Jiang Qiuyue slowly sat down on the threshold. “Dr. Jiang said I was malnourished, so I thought eating eggs would help. I work myself to the bone every day, and now I can’t even have an egg? Fine, fine—you outnumber me, so I won’t argue. But what’s eaten is eaten. I can’t exactly vomit them back up.”  

Seeing her like this, Wang Chunhua’s fury burned hotter. When her second daughter-in-law added that Jiang Qiuyue hadn’t made lunch, the old woman snatched up a broom and charged.  

Jiang Qiuyue had anticipated this. She bolted to the doorway and screamed at the top of her lungs—if they wanted to act like savages, she’d drag their reputation through the mud. “Mom, I’ll never do it again! Don’t hit me! It hurts so much—Mom, you’re going to kill me!”

In reality, Jiang Qiuyue dodged every swing, but her dramatic wailing drew not only the neighbors but also the village chief, who happened to be passing by.  

“Wang Chunhua, what the hell are you doing?” The chief, Hu Haizhi, was a burly man in his thirties with a thick beard. Earlier that day, he’d been the one to carry Jiang Qiuyue to the clinic after she fainted and then brought her back home.  

Before Wang Chunhua could speak, Jiang Qiuyue tearfully cut in, “Chief, please don’t scold my mother-in-law. It’s my fault for eating the eggs. Dr. Jiang said I needed nutrients, so I cooked some, but I didn’t know Mom was saving them all for Dabao…”

Thanks to the original host’s years of tireless labor, her words instantly swayed the crowd. Everyone agreed: Wang Chunhua had gone too far.  

Neighbors began pointing and muttering:

“Wang Chunhua, your daughter-in-law works harder than anyone. How can you beat her over a couple of eggs?”

“Auntie Wang, Qiuyue obeys you in everything and does all the housework. You and Erzhu’s wife don’t lift a finger—how can you mistreat such a good daughter-in-law?”  

“She’s just biased. Everyone knows Lin Dazhu isn’t her real son, so she takes it out on his wife…”

The crowd’s murmurs were peeling back the Lin family’s carefully maintained façade. Sensing danger, Lin Erzhu shot his wife a look, signaling her to help Jiang Qiuyue up. “This is all a misunderstanding! Don’t overthink it—our family’s perfectly fine!”

Wang Chunhua, still fuming, threw the broom aside. “It wasn’t just a couple of eggs—that bitch ate* **ten** *of them!”

Just as Qian Li reached out to “help,” Jiang Qiuyue yelped in pain. “Sister-in-law, why are you pinching me? Yes, I ate the eggs, but I’m a mother too. Was I supposed to eat them all while Beibei and Nan Nan watched?”

“I’m useless as a mother. You all might not know this, but today was the first time Beibei and Nan Nan ever tasted a fried egg…” She broke into sobs.  

At the mention of **ten eggs**, some in the crowd hesitated—eggs were precious, and eating that many *was* excessive.  

But when they heard the children had shared them—and that it was their first time eating eggs—their scorn for Wang Chunhua deepened.  

“Sister-in-law, I didn’t pinch you! Get up already!” Qian Li’s tone was sharp with habitual impatience.  

Jiang Qiuyue flinched, raising her arms to shield her head. “Sister-in-law, don’t hit me! I swear I’ll never eat eggs again!”  

“When did I—?!” Qian Li was livid. She instinctively rolled up her sleeves—just as Hu Haizhi turned to glare at her.  

“Qian Li, what the hell are you doing?!” His roar made her stumble backward.  

“Chief, I didn’t—”  

“I saw it with my own eyes! You still dare deny it?” Hu Haizhi rubbed his temples. Jiang Qiuyue was a military wife—if word got out that the Lin family abused her, there’d be public denouncements. An investigation could even cost him his position. “You and Wang Chunhua, step aside. Have you lost your minds? This is* **New China**—*no one gets to abuse women and children!”

Wang Chunhua and Qian Li wailed about injustice, but the chief ignored them, instead ordering someone to help Jiang Qiuyue up.  

“Dazhu’s wife, don’t be afraid. You are weak—you need to eat well. From now on, if there’s food at home, eat your fill! If they bully you again, come straight to me!” Hu Haizhi couldn’t risk a scandal—he was up for an “Outstanding Cadre” award this year.  

Jiang Qiuyue sniffled gratefully. “Thank you, Chief. I’ll take care of myself and the children—I won’t let you down.”

**See how virtuous she is?** Even now, she’s thinking of the kids.  

Hu Haizhi turned his glare back to Wang Chunhua. “If I hear you’ve laid a hand on her again, I’ll call the police and have you re-educated in town!”

Wang Chunhua’s legs nearly gave out. The village chief was the highest authority in the village—his word was law.  

She felt utterly wronged. *Back in my day, my mother-in-law beat me all the time! And today, I didn’t even land a single hit!*  

**How am I supposed to live like this from now on?**