“Who… who is that?”
Zhang Yuan pushed up her glasses, squinting through her thick lenses as she frowned and muttered.
“Someone I don’t know.”
Yu Yin wasn’t actually familiar with Fang Xiumei; they’d only met once that morning and hadn’t even exchanged greetings.
“Oh, then why did she act like that?”
“So rude, so disrespectful.”
Zhang Yuan was even more upset than Yu Yin, who was directly involved.
Yu Yin chuckled softly, not taking it to heart—there was no need to care about someone so unimportant.
Just then, Yu Yin noticed something on the ground that hadn’t been picked up yet; it must have fallen from Zhang Yuan’s hand when the two of them bumped into each other.
It was a… scrap of paper?
Yu Yin picked up the scrap of paper and realized it was covered with calculation steps, but—
the answer was wrong.
Yu Yin’s movement as she bent down to pick it up caught Zhang Yuan’s attention again, but the very next second, when she saw what Yu Yin was holding, she was instantly flustered.
“I—I—this is mine.”
“Yeah, I know. You made a mistake here.” Yu Yin pointed to the final answer.
“Huh?” Zhang Yuan looked bewildered, pushing up her glasses as she leaned in. “Wrong? Is it wrong?”
“But… but I spent so long on this.” By the end, her voice sounded aggrieved, even choked up.
Yu Yin had a good impression of Zhang Yuan, and in a way, she’d even helped her out. After thinking for a moment, she said, “If you don’t mind, I can walk you through it. ”
“R-really?”
“I don’t mind—I don’t mind at all.”
Zhang Yuan’s face instantly lit up with a smile. “Th-then, can we go over to the square?”
“I’ll buy you a soft drink.”
Yu Yin smiled gently. “No need for a soft drink, but you’ll have to wait a moment—I need to go buy some paper and a pen first.”
“I know where it is—I’ll take you there.” Zhang Yuan was eager and led the way with ease.
Having just seen off a guest and about to sit down to rest, Ye Yun was surprised to see Zhang Yuan return. “Xiao Yuan, why are you back? Did you forget something?”
“No, no, Aunt Ye,” Zhang Yuan waved her hands frantically. “I brought a friend over to buy some paper and pens.”
When she mentioned “friend,” Zhang Yuan stole a glance at Yu Yin and visibly let out a sigh of relief when she saw Yu Yin hadn’t objected.
“A friend, huh?” Ye Yun said with a kind expression; she was a middle-aged woman in her forties.
She wore a light, dark-blue printed cotton jacket over a white blouse, the collar turned up, giving her an unexpectedly lively appearance.
Unlike some of the younger sales clerks who looked down their noses at customers, Yu Yin felt an instant fondness for her the moment she laid eyes on her.
“Hello, sorry to bother you.”
“Not at all. Which brand of pen are you looking for, young lady? We just received a new shipment of Hero pens—the latest models, and they’re excellent quality. Would you like to try one?”
As she spoke, Ye Yun pulled out a wooden tray hidden in a compartment beneath the counter. The tray was lined with a red cloth, and on top were two rows of Hero brand fountain pens.
“These are the latest fountain pens we’ve received. The designs are nicer than before, and if you buy them now, I can give you the staff discount.”
After whispering this, Ye Yun retrieved more pens from beneath the glass counter—though these weren’t displayed on a wooden tray; he simply picked out a few.
They were fountain pens and ballpoint pens from other brands.
These pens, especially the ballpoint ones, had a very plastic feel to them and looked quite cheap compared to the Hero brand.
Yu Yin glanced at them briefly before turning her attention back to the Hero brand fountain pens.
Ye Yun knew the outcome the moment she saw her expression, so she put the other brands back.
She smiled. “Take a look first and see which style and color you like. If you find one you like, since you’re a friend brought by A-Yuan, I’ll give you the staff discount right away.”
“Thank you. May I ask what the price range is?”
“Five yuan. Right now, the staff discount saves you fifty fen, and you’ll get a small bottle of black ink for free.”
“Hold on a moment—I’ll get you a sample to look at.” With that, Ye Yun bent down again to rummage through the stock.
Since the fountain pens and the promotional gifts had only arrived that morning and hadn’t officially gone on sale yet, Ye Yun had set the complimentary ink bottles aside in a corner.
While Ye Yun was rummaging, Zhang Yuan nervously moved closer and cautiously offered her opinion, “A-actually, I think this brand is good, and the green one looks even better.”
“This is a new color—it wasn’t available before.”
Previously, Hero pens were all deep red with black barrels, at most paired with an aluminum cap—all looking exactly the same.
But the latest model comes in a shade of green—a rich, deep military green with a substantial feel. Plus, the pen body has been redesigned with rounded ends, and paired with a gold-colored ring and clip, it looks exceptionally stylish.
Zhang Yuan had never seen such a beautiful fountain pen before.
Yu Yin noticed it too. She picked up the pen and held it in her writing grip.
It felt great in her hand—slightly heavy, but with a wonderful texture.
