Cao Yanhua insisted that Xu Nian’an not interfere and gave her two generous spoonfuls of malted milk powder, mixing it into a rich, fragrant drink.
It was worth noting that all of this had come from Xu Nian’an. Back when Cao Yanhua gave birth to her first daughter, she could barely eat her fill, let alone have such treats.
In recent years, with the second son away in the army, Xu Nian’an had been sending money to her grandparents both officially and privately, which had made life a little easier for the first branch. Otherwise, in the past, even a single grain of food would have been taken by Grandma.
As Xu Nian’an had said, they were the ones raising the chickens and pigs—but not the ones eating the chickens.
No one knew what had caused Grandma to favor them so strongly.
Cao Yanhua had long wanted to split the household, but the two elders refused.
Second Uncle barely worked, and Second Aunt only knew how to slack off. She had gone out in the morning to cut pig fodder and hadn’t returned yet; she would probably come back around mealtime.
Their two sons were also useless—one studied, the other wandered the streets all day.
Lu Xiuxiu was slightly more diligent, and Cao Yanhua had a decent impression of her. But after today’s incident, she realized Xiuxiu was the most venomous snake of all.
By contrast, in their family, except for Xu Nian’an—who had been pampered and didn’t work—everyone else was skilled with their hands.
Xu Nian’an had always liked Cao Yanhua. She blinked and sat down on a stool in the room, glancing at the little clothes on the bed.
“Sis-in-law, you’re so skillful—these clothes are so beautiful…”
When Lu Xiulian came in carrying chicken soup, Cao Yanhua grabbed Xu Nian’an’s hand and called her “An’an” with each sip, acting as close as real sisters.
Lu Xiulian thought to herself: …What happened when she was cooking?
Second Sister-in-law seemed different than usual—maybe after falling in the water, she had realized things and no longer treated them like outsiders.
Seeing this made Lu Xiulian happy. She set the large bowl of chicken soup on the table.
“Drink some soup, Sis-in-law. I’ll go get two more bowls.”
Xu Nian’an looked at the yellow oil floating on top, the chunks of meat beneath, and lost her appetite.
Everyone thought the soup was the best part, but the chicken meat was what really had the nutrients.
She glanced around and gestured to Lu Xiulian.
“This bowl is the essence—leave it for Grandma. Take about half of the remaining chicken for the three of us to eat at noon. Send the rest to the fields later and divide the meat into bowls for Dad, Grandpa, and Big Uncle. Those working in the fields need to eat well.”
They had been too busy harvesting to come home for lunch, so food was usually brought out to them.
Xu Nian’an knew her limits—she wasn’t one for manual labor. If she went to help, her in-laws would have to keep an eye on her to prevent injury, which would only slow things down.
She focused on her duties in the household and continued:
“Also, do we have mung beans? Cook a pot of mung bean soup this afternoon, chill it in the well water, and take it out to the fields later. Add plenty of sugar.”
Cao Yanhua didn’t mind Xu Nian’an taking initiative. Normally, only Grandma could decide household matters, but since An’an was acting for the family, and everyone else got to eat the meat, she was happy.
Lu Xiulian happily went out and soon returned with several bowls of food and a basket of rice, ready to deliver it to the fields.
“An’an, isn’t this leaving Grandma and Second Uncle out? Isn’t that bad?”
Cao Yanhua looked at the small table, worried that Grandma would scold them.
Xu Nian’an didn’t care. She was getting hungry; they had only eaten porridge that morning. She would start eating once Lu Xiulian returned.
“Don’t worry. Grandma and Second Uncle are adults. If they don’t eat the food, that’s their business. Besides, Second Aunt is here—why should we little ones worry?”
Meanwhile, Lu Zhangshi was tossing and turning in bed, cursing Lu Xiulian in her heart for not calling her to eat. She had already smelled the chicken soup earlier.
Once she heard the clatter of bowls, she could no longer hold back and stormed into the living room.
She was ready to lose her temper, only to see that only Second Uncle’s family was eating. The second uncle and his grandson had a few chewed-up chicken bones in front of them.
There was already an empty bowl on the table. Just as Lu Zhangshi was about to scold, Lu Zhiwei opened a covered bowl beside him, revealing a small portion of chicken soup.
Smiling, he said: “Mom, I thought you were sleeping and didn’t want to wake you. I left a bowl of chicken soup for you. It’s really good. Just a little—Xiulian is still young. It was a big chicken, but I only left you a small bowl of soup.”
At that moment, Lu Xiulian walked in, her arm carrying a basket, and overheard Second Uncle’s words. She glanced at the table and understood immediately.
Remembering what Xu Nian’an had taught her, she called out: “Grandma, I left all the chicken soup, including the meat, for you. My sister-in-law, who’s pregnant, and Second Sister-in-law, who’s ill, didn’t get a single sip. The rest of the meat, as my sister-in-law said, was sent to the fields for Grandpa. He’s old and needs good food for working in the fields.”
She wasn’t lying—the meat had gone to the fields, and Cao Yanhua and Xu Nian’an hadn’t had any soup. They had eaten the meat instead.
Her gaze fell on the few bones in front of Second Uncle, practically branding him as unfilial.
Second Uncle’s face flushed red. He resented Xu Nian’an even more.
They said you marry a wise wife, but after marrying Xu Nian’an, there was no peace at home. Even the usually obedient Lu Xiulian was now sowing discord—what would happen next?
He was about to scold Lu Xiulian when she quickly put the basket in the kitchen, grabbed her rice bowl, and left.
He could only lower his gaze and happened to meet Lu Zhangshi’s eyes. He smiled at her.
“Mom, here’s some soup.”
He was skilled at currying favor. Lu Zhangshi’s gaze swept over the table—everyone’s lips glistened with oil.
Clearly, they had drunk plenty of the soup. Xiulian never lied and did the most work in the house.
That little brat Xu Nian’an had a sharp tongue, but lying in bed, she hadn’t been wrong either.
Who lets the father work in the fields while the sons rest at home?
Especially now, with a meddling daughter-in-law causing trouble, the eldest couple might have opinions if this happened a few times.
How could she continue to dominate them?
Years of being a daughter-in-law and becoming the matriarch, she would never allow someone to repeatedly challenge her authority. She had to keep appearances.
She lifted the bowl and quietly sipped the chicken soup. It was delicious.
In the past, the chickens she killed went to nourish Second Uncle’s family, and she got nothing.
Now, the eldest couple had killed a chicken and even left her the soup and meat.
By comparison, her favor shifted slightly toward the first branch.
After finishing, Lu Zhangshi set down the bowl and said faintly: “Second Uncle and his wife, and Chengjia, later go help in the fields. Work less if your health isn’t good. During busy farming, there’s no reason for the father to toil in the fields while the sons rest at home.”
Second Uncle opened his mouth but closed it. Mom was angry—today, he couldn’t slack off.
Second Aunt wasn’t happy. “Mom, it’s fine for the two of us to work in the fields, but Chengjia only knows studying. How would he know how to farm?”
She muttered inwardly. Grandma had always doted on Chengjia—why make him work now?
“If he doesn’t know, he’ll learn. Which farmer family doesn’t know how to plant crops?”
Lu Zhangshi glared fiercely at her second daughter-in-law.