Chapter 105 : Ruined reputation?

Su Xieqiu was preparing dinner with her two children.  

She had no idea that, in just a short time, her reputation at the Youth League Institute had been completely tarnished.  

“Auntie, eat this, it’s delicious.” An an held out half of her pumpkin pie to Su Xieqiu, her bright eyes sparkling.  

Su Xieqiu glanced at An an’s greasy little hands and then at the already nibbled pumpkin pie.  

Smiling, she said, “An an is such a good girl. You eat it. Auntie has some here.”  

She picked a pumpkin pie from the bowl, gently clinked it against An an’s, and smiled.  

An an giggled, stuffed her pumpkin pie back into her mouth, and licked her fingers with relish.  

Tonight’s dinner was pumpkin pancakes, millet porridge, a plate of stir-fried green vegetables, and shredded beef with green peppers.  

Chenchen stared at the dishes on the table, two oily plates and the pumpkin pancakes. His initial uneasiness had now turned into calm acceptance.  

Before leaving Beijing, his grandmother had warned him that life in the countryside wouldn’t be as comfortable as in the city. She had told him to eat whatever was cooked for him and not to complain.  

His uncle, the night before he left, reminded him that rural families typically ate only two meals a day. His uncle had urged him to take care of his little sister, make sure she didn’t complain of hunger, and avoid being picky.  

Chenchen had prepared himself for hardship, planning to eat less so that his sister could have more.  

But why was life at Aunt Su’s house so different from what he’d expected?  

They ate three meals a day here, with meat for both lunch and dinner.  

It wasn’t just a little meat, half the dish was often meat, and there was even fish or chicken sometimes.  

Breakfast might not include fried meat, but there were always eggs or meat sauce alongside fine grains.  

And Aunt Su often gave them snacks during the day to keep them from going hungry.  

In fact, his sister had gained so much weight in just a few days that he could barely lift her anymore.  

‘This kind of life… even when our family was doing well, we didn’t eat like this,’ Chenchen thought in disbelief.  

At first, he assumed everyone in the countryside ate this way. But after accompanying Aunt Su to the village a few days ago, he realized that wasn’t true.  

Other families didn’t have meat or fine grains. Many couldn’t even get enough coarse grains and had to rely on wild vegetables to fill their bellies.  

Noticing him sitting silently, Su Xieqiu placed a pumpkin pancake in his bowl.  

“Chenchen, what are you daydreaming about? Eat quickly. The pumpkin pancake won’t taste good if it gets cold.”  

Startled, Chenchen smiled sheepishly. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Aunt Su, do we spend a lot of money to eat this well every day?”  

He knew his uncle had given living expenses to Uncle Han and Aunt Su before leaving. But eating meat and fine grains daily worried him, what if the money ran out soon?  

Seeing such a young child burdened with worries, Su Xieqiu sighed. She understood he felt insecure.  

“Don’t worry, our family can afford it. This isn’t something you need to think about. You and An an just focus on eating well.”  

She picked up a piece of shredded beef with green peppers with her chopsticks and placed it in his bowl. Smiling, she added, “Didn’t your uncle teach you how to boxing before he left? Take your sister out to the yard and practice. If bad guys like the ones today ever come back, you and An an can punch them away.”  

Chenchen nodded firmly. “Aunt Su, I’ll practice boxing well and protect you and my sister in the future.”  

Patting his head, Su Xieqiu replied, “Good. Now eat up. The more you eat, the stronger you’ll be for punching.”  

Seeing her aunt give Chenchen some food, An an grabbed a pumpkin pie she liked and placed it in her brother’s bowl.  

She grinned and said, “Brother, eat this.”  

“Thank you, sister,” Chenchen said warmly, picking up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks for An an and adding a pumpkin pie to Su Xieqiu’s plate.  

The three enjoyed their dinner in high spirits, then played on the swings in the yard before washing up and getting ready for bed.  

—

The next morning, after breakfast, Wang Fengqin arrived with her little daughter, Linglan.  

Su Xieqiu had spent the previous afternoon peeling cabbage and cleaning jars in preparation.  

As they chatted, Wang Fengqin decided to share what she had overheard the day before.  

“Zhenyu’s wife, your cousin has quite the foul mouth and can say just about anything. Someone like that likely has a bad heart. You should be cautious when dealing with her in the future,” Wang Fengqin advised.  

While Wang Fengqin wasn’t one to gossip, the harshness of Su Xieyun’s words made her feel compelled to warn Su Xieqiu, especially since trouble might arise later.  

Grateful for the warning, Su Xieqiu smiled. “Sister, since you’ve already heard about it, I won’t shy away from sharing my family’s affairs with you today.”  

She knew that after yesterday’s confrontation, her cousin, Su Xieyun, would likely spread exaggerated and damaging rumors about her. Instead of waiting, she decided to get ahead of the situation.  

“I had planned to visit Aunt Qiuye this afternoon, but since you brought this up, it’s better to talk to you about it now.”  

She trusted Wang Fengqin, who was tactful and wise, knowing what to say and what to withhold.  

Calmly, Su Xieqiu began “I’m the third child in the family. I have an older brother, who is favored by my parents, an elder sister who is eloquent and strong-willed, and a younger sister who is clever and always pleases my parents.”  

She sighed bitterly. “Sister, you know how I used to be, timid and lacking ambition. My parents didn’t care for me, and my siblings looked down on me.”  

“Back when I was in school, I had a boyfriend the son of the director at my parents’ factory. My second sister noticed his family was well-off and, perhaps not wanting to be sent to the countryside, she hooked up with him.”  

“My parents feared I’d ruin her chances and cause a scandal. So, they switched her assignment with mine, sending her to work in the suburbs of Haishi City while I was sent far away to the Northeast.”  

Stunned, Wang Fengqin exclaimed, “What? How could your second sister do something like that? And your parents, how could they be so cruel? It was clearly her fault, but they punished you instead!”  

In her mind, Wang Fengqin thought, ‘No love from her father, no care from her mother, and bullying siblings, how could a girl raised in such a family not grow up timid and insecure?’  

After a long silence, Su Xieqiu continued, her voice low “Sister, sometimes I wonder if I’m even their child. Otherwise, why would they treat me like this? Once, I remember, Su Xieyun slapped me in the face. My father saw it but didn’t intervene. Instead, he scolded me, saying I was ignorant and should’ve given in to my cousin.”  

She left out the part where her stepmother had spoken up for her and even visited Su Xieyun’s family to demand compensation. To her, the fact that the grain obtained wasn’t given to her meant she wasn’t truly cared for.  

Moved by her story, Wang Fengqin gently patted her hands. “If your family can’t be relied upon, then focus on building a good life here with Zhenyu. He’s a reliable man, he has a city hukou and a formal job. You’ll have a bright future ahead.”  

Smiling faintly, Su Xieqiu nodded. “I understand, Sister.”  

The two women worked together to pickle two jars of sauerkraut, one large and one small.  

When it came time for lunch, Su Xieqiu invited Wang Fengqin to stay, but she declined. In return, Su Xieqiu gifted her a few ounces of pickled wild boar meat as thanks.  

At the door, as she saw her out, Su Xieqiu added, “Sister, my head injury still hasn’t fully healed, so I can’t work yet. If my cousin does anything strange, please come back and let me know.”  

Understanding her subtle request, Wang Fengqin smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out.”  

The Han family had always treated her well, often giving snacks to her children. Even without being asked, she wouldn’t stand by and let others slander them unfairly.