Lin Wan still needed to go to the shop, so after eating and telling Grandma, she hurriedly rode off on her tricycle.
After a busy day, since there were people at home, she returned around five in the afternoon.
Passing by the vegetable market, Lin Wan specifically bought some pork belly and a fish.
When Lin Wan got home, Xiao Dong had just returned from outside, covered in dirt.
"I... I went to the suburbs with classmates to catch fish. It’s just... a pity we didn’t catch any," Hu Dong said sheepishly, scratching his head.
Looking at him covered in dirt, Lin Wan thought it didn’t seem like he went fishing, but she didn’t pay it much mind.
Seeing Hu Lijuan in the kitchen, she quickly took the things inside.
Today, Lin Wan made some braised pork and fish soup for them.
When the meal was ready, her mother-in-law hurriedly came back from outside. "It’s quite far from here to my workplace, and there’s no direct bus. I had to walk a bit, and it took some time."
"Mom, you can just ride my bike from now on. Changing buses all the time is too troublesome," Lin Wan hadn’t thought of this before.
"No need, it’s not a hassle."
"Please use it. I’m on vacation now, so I don’t need the bike. The shop is close by, just a few steps away."
"Mom, Saozi said you can ride it, so just use it. Grandma’s place is quite far from your workplace," Hu Lijuan said, concerned about her mom and not wanting her to get too tired.
"Mom, don’t refuse. The bike has been at home all day with no one using it."
It had been five days since the mother-in-law returned to her own home. Hu Dong was hardly ever home, and Hu Lijuan was anxious all day at Grandma’s house. She didn’t really want her parents to get divorced.
But it had been five days, and Dad still hadn’t come to pick them up. Instead, the eldest aunt came by once.
It was because the eldest uncle’s workplace had distributed some millet, and she brought some over for Grandma, taking the opportunity to visit Shen Qing.
Seeing Shen Qing in this state, she was actually quite pleased—not because of Shen Qing’s predicament but because Shen Qing finally stood up for herself.
Zhang Huilan had something to say this time, pulling Shen Qing aside to talk for half a day, mostly giving her advice on how to handle things.
"I’m so familiar with that old lady. If you reason with her directly, she won’t listen; instead, she’ll throw a tantrum. It’s best to hit her where it hurts. People this age, who went through the famine and lived through years of upheaval, value nothing more than two things: food and money." She was willing to selfishly help Shen Qing with the hope that their family would have it a bit easier, which would mean her mother-in-law would support them a little less.
That way, more would be left for their side. Over the years, her mother-in-law had openly and secretly given this precious daughter quite a bit of money.
Her mother-in-law doted on her daughter all her life, dreaming of her finding a good husband and living happily ever after. But unfortunately, her daughter wasn’t so lucky. First, she encountered such an overpowering family, and then such a rogue family.
Tsk, tsk, women—getting married is like being reborn. Shen Qing "got reborn" twice, but neither time was good.
"Eldest Aunt is right, it’s exactly those two things,"
Zhang Huilan was pleased to see her niece-in-law agree with her, feeling like she found someone who shared her views. She pulled Lin Wan and Shen Qing aside to say, "You’ve lived with them for so many years, surely you know where she likes to hide money, or you could have Hu Bin pretend something happened outside and get someone to go to your mother-in-law’s house to demand compensation. Ask for a large amount to scare them. They definitely won’t want to pay, so you can seize the opportunity to bring up splitting the family; they won’t need to pay if they agree to the split."