Chapter 376: Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Gossip – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

**Chapter 376: Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Share Gossip—Everyday Drama of the Delicate Younger Sister in the Courtyard**

Cen Xi mused aloud, “Another thing—this seems like something a lot of people know. So why hasn’t it become a big scandal? Doesn’t Staff Officer Sun have any enemies? Why didn’t anyone report him?”

Lin Qing thought for a moment, then hesitantly replied, “…Maybe it’s just been spreading behind closed doors, and the higher-ups don’t know about it.”

Mother Cen nodded. “If no one reports it, the authorities won’t investigate. If that company commander didn’t file a complaint, there’s no telling what would happen.”

Lin Qing nodded. “Right!”

Cen Xi used his sharp mind to think through the situation carefully. If no formal complaint had been filed, maybe they really couldn’t do much about her?

“But this time, she probably won’t get away with it so easily, right? They fought right out in the compound, and it got so serious that even the Women’s Federation cadres came to mediate. The impact was huge.”

Mother Cen, who had lived in the compound longer than them, nodded. “This time, it won’t be easy for her to dodge consequences. The woman who hit her isn’t someone you can mess with. She gave Staff Officer Sun’s wife a beating so bad her face was swollen beyond recognition. I doubt she’ll let it go so easily.”

“Yeah, her face was completely puffed up—you couldn’t even tell it was the same person who came to our house,” Lin Qing added.

Cen Xi hadn’t seen it himself—he’d been standing too far away. By the time the crowd dispersed, the two women had already been taken away by the Women’s Federation cadres.

“She deserved it. From what you’ve told me—honestly, she’s downright shameless.”

“Mm-hmm.” The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wholeheartedly agreed.

“I still don’t quite get it though. Why didn’t the other women confront her?” Lin Qing asked curiously. After all, apparently she’d successfully broken up several couples before—why hadn’t the other divorced women gone after her?

Mother Cen didn’t know either. Back in the day, she’d been a workaholic who never paid attention to gossip or neighborhood affairs.

Honestly, the amount of gossip she’d heard in the past couple days exceeded everything she’d heard in decades. Talk about drama!

Turns out where there are people, there’s drama!

She remembered how Lin Qing once said their little courtyard was just as lively as the compound. How did so much drama fit into such a small space?

Well, turns out the compound wasn’t the only place with secrets—there was plenty going on here too. It’s just that she’d never paid attention before. Thinking back now, she almost felt sorry—how many juicy stories had she missed?

After chatting for a while, Cen Xi went into the kitchen to prepare lunch when the gossip finally wound down.

Mother Cen and Lin Qing continued talking about their old compound—they hadn’t finished sharing all the gossip yet!

“Your place was always buzzing!”

“That’s true. Ever since my mom moved in with us…” Lin Qing glanced at Mother Cen nervously, worried she might take offense.

But Mother Cen noticed her hesitation immediately and gently patted her hand. “Having elders at home is a blessing! With your parents living together with you two, that makes three blessings. It actually puts me more at ease!”

Mother Cen had heard about her daughter-in-law’s family background and fully supported Lin Qing taking care of her parents.

Lin Qing’s parents had had her later in life. Most of their savings had gone toward raising their eldest son, and whatever was left had been spent on raising her. Since the eldest turned out unreliable, the only one they could count on was Lin Qing. That was exactly the kind of loyalty Mother Cen admired most.

Lin Qing smiled. “Yeah, ever since my parents moved in, Nan and I have had it much easier. We’ve even put on a few pounds!”

“Haha! I noticed he looked healthier when you came back this time.” As a mother, nothing made her happier than seeing her child well-fed and strong.

“He has filled out more than when they first got married. When he gets deep into research, he forgets to eat. Every time he buries himself in his work, I have to keep reminding him.”

Mother Cen patted her hand again. “You’re doing great. You have to remind him constantly—that stubborn streak of his won’t listen otherwise.”

“Mom, quit talking about me like that, will you?” Cen Xi suddenly poked his head out from the kitchen.

He sighed helplessly—did they forget the very guy they're talking about is right there in the kitchen?

Lin Qing and her mother-in-law both cracked up.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about him anymore."

"Fine! Let's get back to what we were talking about. After my parents moved in, they didn't even want to listen to the radio anymore."

"With all the daily drama going on, who needs the radio? Watching the show might even be more entertaining!" Ever since she heard the gossip from Lin Qing, she felt nothing could beat it for entertainment.

"*Mhm*, definitely!" Lin Qing nodded enthusiastically.

"Hey, didn’t you say yesterday that your toilet collapsed?"

"Yeah, it got crushed by the crowd."

"Tsk tsk, I’ve never seen—or even heard of—a toilet taking so much abuse."

"Mom, not just you—it was a first for me too! Never heard anything like it before. Back then, the whole town was buzzing, and people actually came from far and wide just to see that toilet!"

Cen’s mother tsked in disbelief—now *that’s* something!

"So, about that old bachelor in your compound and the widow—were they actually hooking up?"

Lin Qing hesitated, half-nodding before shaking her head. "Their relationship... it’s always been pretty shady. Who knows if they were really together? Nobody ever saw them red-handed, so it’s hard to say."

"His wife must’ve had it rough." Cen’s mother remembered the man eventually married.

Lin Qing wasn’t fond of Wang Qiaomei or sympathetic toward her. "Mom, don’t think that way. Those two? Two peas in a rotten pod—neither one’s any good."

"Huh? There’s more to it?"

"Yeah..." Lin Qing trailed off, struggling to explain.

She went on to tell how Wang Qiaomei had conspired with Wang Jiaojiao’s ex-boyfriend.

Cen’s mom was livid. "How could there be such disgusting people?"

"Mom, don’t blow a gasket. Neither of them ended up well—the guy got sent down to the countryside, and the woman ended up marrying an old bachelor who still had someone else on his mind."

"Good riddance!" Cen’s mother spat out bitterly.

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Cen Xi had dinner ready in no time. The three of them talked while eating, sticking to juicier gossip. Topics involving toilets or anything related were carefully avoided—no need to bring up such gross stuff at the table.