As soon as Yun Tangyin stepped into the supply and marketing cooperative, she heard Xu Runli's signature high-pitched voice: "Sister Wang, you have to save this lake-blue Dacron for me. This color makes me look the fairest."
Without stopping, she went straight to the condiment area, picked up the salt shaker, and scooped salt into a cloth bag.
"Oh, isn't this the third daughter-in-law of the Fu family?" Xu Runli shuffled over, deliberately waving the fabric in her hand in front of Yun Tangyin's eyes. "You think this little bit of salt is enough? Is the Fu family so strapped for cash that they can't even afford soy sauce?"
Yun Tangyin tied up the salt bag, weighed it, and then slowly raised her eyes: "If Comrade Xu's eyesight is bad, he should go to the health center. What I'm carrying is just a soy sauce bottle, isn't it? But you, you're showing off this piece of cloth. Anyone who doesn't know better would think your husband bought it for you."
Sister Wang tried to smooth things over from behind the counter: "Runli meant well, Yinyin, don't take it to heart."
"Good intentions?" Yun Tangyin sneered. "Is this what you call good intentions? If Comrade Xu is so bored, he might as well go home and earn more money, so he won't always be thinking about other people's lives."
Xu Runli's face flushed red, and she slammed the fabric on the counter: "Yucheng and I are revolutionary comrades, what's wrong with talking a few more words? Unlike some people, who want to be in charge as soon as they get married, they don't even know if they're worthy!"
"Whether it's a good match or not is up to the Fu family to decide." Yun Tangyin took out cloth coupons from her pocket. "Sister Wang, give me six feet of dark blue coarse cloth, and two feet of red floral cloth."
Xu Runli glanced at the few cloth coupons and said sourly, "Oh, you really think you're some kind of young mistress? Coarse cloth is only fit for an old woman. If you're so capable, why don't you buy some polyester?"
“Dacron is delicate and not very durable.” Yun Tangyin counted her change. “Unlike some people who just like flashy but impractical things. By the way, Sister Wang, did the brown sugar I asked you to leave arrive? My second sister-in-law has a cough and needs to stew fritillaria with brown sugar.”
"I've been saving this for you for a while now." Sister Wang took out brown sugar from under the counter. "It's freshly arrived, even purer than the last batch."
Xu Runli's eyes lit up: "Sister Wang, I want brown sugar too!"
"That's all, just this one package. Comrade Yun ordered it a long time ago," Sister Wang said, shrugging.
"Why should she be allowed to order?" Xu Runli exclaimed, "I'll pay double!"
"No amount of money can change the rules." Yun Tangyin picked up the bag of brown sugar. "If Comrade Xu is really short of brown sugar, he might as well think about the pound he borrowed from Aunt Li last time that he hasn't returned yet."
Several commune members who were buying things around her laughed, and Xu Runli's face turned pale and then red: "What nonsense are you talking about! I already paid it back!"
"Oh?" Yun Tangyin raised an eyebrow. "Aunt Li told me the day before yesterday that someone borrowed brown sugar and then pretended to have amnesia. It seems I remembered wrong."
Xu Runli was trembling with anger, pointing her finger at Yun Tangyin's nose: "Stop spouting nonsense! If you've got the guts, let's go to the brigade headquarters and confront each other!"
“Fine, I’ll go.” Yun Tangyin said without backing down. “And let the captain judge whether it’s proper for a married woman to be entangled with another woman’s husband.”
These words struck a nerve with Xu Runli, who immediately wilted and stammered, "I...I was just saying it offhand."
“You have to be careful what you say.” Yun Tangyin picked up her things and walked towards the door. “Stop gossiping behind people’s backs. It’s none of our business to interfere in the affairs of the Fu family.”
As soon as I stepped out of the supply and marketing cooperative, I saw Fu Yucheng waiting at the door on his bicycle.
Seeing that Yun Tangyin's expression was off, he quickly asked, "What's wrong? Who made you angry?"
