Yang Yufen put the rice on to steam, then suddenly remembered that the toilet renovation was only half finished. She hurried back outside to continue working on it.
When Qin Nian woke up, it was the aroma of food that roused her.
A plate of freshly washed grapes sat on the bedside table beside her bed.
She stared at the grapes for a long moment.
After getting some sleep, her mind felt much clearer. Thinking back on everything her mother-in-law had done since arriving, Qin Nian no longer believed that Yang Yufen had been the one spreading the rumors.
She decided she owed her an apology.
As soon as she stepped out of her room, she saw her mother-in-law bringing in the dried laundry.
“Mom, I can do that myself.”
The words came out instinctively.
Yang Yufen merely nodded and handed Qin Nian her clothes.
“You woke up just in time. Dinner’s ready.”
With that, she headed into the kitchen.
There was chicken soup, steamed rice, and a plate of stir-fried greens.
Qin Nian looked at the chicken drumstick in her bowl.
Seeing that Yang Yufen was quietly eating without speaking, she lowered her head and silently ate as well.
After finishing her meal, Yang Yufen spoke.
“I need to go see Aunt Wang. I promised to help her with something. I’ll probably be back in about two hours. If you’re tired, get some more rest.”
“Okay, Mom. Go ahead. I’ll clean up the dishes.”
Qin Nian nodded.
Yang Yufen left in her usual brisk manner.
Qin Nian carried the dishes into the kitchen to wash them. When she came back out, she noticed a small brick structure that hadn’t been there before.
It even had roof tiles installed.
Curious, she walked over to inspect it.
There was a doorway on each side.
One half of the floor had been cemented over, while the other half contained a large pit with a pipe sticking out of it.
Since the cement hadn’t dried yet, she didn’t step inside.
As she turned around, her eyes landed on the chicken coop.
Immediately, she noticed that one chicken was missing.
Yang Yufen treasured those three hens. Every day she would boil an egg and secretly tuck it into Qin Nian’s pocket.
Yet because of what Qin Nian had said at noon, her mother-in-law had actually slaughtered one of the laying hens.
Suddenly, Qin Nian didn’t know what to feel.
Her mother-in-law was apologizing to her.
But when she thought about it carefully, what had Yang Yufen actually done wrong?
Many mothers-in-law didn’t even make their daughters-in-law work—that alone was considered good enough.
When she married Shen Xianjun, they had only filed the paperwork and gotten their marriage certificate. There hadn’t even been a wedding.
Yet Yang Yufen had traveled thousands of miles by herself, buying her own train ticket to come.
She hadn’t complained.
She hadn’t caused trouble.
Instead, she quietly stayed and cooked, washed clothes, and took care of the household every day.
The dramatic changes inside and outside the home had all been because of her efforts.
Yang Yufen wasn’t wrong.
None of those things were wrong.
The people who spread malicious rumors were the ones at fault.
After thinking it through, Qin Nian decided to visit her teacher’s wife.
Since her teacher’s wife had been the one to tell her about the rumors, she probably knew more details. Even if she didn’t, asking her to investigate would be much faster than trying to find answers herself.
Professor Wen’s family also lived in the apartment complex.
Unlike the ordinary units, theirs was in a three-story building where each floor contained five large apartments.
As soon as Qin Nian entered the building, she noticed people looking at her differently.
She didn’t care.
Unfortunately, someone else cared enough to approach her enthusiastically.
“Comrade Qin! Are you here to see Comrade Yi, or someone else?”
Qin Nian froze.
Why would she come looking for Yi Mengling?
But if people were asking that question, then something must have happened.
“No, I’m here to see Professor Wen.”
“Oh! We thought you were here to make Comrade Yi apologize to you.”
The woman grinned.
“Comrade Qin, you’ve really married into a good family. Your mother-in-law protects you, and your husband is a military officer. Your good days are still ahead of you.”
Qin Nian blinked in surprise.
That wasn’t what her teacher and teacher’s wife had implied.
Seeing the confusion on Qin Nian’s face, the woman suddenly realized she probably didn’t know.
Excited, she launched into the story.
