Chapter 6 Stepmother's Reciprocity
The peach shortbread is gone!
The plump woman had been trying to coax her youngest son into having some peach shortbread, but now that she saw the cupboard was empty and the shortbread was gone, her greedy son naturally started to throw a tantrum, sitting on the floor and wailing loudly.
"Zhang Xiaohu, get up!" The fat woman felt her face burning. The new neighbors had just moved in and were still cleaning up when her youngest son sat on the ground crying loudly. It would be so embarrassing if others heard them.
"No, I won't!" Zhang Xiaohu cried, tears streaming down his face. He was heartbroken. "My peach shortbread, my peach shortbread!"
The plump woman had no idea the peach shortbread was gone so quickly. In her memory, there should have been two or three pieces left. Perhaps her husband had eaten them. There were only two or three pieces; it couldn't have been stolen. Whoever came to the house would only steal two or three pieces of peach shortbread, not the money.
The neighborhood is mostly inhabited by military families, so those people wouldn't dare to cause trouble.
"If you keep yelling like that, everyone will know you're a little rascal." Not wanting the neighbors to laugh at her, the plump woman steeled herself and pulled her youngest son to his feet. "Come on, let's go out and buy it for you."
Although the child couldn't fake it and would make a fuss later, Fatty didn't want to lose face on the first day the neighbor moved in.
Song Fenglan didn't run next door, no matter how much Zhang Xiaohu cried. Firstly, Song Fenglan didn't have any food with her, and secondly, others might not want to see her go over there. They weren't familiar with each other yet, and if she rushed over now, people would think she was crazy.
"Mom, he's crying so hard," Qin Zihang whispered, tugging at his mother's clothes. "But my candy has melted."
Melted candy shouldn't be given to people; some people will find it unappetizing.
When Qin Zihang was at his aunt's house, he offered her candy, but she refused it. Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu had never met before; they were strangers. It was impossible for Qin Zihang to offer Zhang Xiaohu candy with melted wrappers still stuck to it.
“It’s so hot, the candy will just melt if you hide it,” Song Fenglan said. “We can see if you want to play together another day.”
Song Fenglan thought she should check on the neighbor's child. The child's character shouldn't be too bad; some were even quite adorable. But if the child was spoiled, their temper might be a bit off, and Song Fenglan couldn't let her son fawn over other people's children.
While they were still in the capital, Song Fenglan taught her son not to go around in front of other children, as some parents liked to speak ill of others in front of their children. Because Qin Yizhou returned home too infrequently, others mocked Qin Zihang, calling him a fatherless child and even changing his surname to Song Zihang.
Those people thought that Qin Yizhou didn't necessarily like Song Fenglan that much, and that the Qin family wasn't very satisfied with Song Fenglan. They all thought that Song Fenglan was forcing Qin Yizhou to marry her.
Qin Zihang was injured, so naturally he wouldn't rush off to play with the neighbor's children. He had just arrived and only wanted to stay by his mother's side. He was a little scared and didn't dare to go out by himself. Song Fenglan wouldn't easily let Qin Zihang go out alone; Qin Zihang was quite well-behaved and wouldn't cause Song Fenglan too much worry.
Qin Yizhou quickly cleaned the wooden plank beds and then put them aside to dry.
It was noon soon, and Qin Yizhou and his family of three went to the staff canteen for lunch, leaving Qin Yizhou to bring the food back. Song Fenglan also wanted to see what the staff canteen was like, so she could see for herself when Qin Yizhou wasn't home.
Qin Yizhou picked up Qin Zihang and showed his son what dishes he wanted to eat.
"I want to eat meat!" Qin Zihang didn't know if the dishes were good or not; he only knew he wanted to eat meat.
"Just buy him some braised pork or stir-fried pork, nothing spicy." Song Fenglan glanced at the dishes on the window.
"Buy a little of everything," Qin Yizhou said. He had quite a few tickets on hand and had originally planned to exchange them with someone, preferably nationwide ones, so he could send them back to Song Fenglan. Since his wife and children were here, they could use them here.
Song Fenglan carried the food tray, while Qin Yizhou held the child. The family got their food and then sat down to eat together. Qin Yizhou also ladled out three bowls of complimentary soup and placed them in front of his wife and child.
Coincidentally, a military family member who knew Qin Yizhou came over. That person was Chief of Staff Xu's second wife; her name was Shi Guilan. Shi Guilan had previously wanted to act as a matchmaker for Qin Yizhou, as she, like many others, believed he wasn't married at all. Shi Guilan's cousin worked in a performing arts troupe, and Shi Guilan wanted to introduce her to Qin Yizhou.
