Chapter 6: A Canned Fruit, Separation of the Household

After hastily finishing their meal, Lu Hailiang and Lu Huaiguo, feeling ashamed after hearing what their little nephews had said, took their bowls into the kitchen. The elders and several children remained in the main hall talking.

Lu Zhinan was clever, while Lu Zhibei was lively and sweet-tongued, coaxing Zhao Menglan into smiling so widely her eyes squinted. She invited the two to eat some canned fruit.

This was something Lu Huaichuan had brought home during a visit, and Zhao Menglan had never been willing to take it out. Hearing her grandsons’ words made her so happy that she gritted her teeth and opened the can.

“Zhinan, Zhibei, have some canned fruit. This is what your father brought back, eat more.” Zhao Menglan said with a face full of maternal affection. Seeing the two boys reminded her of when Lu Huaichuan was small.

Off to the side, the pampered Lu Tianjie was being neglected. Watching his grandparents now holding Lu Zhibei in their arms, Lu Tianjie plopped himself down on the floor, rolling and thrashing about as he wailed: “Grandma, I want to be held too! I want to eat canned fruit too!”

The canned fruit was sweet, and Lu Tianjie had only ever eaten it once before—when Lu Huaichuan had returned a few years ago and brought one can for each household. Zhuang Meifeng, doting on her son, had let him finish it that very night.

Seeing Lu Tianjie rolling on the ground, Lu Zhibei swayed his head happily, as if adding fuel to the fire, and planted a kiss on Zhao Menglan’s cheek. “Grandma, I love this so much. You have some too.”

Among children, comparisons were the most dangerous. In her arms, she held an obedient and adorable little grandson; on the ground lay a snot- and tear-streaked elder grandson. Anyone would prefer the obedient one.

Lu Zhinan also stepped forward with his bowl. “Grandpa, Grandma, you should have some of the small fish. My mom made them really well.” Though he had only eaten a few, he thought his mother’s cooking skills were improving rapidly, and he couldn’t stop praising her in front of his grandparents.

If Ye Qiu were there at that moment, she might have blushed.

Right in front of Lu Tianjie, Lu Zhibei deliberately shared some with the second branch’s Da Ya and Xiao Ya, but not with Lu Tianjie, making him so angry he ran home crying to find his mother.

Zhao Menglan understood her little grandson’s personality well—he surely still remembered the chicken soup incident. But since this was something the younger daughter-in-law had given to the elders, even if the other children didn’t get any, it was still reasonable.

Only after watching the two eat did Lu Zhibei feel satisfied. He waved his hand and, holding his eldest brother’s hand, ran home. Zhao Menglan wanted to keep them for dinner but couldn’t persuade them.

“Grandma, my mom’s making dinner. We’ll go back first.”

That evening, Ye Qiu steamed two bowls of egg custard for the boys. After dinner, she had them bathe and go to bed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to come back at noon the next day, so she got up early in the morning and went to the Lu family’s house.

Upon learning yesterday that her parents-in-law had given the two boys from the third branch a special meal and hadn’t allowed her own son to eat, Zhuang Meifeng had quarreled fiercely with Lu Hailiang. This morning, when her mother-in-law urged her to get up and sweep the yard, her dissatisfaction deepened.

Seeing Ye Qiu arrive, she sized her up from head to toe, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Well, look at that, the sky must be raining red today—how come Third Sister-in-law came?”

“I’m here to see Mom.” Ye Qiu didn’t want to say more to Zhuang Meifeng and walked past her. But she heard a muttered curse.

Ye Qiu stopped instantly, tilting her head. “Were you cursing me?”

“How did I curse you? I was cursing someone without a conscience. Such a rare thing—you people in the third branch treat your things like treasures. We can’t afford to eat them.”

“As expected, a white-eyed wolf that can’t be raised well. We’re all one family, yet you can’t even spare a mouthful of canned fruit. And that’s the eldest grandson! If you have the ability, why don’t you have someone else raise you?”

