Her tone was dripping with reproach. Little Lu Tian, being so young and constantly bullied, immediately panicked.
Her lips downturned, and she stood there, entirely at a loss for what to do.
Xu Xiaoying felt a twinge of displeasure inside. She only thought that this Lu Tian was utterly spineless—Lin Shirou had pulled a few little tricks, and the child had already forgotten how things used to be.
Lin Shirou pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Lu Tian’s forehead, then raised her gaze to look directly at Liu Chunli.
Lin Shirou’s eyes were naturally round almond eyes, but the outer corners swept slightly upward, and her irises were a pale, translucent tea color. Staring coldly like that, she looked remarkably like a cat—sharp, icy, and deeply intimidating.
A chill ran down Liu Chunli’s spine as she was pinned under that gaze, but she forced herself to puff out her chest and glare right back.
“What? Am I wrong? Do I even need to spell out how miserably Lu Tian used to live at home? It’s only because Xiaoying has such a kind heart that she’s even willing to bother with her. If this isn’t acting like an ungrateful little wolf with a white-eyed wolf’s heart, what is it?!”
Xu Xiaoying gently tugged on Liu Chunli’s arm. “Chunli, let it go. What does a little child know, anyway?”
Her words carried the heavy implication that whatever Lu Tian was doing was simply being orchestrated and taught by Lin Shirou. As she spoke, she cast a aggrieved, wounded glance at Lin Shirou.
Lin Shirou found the whole spectacle laughable. Such trivial, petty little favors were actually being dragged out into the light to show off.
Without hesitation, she flicked the handkerchief in her hand straight at Liu Chunli’s face. Liu Chunli was so stunned she stood frozen for a second as the fabric slid down her face; boiling with rage, she made to stand right up.
The ox-cart was already cramped, and the sudden movement made it sway unsteadily. Lin Shirou stared at her with an icy glare. “Did you wash your mouth out with sewage today? Why does everything coming out of it smell so rotten?”
Liu Chunli lunged forward, wanting to grab Lin Shirou by the collar as she screamed, “You wretched b*tch! How dare you throw a rag in my face! I’m going to rip into you today!”
Lin Shirou didn’t give her the chance to start a brawl. With a swift snap, she lashed out with her foot and kicked Liu Chunli squarely in the torso, sending her crashing straight into Xu Xiaoying.
Both women tumbled right off the side of the cart, landing flat on their stomachs in the dirt in two clumsy, ungraceful heaps.
Fortunately, the ox-cart wasn’t high off the ground, and the road was soft mud, so neither of them was actually hurt.
Zhang Ximei scrambled forward in a panic to haul them up. “Oh my goodness, Xiaoying, are you alright?”
Xu Xiaoying’s expression was as dark as charred wood. She scrambled to her feet, frantically dusting off the hem of her skirt.
She had dressed up today in a beige cotton-blend dress, styling her hair into twin braids tied off with bright red ribbons.
The outfit and styling made her look like a fresh young maiden, but now, the front of her skirt was completely caked in dust and grime.
She glared daggers at Lin Shirou, wanting nothing more than to scream at her, but she forced herself to swallow the words. Her eyes welled up with a pathetic flush of red, making her look wronged beyond measure.
Resting her chin in her hand, Lin Shirou watched the pair with lazy amusement. Zhang Ximei burst out angrily, “Second branch’s wife! What on earth do you think you’re doing?!”
Wearing an expression of supreme indifference, Lin Shirou replied airily, “I was settling a score with Liu Chunli, and who knew I’d accidentally misfire and clip Comrade Xu instead? My sincerest apologies.”
Xu Xiaoying’s face cycled through shades of red and green. For the sake of preserving her hard-earned, gentle public image, she had to grit her teeth and squeeze out a tight smile. “It’s… fine.”
The entire spectacle had just been witnessed by several passing male villagers, making Xu Xiaoying’s cheeks burn with mortification. This was entirely too humiliating!
And it was all Lin Shirou’s fault!
Liu Chunli rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to go another round with Lin Shirou, but just then, the old driver came back. Tying his waistband as he scanned the loaded cart, he bellowed, “Let’s go, let’s go! Get yourselves up here!”
Terrified of being left behind and forced to walk all the way into town, Liu Chunli scrambled back onto the cart, shooting one venomous, burning glare at Lin Shirou.
Zhang Ximei took a seat right beside Xu Xiaoying, and the two of them immediately struck up a non-stop stream of murmurs.
The longer Zhang Ximei looked at Xu Xiaoying, the more fond of her she became. This girl had originally held a very strong chance of becoming her daughter-in-law.
Back then, her son Lu Wen had suddenly run off to enlist, only to excel in the military and return home as a company commander.
The whole village caught wind of the news, and matchmakers had flocked to their doorstep, practically wearing out the threshold.
The Xu family had also shown clear interest. Xu Xiaoying had always carried a spotless reputation for being gentle and virtuous in the village.
Though she was a bit young, she and Lu Wen were a well-matched pair on paper—until Lin Shirou had suddenly swooped in and hijacked the match.
If not for that, this ideal, dutiful daughter-in-law would belong to the Lu family right now.
As Xu Xiaoying chatted with Zhang Ximei, she kept stealing sideways glances at Lin Shirou.
To her bewilderment, Lin Shirou was chatting softly with Lu Tian, acting as though she couldn’t care less about how chummy Zhang Ximei and Xu Xiaoying were being.
Xu Xiaoying frowned slightly. Things hadn’t used to be like this. In the past, every single time she struck up a conversation with Zhang Ximei, Lin Shirou would fly into a furious rage.
