For dinner that evening, Zhao Jinlan once again set aside Lin Xiyun’s portion and personally delivered it to her room. After what had happened at lunch, hardly anyone at the table dared to voice any complaints.
That night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and everything was wrapped in silence.
The two little girls, Da Ya and Er Ya, busily cleaned up the stove, their small figures moving efficiently despite their size.
Inside the second branch’s room, Li Zhaodi lounged comfortably on the kang, taking it easy.
Lu Gongxi carried in a basin of hot water for washing his feet.
Unlike the broad-shouldered Lu Jiandong, Lu Gongxi was lean and scholarly. His slightly longer hair covered his eyebrows, giving him the appearance of a refined intellectual.
He taught at the elementary school in the nearby town.
Although the school was far from home and the pay wasn’t high, he had always taken great pride in his profession.
He was an educator.
He made a living with knowledge.
Especially now, as soon as he walked in and saw his wife lounging around without the slightest concern for her appearance.
Her figure had long since gone out of shape.
Her skin was dark from years in the sun.
She flashed him a grin, revealing yellowed teeth that only disgusted him.
Then he thought of the neatly dressed young female teachers at school.
Compared to them…
His wife was worlds apart.
Not to mention comparing her with the other three sisters-in-law in the Lu family.
In every respect, she ranked dead last.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that Lu Gongxi had been unemployed when marriage arrangements were made…
If the Lu family hadn’t already spent heavily marrying two daughters-in-law and couldn’t afford another expensive bride price…
If Zhao Jinlan hadn’t asked her sister-in-law to introduce Li Zhaodi…
A vocational school graduate like Lu Gongxi would never have married a country girl.
Thinking of that, he sat down at the edge of the kang with a gloomy expression, soaking his feet while reading an elementary school textbook.
He didn’t spare a single glance for Li Zhaodi, who was quietly mending his clothes beside him.
Li Zhaodi, meanwhile, was in an unusually enthusiastic mood.
She’d been thinking…
Tonight…
Maybe things would finally heat up between husband and wife…
The sooner they had a son, the better.
Unfortunately…
Her seductive looks were completely wasted on a blind man.
After a long silence, Lu Gongxi finally spoke.
“Da Ya’s old enough to start school.”
After a pause, he added,
“And we should give her a proper name.”
Otherwise…
How embarrassing would it be for a teacher’s daughter to still be called “Da Ya”?
People would laugh at him.
“School?”
Li Zhaodi paused, needle in hand.
She bit off the thread, her eyes darting around before replying,
“She’s just a girl.”
“As long as she can recognize a few characters, that’s enough.”
“Why waste money on school?”
She still needed to save money to have—and raise—a son.
Why spend money educating a girl who would eventually marry into someone else’s family?
She failed to notice her husband’s face growing darker and darker.
Still talking to herself, she continued,
“Daughters all end up belonging to someone else’s family.”
“I’ve already spent all these years raising them.”
“Now you want me to waste even more money?”
Frustration filled Lu Gongxi’s heart.
Trying to reason with Li Zhaodi felt impossible.
But all the little money their family had was controlled by her.
Suppressing his irritation, he patiently tried again.
“Our brothers and sisters all went to school.”
“Didn’t Mom send every one of us?”
“Boys or girls—it didn’t matter.”
“Take Linan for example.”
“She and her husband were classmates in junior high.”
“Now she works as a sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative.”
“Do you really want Da Ya and Er Ya to grow up just like you?”
“Unable to recognize more than a few words…”
“Knowing nothing except eating and sleeping?”
“Lu Gongxi!”
“Who are you talking about?!”
Li Zhaodi didn’t hear a single word about the benefits of education.
The only thing she heard was her husband belittling her.
In one furious motion, she threw the clothes she was mending straight at his face.
Threads and fabric slapped across his cheeks.
The needle was still stuck in the garment.
“Li Zhaodi!”
“Can you even understand human language?!”
He was furious.
This is exactly why people say talking to someone who refuses to listen is a waste of breath.
“Like playing music to a cow.”
After drying his feet, he dumped the wash water outside.
When he returned, he climbed into bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and ignored her completely.
His attitude made Li Zhaodi grind her teeth in rage.
She’d spent the entire day swallowing insults from the Lu family.
Then at night, not only did her husband fail to comfort her…
He even used his younger sister as an example to mock her for being uneducated.
Of course I understood what you were saying!
That’s exactly how I knew you were insulting me!
She’d already been seething all day.
Now she felt even more aggrieved.
Not caring that her two daughters were still outside working, she blew out the lamp and buried herself under the blanket.
Da Ya and Er Ya worked for over an hour before finally returning to their room.
