Chapter 26: Child Bride, Opportunist

Chapter 26 The Fair-Weather Child Bride

"Since your father-in-law has spoken and asked you to move out, you really should move out," Great-Aunt Qin said, sitting in her rocking chair, trying to keep cool.

Great-Aunt Qin was the type of person who backed the winning side. Previously, she had indeed supported Sister-in-law Qin, but the situation had changed.

The Song family had been cleared. Their class status was no longer held against them—they were originally a prominent family with useful connections. Those connections could now be utilized again, and the Song family still possessed considerable wealth. Many things about them were a cut above the rest. Even their properties and assets, which had been confiscated, were now being returned by the state.

Why would Great-Aunt Qin risk offending Song Fenglan for Sister-in-law Qin's sake? "You've lived with your in-laws for so long—did you just start thinking of their house as yours?"

"I..." Sister-in-law Qin hadn’t expected Great-Aunt Qin to say this. She felt something was off. "Of course not! My husband is the eldest son, and since we’re in the capital, we’ve been the ones taking care of his parents."

"Can’t your in-laws manage? Can’t your mother-in-law cook for herself?" Great-Aunt Qin retorted. "Hasn’t she cooked plenty of meals for the two of you?"

"Great-Aunt..." Sister-in-law Qin grew increasingly uneasy.

"Go back and pack your things properly. Don’t wait for others to do it for you. If others pack for you, they won’t bother keeping everything neat." Great-Aunt Qin waved her off. "Off you go."

"Great-Aunt, can’t you put in a good word for me?" Sister-in-law Qin pleaded. "If we move out, who’ll care for them? Their health isn’t great. If they fall ill, no one will be around."

"You’re not leaving the capital. Same city—visit them!" Great-Aunt Qin said dismissively. "Do you have to live there to acknowledge them as your parents? If they kick you out, will you disown them?"

"That’s not—"

"If not, then go pack your things," Great-Aunt Qin interrupted. "If you’ve made a mistake, you must pay the price. If you don’t deal with it now, it won’t be so simple later. Do you think the Song family is easy to deal with? If they don’t hold you accountable, do you think no one else will?"

Great-Aunt Qin found Sister-in-law Qin pathetic. She was her niece-in-law, but so was Song Fenglan. Only a fool would side with Sister-in-law Qin now. If she went to the Qin household, she might say something—but what exactly, no one could predict.

With no support, Sister-in-law Qin returned to her parents' home since Great-Aunt Qin refused to help.

While Sister-in-law Qin was at her parents', Great-Aunt Qin went to the Qin household. She would never blame her own brother, so she blamed Qin’s mother instead.

"Don’t you know what kind of person your eldest son’s wife is?"

"She’s downright greedy."

"Eight chickens—your family ate two, she took five, and left just one for the woman recovering from childbirth."

"If she can take the chickens, she can take anything else."

"Is your health really so poor that you couldn’t go yourself?"

"Did it have to be her delivering things? Couldn’t you have gone? Couldn’t you have given more at once? But no, you had to send her—she’d pocket the difference!"

"Naive. Do you really think this is just about a few chickens?"

"If this continues, your eldest son will be ruined by her."

"She covets what belongs to her sister-in-law—she’ll covet things outside the family too. Don’t regret it later when your eldest son loses his job for taking bribes."

...

Great-Aunt Qin was just being wise after the fact. She had once firmly supported Qin’s parents in opposing Qin Yizhou’s marriage to Song Fenglan. Now, she was criticizing Sister-in-law Qin—all because the Song family had been cleared. Great-Aunt Qin followed her instincts: with their rehabilitation, the Song family was destined to rise, not decline. Sister-in-law Qin’s factory-worker family background was nothing next to theirs.

Sister-in-law Qin came from a factory-worker family, and her relatives were all small-minded, always scheming for the Qin family’s possessions.

"In front of me, your eldest son’s wife kept insisting that as the eldest son and his wife, your family’s belongings should go to them," Great-Aunt Qin said. "That’s a threat, plain and simple."

"Did she really say that?" Mrs. Qin asked.

"Of course, why would I lie to you?" Sister-in-law Qin said. "Ultimately, you share the blame in this matter. How could you not step in? If you had managed it earlier, kept an eye on things, or gone there yourself, none of this would have happened. Even if you had just handed the money directly to your younger daughter-in-law and let her handle things herself, it would have been better than giving it to your eldest son's wife."

