Leaning against the window, Qin Yunan lightly tapped the windowsill with his long index finger, a smile lingering in his eyes.
“The nutrient solution works well. It’s only natural that it sells well.”
After saying that, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked tentatively, “Comrade Wen, have you ever considered expanding the scale?”
That reminded Wen Yifan.
Although the profit from the nutrient solution was considerable, relying on it alone to get rich was too difficult. On the other hand, the money earned from selling it wasn’t enough to upgrade the system. It seemed she would still have to find another way.
Seeing Wen Yifan fall silent, Qin Yunan didn’t disturb her further. He left some money behind and departed.
When Wen Yifan came back to her senses, she only saw five yuan neatly placed on the table, along with a note—
“Making up for the nutrient solution money.”
“This guy… being polite with me now!”
Wen Yifan muttered quietly, stuffing the five yuan into her inner pocket before closing the shop and heading home.
Ever since she divorced Song Yanchuan and laid down new rules at home, the younger ones didn’t dare slack off. After all, the family’s financial power was in her hands.
Today it was the third son’s household’s turn to do the chores. Before it was even dark, Feng Zhuyi had already prepared dinner. The whole family sat around the table, but the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
“Oh? Everyone’s here today. What’s this—waiting for me to come back?”
Wen Yifan joked half-seriously as she sat in an empty seat. She glanced over the dishes on the table and couldn’t help clicking her tongue—there wasn’t a trace of meat in sight.
“Zhuyi, I know you like to save money, but you can’t make meals without any meat at all.”
As she spoke, she casually took five yuan from her pocket and handed it to Feng Zhuyi.
Seeing this, Shen Que slammed down her chopsticks and curled her lips. “Yeah, Mom, you know I’m pregnant right now. I need proper nutrition. How can anyone eat this clear soup and plain water?”
“You do need some nourishment. But it’s been so long—why hasn’t your belly grown at all?”
Wen Yifan rolled her eyes at her and continued eating calmly.
“I—I’ve always been thin since I was little! That’s exactly why I need more nourishment!” Shen Que’s panic flashed briefly across her face, but she forced herself to argue back.
As she spoke, she raised two fingers and waved them in front of Wen Yifan.
“Huailin needs to spend money at work to smooth things over, and I’m carrying our family’s eldest grandson. Asking for twenty yuan isn’t too much, right?”
“I won’t give you even a single cent!”
Wen Yifan suddenly slammed her chopsticks heavily on the table and asked sharply, “Didn’t you say you’re pregnant? Since everyone’s here today, let me ask you—how many months has it been since your last period? How did you find out you were pregnant? Did you go get checked?”
“I… I…”
The barrage of questions came one after another like rapid gunfire. Shen Que couldn’t answer and stammered helplessly, unable to squeeze out a single word.
Seeing this, Song Huailin quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Mom! Those questions are too embarrassing. Shen Que is a woman—how could she possibly say such things out loud…”
“We’re all family here. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Seeing how foolish her son was, Wen Yifan glared at him fiercely before turning back to Shen Que. “Stop pretending to be confused. Speak!”
“I—I already said it… almost three months…”
“Since you can’t answer and refuse to admit you’re lying, then let’s go to the clinic for a check-up. That way everyone will feel reassured!”
Wen Yifan didn’t waste any more words. She grabbed Shen Que and started dragging her toward the door.
“I’m not going! I’m not going!”
By the time she shouted that, Wen Yifan had already dragged her to the doorway. Song Huailin, worried about his wife, hurried after them.
Seeing that Wen Yifan was determined to make things difficult for her, Shen Que suddenly wailed loudly.
“Oh heavens! There’s no justice! What kind of mother-in-law bullies a pregnant daughter-in-law like this!”
Her shout quickly attracted the neighbors who were relaxing in their courtyards after dinner. Before long, quite a crowd had gathered outside the door.
“Oh dear, Sister Wen, be gentle! Your daughter-in-law is pregnant right now—don’t hurt the child!”
A neighboring aunt, not knowing the truth, hurried forward to persuade her.
Seeing someone speaking up for them, Song Huailin immediately shouted, “Yes, Mom! Shen Que is pregnant—you can’t treat her like this!”
Wen Yifan lost her patience. She turned back into the house and came out with a basin full of dirty clothes.
The moment Shen Que saw the pile of clothes in the basin, her face turned pale. Her fingers gripping her clothes tightened slightly.
“Didn’t you say you’re pregnant? Then what’s this pair of pants about?”
Wen Yifan pulled out a pair of bloodstained trousers from the basin and held them up in front of Shen Que.
“Don’t even try to argue that you had a miscarriage because you’re weak. Just look at how rosy your face is—does that look like someone who’s had a miscarriage?”
In a small mountain village, lies exposed in public were never tolerated. The moment Shen Que’s disguise was torn away, the neighbor aunt immediately changed sides.
“Huailin’s wife, how could you lie about something like that? Is that proper behavior?”
Hearing the sharp accusations around her, Shen Que—now exposed—suddenly exploded.
“Enough! So what if I’m not pregnant! What kind of mother-in-law sets rules for us every day like you do? I just want to rest—so what! Are the younger brothers and their wives dead? Why should I, as the eldest sister-in-law, serve them!”
Song Huailin also blushed in embarrassment but still stiffened his neck and defended her. “Mom! How could you do this? How are we supposed to live like this?”
“I worked hard to raise you all these years, and now you two join hands to deceive me. Let me tell you, Song Huailin—this mess was caused by your wife herself. It’s not that I’m the one refusing to save you face!”
Wen Yifan had long been fed up with these ungrateful people. Facing Song Huailin’s accusations, she showed no fear at all.
“How you live your lives is your own business. Take care of yourselves!”
With that, she threw down the basin and turned to go back inside.
But the next second, Shen Que suddenly went mad and lunged toward her, screaming, “If I can’t live well, then neither can you!”
She clawed at Wen Yifan, trying to scratch her, but before she could even get close, Wen Yifan sidestepped and avoided her.
Quick as lightning, Wen Yifan grabbed her arm and shoved her to the ground.
Now Shen Que’s eyes were completely red with fury. Ignoring the dust on her body, she scrambled up and lunged again.
This time, the person who blocked her was Song Chenyi’s broad figure.
The usually gentle Song Chenyi was furious now, standing firmly in front of Wen Yifan to protect her.
“Song Chenyi, are you rebelling?!”
“I’m not rebelling—Sister-in-law disrespected Mom first!”
“Exactly! We only kept giving in because she’s the eldest sister-in-law and we thought she was pregnant. Who knew she was deceiving us and even trying to bully Mom!”
Song Wanjì clutched Wen Yifan’s arm tightly and shouted angrily at Song Huailin.
“Don’t bother with him!”
Wen Yifan’s authoritative voice sounded beside Song Wanjì. She looked coldly at Song Huailin, who was still protecting his wife, and spoke calmly.
“He doesn’t have me as his mother in his heart. From today onward, I, Wen Yifan, completely sever the mother–son relationship with Song Huailin.”
“From now on, whether Song Huailin lives or dies, whether he prospers or suffers, it has nothing to do with me, Wen Yifan—or with our family!”