Yu Yin turned to Zhang Yuan with a smile. “I think it’s really beautiful, too.”
“Right? Right? I just bought one myself.” As she spoke, Zhang Yuan, as if she’d found an ally, immediately pulled the new pen out of her shoulder bag.
It was really identical to Yu Yin’s.
“I—I even tried it out just now. It really works great.”
“Ah, I finally found it.” Ye Yun stood up, pulling out two small bottles of black ink.
She handed one of them to Zhang Yuan. “I didn’t manage to find the free gift for you earlier, so here it is now—that way I won’t have to bring it over to your place later.”
“Look, young comrade, this is a staff gift. Thirty milliliters—it’s smaller than the ink you’d normally buy, but it’ll last you a while.”
Yu Yin took it without hesitation. It was indeed a small bottle, but it was more than enough for her current needs.
Besides, a good fountain pen lasts a long time, and it’s something to be proud of when you take it out in public.
“Thanks. I’ll take this fountain pen, then—two of them. Oh, and Comrade—”
“Just call me Aunt Ye, like Xiao Yuan does.” Ye Yun was very easygoing and asked, “You want some paper too, right?”
“What kind do you want? If it’s just for rough drafts and calculations like Xiao Yuan’s, I recommend buying the cheapest kind. Two mao for two hundred sheets.”
“If it’s for writing letters or homework, get the better kind—one yuan for 400 sheets.”
“You won’t need that many; you can buy a smaller pack.”
Of course, Yu Yin wouldn’t need that many. In the end, she decided to go with the better quality and bought 200 sheets.
She planned to send half of them back to Zhao Ping’an; if she didn’t spend a little money on that kid, she might just forget to write him a letter.
After finishing their shopping, Yu Yin and Zhang Yuan went to the square Zhang Yuan had mentioned.
The square was next to the movie theater and the supply and marketing cooperative, just a few steps away—a large open space.
Not far away, they could also see the lake.
“That’s Mingcui Lake—it’s inside Lihu Park. If… if you have time, we could go in and take a look. The admission to Lihu Park isn’t expensive.” Seeing that Yu Yin kept staring at Mingcui Lake, Zhang Yuan assumed she wanted to go in and explore.
Zhang Yuan rarely asked people out like this, especially someone she’d just met, and she was very worried about being rejected.
“So this is Mingcui Lake in Lihu Park. I heard about it this morning, but this is my first time seeing it.”
“Thanks for showing it to me. If we get the chance later, we can make plans to go in and explore.”
“Sure, sure!” Zhang Yuan was so happy she didn’t know what to do with herself.
She was so excited that her glasses, which she’d just managed to tie securely, fell off again.
Yu Yin quickly caught them for her; otherwise, if they’d fallen to the ground again, Yu Yin felt they’d be completely ruined.
“Th—thank you. I’m a bit clumsy,” Zhang Yuan said, exasperated.
“Don’t mention it. Let’s get back to the problems first; otherwise, it’ll get too late.”
“Okay, okay, okay. Thank you, thank you.”
Zhang Yuan was far too polite—even more so than Yu Yin herself.
Yu Yin didn’t dwell on the matter and quickly began explaining the problem to her.
Actually, Zhang Yuan had gotten the first half of the math problem correct; the problem arose when she applied the formula in the middle and latter parts.
She’d applied the wrong formula, which naturally led to an incorrect answer, causing the rest of her calculations to go completely off track.
Yu Yin walked her through it step by step. Whenever Zhang Yuan didn’t understand something or was only partially clear on a point, Yu Yin would explain it whenever Zhang Yuan asked.
It was even clearer than the explanations she’d received from her teachers at the tutoring center.
For the first time, Zhang Yuan felt that math wasn’t difficult and that even accounting was easy to learn.
Zhang Yuan was almost moved to tears.
After saying goodbye to Yu Yin, Zhang Yuan treasured the scrap paper with Yu Yin’s calculations as she carried it home.
When she reached her front door, she was so overjoyed that she couldn’t help but skip and hop her way inside.
“Be careful. I was just about to go look for you. Why are you coming home so late today?”
“Didn’t you manage to buy that new fountain pen you’ve been longing for?”
Ever since her daughter became obsessed with collecting all kinds of fountain pens, she’d buy one every time a new model came out.
Zhang Xianglian and her late husband had only this one child, and since it wasn’t some shameful hobby, she didn’t put up much resistance.
However, the condition was that it couldn’t interfere with her studies, nor could she spend money recklessly.
Fortunately, her daughter was introverted and frugal; she saved up the money for the fountain pens herself.
“No, I got it. Aunt Ye even gave me an employee discount and threw in a small bottle of ink—it was such a bargain.”
“Oh, a fountain pen for just a few yuan—that’s really cheap,” Zhang Xianglian teased.
She asked, “Why are you coming home so late today? Did you stay after school again?”
She knew her daughter well—sometimes her mind just didn’t work the way it should, and studying math and accounting was indeed very difficult for her.
