By then, Shen Qingru had already finished two pieces. Having satisfied her initial craving, she began to savor the rest slowly.
Seeing everyone eating while he had nothing, the little bun puckered his lips, ready to cry. Aunt Lan picked him up and bounced him a few times, and he quickly forgot his grievance.
When Xiao Yu was about to head home that evening, Aunt Lan wrapped up a few pieces for her to take back. Xiao Yu refused no matter what, only tentatively accepting them and clutching them tightly to her chest after Shen Qingru put on a stern face.
However, after taking only a few steps, she ran into the only son of Mrs. Lyu’s family, Chang Tianbao. Though only eight years old, he was already as round as a stone post.
Chang Tianbao’s eyes were sharp. “What are you hiding in your arms? Let me see.”
This elder cousin usually bossed her around and bullied her often. Xiao Yu felt afraid, but she still hugged her arms tighter and shook her head.
Losing patience, Chang Tianbao stepped forward, yanked Xiao Yu’s arm, and snatched the bundle directly.
In the scuffle, Xiao Yu was knocked to the ground. She scraped the skin on her face and hands, and blood began to seep out. It stung sharply, and Xiao Yu’s eyes reddened, but she endured it without crying. She knew that no one in this house liked her family; crying would only bring trouble to her parents.
The paper bundle in her arms fell to the ground and burst open. The small pieces of Sour Date Cake were now covered in dust.
Muttering curses, Chang Tianbao picked them up, gave them a casual wipe, and stuffed them into his mouth.
These were given to her by Aunt Lan and Sister Shen; she had wanted to bring them back for her father, mother, and brother to eat.
Xiao Yu was devastated and couldn’t help but sob softly.
When Shen Qingru arrived, this was the scene she encountered. Heartaching for the girl, she knelt down to pick Xiao Yu up and carefully wiped the dirt from her wounds with a handkerchief. “Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt,” Xiao Yu shook her head. Another tear fell. “But the Sour Date Cakes Sister Shen gave me were all eaten by Fourth Brother.”
Only two lonely pieces remained on the ground. The fatty was still eating them with total indifference. Shen Qingru’s face darkened. “Aunt Lan.”
“Understood.” Aunt Lan snatched the pastry he was about to shove into his mouth and threw it onto the ground. Along with the remaining two pieces, she ground them into a pulp beneath her heel.
Having lost his food and seeing the two women glaring at him fiercely, the little fatty’s eyes darted around. He suddenly crouched on the ground and began to wail at the top of his lungs.
His miserable cries could be heard throughout the entire courtyard. A row of black lines appeared on Shen Qingru’s forehead. This was likely what one would call a “bear child”—a brat.
The brat’s crying finally drew all the women over.
Aunt Liu had been cleaning the cowshed outside the courtyard and truly hadn’t heard anything. As for the others, Shen Qingru suspected they had been watching the show from the sidelines and only rushed over in a panic now that the fatty had suffered a loss.
“Oh, my little heart, my Tianbao! Which accursed person bullied you?” Mrs. Lyu lunged over, pulling the little fatty into her arms and rubbing him all over, wailing as she did so.
The tone was exactly the same as her son’s; they were truly mother and child.
“Second Sister-in-law, what happened? How did Tianbao end up on the ground? Quick, help him up and see if he’s injured anywhere.” This was Mrs. Yang, who loved to stir up trouble, standing by with a look of feigned concern.
“Mrs. Yang’s eyesight must be poor. It’s clear he likes sitting on the ground to play; how could he have fallen?” Shen Qingru was in a foul mood, and her words were not polite in the least.
Mrs. Yang smiled thinly. “It’s just that I didn’t see.”
Shen Qingru replied nonchalantly, “If you didn’t see, then don’t speak carelessly, lest people mistake you for a busybody.”
Mrs. Yang’s hypocritical smile cracked. She stood there sullenly and stopped speaking. Chang Ning’er and Chang Tingting, who followed behind her, wanted to speak up but were silenced by a glance from Mrs. Yang, leaving them to huff indignantly.
