To tell the truth, Yang PeiMin was quite angry, not because of the words of Mrs. Li, but because of Chen Guizhi’s attitude. Mrs. Li’s words had been an obvious slight, and she didn’t know whether Chen Guizhi genuinely couldn’t tell or was pretending not to notice.
Had she actually agreed with Mrs. Li’s words, and was she also dissatisfied with herself for not getting pregnant? At this moment, Yang PeiMin’s mind was flooded with many thoughts.
There was no denying that Chen Guizhi was a good mother-in-law, but when it came to her longed-for grandson, could she have some thoughts about it? After being incited by others, had she developed some thoughts about PeiMin?
When she had just returned from visiting relatives, Chen Guizhi’s attitude towards her had been somewhat unusual. She was always glancing at PeiMin’s stomach as if insinuating something, which became even more obvious when she later asked about PeiMin’s menstrual cycle. She thought PeiMin might already be pregnant, while in reality, PeiMin had only been traveling back and forth by car for half a month. Wasn’t that an insanely obsessive idea?
And before she left, Shen Erniu had also shown a particularly strange behavior—he kept insisting that she pack up all her belongings for the visit. Such an action was simply mindless for just a few days’ trip. Moreover, Shen Erniu was not a three-year-old child. This meant he had an ulterior motive, which was to have PeiMin accompany the troops, stay with Shen Yiguang at the military base, and hurry them along to having a grandchild. The reason for his firm belief must be that he had sounded out his son.
Now that she hadn’t stayed with the troops and had returned without being pregnant, did they have thoughts about her?
With such thoughts, she felt quite depressed for a moment and reinforced the resolve she had just formed.
She quickly and casually tidied up the main room and went to cook.
There was no meat at home, only green beans, cabbage, and eggs, which she cooked in the usual quantities.
Shen Yiyue and her sister had just come home from school.
As soon as they entered the door, Shen Yiyue exclaimed, "Just by the smell, I know it’s sister-in-law’s cooking." There was no special reason; it was simply because Yang PeiMin didn’t skimp on oil, and when she cooked, she liked to blast ginger and scallions in the wok before adding the vegetables, which of course made it smell delightful. Even the neighboring Li Family could often smell the delicious scent of their cooking, and whenever she encountered Mrs. Li, she always asked if they had bought meat again or if sister-in-law had brought some good stuff home, right?
Yang PeiMin came out of the kitchen, saw Yiyue’s return, and smilingly called her inside to help bring out the food for dinner.
Shen Yiyue parked her bike and happily ran over to lend a hand.
Yang PeiMin had already prepared the dishes, and now they just needed to be served.
Shen Yiyue came in ready to grab the bowls and chopsticks, but Yang PeiMin quickly reminded her to wash her hands.
Shen Yiyue stuck her tongue out at her, "Look at me, forgetting again. Sister-in-law, I think having someone as meticulous as you cooking is truly reassuring. Whatever goes into your mouth, it must be spotless."
Yang PeiMin nodded, "Of course, keeping oneself clean and doing things cleanly, not only makes it easier to make friends, it might even make finding a job easier."
Shen Yiyue nodded repeatedly, scooped some water from the bucket and poured it into the wooden basin. She washed her hands while gossiping with her, "I believe it, sister-in-law. Let me tell you, our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Li, is such a slob. Not only are her kids grubby, but she herself, as a woman, is just like a madwoman. From a distance, you can smell her hair, and she wears the same filthy clothes without washing them. To tell you the truth, I’d rather not eat—even if there’s meat at a dinner outside—if I had to sit at the same table with her. I’m afraid I might throw up."
Yang PeiMin frowned, "Is there really someone like that? And she lives right next door to us? How can her family stand her?" She couldn’t imagine it.
Shen Yiyue curled her lip, "They can’t stand it. They’ve yelled and hit her, but she never changes. Only when her husband hits her hard does she clean up a bit, but in a couple of days, she’s back to her old ways. You can’t get mad at her because it’s futile. The Li Family doesn’t even want her to cook anymore. Her fingernails are black with dirt, and I often see her picking her nose. Can you imagine how disgusting that is?"
Yang PeiMin gestured for her to stop talking, "You’re making me feel sick just from talking about it." And she was about to eat dinner.
Shen Yiyue chuckled, washed her hands, stood up, and pointed with her chopsticks as she changed the subject, "Alright, let’s not talk about this. How about we talk about how she squabbles with her sister-in-law over these filthy issues?"
Yang PeiMin raised an eyebrow, "You mean Li Xiaoer’s wife?"
Shen Yiyue curled her lip again, "Who else but her? She’s no angel either. When those two clash, it’s really satisfying to watch. Just as we were saying, since the Li Family doesn’t want the eldest daughter-in-law to cook because of her messiness, the cooking falls to Huang Yao, Li Xiaoer’s wife. There are only two daughters-in-law in their family, and the younger son is just twelve years old. Naturally, if the elder one doesn’t cook, it’s up to the younger. The older daughter-in-law is left to take care of the livestock and work in the vegetable garden."
"But then the problem arose. When the eldest daughter-in-law went to tend the garden and feed the livestock, somehow she’d end up covered in... Well, we all know that pig manure is the stinkiest. With it all over her, and not changing her clothes, it was simply... She’d just sit at the dining table with the Li Family, bold as brass. Who could stand that? Her mother-in-law asked her to change, but then she’d play poor, claim she had no clothes to wear. She’s got thick skin and isn’t afraid of scolding. Her mother-in-law is helpless against her."
"So what happened then? Later on, taking care of the livestock and the vegetable garden became Huang Tao’s job while the elder daughter-in-law just worked alongside the men in the family. Huang Tao was probably not too happy about that. Household tasks might not seem heavy, but the odds and ends add up and can keep you busy from dawn till dusk, not to mention her mother-in-law at home picking on her. Initially, being pregnant and with a child, she was supposed to do only half of the chores. Now, because of the eldest daughter-in-law, she ended up with all of them and was not pleased."
"Huang Tao later came up with a trick; she caught some lice and put them into her sister-in-law’s drying clothes, thinking since she wants to be filthy, let her be thoroughly filthy, to see if her trampy husband would be disgusted by her. But unexpectedly, the eldest daughter-in-law’s eldest daughter saw what she did and told her mother. Mrs. Li was the sort who’d bulldoze through things without care, but this time, instead of making a scene, she started wearing Huang Tao’s clothes. Any clothes Huang Tao aired out, the eldest daughter-in-law wore them out, even the underwear."
"Isn’t that amusing? It drove Huang Tao up the wall, cursing and hopping mad... hahaha... But she couldn’t do anything about it, since she was the one who started playing dirty... Serves her right. Huang Tao isn’t such a good person herself. Just look at how she tried to take advantage of our family."
"Today I had a fight with her." Yang PeiMin said, recounting the incident to Shen Yiyue again.
"That shameless woman, still thinking about our family even now. Really, I’m just glad that we didn’t..."