But there was no other way; finding a job in the city these days was very hard.
She didn’t want to use her connections to get her daughter a job as a manual laborer in a factory—that would be too exhausting and could easily lead to a decline in moral standards.
As a member of the Party, a retired veteran who had dedicated her life to the country, and the current deputy director of the subdistrict office’s administrative bureau, Zhang Xianglian simply couldn’t bring herself to do that.
So, after much internal struggle—and upon learning that a veteran Party member at the subdistrict finance office was about to retire, leaving her position open for a semi-public recruitment process—she resolutely decided to send her daughter back to technical school to study accounting.
The accounting program wasn’t long, and she’d graduate soon, but her daughter seemed to be struggling with her studies.
Zhang Xianglian sighed.
She hoped that when the time came for the recruitment exam, everything would go smoothly.
“No, no, I didn’t have to stay after school today.” Zhang Yuan puffed out her cheeks, but quickly broke into a smile again.
She handed Zhang Xianglian the scrap of paper Yu Yin had used for her calculations. “Mom, look—just look at this!”
She was so close that the girl might as well have shoved the paper right in her face.
Zhang Xianglian took the paper but didn’t look at it right away. Instead, she asked about her glasses, “Why aren’t your glasses ready yet? Weren’t they ready last time? Shouldn’t you be able to pick up the new pair by now?”
“The store isn’t open yet, Mom. You’ve got to look—just take a look!”
“What’s so interesting about it? It’s just a piece of scrap paper with math calculations on it. Do you think it’s even encrusted with gold?” Zhang Xianglian glanced at it but couldn’t make head or tail of it.
Zhang Yuan was upset and scowled. “You didn’t even look closely. There are two sets of handwriting here—one is mine, and the other is Yu Yin’s.”
“Mom, let me tell you—I met this really amazing older sister today. She’s super good at math; she spotted my mistake right away and even explained it to me.”
“Most importantly, she explained it in such great detail—even more thoroughly than my teachers at school. I didn’t understand what we learned today, but once Sister Yu Yin explained it, I got it all.”
“Yu Yin?” Zhang Xianglian felt the name sounded familiar. She asked, “Doesn’t she live over by Guiyuan Street?
“Huh?” Zhang Yuan’s excited expression froze for a moment. “I—I don’t know.”
“I met her at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. She was being bullied by a stranger at the time. Then… then I got to know her.”
“I—I forgot to ask her where she lives…”
Zhang Yuan looked dejected, deeply regretting not having asked.
It was the first time Zhang Xianglian had seen her daughter look like this, so she smiled and comforted her, “It’s okay. She must live nearby. You’ll run into her again.”
But privately, Zhang Xianglian found herself thinking: If this Yu Yin really is that talented, she’s determined to track her down and ask her to tutor her daughter.
The entrance exams were fast approaching.
……
“Mom, Mom, why isn’t my sister-in-law back yet?”
“It’s been so long—Rongrong’s been sitting by the door for ages.”
“Why haven’t we seen my sister-in-law yet?”
She had no idea either; she was even more anxious than Pei Rong.
She had originally thought that Yu Yin had just gone to the nearby post office to mail a letter.
That post office was close by—it only took about ten minutes to get there.
The round trip shouldn’t have taken more than twenty or thirty minutes.
Under normal circumstances, she should have been back long ago.
But now—
Never mind half an hour—several hours had already passed.
Mother Sheng had just gone to the post office and couldn’t find her there either; she was now more anxious than anyone else.
Mother Sheng Siyang paced back and forth at the door, wondering if she should call the police.
What if—what if Yu Yin had gotten into trouble? By then, it would be too late to regret it.
With that thought, Mother Sheng seemed to make up her mind. She immediately pulled Pei Rong back into the house, then instructed Pei Kangning, “Ningning, Grandma has to run an errand. You stay home and keep a close eye on your auntie. If anyone comes, don’t open the door—wait until Grandma gets back, understand?”
Pei Kangning pulled a serious face, his chubby cheeks straining to look stern. “I know, Grandma.”
“Mom, where are you going? Rongrong wants to go too—I want to go too!” Pei Rong clung to Mother Sheng, refusing to let go.
Mother Sheng pulled her hand away. “No, you have to stay home.”
“I don’t want to!” Pei Rong stamped her foot, throwing a tantrum.
“Rongrong, be a good girl!”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Yu Yin hadn’t even stepped through the door yet when she heard Mother Sheng yelling at Pei Rong.
Thinking something was wrong, she ran inside.
Mother Sheng froze, not quite catching on.
Pei Rong, who’d been yelled at, seemed to have found an ally. She hurried over to Yu Yin, threw her arms around her, and said through her tears, “Sister-in-law, Mom scolded Rongrong. Rongrong doesn’t like Mom anymore.”
“You can’t do that,” Yu Yin said, smoothing out Pei Rong’s messy hair and gently comforting her. “Mom was just looking out for you. You can’t stop liking Mom—otherwise, she’ll be heartbroken.”
