“I… I do not know,” Mother Zhao stammered. Under the questioning and accusatory gazes, she lowered her head.
“Zhao Meiyun, do you think I do not know?” Zhao Tianlei said coldly. “You are jealous that your sister in law is prettier than you. You are jealous that Father and Mother treat her well, so you stir up trouble at Mother’s side. Do you even think things through? If something really happened, do you think you could still get married with your current reputation? Taking in a live in husband? Unless you leave Zhaojia Village and marry far away.”
Hearing Zhao Tianlei analyze things so bluntly, Zhao Meiyun panicked completely.
“Are you going to apologize or not? Let us make a big matter small, and a small matter disappear,” Zhao Tianlei said, feeling a splitting headache. He was not good at handling family affairs, but he could see things clearly. Perhaps it was because of his background as a reconnaissance soldier.
“But Tianlei, for me as a mother in law to go apologize to my daughter in law, no matter how you look at it, it is inappropriate,” Mother Zhao said hesitantly.
“We are all family. There is nothing inappropriate about it.”
Zhao Meiyun pouted. “Mother, look at this. Brother married a wife and forgot his mother. He wants you, the mother in law, to apologize. Will you still have any authority in this household after that?”
“Zhao Meiyun, shut up,” Zhao Tianlei said, narrowing his eyes dangerously as he looked at her.
When had his sister become like this? She had been so cute as a child. Now she had turned into a shrew.
“I am not wrong. I am stating facts,” Zhao Meiyun said stubbornly. Her reputation had already been ruined because of Lin Siya. How was she supposed to marry in the future? Since her life was not going well, she would not let Lin Siya live well either.
With that mindset, she had completely set herself against Lin Siya.
Mother Zhao wavered, leaning whichever way seemed reasonable at the moment.
Zhao Tianlei felt exhausted.
“Do whatever you want. I am going back to my room,” he said and turned away.
He had never realized before how selfish his mother was. In the eyes of the Zhao family, Xiao Ya was always an outsider, which was why they never considered her feelings.
Looking around the room, he saw signs of change. He knew it must have been his wife who had arranged things. Though a thin layer of dust had settled, it was clear the room had once been kept neat and orderly.
He pulled the quilt over himself and could still smell her unique scent.
Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.
He had finally slept after two days and three nights.
“Go wake your brother to eat,” Mother Zhao said. She still favored sons over daughters. When her son was not home, her only daughter naturally mattered more than her daughter in law. But now that her son had returned, her daughter was pushed aside.
Zhao Meiyun stomped her foot in frustration but went to call him anyway.
“Zhao Tianlei, Zhao Tianlei.”
“Can you not call him Brother?” Father Zhao said sternly. He was growing increasingly impatient with this daughter. Though the production team members did not say anything to his face, he knew they talked behind his back.
“And this afternoon, go work. You are already grown. If you do not want to work, then hurry up and get married,” Father Zhao added irritably. These past days had left him in a foul mood, and he did not even want to see the two women.
Zhao Meiyun bit her lower lip, on the verge of tears, while cursing inwardly. It was all Lin Siya’s fault. All of it.
At the Lin household.
“Father, Mother, Brother, it is time to eat,” Lin Siya said as she served the meal, cooking exactly as the original owner of this body used to.
“Xiao Ya, why are you cooking? Your body has not fully recovered. You should be resting,” Mother Lin said, holding her daughter’s hand and scolding her gently.
“Xiao Ya, do you feel a bit better? After work this afternoon, Brother will go into the mountains again to find more bird eggs for you. If luck is good, I might even catch a wild chicken,” Lin Jianshe said.
If she wanted game, it would be effortless for her.
“Brother, I want to go into the mountains with you this afternoon. I want to pick some wild vegetables,” Lin Siya said.
She also wanted to take the chance to hunt some game and nourish her family. She had noticed how thin her parents and brother were.
These days, she had been eating a bowl of egg custard every meal.
“Xiao Ya, your body is still weak. You cannot go into the mountains yet. If you want wild vegetables, Brother will gather them for you,” Lin Jianshe said firmly.
“I want to go up the mountain to get some fresh air.”
“Since Xiao Ya wants to go, then let her,” Father Lin said without hesitation.
“Xiao Ya cooked really well today. It tastes even better than Mother’s,” Mother Lin said with a smile. She knew her daughter’s cooking skills, but after only two months, they had improved even more. It must have been from cooking every day at the Zhao household.
Thinking about how Zhao Meiyun was already grown yet still idle at home, while her own daughter had been made to work, her resentment toward the Zhao family mother and daughter deepened.
“Then Mother should eat a bit more,” Lin Siya said.
“Alright.”
After the meal, Father Lin, Mother Lin, and Lin Jianshe all had bouts of diarrhea. Strangely, instead of feeling weak afterward, they felt more energized.
They could not quite figure it out.
But they did not dwell on it and went off to work.
At the Zhao household.
“Father, Xiao Ya only wants Mother and Xiao Yun to apologize. After that, she will return,” Zhao Tianlei said. He knew this had to be discussed with Father Zhao, the head of the household.
“Xiao Ya is fine now? Did she say this herself, or did your in laws say it?” Father Zhao wanted to settle the matter as quickly as possible.
His son had taken leave to come home and would need to return to the army.
“Xiao Ya said it, and my father in law and mother in law agree. But Xiao Yun refuses to apologize,” Zhao Tianlei said truthfully.
Father Zhao glared sharply at the two women. “Go work this afternoon. You have too much idle time to think nonsense. After work, go to Linjia Village and apologize to our in laws. If you think it is embarrassing, then why did you act like that in the first place?”
“Father, Lin Siya brought this on herself,” Zhao Meiyun muttered.
“Xiao Ya is your sister in law,” Father Zhao said unhappily. He realized that this daughter had been spoiled too much. How would she ever get married like this?
He could not afford to let his son grow cold toward the family. They were getting old and would rely on him in the future.
“If you do not want to apologize, that is fine. Then get out of the Zhao household,” Father Zhao said decisively.
He had to suppress this matter quickly, or it might really lead to prison.
He also could not let this affect his son’s future.
Whoever dared to affect his son’s future, he would not hesitate to turn ruthless.
“Father, is Lin Siya your daughter, or am I? I will not apologize to her. She chose to drink poison herself,” Zhao Meiyun complained.
“Xiao Ya is your sister in law,” Father Zhao repeated sharply.
“Father, I think Xiao Yun is not young anymore. She is even older than Xiao Ya. It is time for her to marry,” Zhao Tianlei said calmly.
“Zhao Tianlei.” Zhao Meiyun was on the verge of tears. He belittled her in front of their mother and now even urged their father to marry her off. Was she still part of this family?
She forgot that Zhao Tianlei was also part of the family, and the one with a future.
“Shitou, Xiao Yun is your sister,” Mother Zhao finally spoke when she saw her daughter crying.
How could he treat his sister like this just for the sake of an outsider?