As soon as these words were spoken, everyone turned their heads and stared at Yu Qingqiu in astonishment.
Yu Jianguo hadn’t expected Yu Qingqiu to say this. His expression darkened as he looked at her, his eyes carrying a stern edge. “Qingqiu, what nonsense are you talking about? Ahua is Lixia’s biological mother. How could Lixia possibly harm her?”
Yet Yu Qingqiu wore an expression of disbelief, as if she had no choice but to speak. “Dad, I don’t want to believe that sister would harm Mom either, but Li Li said this milk powder could damage Mom’s health.”
“And it just so happens that this milk powder… this milk powder was brought back by sister from the supply and marketing cooperative. That’s why I thought this way.”
With Yu Qingqiu’s words, the Yu family remembered that the milk powder had indeed been brought back by Yu Lixia. Almost in unison, they turned to look at Yu Lixia, their eyes filled with either shock or disbelief.
As for Yu Lixia, she was too stunned to react. Sitting motionless on the stool, she stared blankly at that tin of milk powder.
Shen Qionghua, being the person directly involved, quickly regained her composure. Shaking her head, she said, “Lixia couldn’t possibly harm me. Qingqiu, don’t say such things again in the future. It will hurt Lixia’s feelings.”
Yu Yingyi chimed in, “That’s right, Qingqiu. Do you have some misunderstanding about Lixia? Lixia would never want to harm Mom.”
Yu Jianguo looked at Yu Lixia, who was still in a daze. His sharp gaze swept over Yu Qingqiu as he said solemnly, “Qingqiu, remember not to say such things again. It will make Lixia feel hurt.”
Seeing that the entire Yu family trusted Lixia, Yu Qingqiu felt a nameless fire burning in her heart. Indeed, there was a difference between biological and non-biological children. Yu Lixia hadn’t even said anything, yet the Yu family declared their trust in her. Meanwhile, despite everything she herself had said, not a single person expressed any suspicion toward Yu Lixia.
Sure enough, all that talk about treating her as their own daughter was just empty words—utterly false. Only when good things were in her own hands would they be real.
Though she secretly seethed with resentment, Yu Qingqiu’s face wore an expression of grievance. “I’m sorry, Dad, Mom. I was just overly concerned about Mom’s health. The moment I thought about this milk powder being brought back by sister, I couldn’t help but overthink.”
“Since everyone trusts sister, then sister probably wouldn’t harm Mom.”
Listening to Yu Qingqiu’s words, Bai Li inwardly rolled her eyes. This woman was ostensibly apologizing, but her words still showed she didn’t trust Mom, subtly implying that Mom was the problem.
Moreover, the targets of her apology were Grandpa and Grandma, not Mom. Clearly, she didn’t hold Mom in any regard at all.
Bai Li’s eyes darted around as she was about to say something when she heard Yu Lixia speak. “Qingqiu, I did bring the milk powder back from the supply and marketing cooperative, but I didn’t tamper with it in any way.”
“As for why the milk powder has issues, I don’t know. Dad said he would take the milk powder for testing. I believe we’ll soon find out what’s inside it, and then we can trace who tampered with the milk powder.”
“I didn’t do anything, so I’m not afraid of any investigation.”
“You also don’t need to worry about me harming Mom. If you’re concerned, until the investigation results come out, I won’t touch any of Mom’s food or drinks. I’ll trouble you and sister-in-law to take care of it.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingqiu’s facial expression froze for a moment before she forced an awkward smile. “Sister, I’m sorry. I was just overly anxious due to concern. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Since the situation changed, the Yu family’s distant relatives had returned to the village, and all household chores were now handled by the Yu family themselves. If Yu Lixia didn’t take care of Shen Qionghua’s meals, then who else would? Naturally, she wasn’t happy about it.
But Yu Lixia insisted, “Qingqiu, there’s no need to say more. To avoid any suspicion, from now on, Mom’s meals will be left to you and sister-in-law. I’ll take on more of the other tasks.”
Yu Qingqiu cursed inwardly—what “taking on more tasks”? It was clearly just an excuse to slack off.
The men in the Yu family were all soldiers and believed in doing their own work—tidying rooms, folding quilts, washing dishes after meals—all were done by the Yu men. Even though her two nephews were still young, they were expected to handle their own chores. Aside from preparing three meals a day, there wasn’t much else to do.
Even if Yu Lixia took on all the other work, compared to her previous workload, it would still be less.
Yu Lixia was clearly saying this on purpose.
No way—she had no intention of spending all day in the kitchen preparing three meals for the Yu family.
Thinking this, Yu Qingqiu forced a smile and said, “Sister, I was overthinking things. Let’s just keep things as they were before. I can’t cook, and if I do, it’ll taste awful. Mom and Dad would suffer if they had to eat it.”
Bai Li noticed Yu Qingqiu’s evasive gaze and heard her words, pursing her lips. Hah, this woman wanted all the benefits but wasn’t willing to pay any price.
She rolled her eyes, bared her little tiger teeth at Yu Qingqiu, and glared fiercely. “Auntie, didn’t you say Mom might poison Grandma? Then for Grandma’s safety, of course you should be the one cooking her meals.”
“Otherwise, if you keep saying Mom is suspicious but still let her cook for Grandma, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Qin Xiuqiao, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines, couldn’t hold back any longer and chimed in with a smile, “Li Li, don’t rush. Your aunt just doesn’t know how to cook and is worried she’ll do a poor job. Once I teach her for a couple of days, she’ll get the hang of it.”
Then she turned to Yu Qingqiu and asked, “Right, Qingqiu?”
Ever since she married into the family, this sister-in-law had used the excuse of not knowing how to cook to avoid the kitchen, leaving all the cooking to her. It wasn’t until Lixia returned that she finally had someone to share the burden.
Even though the Yu family wasn’t particular, they often pitched in during holidays. Compared to farm work, cooking wasn’t that tiring, but she simply couldn’t stand Yu Qingqiu keeping her hands clean and doing nothing.
Now, seeing her trip over her own words, Qin Xiuqiao was delighted and more than happy to watch Yu Qingqiu squirm. Even if her cooking was terrible, it wouldn’t last more than a few days—but she still wanted to make Yu Qingqiu cook for at least a few days.
Seeing the gleam in Qin Xiuqiao’s eyes and the indifferent expressions on Yu Jianguo and Yu Yingyi’s faces, Yu Qingqiu knew that if no one objected, this would be settled. She couldn’t help but cast a pleading look at Shen Qionghua.
Shen Qionghua noticed Yu Qingqiu’s beseeching gaze and smiled faintly. “Qingqiu, Mom trusts Lixia, but Lixia and Li Li make a good point. For the next few days, help Xiuqiao with the cooking.”
She knew her eldest daughter-in-law had long been dissatisfied with Yu Qingqiu’s avoidance of household chores, and this time, it was Qingqiu’s false accusations against Lixia that had caused the trouble. She couldn’t very well bail Qingqiu out—it would serve as a lesson.
Lately, Qingqiu had been subtly targeting Lixia or Li Li. She hoped Qingqiu would learn from this and stop picking on Lixia without reason in the future.
Thus, the family finished breakfast with each harboring their own thoughts. Afterward, Yu Jianguo returned to the military district, while Yu Yingyi took their two sons to school.
However, the Yu family never expected that Yu Jianguo would return just two hours later—and with several uninvited guests in tow.