Grandma Shen dragged Zhang Lan by the wrist toward home, her rough knuckles digging into her flesh like iron clamps, causing Zhang Lan to burst into tears, but she dared not break free. The locust tree leaves outside the courtyard gate were swirling in the wind, falling at their feet, covered with morning dew, like a handful of ice shards, chilling Zhang Lan's neck to the bone.
"You useless thing!" Old Mrs. Shen's cane thumped loudly on the bluestone pavement, spittle flying onto Zhang Lan's face with her curses. "How could I have raised such a stupid woman like you? Who is Lin Wanqiu? Do you think she would let you get away with this so easily? And you, you're eager to be her stepping stone, even trying to ruin her business—do you know how close she is to Secretary Zhou of the commune? If something really happens, not only you, but the entire Shen family will starve!"
Zhang Lan shrank back, her wrists aching and her face burning with embarrassment, filled with regret and resentment. Just moments ago in Lin Wanqiu's courtyard, the accusing gazes of the crowd felt like needles piercing her, especially Aunt Wang's comment, "Your conscience has been eaten by dogs," which made her wish she could disappear into the ground. She had originally thought that as long as she poured croton powder into the soy milk, causing stomach upsets for those who ate the tofu, Lin Wanqiu's reputation would be ruined. Then, she could stir up trouble in the village and perhaps even steal the tofu business. But who knew that Lin Wanqiu had already seen through her scheme and set a trap for her?
"Mom, I didn't mean to..." Zhang Lan choked up, her voice barely audible, "I just saw her making so much money, and I was resentful. I wanted... I wanted her to experience what it's like to be unlucky..."
"You're not convinced?" Old Mrs. Shen suddenly stopped, turned around and glared at her, her cloudy eyes full of contempt. "If you're so capable, go earn it yourself! All you do is be jealous of this and scheme against that. Look at you, what else can you do besides sowing discord? If you hadn't urged me to go to Lin Wanqiu for a dowry, would she have caused such a commotion with our Shen family? Now look what's happened, her business is booming while we can barely afford a hot meal, and you still want to provoke her!"
Zhang Lan was speechless, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, soaking her clothes. She recalled the years she had been married to Shen Laoda, working like a slave in the Shen family, getting up before dawn every day to cook, feed the pigs, and work in the fields. Yet, Old Madam Shen had never given her a kind look; the best food always went to the second and third wives, leaving her with nothing but leftovers. Seeing Lin Wanqiu making money this time had ignited her greed; she thought that if she could ruin Lin Wanqiu's business, she might benefit. But instead, her plan backfired, leaving her condemned by everyone and beaten by Old Madam Shen.
As soon as the two reached the entrance of the Shen family compound, they heard Shen's eldest son coughing inside. Shen's eldest son had caught a cold last winter and hadn't fully recovered, spending all his time in bed, leaving Zhang Lan to do all the housework. Zhang Lan's heart tightened, fearing that Shen's eldest son would scold her again if he found out, but Shen's grandmother ignored her and pulled her into the house.
"Eldest son, look what your wife has done!" Old Mrs. Shen shouted as soon as she entered the room, pushing Zhang Lan in front of Shen's eldest son's bed. "She tried to add croton powder to Lin Wanqiu's soy milk to harm her, but she was caught red-handed. Now the whole village is laughing at our Shen family! Tell me, how did our Shen family produce such a jinx!"
Old Master Shen sat up in bed, his face ashen, coughing as he asked, "Really...really did this happen?" He looked at Zhang Lan, his eyes filled with disappointment, "Zhang Lan, how...how could you do such a despicable thing? No matter what, Wanqiu is still a daughter-in-law of our Shen family. Even if you don't help her, you can't harm her!"
When Shen Laoda asked Zhang Lan this question, she cried even harder: "I didn't... I really didn't... Lin Wanqiu framed me, she deliberately set a trap for me..."
"Framed you?" Old Mrs. Shen sneered. "What is Lin Wanqiu's status now? The commune regards her as a leader in getting rich. Why would she need to frame a stupid woman like you? I think you won't learn your lesson until you're faced with death! You must apologize to Lin Wanqiu for what happened today, or you can forget about ever setting foot in this house again!"
"Apologize?" Zhang Lan suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of resistance. "I'm not going! I didn't do anything wrong, why should I apologize to her?" The thought of having to bow her head and admit her mistake to Lin Wanqiu made her feel like a stone was stuck in her chest, making her extremely uncomfortable.
"You're not going?" Old Mrs. Shen raised her cane to hit her. "I think you're trying to drive our Shen family to the brink of ruin! You think this matter will be over if you don't apologize? If Lin Wanqiu really tells Secretary Zhou, our Shen family will never be able to hold our heads high in the village! Then, no one will dare to marry your son!"
Zhang Lan was startled by Old Mrs. Shen's words. Her son was already eight years old and would be getting married in a few years. If the Shen family's reputation was ruined, no one would dare to marry their daughter into the family. Looking at the disappointed look in Old Mrs. Shen's eyes, and recalling her son's innocent smile, her resistance slowly turned into helplessness.
"I...I'll go apologize, okay?" Zhang Lan sniffed, her voice full of grievance. "But what if she doesn't forgive me?"
"Whether she forgives you or not is her business, whether you go or not is your business!" Old Mrs. Shen put down her cane, her tone softening slightly. "When you go, bring more things, be polite, and say that you were confused for a moment, begging her to be magnanimous and not hold it against you. As long as she doesn't report this to the commune, there is still hope for our Shen family."
Zhang Lan nodded, but her heart was filled with mixed emotions. She slowly walked to the cupboard, opened the door, and looked at the meager contents inside, feeling a pang of sadness. Besides a few sweet potatoes and half a bag of cornmeal, there was nothing else of value in the house. After hesitating for a long time, she finally took out the two largest sweet potatoes, wrapped them in a cloth, and tucked them into her bosom.
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