As soon as she heard about Mom being heartbroken, Pei Rong quietly turned to look at Mother Sheng.
Mother Sheng had already regained her composure by then. She turned to scrutinize Yu Yin closely. Seeing that she was dressed normally and was holding something in her hand, she frowned and asked, “Where did you go? Why did you come back so late? I thought you—”
“Did something happen?”
Yu Yin was taken aback and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Mom. I went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy paper and pens, and I lost track of time.”
She raised her hand, revealing a notebook tucked inside a plastic bag.
Mother Sheng: “What are you going to do with these? Aren’t there still some in A-Zhan’s room?”
Yu Yin looked embarrassed, “I was afraid I’d use up Ah Zhan’s supplies.”
Mother Sheng: “……”
Honestly, she didn’t know what to say to her.
She could sense the distance between Yu Yin and them, but—
“Never mind. Just don’t do this again. You’ve only just arrived in the provincial capital; you don’t know your way around here. If you got lost or something happened, where would I go to find you?”
Yu Yin knew she shouldn’t have done that, so she apologized again.
Mother Sheng wasn’t asking for an apology; she was genuinely worried.
She’d finally found a daughter-in-law who was so to her liking, and her son had no objections either. If something really did happen, she wouldn’t know how to explain it to her son.
She suddenly felt a headache—a real, sharp pain—and her body swayed slightly.
Fearing she might be upset, Yu Yin had been watching her mother-in-law carefully the whole time.
Seeing her look dazed, she hurried over to support her. “Mom, are you okay? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m just a little flustered—my head hurts a bit.”
“It’ll pass. I’m fine.”
“Do you have any medicine? Would you like to take some?”
“I have some in my room.”
“I’ll go get it.” Pei Kangning’s tiny frame was already running toward the bedroom.
Yu Yin quickly helped Mother Sheng into a chair in the living room. Pei Rong seemed to sense that her mother wasn’t feeling well and stopped throwing a tantrum.
She followed Yu Yin and Mother Sheng obediently, tagging along like a little tail that had lost its source of nourishment.
Pei Kangning quickly retrieved the medicine, but the package he brought out was alarmingly large—a huge bundle tied up in a black cloth bag.
Seeing that the bag was about to crush him, Yu Yin hurried over to help carry it.
“Be careful. Are you okay, Ningning?”
“I’m fine.” He lifted his chubby face. “Auntie, I can carry it.”
“Even if you can, you can’t! You’re still little. These things are so heavy—what if you accidentally hurt yourself? From now on, if something’s this heavy, ask Auntie to carry it for you, okay?”
Pei Kangning didn’t realize that he’d always been the one to carry it before.
But for some reason, under his aunt’s gentle concern, he instinctively nodded.
“I—I know.”
Yu Yin ruffled his little head, then hurried to bring the medicine to Mrs. Sheng.
As she opened the package, she asked, “Mom, which medicine are you supposed to take?”
Mother Sheng opened her eyes with obvious discomfort. When she saw the medicine Yu Yin was holding, her pupils contracted for a moment, and she suddenly fixed her gaze on Yu Yin’s face, as if scrutinizing her.
Yu Yin didn’t notice; she was too worried about Mother Sheng right now.
The book had mentioned that Mother Sheng was in very poor health.
Years of relentless toil, coupled with the successive losses of those closest to her, had pushed her body and spirit to the brink of collapse.
She couldn’t withstand another shock, and her body desperately needed proper recuperation.
Yu Yin was worried that her presence might be making Mother Sheng’s condition even worse.
The concern on her face was unmistakable, yet she showed no disdain or objection to the fact that Mother Sheng was hiding so many medications.
Mother Sheng’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place.
Perhaps it was the sudden sense of relief, but the throbbing pain in her head didn’t seem as intense as it had been a moment ago.
Mother Sheng said, “The medicine in here won’t work. Go to my room—there’s a biscuit tin on top of the wardrobe. It contains headache medicine; I’ll just take that.”
“Okay, just a moment—I’ll go get them right away.”
Yu Yin moved quickly; after fetching the medicine, she didn’t forget to go to the dining room to pour a glass of water.
The water was just the right temperature—neither too hot nor too cold. After taking the medicine, Mother Sheng felt her headache disappear.
Mother Sheng patted Yu Yin’s hand. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
She tried to get up. “You just got back from outside—you should rest for a bit. I’ll make dinner.”
“You actually want to cook?” Yu Yin was shocked and grabbed her arm. “No way, Mom, you rest. I’ll make dinner.”
Fearing Mother Sheng would insist on helping, Yu Yin immediately instructed Pei Rong and Pei Kangning to keep an eye on her.
“Rongrong, Ningning, take Grandma back to her room and keep an eye on her. Don’t let her leave the room, understand?”
“Can you handle the mission?”
Pei Rong thought they were playing a war game, so she immediately raised her right hand and gave a very sloppy military salute. “Got it, Commander.”
Pei Kangning followed suit. “Got it, Commander.”
