Chapter 10: The Truth, You Shouldn’t Believe Her Words Anymore!

**Chapter 10: The Truth—Stop Trusting Her Lies!**

In her previous life, Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t yet seen the male lead’s family make an appearance. She only saw Luo Cuihong writing to him asking for money before she fell asleep. The story might have taken a turn later.

To avoid future misunderstandings, Su Xiaoxiao decided to disregard the script and follow her instincts.

But everything had gone too smoothly today, leaving Su Xiaoxiao feeling uneasy. She wanted to test things further. “Mom, I plan to buy Tuan Tuan some clothes in a few days, but most store-bought ones don’t fit well. Could you help adjust them for him?”

Her father-in-law couldn’t help but interject, “Store-bought clothes cost too much. Buy fabric and sew them instead.”

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “All the fabric ration coupons I saved in the first half of the year were used up by my mother for Liu Chen’s dowry.”

Luo Cuihong didn’t have extra fabric coupons either. “Get one outfit for now. When we save more coupons, we can get fabric and sew more.”

They agreed that easily? Su Xiaoxiao decided to go home and gather some old clothes. Later, she’d bring them along with Tuan Tuan’s new clothes and ask her mother-in-law to turn the old ones into cotton shoes for him.

Tuan Tuan, restless in his mother’s arms, fussed, “Mommy, I need to pee!”

“You just want to play,” Su Xiaoxiao pinched his little cheek. “You went before we left.”

The child pushed her hand away and squirmed free, dashing outside.

Lao Zhang instinctively stood up and called out, “Tuan Tuan, slow down! Watch the threshold!”

Seeing this, Su Xiaoxiao was absolutely certain her frugal father-in-law truly cared for Tuan Tuan.

Suddenly, it occurred to her—perhaps her in-laws’ criticism stemmed from her blind devotion to family. Liu Dajun was despicable, yet instead of cutting ties, she gave him money—Zhang Huaimin’s salary, no less.

In the past, when her in-laws asked her for money, they must have done so on purpose—to save it for Tuan Tuan, believing she couldn’t be relied upon as a mother.

To confirm this, Su Xiaoxiao said, “Having this much cash on me feels risky. I want to deposit it at the post office now.”

Without hesitation, Luo Cuihong replied, “Sure, go ahead.” Then, remembering Su Xiaoxiao had mentioned lacking necessities at home, she added, “If there’s anything else you need to do, go ahead. We’ll watch Tuan Tuan.”

Luo Cuihong’s expression suggested the money rightfully belonged to Su Xiaoxiao, and it was only natural for her to hurry and deposit it.

Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself, *What kind of situation is this?*

She’d expected a fight, but here they were, agreeing easily.

She was also grateful she had chosen to try diplomacy first, rather than act rashly. “Then I’ll go now.”

Tuan Tuan, who had been crouching in the yard playing with a tabby cat, immediately stood up. “Mommy!”

“Stay with Grandma. I have something to take care of,” Su Xiaoxiao said.

The boy sulked and clung to her hand, trying to climb into her arms. Su Xiaoxiao had no choice but to pick him up.

Tuan Tuan’s grandfather, Lao Zhang, asked, “What else is there to do?”

Worried someone might overhear, Luo Cuihong whispered, “Depositing money.”

Lao Zhang immediately said, “Then you should go with her. The post office isn’t close—what if she’s robbed on the way?”

Su Xiaoxiao guessed her father-in-law meant the post office where she worked. Her coworkers all knew her mother had transferred two thousand to her. If she brought her mother-in-law along and a colleague remarked, “Your mom and mother-in-law are so good to you—just gave you two thousand, and now another thousand,” how could she possibly explain that?

Su Xiaoxiao quickly asked, “Is there a post office nearby?”

Lao Zhang said without thinking, "Yeah, there's one ahead. It's just a short walk. You depositing here?"

Since the money came from her mother-in-law, Su Xiaoxiao turned to Luo Cuihong, "I'm afraid my coworkers might talk trash in front of Liu Chen."

Lao Zhang shrugged, "Then just don’t let them know."

Luo Cuihong shot her husband a glare, "You losing it? You gotta go to the post office to deposit money—the clerks all know Liu Chen. How could we hide it?"