Seeing the third daughter-in-law defeated in just a few sentences, Madam Zhang felt compelled to step forward herself. “Second Daughter-in-law, stop wailing for a moment. Let’s find out what happened first.”
Mrs. Lyu sobbed, “What else could it be? Mother, you saw it too. It’s someone using their age to bully our Tianbao. Tianbao is still young; if there’s a problem, why can’t they talk it through? Why did they have to use force?”
Madam Zhang turned and said to Shen Qingru, “Miss Shen, if Tianbao has done something wrong, you can just tell us. Why make things difficult for a child?”
“The old lady just said we should find out what happened first. Now, before knowing anything, you’re in a hurry to pass judgment on us?”
Before Shen Qingru could finish, Mrs. Lyu shrieked, “What isn’t clear? My son is still lying on the ground! If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
The little fatty cooperated by crying even harder. “Mother, Grandma! They pushed me! They bullied me!”
Shen Qingru pointed at the corner of his mouth. “There are still pastry crumbs on your mouth, and you’re already trying to play the victim?”
The little fatty subconsciously wiped his mouth, but there was nothing on his sleeve. He looked up to see Shen Qingru watching him with a mocking smile. “There’s nothing on your mouth, but there’s still some on your hands. Aren’t they sticky?”
The little fatty hid his hands behind his back and completely withered, shrinking back behind Mrs. Lyu.
Mrs. Lyu pinched him in frustration but continued to clamor, “What’s wrong with eating a bit of food? It’s just a few pieces of pastry! Did you really have to hit a child over that?”
Aunt Liu finally understood the sequence of events. Seeing the shocking bloodstains on her daughter’s small face, she felt a mix of heartache, self-reproach, and fury.
“Second Sister-in-law, you should engage your brain before speaking. If you don’t know what happened, I’ll tell you again. It was your precious son who snatched the snacks from Xiao Yu when she wouldn’t give them to him. He sat on the ground himself.”
“To be so young and yet so crooked, learning the ways of a bandit. He’s still young enough to be disciplined now. But don’t wait until he grows up to learn how to kill and commit arson; by then, Second Sister-in-law, you’ll only be able to visit him in prison!”
Mrs. Lyu was nearly choked with rage by this tirade. Her finger trembled as she pointed at Aunt Liu. “Mother, listen to her! What kind of words are those from the Eldest Sister-in-law? What grievance does she have against our Tianbao to curse him like this? He’s just a child!”
Madam Zhang’s expression was also unsightly. She said coldly, “Eldest Daughter-in-law, how can you speak like that? Tianbao is your nephew, after all. Do you wish him ill that much? The second couple only has this one child.”
Looking at Madam Zhang’s withered, elderly face, the fire in Aunt Liu’s heart flared up. Over the years, Madam Zhang had used her status as mother-in-law to oppress her and her husband, and even the children had suffered much grievance.
Under the heavy weight of filial piety, she had always endured. But today, seeing her six-year-old daughter beaten and too afraid to speak, her heart felt like it was breaking. This was just what she had witnessed; what about the times she hadn’t? Who in this family was willing to stand up for her child?
At this thought, she cast all caution aside. Interrupting Madam Zhang, she said loudly, “The second brother’s family has one son, and I only have one daughter, Xiao Yu. I treat him as a nephew, but did he treat Xiao Yu as a sister? Xiao Yu is also your granddaughter; why don’t you think of her?”
“You… you…” Since entering the Chang family, Madam Zhang had never been spoken to like this, especially by the eldest daughter-in-law she had always looked down upon. She sputtered for a long time, unable to find the words.
Having failed her opening move and seeing things take a bad turn, Mrs. Yang wisely chose to act as still as a piece of wood.
Chang Tingting, however, didn’t care about that. Supporting Madam Zhang, she accused, “Eldest Sister-in-law, how can you speak to Mother like that? Is this how a daughter-in-law behaves? Careful, or Mother might have Eldest Brother divorce you.”
“Yes! Divorce her!” Madam Zhang finally regained her composure. “Our family cannot keep such a wicked woman who has no sense of hierarchy or respect. I must have been blind to let such a jinx marry into this family!”