"Who else could it be?" Yun Tangyin put the things into the bicycle basket. "Xu Runli is talking nonsense again."
Fu Yucheng frowned: "What did she say this time? I'm going to settle the score with her!"
"Forget it." Yun Tangyin pressed down on his arm. "It's beneath me to argue with her. Besides, I've already shut her up."
Seeing her puffed-up face, Fu Yucheng couldn't help but laugh: "My mistress of the house is really something. By the way, have you bought the fabric yet?"
"I bought it a while ago." Yun Tangyin patted the cloth bag. "I'll have Mom cut it when I get back, and I'll try to finish it in three days."
As the two were talking, Xu Runli stormed out of the supply and marketing cooperative. Seeing them chatting and laughing, she couldn't help but shout again, "Brother Yucheng! Are you just going to let her bully people like this?"
Fu Yucheng turned around and glared at her: "Xu Runli, I'm warning you, if you dare to talk nonsense again, don't blame me for being impolite! Yinyin is my wife, and it's none of the business of outsiders to talk about her!"
Xu Runli was stunned by his shout and watched helplessly as the two rode their bicycles away into the distance. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't dare to chase after them.
On the way, Fu Yucheng hugged Yun Tangyin even tighter: "I'm sorry you had to go through this. If you see her again, just ignore her."
"I'm not aggrieved." Yun Tangyin leaned against his back. "To deal with someone like that, you have to be even better than her. Besides, I'm the matriarch of the Fu family now, I can't let people laugh at me."
Fu Yucheng chuckled: "Yes, yes, my mistress is the most powerful. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make you steamed egg custard."
"Add dried shrimp too." Yun Tangyin reached out and hugged his waist. "Make a bowl for Mom too, she's been saying she doesn't have a good appetite lately."
"I'll do whatever you say."
Fu Yucheng sped up, the bicycle bell ringing on the country road like a string of cheerful notes.
Back home, Yun Tangyin told Song Yushuang about what happened at the supply and marketing cooperative. The old lady slammed her hand on the table in anger: "That Xu Runli is too outrageous! If she dares to come again, I'll personally go and scold her!"
Jiang Jianhua chimed in, "Yinyin, you did the right thing. People like that deserve to be confronted."
Yu Xia nodded in agreement: "She might have some mental issues right now. She's talking incoherently and it's very strange."
Yun Tangyin smiled and shook her head: "It's not worth getting angry with her. Mom, try this brown sugar. If it's good, I'll buy you more next time."
Song Yushuang touched the brown sugar packet, smiling from ear to ear: "My Yinyin still loves me the most. Yucheng, you must treat Yinyin well, this girl is a blessing to our family."
Fu Yucheng nodded repeatedly: "Mom, don't worry, I cherish her like the apple of my eye."
Yun Tangyin blushed at what was said and pushed Fu Yucheng toward the kitchen: "Go cook, I'm hungry."
Fu Yucheng stumbled from her push, but smiled and walked toward the kitchen: "Alright, my mistress has spoken, I'll go and do it right away."
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Song Yushuang sighed to Jiang Jianhua, "You know, we're so lucky to have such a daughter-in-law in this lifetime."
Jiang Jianhua had just put the brown sugar back in the cupboard when he heard this and nodded with a smile: "That's right, Yinyin is meticulous and capable, she manages the house perfectly, let's just wait to enjoy our retirement."
Just then, footsteps came from the courtyard gate. Fu Yuanshan returned carrying a bundle of firewood. Seeing the pleasant atmosphere in the courtyard, he asked in surprise, "What's going on? What's making you so happy?"
“Isn’t it your third brother’s wife?” Song Yushuang beckoned him over. “The other day, Aunt Zhang was telling me that her daughter-in-law couldn’t even read the accounts, unlike Yinyin, who can calculate the family’s income and expenses more clearly than an abacus.”
Fu Yuanshan picked up the cup on the table, took a sip of water, nodded, and his gaze unconsciously fell on Yun Tangyin's face.
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