Yu Yin: “…..”
Mother Sheng: “……”
It was just… pretty awkward.
They were all soldiers now.
……
Yu Yin didn’t cook much for dinner—just the fish meat and bones left over from lunch.
First, she simmered the fish bones to make a clear fish bone broth. Then, spotting some pickled cabbage in the corner of the kitchen, she used it to make a dish of pickled cabbage and fish—a favorite among people of all ages.
Of course, there had to be some greens as well. People from the south—especially those from Guangdong Province—can’t eat a meal without some greens.
One meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of snow-white fish bone broth—it was all ready in no time.
Mother Sheng had originally worried that Yu Yin wouldn’t know how to use the coal stove from the provincial capital, and that she wouldn’t be able to manage everything on her own. Finally, unable to sit still any longer, she went to the kitchen to watch her cook.
But she had clearly worried too much. The Pei family home was a converted traditional Xiguan mansion, and the house still retained a wood-burning stove. Of course, for the convenience of making soup at home, they also had a coal stove—and Yu Yin knew how to use both.
To save time, Yu Yin used both the coal stove and the wood-burning hearth simultaneously—one for cooking rice, the other for preparing dishes and simmering soup, so she could handle both tasks at once.
Finally, as Mother Sheng looked at the finished dishes Yu Yin had prepared, her worries were put to rest.
“Mommy, Mommy, it smells so good! The soup tastes so delicious~” It was the first time Pei Rong had ever tasted such a milky-white fish soup—it was just like delicious milk.
“If you like it, have as much as you want, but don’t swing your feet.” Pei Rong’s mental development had remained at the level of a four- or five-year-old, so many of her behaviors and mannerisms were typical of that age.
Most of the time, no amount of telling could change her ways.
Just like now—the moment she was told, Pei Rong stopped wiggling her feet, but after taking two sips of the fish soup, her feet started moving again.
I don’t know if all girls are like this, because Pei Kangning, who’s even younger, doesn’t do that.
Pei Kangning has been sensible since he was little; even though he’s clearly the youngest, he’s always been the one taking care of Pei Rong.
When Mother Sheng saw Pei Rong swinging her feet again, she frowned and discreetly glanced in Yu Yin’s direction; seeing that Yu Yin showed no reaction, she said nothing more.
Goodness, it was getting darker and darker.
At this hour, wisps of smoke were rising from every household as dinnertime began.
Pei Guangyi had to work late today, and by the time he returned to Guiyuan Street, he could already smell the aroma of dinner wafting from other households.
His stomach was growling louder and louder.
To prove himself today, he’d had nothing but a single steamed bun for lunch, washing it down with an entire teapot of water. By now, he was so hungry his limbs felt weak; all he wanted was to get home as soon as possible to eat a hot meal and regain his strength.
But just as he parked his bike and stepped through the door, his gaze inadvertently fell on a familiar figure crouching in front of his older brother’s house.
That figure looked so much like—
He hurried over on his bike, and when he got a clear look at the person, his eyebrows knitted together.
“What on earth are you doing crouching outside your sister-in-law’s door?” Pei Guangyi’s temper flared. The two families had just had a falling-out yesterday, and now it had become the talk of the town in Guiyuan Street. Yet here was Zhang Guihua, crouching outside her sister-in-law’s door like a thief right at dinnertime.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was looking for trouble again.
Zhang Guihua was startled. She’d been lurking outside Sheng Siyang’s house precisely because everyone had gone home for dinner and no one was out—who would’ve thought a voice would suddenly pop up behind her?
“Ah!” Zhang Guihua’s face turned pale with fright. She spun around, and when she saw it was Pei Guangyi, she slapped him on the arm.
“Are you trying to scare me to death?”
“Why were you shouting behind me for no reason?”
“What if someone had seen us?!”
“So you do know you shouldn’t be seen by others—then what are you doing here right now?”
“Do you have any idea that as soon as I got back to the office this morning, Old Zhou was giving me a hard time with his snide remarks? He even made sure the director knew about it. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had to walk out in such disgrace. Let’s hurry home.”
As he spoke, Pei Guangyi pushed the cart while dragging Zhang Guihua home.
Zhang Guihua brushed his hand away. “I’ll walk on my own. Besides, it’s not like I wanted to see Sheng Siyang. If that country bumpkin hadn’t run away from home—who knows where—and made Sheng Siyang so worried, I wouldn’t have come over to sneak a peek.”
She had a point.
But—
“Ran away from home?”
“Haven’t they found her yet?”
“She came back on her own, but I don’t think that country bumpkin is someone to be messed with. Who just runs off on their own right after getting married in the provincial capital? And she even went shopping by herself—I saw her come back with a huge bag of stuff.”
“Your sister-in-law is such a fool. She must have given that country bumpkin money. If she has that kind of money, she’d be better off giving it to our family. With her family in the state they’re in now—and that good-for-nothing Pei Zhan always away and never coming home—if she ever gets a headache, a fever, or has to be hospitalized, she can’t count on our family.”
