Lu Zhenzhen placed the ten yuan in Mother Gu’s hand and walked straight into the original owner’s bedroom. Though simple, the room was tidy and clean.
She set the 640 yuan on the dressing table, then lay down on the bed, emptying her mind and resting with her eyes closed. This body was utterly exhausted.
In the main room, Mother Gu stared at the money in her hand with a conflicted expression, weighing whether she should prepare a meal for her daughter-in-law.
Even if she did, would she eat it?
From her son’s wedding day to now, it had been almost two months, yet this daughter-in-law had never properly eaten a meal in their home.
Either she would throw her chopsticks over the food being too bland, or smash her bowl over it being too salty, eventually driving her son to cut his leave short, return to his military unit, and submit divorce papers.
“Sister-in-law Gu, what are you spacing out for? Let me tell you, your daughter-in-law isn’t as bad as you think. She…”
The aunt who had received one yuan grabbed Mother Gu’s hand, vividly recounting how Lu Zhenzhen had demanded the money.
“Second Aunt, is what Sister Li said true?” Mother Gu asked in disbelief.
“It’s all true, Sister-in-law. Honestly, I also suspected that Li Xuemei didn’t want to marry Gu Ye, but our Gu Ye is better than Youth Xu in every way.”
“Mom, what did you say? Li Xuemei gave Lu Zhenzhen 663 yuan?” Gu Xiaofang asked incredulously.
“What? That shameless… Lu Zhenzhen demanded over six hundred yuan from Youth Xu?”
“663 yuan! Oh my heavens! I’ve never seen so much money in my entire life.” Third Aunt Gu’s shriek nearly pierced the roof.
“It’s true. Sister-in-law Lanhua and I counted it together. Besides the cash, there’s also an IOU for twelve hundred yuan. Where’s Zhenzhen? I’ll give her the IOU.”
“Zhenzhen is exhausted. Give the IOU to Sister-in-law Gu. We just saw Zhenzhen give your sister-in-law ten yuan with our own eyes.”
As she spoke, Second Aunt Gu snatched the IOU and stuffed it into Mother Gu’s hand. The aunt who had received two yuan wanted to say more but was dragged away by the other two aunts.
“Lu Zhenzhen isn’t that bad after all. Eldest Cousin probably won’t divorce her now, and all that money will belong to Auntie.”
Gu Xiaofang said with an innocent expression, though inwardly she thought, Auntie is soft-hearted and easy to fool. As long as the money is in her hands, I can coax some out of her.
Mother Gu replied with a troubled look, “That might not be possible anymore. Your eldest cousin said he’d submit the divorce papers as soon as he returned to his unit.”
“What? No! Eldest Cousin absolutely cannot get a divorce.” Gu Xiaofang’s sharp objection startled Mother Gu, making her take a step back.
“Ahem! Sister-in-law, Xiaofang is just too naive. She thinks Little Ye and Zhenzhen have already… well, they really shouldn’t divorce.”
Second Aunt Gu awkwardly smoothed things over for her daughter. A mother knows her child best, and she was well aware of her daughter’s little schemes.
Her daughter usually stayed close to her aunt because Gu Ye sent money home every month.
“This… the divorce isn’t something I can control. Little Ye said he’d submit the divorce papers as soon as he returned to his unit.” Mother Gu repeated.
The day after the mistaken wedding night, her son had said that Li Xuemei didn’t want to marry him. Though he couldn’t explain why, he firmly believed his judgment.
Her son had said he wanted to build a life with Lu Zhenzhen, but Lu Zhenzhen was completely fixated on Youth Xu and looked down on him.
Now that she knew Lu Zhenzhen was a decent person, she wanted to accept her, but… Mother Gu’s deeply lined face was filled with worry.
Heartbroken over her husband’s death and exhausted from raising two children alone, she had struggled to carry on.
If not for her eldest son joining the military years ago—not only requiring no support from her but even sending home wages—she would have long since collapsed.
