Chapter 14

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Jiang Qiuyue pounded fiercely on the Lin family’s wooden door.

“Who is it?” Lin Erzhu opened the door irritably, only to get hit by Jiang Qiuyue’s stick as soon as his face appeared. “Jiang Qiuyue, are you out of your mind?”

Seeing Jiang Qiuyue raise the stick again, he hurried inside, shouting, “Mom, Dad, come out quickly! Jiang Qiuyue is hitting people!”

Jiang Qiuyue kicked open the Lin family’s main door. Seeing Wang Chunhua and the others rush out, she looked around and demanded, “Where’s Lin Xiao? Tell her to come out.”

“How dare you mention Lin Xiao? Don’t you know what you did to her?” Wang Chunhua picked up a wooden stick but was stopped by the old man.

Lin Fugui frowned. “Jiang Qiuyue, what exactly do you want?”

“Dad, aren’t you smart enough to guess? I’m here for money,” Jiang Qiuyue sneered. “Lin Xiao smashed my plate and ruined my painstakingly fried taro cakes. You owe me compensation.”

She raised a finger. “One yuan—it’s cheap for you.”

“What? How can you have the nerve to ask for a yuan for a lousy cake?” Wang Chunhua yelled.

Lin Erzhu held his forehead. Ever since the family split, their meals had worsened, yet the delicious smells from next door teased their noses every day. He grumbled, “Sister-in-law, aren’t you being too petty? We’re family. You don’t give us taro cakes, and we haven’t demanded anything. How can you come here asking for money?”

Lin Xiao couldn’t help but burst out, “Exactly! You’re willing to feed outsiders but not your own family. Jiang Qiuyue, you’re so selfish!”

“Lin Xiao, if you don’t even call your sister-in-law ‘sister-in-law,’ what kind of family are you?” Jiang Qiuyue tightened her grip on the stick. “I’ll give you one last chance. Either give me the money quietly, or no one will have an easy time.”

“Mom, Dad, don’t even think about getting help. I don’t mind ruining Lin Xiao’s reputation, but from now on, it’ll be hard for her to find a husband,” Jiang Qiuyue warned.

Lin Xiao had just graduated junior high, a prime time to find a match, and Wang Chunhua was genuinely afraid.

Lin Xiao refused to back down. “Don’t be scared. We’re many; if it comes to a fight, we won’t lose.” Her face still hurt badly, and she wished she could trample Jiang Qiuyue underfoot.

Jiang Qiuyue wasn’t intimidated. She had been eating well lately and doing yoga regularly, so her physical condition was excellent.

Lin Fugui was a cunning old man who wouldn’t get involved himself. Lin Erzhu and his wife were cowardly and wouldn’t step forward, and Lin San Zhu was selfish and wouldn’t risk getting beaten for Lin Xiao. The only ones who would fight were Lin Xiao and Wang Chunhua.

It would be two against one; Jiang Qiuyue was confident.

“Why does no one listen to you?” Jiang Qiuyue strode toward Lin Xiao. “Lin Xiao, did I not hit hard enough just now? Or do you need to be beaten repeatedly to learn fear?”

As she neared Lin Xiao, the latter grabbed a wooden stick, only for Jiang Qiuyue to flick it away. Just as Jiang Qiuyue was about to strike, Lin Fugui shouted, “Enough!”

“Go get her the money!” After saying this, Lin Fugui slammed the door and went inside.

“Old man?” Wang Chunhua was reluctant to give money but even more unwilling to defy the old man’s order. Reluctantly, they had no choice but to comply.

After Jiang Qiuyue left, Wang Chunhua held her daughter and sobbed, “My heavens, what kind of shrew is this? How will we live from now on?”

Lin Xiao was puzzled. “Dad, what’s there to fear? Jiang Qiuyue is alone; if she dares to be tough with us, we’ll burn her house down at night and see how arrogant she remains.”

Today was a holiday, and when she came home and saw Lin Beibei holding a taro cake, she snatched it without hesitation. It had always been this way before. Why did everything change just because she went to school?