Mrs. Qin's face darkened with displeasure.

"Your husband, a grown man, doesn’t have time to deal with these things. Couldn’t you have handled this better?" Sister-in-law Qin continued. "Now we’re stuck in this mess. Your younger daughter-in-law and your younger son must surely think you’re heartless, favoring the eldest son’s family. And what about your little grandson? Do you think he’ll side with you?"

Sister-in-law Qin analyzed the situation. "I don’t rely on your sons or daughters-in-law for my livelihood—I’m not afraid of them. I can say whatever needs to be said. If you want your eldest son’s family to move out, do it quickly, cut ties cleanly. The Song family has just returned to the capital. Moving fast will make our stance clear."

"Sigh... but won’t people think we’re afraid of the Song family?" Mrs. Qin said, still reluctant to let her eldest son’s family go, hoping her husband might change his mind and let them stay.

"Afraid?" Sister-in-law Qin scoffed. "Who would say that? If you’re worried about gossip, are you just going to let your eldest son and his wife run wild? If your younger son cuts you off, it’ll be your own fault. Kicking them out isn’t disowning them—your eldest son is still your son. If he dares to disown you, then he’s useless anyway."

Mrs. Qin knew deep down that Sister-in-law Qin might have done other things, but if the matter escalated, it would only bring shame to everyone.

The Song family didn’t go to the Qin household. Mrs. Song and the others felt Doctor Lin’s words made sense—there was no need for them to confront the Qins. Their rehabilitation wasn’t thanks to the Qins, and if they were to show kindness, it would be to Song Fenglan.

When Sister Song went out, she caught wind of gossip and reported back to Mrs. Song.

"Mom, they’re just pretending—probably waiting for us to go and plead with them," Sister Song said. "I heard they originally meant to give Fenglan six chickens for her postpartum care, but in the end, only one made it to her. The rest were taken by their eldest son’s wife."

Sister Song hadn’t met Song Fenglan yet, but she knew she was a good person. Though Fenglan had stayed in the city all these years, she hadn’t forgotten her rural family. After marrying Qin Yizhou, he had even arranged for Doctor Lin to help them.

Late at night, Sister Song often reflected on how much Fenglan must have sacrificed to ensure the Song family lived comfortably. She’d heard from her in-laws that Fenglan had once been a pampered, cherished girl, yet she endured so much alone in the capital.

"Outrageous!" Sister Song exclaimed. "A woman’s postpartum period is so crucial, and this is how they treat her? Is Fenglan’s mother-in-law really that clueless? Letting the eldest son’s wife handle everything—how careless can they be?"

"Sigh." Mrs. Song’s eyes reddened. "Fenglan never mentioned any of this."

"How could she know? She never spoke directly to her mother-in-law—everything went through that sister-in-law," Sister Song said. "They kept her in the dark, and she had no idea."

"I’ll call her later," Mrs. Song said.

"This conveniently surfaced now. How would outsiders know about it unless the Qins spread it themselves?" Sister Song said. "They’re scheming—clearly trying to send us a message."

Sister Song couldn’t help but think the Qins were every one of them a snake.

That evening, when Song Fenglan returned home, she got a call from Mrs. Song. Fenglan had eaten at the research institute, while Qin Yizhou came back to cook and take care of their child.

Mrs. Su had initially planned to make dinner and wanted Qin Zihang to eat with her, but Yizhou insisted on cooking to bond with his son. Mrs. Su dropped it but still prepared snacks in case Yizhou was late.

"That sister-in-law crossed a line!" Mrs. Song seethed.

"What’s wrong with her?" Fenglan asked, puzzled. "Isn’t she fine? You used to praise her."

"Not ours—your husband’s family’s," Mrs. Song clarified. "They say they meant to give you six chickens for postpartum care, but only one reached you. The rest were taken by Yizhou’s sister-in-law. If she could take the chickens, she could take anything else."

"..." Fenglan had no idea. She’d chalked it up to the Qins being cheap and disliking her.

"If our family hadn’t returned, this would’ve stayed buried," Mrs. Song said. "Your sister-in-law says the Qins did this deliberately to make a point to us."

"Possibly," Fenglan said. "Stay out of it. Let them handle it however they want."

"That’s all we can do," Mrs. Song said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "That’s their drama—we can’t interfere."

