Yang Huahua was so angry her scalp felt like it was shutting down.
“Zhou Ye! Give the drumstick in your bowl to Tianzhen. Give the chicken breast to Meizhen!
You’re the eldest brother—how can you fight with your younger siblings for food?”
After saying that, she glared at Su Xiaoqi.
“Give the chicken wing in your bowl to Tiansheng. Do you even deserve to eat it?”
Her hatred was close to breaking point.
To her, a married woman who didn’t know how to suffer hardships was simply unworthy of being a woman.
Su Xiaoqi bit into a chicken wing, deliberately spitting out the bone.
“I don’t know if you’re worthy to eat it,” she said lightly, “but I definitely am.”
Zhou Zheng quickly finished the chicken in his bowl.
The others, Zhou Yonghua and the rest, didn’t care whether Yang Huahua was distributing the meat anymore—they all started grabbing food.
Zhou Yong’an stood up and reached in with his chopsticks. “Don’t snatch it!”
Xu Meizhen stared in shock at Yang Huahua.
“Mom…”
Yang Huahua quickly rolled up her sleeves.
“Stop snatching! Leave some chicken for your sister!”
In the chaos, Zhou Zheng snatched two pieces of chicken from under Xu Yongguo’s chopsticks and put them into his bowl.
Zhou Cao also wanted to join in, but she didn’t dare.
Her gaze drifted toward Su Xiaoqi with quiet hesitation.
Why didn’t she give her any chicken? Did she not like her? What if her sister-in-law didn’t like her?
A meal turned into something like a battlefield.
Ever since the chicken, vermicelli, and cabbage were served, Su Xiaoqi didn’t take another bite.
She disliked how everyone’s chopsticks were flying around.
Zhou Ye put the chicken drumstick from his bowl into hers.
“Xiaoqi, have another drumstick.”
Xu Tianzhen reached his chopsticks over.
“I want it!”
Su Xiaoqi slapped his chopsticks away.
“You little kid—eat the chicken butt.”
Xu Xiaocui cried from outside:
“I want the chicken butt!”
Hong Shanpang, true to her name, was a glutton. She wasn’t concerned with her daughter at all—she only kept piling food into her own bowl, afraid she’d lose out on even a single bite.
She even took several hits from Yang Huahua’s chopsticks but still refused to stop eating.
It was the first time the Xu family had ever eaten a meal like a fight.
After the chicken, she didn’t eat any more.
She disliked the chaotic chopsticks flying everywhere.
Zhou Ye noticed and gave her his corn bun.
“Xiaoqi, eat this.”
“It’s not good,” she said.
She then poured herself a bowl of vegetable soup and drank it slowly.
Xu Xiaocui only had half a corn bun in her hand and didn’t even get a sip of soup.
She tugged at her mother Hong Shanpang.
“Mom…”
But Hong Shanpang ignored her completely.
Yang Huahua struck her hand hard with chopsticks.
“Starving ghosts! You don’t even care about your own children! Are you trying to reincarnate after this meal?”
Everyone was startled.
The old woman’s rage was terrifying.
Hong Shanpang muttered:
“Why are you only hitting me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Have you ever cared about Xiaocui?” Yang Huahua snapped, though her eyes flicked toward Su Xiaoqi.
Reluctantly, Hong Shanpang gave Xiaocui a piece of cabbage.
“Eat it. You little girl, why are you eating so much?”
Yang Xiaolin was also grabbing food for her husband and sons. She finally managed to put a piece of chicken neck into her own bowl, but it was immediately snatched away by the sharp-eyed Zhou Yonghua.
He said righteously:
“The chicken neck is all bone. Eat some vermicelli instead.”
Yang Xiaolin was furious.
Vermicelli was good too!
This meal was like a spy war.
When it finally ended, the basin was scraped completely clean—even the soup was wiped away with corn buns.
Yang Huahua swallowed the last bite of her corn bun and glared at Su Xiaoqi.
“You pauper-born wretch.”
Su Xiaoqi leaned back lazily in her chair.
“Xu family, your stepmother says you’re all pauper-born wretches who’ve never seen anything good in your lives.”
“My mom was talking about you!” Xu Meizhen snapped.
Su Xiaoqi raised her brows.
“I’m a city educated youth. My father used to be a professor. We lived in a big house with servants. In my eyes, all of you are just poor people.”