These past two years, the family’s situation had slightly improved, yet her son refused to marry. It was only after she threatened to take her own life that he agreed to return home for a wedding.
But in the end, it all turned into a farce. Nearly two months had passed since her son returned to the military, and not a single word had come from him.
Seeing Mother Gu looking downcast and worried, Second Aunt Gu and her daughter, along with Third Aunt, bid farewell to return home and prepare dinner.
“Mom, why does dinner smell so good today? It’s making me even hungrier,” said fifteen-year-old Gu Shiwu, who had just returned from gathering a bundle of firewood in the hills after school.
“Mom, why did you make so much food today?” Gu Ning asked as she returned from work.
“Xiao Ning, Xiao Wu… your sister-in-law said she’d be eating at home tonight, so I made an extra dish of scrambled eggs with chives.”
Hearing this, Gu Shiwu puffed out his still-childish cheeks, pursed his lips, and said irritably, “Mom, she’s not my sister-in-law. I’ll never acknowledge her.”
Gu Ning frowned tightly without speaking, but her round eyes glared at her mother.
“Guixiang, why is Zhenzhen coming home for dinner today?” Grandpa Gu asked uncertainly as soon as he entered the house, having overheard his daughter-in-law’s words.
Under the gaze of six eyes, Mother Gu rubbed her hands together before repeating what she knew.
Finally, she pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Grandpa Gu. “Dad, look—this is an IOU.”
“Hmph…”
“Tch…” Gu Ning and Gu Shiwu sneered simultaneously.
Grandpa Gu took the IOU, remained silent for a moment, and then said, “Xiao Ning, go call your sister-in-law out for dinner first.”
“As for this matter, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’ll call Xiao Ye tomorrow and ask what he thinks.”
“Grandpa, how could she suddenly change like this?” Gu Shiwu asked, finding it hard to accept.
“You ask me, and who should I ask? If you have the guts, go ask your sister-in-law yourself,” Grandpa Gu retorted impatiently.
“Dad, how about I set aside some food and have Xiao Ning bring it to her room?” Mother Gu suggested cautiously.
She was afraid Lu Zhenzhen might throw a bowl and disrupt the children’s meal. Seeing her father-in-law didn’t object, she scooped a bowl of rice and added some scrambled eggs with chives and vegetables.
“Mom, I won’t take it. I don’t acknowledge her as my sister-in-law either. Let her starve,” Gu Ning said unhappily.
“Xiao Ning—” Grandpa Gu called sternly.
“Fine! I’ll take it,” Gu Ning huffed, stomped her foot, picked up the food, and walked into the room, where she saw Lu Zhenzhen curled up on the bed.
Now, she looked no different from herself—dark and thin. Yet Gu Ning recalled how she had looked when she first arrived in their village.
She had been truly beautiful, like a fairy from a painting, with delicate eyebrows and lovely eyes that made Gu Ning’s heart flutter.
In just three years, she had ruined herself into this wretched state!
No wonder Youth Xu wanted nothing to do with her. What was even more hateful was that even after what happened with her own brother, she still went looking for Youth Xu every day. How shameless.
With a loud “thud,” Gu Ning slammed the bowl and the IOU onto the dressing table.
Lu Zhenzhen was startled and sat up abruptly.
“You’ve already been with my brother, yet you still shamelessly cling to Youth Xu. It’s so disgraceful.”
“No one in our family will ever welcome you, and I’ll never acknowledge you as my sister-in-law.” With that, the young girl turned and stormed out angrily.
Lu Zhenzhen watched the figure that had vanished like a gust of wind and wasn’t angry. Given the things the original owner, with her max-level Lian’ainao, had done, who could possibly welcome her?
In this vast world, nothing matters more than eating. After filling her stomach, Lu Zhenzhen felt a bit drowsy and lay down on the bed, falling asleep.
When she woke up, the sky was already bright. She sat up and stretched lazily.