Mrs. Song’s heart broke for her daughter. No one could fault Qin Yizhou—without him, their family wouldn’t have survived the labor camp so well. Back then, his efforts to help them must’ve cost him an arm and a leg in connections and favors. Proving how far he went for them, many wouldn’t even touch such matters.

Qin Yizhou's uncle is also quite good; Mom Song has no issues with either Qin Yizhou or Doctor Lin.

"A family has its good and bad sides, but those are their own matters. What business is it of ours?" Mom Song said. "Whether they're putting on a show for us or not, let me ask you—*Me, call them back?*"

"Me, call them?" Song Fenglan thought about it and felt it would be pointless. "If I call them back to go over what they gave us and ask if they actually gave more, they won’t think better of me. Instead, they’ll just think I’m being petty, that I’ve kept track of every little thing."

Some things—if you don’t speak up, others think you’re easy to bully. If you do speak up, they think you’re petty.

Family drama is always messy and exhausting.

Song Fenglan doesn’t live with Qin Yizhou’s parents, so why should she bring this up now?

"They’ll think they’ve already dealt with Qin’s eldest brother’s wife, and if I say anything more, it’ll seem like I’m unhappy with the outcome," Song Fenglan said. "They settled it without so much as asking me. Doesn’t that mean they’ve already decided, and I just have to accept it? Once they’ve dealt with something, I can’t say anything else about it."

After a little thought, Song Fenglan understood the key point. She isn’t an elder, and she can’t overturn decisions made by the elders.

"This is as far as they’ll go—they won’t disown them, and they won’t make their eldest son and daughter-in-law compensate us," Song Fenglan said. "Even if there were compensation, it’d come from their own pockets."

After all, Qin Yizhou’s parents know exactly how much money Eldest Brother Qin and Sister-in-law Qin have. If Sister-in-law Qin really had enough, she wouldn’t have held onto those things for herself in the first place. Now that the items are already gone, there’s no way they’d force her to return them.

Mom Song and Dad Qin still expect their eldest son and daughter-in-law to support them in old age, and they still care about their grandchildren. There’s no way they’d come down on Sister-in-law Qin to give anything back. Coming down on her means coming down on their eldest son and his children.

"Mom, don’t worry, I’m not upset," Song Fenglan said. "Even so, I won’t think of them as particularly kind."

"As long as you understand," Mom Song nodded. "Is Yizhou nearby?"

"He’s giving the child a bath," Song Fenglan said. "He’s been coming home earlier lately, not staying at the military base all evening."

"That’s good," Mom Song said. "Zi Hang is his son too—he should take care of him more. That way, their father-son bond will grow stronger. Yizhou is Yizhou, and his parents are his parents. Yizhou has helped us a lot..."

"I’m not blaming him for it," Song Fenglan understood what her mother meant. "I know he’s put in effort. If he were really that bad, I’d have left him by now."

"Every family’s got their issues—nothing ever goes perfectly smoothly," Mom Song said, worried her daughter might dwell on it too much. "You don’t live with them, so don’t dwell on it."

"I know," Song Fenglan said. "Mom, don’t worry. Now that you’re back in the capital, go get a checkup and take good care of yourselves."

"Yizhou’s uncle already examined us," Mom Song said. "He suggested we go to the hospital for some tests since we spent so many years on the farm. We weren’t laborers from the start—our bodies might have some issues."

"Are there any problems?" Song Fenglan tensed.

"No, his checkup didn’t show anything serious," Mom Song said. "Don’t worry, we’re fine. Now that we’re back in the city, things’ll look up."

"Good," Song Fenglan said.

After Mom and Song Fenglan hung up, Qin Yizhou finished bathing Qin Zihang. He’d just washed his hair, and Qin Yizhou handed him a dry towel to dry it further.

"Mom, help me dry it," Qin Zihang said, handing the towel to his mom.

"Come here," Song Fenglan took the towel and began drying her son’s hair.

"Mom, were you just on the phone?" Qin Zihang asked. "Who was it? Auntie?"

"No, I was talking to Grandma," Song Fenglan said. "She asked about you, Hangbao. She adores you—next time we visit, she’ll cook up a storm for you. Grandma’s cooking is even better than mine. She can make all kinds of tasty dishes and even make them look beautiful."

"Grandma’s really that good?" Qin Zihang marveled.