Hands on her hips, Zhuang Meifeng seemed to be speaking to Ye Qiu, but in truth, she was taking a veiled jab at Zhao Menglan. Zhao Menglan was no fool and immediately caught the insinuation. Without a word, she grabbed a firewood stick and charged out.

“I’ll make you talk, I’ll make you talk—”

Zhuang Meifeng cried out loudly as she was beaten, still looking defiant. Pointing at Ye Qiu, she shouted: “Why is it that we’re all Lu family daughters-in-law, yet Ye Qiu gets to take her children out to enjoy themselves?”

“Favoritism shouldn’t be so blatant! Yesterday, Tianjie came home crying, saying his grandparents wouldn’t let him eat canned fruit or fried fish. Even those two cheap girls from the second branch could eat it. I’d like to ask you, Third Sister-in-law—what did my Tianjie do to you? You’re an adult, yet you’re teaching children to bully my son!”

Zhuang Meifeng’s words only made Ye Qiu angrier. Without reason, she was making up lies with her eyes wide open. Stopping the furious Zhao Menglan, Ye Qiu stood before Zhuang Meifeng to speak clearly.

When Ye Qiu brought up the old incident about the chicken soup, Zhuang Meifeng grew a bit guilty but quickly tried to hold her ground. “How can our two households be the same? Since your husband is capable, what’s wrong with him contributing more money?”

“With Third Brother away, the two of our households take turns caring for the elders. Shouldn’t Third Brother’s family contribute more money?”

Using yesterday’s incident, Zhuang Meifeng poured out all the resentment she had been harboring, not caring at all about Zhao Menglan’s face, which had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. The commotion outside woke everyone, even bringing Lu Zhongming out.

Standing under the eaves, his expression unreadable, he tapped the door twice with his dry tobacco pipe and said calmly: “Whatever it is, close the door and talk. Don’t let outsiders laugh at us.”

Once the Lu family’s gates were shut, Ye Qiu broke down the entire matter piece by piece for Zhuang Meifeng. Even once was enough for Lu Tianjie to be unable to bear it; previously, Zhinan and Zhibei had endured far more slights from the eldest branch.

Even eating at the Lu family’s house, Zhuang Meifeng would make hidden jabs at them, even telling the two children that their mother didn’t like them. But when it was her own child, she suddenly felt heartache?

“The canned fruit was given by my husband, and this house was built with my husband’s military allowance, wasn’t it?” Ye Qiu had heard Zhao Menglan mention this before, so now she said it outright, making Zhuang Meifeng’s face turn blotchy with green and white patches.

Standing beside Ye Qiu, Zhao Menglan listened to the two women’s exchange. Hearing this, she nodded and, without caring about her two elder sons’ pride, said seriously: “We all know what kind of life our family used to have.”

“The matchmaker introduced several women to Eldest, but all the girls thought our family was too poor. Your father and I were just farmers with no real ability. Later, when Chuanzi found out, he secretly signed up to join the army without telling us.”

Speaking of the past, Zhao Menglan’s eyes turned red and tears rolled down her cheeks. If it hadn’t been for the sake of the family, for the sake of his two elder brothers, how would her youngest son have joined the army?

She didn’t know how dangerous the outside world was. Every time she dreamed of her youngest son at night, she would wake up in fright, afraid he would suffer grievances outside.

Now that life was finally better, her eldest daughter-in-law was stirring up trouble again, making Zhao Menglan so angry she could hardly breathe.

“You call the third branch a white-eyed wolf? Zhuang Meifeng, search your conscience and tell me—how has the Lu family treated you? And yet you’d bully Chuanzi’s wife over a can of fruit?”

For the first time, Lu Hailiang and Lu Huaiguo learned from their mother the truth about their younger brother’s enlistment. Both hung their heads in shame. Lu Hailiang, face dark, scolded Zhuang Meifeng. “Enough. Shut your mouth.”

“All you ever do is tell me to shut up. The second branch does nothing because of pregnancy, and I’m the bad guy. I’m the outsider in the Lu family.”

Seeing the eldest branch still causing a scene, Lu Zhongming said in a low, firm voice: “If you can’t live together anymore, then separate the household.”