"Mom..." A weak voice came from the kitchen door.
Zhou Mingli had gotten up from the bed at some point and was standing there holding onto the door frame. Her face was pale and her lips were bloodless.
She obviously heard Zhang Chunxue's words defending her, her eyes were red, full of gratitude and emotion.
The moment Zhang Chunxue saw her, the coldness on her face immediately faded. She quickly walked over and supported her. "Mingli, why are you up? Hurry, go back to the house and lie down. The kitchen is so smoky."
Zhou Mingli shook her head, her voice a little hoarse: "Mom, I... I'm just thirsty, I want to come out and get some water."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunxue hurriedly helped her sit on the stool next to her. She turned around, picked up the ladle, scooped clean cold water from the water tank, added some boiling hot water from the pot, tested the temperature, and then handed it to Zhou Mingli.
"Have a drink to moisten your throat. There's crucian carp soup stewing in the pot, specially made for you. Drink more later, both the fish and the soup will nourish your body." Zhang Chunxue's tone became much gentler.
Zhou Mingli held the bowl of warm water in both hands and drank it in small sips. Her heart felt as if it was wrapped in a warm current, soothing it.
Her mother-in-law has really changed.
Although Zhang Chunxue would care about her in the past, she would never hold her in the palm of her hand and cherish her like she does now, and she would never scold her sister-in-law Li Hongjuan so mercilessly for her.
Zhou Mingli's eyes became hotter and her nose felt sore.
Li Hongjuan watched the affectionate drama between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the side, and her eyes were almost spitting fire with jealousy.
Why did she deserve this? A sickly girl who couldn't give birth to a son, how could she be treated so differently by her mother-in-law?
At this moment, Zhong Hongqing, who was left out, pursed his lips and burst into tears.
"I want to eat fish! I want to eat fish soup! Grandma, I want to eat fish too!" He cried and stretched out his chubby little hands to reach the stove.
When Li Hongjuan saw her son crying, the anger in her heart grew even stronger. She pulled Zhong Hongqing over, but instead of trying to comfort him, she spoke to him in a sarcastic tone.
"Why are you crying? Can you eat that fish soup? It's for your precious Second Aunt! You, like your mother and me, have a worthless life. How can you have a share?"
Zhou Mingli's hand holding the bowl of water froze, a look of embarrassment and uneasiness on her face. She quickly said, "Mom, how about... serving some to Hongqing as well? He's still young."
Zhang Chunxue raised her eyebrows and glared at Li Hongjuan before saying to Zhou Mingli, "Leave her alone! She just needs a lesson!"
Then she looked at Zhong Hongqing again, her voice becoming a little stern: "Zhong Hongqing! Haven't you had enough delicious food since you were a child? Your second aunt is sick, and you can't see it, right? All you do every day is eat! Is that what your parents taught you? You don't know any rules at all!"
Li Hongjuan's face turned pale and blue as Zhang Chunxue pointed at her nose and scolded her. She felt extremely humiliated.
She could no longer suppress her anger, so she pulled Zhong Hongqing in front of her, pressed him on her legs, and slapped him on the buttocks several times.
"Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating! You're so greedy! Don't you see what a precious thing that is? Do you think you can even dream of it?!"
While beating her, she also glared at Zhou Mingli with a poisonous look.
Zhou Mingli felt uncomfortable when she was staring at her. Her cheeks were burning and she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
She was not an argumentative person, and now she was so embarrassed that she was speechless.
When Zhang Chunxue saw that Li Hongjuan was throwing a tantrum and beating the child in front of her, and secretly bullying Zhou Mingli, she became very angry.
"That's enough!" Zhang Chunxue shouted, "Li Hongjuan! Who are you putting on this act for? You want to show off your abilities, eh? If you want to beat the kid, go back to your own room and do it! Don't get in my way in the kitchen! Get out of here!"
Li Hongjuan shuddered when she was scolded. Looking at Zhang Chunxue's ferocious look, she knew that she would get nothing good if she continued to make trouble today.
She was so angry that she was shaking all over. She picked up the still crying Zhong Hongqing, glared at Zhang Chunxue and Zhou Mingli fiercely, and cursed them with dirty words such as "black-hearted old hag" and "sickly jinx". Then she twisted her waist and walked away angrily.
The kitchen was finally quiet.
Zhang Chunxue took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, then turned around to help Zhou Mingli up, saying softly, "Ignore her, she's just confused. Come on, Mom will help you back to the house to rest. I'll bring you the fish soup when it's ready."
Zhou Mingli nodded and let Zhang Chunxue support her as she walked slowly towards the room.
After settling Zhou Mingli to bed, Zhang Chunxue carefully covered her with a thin blanket and returned to the kitchen. The aroma of the fish soup was even stronger.
Zhang Chunxue lifted the lid of the pot and took a look. The snow-white fish soup was bubbling and emitting an enticing fresh aroma.
She estimated that the time was about right and was about to serve it out, but she waited and waited but Zhong Xiaoxiao didn't come back.
I sent her to Aunt Wang's house to buy tofu, so she should have returned a long time ago.
Could something have happened to this girl on the way?
Zhang Chunxue couldn't help but feel a little nervous and uneasy.
She turned down the fire in the stove, letting the fish soup simmer slowly. She wiped her hands and decided to go out to look for Zhong Xiaoxiao.
Zhong Xiaoxiao was walking home with her baby daughter Zhong Yuanyuan in her arms and a piece of tender tofu she had just bought.
But as soon as I walked to the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, a group of people gathered around me.
The leader was none other than Wang Laowu, who had come to propose marriage a few days ago. Beside him stood the shifty-looking matchmaker Liu, as well as several of Wang Laowu's brothers and sisters-in-law, all of whom had unfriendly expressions.
"Zhong Xiaoxiao, I finally caught you!" Matchmaker Liu spoke first in a shrill voice.
Wang Laowu's small eyes were rolling around on Zhong Xiaoxiao's face, making Zhong Xiaoxiao feel uneasy.
"What...what do you want to do?" Zhong Xiaoxiao held the child and subconsciously took a small step back.
Wang Laowu's mother, a short, plump woman, stepped forward, spitting everywhere: "What are you doing? Xiaoxiao, your mother has already accepted a hundred yuan betrothal gift from our family, so you are now a member of our Wang family! Come back with us and get married!"
"That's right! I've already taken the money, and you still want to deny it?" Wang Laowu's sister-in-law also joined in.
When Zhong Xiaoxiao heard this, her face turned pale with anxiety: "Impossible! My mother would never take your money! My mother said she would send me to school!"
She knew very well what kind of personality her mother Zhang Chunxue had. Since she said she would confiscate it, then she might confiscate it!
Wang Laowu grinned with his yellow teeth and said, "I don't care what your mother says! Anyway, we have given the betrothal gift. You, Zhong Xiaoxiao, have to come with me today!"
As he spoke, his rough big hand moved towards Zhong Xiaoxiao's delicate face.
"Ah!" Zhong Xiaoxiao screamed in fright and stepped back holding Zhong Yuanyuan. Yuanyuan in her arms was also frightened by this scene and pouted her lips, and was about to cry.
She wanted to run, but she couldn't run fast with a child in her arms.
Several people from the Wang family were well prepared and immediately blocked her way from both sides.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com