Chapter 12

Lan Yun’er chuckled, but it was a mocking laugh.

Huo Junda and Cao Yunxia really deserved each other as a couple—they were both shameless!

She looked at Huo Junda and said slowly, “Big Brother, may I ask, whose son is Huo Tianhe? Is he, my son?”

Her words made Huo Junda and Cao Yunxia’s faces darken. Cao Yunxia immediately snapped, “Of course, he’s my and Junda’s son!”

“Is that so?” The mocking smile on Lan Yun’er’s face deepened. She turned to glance at Cao Yunxia and enunciated her words, “Since he’s your son, shouldn’t he ask you if he wants malted milk? Why are you coming to me? Am I obligated to support him?”

Cao Yunxia froze, clearly stumped by this question. However, she quickly stiffened her neck and retorted, “Even if he’s not your son, he’s still your nephew! Since he’s your nephew, you should stand by him and give him the good things!”

Lan Yun’er was amazed by such logic.

But she didn’t get angry. She cast a glance at Zhong Cuitao’s daughter, Huo Miaomiao, then turned her gaze to Huo Junda and said, “Big Brother, based on your wife’s reasoning, shouldn’t you also stand by Miaomiao? Shouldn’t you also give her the good things? If you don’t, wouldn’t your wife be contradicting her own words?”

Huo Junda: “…”

He was speechless and flushed with anger, glaring at Cao Yunxia for speaking so thoughtlessly and giving Lan Yun’er the opportunity to trap them. However, looking at Huo Miaomiao, he snorted, “She’s just a girl. What does she need good things for? Good things should be saved for boys. Boys will be the backbone of the family in the future!”

Cao Yunxia quickly agreed with her husband, “Exactly! A girl doesn’t need such good things. Giving good things to a girl is a waste!”

Sitting nearby, Zhong Cuitao gripped her chopsticks tightly, biting her lips. She wanted to argue but glanced around the table and didn’t dare to speak. Her family was poorer than the Huo family—much poorer.

Because her maternal family was so impoverished, they couldn’t support her. And her husband, Huo Junli, was bedridden and paralyzed, unable to help her either.

In this household, she was completely on her own.

She couldn’t fight against Cao Yunxia and Huo Junda.

Lan Yun’er listened to their words and chuckled lightly. Just as she was about to retort, Huo Jincheng spoke up, “Girls are people too! Girls can also contribute to the family! Our mother is a woman, and the contributions she has made to this family—surely, you’re not unaware? By saying those things, aren’t you insulting her as well?”

In this household, Yao Guizhi held the reins.

Although Huo Junda and Cao Yunxia were headstrong, they dared not confront Yao Guizhi. After glancing at her, they both looked somewhat awkward.

Yao Guizhi said, “Don’t say such things again! This is a new society—men and women are equals now. Stop clinging to those old-fashioned ideas from the past!”

Lan Yun’er raised her eyebrows slightly as she glanced at Yao Guizhi.

Although her mother-in-law spoke about gender equality, in reality, she clearly favored her grandsons. She preferred Cao Yunxia’s two sons and often gave them the best food. If she truly practiced what she preached, she wouldn’t neglect Zhong Cuitao’s daughter.

Zhong Cuitao gave her daughter a steamed bun.

She knew her mother-in-law’s words were mere lip service. In this family, true equality between boys and girls was impossible.

Huo Junda and Cao Yunxia both lowered their heads, cowed by Yao Guizhi’s authority.

However, Huo Tianhe, seeing that no one was paying attention to him anymore, began throwing a tantrum. “Malted milk! Malted milk! If I don’t get malted milk, I won’t eat!”

Cao Yunxia quickly tried to console him. After a few words, she glared at Lan Yun’er and said, “You’re really heartless! Giving good things to outsiders! Who in their right mind would be so foolish?”

She was indignant. The thought of the malted milk originally meant for her son now going to someone else made her heart ache.