Seeing both parents already asleep, neither girl dared make a sound.
They quietly climbed onto the bed and curled up against the wall to sleep.
Lin Xiyun spent the next several days recovering in bed.
At the same time, she thoroughly explored her mysterious space.
It could store both living creatures and inanimate objects.
Anything placed inside remained exactly as it was when taken back out.
Hot water was still steaming.
Perfect for storing food in case of emergencies.
More importantly…
She made an astonishing discovery.
Whenever she removed something that originally belonged in her modern apartment…
An identical replacement immediately appeared in its original place.
For example…
Yesterday she ate a bag of potato chips.
The moment she took it out—
Another identical bag appeared.
That discovery gave her tremendous peace of mind.
As for the spirit spring…
She’d experimented on a mouse.
It couldn’t literally bring the dead back to life.
But aside from that…
Even a creature on the brink of death could be saved.
Its full effects would have to wait until she had more opportunities to test them.
Either way…
It was an incredible treasure.
Once she’d recovered enough that no one outside would notice anything unusual, Lin Xiyun finally emerged from her room at lunchtime.
Barely in her early twenties, she’d never been exposed to harsh sun or wind.
Her skin was so soft it seemed water could be squeezed from it.
She had bright eyes, white teeth, and an elegant, refined aura.
The entire Lu family couldn’t help stealing a few extra glances.
No one knew how she’d braided her hair.
It resembled a traditional braid, yet somehow wasn’t one.
It simply looked beautiful.
She wore a red plaid dacron blouse.
One corner of the hem was casually tucked into her black straight-leg trousers.
The outfit looked crisp and tidy while still seeming effortlessly stylish.
It was a rather unusual way of dressing.
“Well, well.”
“Our precious Fourth Sister-in-law really is delicate.”
“With all those eggs and meat she’s been eating…”
“I guess she’s finally recovered.”
The sarcastic voice belonged to Li Zhaodi.
There wasn’t even any need to look up.
Glancing at her, Lin Xiyun made no move to help carry the dishes.
Instead, she leisurely sat down on a stool and smiled brightly.
“That’s right.”
“I am delicate.”
“Unlike Second Sister-in-law, who’s so strong and sturdy that she clearly doesn’t need any of those things.”
“So…”
“I’ll reluctantly accept them all.”
Li Zhaodi: “…”
Didn’t Lin Xiyun used to just sulk silently whenever someone mocked her?
What’s gotten into her today?
Why’s she suddenly so sharp-tongued?
And somehow I’m the one who ends up losing again.
“Pfft.”
A burst of laughter came from nearby.
Looking over, Lin Xiyun met the bright eyes of a little girl.
Lu Xiumin had laughed before she could stop herself.
When she realized her usually hated Fourth Aunt was looking at her, she immediately straightened her face and wrinkled her nose.
“What are you looking at me for?”
Hmph.
This Fourth Aunt has all kinds of nice things.
She keeps waving them around in front of us.
She watches us drool and never shares a single bite.
And Grandma’s been spoiling her these past few days.
All the good food ends up in her stomach.
Lu Xiumin didn’t like this selfish, lazy Fourth Aunt one bit.
She never did any work herself.
She constantly dumped chores on Da Ya’s mother…
Or even pushed them onto Da Ya.
If Lin Xiyun knew what the little girl was thinking, she’d probably just shrug and say:
“Did I eat your food?”
And if the subject was housework?
She’d be even more confident.
“I paid for it.”
Da Ya’s own mother treated her like free labor.
What did that have to do with Lin Xiyun?
Of course…
She had no idea what Lu Xiumin was thinking.
“Xiumin.”
Before Lin Xiyun could say anything, Zhang Lijuan frowned and called out to her daughter.
“Is that any way to speak to your Fourth Aunt?”
“She was injured only a few days ago.”
“Hurry up and apologize.”
As she spoke, she subtly winked and gestured at her daughter.
Everyone in the Lu family envied Lin Xiyun’s life.
Zhang Lijuan was no exception.
But unlike some of the others, she kept a clear head.
Among everyone in the family, Lu Yanbei was by far the most successful.
Three years ago, when he’d come home, he was already an army officer.
Even the director of the machinery factory had attended the wedding banquet with great courtesy.
Now…
He was surely even more accomplished.
Wouldn’t her own son and daughter need his support in the future?
Lu Yanbei was cold and distant.
He wasn’t particularly close even to his own parents.
The only person he consistently looked after was the wife he’d barely spent any time with.
Though he hadn’t returned home in years…
The money orders and care packages had never stopped.
Compared to that…
What were a few sweet words from a man worth?
Money and ration coupons were far more practical.