“Use your head!” Lin Fugui, who had once doted on his daughter, now only wanted to see what was inside her brain. “Look at Jiang Qiuyue’s temper. If you burn her house, do you think she’ll just let it go?”

“If this escalates to the town, who do you think will be sent to reform — you or me?”

“Besides, you’re already eighteen. Your mother and I have arranged matchmakers to find you a husband. Do you still want to marry into a good family?”

“You don’t need to arrange a match for me.” Lin Xiao pushed her mother away and sat sideways. “What good family can you find? I don’t want a lifetime of farming. I want to live in the city and eat store-bought food.”

She wiped away her tears, her cheeks still hurting. “You’re afraid of Jiang Qiuyue, but I’m not. Just wait—I’ll write to my big brother. He used to care about me. If he finds out Jiang Qiuyue hit me, he’ll make her pay!”

Hearing this, the Lin family could only hope for the best.

They couldn’t handle Jiang Qiuyue, but Lin Dazhu could—after all, Lin Dazhu was the one providing Jiang Qiuyue’s living expenses.

Without money, could Jiang Qiuyue still have her way?

Definitely not.

While Lin Xiao plotted how to make Jiang Qiuyue pay, Jiang Qiuyue looked at the injury on Lin Beibei’s arm and seriously instructed, “Next time you see your aunt and uncle, run far away. You’re still little and can’t beat them. If anything happens, come find me, got it?”

“But Mom, you didn’t used to say that,” Lin Beibei’s eyes were still red.

“I was foolish before, thinking sincerity could be exchanged for sincerity. Now I understand: who treats me well, I treat well back. Whoever bullies us, I pay back double. You kids must remember this too—be grateful but also know who truly cares.” Jiang Qiuyue patted the children’s heads. These lessons might be too deep for kids, but the more she said, the more they would remember.

Lin Beibei nodded vaguely. “Mom, can I skip bathing today?”

His arm was hurt, and he didn’t want to wash.

“No, it’s so hot. You’d stink if you don’t,” Jiang Qiuyue insisted. “I’ll help you wash later.”

“I’ll wash myself.” Lin Beibei puckered his lips. Mom had changed a lot; bathing daily was a hassle, but she stood up for him, and he liked this new mom very much.

That evening, after washing up, Jiang Qiuyue and the two children sat in the yard watching the moon rise.

She told them mythological stories, and their shadows stretched long in the moonlight, a warm and tender scene.

Early the next morning, Niu Zhuangzhuang ran over crying, “Aunt Jiang, were you going to bring me taro cakes yesterday?”

Aunt Jiang cooked so well, and when he heard his grandmother mention it, he couldn’t hold back his tears and rushed over bawling.

“Oh, Auntie was busy fighting yesterday and forgot about you,” Jiang Qiuyue laughed warmly. “Don’t cry. After I cook today, you can play with Beibei and Nannan here, and you’ll definitely get some!”

Zhuangzhuang stopped crying immediately. “Really?”

“Of course. Adults don’t lie to kids,” Jiang Qiuyue just said when Aunt Niu came running in.

“Take it easy, Auntie. It’s okay. Let Zhuangzhuang play at my house,” Jiang Qiuyue assured.

Aunt Niu had casually mentioned the cakes to her daughter-in-law, but didn’t expect her grandson to dash off when he heard they were for him.

“No need, Qiuyue, don’t bother with that brat.” Aunt Niu bent down to scold. “Aren’t you ashamed?”

Zhuangzhuang puffed his cheeks and snorted. For good food, he didn’t care about shame.

“Auntie, really no problem. I planned to bring the cakes to Zhuangzhuang anyway. Beibei’s hurt and can’t go out, so it’s perfect for Zhuangzhuang to keep him company,” Jiang Qiuyue reasoned.

After much persuasion, Aunt Niu agreed to let Zhuangzhuang stay. Yet, she brought over a basket of vegetables when she returned home.

Seeing the water spinach, beans, and other vegetables on the ground, Jiang Qiuyue set about preparing dough again. Today, besides taro filling, she would make fillings of green beans and shredded potatoes.

She called the three kids to help. Soon, the savory aroma wafted through the yard, making the children salivate and unable to look away.