"Yes, Grandma is really good at cooking," Song Fenglan said. "I picked it up from her. She’s the best! You haven’t even met her!"

"Are we gonna see Grandma?" Qin Zihang asked. "Is she coming to us?"

"We're not going back now; we'll go when we have time later." Song Fenglan wasn't about to go back to the capital at this moment. She had just joined the research institute not long ago and had recently taken on important responsibilities. She had no business being anywhere else right now and needed to focus on her work steadily.

If Song Fenglan were to leave now, others would surely try to persuade her. She understood the priorities and continued drying her son's hair.

After a while, Qin Zihang went off to play nearby.

Qin Yizhou hadn’t washed his or Qin Zihang’s clothes yet—children’s clothes should be washed separately from adults’. After washing and hanging the laundry, he entered the living room.

"Your parents want your eldest brother and sister-in-law to move out," Song Fenglan said. "My mom called about it. Did your parents call you?"

"They did," Qin Yizhou replied. "They brought it up on the call, but probably didn't tell the whole story."

Song Fenglan filled him in briefly, and Qin Yizhou frowned upon hearing it.

"That's too much!" Qin Yizhou balled his hands into fists. His mother's call had sugarcoated it, leaving out many details—nothing as clear as what Mother Song and Song Fenglan had described.

Earlier, Doctor Lin hadn't told Qin Yizhou about these matters, believing that Qin Yizhou, who was often on missions, shouldn't be distracted. At the time, discussing it wouldn't have been useful. Now that the Song family had been rehabilitated, bringing it up made more sense. Mainly, Doctor Lin hadn't known about Sister-in-law Qin's greed until Qin's mother mentioned some things.

Even Doctor Lin couldn't believe his ears—how could someone be so greedy? Taking one chicken out of six might be understandable, but five? Not even a fox would be that shameless.

Hearing Qin Yizhou's raised and intense voice, Qin Zihang fell onto the floor, startled.

"Don't scare the child," Song Fenglan scooped him up right away, not letting him sit on the ground.

"Mom," Qin Zihang said in a small voice.

"Daddy wasn't mad at you or Mommy," Song Fenglan reassured him.

"Right, Daddy wasn't talking about you," Qin Yizhou quickly hugged Qin Zihang, patting his back gently. "Nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not scared," Qin Zihang said quickly, though he glanced at his mother—he was still a little afraid.

To avoid frightening the child, Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou stopped stirring the pot. It could wait until Qin Zihang fell asleep.

By nine o'clock, Qin Zihang was asleep. Qin Yizhou carried him to bed, got him settled, and closed the door before returning to the living room.

"What do you think?" Song Fenglan asked.

"Mom and Dad just told them to move out yesterday," Qin Yizhou said. "Kicking up a fuss now feels calculated."

"Yes, my mom said the same," Song Fenglan agreed. "We weren't there with your parents..."

"We have work and other things to handle," Qin Yizhou said. "They've always treated you like you weren't good enough. Going there would've been walking into their trap—why bother? Now, with this happening, my brother hasn't even called. He probably doesn't think it's a big deal."

Qin Yizhou thought about his brother's earlier attitude—how he'd held Song Fenglan's family history against her and believed she would affect the family. Eldest Brother Qin only cared about his own career, afraid others would hinder him. He was a self-serving elitist, unwilling to apologize to his younger brother. Eldest Brother Qin likely planned to wait until Qin Yizhou returned to the capital to discuss things properly.

Over the phone, many things couldn't be explained clearly—it was better to talk face-to-face.

"You shouldn't have had to put up with this," Qin Yizhou said, relieved he hadn't routed money through his mother to pass on to Song Fenglan.

Years ago, Qin's mother had suggested Qin Yizhou route money through her first, so she could give it to Song Fenglan. Qin Yizhou refused—if it was for his wife, he'd give it directly. He knew his mother disliked Song Fenglan. If he'd sent money through her, she'd likely have let Sister-in-law Qin handle it, making him part of their scheme to disrespect his wife.

"They're not my parents, so I never had high hopes for them," Song Fenglan said. "I'm not losing sleep over it."

"..." Qin Yizhou's heart ached.

He resented his parents, but what good did that do? His mother's health wasn't great, and his father couldn't be bothered. He hadn't been there for his wife—the guilt was on him.

"Are you okay?" Song Fenglan asked.

