“It’s all Mother’s fault, my poor Fourth Boy. Wait a little longer—once I’ve saved up a bit more silver, I’ll take you to the provincial capital to have your head looked at, get you cured, and stop you from suffering like this.”
Lin Shiqi peered through the crack in the door. It was Granny Zhou, weeping with genuine emotion.
And Zhou Lang lay in bed, fast asleep.
He’d been in that same position when she left, and now that she’d come back to check, he was still in that same position.
Obviously fake!
He was clearly pretending to sleep.
Still, she hadn’t expected Granny Zhou to be so devoted to her simple-minded son.
Well, that made sense. Otherwise, why would she have bought a child bride to take care of him from such a young age?
In this era of scarcity, an extra mouth to feed was a heavy burden.
Take Lin Shiqi’s own natal family, the Lin family, for example.
They couldn’t afford to keep Lin Shiqi, so they sold her to the Zhou family as a child bride. And not content with just selling her, they still came around every few days to mooch off her.
Why did the original owner starve to death? Because every day, after meals, she would set aside portions of the already meager leftovers she was given, saving them for her natal family to take back home…
If she didn’t starve, who would?
The original owner was a brother-complex martyr!
A complete mess, all of it.
…
Just then, Zhou Lang rolled over, looking bleary-eyed.
“Wife… wife… I’m hungry…”
Through the crack in the door, Lin Shiqi almost burst out laughing again.
Zhou Lang’s Oscar-worthy performance was truly on point.
At the very moment Granny Zhou’s remorse was deepest, he went and scored more points for Lin Shiqi.
Excellent!
Even if Granny Zhou had a heart of stone, she’d have to think twice now.
Lin Shiqi quickly pushed the door open and entered. “Mother, we’ve finished cooking. I’ll feed your son—you’ve worked hard looking after him, so please go eat.”
Seeing Lin Shiqi come in, Granny Zhou wiped away her tears and resumed her fierce mother-in-law demeanor, not giving Lin Shiqi so much as a pleasant look.
“I’ll feed him.”
Lin Shiqi…
She shot Zhou Lang a desperate look with her eyes—say it, say you want your wife to feed you, say it now!
But Zhou Lang kept his mouth shut this time.
Shameless bastard. What a dog!
Was he afraid she’d steal his food again? He actually went along with letting Granny Zhou feed him.
Lin Shiqi glared at him, glaring daggers…
Zhou Lang still acted as if he hadn’t seen a thing.
Lin Shiqi forced a smile. “Let me do it, Mother. You go eat first—don’t let yourself get hungry and unwell. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Granny Zhou’s maternal instincts were in full bloom. Since her son hadn’t said anything about wanting his wife to feed him, she naturally had to seize this opportunity.
“I’ll do it. Let them wait a bit longer.”
Meanwhile, Zhou Lang remained expressionless, repeating only one word: “Hungry…”
Granny Zhou’s heart ached for him. She snatched the rice bowl from Lin Shiqi’s hands. “Give it to me.”
“Alright, Mother.”
The moment Granny Zhou took the bowl…
It was as if she understood everything.
Granny Zhou said in a low voice,
“Just make sure your husband gets enough nourishment. Don’t you sneak too much food for yourself. A woman eating more does no good—a man needs a full stomach to grow strong. Once his mind gets better, he’ll be just like a normal person, and you’ll have good days ahead…”
Lin Shiqi… She had no comeback for that.
Only the embarrassment of being caught red-handed.
“Mother, I… I’m hungry too…”
Might as well admit it.
Eating a full meal wasn’t shameful.
Granny Zhou glared at Lin Shiqi with irritation…
“Are you blaming me for not feeding you enough every day?”
“That’s not what I meant, Mother.” Lin Shiqi wasn’t stupid.
This was their territory.
The Zhou family had many members, all under one roof, all under Granny Zhou’s authority. She was like the general manager of a modern company, a department head—a direct supervisor, no less. Who would dare offend her to her face?
She’d said her piece, and that was enough.
Granny Zhou snorted coldly. “Fourth is my own flesh and blood. You must have overheard my conversation with your eldest sister-in-law today, which is why you’re pulling all these tricks. Rest assured, my Fourth can’t do without you, so I won’t sell you off. No matter how poor our family gets, we won’t sell our daughter-in-law—we have our pride.”
Lin Shiqi… She’d underestimated Granny Zhou.
Oh my!
Granny Zhou’s eyes missed nothing!
“Before, you were dull and dim-witted—couldn’t squeeze a single word out of you if you beat me with a stick! I really didn’t feel safe leaving Fourth in your hands. Once I’m gone, not only would you fail to protect him, but you’d also keep running back and forth with your natal family…”
Lin Shiqi hung her head and took the scolding.
Granny Zhou’s words were reasonable.
She didn’t dare make a sound.
Granny Zhou continued, “I’ve been a bit lax with you, that’s all. But these past few days, I’ve noticed a sharpness in you—like you’ve finally woken up. As long as you’re genuinely devoted to my Fourth, I’ll never treat you poorly in the future…”
Lin Shiqi… Where exactly did she see this “sharpness”?
Was it from the times she’d piled Zhou Lang’s bowl so high with food that even a dog couldn’t climb over it?
“Mother…” She looked bashful, embarrassed.
“You’ve been by Fourth’s side since he was little, and now he can’t do without you—that shows you two still have marital fate. Our Fourth’s mind isn’t right, but he’s handsome, and we’re his birth parents—of course we won’t just let him stay a fool forever. We’ve brought every well-known doctor nearby to see him, but none of them had a cure. Still, the doctors said it’s not necessarily hopeless. Once I’ve saved up enough silver, I’ll send him to the provincial capital to see better doctors. You treat our Fourth well, don’t harbor any other intentions, and your good days will come.”
Lin Shiqi naturally agreed without hesitation.
“I grew up with my husband—we share a bond. Even if he never recovers, as long as the Zhou family gives me a bite to eat, I’m willing to work like an ox or horse for the Zhou family and care for my husband.”
Granny Zhou said, “It’s because I see you’ve grown smarter that I’m being frank with you. I’m not worried now—I’m just worried about how you’ll treat him after his father and I are gone.”
“Naturally… I’ll support my husband. As long as I have a bite to eat, he’ll have a bite to eat. I’ll never abandon him!”
Lin Shiqi said it without missing a beat.
She’d spoken exactly the answer Granny Zhou wanted to hear.
You had to read your in-laws’ psychology just right! All those years making short videos had paid off after all.
A few coughs came from the bed—Zhou Lang seemed to have choked, unable to hold it in.
Lin Shiqi’s expression didn’t change.
Inwardly, she thought: Heh, choke to death, why don’t you! Damn Zhou Lang!
Granny Zhou finally withdrew her gaze from Lin Shiqi.
As if Lin Shiqi had passed her test, she said, “Alright, you feed him this meal. I’ll have your Third Sister-in-law make you two an egg drop soup and bring it over…”
Lin Shiqi also breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, Mother! Thank you, Mother. I’ll thank you on behalf of my husband too—he doesn’t understand things, but I’ll teach him to honor his parents from now on.”
Granny Zhou paused mid-step. “After you finish feeding your husband, come to the main hall and eat with us.”
“Thank you, Mother. You’re so kind, Mother.”
Lin Shiqi flattered her shamelessly.
Anyway, it was just a matter of moving her lips—no effort at all. Secure her position in the family first.
A few nice words had earned her the right to eat openly at the Zhou family’s table from now on, no more sneaking around.