The commotion in the kitchen was so loud that Su Qian’an had already heard it from inside the room. She didn’t expect to walk over and immediately hear Wang Yinghua slandering her. Just as she was about to step in and argue, Huo Zheng had already fired back at her.
What surprised her even more was that Huo Zheng, not only looked fierce, but also had a sharp tongue.
Sure enough, Wang Yinghua’s face turned alternating shades of green and white, like a color palette.
“Huo Zheng, I helped take care of Xiao Bei for several months at least. You can’t repay kindness with ingratitude like this,” Wang Yinghua said, unable to win against him, switching to an emotional appeal. She began talking about how she had stayed up countless nights caring for Huo Jibei, claiming she was more responsible than Su Qian’an, the child’s own mother.
Hearing this, Su Qian’an’s expression turned cold as she recalled what she had seen after waking up yesterday.
“Heh. You said I went crazy and hit you yesterday—then why don’t you tell everyone why I hit you?”
Wang Yinghua stiffened, a flash of guilt crossing her face.
“What? Too afraid to answer?” Su Qian’an pressed on more firmly than yesterday, especially with Huo Zheng present.
Seeing her sudden change in attitude, Huo Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly.
He knew Su Qian’an’s personality used to be soft, easily pushed around—only toward him did she show any firmness.
Then he turned his sharp gaze toward Wang Yinghua, locking onto her like a blade.
“You abused a five-month-old child,” Su Qian’an said angrily, her eyes filled with fury that she could not suppress. She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if she had woken up any later.
At her words, Huo Zheng’s face darkened instantly. Veins bulged on his forehead as he looked at Wang Yinghua as if she were already a dead woman.
Wang Yinghua panicked and denied it immediately.
“How is that abuse! Don’t slander me! Which child in the village isn’t raised like this? Babies aren’t that delicate!”
Su Qian’an let out a cold laugh.
“Which family pinches and covers a baby’s mouth when they’re only a few months old? Don’t tell me your family raises children like that!”
Wang Yinghua opened her mouth but couldn’t respond.
Yesterday, she hadn’t meant to do it—it was just that the baby kept crying and she found it annoying, so she covered his mouth. She never expected Su Qian’an to see it.
She had only done it that one time.
“It’s not like anything serious happened anyway. Why make such a big deal out of it?” she muttered weakly.
Huo Zheng’s lips curved into a dangerous smile.
“If you think it’s not a big deal,” he said coldly, “then bring your grandson over and let me slap him twice.”
Wang Yinghua jumped up immediately.
“No way!”
How could her grandson be compared to that brat?
People were always like this—hypocritical. They could harm others’ children but would never tolerate the same happening to their own.
Su Qian’an’s eyes rolled slightly as she added,
“If you don’t want to bring him, then pay compensation. Not much—just ten yuan.”
Their family was currently very poor and badly needed money. Since Wang Yinghua had come knocking herself, she wouldn’t be polite.
Ten yuan was an enormous sum for rural households—it would take ages to save that much.
“Ten yuan?!” Wang Yinghua’s eyes widened. “Why don’t you just rob me?!”
In the countryside, even if a child got hurt, compensation was usually just a few eggs and an apology at most.
Huo Zheng lowered his gaze, his presence oppressive. Wang Yinghua shrank back instinctively—she almost forgot that Huo Zheng was the infamous local tyrant.
But she had indeed been caught red-handed this time. With no way out, she could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger. Reluctantly, she pulled out a few wrinkled bills from her inner pocket.
“I only have this much…”
These were savings she had secretly accumulated over a long time. Her face twisted in pain as she handed them over.
Su Qian’an snatched them and counted them—seven yuan and fifty-two cents. Still short by two yuan and forty-eight cents.
“Bring the rest by the end of today,” she said calmly. “Otherwise, I’ll come to your house for it.”
“I-I understand,” Wang Yinghua stammered.
Then she fled in embarrassment.
She had come to complain—but ended up losing ten yuan instead. What a loss.
Su Qian’an tucked the money away happily and turned to Huo Zheng with a sweet smile.
“Is dinner ready? I’m a bit hungry.”
“Almost,” he replied.
If not for Wang Yinghua’s disturbance, they would already be eating.
He quickly finished cooking—simmered fish soup, stir-fried potatoes, and steamed fish with rice.
Su Qian’an took a bowl of fish soup, but after one sip, she put it down.
Huo Zheng tried it as well and noticed a slight fishy smell.
He pushed the pot aside.
“If you can’t eat it, then don’t.”
She nodded and quietly ate her rice instead.
Not long after dinner, Huo Zheng had to go to work. Su Qian’an packed him a flask of water so he could drink during labor.
After he left, she took a nap with the baby. When she woke up, she put on a straw hat and started clearing the small plot of land outside the house.
It had been abandoned for a long time—wild grass grew half a person tall, dense and stubborn. The soil was hard and compacted, impossible to pull by hand.
She fetched a shovel from inside and began clearing it. Within ten minutes, her delicate face was flushed red from the sun, and her clothes were soaked with sweat, clinging to her slender figure.
She went back inside to rest for a moment and noticed her palms stinging. When she opened them, there was no bleeding, but they were red and irritated.
Her hands were soft, slender, and fair—clearly not used to farm work.
After resting, she went back out and continued working.
By evening, only about one-third of the plot had been cleared.
Looking at the neatly cleaned patch of land, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
When Huo Zheng returned, he noticed the cleared patch outside and frowned in confusion. But when he saw Su Qian’an inside, her face flushed and still rubbing her hands, he immediately understood.
“What are you planning to do with that land?” he asked.
“Grow vegetables,” she said with a smile. “Today Wang Yinghua compensated us for Xiao Bei, so I thought I’d use that money to buy some seeds from town. When winter comes, we’ll have fresh vegetables to eat. Right, Xiao Bei?”
She smiled and gently tapped the baby’s nose.
“Mm,” Huo Zheng’s eyes softened with approval.
The baby also babbled in response.
That night, dinner was again cooked by Huo Zheng. Before eating, Wang Yinghua came by to deliver the remaining compensation money.
Su Qian’an happily accepted it.