"A bit," Qin Yizhou replied, slapping himself hard twice. Song Fenglan grabbed his hand.

"What are you doing?" Song Fenglan stopped him.

"I didn't realize," Qin Yizhou said.

"My mom told me not to blame you," Song Fenglan said. "She said you did your best. You can't do everything, and we can't have it all."

"Not doing well enough means not doing well enough," Qin Yizhou gripped Song Fenglan’s hand tightly. "I put you through so much. Now, it's still because of your own efforts that my parents were rehabilitated and able to return."

Qin Yizhou felt powerless. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t match Song Fenglan.

"Don’t overthink it. They're truly grateful," Song Fenglan said.

"Mom." Qin Zihang had been asleep for a while. He opened his eyes and didn’t see his mother, so he got up from bed to look for her.

"Mom’s here," Song Fenglan watched as her son rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep. "Come on, let’s go back to bed."

Qin's wife stayed at her parents’ home for two days and didn’t go to her in-laws’. She thought that if she didn’t go, the family wouldn’t have to move out.

The reality was that while Qin's wife wasn’t home, Qin's eldest brother was. He packed up and moved out directly. His parents had made their decision—he couldn’t refuse to pack, nor could he expect them to do it for him.

Qin's eldest brother thought that after some time, his parents might let them move back in. He didn’t want to call Qin Yizhou now, believing his mother’s call was enough. Why embarrass himself again? If he spoke to his brother, he wouldn’t know what to say—it wasn’t like he had told his wife to do those things. She did it herself.

What happened in the capital wouldn’t affect things in Nancheng. Song Fenglan and her husband wouldn’t deliberately spread the news here—after all, it was a family scandal. Dirty laundry shouldn’t be aired in public, and no one wanted others to know too much.

Qin's wife never expected Qin's eldest brother to move out so quickly. It was a nice three-bedroom apartment. She stormed in, furious when she saw their belongings piled in the living room.

"Couldn’t you wait a little longer? Moving out so fast?!" Qin's wife was livid. "Give it a few days, I—"

"You went to your parents’ home, but that didn’t solve anything," Qin's eldest brother said. "Do you really want everyone to know about the mess you made?"

"I—" Qin's wife had planned to wait a few days and then have her family confront the Qins.

Yes, confront them. She believed the Qins favored Song Fenglan, and now that the Song family had been rehabilitated, they'd favor her even more.

"Our earnings still go toward the household," Qin's wife said. "We’re the ones taking care of your parents. They play favorites—"

"Enough. Just pack up," Qin's eldest brother cut her off. He didn’t want to hear about favoritism—they both knew who their parents favored.

Qin's eldest brother thought his parents were now giving the Song family an explanation. Logically, the Songs should have come to the Qin household to ask his parents not to make their eldest son move out—but they didn’t. Since the Songs didn’t follow the script, Qin's eldest brother had no choice but to leave, at least to show the Songs his parents’ resolve.

"Your parents are really something. Are they afraid of the Songs?" Qin's wife gritted her teeth. "And your aunt—I asked her to help persuade your parents to let me stay. But she didn’t side with us at all."

"How much of the money your parents gave to your sister-in-law did you actually pocket?" Qin's eldest brother asked.

"I—how could I remember?" Qin's wife said. "That went toward the family, on the kids. It wasn’t all spent on me."

She had used the money to buy new clothes and cosmetics, and even sent some back to her own mother. But she couldn’t admit that—she could only claim it was spent on the Qin family.

Qin's eldest brother knew immediately that his wife had spent the money elsewhere.

"Your parents have money," Qin's wife said. "When I bore them their first grandson, I didn’t see them pulling out all the stops. But when your sister-in-law had a baby, they showered her with gifts."

"When you bore their first grandson, you had way more than six chickens," Qin's eldest brother said.

"I’m the eldest daughter-in-law," Qin's wife argued. "The eldest daughter-in-law always gets priority. They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease—it’s true. Your sister-in-law lives apart, kicks up a fuss, and gets more."

"Pack up our things." Eldest Brother Qin didn’t want to continue the conversation. Song Fenglan and her husband weren’t present, and saying those words would only make them seem ridiculous to others.

Sister-in-law Qin was unwilling but had no choice but to start packing. "This place is a lot smaller, and the rooms are cramped."