Last night, Shi Guilan had already heard people say that Qin Yizhou's wife and children had come to join the army, which she found puzzling.
Suddenly, Shi Guilan saw Qin Yizhou serving food to Song Fenglan and frowned. Then, she smiled and walked up to Qin Yizhou. "Oh, Commander Qin, is this your wife who stubbornly refused to come with you to the army?"
"It's not that she doesn't want to come with the army, it's that the child is too young." Qin Yizhou was displeased. How could this person say such things right off the bat? It was too unpleasant to hear.
“Yes, I am her wife who refused to go with her husband to the army.” Song Fenglan raised her eyebrows; she could see the hostility in Shi Guilan’s eyes.
Although Fatty Sister-in-law's words were not very pleasant to hear, she did not have the hostility of Shi Guilan. Fatty Sister-in-law even gave them two new bamboo poles for drying clothes.
“He’s half-dead now, that’s why I came to join the army,” Song Fenglan said. “This child isn’t just mine, his father has to take care of him.”
Shi Guilan felt that Song Fenglan was sharp-tongued and became increasingly uncomfortable. "No wonder, no wonder Commander Qin didn't agree when I introduced him to someone. The others are really not as pretty as you."
What good is a pretty face? What matters is status and position!
"You've arrived. Have you applied for the family housing?" Shi Guilan asked deliberately. "The newly built buildings will be ready for occupancy soon. You've come at just the right time."
When Shi Guilan said that, everyone looked at Song Fenglan, wondering if Song Fenglan's family was going to move into the newly built apartment building.
"You're so mean," Qin Zihang muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Shi Guilan looked at Qin Zihang.
"You're so mean!" Qin Zihang wasn't afraid of Shi Guilan at all. With his parents around, he simply shouted, "You're very mean, extremely mean."
When Song Fenglan heard her son's words, she reached out and gently patted his head, without saying anything bad about him.
"Qin Tuan's wife, is this how you raise your children?" Shi Guilan said, then looked at Qin Yizhou, "Commander Qin, aren't you going to say anything?"
"How can I, a grown man, hold a grudge against you?" Qin Yizhou said.
Shi Guilan's expression changed slightly. She had originally thought that Qin Zhou would say something to Song Fenglan, telling her not to offend anyone as soon as she arrived.
Qin Yizhou wasn't stupid; he could easily see Shi Guilan's dissatisfaction with his wife. Shi Guilan wasn't a relative of his own, nor was she a relative of his wife's family. What right did Shi Guilan have to ask him to speak ill of his wife?
What kind of logic is it for a grown man to watch his wife being bullied, not only failing to help her but also siding with the bullies?
“I have eyes and ears, I’m not deaf and mute,” Qin Yizhou said. This man even deliberately said in front of his wife that he would introduce him to a potential partner, which was ridiculous. “I remember when you introduced me to a potential partner, I told you that I was a married man, that I was already legally married, and that I was not single.”
Shi Guilan had raised her voice earlier, drawing the attention of many people. She thought others would look down on Song Fenglan just like her, and that they would side with her. In reality, the conflict between Shi Guilan and Song Fenglan had nothing to do with those people. Why did they have to come and join in the fun? They could just watch the show.
"Daddy has a baby!" Qin Zihang didn't quite understand those things; he just knew this was his dad. "Daddy, is she bullying Mommy? Is she trying to make Mommy mount... mount... dismount, mount and dismount?"
"A show of force," Qin Yizhou said. "Not a show of force, but a show of force."
Shi Guilan was so angry that she left immediately. If she stayed any longer, no one would know what to think of her.
"She said she would be your matchmaker, but I think she's thinking of you and wants to marry you," Song Fenglan said bluntly. She didn't care whether her words were pleasant or unpleasant; if others said things that were unpleasant, why couldn't she say them?
"Ignore her, she's Chief of Staff Xu's second wife," Qin Yizhou said. It wasn't that he looked down on people who were second wives or stepmothers, but Shi Guilan placed great importance on a person's family background.
Qin Yizhou had been invited to his comrades' homes for dinner before, but he rarely went. He finally couldn't refuse and went this time. Qin Yizhou had a good understanding of those people's character, so he didn't say much. They weren't family, and they hadn't embarrassed him, so why should he say anything?
This time, Shi Guilan's blatant disrespect for Song Fenglan was also disrespectful to Qin Yizhou. Shi Guilan clearly knew Qin Yizhou's wife and children were there, yet she still deliberately said those hurtful things.
“I’m not her stepdaughter, nor am I her husband’s first wife,” Song Fenglan sneered. “Anyone who doesn’t know the situation would think I stole something from her.”
Song Fenglan had only just arrived, and Shi Guilan was already like this; she suspected that Shi Guilan would not be a good stepmother.
