The master of five hundred catties of grain coupons—Su Xue truly couldn't handle this alone, so she had to go home and discuss it. But the moment she brought it up, she was scolded again.
"Look at the mess you've made," Ren Chao said, exasperated. "With your eldest sister’s insatiable greed, if that child in your belly had really been born, she would’ve held it over you for the rest of your life."
Mentioning the child only made Su Xue want to cry. "That was your child too."
When she lost the baby, her heart felt hollow, as if a huge piece had been torn away. If Ren Chao hadn’t pressured her, even if it would’ve been embarrassing, Su Xue might have endured and given birth. She had desperately wanted to bear him a son, to secure her place in this family.
Su Xue was still young and beautiful, and she had been with Ren Chao for a long time. Seeing her cry, Ren Chao sighed and softened his tone to comfort her.
"Things have already come to this, there’s nothing we can do. If your sister wants those five hundred catties of grain coupons, just give them to her. Let’s get through this period first."
At his workplace, Ren Chao had been involved with another married woman, and her husband had kicked up a fuss. These matters weren’t fully resolved yet, so he couldn’t afford to let Su Qing stir up more trouble.
"But where would we get five hundred catties of grain coupons?" Su Xue asked, distressed. On the day they registered their marriage, Ren Chao had handed over all their money and coupons to her to keep her happy.
But Ren Chao, having spent years as a lackey, confiscating properties and dragging people down, had more than just his salary. Grain coupons and money were nothing—he had even hidden away gold bars.
As for antiques, he mostly smashed them, keeping very few. He couldn’t tell the valuable ones apart, so unless they were gold or jade, he destroyed pottery and porcelain without hesitation.
Handing over his salary didn’t affect Ren Chao at all—he had plenty of secret savings. But he would never let Su Xue know about these.
"I don’t have five hundred catties of grain coupons, but I can borrow from my uncle and my cousin," he said.
"Borrow?" Su Xue felt a headache coming on. The amount was too large, and repaying it would be another problem.
"Don’t worry. As long as I keep this position, money and grain coupons are trivial," Ren Chao reassured her. "Right now, our priority is to suppress this matter before it affects my job. They’re smearing my name just to steal my position."
Ren Chao was tangled in scandals, but he had explained them away, and Su Xue believed him. She saw it as their enemies resorting to any means to climb the ladder.
"Fine, go borrow then. But this is the last time. If my sister tries to blackmail me again, I won’t give in," Su Xue grumbled. "After a few years in the countryside, she’s turned rotten."
Of course, she wouldn’t admit her own or her parents’ greed to Ren Chao, instead pinning all the blame on Su Qing. Everything was Su Qing’s doing, all to stay in the city.
To outsiders, they were the villains—only she and Ren Chao were innocent.
Five hundred catties of grain coupons were no trouble for Ren Chao, and he gathered them quickly.
Su Xue had her own little scheme. Though she personally delivered the coupons, she made sure to hand them to Su Qing in front of Wang Cuifen.
She had given them, but with her mother-in-law watching, Su Qing wouldn’t benefit much.
Just as she expected, Su Qing glanced at the coupons and immediately passed them to Wang Cuifen. "Mom, here."
Su Qing wasn’t familiar with grain coupons and couldn’t tell real from fake. Given her relationship with Wang Cuifen, she handed them over without hesitation.
She gave them naturally, and Wang Cuifen accepted them just as naturally. Since Su Qing worked, Wang Cuifen handled groceries and cooking. If she secretly bought extra food with the coupons, it would still go to Su Qing—she wouldn’t pocket anything.
After counting and confirming the coupons were genuine, Wang Cuifen tucked them into her pocket. "I’ll hold onto these for now. When I buy ingredients, I’ll make you something delicious."
"Okay," Su Qing replied cheerfully.
Their unspoken understanding was lost on Su Xue. Watching Su Qing obediently defer to her mother-in-law, she felt a twisted satisfaction, thinking Su Qing deserved it.
So what if she betrayed her family? She still wasn’t getting any real advantage.
"Eldest sister, I’ve given you the coupons. If colleagues ask, you’d better explain properly."
"Got it," Su Qing replied casually.
The truth was already murky—whatever she said wouldn’t matter. People would believe whatever version they wanted.
Only after Su Xue left did Su Qing and Wang Cuifen retreat to their room to sort through the coupons.
"Some of these are national grain coupons—we’ll save those for later. This stack is five-cattie coupons, this one’s three-cattie..."
As she organized them, Wang Cuifen nearly grinned from ear to ear. "That brother-in-law of yours—his rank might not be high, but he’s got connections to get so many coupons."
Five hundred catties was over a year’s worth of rations for one person. But having five hundred catties and saving up five hundred catties’ worth of coupons were two different things. Normally, a household’s monthly grain allowance was just enough to get by, with little to spare.
With their regular rations plus these extra coupons, Wang Cuifen was confident she could nourish Su Qing well.
Su Qing fiddled with the stacks of coupons, skeptical. "If my brother-in-law could produce five hundred catties so quickly, he must’ve been taking more than his fair share."
"What official doesn’t skim a little?" Wang Cuifen scoffed. "Back when the factory allocated housing, the leaders took plenty. The director’s TV didn’t come from honest means."
The mention of embezzlement suddenly triggered an old memory.
A few years later, a corrupt official from their area would defect overseas, rumored to have taken a fortune. Outraged locals dug up his family grave—only to find treasures buried inside. It became the hottest gossip that month.
At the time, Wang Cuifen had joined in cursing the greedy official.
But she’d heard so many rumors over the years that this old tale had faded from memory—until the grain coupons jogged it loose.
Wang Cuifen glanced at the five hundred catties spread on the bed. Maybe she could pull off something even bigger—ensure she and Su Qing lived in luxury.
Digging up a corrupt official’s grave? She could do that!
If the grave held bones, she might’ve been afraid. But filled with gold and jewels? Wang Cuifen wasn’t scared—she was itching to try.
Noticing Wang Cuifen’s sudden flush of excitement, Su Qing asked, "Mom, what’s wrong? Too happy about the coupons?"
"Nothing, nothing. Just thinking of something else."
Wang Cuifen rubbed her hands discreetly, deciding to gather intel first before making her move.
