When Wang Pingping had just gotten married and moved in, she was extremely full of herself. She even egged her husband on to split from the family, saying that with the three brothers all tangled together under one roof, life was too uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable, my foot!
She just wanted to be in charge so she could openly support her family back home! Don’t think for a second that I didn’t know she was secretly cooking better meals for her younger brother.
Thought she could feast off the rich!
And that mother of hers, Li Chunjuan — both her daughters married well, and all she ever wanted was for them to help support their brother.
On this matter, Li Pozi (Wang Pingping’s mother-in-law) was a total double standard. If it were her own daughter supporting her natal family, she’d call it filial piety — the mark of a good girl. But if it were her daughter-in-law doing the same? Absolutely not.
Li Ying, munching on sunflower seeds, was the youngest in the family with three older brothers, so even Li Pozi, who clearly favored boys over girls, hadn’t been too harsh on her.
Li Pozi asked, “How are things going with Yuejin?”
Li Ying cracked a seed, “Still the same. He said he’ll come to our place after the New Year.”
Li Pozi beamed with joy. “That’s great, that’s great. Yuejin’s a chef — once you marry in, your days will be sweet.”
And the natal family would benefit too. A chef has access to so much food — he could feed the whole family till they were plump and still have leftovers.
Li Ying bragged loudly, “Yuejin said I can go eat at the restaurant tomorrow! I’ll bring you back a big pork knuckle!”
Just thinking about that glossy pork knuckle made Li Pozi swallow hard. Never mind that they lived in town — life wasn’t exactly comfortable. Too many mouths to feed. Among her three daughters-in-law, two were temps earning peanuts, and Wang Pingping didn’t work at all. Her sons’ combined salaries seemed like a lot, but with a few family expenses here and there, it all vanished. Every time she passed the state-run restaurant and caught a whiff of the food, it drove her wild with hunger.
But now things were looking up — her youngest daughter had found a chef. From now on, they wouldn’t just be smelling food outside the door!
Li Pozi advised her daughter, “Since he’s coming after New Year, ask Yuejin how much betrothal money his family can give. We can’t settle for anything less than 36 legs of meat! We won’t insist on the full ‘three rounds and one sound’ (translator’s note: a common phrase referring to a bicycle, a watch, a sewing machine, and a radio), but at least a bicycle and a radio.”
Li Ying patted her chest in assurance, “Of course! Once we’re engaged, I’ll get Yuejin to get me a job at the restaurant too.”
Li Pozi was thrilled. “Wait — what? Yuejin said he can get you a job?”
Li Ying had only graduated elementary school and had been sitting idle at home since. Her qualifications were lacking, and she wasn’t one for hard labor, so even temp jobs were hard to land.
She felt a twinge of guilt when her mom asked. In reality, she hadn’t told Yuejin the truth.
They met through a friend, and she had told him she was a formal worker at the thermos bottle factory. Every time they met during the last few months of dating, it was at the gate of the factory.
So Yuejin still didn’t know she didn’t actually have a job.
“Of course,” she said confidently, “After we’re married, he’s been a chef for years — getting me into the restaurant won’t be a problem.”
She had Li Pozi completely convinced.
“Wow, Yuejin’s really something!”
Li Ying continued, “He’s the head chef of the town restaurant — he’s the only one cooking there! If he leaves, the whole place is screwed. Of course he’s capable!”
This part wasn’t even a lie — that’s exactly what Yuejin had told her.
“He even said the higher-ups appreciate him. He might get transferred to the county seat!”
Li Pozi gasped, “To the county?”
Back then, getting into a county seat was no easy feat. She never imagined her daughter could randomly land such a catch.
“You have to hold onto him tightly. With a job like Yuejin’s, I bet plenty of floozies have their eyes on him… You know what? Forget asking for a dowry. If Yuejin has a good job, we won’t be picky about all that.”
A son-in-law who was a chef was worth far more than any dowry money.
Money could be spent and gone, but a chef son-in-law? The benefits would never end!
Li Ying felt her mother had a point. She wasn’t cut out for hard work — if she could snag a successful man, it was better than any job.
Speaking of which, she leaned in with a mysterious look to gossip: “You know my third sister-in-law’s little sister, right?”
Li Pozi remembered well. She had actually hesitated between the two Wang sisters back then but ultimately chose Wang Pingping, thinking Wang Lingling was too sly.
Li Ying said, “Well, I heard she found herself a man and married into a family as a stepmother!”
Li Pozi hadn’t heard this and quickly pressed for details.
Li Ying went on, “You remember when my brother got married? People were saying she was too shrewd. Doesn’t seem so smart now — she found some divorced soldier with two kids and insisted on marrying him, even fell out with her parents over it.”
This story wasn’t new — Wang Lingling’s scandal had already spread far and wide. Not just because she acted recklessly, but because the man she married wasn’t even a good match.