"Doesn’t matter if it’s big or small—we’re stuck here," Eldest Brother Qin said. "If you don’t want to, are you going back to your parents’ house?"

"Do you think I’m like Song Fenglan? Married but still living with my parents—wouldn’t that be a joke?" Sister-in-law Qin retorted. "Song Fenglan even stays at her aunt’s place. She’s shameless. I think she’s scheming. She doesn’t live with her in-laws, but she—"

Eldest Brother Qin walked into the room, refusing to listen to her. Sister-in-law Qin was upset. Why wouldn’t anyone let her finish? It didn’t matter—she’d make sure her kids never forgot the humiliation of today.

Shi Guilan’s cousin Li Hui had gotten married, also to a soldier, and moved into the family housing compound. Li Hui and her husband lived in a communal apartment, not a bungalow.

This meant one fewer spot for those who had previously applied to move into the communal apartments.

The thought made them furious. Shi Guilan had earlier claimed that Song Fenglan wanted to live in a communal apartment, that she and her husband were cutting in line to take a spot. But in the end, it was Shi Guilan’s cousin who had cut in line.

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful.

Shi Guilan and her cousin were both no good, someone angrily remarked outside.

"I actually thought they were decent—makes me sick."

"You were a fool to believe her."

"People are selfish—they only think of themselves."

"They hog all the good stuff—why would they share?"

…

Li Hui didn’t care what others said about her. Of course, she wanted to live somewhere nice. Who’d pick a dump when they could live somewhere better? She wasn’t a fool. Li Hui didn’t want to live in a bungalow or be too close to Song Fenglan.

The communal apartment had two tiny rooms, but everyone wanted one.

Shi Guilan visited Li Hui and looked out the window.

"This place isn’t bad," Shi Guilan said. "Much better than a bungalow. Sure, they’ve got more space and a yard, but they’re damp and musty. Not as good as an apartment."

"Only two rooms, though." Li Hui wanted something bigger, but since she and her husband didn’t have children yet, two rooms were enough. The authorities wouldn’t assign them a larger place unless they moved into a bungalow.

"Make do for now," Shi Guilan said. "When you have more kids, you can apply for a bigger place."

"I’ll apply later," Li Hui nodded.

"Where’s your husband?" Shi Guilan asked.

"Out," Li Hui replied. "He won’t be back till late."

Li Hui’s husband had pursued her before. She hadn’t been into him at first—she thought he was plain, even kinda ugly. Li Hui had wanted a handsome husband with a high-ranking position, but such men were already married.

After a string of matchmaking dates, Li Hui finally ended up with her current husband.

But her happiness didn’t last long. A woman arrived at the compound, claiming she was Li Hui’s husband’s betrothed.

It turned out the woman was Guo Peng’s childhood betrothal. Guo Peng didn’t like her—she was hardworking but plain. He had his eye on Li Hui from the performance troupe. Guo Peng believed this was a new era—childhood betrothals were outdated relics that shouldn’t matter anymore.

While Song Fenglan was relaxing in her courtyard, Auntie Fatty was spinning the tale with gusto about that childhood betrothal.

"That child bride is loud," said Auntie Fatty. "Her mother-in-law sent her to marry her husband."

"But isn't her husband already married? Didn’t he call or send a telegram home before marrying?" Song Fenglan was shocked.

"No idea," Auntie Fatty replied. "Anyway, she’s here now. It’s not just me who heard—many people did. Who knows what they’ll do? She traveled all this way to get married, only to find out her fiancé is already married to someone else."

"What’s a child bride?" Qin Zihang, who was playing with the puppy, overheard Auntie Fatty talking to his mom and came closer. "Is a child bride edible? Is it a flower or grass?"

"A child bride is a person, not something to eat, and neither a flower nor grass," Song Fenglan explained.

"Do we have a child bride at home?" Qin Zihang asked again.

"No," Song Fenglan said, annoyed.

"Do we have to take care of someone?" Qin Zihang continued.

"No, if we take care of one, you’ll go hungry, and so will the puppy," Song Fenglan teased him.

"No, no, I won’t take care of a child bride," Qin Zihang quickly waved his hands.

"You goofball, a child bride is a wife," Zhang Xiaohu chimed in. "A wife you share a bed with."

"Is my mom my child bride?" Qin Zihang didn’t understand—he shared a bed with his mom.