"Mom." Qin Zihang put food on his mother's plate. "Mom, eat. Mom, I'm here for you."
Song Fenglan quickly brought the bowl over to prevent her son from spilling food on the table.
"It's alright, hurry up and eat," Song Fenglan said. "Don't worry about these unpleasant things."
Those watching knew Qin Yizhou's attitude towards his wife and children, and also knew that Song Fenglan was not someone to be trifled with. However, this incident couldn't really be blamed on Song Fenglan; it was Shi Guilan who had come up and made sarcastic remarks.
It's enough that they know this much; there's no need for them to get involved. Although everyone lives in the staff quarters, it's not a small compound, and they don't necessarily get together every day, nor do they have that much to say.
After getting her food, Shi Guilan went home and saw her stepdaughter. She started cursing and swearing, "Did you wash your clothes? Did you soak them in water for a while? What girl is as filthy as you? The water you used to wash your clothes was all gray and dirty."
Shi Guilan's stepdaughter sat beside her, too afraid to even pick up food. Ever since Chief of Staff Xu remarried, the children from his first marriage had been constantly scolded. Initially, Shi Guilan's attitude towards her stepdaughter was quite good, but after she gave birth to a son, her attitude completely changed.
"At your age, you still don't know how to cook," Shi Guilan said. "Every day I have to cook for you and wait for you to eat. When I'm not free to cook, you don't even know how to cook or get the food yourself. You still expect me to bring the food to you. Do you think you're some rich young lady from the bourgeoisie?"
Hearing Shi Guilan berating her stepdaughter, the neighbor shook his head. Shi Guilan had really changed a lot. Before, Shi Guilan had always been good to her stepdaughter, spoiling and pampering her; the child was happy and even thought Shi Guilan was nice.
Not bad at all, it's all an act.
But other families wouldn't dare interfere in Chief of Staff Xu's family affairs. If Chief of Staff Xu himself doesn't care about these things, then don't expect others to keep an eye on things for him. Men are often busy outside and don't have much time to take care of their children. When men come home, they don't want to hear their family arguing; they just want them to be quiet.
“If you don’t learn this and you don’t learn that, what will you do when you get married? Will you expect your husband to do these trivial housework, or will you expect your mother-in-law to bow and scrape in front of you and do it for you?” Shi Langui said. “If I don’t teach you now, people will say that I, as your stepmother, am heartless, that I’m spoiling you and ruining you.”
"..." The stepdaughter lowered her head and remained silent. Her stepmother was no longer the kind stepmother she used to be; it was as if her stepmother had become a completely different person.
The stepdaughter used to throw down her chopsticks and refuse to eat, going straight to her room. She was left hungry. Her stepmother stopped bringing her food and pampering her, and her father said she was being unreasonable, that she would eat when she was hungry.
When Qin Yizhou and his family of three returned home after dinner, they happened to see a car parked at the door, and people were unloading things from the car, such as straw mats, blankets, and quilts.
"I'll do it, I'll do it!" Qin Zihang excitedly rushed forward.
The person carrying the things saw Qin Zihang reach out, so he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a candy, placing it in Qin Zihang's hand.
Qin Zihang looked at the candy in his hand, and a thought suddenly struck him. He turned to his father and said, "Dad, do you have a cigarette? Hurry up and give Uncle a cigarette."
"..." Song Fenglan rubbed her forehead, trying to pretend she hadn't seen this scene. She took a deep breath and explained, "This child just saw others moving things and saw those people sharing cigarettes, and he... he's too good at reciprocating."
Don't let these people think she likes to smoke; she doesn't smoke.
Song Fenglan knew that even if her aunt helped her take care of the child, and even if she took care of the child herself, the child might still pick up some bad habits. Fortunately, this...
It wouldn't have much of an impact, since children's ability to imitate is incredibly strong.
"Reciprocity is key, and so is reciprocity." Qin Zihang was still smiling.
“Dad doesn’t smoke. Smoking is bad for your health and it smells bad.” Qin Yizhou chuckled. He wasn’t oblivious to his wife’s embarrassment. His wife was a clean person; she didn’t like others drinking or smoking.
"Fine then, I don't want a stinky dad, and the other kids definitely don't want stinky dads either." Qin Zihang simply gave away his treasured candy. "It only melted a little bit, just a little bit, it's not bad, it's still edible, and it's very delicious."
The people carrying the things were Qin Yizhou's comrades-in-arms. Naturally, they didn't mind the melted candy; they thought Qin Zihang was quite cute.
Not far away, a young woman saw this scene and her eyes reddened. She clutched her bag tightly, wondering whether she should go forward or turn around and leave.
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