Tang Yumei forced a stiff smile as she finished the toast, then stormed angrily into the bridal room. The moment she saw the old, worn bedding on the bed, the fire in her heart could no longer be suppressed. She turned on Shen Fourth, who had followed in right behind her, and snapped furiously:
“Shen Zhengbang, is this what you meant by saying you wouldn’t wrong me?”
“Where’s the banquet with three meat dishes? Where are the two brand-new ten-jin cotton quilts? What about all those brand-new household items…?”
“Where did they all go? Is this how your family fools me?”
“Fine, I’m leaving. I’m leaving right now—I’m not marrying anymore!”
As she spoke, she reached for the door to leave. Shen Fourth hurriedly wrapped his arms around her from behind, coaxing her anxiously:
“Wife, don’t be angry yet. I know you’ve been wronged today. I’ll make it up to you later, I swear. Please don’t go!”
“Listen to my explanation first—our family really had no choice!”
“Come, sit down and let’s talk. Don’t get so angry you hurt our son!”
They struggled back and forth for a bit, and Tang Yumei eventually went along with it. After all, no matter how shabby this wedding was, it was still a wedding. If she went back to her parents’ home now, her reputation wouldn’t sound good either—and she still had a child in her belly…
Seeing that Tang Yumei had calmed down somewhat, Shen Fourth hurriedly took out two large bowls of braised pork and stewed chicken with mushrooms from the cupboard, along with five big white steamed buns.
These were the dishes Old Madam Shen had set aside in advance for her most beloved fourth son.
“Wife, no matter how angry you are, eat first. I’ll explain everything slowly. Today was really unavoidable for our family. Later on, I’ll definitely help you regain your face!”
Looking at the glistening, oily meat, Tang Yumei couldn’t help swallowing. She took the chopsticks Shen Fourth handed her and sat down with him at the small wooden table by the window.
“Speak! What exactly is going on?”
Only after placing several pieces of meat into his wife’s bowl did Shen Fourth say with a pained expression:
“Our house was robbed last night. Everything the family prepared for us was stolen! Even one of the big iron woks from the kitchen was taken, and quite a few bowls and utensils too.
“Today we didn’t even have enough cookware to cook—we had to borrow a pot from the neighbors!
“And this meat—I went all over the commune, begging everyone I could, just to buy three or four jin. This chicken was one my mother raised for laying eggs, and the white flour was something I’d saved for you to nourish your body later on. Luckily, the thief didn’t take these too.”
Tang Yumei was so angry she laughed.
“Ha! So you’re saying the thief stole my new cotton quilts and household items while you were sleeping in this room?”
“Are you a pig? Sleeping that soundly?”
“And when your second daughter got married last time, I saw it with my own eyes—the meat was kept in your parents’ room, right? Did they sleep like the dead too?”
Mentioning this made Shen Fourth even more depressed. He said helplessly:
“That’s exactly what’s strange! Not only our room and my parents’ room were robbed—every branch of the family lost something. Not a single household was spared. Even my second and third brothers’ rooms—so poor even rats wouldn’t go there—lost a few pieces of old clothing!”
“My mother even lost more than half of her coffin money!”
“Is your whole family possessed by the God of Sleep or what? The house was practically emptied and no one noticed?”
“With that much meat, and all the things from our room, it’s not like one or two people could carry it away in one trip. Didn’t anyone else in the village hear anything?”
Shen Fourth slapped his thigh, looking just as puzzled.
“Exactly! We all find it strange too. I was so excited last night thinking about finally marrying you that I lay there with my eyes closed, unable to sleep for half the night.
“But I really don’t know when the things went missing. It’s like they just vanished out of thin air while my eyes were closed.”
Tang Yumei clearly didn’t believe him. She even suspected the Shen family had deliberately sold the things for cash.
But since she was already married, and Shen Fourth truly obeyed her in everything—handing over all the money he earned—she could only swallow this grievance.
Shen Fourth made all sorts of promises before finally coaxing Tang Yumei into showing a smile.
After Shen Fourth took the three children out, the main hall fell into silence. Everyone quietly ate their food.
Seeing that the village party secretary and the brigade leader had already put down their chopsticks, Shen Baizhi picked up the basin that now only had braised pork gravy left in it. She poured in the meat she had deliberately saved from her own bowl, added three white steamed buns, greeted everyone, and prepared to leave the table.
“Stop right there—where do you think you’re taking that?”
Old Madam Shen called out, wincing as she stared at the basin in Shen Baizhi’s hands.
Shen Baizhi lifted the basin slightly and said matter-of-factly:
“Today is the day I return to my parents’ home, but my parents didn’t even qualify to sit at the table. I’m bringing them some food—there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“They…”
Old Madam Shen was about to say they didn’t deserve to eat it. The second and third branches of the Shen family had always been blood donors, and she was used to speaking her mind.
Old Man Shen coughed lightly and cut her off impatiently.
“Enough. If she’s taking it, let her take it. Hurry back to your own home and have a look!”
Didn’t this old woman know what day it was? The brigade leader and village party secretary were here, and the fourth daughter-in-law’s family were all county workers—respectable people. Was she not afraid of embarrassing herself?
But what was going on with Second Girl today? Why did she seem so much bolder?
He narrowed his eyes. Could it be that she thought marrying into a good family had given her confidence?
Shen Baizhi carried the basin back to her own home. The three people from the third branch of the Shen family were inside, gnawing on coarse three-grain corn buns.
“Sis, you’re back!”
Shen Baisu put down her chopsticks and ran over to hug her around the waist.
Shen Baizhi patted her head, set the basin on the table, and said with a smile:
“Look, I brought you white steamed buns. There’s braised pork in this basin too!”
“Sis, you’re the best! When I was helping in the kitchen this morning, I was drooling just watching!”
As she spoke, Shen Baisu reached out to grab a bun.
But Shen Second—her father—picked up the basin.
“This meat should be saved for your grandparents and Weiwei to eat.”
“Second Girl, I have to say this—you’re far too greedy. How could you go sit in the main hall? Since your husband didn’t come, you should’ve called your uncle to eat there instead!”
Shen Baizhi’s anger flared instantly!
This was their father—someone who devoted himself entirely to bleeding for the Shen family, and who wanted his daughters to do the same, stripping themselves to the bone to support the two elders and the eldest branch.
And their mother was actually nodding in agreement, clearly thinking their father was right.
Shen Baizhi closed her eyes, feeling only sorrow for herself and for Susu. That was why, in her plan to escape after rebirth, she had only ever counted herself and Susu. As for these so-called parents—since they were willing to sacrifice themselves, so be it.
She snapped her eyes open, snatched the basin from her father’s hands, and pulled Susu to the side. She grabbed a bun from the basin and stuffed it into Susu’s hand, saying coldly:
“I brought this back. Since none of you want it, then let Susu eat it all. She’s already eleven, yet she’s not even as tall as Uncle’s eight-year-old Shen Bailin. That’s your failure as parents!”
Shen Baisu looked at her parents, then at her sister. She felt that her sister looked especially radiant today. She raised her hand, broke the bun in half, dipped it into the gravy in the basin, and stuffed it into her mouth.
So delicious!