Next door, Lin Xiao kept swallowing hard, sitting at the kitchen doorway, complaining irritably, “Second sister-in-law, how can your cooking be so bad? Yesterday was sweet potato porridge, today it’s fried greens. Look—your greens are burnt. How can anyone eat that?”

Since Jiang Qiuyue stopped working around the house, the chores had fallen on Qian Li. Now the young sister-in-law had returned, not only refusing to help but also constantly complaining.

Qian Li walked to the kitchen doorway and deliberately flicked a rag, splashing water onto Lin Xiao. “Xiao Xiao, if you don’t like what I cook, cook it yourself. Or go ask next door if Jiang Qiuyue will feed you.”

“Second sister-in-law, what are you doing?” Lin Xiao jumped up.

“What else? I’m busy cooking for the whole family!” Qian Li slammed the door and went into the kitchen, regretting deeply. She wished she had coaxed Jiang Qiuyue to stay when she had the chance.

If she had known all the chores would fall on her, she would have handled Jiang Qiuyue differently.

Lin Xiao was used to bullying at home. Seeing Qian Li’s attitude, she pushed the door open fiercely. “Who do you think you’re giving attitude to? You married into the Lin family. The housework is yours. You wake up in the morning with a sour face like you owe somebody a hundred bucks!”

“Lin Xiao, do you speak like a human being?” Qian Li threw down the rag, refusing to work. “You’ll marry someday too. I hope you don’t meet a sister-in-law as stubborn as you!”

“Who’s stubborn?”

“You!”

Jiang Qiuyue heard the quarrel next door and thought, Lin Xiao really knows how to make trouble.

But a good argument—having a daughter like Lin Xiao was a blessing for the Lin family.

Next door, Qian Li gave up too. After all the fuss, Wang Chunhua cursed and cooked herself.

Years without cooking had made Wang Chunhua’s food unbearably salty. The Lin family barely ate and eagerly awaited Lin Dazhu’s reply.

Far away in the army, Lin Zhengrong was officially promoted to regimental level two days later. He went to ask Commander Wang for leave.

Commander Wang, seeing he hadn’t come home for years, granted a month off outright.

“Go home and spend time with your family. Guowei will watch over things here, so you don’t have to worry.”

Wang Zhong handed him the leave slip. “Also, as I mentioned before about following the army, discuss it with your wife. Two people are better than one. Others want their spouses to follow the army but aren’t allowed. You have the chance—think it over.”

“Yes, Commander,” Lin Zhengrong took the slip.

“Once you decide, send me a telegram. I’ll help you apply for housing.” Wang Zhong had heard from Chen Guowei that Lin Zhengrong’s wife was a simple woman.

Simple was good—a simple wife wouldn’t affect his work.

Lin Zhengrong got his leave and returned to the dorm to find Chen Guowei.

“You’re finally going home,” Chen Guowei pulled a tin box from his drawer, opened it, and handed Lin Zhengrong a handful of candies. “Let the kids try these. I saved them specially.”

Lin Zhengrong accepted gratefully. “Thanks.”

“No need to be polite.” Chen Guowei smiled in his friend’s happiness. “By the way, Commander Wang suggested you bring your wife with the army. You should seriously consider it. Stop crashing at my place—imagine how nice it is holding your wife at night.”

Lin Zhengrong said he’d think about it. After packing, he bought his train ticket.

A trip home was no small thing. He’d take two days by train to the county, then transfer to a bus to the village.

Just as he entered the village, Aunt Niu recognized him.

She hadn’t heard Jiang Qiuyue say Lin Dazhu was coming back and was surprised but happy for Jiang Qiuyue.

Lin Dazhu’s return meant someone could support Jiang Qiuyue. She happily led Lin Dazhu home. “Qiuyue’s family split. The right side is yours now. Go in. Qiuyue will be so happy to see you!” The young couple, reunited after a long time, didn’t bother to follow.

Looking at the divided yard, Lin Zhengrong hesitated and pushed open the right side’s door.

At first glance, he saw someone lying on a recliner with skin as white as snow and thought it was a trick of the light.

Could this really be Jiang Qiuyue?