An hour later,
The villagers who had come for the market day began heading home one after another.
Wang Mazi's ox cart was still nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Shuyi and Li Mei grew anxious—their belongings were the most numerous among the group.
Without the ox cart, they would have no choice but to carry everything back themselves.
"Eh? Why haven't you left yet?"
Wang Zhaodi asked, her backpack basket strapped to her shoulders as she licked a candy wrapper in her hand.
Song Qingyang immediately covered his mouth and recoiled, his face twisted in disgust.
The others also stepped back, leaving only Fang Jie maintaining a polite facade.
"We... we're waiting for Uncle Wang's ox cart?"
"Wang Mazi? He left ages ago."
Before Wang Zhaodi could finish speaking, Jiang Shuyi grew frantic.
"How could he leave without us?"
"Educated Youth Shen chartered the whole cart!"
What?
Jiang Shuyi and Li Mei's belongings slipped from their hands and hit the ground with a thud.
...
[Disgust Points +10]
[Disgust Points +3]
[Disgust Points +2]
[Disgust Points +1]
Back in Wang Family Village, Shen Nanchu sat in the village chief's home, sipping tea, a flicker of disdain flashing in her eyes.
How stupid!
Only realizing the ox cart was gone now.
Not even as sharp as the village chief's grandchildren!
Yu Lanhua only had two grandsons, both from her second son, Wang Weichuan.
Wang Dabao and Wang Xiaobao were clever little things.
Ever since they learned the White Rabbit milk candies at home came from Shen Nanchu, they had been finding all sorts of ways to please her.
So, the moment Shen Nanchu and Yu Lanhua returned, the two little rascals eagerly presented her with freshly picked tea seed fruits from the mountains, as if offering treasures.
Yu Lanhua scolded them half-jokingly as "little ingrates."
The fresh tea seed fruits carried a faint, natural sweetness—truly delicious.
Holding one, Shen Nanchu fell into thought.
"Are there many tea-oil trees in these mountains?"
"Plenty! Most are wild."
Yu Lanhua was busy in the yard, preparing cured chicken.
The cured chicken had been bought by Shen Nanchu in town earlier. Since Yu Lanhua had invited her for dinner, Shen Nanchu brought it along as an extra dish.
Yu Lanhua was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear.
Now intrigued, Shen Nanchu pressed further.
"Can't the tea seeds be pressed for oil? Why don’t the villagers do it?"
This opened the floodgates of Yu Lanhua's chatter.
"They can, but it’s too much trouble. Better to earn more work points than waste time on that."
"Besides, the peanut oil we make is enough for the villagers. Why bother with tea seed oil?"
"Not to mention, everything on the mountain belongs to the collective. Take a little, no one minds. Take too much, and people will start complaining."
Shen Nanchu nodded.
Makes sense—though tea seeds could be used for more than just oil!
Yu Lanhua assumed Shen Nanchu was simply fond of the tea seed fruits.
"You like these?"
"I’ll take you up the mountain another day to pick some."
Shen Nanchu considered it—she had nothing else to do.
"Sounds good!"
...
For dinner, Yu Lanhua took charge of the cooking.
The cured chicken was chopped into pieces and stewed with dried bamboo shoots, then sprinkled with wild scallions—the aroma was irresistible.
A plate of homemade salted duck eggs, stir-fried lettuce, and a clear wild vegetable soup rounded out the meal.
Three dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables—it could rival a festival feast.
Yu Lanhua gave Wang Dabao and Wang Xiaobao each a small chicken wing, half a salted duck egg, and a bowl of vegetables, then shooed them off to eat on the dam.
With the kids gone, the adults had more space at the table.
Sun Hui eyed the two large chicken drumsticks in the pot, swallowing hard before smugly rubbing her belly and shooting Zhang Yun a glance.
Zhang Yun remained unfazed.
"Come, everyone, dig in!"
Yu Lanhua picked up a drumstick...
Sun Hui eagerly raised her bowl.
But the next moment, Yu Lanhua placed the drumstick into Shen Nanchu’s bowl.
The first drumstick went to Shen Nanchu?
Fine.
Shen Nanchu was a guest, and Sun Hui knew her mother-in-law cared about appearances.
There was still one left!
Sun Hui brimmed with confidence.
Surely the last one would be hers?
Yu Lanhua picked up the other drumstick—and gave it to Shen Nanchu too.
One chicken, four drumsticks, and Shen Nanchu got the two largest?
[Disgust Points +2]
[Disgust Points +1]
Shen Nanchu savored the drumsticks with relish.
Yu Lanhua’s cooking really was something.
Sun Hui simmered with resentment. Watching Wang Weidong eat heartily, she pinched his waist.
Wang Weidong jerked up from his seat, stuffing the chicken into his mouth before yelping.
"Wife, why’d you pinch me?"
Sun Hui only grew angrier.
"Eat, eat, all you know is eating! Can’t even care about us—your wife and child!"
The subtext was obvious.
Yu Lanhua wasn’t deaf to it.
With a loud "smack," she slammed her chopsticks on the table.
Wang Jianguo swiftly rescued his wine cup.
"Sun Hui, what’s the meaning of this?"
Yu Lanhua had no patience for her daughter-in-law’s antics.
"If you don’t want the child in my belly, just say so! I’ll go back to my parents’ home!"
Sun Hui clutched her stomach and stood.
Shen Nanchu shook her head inwardly.
This daughter-in-law of Aunt Lanhua’s was hopeless.
Yu Lanhua laughed bitterly.
She already had two grandsons—did Sun Hui think a third was some rare treasure?
Yu Lanhua turned to Wang Weidong.
"Weidong, what do you say?"
Caught between his mother and wife, Wang Weidong was damned either way.
"Mom, wife... harmony brings prosperity. Can’t you both compromise?"
"No."
"No."
Yu Lanhua and Sun Hui spoke in unison.
Seeing Shen Nanchu still calmly gnawing on her drumstick, Sun Hui’s anger flared.
"Educated Youth Shen, are you happy now?"
"Very. How could I not be?"
Shen Nanchu chewed leisurely.
Some people were just born troublemakers—no helping them.
"Sun Hui, what are you implying? Educated Youth Shen is my guest!"
Yu Lanhua’s fury burned hotter.
Sun Hui, seeing Yu Lanhua defend Shen Nanchu, only grew more jealous.
"What am I implying? You dare ask me that, Yu Lanhua?"
"I’m carrying your Wang family’s grandson, and you give both drumsticks to an outsider?"
"I should be asking you—what’s your problem?"
Yu Lanhua was too furious to speak.
She’d known her daughter-in-law was petty—but this petty?
Fighting over chicken drumsticks?
She never should’ve agreed to this marriage when her youngest son begged her. What a fool she’d been!
Wang Jianguo hadn’t expected a chicken drumstick to spark such drama.
"Enough! Stop this nonsense."
Sun Hui clamped her mouth shut at her father-in-law’s anger.
But Yu Lanhua’s rage showed no signs of cooling.
Nor did she want it to.
"Fine, Sun Hui. If you think I’m unfair, then there’s no point continuing like this."
"We’re dividing the household!"