Lan Yun’er smiled. “Look at what you’re saying, Sister-in-law. Are you really so good at distinguishing between close and distant relations? If you were, you wouldn’t have spent all day siding with outsiders at the captain’s house, trying to drive me out. I thought you were the one who couldn’t tell close from distant relations.”

Cao Yunxia’s actions at the captain’s house today had also angered Yao Guizhi. On the way home, Yao Guizhi had scolded her.

Now that Lan Yun’er brought it up, Yao Guizhi’s anger flared again. She glared at Cao Yunxia and snapped, “Can’t you keep your mouth shut while eating? Does your mouth need to be sewn shut?”

Even Huo Jianzhang, the head of the household, looked displeased as he turned to Cao Yunxia.

Her siding with outsiders earlier had caused the village to laugh at the family for having such a senseless daughter-in-law who didn’t stand by her own family.

Cao Yunxia froze, breathing nervously under Huo Jianzhang’s gaze. Though he usually appeared gentle, those who knew him well were aware that he could be terrifying when angry—even Yao Guizhi feared him.

Cao Yunxia kept quiet. The dinner table fell silent.

Lan Yun’er withdrew her gaze, picked up a coarse sorghum bun, and began eating. After taking a bite, her brows furrowed.

The sorghum bun was indeed rough and coarse—it felt like it scratched her throat as she swallowed.

Clearly, earning money was an urgent priority that couldn’t be delayed any longer.

Meanwhile, at the Zhou household.

Zhou Mingyue entered her cousin Wang Zhiqiang’s room, her expression serious as she asked, “Cousin, let me ask you, do you truly like Lan Yun’er? Do you really want her to be your woman?”

Wang Zhiqiang, seated in a chair reading a book—a risqué novel he had someone bring back from Hong Kong—looked up at her and nodded. “Yes, I like her.”

Though he didn’t intend to marry Lan Yun’er, she was beautiful and had a graceful figure. Having a night with such a woman would be wonderful.

A sinister smile flickered across Zhou Mingyue’s lips as she gazed at him. “Cousin, you know about what happened at the captain’s house today, right? Lan Yun’er seems to have changed. She doesn’t seem to side with you anymore. If you want to be with her, you’ll need to come up with another plan.”

“Another plan?” Wang Zhiqiang raised his eyebrows at her. “What do you suggest?”

Zhou Mingyue slightly parted her red lips and said, “Turn uncooked rice into cooked rice.”

Wang Zhiqiang was momentarily stunned by her devious suggestion but quickly smiled. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Zhou Mingyue’s smile deepened. “I’ll make the arrangements within the next couple of days.”

Wang Zhiqiang closed the book in his hands, patted her hand, and said, “Thank you, Mingyue. If this works out, I’ll buy you a gift.”

Zhou Mingyue smiled brightly. “No need to thank me, Cousin. This is what I should do. I just want to see you happy with Lan Yun’er.”

If Lan Yun’er ended up with her cousin, she wondered if Huo Jincheng would still want her or feel disgusted by her.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhiqiang fantasized about the beautiful Lan Yun’er, a smile playing on his lips as he stroked his chin.

After dinner, Lan Yun’er and Huo Jincheng returned to their room after a simple wash-up.

When Huo Jincheng entered and closed the door, he walked to a corner where an old patched mat was stored. Retrieving it, he laid it out on the floor.

Since their marriage, he had always slept on the floor, never sharing a bed with Lan Yun’er.

He smoothed the mat, then pulled out a military coat from the trunk and draped it over himself, preparing to lie down.

Lan Yun’er glanced at him. Sleeping on the floor during winter, even wrapped in a military coat, was still freezing.

She suddenly admired the original Lan Yun’er’s cold-heartedness—watching the male lead sleep on the floor for so many days without batting an eye. Such an unfeeling nature was not something everyone possessed.

She walked over to the mat, looked at Huo Jincheng about to lie down, and reached out to stop him. “Don’t sleep here. It’s freezing. You’ll catch a cold.”