Meanwhile, in the small courtyard of a single-story house, Zhang Guilan wiped her hands on her apron and placed the final dish on the table.
“Look how thin you’ve become. Since you’re eating at Auntie’s today, eat as much as you like.”
“Okay!”
Seeing Meng Yao devour the food, Zhang Guilan’s eyes stung with heartache.
“Slow down. Don’t choke. No one is going to take it from you.
“From now on, if you ever lack food or clothes, come to Auntie.
“I may not have much, but I can still make sure you’re well fed and warmly dressed. Just don’t look down on what I can offer…”
Meng Yao quickly shook her head.
“No, no. The food is delicious, and you’re such a wonderful auntie. Other people couldn’t find someone like you even if they tried.”
Zhang Guilan lowered her head and smiled.
“You really know how to sweet-talk me.”
Then she shook her head and sighed.
“You’re such a good girl. I don’t understand why the Meng family doesn’t know how to treasure you.”
She was indirectly referring to the marriage arrangement between the Meng and Qi families.
Although the marriage had barely begun to take shape, everyone in the alley had already heard about it.
The Qi family had deliberately spread the news.
It was a marriage everyone else desperately avoided, yet the Meng family had eagerly offered their daughter.
Naturally, the Qi family wanted to use the opportunity to recover their dignity and show off in front of everyone.
Seeing Meng Yao merely sneer without concern, Zhang Guilan decided not to mention the matter again.
Meng Yao also did not tell Zhang Guilan and her son that the Qi family had already changed their choice of bride.
She thought inwardly that, given Meng Ying’s personality, she would never willingly marry into the Qi family.
In her previous life, Meng Ying had drugged her food.
Now that she had been reborn, she might very well use the same trick again.
But it did not matter.
Meng Yao would never allow herself to be deceived a second time.
As she ate the rich but non-greasy braised pork, her mind worked rapidly, and a plan gradually formed.
She raised her eyes.
“Auntie, I’d like to borrow Huzi for a few days. Would that be convenient?”
The moon was bright and only a few stars dotted the sky when Meng Yao returned home.
The house was completely dark.
Perhaps the beating they had received during the day had frightened the three members of the Meng family so badly that they were now hiding in their rooms with the doors tightly locked, pretending to sleep.
Meng Yao sneered but did not expose them. She simply returned to her room upstairs.
Beyond the living room on the first floor were the kitchen and the bedroom shared by Meng Liangcai and Li Yuqin.
To the right of the living room was a newly renovated storage room that belonged to Meng Yu.
There were two rooms on the second floor.
The one on the left belonged to Meng Yao.
The larger room on the right had originally belonged to Meng Yu, but Meng Ying and her son now occupied it.
After what had happened that day, the Meng family had become wary of Meng Yao.
Therefore, Meng Ying did not sleep upstairs that night. Instead, she took the child to Meng Yu’s room on the first floor.
Meng Yao’s strength had increased too suddenly, and her body had not yet fully adjusted.
Combined with the fighting she had done during the day, she now felt extremely exhausted.
The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep and began snoring softly.
The next morning, Meng Yao slept so deeply that hunger finally woke her.
She rubbed her empty stomach, stretched lazily, and went downstairs.
After looking around, she found that Meng Liangcai was not in the living room. He had probably gone to the factory early in the morning.
Li Yuqin had not yet returned from buying groceries.
Only a bald little boy remained in the spacious courtyard.
He was the illegitimate child Meng Ying had brought home.
In Meng Yao’s previous life, she had personally raised him under the name Qi Qinghe.
He had also been one of the accomplices in her death.
The hatred from her previous life surged straight to Meng Yao’s head.
Then she reconsidered.
He was still an ignorant little child. She could neither beat nor scold him, and holding him responsible now would only waste her energy.
Still unable to suppress her resentment, Meng Yao bent down, tapped the tip of his nose, and snorted.
“They left you here alone. Are you guarding the house, or are you watching me?”
At that time, Qi Qinghe was not yet three years old.
He innocently tilted his head and called out in a childish voice,
“M-Mommy…”
Meng Yao frowned in disgust.
“Don’t call me that. I could never have given birth to a wonderful son like you.”
Looking at the miniature face that closely resembled Meng Ying’s, Meng Yao instinctively clenched her fists.
“In this life, without an annoying mother like me, let’s see how wonderful your life turns out.”
She could not be bothered to look at the child any longer.
“There’s really some truth to the saying that you reap what you sow. A hateful woman’s child is bound to dig holes everywhere. Hahaha.”
“Who are you calling hateful?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Meng Ying emerged slowly from the kitchen carrying bowls and chopsticks.
Her furious eyes locked onto Meng Yao.
It seemed she truly had been possessed by something filthy.
Her personality had changed so completely that she no longer seemed normal.
She did nothing sensible, and now she was even insulting a child who was not yet three.
“Oh, you’re here.”
Meng Yao looked at her and said casually,
“I thought you had abandoned your child again and secretly gone out to fool around by yourself.”
That accusation of improper behavior made the already furious Meng Ying even angrier.
She lifted her chin and pointed at Meng Yao.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Say that again, and I really won’t be polite.”
Meng Yao raised an eyebrow and sneered.
“What? Do you want to fight?”
“Fine. I wouldn’t mind beating you until you cry and beg for mercy again.”
Seeing her ready to attack, the still-traumatized Meng Ying honestly stepped backward.
Only her mouth remained stubborn.
“Don’t be smug. I simply don’t want to embarrass everyone in front of the child. Don’t think I’m actually afraid of you.”
Her face looked defiant, but the involuntary twitching of her little finger betrayed the fear in her heart.
Meng Ying forcibly suppressed her emotions, picked up the child, and turned toward the courtyard gate.
If she could not afford to provoke Meng Yao, surely she could avoid her.
However, the moment she stepped outside, she encountered Li Yuqin carrying a basket overflowing with vegetables.
“I could hear your voices from far away. Were you arguing again?”
Meng Ying kept a stiff expression and said nothing.
It was obvious that she had suffered another grievance.
Li Yuqin secretly glanced at Meng Yao with hatred.
Keeping her around was truly dangerous. They needed to “send her away” as soon as possible.
She gently nudged Meng Ying.
“Endure it a little longer. Once tonight’s plan succeeds, the house will finally be peaceful.”
Meng Ying sneered quietly.
“Do you think I would tolerate her if she weren’t about to marry in my place?”
“That’s the right attitude.”
Li Yuqin smiled and instructed her while walking,
“Hurry and help me carry these things. We’ve eaten plain food for so long. Tonight, the whole family will enjoy a proper feast.”
Only after hearing that they would have a lavish dinner did Meng Ying’s expression improve slightly.
As they crossed the courtyard, she treated Meng Yao as though she did not exist and followed Li Yuqin into the kitchen.
Meng Yao had long grown accustomed to the Meng family’s coldness and did not care.
Clutching the strap of her shoulder bag with both hands, she left the house.
At the entrance to the alley, Li Xiaohu had already been waiting for a long time.
He waved vigorously when he saw her.
“Sister Yao, over here!”
The moment Meng Yao saw him, she broke into a wide smile and handed him a letter.
“Huzi, I need you to make a trip to the steel factory for me today.”
Li Xiaohu took the letter without asking any questions and immediately tucked it inside his shirt.
“It’s a small matter. We’re family, so of course I’ll help.”
The two leaned close and whispered to each other for a while.
Then Li Xiaohu raised his head, confidently patted his chest, and promised that he would complete the task.
Watching him leave, Meng Yao’s lips curved into a meaningful smile.
Meng Ying, you’d better hold on tightly to the wedding gift I prepared for you.