“Who knows? Maybe when she dies, it’ll be up to me, Jianguo, to carry the funeral basin.”
That’s going too far.
“Shut up.” Just then, the two entered the house, and Pei Guangyi couldn’t help but ask, “Did my sister-in-law give her a lot of money?”
“Probably quite a bit. I saw her come back with a huge bag of stuff.”
“Mom, are you talking about that country bumpkin?” Fang Xiumei was waiting in the living room for dinner when she suddenly overheard Zhang Guihua and Pei Guangyi’s conversation. She hurriedly got up and came to the doorway to ask.
“I ran into her at the supply and marketing cooperative this afternoon. Did she steal money from my eldest uncle’s wife? Otherwise, how could she afford to go there?”
Zhang Guihua: “You saw her go to the supply and marketing cooperative? The one at City Third Palace?”
“That’s the one. Things there aren’t exactly cheap.” Fang Xiumei worked as a ticket seller at the movie theater there, so she knew better than anyone else what the prices were like.
“It seems your older sister-in-law really has lost her mind. She didn’t give her family’s savings book to her country-bred daughter-in-law, did she?”
“I don’t think so,” said Pei Guangyi, though his tone carried a hint of suspicion.
As soon as Fang Xiumei heard that her unlikable aunt-in-law had actually given the savings book to her country-bred daughter-in-law, she was instantly overcome with jealousy. As a city girl, she hadn’t even received a savings book when she married into the Pei family. Now she had to contribute to the household even for meals—why on earth should that woman from the countryside live better than she did?
Without thinking it through, Fang Xiumei blurted out everything she’d seen that afternoon—Yu Yin making a phone call—along with her close friend Chen Cuicui’s speculation.
“Cuicui said she heard that woman from the countryside calling a man back in the countryside.”
“Mom, do you think we should tell Auntie to watch out for her?”
Zhang Guihua and Pei Guangyi exchanged shocked glances, their eyes both revealing an eerie flicker of excitement.
“You… you really heard her calling a man from the countryside?”
“Are you sure?” Zhang Guihua excitedly grabbed Fang Xiumei’s shoulders.
Fang Xiumei felt as if her arm was about to snap from the force of the hug.
She struggled but couldn’t break free, so she kicked out.
“Ouch! I’m asking you a question—why did you kick me?”
“Because you hurt me.”
“You—!”
“All right! Can we save this argument for later? Your mom’s asking you a question: did you really hear that person calling someone from the countryside?”
“Did you hear the man’s name?” Pei Guangyi actually joined the conversation.
For a split second, Fang Xiumei felt something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Finally, she nodded, then shook her head. “I didn’t hear it—Cui Cui told me.”
“But she doesn’t know the man’s name either. She only heard the country woman tell him to be careful.”
“Be careful?” Pei Guangyi and Zhang Guihua exchanged another glance, and the rapport they’d built over decades of sharing a bed came to the surface.
Zhang Guihua waved her hand, motioning for Fang Xiumei to go cook. “All right, we know. You go cook now. Don’t touch the meat I put in the five-drawer chest—just reheat the leftovers from last night’s dinner that I left on the table. Cook some new rice and add some sweet potatoes to it.”
Fang Xiumei pointed at her own nose. “You want me to cook? And make me eat leftovers and sweet potato rice?”
“I’m not cooking. When Jianguo married me, he promised he wouldn’t make me cook. If you want it done, do it yourselves—I’m not doing it.”
“Do you really expect me to cook?” Zhang Guihua’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of a daughter-in-law who doesn’t cook and makes her mother-in-law do it instead.”
“Then I’m not eating.” Fang Xiumei immediately grabbed her handbag and headed straight for the front door.
“Hey, where are you going? Come back here!” Zhang Guihua shouted angrily.
Fang Xiumei: “I’m going to find Jianguo. We’re going to eat at the state-run restaurant.”
Zhang Guihua: “……”
Pei Guangyi, who remained silent: “……”
“You—just look at her! Just look at her! It’s like we’ve brought a little tyrant into the family!”
“And she wants to go to the state-run restaurant? How could our family possibly afford that?”
“All right, keep your voice down.” After Fang Xiumei had left, Pei Guangyi said in a hushed tone: “ “Go find out more about what she just said. If my older brother’s daughter-in-law is acting so immorally, I, as her second uncle, certainly can’t just let it slide.”
Zhang Guihua chimed in quietly, “Then we’ll expose her true colors… It won’t have been a waste of my money…” to have Matchmaker Zhao help Sheng Siyang find such a good daughter-in-law.
When the scandal breaks and their family’s reputation is ruined, she didn’t believe anyone would ever want to marry into the Sheng Siyang family again.
Then, her job at Jianguo would be hers forever.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t even have the money to support that good-for-nothing daughter-in-law, Fang Xiumei.
She actually skipped cooking just to eat at the state-run restaurant—just you wait!
……
Yu Yin didn’t go out for several days afterward.
