“Ah! Meizi, are you alright?”
You Sanmei quickly patted her back to help her catch her breath, her tone full of concern, yet tinged with a touch of earnest silliness. “Hmm… it shouldn’t happen that fast, right?”
“You’ve only been married a few days—how could you already be carrying a baby?”
“As if that’s even possible!” Lin Mei rolled her eyes, swatting You Sanmei’s hand away, and said stiffly, “It’s just… it’s been so hot these past couple of days. I’ve just lost my appetite.”
“Right, right, exactly!” You Sanmei nodded in quick agreement. “That must be it. If Second Sister-in-law hadn’t given me a big apple yesterday to perk me up, I wouldn’t have been able to eat a thing either.”
“Still, eating noodles on days like this feels really nice—they’re not too heavy, and not greasy at all. My eldest sister-in-law made noodles yesterday~”
Lin Mei felt her chest tighten even more. She could no longer sit still, and stood up, pacing back and forth restlessly on the spot.
Glancing casually toward the corner, her eyes fell on a whole sack of apples!
Lin Mei’s eyes went wide, and she couldn’t help swallowing hard.
In the few days since she’d married into the Li family, she’d already realized that everything about this household was nothing but empty show—all glitter, no gold.
Li Heng earned a decent wage, but nowhere near as much as Lin Mei had imagined. Most of his pay still had to be handed over to his mother, Liu Lichun.
And Liu Lichun was nothing short of a spendthrift, good-for-nothing mother-in-law. Not only was her cooking terrible, she was always out gambling, and loved going into town to get her hair permed and buy new clothes.
As for Li Heng’s father? He didn’t care about any of it. Her father-in-law was rarely home, and when he was, he barely spoke—he was distant toward both his wife and son.
Lin Mei’s heart ached with envy. The last time she’d had fresh fruit was on their wedding day. And even then, she’d only gotten to eat one banana—Liu Lichun had taken the rest into her own room.
Li Heng had even smiled and told his mother to eat as much as she wanted! It was enough to make her spit blood with anger!
…Those apples smelled so sweet—she could catch their scent even from all the way over here.
“Oh right!” You Sanmei noticed Lin Mei’s eyes glued to the sack, and smiled openly. “My husband Jinsheng brought those back. Men are so silly when they’re young—he saw Second Sister-in-law give me an apple, and decided he had to outdo her. Turned around and hauled a whole sack home!”
“Though I’m sure you wouldn’t care for such plain things, Meizi. Your in-laws are so well-off—why would you want something as ordinary as apples? I heard you had all sorts of fancy things from town at your wedding!”
“…Right, yes!” Lin Mei’s jaw tightened. She turned her head away quickly. “I hate apples. They’re hard on the teeth!”
She couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer. She forced a laugh. “Well… I’m glad to see you’re okay. I won’t keep you from resting anymore—I should head home.”
“My mother-in-law went to the market bright and early this morning. She said I have to be back by noon so she can cook me something nice!”
“Your mother-in-law sounds wonderful.” You Sanmei said it with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Then she added quickly, “Mine’s great too~ And so are my sisters-in-law~ She’s out working in the fields today, so my eldest sister-in-law will be making lunch~ Hehe~ I should be off to eat soon as well! You’d better get going, Meizi!”
“I hope we both live safe, happy lives from now on~”
Her eyes curved like tiny crescent moons, looking sweet and sincere. But in her heart, she silently spat three times in a row.
I hope my whole family stays safe and happy. And I hope Lin Mei’s life gets worse and worse every day. I hope she and her husband tear each other apart like snarling dogs—may neither of them ever know a good end!
Fuming, Lin Mei stormed off without so much as a polite word to the two Chen sisters-in-law. Halfway down the path, she suddenly remembered her rudeness, and stamped her foot in frustration.
Only Lin Mei knew the truth: ever since they were small, she’d secretly compared herself to You Sanmei.
They’d grown up playing together, and everyone in the village always lumped them side by side in their gossip. Lin Mei still remembered every single word they’d said.
“You Sanmei’s so fair-skinned and soft-featured—look at her hands and feet, so delicate. She works hard now, but she’s bound to live a life of ease one day!”
You Sanmei would hear such things and forget them instantly—she’d long grown used to idle chatter. But to Lin Mei, those words felt like sharp thorns, pricking at her ears and piercing her heart.
After that, she’d stolen her stepmother’s face cream, washed her face over and over each day, and slathered herself in it. She’d gotten beaten badly when she was caught—and her skin hadn’t turned any lighter at all. After that, Lin Mei gave up on ever matching You Sanmei’s fair complexion or soft skin.
A couple of years later, Lin Mei shot up in height—taller and sturdier than You Sanmei.
One day, both families took them to work in the fields to earn work points. Two women working nearby said: “Sanmei, why are you still so thin? You haven’t grown an inch in years!”
“That won’t do, child. When we look for wives for our sons, we want girls who look strong and healthy—girls who can work hard! Look at Meizi—if I had a son, she’d be exactly the kind of girl I’d want him to marry!”
That night, Lin Mei lay awake, too happy to sleep. She told herself: those people who’d spoken before were all liars! What nonsense they’d spouted! A life of ease? Both she and You Sanmei had been born into such rotten homes—neither of them was better off than the other. How could anyone possibly live a life of ease just because they were fair-skinned and pretty?
That woman today was telling the truth—girls like them had to be capable and strong if they ever wanted a good marriage.
That was still what she believed right up until Liu Lichun took a liking to her, and she walked through the gates of the Li family home.
She’d kept comparing the Li family to the Chen family, telling herself that even if the Lis had their flaws, they were still far better off than the Chens, who still scraped by farming the land.
Until a few days after her wedding, when she’d gone to visit You Sanmei for the first time…
She’d found You Sanmei lying weakly on the kang, wrapped in a soft, brand-new quilt, with steaming egg custard and a pile of washed apples beside her. In that moment, Lin Mei’s smile died on her lips.
By then, Liu Lichun’s lazy, greedy nature had already revealed itself fully—on the third day of the wedding. The moment Li Heng had to go into the factory for work, Liu Lichun had dumped a mountain of chores on Lin Mei. She’d only gone to visit You Sanmei hoping to see her suffering, to make herself feel better. Instead, she’d found her looking like someone truly living a life of ease!
The more she thought about it all, the angrier Lin Mei grew. She burst through the courtyard gate, face burning with rage—
“Ouch~ My dear boy~ What’s gotten into your wife now? Why does she have to slam the door so hard!”
Liu Lichun’s voice turned sweet and whiny, dripping with feigned hurt. “Your mother’s getting old—all this sudden noise gives me such a fright… Oh! Has Meizi taken a dislike to me? But I haven’t done anything wrong… I only asked her to wash a few clothes for me…”