Why was she suddenly so indifferent? Didn’t she used to despise anyone having a close relationship with the Lu family?
Driven by that thought, she dropped her tone to sound entirely casual. “Aunty, hasn’t Second Brother been away for a long time now? With him all alone in the military district, you and Uncle must worry sick.”
“Growing up together since we were kids, whenever I think about him risking his life out there on those dangerous missions, it really worries me sick!”
Hearing this, Zhang Ximei let out a heavy sigh and shot a critical look at Lin Shirou. Look at that—even an outsider like her is constantly fretting over Lu Wen!
And yet this useless daughter-in-law of mine only knows how to slack off and play around all day long!
Lin Shirou let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “With Comrade Xu worrying so much, anyone would think you and my husband had something going on! Weren’t you supposed to be a chaste and loyal widow? You really ought to keep your mind off another woman’s husband.”
Xu Xiaoying instantly panicked, flailing to defend herself. “Lin Zhiqing, please don’t overthink things! We simply grew up together as childhood friends—you must not let your imagination run wild!”
Though she protested with words, deep down she was secretly thrilled. Her exact goal was to provoke Lin Shirou’s temper, knowing it would only drive an even deeper wedge between her and Zhang Ximei.
Seeing Lin Shirou speak with such caustic rudeness, Liu Chunli couldn’t help cutting in, “Who doesn’t know the story of how you forced your way into marrying Lu Wen? If you hadn’t rudely shoved your way into the middle, Xiaoying would have been the one to marry him!”
Lin Shirou raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Really? How did she plan to manage that? Were gifts exchanged, or was there a formal betrothal?”
Come to think of it, Lu Wen had left to join the army at fifteen and hadn’t stepped foot back home for five whole years. He and Xu Xiaoying weren’t any kind of legitimate childhood sweethearts.
At most, they were just people from the same village. By that logic, every single girl of appropriate age in the entire village could claim to be Lu Wen’s childhood friend.
Yet Xu Xiaoying was the only one who constantly brought it up, while the rest of the villagers simply accepted it without finding it strange.
Presumably, through years of subtle, persistent hinting, Xu Xiaoying had convinced a large portion of the village that the two of them were destined to marry. Yet the original novel actually glossed over this entirely; in reality, the two hadn’t shared any significant history. Every time Xu Xiaoying brought it up in the past, the original body would lose her mind with anger.
And because she could never best Xu Xiaoying in a war of words, she always ended up making a public fool of herself.
Stumped by the question, Liu Chunli sputtered and couldn’t find a response. After all, Lu Wen had only ever stayed home for a few days at a time during his military leaves—when on earth could he have ever gotten engaged to anyone?
They hadn’t even so much as formally courted. Yet for some inexplicable reason, everyone in the village just assumed Lu Wen and Xu Xiaoying were meant to be—though nobody could ever trace where the rumor actually started.
Seeing that Liu Chunli had nothing left to say, Lin Shirou shifted her focus to Xu Xiaoying. “Comrade Xu, as a widow, you really should watch your tongue and avoid making people suspicious.”
“It’s lucky I’m broad-minded and choose not to bicker with you. Otherwise, I might start thinking that your constant obsession with my husband stems from some deeply malicious intent!”
Caught flat-footed, Xu Xiaoying’s expression stiffened into an excruciatingly awkward mask. She sat there in total silence for a long time, unable to squeeze out a single word.
Once they reached the county seat, Lin Shirou took Lu Tian and walked off immediately, refusing to waste another second watching those hypocrites put on airs.
Her first destination with the little girl was the state-run restaurant. Sifting through the wardrobe last night, she had discovered just over two hundred yuan in cash along with a stack of ration tickets.
These were all funds Lu Wen had handed over whenever he came home. As for the money he mailed back regularly, not a single cent of it ever reached Lin Shirou’s hands.
In truth, her husband had mailed a portion directly to the household, but the former Lin Shirou had never dared so much as question her mother-in-law about it.
While she was skilled at throwing petty, underhanded fits at her husband, she was fundamentally a coward who cowered in terror before her parents-in-law, terrified they would force a divorce.
This was Lu Tian’s very first time visiting a proper restaurant. She hovered close to Lin Shirou, too afraid to look around or make a single sudden movement.
Lin Shirou ordered a plate of sweet and sour pork and a dish of stir-fried shredded potatoes, figuring that a young child would naturally gravitate toward sweet flavors.
Sure enough, Lu Tian took to the meal instantly. Her eyes lit up with pure delight the moment she tasted the sweet and sour pork.
Watching the child’s radiant expression, a pang of acute distress squeezed Lin Shirou’s heart. Lu Tian was simply far too skinny.
The sight of those tiny, frail fingers struggling to grip the spoon made her chest ache so fiercely she could barely bear to watch.
“My precious, is there anything else you’d like to eat? Mommy will buy it for you,” Lin Shirou asked with a warm, gentle smile.
Hand in hand, the two of them strolled down the street. The town streets of China in 1970 were washed in drab, muted tones; the pedestrians were all dressed in monochromatic shades of black, white, gray, and navy blue, with bicycles occasionally chiming as they pedaled past.
Lin Shirou didn’t spot a single motor vehicle—after all, this was merely a remote, out-of-the-way county town.
Lu Tian shook her head, gazing wide-eyed at the bustling crowds of people flowing past, her expression a mix of wide-eyed wonder and lingering apprehension.
Intent on visiting the state-run department store next, Lin Shirou planned to buy some candies and pastries for Lu Tian—treats a child of her age should be enjoying.