Shen Meng didn't understand why the families of the two village officials had come to see her. She thought that these two families probably wanted something from her, but she didn't know, nor did it matter. It seemed they weren't asking her for anything.
Wang Guizhi stir-fried some shredded potatoes, made a pot of pancakes, and boiled a pot of brown sugar eggs. She put all ten eggs that Zhou Jiaojiao had given her into the pot. Today, both she and her husband, as well as Xiao Meng and her children, needed to eat something nourishing.
Seeing that the two women who had come to see Shen Meng hadn't left, she thought for a moment and then washed the dishes. She ladled two bowls of brown sugar water from the pot. When she ladled out the last spoonful, a mischievous egg drop had gotten into the spoon. Wang Guizhi quickly skimmed it off and ladled out more. The brown sugar water alone was already quite good; the eggs were for her own family.
"Old man, you take the children to eat first. I'll go bring some sweet soup to the people inside. I just heard it's the village chief's wife and the Party Secretary's mother. I'll put in a good word for them, so that after we leave, our daughter will have someone to help her out."
"Okay, go ahead. I'll boil some water for everyone to wash up."
Wang Guizhi stopped at the door and said to Shen Fugui, who was standing up from the stove, "Just boil enough to warm the skin, don't boil it, it'll waste firewood."
"Okay!"
After she left, Shen Fugui moved the low table in the kitchen towards the door. It was already late, and they needed to eat quickly by the light of the lamp; otherwise, they would have to light the kerosene lamp.
"Mingyang, Mingliang, quickly bring your younger siblings over for dinner. After eating, wash up and go to sleep quickly, or you won't be able to see in a while." After calling out, Shen Fugui started serving the rice in the kitchen. Mingliang
in the other room sat up abruptly on the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Brother, can't you hear? Grandpa's calling us for dinner! Hurry, hurry!"
Mingkai had eaten chicken cake today, and with Grandpa and Grandma at home, he felt a bit bolder. Seeing his second brother about to get off the kang (heated brick bed), he followed suit with his short legs.
"Hurry, hurry!"
Lu Mingyang didn't move. He pulled Lu Mingliang and said, "Don't go. If you eat now, after Grandpa and Grandma leave, that bad woman will definitely beat us mercilessly. We're all older now; if she beats us, we can run away. But what about the little brother? He can't run fast; he'll be caught before he even lifts his leg."
Lu Mingyang's voice was slightly cold as he frowned at Lu Mingliang. In his opinion, his stepmother's words were deliberately meant for the village chief and the Party Secretary to see, all for the sake of moving back to the brick house. Besides, his stepmother looked perfectly fine; she didn't seem like she was about to die.
Whether it was Grandma, Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, or the village chief and the Party Secretary, they had all been deceived by her.
Not only did she get her house and grain back, but she also made Grandma and the village chief pay her compensation. She wasn't as stupid as before. Lu Mingyang glanced at the stone in the corner. Could hitting his head have given him a brain transplant and made him smarter?
"Second brother, I think eldest brother is right. What if Mom hits us later? It hurts so much when she hits people. Last time she hit my bottom, and my legs still tremble when I see her. Anyway, we don't eat dinner every night, so it'll be fine. Don't go. Little brother, don't go either."
Lu Mingliang ignored them and hugged Lu Mingkai, who was trying to shrink back onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Go, why wouldn't we go? Tonight we'll have brown sugar and eggs, and pancakes. Grandma's pancakes are smeared with lard, they smell amazing! Fight if you want, let's fill our stomachs first."
He finished speaking and ran barefoot without even putting on his shoes. He was only seven years old, and carrying three-year-old Lu Mingkai, he swayed back and forth, looking like he was about to fall at any moment. Lu Mingyang, seeing this, was frightened and quickly scrambled off the kang (heated brick bed), ran to his side, and snatched Lu Mingkai away.
"Be careful, don't let your little brother fall."
"Hehe, big brother, I'm strong enough!"
They had already run into the yard when Shen Fugui saw them and pointed to the washbasin by the kitchen door.
"Wash your hands and hurry up and eat. Grandpa boiled some water. After you wash up, Grandpa will sleep with you. Mingfang, come quickly. Your grandma made a lot. Eat your fill before you sleep."
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa," Lu Mingyang said quickly, then turned and called out towards the west side of the house. Lu Mingfang then ran over in her shoes. She was also very hungry. She would be scared to eat alone, but she wasn't afraid because her brothers were eating too.
The fragrant scallion pancakes, the sweet brown sugar eggs, and a large bowl of shredded potatoes, although they didn't taste very good, were much better than their previous meals.
The children ate with their eyes narrowed. Lu Mingkai started to cry while eating, which scared Shen Fugui so much that he quickly put the pancakes in a basket.
"What's wrong, Xiao Kai? Why are you crying?"
Lu Mingkai looked at Shen Fugui with teary eyes, his little hands clutching the hem of his clothes.
"Grandpa, boohoo, Xiao Kai doesn't want you to leave. Please stay, okay? And Grandma, if you leave, Mom will hit people, hit my brothers and sisters, and even hit me! Boohoo, I'm scared."
After all, he was his own flesh and blood, and Shen Fugui looked at the young child and sighed deeply.
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Kai. Your mother said she'll change. Grandpa and Grandma will come to see you often from now on. If your mother acts up again, Grandpa won't recognize her as his daughter anymore."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingkai shook his little hands vigorously.
"No, no, I want to recognize Mom! If I don't recognize Mom, Grandpa and Grandma won't come to see Xiao Kai anymore."
Shen Fugui felt a pang of sadness. He stroked Lu Mingkai's hair, thinking that he must have a good talk with Shen Meng before leaving tomorrow. The child was still so young; he couldn't keep scolding and beating him, lest it damage the mother-son relationship!
Lu Mingyang glanced at his grandfather, then lowered his eyes.
Change? "Change my foot! He doesn't believe a bad woman can change!"
In the east room, Tian Guihua and Chen Jinling each held a bowl of brown sugar water, sipping it shyly and occasionally responding to Wang Guizhi's words.
"Sister, my husband and I are going back tomorrow. There's a ton of stuff to do at home. We don't know when Xiaomeng will get better. We'll have to trouble you to help her out a bit!"
Chen Jinling immediately replied, "What help? From now on, Xiaomeng's affairs are my affairs. Speaking of which, it's all my son's fault today. He's only been the Party Secretary for a little over two years. He's always so busy. When he heard from Old Lady Lu that Xiaomeng was alright, he rushed off to help. Sigh, he's still young. He doesn't know that some people's hearts are as cunning as a hornet's nest."
As a mother-in-law, she knew all about Liu Sanjin's tricks. Sweet on the outside, bitter on the inside, she could twist a sentence eighteen times. She was like that when she was young, and she didn't expect her to still be like that now that she's old.
"Don't worry, Auntie. Xiaomeng, if you ever need anything, just ask your sister-in-law. She'll definitely lend a hand if she can."
Shen Meng agreed with a smile. One was the village chief's sister-in-law, and the other was the Party Secretary's mother. Building good relationships with these two was like having a buff on her.