“Xiaonan, don’t you always say you’re the closest with your second sister-in-law?” Ye Wen asked casually. “Then why didn’t she even wait to eat with you?”
“Second sister-in-law is just a glutton! She not only ate one of my steamed buns, she even ate all of eldest sister-in-law’s buns too! I’m never being close to second sister-in-law again!”
Wen Xiangnan stomped her foot in anger and blurted out everything she had seen when she went back.
Ye Wen frowned. Tian Chunhua had really gone too far—snatching food even from a woman who had just given birth? But then she thought about it again and understood. She hadn’t eaten her fill last night, and she’d gone hungry again this morning. She was probably so hungry her chest was sticking to her back.
Luckily, Ye Wen had prepared in advance. Otherwise, that mother and daughter really would have gone hungry today.
This Tian Chunhua had caused trouble in the household again and again. Tonight, Ye Wen was determined to deal with her properly.
“Xiaonan, do you see it clearly now?” Ye Wen took the opportunity to teach her. “Some people talk very sweetly, but in reality they don’t care about you at all. Your second sister-in-law acts all close and affectionate with you, but what happened? Not only did she not wait to eat with you, she even grabbed your food. Look at your eldest sister-in-law instead—she may not know how to say nice things, but when has she ever cooked without saving a portion for you?”
As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at her daughter. “You’re always egging your eldest brother on to hit your eldest sister-in-law. Is that really the right thing to do?”
Wen Xiangnan bit her lip and stayed silent, a thoughtful look appearing on her small face.
Mother and daughter chatted while catching yellow eels. Before they knew it, they had filled more than half a basin. As the sun began to set, Ye Wen called the sons working in the fields to wrap up for the day, while she took her daughter home to prepare dinner.
Cleaning eels was a technical job. Ye Wen deftly pinned the eel’s head with a nail, then brought the knife down, slicing it open and removing the innards in one swift motion. The scene was bloody and brutal. The eel struggled in its death throes, twisting and writhing, making Wen Xiangnan feel nauseous just watching.
“Ugh—Mom, can this thing really be eaten? It’s way too gross.”
She covered her mouth and dry-heaved for a while. After the nausea passed, she said with a pale face and clear disgust, “Anyway, I’m not eating this tonight. It’s too disgusting.”
Ye Wen chuckled. She wasn’t afraid of her talking tough now—she was only afraid that after tasting it tonight, she’d regret not catching more.
“Mom, I’ll go help you peel garlic in the kitchen,” Wen Xiangnan said, her face still deathly pale. Unable to stand the sight any longer, she turned and ran inside.
Watching the little girl flee in panic, Ye Wen shook her head helplessly. Still, among all her children, this daughter had changed the most—she was actually taking the initiative to help peel garlic now. That meant she was teachable, at least.
She glanced toward the second son’s room in the west wing. Ever since Ye Wen returned, the second daughter-in-law had used the excuse of feeding Yaozu to hide in the room and hadn’t shown her face once.
Hah. So she knew she’d secretly eaten everyone’s food at noon and was afraid of getting scolded.
Did Tian Chunhua really think holding a baby as a shield would make her untouchable? Too bad Ye Wen wasn’t the original, biased Madam Ye. That trick wouldn’t work on her.
Besides, the name “Yaozu” made her uncomfortable just hearing it. Did she really think she’d given birth to some precious golden nugget? Ye Wen had no patience for favoritism toward sons. Once she had time, the first thing she’d do was change that child’s name.
Inside the west wing room, Tian Chunhua really did exactly as Ye Wen expected. The moment she heard her mother-in-law come back, she grabbed the baby and hid inside.
She was genuinely afraid her mother-in-law would come to settle accounts with her.
At noon, she’d been so hungry her chest stuck to her back. After skipping two meals in a row, she grabbed her two steamed buns and wolfed them down in just a few bites. But how could that be enough? It felt like there was a bottomless pit in her stomach. So she took her eldest sister-in-law’s buns as well—and even grabbed one from her sister-in-law while she was at it.