It clicked for Lao Zhang, "Right, deposit it here. You don't know where it is—let your mom take you."

Luo Cuihong glanced at the sun; it was after ten. Any more delays and they might bump into their second son and daughter-in-law coming home from work.

Luo Cuihong wasn’t worried about them knowing—she’d already told the second son’s family that this money was for Tuan Tuan and no one else could touch it. But a thousand yuan wasn’t a small sum. Even if they pinched pennies for three years, the second son’s family couldn’t save that much. Even if they understood, they'd still have hard feelings. If the second daughter-in-law went back to her parents and brought it up, and her family got to gossiping, they might push to divide the family before year's end.

Less drama this way.

Luo Cuihong took off ahead.

After leaving the post office, Luo Cuihong saw some folks around her age heading toward the school. She told Su Xiaoxiao and Tuan Tuan to go home first while she went to pick up her eldest granddaughter.

Luo Cuihong and Lao Zhang seemed clearly more switched-on than Liu Dajun and Su Xiaoxiao’s mother. Su Xiaoxiao worried that if they spent too much time together, they might notice something. Since she needed to buy rice and flour anyway, she simply said, "Tuan Tuan and I should get going. Liu Chen came by yesterday—I’m worried she might show up again today."

"What would she come back for?" Luo Cuihong asked.

Su Xiaoxiao replied, "She said Tuan Tuan is too young for kindergarten, so she offered to work another year for me and go halves on the pay. Next year, when my mom retires, she’ll take over the job and give it back to me."

Luo Cuihong opened her mouth, then bit back the words “you think she’s treating you like a fool.” Instead, she said, "As if. Everyone knows what she’s really after."

Tuan Tuan nodded in agreement.

Luo Cuihong laughed, "You understand?"

Tuan Tuan said in his childish voice, "Of course. Auntie doesn’t take her medicine when she’s sick."

Luo Cuihong looked confused.

Su Xiaoxiao held back a giggle, "I told Tuan Tuan she’s off her rocker."

"No kidding," Luo Cuihong said bluntly, now that her daughter-in-law had seen through her own family. "Don’t believe a word she says!"

Su Xiaoxiao replied, "Won’t. We'll get going now."

"Go on. Be careful out there." Luo Cuihong remembered something and added, "If the post office gets too busy, just bring Tuan Tuan over. You can pick him up after work."

Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected this nice bonus. "’kay. You be careful too—it’s almost quitting time, and the roads will be busy."

Luo Cuihong waved, signaling not to worry.

Su Xiaoxiao turned to the child in her arms, "This grandma’s nicer, right?"

Tuan Tuan, suspecting his mom wanted him to wait at his grandparents’ house, shook his head firmly. "I don’t want to go to Grandma’s house."

"Which grandma?" Su Xiaoxiao wondered if he meant her own mother.

Tuan Tuan pointed at the back of her walking away.

Su Xiaoxiao paused, puzzled. "Why not?"

"I’ll help Mom at work!"

Su Xiaoxiao laughed. "Okay, I'll have Tuan Tuan help Mommy at work later."

Tuan Tuan happily hugged Su Xiaoxiao’s neck: "Mommy, I can do anything!"

Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself, *The only thing you're good at is eating!*

"Tuan Tuan is so amazing," Su Xiaoxiao said half-heartedly. The child didn’t notice and bounced excitedly in her arms, nearly making her drop him. "Su Tuantuan, do you want to walk by yourself?!"

The little one instantly turned obedient, tilting his head and grinning at her with an adorably silly grin.

Seeing the bus approach, Su Xiaoxiao took out twenty cents and sat at the very back. "Tuan Tuan, are you hungry?"

Tuan Tuan was hungry: "Mommy, I want noodles."

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t feel like eating. There were no eggs or meat at home, so they could only make noodles with just greens.

There was still half a crock of lard in the kitchen. Su Xiaoxiao decided to go to the market to check for lotus root, and if there were onions, she’d buy some too.

Only after arriving at the market did Su Xiaoxiao remember she’d forgotten to bring a cloth bag. She planned to buy two sections of lotus root and take them home when Auntie Zhao walked over with her basket.

