In the room, Liu Aijun was so angry that smoke seemed to be coming out of her nostrils. She knew the old lady was heartless, but never imagined she could be this cruel. She raised her eyes and glared at Wang Weidong—he was so useless. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and tears fell with a “plop.”
Fengzhi was also holding back her anger and hissed at her in a low voice, “Mom, why did you have to bring up dividing the family out of the blue? Look how angry you made Grandma. She was already upset when Seventh Uncle came back, and now it’s even worse. If anything happens to Grandma, our branch of the family will be the ones everyone points fingers at.”
Lihua and Shufen didn’t look too pleased either. As they were getting older and would soon be discussing marriages, they had been hoping for more generous dowries. But now, they had offended the old lady directly.
“You wretched girl, how dare you yell at me? Your dad and I did all this for you!”
“Hmph, Mom, you’re usually so sharp. How could you be so foolish today? Seventh Uncle brought back so much money and ration coupons, and the whole family is eyeing Grandma. Even Uncle couldn’t get anything out of her, and yet you and Dad jumped out. What? Do you think you’re the smartest in the whole family?”
“You ungrateful brat, whose side are you on anyway?”
Seeing her mother’s expression was truly awful, Fengzhi sighed, walked over, took Liu Aijun’s hand, and gently shook it. “Mom, don’t be angry. Usually, it’s Sixth Aunt who plays the troublemaker. Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Fengzhi is right, Aijun. I have to say, you were too harsh when you spoke to Mother. Even though you have a job, you can’t use that to claim the whole family is living off you. How does that make the rest of the family see us? You spoke without thinking and made Mother so angry. She’s been strong all her life, and this is the first time I’ve seen her cry so bitterly.”
Liu Aijun turned her head and looked at him in disbelief. A few crocodile tears from the old woman had won him over. All these years, she had worked herself to the bone, and he had never shown her an ounce of pity.
In the second household’s room, Wang Jianjun tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Zhang Xiulan clicked her tongue and sat up.
“Did I wake you?”
“You’ve been rolling back and forth like a cat. How could I sleep?”
He truly couldn’t sleep. The words Mother had spoken during dinner that evening had stabbed at his heart. So many years had passed. He had started a family, had children, and spent his days calculating how to work more to earn more work points so his wife and children could have a full meal. He had completely forgotten all that Mother had done for them, remembering only her sharp tongue and harshness.
Zhang Xiulan patted his shoulder.
“Alright, stop thinking about it. If you feel sorry for Mother, just be more filial to her from now on.”
“Xiulan, you… you don’t resent Mother?”
Zhang Xiulan shook her head, then realizing it was too dark for him to see, she said, “Given the family’s situation back then, I understand. If it weren’t for Mother managing the household, we wouldn’t even have full meals, let alone meat. I was angry when she didn’t even glance at Qiuli and Zhiying after they were born. But the children have grown up now, and Mother is so old. To put it bluntly, who knows when she might pass away? We should be filial to her in her final years.”
Wang Jianjun sighed, feeling he had let down both his wife and children, as well as his mother. In the end, it was his own incompetence.
In the seventh household, Wang Haiyang was also awake. After a long while, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.
“Ouch, what are you doing? Why are you hitting yourself for no reason?”
Zhou Chunxia gave him a couple of light punches on the back, then glanced over at Tiezhu. “The little one just fell asleep, and now the big one starts causing trouble. It’s so worrying.”
“I’m really terrible. I used to think I was upright and often complained about Mom and the family, feeling like I had a hard life. But looking back now, it wasn’t that our lives were hard—it was clearly Mom who had the hardest life!”
Zhou Chunxia paused. Back when their leader introduced her to Wang Haiyang, she heard that his mother in his hometown was a widow who had single-handedly raised nine siblings. She felt deep admiration. Plus, Wang Haiyang was handsome and treated her and the children well. She thought that anyone who could raise such a fine son would surely be easy to get along with, so she married him without hesitation.
“When I married you, I always thought Mom must be a good person. When we first came back home and Mom scolded us, it was actually because she cared about you and didn’t want you to marry a widow. She’s tough on the outside but soft on the inside. I heard from Tiezhu that today Mom even gave him candy!”
“Really?”
Zhou Chunxia shot him a sidelong glance. “How could that be fake? Haiyang, after you report to the town security team in a few days, make sure to help Mom establish her authority so that no one in the family dares to bully her again.”
“Mm!”
Wang Haiyang sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. With a wife like this, what more could he ask for?
Leaning against each other, heart to heart, he glanced at the sleeping Tiezhu, then bent down and kissed Zhou Chunxia’s cheek. Softly, he whispered in her ear, “Chunxia, let’s have a child of our own too.”
Blushing, Zhou Chunxia leaned closer to him, only to be gently pushed down onto the kang. The two tried their best to keep their voices low, afraid of waking the little one beside them. Wang Haiyang breathed heavily. Old Third’s family was right about one thing—the Wang family’s house was indeed too crowded, making things quite inconvenient.
Inside the Space, Su Qing was ecstatic, hopping around in circles as she looked at the suddenly appearing well. She had already tested it—this was a Spirit Spring. After drinking from it, she felt refreshed all over and noticeably healthier.
With this, she could easily coast along until her natural death—no problem at all.
“Warning! Warning! Detected player exhibiting a mindset of negative work avoidance. Unlocking of Spirit Spring paused!”
The next moment, the Spirit Spring, which had been gushing forth just moments ago, was now marked with a large red “X.”
“I was just thinking about it—I wasn’t really going to slack off! Can’t we be a bit more relaxed? Does everything have to be so serious?” Su Qing stomped her feet in frustration, slapping her own head. Why did she have to think about that? Stay positive—life should be lived with optimism!
The precious thing she had just obtained was gone in an instant, leaving Su Qing extremely irritated.
Just then, from outside the Space, Wang Yongqiang’s voice could be heard calling “Mom” repeatedly at her door.
“What are you shouting for? It’s the middle of the night—why aren’t you asleep? What are you doing here?”
Wang Yongqiang pushed the door open and crept up to Su Qing’s bed, looking deeply concerned.
“Mom, I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay? Don’t worry, Mom—I’ll find a sack to ambush Old Third and give him a good beating to vent your anger!”
Su Qing: “…”
This little brat, trying to score points with her!!!
“You’re still Mom’s Yongqiang, after all.”
“Of course! I’m your most beloved son, Mom. Could you give me five yuan? I need to treat someone to get things done. No one will help if I go empty-handed.”
Su Qing: “…”
“Couldn’t you at least say a few more words? Your intentions are so blatant, you ungrateful wretch—I can’t help but want to slap you!!!”
She pursed her lips, stared at Wang Yongqiang for a moment, and suddenly her eyes lit up. Didn’t the blue panel in the Space just say she was slacking off? What if she made Wang Yongqiang the first person to change?
Since she had to alter the future direction of the Wang family, she might as well start with him. This fool delivered himself right to her doorstep—it’d be a waste not to take advantage!!!