The firewood in the kitchen hadn't completely died down yet, and the sparks flickered in the firebox, casting a warm glow on the large white steamed bun that Lin Wanqiu had just taken out of her spatial storage. She had just broken the bun into small pieces and soaked it in rice porridge mixed with milk powder when she heard a loud "bang" from outside the courtyard gate—it sounded like someone had deliberately kicked the gate, making a noise loud enough to startle the sparrows on the courtyard wall.
"Lin Wanqiu! What are you doing hiding in the house? Come out right now!" Zhang Lan's loud voice pierced through the door, carrying a rude and confrontational tone. Lin Wanqiu didn't even lift her eyelids, slowly stirring the rice porridge in her bowl with a spoon, and scooping the softened pieces of steamed bun to Chen Nian'an, who was staring at her expectantly: "An'an, be good, eat slowly, don't burn yourself."
Four-year-old Shen Nian'an was as thin as a bean sprout, his wrists so thin you could clench them in one hand. Yet, he held a rough porcelain bowl bigger than his face, taking small sips of food, his eyes shining like they were filled with starlight. With a steamed bun in his mouth, he mumbled, "Mother, I'm not... not afraid..." Lin Wanqiu stroked his dry, yellow hair, a cold glint in her eyes—afraid? In her past life, she had worked her way up in the culinary world; what kind of difficult clients hadn't she seen? Zhang Lan's tricks were no match for her.
The pounding on the door grew louder, accompanied by Old Mrs. Shen's shrill voice: "Lan, bang harder! This lazybones is definitely hiding inside stealing food! Our Shen family can't support idlers!" Lin Wanqiu put down her spoon, wiped her hands, walked to the door, and deliberately dawdled for a while before pulling the bolt open.
The door had barely opened a crack when Zhang Lan burst in like a ruffled hen. Her triangular eyes scanned the room, finally settling on the still-steaming coarse porcelain bowl on the stove. She rushed over, picked up the bowl, sniffed it, and her face instantly turned ashen. "Lin Wanqiu! How dare you! You dare to secretly boil eggs at home? And make milk powder? Where did this come from? Did you hide Tingzhou's pension?"
Old Mrs. Shen followed behind, leaning on her cane, and pointed a trembling finger at Lin Wanqiu's nose: "You jinx! It wasn't enough that you killed my son, you also stole things from the house! These eggs and milk powder, you must have stolen them from the house! Hand them over now! Otherwise, I'll report you to the brigade headquarters!"
Lin Wanqiu leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's back-and-forth with a half-smile. She had long anticipated Zhang Lan's trouble-making—she had deliberately left the window slightly ajar while boiling the eggs, waiting for them to take the bait. "Sister-in-law, that's an interesting point," she said, her voice low but penetrating, "These eggs were sent by my family, and the milk powder was part of my dowry from my mother before I got married. What does it have to do with Old Shen's family's compensation?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Zhang Lan exclaimed, reaching out to snatch the purse from Lin Wanqiu's hand. "Your family has long since disappeared. Who would be delivering things to you? You must have stolen it from home! I'm telling you, you have to hand this over today, or else..."
"Or what will you do?" Lin Wanqiu dodged her hand, her eyes suddenly turning cold. "Sister-in-law, don't forget, after Tingzhou's sacrifice, all the compensation money given by the brigade headquarters was taken by Mother to pay for your Zhuzi's tuition. For the past few months, An'an and I have been eating cornbread mixed with bran and wearing patched and tattered clothes. How dare you come and take my things?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan's face flushed red and then turned pale. Hearing the commotion, the neighbors gathered around, pointing and whispering about Zhang Lan. "Yeah, I saw Wanqiu and An'an digging for wild vegetables just a few days ago. Unlike Zhang Lan's family, they have white flour buns to eat every day." "Exactly! The pension is clearly for orphans and widows, how did Old Lady Shen take it to pay for her eldest grandson's tuition?"
Seeing this, Old Mrs. Shen quickly tried to smooth things over: "Don't listen to her nonsense! This pension is being kept by me for Wanqiu. An'an will need it when she grows up! Besides, what's the difference between 'yours' and 'mine' among family members? Lan Jiazhu is the eldest grandson of the Shen family. Shouldn't he pay for her tuition?"
"Mother is right!" Zhang Lan immediately echoed, as if grasping at a straw. "Lin Wanqiu, you're a widow with a child, relying on your family for food, clothing, and other necessities. Isn't it only right that you give something to your eldest grandson? Don't be ungrateful!"
Lin Wanqiu sneered, pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her bosom, and handed it to everyone: "Look, everyone, this is the certificate for receiving the pension issued by the brigade headquarters. It clearly states that the pension is a total of twenty yuan, to be received by me, Lin Wanqiu. But in reality, I haven't received a single penny; it was all taken by my mother and sister-in-law." She paused, her gaze sweeping over Old Lady Shen and Zhang Lan, "As for saying I rely on my family for food and clothing, that's a joke! I've been married into the Shen family for three years, working from dawn till dusk every day, doing countless jobs in the fields and cooking countless meals at home, yet An'an and I haven't even had a decent meal. My sister-in-law, on the other hand, is lazy and good-for-nothing at home, and she goes around badmouthing me. Tell me, who is truly ungrateful?"
After seeing the certificate, the neighbors who had gathered around nodded in agreement, remembering Lin Wanqiu's usual hard work. "Wanqiu is right, this compensation should indeed go to Wanqiu and An'an." "Old Mrs. Shen is too biased. They're all her own grandchildren, how can she treat them so differently?" "Zhang Lan is the same, she doesn't do any work and even steals other people's things, it's really outrageous!"
Zhang Lan was so ashamed that she jumped up and down in a panic: "You, you forged this certificate! I don't believe it! I'm going to the brigade headquarters to ask!"
"Go ahead!" Lin Wanqiu said confidently. "The brigade secretary and accountant can testify. If you don't believe me, go ask them now! But let me make this clear: if it's proven to be true, you and Mom will not only have to return the compensation to me, but you'll also have to apologize to me and An'an!"
Seeing that things were not going well, Old Mrs. Shen tugged at Zhang Lan's sleeve and whispered, "Lan, let's forget it. Let's go back first and talk about this later." She knew that the proof was indeed true. If it went to the brigade headquarters, not only would the compensation have to be returned, but the Shen family would also lose all face.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com