She pointed at everyone.
Finally, her finger landed on Yang Huahua’s twisted face.
“And you too.”
Yang Huahua roared:
“Zhou Ye! Are you going to control her or not?!”
“I married late in life. Why would I control my wife?” Zhou Ye stood up. “Xiaoqi, go wash your hands outside.”
“Alright.”
Yang Huahua went to the kitchen alone wiping tears. She was a widow who remarried—how hard was her life?
These ungrateful children…
Xu Meizhen followed her into the kitchen.
“Mom, when I marry someone who receives state rations, I’ll take you to live well.”
Her sweet words immediately soothed Yang Huahua.
Su Xiaoqi and Zhou Ye went out for a walk and came back about half an hour later.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, several resentful gazes shot toward Su Xiaoqi.
“You stole my drumstick!”
Xu Tianzhen was still angry. In the past, the drumstick always went to him and Xu Youtian.
Today, it all went to Zhou Ye.
Xu Meizhen also snorted coldly.
Zhou Cao didn’t dare speak, but her eyes carried hidden resentment.
Why did Su Xiaoqi give chicken to Zhou Zheng instead of her?
She didn’t understand.
Back in the room, Su Xiaoqi sat down.
“I only ate two chicken wings, and your family’s eyes were sharper than knives.”
Zhou Ye bent down to meet her gaze.
“Sorry. I dragged you into my family’s mess.”
“So how are you going to compensate me?” she asked, touching his chin, admiring his handsome face.
“So finely carved, yet you’re a front-line navy officer.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to take a bath.”
“I’ll go heat the water.”
Zhou Ye went to boil water.
After washing the wooden basin, he scalded it with boiling water before bringing it into the room.
Outside, Yang Huahua muttered:
“What a spoiled person. Bathing every day.”
“You think being dirty is something to be proud of?” Su Xiaoqi replied from inside the window.
She only needed to be happy, and she could easily anger them to the point of internal injury.
Zhou Ye tested the water temperature before leaving.
Outside, he found Yang Huahua.
“My leave is only one month. I still need to visit Xiaoqi’s family home.
Can’t we just coexist peacefully during this time?”
Yang Huahua sniffed and cursed:
“For a woman, you’ve even abandoned your mother. Are you really going to bring her into the military?”
“Yes.”
After thinking, Yang Huahua said:
“Your father and I will go with Meizhen, Tianzhen, and Tiansheng too. Su Xiaoqi is a city girl—she doesn’t know how to live.
Without me, your allowance will definitely be taken back to her family.
Your father and I have suffered all our lives. We won’t harm you.
We’ll go with you and help with housework.”
Zhou Ye wondered if he looked particularly stupid for her to say that.
“The military won’t approve it. There’s no such thing as bringing step-parents and nephews along.”
Zhou Ye’s gaze darkened slightly.
“Zhou Zheng is already at marriageable age.”
Yang Huahua paused.
She sighed.
“He’s still young. We’ll wait two more years after Yong’an gets married.”
Then she added:
“If you had married Shen Xiaofang, I would’ve had money for Zhou Zheng’s marriage.
Or you should make Su Xiaoqi return the 300 yuan.”
“Return it for what?”
“Yong’an is getting married soon. Everything costs money. And your younger sister is growing up too.”
She meant Meizhen.
As for Zhou Cao, she only existed for profit.
She would be kept at home for a couple more years of labor, then married off to a widower or a man with defects.
Zhou Zheng would marry a widow at thirty.
Maximum efficiency.
Her mind had a perfectly calculated ledger.
Except for Zhou Ye, her calculations failed completely.
Zhou Ye took the towel from outside and draped it over his shoulder.
“That’s Xiaoqi’s money. I have no right to interfere.”
“She’s your wife—just beat her first and talk later.”
Zhou Ye glanced at Yong’an.
“You want me to hit your stepson?”
“You ungrateful beast!”
“You’ve said that a thousand times. Try something more creative next time.”
He heard the inner door open and went inside.
“Help me pour water,” Su Xiaoqi said, her cheeks flushed and glowing.
Zhou Ye’s throat bobbed involuntarily.
“I’m going to bathe by the river. You sleep first.”
He quickly left with the basin.
When he returned for clothes, Su Xiaoqi handed him a new bar of soap.
“For your bath.”