Wang Cuifen wasn’t exaggerating at all. When she found a pack of sponge cakes in the cupboard, she immediately handed them to Su Qing without hesitation.
"Here, eat this to tide you over. I’ll boil an egg for you. With all the commotion this morning, I completely forgot about breakfast."
And wasn’t that the truth? During heated arguments, the mind is too tense to notice anything else. Only now, with the tension easing, did the hunger finally set in.
Su Qing took a bite of the sponge cake and was surprised by how good it tasted—simple, wholesome, free from artificial additives, and oddly comforting.
She broke off a piece and offered it to Wang Cuifen, sitting beside her as Wang Cuifen stoked the fire.
"Haven’t had these sponge cakes in ages. They’re really delicious," Wang Cuifen mumbled between chews, secretly swelling with pride. She’d always known Su Qing was a good kid—thoughtful enough to share her food, unlike her own ungrateful children.
Just thinking about her own brood made Wang Cuifen’s temper flare.
She warned Su Qing, "My eldest, Xie Jianzhong, is the quiet, sneaky type—won’t say much to your face. But the twins, Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying? Absolute troublemakers. If they mess with you, don’t hold back—just smack them."
Su Qing carefully considered Wang Cuifen’s choice of words and concluded she wasn’t just being polite. Still, she changed the subject. "Won’t Cripple Xie have any objections to me marrying into the family instead?"
"What objections could Cripple Xie possibly have?" Wang Cuifen waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry, I run this household. What I say goes."
Su Qing sifted through her memories and confirmed that Wang Cuifen was indeed the undisputed head of the family. Cripple Xie had always backed her unconditionally, even when she scolded him for no reason.
Not that he was spineless—he just carried a lifetime of guilt.
The two had married at sixteen, but just three months later, he was conscripted by warlords and vanished without a trace, leaving Wang Cuifen alone and two months pregnant.
In his absence, she endured hardship—caring for his ailing mother while raising their newborn son alone.
Later, his unit was defeated, captured by the Communist forces, and he ended up joining the People’s Liberation Army. By the time he returned home, he was a cripple. His mother had passed two years prior, and the son he’d never met had died just months before.
Miraculously, Wang Cuifen still took him back. And thanks to his war injury, the government assigned him a job as an archivist at the diesel engine factory, providing enough to support the family.
Out of remorse, he always yielded to Wang Cuifen’s decisions.
So when he came home for lunch and was informed that the wedding the next day would now feature Su Qing instead of Su Xue, he merely blinked and accepted it without protest.
"As long as you and our son are fine with it."
Wang Cuifen snorted. "What objections could Xie Jianhua possibly have? Marrying a girl like Qingqing is a stroke of luck from the ancestors. He’d better not complain."
Initially, Cripple Xie hadn’t been thrilled about Su Qing as a daughter-in-law. But with Wang Cuifen’s endorsement, he suddenly found her acceptable.
He couldn’t pinpoint her virtues yet, but if Wang Cuifen approved, she must have something special.
The elders were settled, and Xie Jianhua, the groom-to-be, raised no objections. But the twins, Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying, who’d been out playing all morning, returned home and immediately launched their attack.
"She’s so ugly and dark! I don’t want her as my sister-in-law," Xie Jiankang sneered, eyeing Su Qing with disdain.
Xie Guiying piled on, "Aunt Zhang said a fox spirit moved into our house. How can a fox spirit be this ugly?"
The little brats! Su Qing clenched her fists silently.
"Shut your mouths!" Wang Cuifen barked, hands on hips. "Qingqing isn’t ugly! She’s just tanned and worn out from years of farm work as an educated youth. A little rest, and she’ll be just fine."
Xie Jiankang scoffed, unrepentant. "Still ugly. Ugly freak."
On his way home, he’d overheard plenty of gossip, and none of it painted Su Qing in a good light.
Whack! Wang Cuifen slapped him hard across the face. "Say that again, and I’ll beat your mouth bloody! Apologize to your sister-in-law!"
The entire Xie family stared, stunned by how fiercely Wang Cuifen defended Su Qing.
Xie Jiankang’s face crumpled, and he burst into loud, dramatic sobs.
Before Su Qing could even retaliate, the brat was already crying. Her fists relaxed.
Torn between playing peacemaker or fanning the flames, she chose the latter.
Tugging Wang Cuifen’s sleeve gently, she said, "Aunt Wang, he’s still young. When he grows up, he’ll be more filial and sensible."
Wang Cuifen shot back without hesitation, "If he’s disobedient now, how can he be filial later? I’d sooner rely on you than him."
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Shaking off Su Qing’s hand, she grabbed a feather duster and started whacking Xie Jiankang—and, for good measure, his twin sister too.
A few solid strikes later, Xie Jiankang’s wails grew even louder.
When the older brothers tried to intervene, Wang Cuifen smacked them too for good measure.
Once the children were subdued, she turned the tables, shouting, "I’m not even old yet, and you’re already ganging up against me? Heartless brats! All these years, wasted on you!"
Only after the kids were properly cowed did she toss the duster aside and order everyone to the table.
Xie Jiankang, still sniffling with tears clinging to his lashes, glared at Su Qing from across the table.
If not for this ugly freak, he wouldn’t have been beaten.
While the Xie children sat in sullen silence, Su Qing ate with cheerful ease, even complimenting the food. "Aunt Wang, your dried string beans are delicious."
Instantly, Wang Cuifen’s stern expression melted into warmth. "Eat as much as you like. Don’t just stick to the beans—have some meat too."
"Okay." Su Qing flashed her a sweet smile before returning to her meal.
But when she reached for another bite, Xie Jiankang deliberately snatched the same piece.
His glare was pure venom—why should she get to eat meat while he suffered?
Unfazed, Su Qing simply waited for her next move.
This time, she timed it perfectly, extending her chopsticks only after ensuring Wang Cuifen was watching.
Xie Jiankang triumphantly stole the morsel again, gloating at her.
But his triumph lasted barely two seconds before Wang Cuifen slammed the table and confiscated his chopsticks.
"Stop causing trouble. If you don’t want to eat, go stand aside and watch the rest of us."
Seeing Xie Jiankang’s stunned, puppy-dog expression, Su Qing bit her lip, barely suppressing a laugh.
Who was the fool here? The answer couldn’t be clearer.
