After Zhou Chunxia left, Su Qing reviewed the words she had just spoken. Hmm, it fit her character perfectly, without any issues at all.
As an elderly person, she could openly take it easy. Although she had tidied up the room, the smell was still strong. She had Zhou Chunxia take out all her bedding to air on the clothesline, while she herself moved a small wooden stool to sit by the main room’s entrance, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan.
The Wang family had many members but few rooms. In good years, they could even qualify as Surplus Grain Households. Combined with Wang Haiyang’s allowance, they could have built several decent houses long ago.
Unfortunately, Old Mrs. Su was unwilling. Once something was in her grasp, getting her to spit it out was harder than killing her.
Su Qing looked at the Wang family’s house—low, damp, with not only the door frames rotting but even the thatch on the roof blackened. It was barely tolerable in summer, but if winter came and heavy snow collapsed the roof, someone might freeze to death.
However, building a new house needed a proper pretext. This matter would have to wait.
In the mid-afternoon, the Wang children who had gone out to pick pigweed returned. Wang Juxiang, the daughter of the eldest Wang son, Wang Baoguo, led a string of children. The last one, carrying pigweed in his arms, was Zhou Chunxia’s son, Fu Tiezhu.
He was the male supporting character, the female lead’s Ultimate Bootlicker.
In the original story, Fu Tiezhu suffered bullying and hardship in the Wang family since childhood. His mother was unassertive and held no status in the household. Having married Wang Haiyang for years without bearing children, she was looked down upon by everyone, and even Wang Haiyang gradually grew dissatisfied with her.
With an unfortunate family background and life with his stepfather’s family being even more miserable, it wasn’t until the female lead unintentionally helped him once that he began to worship her like a deity. He gave her his earnings, his connections, and later even his life.
Su Qing’s palm-leaf fan waved faster and faster.
The Wang family members quarreled like fighting cocks every day, each afraid of missing out on any advantage. After Tiezhu became successful, they swarmed over like leeches to suck his blood, using Moral Blackmail against him.
By then, he had already become an extremely ruthless person, dealing with the Wang family without mercy. The old lady died early and thus avoided much suffering, but the rest of the Wang family met terrible fates—some died, some were crippled, and others ended up behind bars. None came to a good end.
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the children returning after finishing their chores, all gathering around the kitchen. Juxiang glanced at her grandmother, afraid she would get angry, and quickly shooed the younger children away before slipping into the kitchen to help.
Tiezhu, Dabao, Erbao, and Sanbao returned shortly after leaving—the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen was simply too enticing, making them all drool with craving.
“Hey, come over here,” Su Qing called, waving her fan.
The children startled, all taking a step back.
“…”
Was she that frightening?
She pulled a few pieces of candy from her pocket, held them in her palm, and gestured toward them.
“Dabao, bring your brothers over.”
Seeing the treats, Dabao’s eyes lit up. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and rushed over. In the Wang family, the boys often secretly received goodies from their great-grandmother—a privilege reserved only for them.
Su Qing gave each of her great-grandsons one piece. When it was Tiezhu’s turn, he didn’t even dare lift his head, timidly hesitant to approach.
“Dabao, give the candy to your Uncle Tiezhu. You’re the older one, so from now on if anyone bullies your younger brothers or uncle, you must protect them.”
“I understand, Great-grandma.”
As Dabao spoke, he patted his chest toward Su Qing, his bare bottom wobbling as he walked over to Tiezhu. He unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into Tiezhu’s mouth.
The little boy seemed momentarily bewildered by the sudden candy. Seeing Su Qing smile at him, he quickly lowered his head, fingers nervously pinching his pant seams, looking utterly pitiful.
Although the children received special attention from the old lady, it only happened occasionally when she was in a good mood.
As for anything else—forget about it.
Dabao was already five years old. For a child his age to still be running around bare-bottomed was something adults ignored and children considered normal.
Su Qing could hardly bear to look at her great-grandsons’ naked state.
And it wasn’t just them—even her granddaughters who were reaching developmental age now hunched their backs when going out, afraid others might stare at them.
Remembering the scrap fabric she had sorted inside, Su Qing formed an idea.
In the kitchen, Zhou Chunxia had prepared stir-fried cured pork with yardlong beans, scrambled eggs with chives, and made a loofah greens soup. The soup water had been added to the pan after frying the cured pork, leaving a shimmering layer of oil on the surface when done.
“Seventh Aunt, your cooking smells wonderful.”
“Anything cooked with meat smells good. Stoke the fire higher, Juxiang. We’ll make a sweet potato soup and steam a pot of Wo Wo Tou, then we can wait to eat.”
“Alright.” Juxiang added more firewood to the stove while continuously working the bellows. The stove fire’s glow softened her young face.
The eldest son Wang Baoguo and Qian Maizi had four children together. Their eldest daughter Juying had already married out, while their eldest son Wang Xuefeng and second son Wang Xuejun were both married. Juxiang had been betrothed early and had always admired soldiers since childhood.
Therefore, Juxiang naturally felt close to Zhou Chunxia.
“Seventh Aunt, I notice Tiezhu looks quite thin and seems timid—different from other children his age. Seventh Uncle said he grew up in the countryside… was he not with you?”
Mentioning her son made Zhou Chunxia’s nose sting with emotion.
“Yes, there was originally a quota for army dependents, but my former in-laws feared I wouldn’t care for them anymore if I took the child away, so they wouldn’t let me bring Tiezhu. Later I sent money home every month, hoping they’d treat him better. Unfortunately, those beasts weren’t human—they mistreated my child.”
Juxiang opened her mouth, realizing she’d asked too much and touched on her aunt’s painful memories.
“Sorry, Auntie, I shouldn’t have asked.”
Zhou Chunxia smiled through her tears. “Oh, it’s nothing. Now that I’ve married into the Wang family and met Mother-in-law, I know Tiezhu and I have better days ahead!”
Wang Juxiang: “……”
Are you hearing yourself???
It was midsummer, and farm work wasn’t too heavy, but in half a month the rush harvest would begin—exhausting work that would leave even the strongest laborers worn out.
When work ended, Commune Members rushed home eagerly. The Wang family’s third son, Wang Weidong, slipped unnoticed to the village entrance where he didn’t wait long before his wife Liu Aijun returned riding her bicycle.
In the entire Wang family, only his wife Liu Aijun had a job. Her parents were accountants in a nearby production brigade, and she was their only daughter, cherished beyond measure. Fearing she might suffer after marriage, they pulled strings to secure her a position as an accountant at a paper mill in town.
After marrying Wang Weidong, she bore three daughters and two sons, holding her head high with unshakable confidence. Every month, she handed over fifteen yuan to the family and kept seven for herself, living a carefree and comfortable life.
“You’re back, dear. Are you tired?”
Liu Aijun shoved the bicycle into Wang Weidong’s arms and said sharply, “Cut the useless talk. Tonight, you must listen to me—we absolutely have to get the old lady to agree to split the household.”