Wang Cuifen was lost in her sweet daydreams while Su Qing quietly sorted through the ration coupons. The room was silent for about two minutes when suddenly, the door swung open.
"Mom?" Xie Jianhua was puzzled to find Wang Cuifen in his room.
Wang Cuifen jumped in fright and immediately scolded, "What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know how to knock before entering?"
Now Su Qing couldn’t continue organizing her spoils either. The ration coupons she had just neatly arranged were hastily stuffed back into her pocket.
Of course, she didn’t let Xie Jianhua off the hook either. Clutching Wang Cuifen’s arm, she said breathlessly, "You scared me to death! My heart’s still pounding!"
Well, they were secretly hiding ration coupons—no wonder they were so jumpy.
The dowry from Su Qing’s family was common knowledge in the household, so there was no way to conceal it. But ration coupons? Those were much easier to stash away. Besides, Su Xue and her husband wouldn’t dare blab about it.
As long as no one knew, they could deal with the coupons privately.
Wang Cuifen hadn’t even planned to tell her own son, Xie Jianhua, about this little scheme. Nearly getting caught red-handed, she immediately put on an indignant act.
"You’re a grown man! Can’t you even announce yourself when you come home? Are you returning to your own house or sneaking around like a thief?"
Xie Jianhua was at a loss for words. Since when did he need to knock before entering his own room?
And he was the one being accused of sneaking around? Please. The real culprits were the two acting suspiciously inside.
The moment he opened the door, he’d seen Su Qing frantically hiding something.
Yet here was Wang Cuifen, turning the tables on him.
Still muttering complaints, Wang Cuifen stood up and headed for the kitchen, with Su Qing trailing closely behind.
Right in front of Xie Jianhua, they demonstrated what it meant to be partners in crime.
Only when they reached the kitchen did Wang Cuifen stop her scolding. Instead, she praised in a hushed voice, "You’re so quick-witted, Qingqing. We almost got caught by that rascal Jianhua."
"I’m not sure if he saw anything," Su Qing replied. Though she prided herself on her lightning-fast reflexes, she’d heard soldiers had sharp eyesight. She wasn’t entirely confident.
"Don’t worry. You’re his wife—he’d have to side with you. If anything happens, he’ll cover for you."
No sooner had she finished berating Xie Jianhua than Wang Cuifen poked her head out of the kitchen and barked, "Jianhua! Qingqing and I are busy in here. Keep a lookout, you hear me?"
"Got it," Xie Jianhua replied helplessly.
He already suspected Wang Cuifen and Su Qing were up to no good. He’d been inspecting the room for any oddities when the two suddenly abandoned their hiding spot and moved their mischief to the kitchen. Now, he had no choice but to stand guard while they indulged in their secret feast.
Just as Wang Cuifen had said—even if he didn’t get a single bite, he’d still have to cover for Su Qing.
"Big Brother, you’re back early today," Xie Jianhua called out as soon as he spotted Xie Jianzhong returning, sounding the alarm.
His tone was friendly enough, but Xie Jianzhong merely gave him a half-hearted smirk in response.
Hearing the commotion, Wang Cuifen hastily tipped the contents of her bowl into her mouth, wiped her lips, and started washing dishes. Noticing Su Qing was slower, she even lent a hand.
With someone else home, they couldn’t eat openly, but Wang Cuifen still found ways to sneak bites. While serving food, she managed to slip a couple of pieces into Su Qing’s mouth.
By the time they sat down for dinner, Su Qing was already half-full.
Su Qing had gotten off work early because she’d left ahead of time. Xie Jianzhong, however, usually returned at a fixed hour. Once he was back, the rest of the family would trickle in soon after.
Seeing the factory workers flood the streets at quitting time, even Xie Jiankang and his friends, no matter how much fun they were having outside, knew better than to linger. Cripple Xie, due to his limp, was always the last to return.
Though the family had split their household, they still ate together at the same table.
Despite contributing the same amount for meals, Su Qing barely touched her food during dinner, much to Wang Cuifen’s frustration. She kept piling more onto Su Qing’s plate.
"Eat more, Qingqing. You’re hardly having anything!"
Xie Jianhua could only roll his eyes at this. Of course she wasn’t eating much—she’d already stuffed herself beforehand.
Thanks to their secret snacking, Xie Jianhua didn’t even dare glance at his elder brother. If he had, he’d have seen Xie Jianzhong’s equally exasperated expression.
Xie Jianzhong couldn’t stand the way Wang Cuifen doted on Su Qing.
"Mom, you—" He wanted to ask why she kept giving Su Qing the best pieces instead of saving some for him.
But since Wang Cuifen had already called him out on his pettiness before, he bit back the complaint, not wanting to invite another scolding.
Instead, he muttered, "Mom, she can serve herself."
"I’m not serving you, so why do you care?" Wang Cuifen shot back.
If she had been piling food onto Xie Jianzhong’s plate, he wouldn’t have said a word.
Seeing the tension between mother and son, Cripple Xie quickly intervened, "Alright, alright, enough bickering. Let’s just eat."
Xie Jianzhong lowered his head and fell silent.
Still resentful over how the family division had gone, he felt his parents had changed—that they no longer loved him. So now, instead of handing over his entire paycheck, he only contributed for meals.
If Mom’s going to nickel-and-dime everything anyway, I might as well keep my money. It felt safer in his own hands, and he could spend it however he liked.
Cripple Xie would’ve preferred to manage Xie Jianzhong’s finances, worried his eldest son would squander it all—especially since Xie Jianzhong’s past allowances had often ended up in Zhang Dahong’s hands.
But with the household already split and Xie Jianzhong having made his choice, Cripple Xie couldn’t insist. Forcing the issue would only spark another fight.
Lately, Cripple Xie had been exhausted, constantly trying to mediate between Wang Cuifen and their eldest son. Yet no matter how many olive branches he extended, neither would take them.
The rift between mother and son remained as wide as ever.
Older children were harder to discipline, but the younger ones still obeyed. After dinner, Xie Jiankang dutifully cleared the table and washed the dishes—he and Xie Guiying took turns daily.
They didn’t dare slack off. If they skipped chores now, Wang Cuifen wouldn’t hesitate to take a switch to them.
Modern parenting theories meant nothing to her. If her children turned out unfilial, she blamed it on not having beaten them enough when they were young.
Kids were sharp observers. Sensing the tension, Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying complied without protest, doing whatever they were told.
The twins usually did everything together. Though dishwashing duty alternated, they often ended up working side by side.
Huddled in the kitchen, they mirrored Wang Cuifen and Su Qing’s earlier dynamic—washing dishes while badmouthing the rest of the family.
"Ugh, Big Brother’s holed up in his room again after dinner. Still sulking—what a petty guy."
"Mom’s whispering with Second Sister-in-law again. Bet they’re plotting something, probably against us."
"Why are Dad and Second Brother just standing around watching? They should go pull Mom and Second Sister-in-law apart! Useless, the both of them."