Su Xiaoxiao asked casually, "Didn’t you buy groceries this morning?"

Auntie Zhao nodded, "We've got our own in the yard. No need to buy. But we have guests today, so I’m getting a fish to make soup. What are you buying?"

Su Xiaoxiao: "I'll just get two sections of lotus root, two pounds of potatoes, and two onions."

"How do you cook the onions? Stir-fry them with eggs?"

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head, "No eggs left—Chen Xue got to them all. I’ll stir-fry the onions with potato slices; gives it more flavor than plain potatoes. If Tuan Tuan doesn’t like it, I’ll steam the potatoes, mash them, and mix in diced onions."

Auntie Zhao couldn’t imagine it, "What's that supposed to taste like?"

"Better than plain boiled potatoes," Su Xiaoxiao said smoothly. "I forgot my bag—could you help me carry these?"

Auntie Zhao: "Save me a taste when you make it. If it’s good, I’ll start steaming mine too—saves on oil and fuel."

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and set Tuan Tuan down. Tuan Tuan tugged at her hand, pointing at the pork stall. Su Xiaoxiao shook her head, "We’ll go to a restaurant in a couple of days."

The child immediately remembered the big meat buns he’d eaten the past few mornings and stopped begging for pork.

Auntie Zhao asked, "Out of meat coupons too?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded, "Have to wait till next month."

Auntie Zhao almost swore at Liu Dajun and his wife for being so awful. But seeing the crowd around them, and knowing Su Xiaoxiao wouldn’t want family matters aired in public, she just said, "At least you have a salary to eat out. Otherwise, nothing but pickles and gruel every day, wotou with cold water—you might endure it, but Xiao Tuantuan couldn’t."

Su Xiaoxiao: "That’s exactly why I moved out from my parents’ place—I was afraid Tuan Tuan wouldn’t be able to take it. Otherwise, even ten pounds of meat a month would just end up in Chen Xue’s stomach."

"Exactly. Chen Xue’s carrying the Liu family's golden grandson. Tuan Tuan’s surnamed Su." Auntie Zhao said without thinking, then remembered how close Su Xiaoxiao used to be with her parents. She quickly checked Su Xiaoxiao’s expression and was relieved to see her nod slightly. "Things will get better from now on."

Su Xiaoxiao crouched down, "Auntie Zhao, this lotus root's nice and fresh—want two sections too? I think stir-fried lotus root with lard tastes better than fish soup."

Auntie Zhao had lard at home. Imagining how nice hot-and-sour lotus root would look on the table, she picked two sections as well. Then she and Su Xiaoxiao bought two pounds of potatoes and one pound of onions. She couldn’t bring herself to buy a big fish, settling instead for a small one-pound crucian carp.

Auntie Zhao had two sons and several grandchildren, plus guests—one small fish wouldn't go far with so many mouths. Su Xiaoxiao thought this but didn’t say it out loud.

As if sensing her own stinginess, Auntie Zhao volunteered as she took the fish: her youngest daughter was stuck in the countryside after being sent down, and she sent her money every three months.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t mean to nose into her business but worried Auntie Zhao’s kindness might not be getting through: "Does the money actually reach her?"

Auntie Zhao had once shared that concern. "She's in the Northeast, where there’s plenty of grain and vegetables—better than in the city and no need to spend money on ’em. It’s just that she doesn’t have any cash."

"The Northeast sounds nice," Su Xiaoxiao smiled.

Auntie Zhao nodded. "Two years ago when she came back to visit, she brought us two big fish, a large bag of mushrooms and wood-ear fungus, and even two wild ginseng roots for me and her dad."

"Mom, what’s wild ginseng?"

The child suddenly asked. Su Xiaoxiao was momentarily caught off guard. Auntie Zhao chuckled. "It’s medicine. Want some, Tuan Tuan?"

Tuan Tuan shook his head in fear.

Su Xiaoxiao reached out toward Auntie Zhao. "Let me carry it for a bit."

"Watch Tuan Tuan," Auntie Zhao declined, then noticed a long line forming at a nearby stall. "They still got eggs at noon?"

