Chapter 2: The In-Law Who Pays to Keep the Relationship

Two buckets of water poured into the large vat barely filled a quarter of it. To fill the entire vat, at least three more trips to the well were needed.

Hearing the splashing water from the vat, Fan Lihua stepped out from the nearby room. She frowned at the few large droplets of water spilled on the ground and muttered, “Getting less and less useful at work,” before going to the stove, lifting the pot lid, blowing on the steaming sorghum rice to check if it was cooked.

“Hurry and start cooking the dishes. Jiang Chao must be starving, and Haichao should be home for dinner by now.”

Fan Lihua replaced the pot lid.

On the cutting board lay a large head of cabbage, and beside it, a ceramic basin held two large blocks of tofu.

Cabbage stewed with tofu was Li Taohua’s most common dish.

She scooped a generous spoonful of pork lard into the heated iron wok, added a spoonful of rapeseed oil, which sizzled a few times as smoke began to rise. She tossed in shredded ginger and chopped scallions, filling the kitchen with a pungent, savory aroma.

The knife was heavy; watching the blade slice through the white tofu in her palm, piece by piece fell into the boiling cabbage soup. She drizzled soy sauce and sprinkled several large grains of salt before covering the pot. Soon, the fragrant smell overflowed, making stomachs rumble.

Such a magical feeling—Li Tian’er felt her skills had improved in this lifetime, as if there was nothing Li Taohua couldn’t do. Except for just now, when she hadn’t yet adapted to Li Taohua’s body and had fallen by the well’s edge.

“Sister-in-law.”

The door opened, and a cold gust followed Chen Haichao inside. He hurriedly shut the door tight and turned to Li Taohua with a teasing smile.

“What’s cooking? Oh, cabbage stewed with tofu again. When will there be meat? The New Year is almost here; my second brother should send some money home.”

Chen Haichao walked to the stove, grabbed a red-skinned radish from the basket, chopped it into watermelon-sized chunks, and bit into one with a crisp crunch.

Hearing the youngest son’s voice, Fan Lihua came out, calling Chen Haichao to wash his hands and prepare for the meal, smiling as she promised there was meat for him to eat.

The Li family had sent a steamed pig’s leg, originally reserved for the New Year. Fan Lihua cut off a piece first, dividing it into two bowls—one for the eldest son, one for the youngest. She picked up a strip from her eldest son’s bowl and slowly savored it in her mouth, reluctant to chew and swallow.

Watching Fan Lihua’s expression as if she’d never tasted anything good, Li Tian’er felt disgusted, even more so than with Li Tiantian’s mother.

She hunched over her bowl of sorghum rice, feeling a slight scratch in her throat. Her throat itched; she quickly turned her face away, covering her mouth and nose as she coughed several times. When she looked back and picked up her chopsticks, she found two pieces of meat in her bowl. She glanced up, and Chen Haichao winked mischievously, silently mouthing, “Eat quickly.”

Fan Lihua was helping her eldest son pick rice grains off his chin when she noticed meat in her daughter-in-law’s bowl, her face immediately falling.

“How can you eat Haichao’s meat? He’s still growing.”

“Mom, I’m already twenty-three. I’m not growing anymore. Let sister-in-law have two pieces. That pig’s leg was sent by her family.”

Chen Haichao hurriedly pushed aside his bowl, put down his chopsticks, and went back to his room, fearing his mother would force his sister-in-law to return the meat.

So the meat was from Li Taohua’s family!

No one knew what her family was thinking—sending their daughter off to work for another family was already generous enough, yet they also sent gifts to her in-laws, hoping their kindness would be reciprocated. Little did they realize, her in-laws were like a bottomless pit, never satisfied no matter how much was given.

Knowing the meat came from her own family, Li Tian’er felt both touched and heartbroken for Li Taohua.

Seeing her daughter-in-law eating with tears in her eyes, Fan Lihua’s expression darkened instantly.

“Why are you crying? Do you want Yun Chao to see you like this and divorce you? I’m telling you, he’ll be back in a couple of days. You better not lose face in front of him. And Yun Chao will definitely take you to visit your family. Don’t talk nonsense with your mother back home. My son is the only university graduate from our village in decades; his success is all from his own hard work. No matter how capable your father is, he couldn’t have gotten his own son into university, right?”

Li Tian’er’s memories from the original Li Taohua were a tangled mess, but listening to Fan Lihua now, she finally understood. Li Taohua’s family was village officials, and when Chen Yun Chao went to university, it was Li Taohua’s father who provided the recommendation letter.

“Mom, I’m going to bed.”

Chen Jiangchao was sleepy after eating; his eyes barely open. Fan Lihua pushed away his bowl and led him inside to sleep. At the doorway, she glanced back at Li Tian’er.

“You need hot water for your bath. Go fetch a few more buckets to fill the vat. Yun Chao might come back tonight. He likes cleanliness, so prepare plenty of water for him to bathe.”

“All right.”

Li Tian’er wanted to bathe too. Carrying water twice over was like going to the gym. As long as she kept a positive mindset, doing physical labor was no problem—she just wouldn’t let her heart be wronged. She was no one’s doormat.

Before, her responses to her mother-in-law were always “I understand, Mom,” but since yesterday, her replies were curt, either “Okay” or “Mm,” with a tone and demeanor completely different, as if she had become a different person.

The midday air was no longer so cold; her hands gripping the iron rings on the yoke felt steadier. Before reaching the well platform, she spotted An Changlin from afar.

Was the man waiting for her or just used to standing there?

Li Tian’er withdrew her gaze and quietly walked toward the well. Sure enough, An Changlin came over to help.

“Changlin, are you helping Taohua fetch water?”

The sudden voice made An Changlin’s arms carrying the water tremble slightly before regaining composure. He looked up and grinned at the woman speaking.

“Doing good deeds like a model soldier, even after discharge, I have monthly quotas to meet.”

“Oh, so it’s charity work. Can you fetch two buckets for Auntie as well?”

The woman laughed, covering her mouth.

An Changlin agreed immediately, but then she changed her mind. After walking a bit further, she looked back at An Changlin and Li Tian’er, shaking her head with a complex expression.

Everyone thought the village secretary would marry his eldest daughter, Li Taohua, to An Changlin, but no one guessed correctly. The village secretary’s eldest daughter was married to the fragile bookworm Chen Yun Chao.

Fan Lihua had taken the eldest son to visit their Fourth Aunt’s house. Chen Haichao, after eating, didn’t stay still and disappeared again. With no one home and no one around, An Changlin carried two buckets straight into the Chen family’s kitchen.

The sound of water flowing into the vat filled the room, just shy of the rim.

Seeing An Changlin’s clothes wet in front of her, Li Tian’er brought over a towel. He refused it, but when she pressed it into his hand, he suddenly grasped her hand.

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