Five big steamed buns washed down with a bowl of vegetable soup left her so stuffed her eyes rolled back, and she almost threw up.
Eating felt great at the moment; afterwards, it was pure misery. Now she was both uncomfortably full and terrified.
Tian Chunhua rubbed her round belly and thought it over for a long time before deciding to hide in the room all day. Her mother-in-law loved Yaozu the most—surely she wouldn’t forbid Yaozu from breastfeeding. As long as she didn’t go out, she wouldn’t get scolded.
Anyway, with all those buns in her stomach, she was uncomfortably full. Even if she didn’t eat tonight, she wouldn’t go hungry.
Ye Wen finished cleaning the eels and carried the basin into the kitchen. Wen Xiangnan had already prepared the scallions, ginger, and garlic as instructed and was waiting.
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as Ye Wen taught Wen Xiangnan how to cook. Just then, there was a noise at the doorway, followed by a weak female voice: “Mom.”
They both looked up to see Jiang Lian standing there, holding onto the doorframe for support.
Ye Wen paused, the kitchen knife still in her hand. Although she, as a modern person, didn’t care much about postpartum taboos, seeing Jiang Lian’s unsteady, fragile state made her frown instinctively. “Why aren’t you lying down on the kang? What are you doing out here?”
“I… I came to cook…” Jiang Lian shrank back reflexively when her mother-in-law frowned, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
She’d rested for a day yesterday and felt a little better. Although her mother-in-law had told her to observe postpartum confinement, she’d only given birth to a girl. How could she really have the face to rest properly?
She was afraid her mother-in-law’s words about not drowning Xiaofu were just a passing whim. Now that she’d regained a bit of strength, she wanted to do more work. That way, if her mother-in-law changed her mind later, maybe she’d spare Xiaofu’s life for the sake of her diligence.
Besides, if she didn’t cook, who would? She and Xiaocao hadn’t eaten at noon. Even though they’d had plenty of porridge in the morning, Xiaocao was already hungry again by now.
Used to going hungry under her mother-in-law’s roof, Jiang Lian subconsciously assumed that the lack of lunch was her mother-in-law deliberately making things hard for her. For her daughter’s sake, so the child wouldn’t starve along with her, she forced herself to get up and work.
The moment Ye Wen heard this, her face darkened. Giving birth was like walking through the gates of hell, and here she was, on the second day, already up and working. If word got out, how was Ye Wen supposed to face anyone?
“Look at you—like you’d fall over with a puff of wind. What can you even do? Get back to your room and lie down!” Ye Wen slammed the knife onto the chopping board. No matter how strict she was, she’d never enslaved employees on maternity leave.
But Jiang Lian didn’t move. She was so used to being worked like an ox or a horse that being told to rest made her feel uncomfortable all over. She opened her mouth to say something, but her mother-in-law was already pushing and ushering her out.
“Go back and lie down! If you don’t take good care of your body, when am I ever going to hold a legitimate eldest grandson?” Ye Wen deliberately kept a stern face, but her hands carefully supported Jiang Lian’s arm.
According to the plot given by the system, Jiang Lian had failed to observe proper postpartum confinement, suffered long-term malnutrition and lack of rest, and even when she did get pregnant again, she had a difficult labor that ended with both mother and child dying. Ye Wen wouldn’t dare let her touch even a bit of work.
Hearing that her mother-in-law wanted a grandson as soon as possible, Jiang Lian finally felt reassured and stopped insisting on working. Bearing a son was also a sore spot for her—she needed to nourish her body well and strive to give birth to a big, healthy boy as soon as possible.
Her current mother-in-law was already much better than before. Jiang Lian was a sensitive person, and she could feel the concern hidden beneath her mother-in-law’s harsh tone. As for her mother-in-law’s words about keeping Xiaofu, only now did she truly believe them.