Chen Jinsheng had already made up his mind. Yesterday, he’d gotten carried away, so caught up in wanting to say thank you that he’d skipped out on his brothers’ gathering—something he rarely did.
Today, he had to make it up to them. He had to live up to the way they called him “Brother”!
But when he wandered into the kitchen and saw the few eggs in the basket, he frowned and let out a quiet sigh.
He counted the money he’d won playing cards that morning: only five dollars and seventy cents in total.
He’d promised Chen Haonan ten eggs—and a man had to keep his word.
If he didn’t use ration coupons at the supply and marketing cooperative, buying them from a street vendor would cost nearly two dollars.
That left about four dollars…
Well, it would have to do!
Chen Jinsheng split the money into two piles ahead of time and tucked them into separate pockets.
Thankfully, times had opened up in recent years—you weren’t limited to state-run restaurants anymore, and there were plenty of food stalls popping up around the village.
Nothing fancy; just a big shed set up as a stall. But if you picked the right one, the food tasted just as good.
Once he’d worked out the numbers, he carried warm water and tiptoed back to the room.
The moment he stepped inside, Yang Cuilian pulled her head away from the window and hurried over to Chen Laoda. “Hey! I used to think your third brother didn’t care much about that sickly girl—but you saw it with your own eyes today, didn’t you?”
“Scary as anything! When has he ever acted like that? It was like… like he was about to bite someone!”
Chen Xiaoxian was sitting bolt upright on the kang, turning the very same thought over in his head. He frowned and sat up straight. “Cuilian, can you stop calling her ‘sickly girl’ all the time?”
“The doctor said it herself—if she takes her medicine properly and takes good care of herself, she’ll get better. It’s not nearly as bad as what her family’s old doctor claimed, saying she’d only live to some certain age…”
“Yet you all keep saying it like it’s true—you’re just inviting bad luck!”
Yang Cuilian raised her voice sharply and reached out to twist his ear. “Chen Xiaoxian! Why do you only ever act tough with your own wife? Huh?”
“If you’re so capable, why don’t you say that in front of the whole family? It’s not just me—your second brother’s wife calls her that too!”
“And your delinquent little brother? He calls her far worse things! He calls her ‘sickly rat’! Why don’t you say a word to him, as the eldest brother?”
“I…”
Chen Xiaoxian’s face burned red, but he couldn’t get another word out.
He flopped back down with a thud. “I’m not going to argue about this with a woman!”
Yang Cuilian scoffed without a shred of mercy. “You’re just a coward! You and your second brother—you’re both completely spineless when it comes to your mother!”
“If there’s one thing the third brother has over you, it’s that. Of all three of you, only he dares to snap at her, throw tantrums… and even when she’s so mad she’s spitting blood, she still gives in to him and lets him have his way…”
“It’s enough to drive you mad. Your mother never cared for your father a day in her life—so why does she hang on every single word he said right before he died?”
Chen Xiaoxian’s expression darkened, and he let out a long, heavy sigh. “You said it yourself—they were his last words.”
“Your father never asked your mother for anything his whole life. The only time he ever begged her was when he was breathing his last…”
After eating, it was easy to get drowsy—and You Sanmei, who had always been weak and low in energy, drifted off before she knew it.
When she woke and looked around to find herself alone, she rolled her eyes silently.
Figures—he’d gone off playing the fool again!
But she wasn’t angry. After all, so much had changed in just two short days.
Besides, there was no point torturing herself over problems that had been rooted deep for so long.
If she did, all the trouble and money the family had spent treating her would be for nothing.
And she would have died for nothing.
She had to stay steady. She had to believe that fate had given them a second chance because it couldn’t bear to see good people suffer for nothing!
They would all be alright.
They absolutely would—no exceptions!
A fire seemed to ignite in her chest, and she sat up with newfound resolve.
And sure enough, after this rest, she felt so much stronger already.
She swung her legs out of bed and slipped on her shoes, heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
She was getting better—small things like this were something she could manage on her own.
She stepped inside and found Ge Zhaodi standing with her back to the door, sorting vegetables. The strong, broad-shouldered woman of thirty looked strangely lonely, her movements slow and listless.
All at once, she sniffed sharply—again and again.
You Sanmei froze, then rushed over without a second thought and wrapped her arms around Ge Zhaodi from behind. “Second Sister-in-law! Why are you crying?”
“I don’t blame you at all—”
“Wha—WHAT?!” Ge Zhaodi jumped so hard she almost swung a fist back at her.
Thankfully, she caught herself just in time, her hand hovering uselessly in mid-air.
You Sanmei blinked and glanced down. “…”
“Ah… ahahaha—you’re just peeling onions, Second Sister-in-law?”
Ge Zhaodi seemed to realize what had happened, and her voice rose in indignation. “What of it? You think I’d cry over choking you?!”
“Why would I?!”
“I’ve got better things to do!”
She jutted her chin out, her voice growing louder by the second. “And don’t think I’m the only one who sees it—anyone with eyes can tell!”
“You’ve been married into this family for over a week now—and who’s been taking care of you almost the whole time? Me and your Eldest Sister-in-law, that’s who!”
“So just because I tried to help and messed up… you think I should feel guilty? That I should hate myself forever? Never! Not in this lifetime!!”
As she shouted, Ge Zhaodi found herself walking over to the kitchen door. Hands planted firmly on her hips, she lifted her head and roared so loud the whole yard could hear her.
You Sanmei let out a long, quiet breath of relief.
How could she have forgotten? Her wonderful, amazing sisters-in-law were never the type to bottle things up and suffer in silence.
When they’d had enough, they’d turn the whole house upside down—so no one got an easy ride—until every last bit of hurt and anger was out in the open.
And then they’d go right back to work, right back to all the hard work they’d always done.
Oh!
Her beloved, incredible sisters-in-law—how could the world hold such strong, wonderful women?
With that thought, You Sanmei knew she shouldn’t stop her.
Her dear Second Sister-in-law was so pent up she was about to burst—she needed to let it all out. If she held it in, it would make her sick, and that would break You Sanmei’s heart.
She rested her chin in her hands, watching with nothing but admiration as her brave Second Sister-in-law let loose.
Ge Zhaodi only grew more heated, her words exploding like firecrackers—
“Even Lin Mei—your best friend who married into the village with you—said it herself! She said we poor sisters-in-law have had our hands full with you!”
“But what else could we do? We’re family now—what choice did we have?”
“And your useless husband—that no-good delinquent third brother of ours! How many years has he lived off this family? How much rice and flour has he eaten? Not a single grain of it was grown by his own two hands!!”
The soft, grateful smile on You Sanmei’s face froze.
“…”
Wait a minute…?
What was Lin Mei doing in this?
Oh, you two-faced snake! You couldn’t get to me, so you went and poisoned everyone else’s ears instead?
How dare you!
A cold laugh escaped You Sanmei. Her once gentle, clear eyes suddenly swirled with storm.
You think just because I’m still weak I can’t do anything about you?
That’s fine. Just you wait.
I don’t even need to lay a hand on you!