“Teacher’s Wife.”
Holding her lunchbox, Qin Nian quickly walked over.
“Come sit with me and eat.”
Professor Wen, the wife of Qin Nian’s advisor, also worked at the research institute, though she and her husband specialized in different fields.
“Alright. I got plenty of food today, Teacher’s Wife. Let’s share.”
Without thinking much of it, Qin Nian carried her meal over.
As soon as she sat down, she noticed that Professor Wen was studying her with an unusually serious expression.
“Teacher’s Wife, is something wrong?”
Professor Wen hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Xiao Qin, has everything been alright at home lately?”
Qin Nian blinked in confusion.
“Everything’s fine.”
“That’s good.”
Professor Wen sighed inwardly.
She had heard the rumors circulating around the apartment buildings over the past two days.
People were saying that Qin Nian treated her mother-in-law like a servant, making the older woman wash clothes and cook every day while she herself did nothing.
Professor Wen hadn’t believed it at first.
After all, Qin Nian was one of her husband’s students. She knew the young woman’s character well enough.
But after hearing the same story repeatedly from different people, she felt she ought to ask.
“Teacher’s Wife, did something happen?”
Qin Nian finally sensed that something was off.
Professor Wen put down her chopsticks.
“Someone has been spreading rumors in the family compound, saying that your mother-in-law came all the way from the countryside only to wait on you every day. They say she washes your clothes, cooks your meals, and takes care of everything while you enjoy yourself.”
Qin Nian froze.
For several seconds, she simply stared.
Then she frowned.
“Who said that?”
Professor Wen shook her head.
“That’s not important right now. What matters is whether there’s any truth to it.”
Qin Nian lowered her eyes.
For a moment, she found herself unable to answer.
Because… the facts themselves weren’t entirely wrong.
Her clothes had indeed been washed by Yang Yufen.
The meals waiting for her every night had indeed been prepared by Yang Yufen.
Even the hot water she used before bed had been heated by Yang Yufen.
The problem was that none of those things had been requested by her.
By the time she got home each night, it was nearly midnight.
When she left in the morning, Yang Yufen was already busy with work around the house.
Every day she told herself she would help when she got back.
Every day she returned too late.
Seeing her silence, Professor Wen’s expression softened.
“Xiao Qin, I’m not criticizing you. I know how busy you’ve been lately.”
The calculations for the current project were entering a critical stage.
Many researchers had practically been living at the institute.
“Still, gossip spreads fast. If you have time, spend a little more time with your mother-in-law. Otherwise people will keep talking.”
Qin Nian nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
But inwardly she felt a wave of guilt.
During the past few days, she had been so focused on work that she hadn’t even noticed.
At some point, Yang Yufen had quietly taken over every household chore.
And she herself had accepted it as if it were natural.
For the first time, Qin Nian realized just how much her mother-in-law had been doing behind the scenes.
After lunch, she headed back toward the laboratory.
Halfway there, she suddenly stopped.
Perhaps tonight…
She should try to leave work a little earlier.
Meanwhile, back at the family compound, Yang Yufen had no idea that rumors about her and Qin Nian had already spread throughout the apartment buildings.
At that moment, she was standing in the backyard, examining the fence she had finished.
The vegetable seedlings she had planted several days ago were already showing signs of taking root.
The chicks chirped noisily from their enclosure.
Yang Yufen nodded in satisfaction.
“Good, good.”
By next spring, there would be eggs.
By summer, vegetables.
And if her guess was correct—
By then, there might even be a chubby grandchild to hold.
The more she thought about it, the brighter her smile became.
She picked up her hoe and happily continued working in the garden.