Meifu wolfed down and chewed the lumps vigorously, but the expression on her face grew more and more peculiar.
She smacked her lips and slanted her eyes. What is going on? Why doesn’t this meat jerky have any flavor?
Savoring it a bit further, it actually tasted somewhat foul and smelly.
The night was pitch-black, and no matter how hard Meifu strained her tiny eyes, she couldn’t see clearly. She began to suspect whether the meat jerky was spoiling.
But even if it was spoiling, it was still meat! If it was meat, it could be eaten.
Thus, she still finished a whole block in one breath!
There was one more piece of “meat jerky” left that Meifu couldn’t bear to eat. Taking advantage of a moment when Zhou Mianmian wasn’t looking, she sneakily hid it in her shirt with a shifty expression.
She held it tightly against herself the entire night, intending to save it to eat in the morning.
Who would have thought that early the next morning, when Li Chunzhu got up to relieve herself, her sharp eyes would spot something tucked inside her daughter’s shirt.
Feeling rather curious, she reached out to pry open Meifu’s hands.
“This girl, what are you hiding in your shirt? Let your mother have a look.”
“Mother,” Meifu was jolted awake.
Mumbling a response, she shielded the “meat jerky” even more tightly.
This immediately aroused Li Chunzhu’s suspicion.
Could her own daughter have gotten her hands on something good?
She had told her to keep an eye on Zhou Mianmian. Could this be food snatched from Zhou Mianmian?
With that thought, Li Chunzhu grew delighted. She hastily pulled Meifu’s arms apart, reached into her clothes, and grabbed.
With a single swoop, she snatched the “meat jerky” into her hand.
“What is this?”
Li Chunzhu looked down, and just as she was about to get excited, her smile froze instantly on her face.
Wasn’t this a piece of dried cow dung…
By this time, Meifu was no longer sleepy. Seeing that her food was gone, she grew as frantic as a wild monkey.
Sitting straight up, she reached out to snatch the dried cow dung back.
Meifu’s tiny eyes darted sneakily at Li Chunzhu, her gaze carrying a hint of calculation, utterly terrified that Li Chunzhu would eat it all.
“Mother, this is the pork jerky Zhou Mianmian gave me. Don’t you dare eat it all and leave nothing for me.”
After all, when it came to food, Li Chunzhu never acted like a proper mother; she would never give way to her own daughter.
Li Chunzhu raised her thick, coarse eyebrows, pulled the dried cow dung out of Meifu’s embrace, and slammed it onto the ground.
“What do you mean meat jerky?! You wretched girl must have slept yourself stupid! Look closely at it yourself—it’s a lump of cow poop!”
“Are you so crazy with greed that you actually think you could get your hands on pork jerky? Even your old mother hasn’t had any!”
Meifu, with her gaunt, angular face, rubbed her eyes, and a piece of crusty sleep fell away.
Looking more closely, it actually turned out to be cow dung…
She felt so miserable she wanted to cry, and her mouth split wide open.
“Mother, it’s not that I’m greedy. It’s Zhou Mianmian who tricked me! I even treated it as meat last night and ate a massive piece.”
What?!
Li Chunzhu’s head buzzed. Once she questioned Meifu thoroughly, her entire face flushed crimson with rage.
That little girl actually used cow dung as pork to trick Meifu?!
What a black-hearted creature!
Besides, as the younger sister, she should have proactively given up her food to her older sister in the first place!
It was only right that Zhou Mianmian got whatever share was left over after Meifu, the older sister, finished eating. How dared she trick Meifu now? Did this Zhou family no longer respect the proper order between elders and youth?!
The more Li Chunzhu thought about it, the more suffocated with rage she became.
She recalled how back when Zhou Mianmian couldn’t speak and acted all foolish, Meifu could frequently snatch things from her hands behind the adults’ backs.
But now, Zhou Mianmian had suddenly become sharp and clever.
How wonderful it would be if this girl were still a fool!
Once all the members of the Zhou family woke up, Old Madam Zhou used the fire to roast the remaining wild boar meat from yesterday.
There was still half a piece of pork left from what they bought in the town.
Old Madam Zhou cut it into chunks and placed it in the pot to stew; this was meant for Mianmian to eat.
While she was busy over here, Li Chunzhu sat to the side, pouting her large mouth and glaring furiously.
Staring blankly, she didn’t bother to come over and lend a hand either.
Once the pot lid was placed on, Old Madam Zhou turned around and glared at her.
“Fourth’s wife, did a pig hair get stuck in your eyeballs?”
“No, Mother.” Li Chunzhu rubbed her eyelids.
She didn’t feel anything in her eyes.
“If your eyes aren’t blinded by pig hair, didn’t you see me preparing the meal? Don’t you know to help me out a bit?” Old Madam Zhou had tolerated her for a very long time.
