At that moment,
Ying Sisi walked into the courtyard, brushing the snow off her clothes.
She closed the door and hurried inside.
It was freezing.
At this rate, there would be no setting up the stall tomorrow.
“Where have you been this time?” Li Junlu demanded with a stern expression.
Ying Sisi replied calmly, “A Ci took me to see the new home my parents-in-law prepared for us. We sat there and chatted for a while.”
Li Yuwei cried out in surprise. “What? A new home?”
How was that possible?
She hadn’t even had one when she got married.
Song Hanmei anxiously asked, “What kind of home is it?”
“It was allocated by my father-in-law’s work unit. It has two bedrooms and a living room, and it’s been fixed up quite nicely.”
Song Hanmei’s chest tightened with jealousy.
A two-bedroom apartment with only the young couple living there.
She didn’t even dare imagine how comfortably her own daughter could have lived if she had married into the Qin family.
What infuriated her most was that her daughter was so stubborn—and blind when it came to men.
Out of everyone, she had fallen for that good-for-nothing Feng.
No matter what anyone said, she refused to listen.
She had even run away from home, forcing Song Hanmei to search everywhere for her.
The thought made her so miserable that she pressed a hand against her chest, trying to ease the discomfort.
Li Junlu’s gloomy expression immediately brightened.
“So your father-in-law is letting you live in the apartment assigned by his work unit. That means he values you quite a bit. After you marry into the family, make sure you speak well of me in front of him often.”
Ying Sisi smiled without sincerity.
“Of course.”
Speak well of him?
What was there to praise?
He had tricked her into coming to the capital just to marry someone.
In the past three months, he had only given her a single cloth coupon.
Yet Li Yuwei, his biological daughter, received five yuan in spending money from him every month.
She even had a job.
As for Ying Sisi…
She served the family of three like a maid.
Whenever they had something delicious to eat or drink, they hid it from her.
Whenever they stewed pork or braised spare ribs, either Song Hanmei or Li Yuwei would stay by the pot, afraid she might steal a bite.
Compared to them, the Qin family was much better.
At least when the Qin family cooked meat, they never stopped her from eating her fill.
“That’s more like it.” Li Junlu nodded in satisfaction. His attitude toward Ying Sisi became noticeably warmer. “It’s getting late. Go get some rest.”
Song Hanmei added, “I’ve got something to handle at work tomorrow and won’t have time. Get up early and steam the buns and stuffed buns, then fry the meatballs.”
“I know.”
Ying Sisi returned to her room and carefully put away the coins she had earned.
As she took off her coat, the book Qin Yanci had given her slipped out.
Georgian style. French floor-to-ceiling windows.
The dictionary should explain those terms, shouldn’t it?
She went to the study to fetch the dictionary.
With it in hand, she headed back out.
Just then, Li Yuwei spoke in an unusually sincere tone.
“Big Sister, I was wrong before, and I want to apologize. These are my study materials from last year. Isn’t Qin Yanci planning to take the college entrance exam? He hasn’t touched textbooks in ten years. Maybe these will help him.”
Ying Sisi immediately became wary.
A weasel paying New Year’s respects to a chicken—how could it possibly have good intentions?
Besides, Qin Yanci had graduated from high school at fifteen.
He was intelligent and gifted.
If he needed study materials, couldn’t he choose them himself?
What business did Li Yuwei—a person who had barely read any books—have worrying about such things?
If she accepted the books and Qin Yanci had no use for them, wouldn’t she end up owing Li Yuwei a favor for nothing?
“He already has books to study.”
Li Yuwei stuffed the books into Ying Sisi’s arms anyway.
“Just take them. Dad’s work unit gave out bathhouse tickets, and he asked me to give you two. Want to go together? I’ll scrub your back.”
Ying Sisi accepted the bath tickets but handed the books back.
“I said he doesn’t need them. But I’ll go to the bathhouse. I can scrub your back too.”
Bathing properly at home was inconvenient, and it had been quite a while since she had enjoyed a thorough bath.
The bath tickets came at just the right time.
She went back to her room to gather a change of clothes.
When she came back out, Li Yuwei was already waiting.
Outside, a thick layer of snow blanketed the ground.
Each step they took produced crisp, heavy crunches.
Li Yuwei took the initiative to start a conversation.
“Big Sister, let me give you a piece of advice. Even though you and Brother-in-law have already registered your marriage, you haven’t held a wedding banquet yet. As far as most people are concerned, you’re not truly married. If you keep running over to his place all the time, once the neighbors find out, who knows what they’ll say about you?”