She stayed home the whole time, taking care of the two little ones and helping Mother Sheng sort through all the items left over from the wedding.
It wasn’t until she started helping with the cleanup that Yu Yin realized just how many wedding gifts she and Pei Zhan had actually received.
In addition to those sent by friends and family in the provincial capital, there were also gifts from other provinces.
However, most of the gifts from other provinces came from Pei Zhan’s comrades-in-arms; since these gifts took time to arrive, they had only been received in the last few days.
Today, Yu Yin received two more packages.
After seeing the mail carrier off, she took advantage of the fact that Pei Rong and Pei Kangning were visiting Ant Cai’s house and wouldn’t be around to disturb her, so she immediately began cataloging and organizing the items.
As expected, the first large package was also from another province.
Upon opening it, she found some dried seafood.
Yu Yin took out her logbook to record the sender’s address, name, and the contents of the package. This was something her mother-in-law had asked her to do; she said that if the sender had a joyous occasion in the future, they could use this information to send a return gift of equal value.
After dealing with the largest package, Yu Yin moved on to the smaller one.
This small package was truly tiny—about the size of a watermelon—and very light.
Before unwrapping the outer packaging, Yu Yin could tell by touch that it seemed to contain a bamboo basket?
Who would send a bamboo basket?
And the address was—
“Qinggao County, Shan City?”
“Which family?”
Besides, isn’t Shan City right near Guang City?
Was this also sent by the male cannon fodder’s comrade-in-arms?
“What’s wrong?” Mother Sheng had just returned from grocery shopping; she was so exhausted that she set down her grocery basket before she even had a chance to sit down.
She leaned against the wall, panting.
Seeing that her face was pale and she was breaking out in a cold sweat, Yu Yin hurried over to support her.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“Please sit down. I’ll pour you a glass of water.”
Yu Yin moved quickly, pouring the water and bringing it to Mother Sheng.
As she watched Mother Sheng drink, she casually remarked, “Mom, why don’t we find some time to go to the hospital? Your health—”
“I’m fine. I’m just a little weak. I’ll be fine after resting for a bit. No need to see a doctor.”
“By the way, what did you just say about which family? Did you receive another congratulatory gift in the mail?”
Mother Sheng stiffly changed the subject. Yu Yin felt she wasn’t taking her health seriously at all.
This couldn’t go on. The book said that later on, after she’d been swindled out of all her money, she died because she couldn’t afford medical treatment.
They had money now, and she wasn’t going to be like the female supporting character in the book—helping Uncle Pei’s family deceive Mother Sheng and swindle her out of her money to subsidize the Yu family.
Since they had money now, she should seek treatment as soon as possible. Otherwise, if they kept putting it off, an illness that could have been cured would become incurable.
But every time Yu Yin brought up getting treatment, Mother Sheng would change the subject or simply refuse to seek treatment.
It was driving her to despair.
Yu Yin sighed inwardly and replied, “Hmm, I just received a package from Qinggao County in Shan City. I was wondering if it might be from Ah Zhan’s comrade-in-arms.”
“Qinggao County?” Mother Sheng paused mid-wipe as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She set down her handkerchief. “Is it from Ah Zhan’s comrade-in-arms? Where’s the package? What did they send?”
“I haven’t opened it yet. I was just about to, but it’s strange—there’s no sender’s name on it.” As she spoke, Yu Yin brought the small, light package over to her mother-in-law.
The moment Mother Sheng saw the package Yu Yin had brought out, her expression immediately darkened.
She snatched the scissors from Yu Yin’s hand and, with two or three swift cuts, tore open the outer wrapping, revealing a tattered little bamboo basket inside.
It really was a bamboo basket?!
Yu Yin was stunned.
What shocked her most was that the bamboo basket was actually broken.
It looked old and tattered, as if it had been scavenged from a garbage heap.
At the sight of the tattered little bamboo basket, Mother Sheng’s face began to darken.
She took a deep breath, her hands trembling with rage, and opened the tattered bamboo basket—which wouldn’t even stay closed—revealing a contents that shocked Yu Yin even more.
—Two red pillowcases.
To be precise, they were two pillowcases she’d sewn herself from faded red fabric.
This… are you sure this is a wedding gift, and not some kind of prank?!
“You good-for-nothing!”
“The Zhangs—the Zhangs have gone too far!” Mother Sheng’s chest heaved with rage, and her face grew even paler.
“Mom, please don’t get upset. For heaven’s sake, don’t get angry.”
“We don’t want this. Send it back—send it back. Please don’t get angry.”
Yu Yin was terrified that her anger would harm her health.
“What’s going on? Who’s upset you, sister?” Aunt Cai had just brought the two little ones inside when she heard Yu Yin’s anxious words of comfort to Mother Sheng. Thinking someone was bullying her, she hurried inside.
When she walked in, she saw that aside from Yu Yin and Mother Sheng, there wasn’t a soul in the house.
However, there were two tattered items lying on the floor at their feet. Aunt Cai glanced at them and moved them aside, unaware that it was precisely these two tattered items that had upset Mother Sheng.