That Zhao family matriarch acted like a big shot, boasting about getting a first-time bride without paying a dime.
The more Li Pozi heard, the more she looked down on Wang Pingping.
Li Ying added, “I saw her the other day — looked pitiful, washing clothes by the river in the dead of winter.”
Li Pozi was shocked. “The river’s nearly frozen! She was washing clothes?”
Li Ying nodded, “What else? Heard her mother-in-law treats her badly too…”
Li Pozi chomped on her hot sunflower seeds, completely unaware that the window behind her had just shifted slightly.
Wang Pingping stood outside the room, feeling as though she had fallen into a frozen lake.
She couldn’t understand — how could her life keep getting worse?
What was Wang Lingling thinking! Marrying like that without a care — didn’t she realize it would drag her down too? It wasn’t just about her own misfortune. Now that her sister had married into that situation, wouldn’t all the in-laws start looking down on her as well?
Wang Pingping was deeply troubled.
On the other side, Wang Lingling wasn’t doing any better. She was also asking herself the same question—what had she been thinking when she decided to marry into this family?
Snow was falling from the sky, but Old Lady Zhao kept complaining about not having any tofu made at home, forcing Wang Lingling to grind soybeans outside in the freezing cold.
As the millstone turned round and round, Wang Lingling felt like her heart was no different from the soybeans. Life was like that giant stone—pressing her so hard she had nowhere to find peace.
Ever since she heard about Wang Ying on the bus, Wang Lingling knew things wouldn’t go smoothly for her. And indeed, her life hadn’t been going smoothly at all.
But when Old Lady Zhao tormented her, she did so completely unreasonably.
Recently, Wang Lingling had been doing most of the chores in and around the house. Yet Old Lady Zhao would still scold her right to her face, and the meals were just bland soups—no oil or meat in sight.
Wang Lingling had been enduring it, but she felt she was reaching her breaking point.
She had married into this family thinking she was getting two ready-made children, but she hadn’t expected to first have to pass the test of the mother-in-law!
This wasn’t the life she wanted!
As she pushed the grinding stone, Wang Lingling’s anger boiled. Why should she have to live like this?
She had come back to life through reincarnation—her life was supposed to be smooth and perfect.
Even if she had chosen Zhao Jun for the sake of future comfort, she had never intended to suffer in silence like some pitiful woman for eighteen years.
Wang Lingling dumped the basket on the ground. Her sister-in-law, who was watching over her, jumped in shock. “What are you going crazy for now?!”
Old Lady Zhao had not only made Wang Lingling do the work but also arranged for a sister-in-law to supervise her. The sister-in-law wasn’t thrilled about freezing either, but watching Wang Lingling work while she got to stand around felt like a fair deal.
Wang Lingling threw the basket, and the soaked soybeans spilled all over the ground.
“Just you wait! I’m going to talk to Mother right now!”
The sister-in-law looked gleeful at the drama and ran into the house.
Wang Lingling, feeling like she had nothing to lose, returned home empty-handed.
As she reached the door, she heard Old Lady Zhao’s booming voice: “How dare she! She dares to throw a tantrum at me?!”
Fueled by rage, Wang Lingling lunged and got into a scuffle with the tattling sister-in-law. The two of them ended up in a full-blown fight, with Old Lady Zhao pounding the table and stomping her feet.
By the time they were separated, Wang Lingling had a split lip, and the sister-in-law had a black eye.
“Are you insane?!”
Wang Lingling sneered, “Yeah, I am insane! And what are you gonna do about it? I’m telling you, if you don’t let me live in peace, then nobody in this house will! You want me to do laundry? I’ll throw your clothes in the latrine. You want me to cook? I’ll poison the food with rat poison. I’m not doing housework anymore! I’m only taking care of the two kids!”
Old Lady Zhao’s brows shot up. “You wouldn’t dare?!”
No one had ever defied her authority. All her daughters-in-law had been tamed under her rule.
Wang Lingling snapped, “Why wouldn’t I? Your son married me—legally! If you keep tormenting me, I’ll go report you for abuse!”
Old Lady Zhao clutched her chest and wailed, “Are you trying to kill me? Are you even human? Get out, get out—we don’t want a daughter-in-law like you in this family!”
Wang Lingling shouted back, “You want to kick me out? Fine! Try divorcing me then—this is a military marriage, let’s see you give it a shot!”
Old Lady Zhao hadn’t expected Wang Lingling to lash out like that. She had no idea what military marriage regulations were, so she thought Wang Lingling was bluffing. “You think you’re clever, huh? If you don’t do the chores, who will? What right do you have to stay here doing nothing? Just leave! My youngest son has plenty of girls lining up to marry him.”
In truth, Old Lady Zhao had been regretting her decision for days. She felt like marrying Wang Lingling had been a loss and wanted someone better—someone like Wang Ying. Now, she just spilled all her thoughts: “Look at you—you can’t even compare to Wang Ying’s little finger! I must’ve been blind to bring you into this house!”
