Mu Jingmei returned to the Mu family's territory with reddened eyes.
Seeing her like this, Mu's mother immediately felt heartbroken and hurried forward.
"Jingmei, what's wrong? Who bullied you? Was it that Yang Dafu bothering you again?"
"It wasn't Yang Dafu—it was my brother!" Mu Jingmei said pitifully.
"Shi'an? He dotes on you the most. How could he bully you?" Mu's mother found it hard to believe.
"He used to care about me the most, but now that he has a wife, he listens to everything she says and has long forgotten about his little sister." Mu Jingmei firmly believed that Song Nianchu had said something to her brother.
"That... can't be true." Mu's mother hesitated.
"How can it not be? He even scolded me earlier!" Mu Jingmei fumed.
"Alright, alright, don’t be angry. I’m sure your brother didn’t mean it." Mu's mother quickly tried to soothe her.
"Mom, I want to eat meat for lunch today." Mu Jingmei seized the opportunity to make a demand.
"Meat? But... where would we get meat from?" Mu's mother frowned slightly.
"Didn’t Brother give you money? Use it to trade with others in the village—they must have meat." Mu Jingmei insisted.
"Well..." Mu's mother didn’t agree right away. There were still many expenses at home.
Mu's father lay bedridden, unable to move, and needed medicine every day.
With two younger children unable to work and Mu Shi'an married off as a live-in son-in-law, the only laborers left in the family were her and Mu Jingmei.
The two of them had to support the entire household. The money Mu Shi'an had left was for emergencies and couldn’t be spent recklessly.
"Mom, even you don’t love me anymore? I haven’t eaten meat in so long—I can’t stand sweet potatoes anymore!" Tears rolled down Mu Jingmei’s cheeks in large drops.
"Fine, fine, I’ll go trade for meat at noon today." Mu's mother had grown up in a family that favored sons over daughters. After having Mu Jingmei, she poured all the love she had missed in her own childhood into her daughter.
She had always been more attentive to her than even her three sons. Seeing her cry so miserably now, she couldn’t help but give in.
"Mom, you promised!" Mu Jingmei instantly brightened up.
"Yes, I did." Mu's mother gently wiped the tears from Mu Jingmei’s face. "You’re grown up now, yet you cry so easily—aren’t you ashamed?"
Though she said this, there wasn’t a trace of reproach in her tone.
"I’m not ashamed because I know Mom loves me the most." Mu Jingmei hugged her mother’s arm and nuzzled affectionately.
Mu's mother’s expression softened considerably.
After the family’s sudden misfortunes, only this sweet daughter could bring her a little comfort.
......
Song Nianchu spent the morning cutting bamboo and eventually carried down a load that would normally require five or six people to haul, walking leisurely from the mountain.
Once processed, the bamboo would become material for weaving fishing tools.
She dragged the bamboo to an open area, right next to where Mu Jingmei was sitting.
Noticing her, Mu Jingmei snorted and turned her head away.
Song Nianchu was puzzled—she hadn’t provoked the young lady, had she?
Was she still resentful over her marrying her brother?
Shrugging it off, Song Nianchu walked away without another thought.
"Mom, look at her! She has no manners at all. You’re her mother-in-law, yet she didn’t even greet you!" Mu Jingmei grumbled to her mother.
Mu's mother frowned in the direction Song Nianchu had left.
A country bumpkin with no sense of propriety.
How unfortunate for her son. When the time came, she would make sure they divorced.
Song Nianchu, of course, knew nothing of this. She hadn’t approached them mainly because Mu Jingmei had made it clear she wasn’t welcome.
If they didn’t want her around, she wouldn’t force herself on them—she wasn’t that desperate.
Besides, in a way, she was their family’s benefactor. Shouldn’t they be the ones fawning over her?
By now, the sun was high at noon—time for everyone to finish work.
Song Nianchu found Mu Shi'an sitting alone in a corner and walked straight over.
"Why are you hiding here by yourself?" she asked curiously.
He usually stayed with the Mu family.
"There was a small incident," Mu Shi'an replied calmly.
"Your sister?" Song Nianchu immediately thought of Mu Jingmei.
"Yes." He nodded.
"Work’s over—let’s talk as we walk back," Song Nianchu suggested.
"Alright." Mu Shi'an stood up.
On the way home, he briefly recounted what had happened that morning.
After hearing it, Song Nianchu was stunned.
"Isn’t your sister a bit too spoiled? Asking for food without a second thought—did she even consider that if you gave it to her, you’d go hungry? How can she say such things so shamelessly?"
She had initially thought Mu Jingmei’s hostility was solely because of her marriage to Mu Shi'an.
Now, it seemed the girl was just naturally this entitled.
Quite the contrast to her delicate appearance.
"She’s been pampered by the family since childhood," Mu Shi'an admitted.
Back when they were well-off, they thought it didn’t matter if a girl was a little spoiled—her family would always protect her from being bullied.
"She really is spoiled. That temper needs to be tempered, or she’ll suffer for it later," Song Nianchu shook her head.
Now that they had been sent down to the countryside, they were surrounded by wolves—not everyone would indulge her like her family had.
"I’ll talk to her," Mu Shi'an agreed.
"Mm." Song Nianchu nodded and dropped the subject.
After all, Mu Jingmei was his sister. As an outsider, it wasn’t her place to say too much.
Back home, Song Nianchu washed up first.
When she entered the kitchen, Mu Shi'an had already lit the fire, and rice was steaming in the pot.
All that was left was for her to cook the dishes.
A few potatoes sat in the corner. She took them all, washed them, and chopped them into chunks.
From the small vegetable patch beside the kitchen, she picked some long beans, washed them, and snapped them into sections.
She also sliced a small piece of salted pork, planning to make braised potatoes with beans for lunch—nutritious and delicious.
Her movements were swift. In less than twenty minutes, a fragrant pot of braised potatoes and beans was ready.
The rice was done steaming too.
"Let’s eat!" Song Nianchu rubbed her hands eagerly.
Mu Shi'an watched her, a faint smile touching his eyes.
He placed a bowl of rice and chopsticks in front of her.
Song Nianchu picked up a piece of potato and popped it into her mouth. Soft and fluffy, infused with the savory taste of the salted pork—it was pure satisfaction.
The only downside was the lack of seasoning. Next time she went to town, she’d have to buy some more.
After the meal, Mu Shi'an naturally took care of the dishes while Song Nianchu went to pick the remaining beans to pickle them. If left too long, they’d become tough.
When she returned with the freshly picked green beans, she found Mu Shi'an had already tidied up the kitchen and was now sitting on a low stool, sketching something.
"What exactly are you drawing?" Song Nianchu had noticed this several times before and couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.