“Aunt Cai, you’re here. Please try to calm Mom down.”
“We just received two congratulatory gifts, and Mom got so angry the moment she saw them.”
“Congratulatory gifts? Who sent them?”
“It was—”
“I’m fine. Yin Yin, take the rest of the things to the storage room. I need to have a word with your aunt.”
This was clearly an attempt to get Yu Yin out of the way.
Yu Yin didn’t really mind; she just hoped Mother Sheng wouldn’t let it upset her health.
Seeing that Mother Sheng seemed to have calmed down, she nodded. “Okay, I understand.”
“I’ll start cooking once I’m done tidying up. Aunt Cai, are you staying for lunch?”
Aunt Cai: “No, thanks. I’ll be heading back soon.”
“All right, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yu Yin quickly cleaned up the mess and took the two little ones with her.
With Yu Yin out of the picture, Sister Sheng pulled Aunt Cai into the bedroom.
As soon as they entered the room, Aunt Cai voiced her disapproval. “Don’t speak so bluntly next time. You’re making it so obvious that you’re trying to get Yu Yin to leave—what if it makes her overthink things?”
“Sister-in-law, I couldn’t help it—I was really furious. Just look at this—look at what kind of crap they sent over.” Mother Sheng tossed the tattered pillowcase she’d just picked up toward Aunt Cai.
Aunt Cai still didn’t know what had happened. “Where did you find that pillowcase?”
“It’s not mine—it’s from the Zhang family!” Mrs. Sheng’s chest heaved. “A wedding gift for A-Zhan and Yin-Yin.”
“What?!” Aunt Cai shouted.
Yu Yin was just about to go into her room to put away the marriage registration book when she passed through the dining room and heard Aunt Cai’s furious outburst.
She blinked in surprise.
Who in the Zhang family sent this wedding gift?
……
“Has the Zhang family lost their minds?”
“Just because we refused to agree to that marriage alliance back then—preventing Ah Zhan from marrying their granddaughter—does that really warrant being so disgusting?”
“No way. Give me some paper and a pen; I’m going to write them a letter and tear them to shreds.”
“What nonsense? When Zhang Lanlan married into our family, she practically wanted to strip the Pei family bare to subsidize her own family. Who on earth would marry their granddaughter now?”
“Sister-in-law, keep your voice down.”
Aunt Cai immediately covered her mouth, listened carefully, and only after confirming no one was outside did she continue in a whisper, “Give me some paper and a pen. I can’t let this slide.”
“I can’t stand it either. I’ll write it. When Zhang Lanlan first married into the family, she promised to cut all ties with them. But look at them—after Zhang Lanlan left, they even swindled our family out of a chunk of money, and now they want my Ah Zhan to marry their granddaughter? I’ve never seen anyone with such a shameless appetite. And now they’re being so disgusting again—are they bullying me because I don’t have a backbone?”
“You really are too soft-hearted.”
“Sister-in-law!” Mother Sheng protested.
Aunt Cai teased, “I’m not wrong, though.”
“By the way, did you keep the severance agreement they signed back then? I think we might need it someday.”
Mother Sheng: “……”
She hoped they wouldn’t need it—it was just too disgusting.
……
It wasn’t until Yu Yin had finished preparing lunch that Mother Sheng and Aunt Cai emerged from their room.
After seeing Aunt Cai off, they sat down to eat, though Mother Sheng never brought up the topic of the wedding gifts from Shan city again.
Yu Yin didn’t mention it either.
After lunch, it was time for an afternoon nap.
But today, Yu Yin didn’t take a nap. She’d been in the provincial capital for nearly two weeks, and she hadn’t received a single letter from Zhao Ping’an.
The fountain pen and stationery she’d bought last time should have arrived in the county long ago, yet that little rascal Zhao Ping’an still hadn’t written her a letter.
She had no choice but to write back herself to remind him.
So she told Mother Sheng that she was going to the post office.
“Go ahead. Last time I was too worried—I was afraid something might happen to you since you’re in a new place. But then I thought about it: you’ll be living in the provincial capital from now on, so getting to know your way around can’t hurt.”
“If you get lost, just ask someone for directions, but be careful.”
“I know, Mom. I’m heading out now.”
“Go ahead. Do you have enough money? ”
“It’s enough, Mom. I’m off then.”
Yu Yin waved to Mother Sheng, who had followed her out of concern. Mother Sheng watched Yu Yin leave before closing the door and returning to her room.
It was lunchtime, and the alleyway near Guiyuan Street was very quiet. Zhang Guihua, hiding in the shadows, had heard Mother Sheng’s offer to give Yu Yin money perfectly clearly.
“That idiot Sheng Siyang—she actually gave that country bumpkin money?”
“She must be out of her mind!”
“No way. I’ve finally waited for this country bumpkin to go out; I’m going over there to probe her and see exactly how much money she’s taken from my Pei family.”
“My Pei family’s money isn’t meant to support some random man.”