On ordinary days, the moment Li Chunzhu was scolded, she would quickly scurry far away.
But today, she was still suffocating with grievance over the cow dung matter. Being yelled at by Old Madam Zhou like this made her feel even more wronged.
She simply didn’t hide either, just sitting right there with her mouth pouted.
“What, Fourth’s wife, did I say something wrong by scolding you?” Old Madam Zhou pointed at her and cursed, “Who are you showing that miserable long face to?!”
Every member of the Zhou family heard this cursing, and they could not help but put down the chores in their hands and look over.
Li Chunzhu could not resist defending herself either, “Mother, my heart feels miserable, and I’m not directing this at you either.”
After saying that, Li Chunzhu hypocritically squeezed out a couple of tears.
With a hard tug, she pulled Meifu over.
She then held up that piece of dried cow dung Meifu had earlier for Old Madam Zhou to see.
“Mother, look at this. Tell me, can this be eaten?”
Old Madam Zhou frowned.
“Fourth’s wife, what do you mean by this?”
Li Chunzhu held Meifu and sobbed twice.
“This very thing—my Meifu ate it for a whole night! Guess who made her eat it? It was Mianmian!”
Following that, Li Chunzhu wept with snot and tears.
She told Old Madam Zhou the entire story of how Zhou Mianmian had deliberately given Meifu cow dung to eat.
Old Madam Zhou did not say a word after hearing it; she turned her head to look at her sweet granddaughter, who was still fast asleep.
There was still a tiny speck of cow dung stuck to Meifu’s teeth, so it seemed she wasn’t lying; it must have truly been eaten into her stomach.
However, out of nowhere, how could Mianmian possibly trick Meifu?
It must have been Meifu who did something first, and now Fourth’s wife actually had the nerve to come and falsely accuse her granddaughter!
“Mother!” Li Chunzhu wiped her eyes.
Seeing that Old Madam Zhou had no intention of comforting her, how could Li Chunzhu drop the matter?
“Mother, although Meifu is not your biological flesh and blood, she still calls you Grandma nonetheless. You can’t just watch with open eyes as she is bullied like a pig or dog in this house.”
These words were spoken terribly harshly. Old Madam Zhou knew Fourth’s wife wanted to stir up trouble, and her eyebrows knitted together.
But in the end, her gaze fell upon Meifu’s gaunt little face, and she endured it a bit, choosing not to explode after all.
She did call her Grandma after all, and besides, Meifu was only five years old. Eating cow dung must have been miserable, so she should look after her to some extent.
Thus, Old Madam Zhou waved her hand, “Enough, it’s just a matter between children. Once that good pork is finished stewing in a bit, give half of it to Meifu to eat as well.”
This separate meal was prepared solely for Mianmian; even the grandsons didn’t get a share.
Sharing some of it with Meifu now was the old lady’s way of making amends.
Hearing this, Li Chunzhu was delighted in her heart.
It seemed Old Madam Zhou hadn’t completely lost her mind to favoritism.
So she quickly wiped her eyes again and said, “Mother, it is only right that my Meifu gets a share of the food. It’s just that the clothes on Meifu’s body are also old. Look…”
“Once we settle down, I’ll make a new set for Meifu, making it exactly the same as Mianmian’s,” Old Madam Zhou said.
Li Chunzhu was overjoyed, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes.
“Mother, how troublesome it would be for you to make it with your own hands? Let’s not exhaust you. How about you take the five guan of coins earned from selling the porcupine and give one guan to Fourth Zhou and me? When the time comes, I’ll take Meifu to buy the clothes myself!”
Hearing this, Old Madam Zhou’s chest tightened, and her face turned three shades uglier.
She truly wanted to give Li Chunzhu a massive slap in the face.
Asking for a bite to eat and clothes to wear for the child was one thing, but she actually wanted to seize the opportunity to demand money! If the money was truly given to this spendthrift, how could it ever be spent on the right things?
She would probably take all of it to buy clothes for herself!
Right at this moment, Zhou Mianmian was also awakened by the noise.
Rubbing her eyes, she saw Li Chunzhu and Meifu, so she plunged straight into Old Madam Zhou’s arms.
Her soft little body felt just like a lump of sticky rice.
“My sweet granddaughter is awake. Wait a bit, and Grandma will get you some food to eat.” Old Madam Zhou dotingly held the little one tightly in her arms.
After nodding obediently, Zhou Mianmian suddenly raised a pair of short little arms and deliberately waved them twice in front of her grandma.
Revealing the marks upon them that were black-and-blue and purple.
Old Madam Zhou’s eyes were sharp, and she spotted the pinch marks on her granddaughter’s arms with a single glance.
Her gaze instantly suffered a fierce shock.
Her head also buzzed violently, as if it were about to burst apart.
“Mianmian, quickly let Grandma see! Who the hell’s grandmother did this?!”