"Didn’t I tell you we don’t have one?" Song Fenglan was almost amused by her son’s words. "Go on, play."

"Oh," Qin Zihang said.

"Auntie, are you going to get the puppy a child bride?" Zhang Xiaohu’s eyes sparkled with an idea. "Will you? Will you?"

"Zhang Xiaohu, you’re pushing your luck!" Auntie Fatty scolded.

"I’m asking Auntie, not you, Mom," Zhang Xiaohu retorted. "If we get the puppy a child bride, we’ll have two dogs."

Zhang Xiaohu thought his idea was brilliant—if they had two puppies, he and Zihang could each have one.

"One dog’s plenty," Song Fenglan said.

"Wouldn’t one dog be lonely?" Zhang Xiaohu asked. "We could get another one so they can play together."

"Stop dreaming," Auntie Fatty said. "You’re just angling for another dog. If we get one, it’ll be for our home, not your auntie’s."

"Can we really get one?" Zhang Xiaohu was excited.

"Yes, yes, yes. Let your dad bring home a puppy for you. You’re hopeless," Auntie Fatty sighed. Her youngest was always scheming ways to get a dog.

"Yes!" Zhang Xiaohu cheered, jumping up and turned to Qin Zihang. "Zihang, did you hear? Did you hear? We’re getting a puppy too! I’ll have my own dog!"

"Get one," Qin Zihang said. "Puppies are good. Fu Wangwang’s very good, just like me."

Song Fenglan laughed as her son praised the dog—and himself in the same breath.

"Now, where were we?" Auntie Fatty turned back to Song Fenglan.

"Mom, Dad’s back," Zhang Xiaohu interrupted again. "Mom, let’s go find Dad now, right now—"

"Even if we find your dad now, he won’t bring home a puppy today," Auntie Fatty said. "Play now, ask him later."

"Mom, you’re not tricking me, right?" Zhang Xiaohu eyed his mother suspiciously.

"Your auntie is here, and Zi Hang is here too. They all heard," Auntie Fatty said, bending down to pinch her son's chubby cheeks. "I'm not lying to you. You're always begging for a dog, so we'll get you one."

Auntie Fatty didn’t want to keep a dog, but her youngest son loved them so much. Song Fenglan’s family only had one little dog, and seeing the hopeful look in her son’s eyes, Auntie Fatty thought they might as well raise one themselves. Worst case, if he gets bored with it later, they could just give the dog to someone else.

Kids lose interest fast—if adults don’t indulge them, the kids will keep pestering.

"Zi Hang, I’m going to have a dog!" Zhang Xiaohu exclaimed again.

Auntie Fatty shook her head helplessly. Fine, fine, they’d get one.

"By the way, that child bride is staying at the guesthouse now," Auntie Fatty said. "Before she came, I don’t know if she wrote a letter first. Maybe she wanted to surprise her fiancé by showing up unannounced. Did you write a letter before you came?"

"I did. I even waited several days before setting off," Song Fenglan replied. "I thought Yi Zhou had received the letter, but he was away on a mission and hadn’t had time to read it yet."

"Li Hui’s husband hasn’t been away on any missions recently," Auntie Fatty said. "People have seen them around—shopping at stores, tidying up the house. This is gonna be quite the drama. A child bride means they're as good as engaged."

"Let’s wait and see," Song Fenglan said. She wasn’t entirely sure how things would unfold, but this whole thing felt weirdly familiar, like something out of a novel. Many stories featured plots where a child bride sought out her betrothed, only to find he had married someone else, leaving her to marry someone else.

Song Fenglan’s eyelids twitched. She knew she'd transmigrated into a book, but wasn’t the protagonist supposed to be in the capital? Could this be part of a series?

"They live so close, right here in the residential compound. The slightest thing happens, everyone knows," Auntie Fatty remarked. "With something this big, they’ll have to handle it properly. Now that she’s here, they can't just kick her out right now. It won't be easy to resolve."

Song Fenglan stayed silent. Whether it was easy or not depended on Li Hui and her husband. Now that the girl was here, sending her back right away wasn’t realistic. Mess this up, and it'll cause trouble.

Meanwhile, Li Hui was furious. She was at Shi Guilan’s house, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"He actually had a child bride, and he never told me! Now I’ve been humiliated," Li Hui fumed. "People are saying I deliberately went after a married man, that I was meant to be some man's second choice."