“Younger sister is still young. She just doesn’t know how to judge people yet. When she’s a bit older, she’ll understand that he’s not a good person. As her brothers and sisters-in-law, you should properly persuade her.”
Eldest sister-in-law Li Yuehong said, “Father, Mother, what I’m about to say may upset you. Usually, you dote on little sister as if she were precious jade. She’s already grown, yet she doesn’t know how to do any work. Sometimes she won’t even wash her own clothes or help cook. We come back exhausted from working in the fields. Even if she doesn’t go to work, she could at least help us prepare meals. Instead, she spends all day following Lin Yuchuan around. Do you know how people look at our Lu family? Who in the village isn’t laughing at us? I know the two of you treasure little sister deeply. As daughters-in-law, it’s not our place to say much.”
“But look at what she’s been doing—she’s thrown away all her dignity. That Lin Yuchuan is clearly tangled up with that educated youth, Jiang. He wants benefits while juggling multiple women. Someone like that is obviously not a good person. If he were, he’d know to keep his distance.”
“Just look at today—they were already holding each other, with no sense of propriety at all. He hasn’t even broken off the engagement with little sister. In name, he’s still her fiancé.”
“He doesn’t care about little sister at all, yet he fusses over someone else. That’s an open slap to our Lu family, deliberately humiliating us.”
“Little sister, I know you don’t like hearing this. Besides, Mother usually handles your affairs. As your sister-in-law, I don’t really have the right to interfere, but can you at least think about your nephews and nieces? How are they supposed to hold their heads up in the village in the future? They’ll have to marry someday too.”
“That’s enough. Stop talking,” Lu Yunzhou glared at his wife. Why was she saying so much today?
Lu Wanqing said, “Big Brother, let sister-in-law speak. She’s right. Before, my brain must’ve been smeared with shit—something seriously wrong with me. Falling into the water today washed me clean. I’m awake now. This will never happen again.”
“I promise you all. And—come quickly, look at what I got from the mountain.”
Lu Wanqing lifted the basket on her back. When everyone saw what was inside, they hurried to shut the doors and windows.
Good heavens! So much wild game!
Where did little sister even get all this from?
Lu Yunheng was so shocked his mouth hung open, pointing at the basket.
Lu Wanqing smiled. “Father, Mother, Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother—this is wild game I hunted in the mountains. I know everyone’s lacking oil and nourishment. We can barely even fill our stomachs with wild vegetables. So let’s have a proper meal today. Whatever else there is to talk about can wait—first, we eat. You can’t let yourselves go hungry. Being hungry for too long makes people sick. And I also prepared this.”
She took out the mugwort she’d prepared in advance.
“See? Wasn’t I being thoughtful?”
Xu Mengyi burst into tears.
Her daughter—her precious daughter—had truly woken up. She’d finally become sensible.
Everyone immediately got busy. Some boiled water, others plucked feathers.
Despite being hungry and weak, once they saw the meat, everyone was full of energy.
Lu Wanqing hadn’t had time to carefully observe the state of the household.
When she entered the kitchen, she realized it was completely bare—there was nothing at all.
She sighed softly, pretended to step outside, and when she returned, she brought back some oil, seasonings, and salt.
She also brought several pounds of coarse rice, corn, broken rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and radishes.
She didn’t dare take out refined white rice—she’d be treated like a monster.
Everyone stared unblinkingly at Lu Wanqing—more precisely, at the precious food in her bag.
They all wanted to ask where it had come from.
Xu Mengyi shot them a fierce glare. “What did you see today? No one is allowed to say a word about it. If anyone leaks this and puts your sister in danger, I don’t care who you are—I will never forgive you.”
She deliberately looked at the daughters-in-law.
They lowered their heads in silence. They understood perfectly—those words were meant for them.
Now they weren’t foolish anymore. As long as they could eat their fill, they were more afraid of others coming to steal the meat.
With so many people, it took over an hour before they finally ate steaming chicken and rabbit.
Corn pancakes were fried until fragrant, paired with chicken soup and rabbit meat.
They wanted to swallow even the bones.
Adults and children alike couldn’t stop eating.
Delicious—far too delicious.
Even the neighbors smelled the meat. Their noses were like dogs’, sniffing everywhere.
It was Lu Zhiguo next door.
Where had these people gotten meat from?
Many villagers opened their windows, inhaling the scent, their stomachs growling even louder.
Thankfully, the mugwort helped suppress the smell. Otherwise, villagers might have come knocking.
At Lin Daqiang’s house
Xu Xiuying looked at her son. “Son, after what happened today, what do you really think? Do you truly plan to stop seeing that Lu family girl? I want to hear your thoughts.”
“Mother, you know that Lu family girl has no real abilities—just a pretty face. And she’s been spoiled rotten by her family. You wouldn’t want such a daughter-in-law, would you? My uncle is the village Party secretary—a cadre. In the future, I’ll probably have dealings with leaders. The Lu family are just peasants.”
“How could they be worthy of our Lin family? I’m a high school graduate—the only one in the village. My future is limitless. I’ll definitely go to the city.”
“How would it look, bringing a country girl along? Wouldn’t people laugh at me? Don’t you want to live well with me someday? Live in a big house? Eat meat and white rice every day?”
Lin Yuchuan was painting a beautiful picture. He knew exactly what his parents liked.
He had to convince them to agree to breaking off the engagement.
Xu Xiuying nodded vigorously. “You’re absolutely right, son. You’re a high school graduate—how valuable that is these days, everyone knows. The Lu family must’ve latched onto us because of this. You worked so hard studying—why should they enjoy the benefits? Even I, your mother, haven’t enjoyed them yet.”
Lin Yuchuan’s two sisters, Lin Yujuan and Lin Yuxia, also looked down on Lu Wanqing.
To be precise—they were jealous.
They were all village girls, yet they had to work every day.
Any good food in the house always went to their brother—they could only smell it.
That little slut Lu Wanqing, on the other hand, ate and drank well.
She was pampered by her parents and brothers.
Worst of all, she had that fox-like face.