“What smells so good?”
Following the delicious aroma, Meng Juan walked in from outside.
She had caught the scent back at her own house, but couldn’t tell which family it was coming from. Zhou Lijun had scolded her for being greedy, saying she could smell meat cooking no matter whose house it was. Angered by his teasing, she stormed out, determined to find out exactly who was stewing meat.
To her surprise, it was her in-laws’ house.
A wave of bitterness immediately welled up inside her.
Her mother-in-law had stewed meat, yet hadn’t invited them over for any.
She might be an outsider, but Zhou Lijun was their son, and Xiaohu was their grandson.
How could they not have a share?
Since her in-laws hadn’t invited her, she’d just come in herself.
“It smells wonderful. Are you stewing meat?”
Her words dripped with sarcasm.
Most people would have been too embarrassed to come uninvited. If they hadn’t been asked over, they would simply pretend not to know to avoid making things awkward.
But Meng Juan wasn’t most people.
Liu Huilan and the others had just finished eating the chicken when she arrived.
Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
If she’d come just a little earlier, they wouldn’t even have finished the meal yet.
Seeing Meng Juan enter, Liu Huilan didn’t look the slightest bit guilty.
She remained perfectly calm.
“Juanzi, have you eaten yet?”
The meat was already gone.
What difference would it make if Meng Juan said she hadn’t?
Meng Juan was speechless.
The chicken was gone, yet her mother-in-law looked completely composed, as though she’d done nothing wrong.
Shouldn’t she have felt guilty after being caught cooking chicken without inviting them?
Shouldn’t she have been flustered?
“I’ve already eaten.”
Her chest tightened with frustration.
The truth was she’d only been following the smell.
She hadn’t eaten a thing.
But what irritated her even more was the sight inside the room.
It was one thing for Zhou Xiangdong and Yingzi to be eating chicken.
But Lin Yi was sitting there too.
Four bowls sat on the table, each one empty.
The meat had been completely eaten, leaving only a pile of chicken bones behind.
“What’s the special occasion today? Why are you eating chicken?”
The jealousy in her voice was unmistakable.
So she was the only outsider in this family?
Lin Yi was also a daughter-in-law.
Why did she get to sit there eating meat?
Without even looking at Meng Juan, Lin Yi knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Sister-in-law, you’re here.”
Lin Yi greeted her with a smile and said nothing more.
As the father-in-law, Zhou Xiangdong naturally kept silent.
The only appropriate person to speak was Liu Huilan.
She knew Meng Juan was jealous, but she had every right to explain.
“This chicken was a gift from the Bai family for Lin Yi. Your father and I, and Yingzi, just happened to benefit from it.”
Yingzi chimed in cheerfully,
“I got to share too! The chicken was so delicious!”
She wiped her greasy little mouth as she spoke.
Meng Juan’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and resentment.
She was consumed by jealousy.
Everyone in the village was saying that Lin Yi had helped Bai Feng’er get divorced.
Was getting divorced really something worth celebrating?
Yet the Bai family had actually sent her an entire chicken.
Those people must have lost their minds.
“The Bai family certainly knows how to repay favors. They actually gave away a whole chicken. But now that Bai Feng’er is divorced, who knows if she’ll ever find another husband? She’ll probably end up with someone even worse than the Niu family.”
Liu Huilan was so angry her stomach tightened.
She had always known her eldest daughter-in-law had a poisonous tongue.
The woman never had a kind word to say.
In the past, she’d at least pretend to be polite in public while acting differently behind people’s backs.
But ever since Zhou Xingli had died, leaving Zhou Lijun as the eldest son at home, Meng Juan no longer respected anyone.
Liu Huilan looked at her coldly.
“Do you need anything else?”
It was an obvious dismissal.
Meng Juan’s face twitched.
“Nothing much. I just heard Lin Yi offended Matchmaker Liu this time. Do you know who Matchmaker Liu is? Every wedding, funeral, engagement, or marriage proposal in this village goes through her. Yet Lin Yi offended her just like that. Of course she doesn’t care. She can just pack up and remarry someday. But what about the rest of us? Forget everything else—Yingzi is already fifteen. In another two years it’ll be time to arrange her marriage. After offending the village’s matchmaker this badly, what kind of husband will Yingzi be able to find?”
Her meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
Lin Yi was a widow.
Sooner or later she’d remarry and leave.
The family needed to recognize reality.
As the eldest daughter-in-law, Meng Juan believed she was the one the family would have to rely on in the future.
As for offending Matchmaker Liu…
That part was true.
Matchmaker Liu held tremendous influence in the village.
She had been arranging marriages for over twenty years.
Now Lin Yi had publicly humiliated her twice.
How could she not seek revenge?
Liu Huilan’s expression grew somewhat troubled.
She knew Meng Juan’s words were harsh.
But she had touched upon a real concern.
In another two years…
Yingzi would indeed be of marriageable age.
Lin Yi suddenly thought of something.
“Yingzi, do you want to go to school?”
A girl her age should be studying.
Ever since arriving in this world, that possibility had never crossed Lin Yi’s mind.
The moment school was mentioned, Yingzi’s eyes instantly reddened.
She lowered her gaze, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to study.
Someone simply wouldn’t allow her to.
Before Yingzi could answer, Meng Juan cut in.
“She hasn’t been in school for years. What’s the point of going back now? Besides, what use is so much education for a girl? In the end, she’ll just get married anyway.”
The remark was deliberately aimed at Lin Yi.
Lin Yi was a high school graduate.
Hadn’t she still married Zhou Xingli?
What good had all that education done her?
Thinking of that, Meng Juan actually felt a sense of superiority.
At that moment, Lin Yi finally understood why Yingzi hadn’t been able to continue her education.
It was because Meng Juan, as the eldest sister-in-law, had forbidden it.