Chapter 36: Failure – The Daily Life of a Sickly Young Aunt in the Compound, Watching the Drama Unfold

Chapter 36: Failure - The Daily Life of a Sickly Young Aunt in the Compound, Watching the Drama Unfold

When Qin Xianglian returned, the sky had already darkened.

"Why are you back so late?" Mother Su asked, holding back her anger.

"Mom, someone was willing to lend us money this afternoon!" Qin Xianglian said wearily.

"..."

Mother Su looked her up and down. She had walked in slowly, and she did seem a bit off, as if something had happened.

A wave of disgust rose in her heart, but she didn't show it. The family still relied on her to go out and earn money, despite her questionable behavior.

"Xianglian, you've really worked hard! If it weren't for Dazhuang's father... wailed..." Mother Su burst into tears as she spoke.

"Mom, I did this willingly. Please don't say that," Qin Xianglian said, moved by her mother-in-law's words.

"Good! You're such a good daughter-in-law. It's such a blessing for our Su family to have you!" Mother Su added more emphasis.

At this, Qin Xianglian felt that all the hardships she had endured were worth it!

"Mom, Mom, I want to eat meat!"

"Mom, Mom, I want to eat meat too!"

Su Dazhuang and Su Erzhuang came running over and surrounded Qin Xianglian. If Mother Su hadn't warned them earlier, they would have lost control the moment Qin Xianglian entered the house.

Mother Su saw this as the perfect opportunity. She had subtly managed to keep things under control, and now it was the right time to send her out to handle some matters.

When Qin Xianglian heard her sons clamoring for meat again, she felt a headache coming on. Where could she find meat for them?

"Grandma said we'd get meat when you came back. So where is it?"

"I want to eat meat. Where's the meat?"

The two children made a fuss.

Qin Xianglian felt sorry for them, but she really didn't have any meat. "I don't have any meat. Let's not eat it, okay?"

She had returned late, and the aroma of the meat that had been cooked earlier had already dissipated, so she didn't know why her two children were clamoring for meat.

So she looked at her mother-in-law with a puzzled expression.

Mother Su explained softly, "It's all because of that damned Lin Qing. She had to cook meat and make a big show of it, otherwise our Dazhuang and Erzhuang wouldn't be clamoring for meat."

When Mother Su said this, she didn't think about how the three families in the backyard were even less discreet when cooking. The smell of meat from the backyard was much stronger than from the front yard, but now she shifted the blame entirely onto Lin Qing.

After hearing this, Qin Xianglian also felt dissatisfied with Lin Qing, but, "But, Mom, I can't just conjure up meat!"

"Sigh, I originally planned to comfort Dazhuang and Erzhuang first, so I told them there would be meat when you came back," Mother Su said, sighing again. "If you had come back earlier, you could have found an opportunity to see if you could borrow some meat from Cen Gong." Mother Su's tone gradually became ambiguous.

"Mom!" Qin Xianglian thought of Cen Xi's handsome face and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

Mother Su suppressed the urge to curse in her heart and continued to sigh softly, "I thought of that, but I didn't expect you to come back late today. And that Cen Gong hasn't been seen alone since he got back. If you went directly to their house to borrow, you definitely wouldn't get any. His cold-hearted wife wouldn't give you any meat either."

Mother Su's words hit Qin Xianglian like a hammer, waking her up. Yes, that Lin Qing didn't seem like someone you could easily get along with!

"What should we do now?" Qin Xianglian looked at her two crying sons and suddenly felt at a loss.

Mother Su looked at her inept daughter-in-law, feeling exasperated, like wishing iron could turn into steel. What should we do? What should we do? Can't you think of something yourself? Why are you asking me what to do?

"Why don't you go see if the Zhou family has any meat?"

What else could Mother Su do? She had no choice but to send her to Zhou Qin. Who else could she turn to at this moment if not the eager helper?

"Alright, I'll go right away, I'll go right away."

"Mm, go ahead. I'll soothe Dazhuang and Erzhuang!"

"Oh, my dear grandsons, please don't fuss. Your mom will bring back some meat for you soon, so stop crying!"

"Really?" Dazhuang and Erzhuang stared at Mother Su with eager eyes.

"Really, really." But Mother Su was also worried that the Zhou family might not have any meat, so she added, "If there really isn't any, your mom will go buy some tomorrow. Oh, no, actually, your mom won't need to buy any tomorrow because we'll have meat anyway. Tomorrow is your Uncle Jiang's wedding feast, and they'll definitely have meat. You can eat your fill then!"

"Meat! Yes, I'm going to eat all of it!" Dazhuang declared with great enthusiasm.

Erzhuang followed his brother's lead, "I'm going to eat all of it too!"

"Alright, alright, you can eat it all, it's all for you!"

Just as Mother Su had calmed her grandsons down, Qin Xianglian returned, looking downcast and empty-handed.

"Nothing?"

Qin Xianglian shook her head.

Dazhuang and Erzhuang pouted, on the verge of crying again. Mother Su quickly said, "Dazhuang, Erzhuang, didn't you hear what I just said? There will definitely be meat tomorrow, and you can eat to your heart's content then. Don't cry. Go to sleep, and when you wake up tomorrow, there will be meat!"

Mother Su could only pin her hopes on the wedding feast that Jiang Yang was hosting the next day.

Qin Xianglian's face was bitter. She had just gone to the Zhou family, and while they did have meat, and Zhou Qin was willing to give her some, Old Man Zhou had blocked him.

Old Man Zhou still remembered the last time he had excitedly returned home, hoping to enjoy some meat with a drink, only to find that most of the meat had ended up in the Su family's mouths. All he got were a few shreds, barely enough to chew on. This had infuriated him for days.

Today, the beef he had brought home was something he had personally gone out of his way to obtain—half a pound of meat he had managed to get through connections. He had personally brought it back, personally cooked it, and even sealed the kitchen doors and windows to prevent the smell from leaking out, so the Zhou family wouldn't find out.

But just as the dish was served, Qin Xianglian showed up again. He wondered if she had a nose like a bloodhound, always showing up whenever they had meat.

Sure enough, as soon as she entered, Qin Xianglian swayed her hips and flirtatiously hinted to his son that her children were craving meat again.

His foolish son, as soon as she gave him the slightest hint, immediately caved in. If he hadn't intervened in time and chased Qin Xianglian out, he might not have gotten to eat any meat today either!

When Qin Xianglian was driven out, she was still in a daze. She hadn't expected to fail this time—this had never happened before.

But the Zhou family's door was already closed, and she had no choice but to return home empty-handed.

"You stupid brat, were you planning to give away my meat again?" Old Man Zhou was furious with his son.

"I..."

"Why do you always want to lick the widow's ass? Can't you find yourself a proper wife? Look at the Gu and Jiang families—those boys are around your age, and they're already on their second wives. What about you? You haven't even married once!"

At this rate, when would he ever get to hold a grandchild?

Speaking of marriage, Zhou Qin was also frustrated. Despite Mother Li's introductions, he had been on quite a few blind dates, but none had worked out. Now, with Jiang Yang hosting another banquet tomorrow, he was still single. Sigh~

Zhou Qin, feeling miserable, snatched his father's wine cup and downed it in one gulp.

"You..." Old Man Zhou, seeing his son's gloomy expression, grunted a couple of times and decided not to argue. He picked up another cup, poured himself some wine, and drank in silence.