“Comrade Qin, don’t tell me you still haven’t heard!
“Your mother-in-law came to the apartment building today. She was incredible! She grabbed Comrade Yi and slapped her several times right away. Everyone was stunned…”
My mother-in-law beat someone up?
And it was someone I know?
Qin Nian listened in disbelief.
As the woman vividly reenacted the entire afternoon’s events, complete with gestures and dramatic expressions, Qin Nian grew more and more shocked.
So her mother-in-law had gone out specifically to find the person responsible.
She had sought justice on Qin Nian’s behalf.
Yet after returning home, she hadn’t mentioned a single word about it.
Instead, she had slaughtered one of her precious laying hens to comfort her.
“Thank you for telling me all this, Sister-in-law. I really didn’t know.”
Qin Nian smiled.
“I only found out there was a problem at all because my advisor and teacher’s wife told me to take half a day off.
“But my mother-in-law really is wonderful.”
As she spoke, a smile spread across her face, and even her footsteps seemed lighter.
Although she now knew what had happened, she had no intention of going to see Yi Mengling.
A person like that wasn’t worth another glance.
Following a familiar route, Qin Nian arrived at her advisor’s home.
Her advisor wasn’t there, but Professor Wen’s wife was.
“Teacher’s Wife.”
“There you are. Sit down.”
Professor Wen’s wife handed her a piece of fruit.
“Your mother-in-law is a good person. Make sure you treat her well from now on.”
Clearly, she had already heard about the day’s events.
“I know.”
Qin Nian nodded.
“She truly is a wonderful person.”
“You’ve finally made it through the hard times.”
Professor Wen’s wife smiled warmly.
“Live well from now on. Once you’re all finished with your work, bring your mother-in-law over for dinner sometime.”
“Of course.”
Qin Nian paused before speaking again.
“Teacher’s Wife, Yi Mengling started all of this. She needs to be punished.”
It was the first time Qin Nian had ever spoken to her teacher’s wife so directly about such a matter.
“She absolutely should be punished.”
Professor Wen’s wife nodded.
“She disrupted the atmosphere at the institute and interfered with important work.
“Don’t worry. After she publicly apologizes to you, the disciplinary decision will follow soon after.”
Back then, Professor Wen’s wife had actually wanted Qin Nian to marry her own son.
That way she could have looked after Qin Nian herself.
Unfortunately, her son already loved someone else, and Qin Nian had only ever viewed him as an older brother.
Fortunately, she was very satisfied with her daughter-in-law.
Now, seeing Qin Nian married, she felt reassured.
Her husband might be busy.
His work might be dangerous.
But having a good mother-in-law was worth more than anything else.
To them, they were Qin Nian’s family on her side.
Now that her in-laws had arrived, they naturally needed to be properly welcomed.
When Qin Nian left, she was carrying several apples that Professor Wen’s wife had practically forced upon her.
Returning home, she still didn’t see Yang Yufen.
Remembering that she had gone to Aunt Wang’s house, Qin Nian decided to go look for her.
At Aunt Wang’s home, Yang Yufen was helping build the framework for a greenhouse.
It was surprisingly difficult work, requiring both strength and skill.
If Aunt Wang had been doing it alone, she would have settled for a low structure that required people to hunch over when entering.
But with Yang Yufen’s help, the greenhouse was being built tall enough that Aunt Wang, who was just over five feet tall, could walk inside upright without worrying about hitting her head.
Aunt Wang directed and explained.
Yang Yufen built.
The work progressed incredibly quickly.
Once the weather turned, all they would need to do was cover it with oilcloth and secure it in place.
Then winter would be nothing to worry about.
“Aunt Wang, is my mom here?”
Qin Nian’s voice came from the front courtyard.
Yang Yufen heard it immediately.
“I’m here! Just about done!”
she shouted back.
At the same time, her hands moved even faster, tidying up the tools in just a few swift motions.
“My daughter-in-law came looking for me. I’ll head back now. I’ll come finish the rest tomorrow.”
“Of course, of course.”
Aunt Wang laughed.
“I’ll clean up here myself.
“You two don’t seem like a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at all.
“You look more like mother and daughter.”