Wang Lingling burned with rage. “If you think she’s so great, go find her then! Don’t say I didn’t warn you—she’s already married! Your son married me, and it was agreed from the start that I’d only be responsible for the two kids. Let’s see if Wang Ying is willing to come here and be a stepmother!”
Old Lady Zhao started screaming and threatening to lie down on the floor in protest. “You’re trying to kill me! You’re trying to kill me! Eldest! Second! Come beat her for me!”
Wang Lingling glared at them. “Try it! If you touch me, I’ll go straight to the militia, to your son’s military unit!”
That’s when Old Lady Zhao realized what kind of daughter-in-law she’d taken in. As soon as Wang Lingling exploded, Old Lady Zhao was so overwhelmed that she laid in bed for the rest of the day.
During that half-day, Wang Lingling didn’t lift a finger. She lay in bed thinking about the future.
The two children had said hurtful things, but how could she blame them? It was all because this big extended family was messing everything up—the kids were easily influenced by the other sisters-in-law.
As for Old Lady Zhao tormenting her—who did she think she was? Zhao Jun’s military pay was all sent home to support the whole family. Wang Lingling was his wife. By all rights, it should be the sisters-in-law waiting on her!
Wang Lingling thought and thought, and a single idea kept pushing to the surface.
Separate the household.
If she wanted a good life, she couldn’t continue living with this big, messy family.
A division of the household was the only way.
Once she had a plan, Wang Lingling got up from bed, grabbed some paper and pen, and began writing a letter to Zhao Jun.
She knew she needed Zhao Jun to make the final decision. But she didn’t think he’d disagree—his hard-earned money was being spent on everyone. How could he possibly be okay with that?
Wang Lingling carefully chose her words and wrote a long letter. She didn’t just talk about her own grievances, she also said how the two kids weren’t being treated right under Old Lady Zhao’s care—not even a single egg to eat!
Once the letter was finished, Wang Lingling made up her mind to go to town the next day and mail it.
This household had to be split!
As soon as the heavy snow fell, Xu Shuang fired up the heated brick bed at home. The warm kang made the room feel a lot less cold.
Old Lady Xu came over for lunch, telling Xu Shuang that she’d only come during the day for meals and would handle breakfast and dinner at home with something simple.
But even though she said “simple,” Xu Shuang didn’t want his mother to suffer. That afternoon, he steamed a big pot of buns and gave Old Lady Xu more than half. That way, with the buns ready and some pickled vegetables or sauces, plus a bowl of porridge, breakfast and dinner would be just fine.
As night fell early, Xu Shuang made a soup with yam paste and eggs, and served it with steamed buns and pickled vegetables for a warm dinner.
Just after finishing the meal, there was a sudden noise from next door.
After a few bangs, Wang Yaozong’s voice could be heard complaining, “It’s so cold! Quickly get the kang (heated bed) going, and get me a brazier!”
Li Chunjuan hurried to start a fire. She hadn’t been home for a few days, and the house was as cold as an ice cellar.
Next door, the kang was lit, and soon there was a lot of commotion as they started cooking. Suddenly, they heard Li Chunjuan let out a loud cry.
Wang Ying couldn’t help but laugh and whispered to Xu Shuang, “Don’t you think my aunt is like a screaming chicken?”
She always suddenly lets out a loud shout.
Xu Shuang didn’t know what a “screaming chicken” was, but immediately thought of a hen that cackles: “Yeah, she does sound like one.”
After her loud shout, Li Chunjuan went wild. “Where’s my meat? Where’s the meat I hung up in the kitchen?”
Li Chunjuan had been saving that meat for her son’s return. The pork they had received was divided in half—one half was used to make lard, and the other half was kept aside to make a spicy stir-fried pork dish when Wang Yaozong came home.
But now, the piece of meat that had been hanging in the kitchen had disappeared, and Li Chunjuan was beside herself.
Wang Yongshun looked around and quickly figured out what had happened. “Did you put a potty on your head? You actually left the meat out there! The cat must have taken it!”
There were wild cats in the village. These cats weren’t managed or controlled; they were only relied upon to catch mice. If every family had some stored food, it wouldn’t be good if the mice stole it.
However, the same wild cats also liked to sneak into the kitchen. If anything was left out improperly, it was easy for them to snatch it away.
Li Chunjuan was in a daze. She used to cook in Wang Ying’s kitchen, where the door was thick and the house was a bungalow. As long as the doors and windows were closed, no one could get in.
Now, having switched to her own kitchen, she had long forgotten the precaution she used to take by locking everything in a cupboard a few years ago.
“My meat!”
It was such a big piece—at least two pounds!
Wang Yongshun felt sorry too, but could he do anything about it?
First it was money, then it was meat—how come nothing ever went right for him?
“Stop crying! Hurry up and cook!”
I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.