A neighbor rushing toward the line stopped short. "Just arrived. Said they got ’em from the supply and marketing co-op."

Auntie Zhao suddenly remembered something and grabbed the neighbor. "Where’d the co-op get the eggs?"

The neighbor replied, "Sounds like they gathered ’em themselves."

"Ain’t that the purchasing station’s job? Doesn’t the co-op usually get their goods delivered by assigned suppliers?"

The neighbor explained, "Apparently, the co-op’s truck was parked right outside the purchasing station gate. The station folks were nitpicking—saying eggs were too big or too small—so the co-op said they didn’t care, they’d buy by weight, no matter the size. The purchasing station thought the co-op was deliberately undermining them, not taking ’em seriously. The co-op told ’em to go complain if they dared, mocked ’em for putting on airs despite being small potatoes, bullying the poor and working folk, like they wanted people to starve. After getting slammed like that, the purchasing station didn’t dare cause trouble."

"The co-op’s that bold?" Auntie Zhao turned to Su Xiaoxiao. "Don’t seem that way."

Su Xiaoxiao nodded. "This morning I went to the co-op, and they sure didn’t look like they’d dare stand up to the purchasing station."

The neighbor added, "Our co-op head’s got no backbone—can’t count on him for anything. Other co-ops take the lead, and he just tags along picking up scraps. Better hurry before they’re gone."

Tuan Tuan loved eggs, and Su Xiaoxiao wanted to go too. "I’ve hit my ration limit."

"A pound per family."

Su Xiaoxiao and Auntie Zhao exchanged a glance and immediately followed.

After queuing for over ten minutes, Auntie Zhao now held two paper bags, each with a pound of eggs. Tuan Tuan looked at the eggs and said, "Mom, poached eggs!"

Auntie Zhao laughed. "Have your mom whip up poached eggs when we get home." Then, glancing at the fish in her hand, she sighed. "If I’d known we could get eggs, I wouldn’t have bought fish."

Su Xiaoxiao offered, "Give it to me. Tuan Tuan hasn’t had much lately—I’ll fatten him up right these days since I finally have time."

Auntie Zhao nodded, and Su Xiaoxiao handed her the money for the fish.

When they reached Su Xiaoxiao’s door, Auntie Zhao followed her inside. The fish was placed in a basin to keep fresh, while the potatoes, lotus roots, eggs, and onions went into the cupboard. Seeing rice and flour already there, Auntie Zhao remarked, "Your ma finally did right by you!"

Su Xiaoxiao was about to ask what she meant but followed her gaze and laughed. "I blocked her from grabbing it. Otherwise, nothing would’ve been left."

Auntie Zhao was shocked. "She—doesn’t care if you and Tuan Tuan starve?"

"I’m a Su, Tuan Tuan’s a Su. My dad’s a Liu—why’d he give a damn if we live or die?"

A phrase flashed through Auntie Zhao’s mind—"A married daughter’s like spilled water—gone for good." Liu Dajun didn’t care whether Su Xiaoxiao lived or died, but she was her mother’s own flesh and blood. "What about your mom?"

"A wife obeys her husband."

Auntie Zhao’s parents were born in feudal times, their minds stuck in the past, thinking sons mattered more than daughters, believing married girls weren’t theirs anymore. But even they wouldn’t let their own girl and grandson starve. Auntie Zhao marveled, "Who’d have thought?"

"My mother cares about her reputation, so she must be considerate and reasonable when she's with you," Su Xiaoxiao said. "Some people just like to show their best side to outsiders, while being harsh and ungrateful with their family, because family members won't dare argue with them."

Auntie Zhao's sister-in-law was exactly like that—she treated her children more kindly than her own, so she had no doubt about Su Xiaoxiao's words. "You've really come a long way. I should head home to cook now. Tuan Tuan, do you want to come over and play with your older brother and sister?"

Tuan Tuan looked at his mother, waiting for her response.

Su Xiaoxiao said, "I'm going to make some lotus root slices and a poached egg for you—it'll take a little while. How about I come find you once I'm done?"

"Don’t you need my help?" Tuan Tuan asked, looking up. "I can help with everything!"