had moved to her.

Trying to lighten the mood, Cai Guifen said, “Yuqing and the battalion commander have been married for half a year, right? You guys should get on with it—he’s not young anymore. Time to have a big, healthy boy.”

Another sister-in-law added, “With hips like yours, you’ll definitely have a son.”

Now all eyes were on Lian Yuqing. Meanwhile, Jiang Min quietly relaxed, releasing her clenched hands under the table, the skin covered in deep nail marks. Pan Yuecheng held her hand tightly and gave it a squeeze.

Wei Dong hadn’t expected the topic to turn to having children. They were about to get divorced—how could there be a child? He was about to say something when the person beside him spoke up first.

Lian Yuqing blinked innocently at the sisters-in-law across from her and said, distressed, “I don’t know how to make a baby! Sisters, please teach me.”