Chapter 11 – Framed and Blamed

Shen Junmei and Fu Jun had been married for many years. After much difficulty, she finally conceived—only to give birth to a daughter. The couple refused to give up. Even as they neared forty, they kept “trying,” and at last a son was born. They named him Jindan (Golden Egg).

As the name suggested, Jindan was the treasured darling of the Fu family, one year older than Dabao and Xiaobao.

Above Jindan was an older sister with a pitiful name: Zhaodi—which literally meant “Bring-a-Brother.” Her very existence was a placeholder for her younger brother. In this son-favoring family, her life was anything but pleasant.

“Ma-ma, I didn’t lie! Come smell it yourself, it’s meat! Pork belly meat!”

Hearing her beloved son say so, Shen Junmei rushed over.

Ruan Jiaojiao’s roujiamo was fragrant, the kind of meat-filled bun that burst with juices at the first bite. The taste was far better than the rustic pork belly dishes of the village women.

But Shen Junmei had always held resentment toward Ruan Jiaojiao—she herself had given birth to nothing but a “useless” daughter after years of waiting, and it wasn’t until her forties that she bore Jindan, ruining her health in the process so she could no longer have more children.

All those years of bitter looks and silent suffering, only she knew.

And yet, just when she thought she had survived it all, in walked Ruan Jiaojiao—who immediately produced two big, healthy sons! Twins!

So, no matter how flirtatious or fickle Ruan Jiaojiao was rumored to be, the two old folks of the Fu family still favored her above all.

To Shen Junmei, this was unbearably unfair. Even though Ruan Jiaojiao had never done anything against her directly, she still treated Jiaojiao like an enemy in her heart.

So when she smelled the fragrance drifting over from Jiaojiao’s yard, Shen Junmei snapped without thinking:
“It must be that woman who stole our pork belly! Jindan, come—let’s go demand justice!”

“Yes, they definitely stole it! We’ll make them give it back!”

The village gossips had been saying lately that Ruan Jiaojiao had changed and wanted to live properly with Fu Ting, but Shen Junmei didn’t believe a word.

A wanton woman like her? Surely she was just acting. Shen Junmei wanted nothing more than to rip off her mask and expose her true face!

In her mind, no daughter-in-law could surpass her. She had sacrificed her health for a son—living with constant ailments, even the occasional incontinence—and no one should ever take her place.

Just as they were about to storm out, a timid voice piped up from inside:
“Ma, Jindan, our pork belly… it’s all still here…”

But Shen Junmei immediately scolded the girl:
“Shut your mouth, you worthless thing! Always taking outsiders’ side! Say one more word and I’ll sell you off!”

Zhaodi fell silent, biting her lip as she glanced toward the neighbor’s courtyard, her eyes filled with pity.

Meanwhile, Dabao and Xiaobao each had half a roujiamo in hand, feeling like they might float away from happiness.

Xiaobao patted his round little belly and declared:
“Ma-ma is amazing! Xiaobao wants to learn to cook too! When I grow up, I’ll make food for Ma-ma!”

“Alright~” Ruan Jiaojiao gazed at him with motherly tenderness.

But their joy didn’t last long. Soon, uninvited guests barged in.

It was Shen Junmei and her son Jindan.

Since Ruan Jiaojiao’s house had no gate, entry was easy.

She dragged Jindan inside, shouting at the top of her lungs:
“Ruan Jiaojiao! You shameless slut! As if wronging Fu Ting wasn’t enough—you’ve even stooped to stealing meat!”

Jindan, though still a child, spoke fluently in a rehearsed tone, backing his mother up:
“I, Jindan, saw it with my own eyes! You told your Dabao and Xiaobao to sneak into our house and steal pork belly! My mama saved up three months’ worth of money to buy that half a pound of pork belly, and now it’s all stolen by those two little thieves!”

“Oh heavens! How is one supposed to live? I gave birth to my precious son so late in life, raised him with endless toil, and now when I finally buy him some meat—it’s stolen away by those two brats! Where is the justice in this world!”

Shen Junmei’s voice was notorious in the village; when she yelled, half the neighbors came to watch.

Dabao refused to take the blame. He challenged Jindan:
“Heidan (Black Egg), which dog-eye of yours saw me and Xiaobao steal it? Got any proof?”

Jindan had inherited his mother’s dark complexion and sturdy build, which earned him the nickname “Heidan (Black Egg).” He hated it.

Normally, Dabao wouldn’t use the nickname—after all, they were cousins. But since Jindan was slandering him, Dabao said it on purpose, just to spite him.

“My name is Jindan(Golden Egg)! Not Heidan (Black Egg)!”

“Got it, Heidan (Black Egg).”

“Arghhh! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Jindan lunged at Dabao, but Dabao dodged cleverly. Jindan fell flat on his face in the dirt, like a turtle on its belly, drawing roaring laughter from the onlookers.

Jindan: “……”

“Waaaaahhh!” He burst into tears. Though older than Dabao, he was pampered and spoiled, lacking his cousin’s maturity and wit—leaving him humiliated.

Shen Junmei hurried to lift her son up. Yet in her heart, her Jindan never Heidan (Black Egg)!) was still the very best.

“Ruan Jiaojiao! Don’t you dare use your ill-bred sons to slander us! I saw you cooking meat! Either hand it over today, or pay us money. Your choice!”

She thought she was being generous—not even demanding double compensation, knowing Jiaojiao couldn’t afford it.

Where could a so-called “reformed” woman like her get meat? Surely she was just leeching off the old folks!

In Shen Junmei’s eyes, her in-laws were playing favorites. So no matter what, she was determined to take this meat back. Even if she had to lie, she would lie boldly.

Besides, everyone knew what kind of woman Ruan Jiaojiao was. Even if Shen Junmei was lying, people would believe her over Jiaojiao.

That was often the way of the world: it was easy to pin one’s own wrongdoings onto someone with a bad reputation, because people were all too ready to believe the worst.

The wronged person’s reputation would sink even lower, until they lost the will to change for the better.

But Ruan Jiaojiao’s will was strong. She would never be crushed by such framing. What’s more—she was far from helpless.

When dealing with a noisy, self-righteous woman like Shen Junmei…