Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The two of them finished work early today, so Feng Yanwen returned home much sooner than usual.

Over the past few days, Feng Yanwen had tidied up the courtyard and, together with the three children, tilled the yard. Ever since the bribery with watermelons, the children had been exceptionally obedient—even the usually lazy second child had been running around helping. They had planted scallions, chives, and even some water spinach in recent days.

Looking at this small vegetable patch, Feng Yanwen felt deeply satisfied.

Since marrying into the city, she hadn’t lived such a fulfilling life in years.

Everyone envied those who could move to the city, but only she knew how hard it had been. The Xu family had ten members, and with so many mouths to feed, Granny Xue kept a tight rein on her sons, forbidding them from splitting the household. Aside from contributing part of their earnings to the family fund, each son also kept a personal stash.

Feng Yanwen used to have a job and her own small stash too.

But after she lost her job, Xu Jiefang refused to give her money. In recent years, even buying sanitary products meant having to ask him, hand outstretched. If she said the wrong thing, Xu Jiefang would snap at her. Her inability to bear children had become a wall they couldn’t get past.

What could Feng Yanwen do? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t brought up divorce before. But Xu Jiefang would hit the roof at the mere mention of it, as if she were insulting his ancestors. Truthfully, Feng Yanwen had no intention of returning to that life.

Out of the ten people in the Xu family, only she and Xu Meng actually did any work at home.

The old lady, now a mother-in-law, didn’t lift a finger.

The others all had jobs—they thought they were above it, so naturally, they didn’t do chores either. Xu Dawei, as the eldest grandson, didn’t have to lift a finger since studying was his primary duty. As for Xu Jia, she couldn’t even pour herself a drink—how could she be expected to work?

Only Feng Yanwen was left to shoulder all the chores—cooking, cleaning, laundry—all of it fell on her. With so many mouths to feed, even making dumplings meant kneading a mountain of dough. No one ever lifted a finger to help, but when it came time to eat, they’d complain about how slow she was. And still, they weren’t satisfied—they resented her for not earning money, for freeloading.

Like housework didn’t count. Like a housewife wasn’t a real person.

Now that Feng Yanwen had her own income, she had no intention of going back.

When the second child saw Xu Meng hurry into the house, he called out, “Sister!” But when she ignored him, he grumbled and whined to Feng Yanwen, “Auntie, Sister won’t even talk to me!”

Feng Yanwen, her hands and feet covered in dirt, glanced at Xu Meng’s retreating figure. Since she was already home, Feng Yanwen didn’t press further—children grew up, and asking too many questions would only annoy them. She just said to the boy, “Why do you always complain about your sister?”

The second child sniffed again but fetched the watering can for Feng Yanwen.

With the seeds planted, they also set up a large wooden bucket for storing water and a smaller one for peeing.

The second child was thrilled. “Now we don’t have to go to the public toilet to pee!”

Feng Yanwen instructed them to save their wash water too—since it was cleaner, they could use it to water the vegetables when they ran low.

By the time she went inside, Xu Meng had already gone to bed.

Feng Yanwen found it odd and pulled back the curtain.

Xu Meng had been sitting on the bed reading, not expecting her mother to walk in suddenly. Startled, she flinched, revealing the bruises on her wrist. Her fair skin made the bruises stand out, looking shocking.

“What happened to you?” Feng Yanwen approached.

She accidentally touched Xu Meng’s calf, making her hiss in pain.

Feng Yanwen quickly rolled up the pant leg and saw large patches of bruises. Areas with little soft tissue, like the knees and shins, showed bruises fast after even minor bumps.

“I just fell.”

“You expect me to believe that? What really happened? Did you run into some troublemakers?”

Xu Meng decided to tell the truth. “I ran into Xu Jiefang on my way home.”

Feng Yanwen: "Then why didn’t you say anything earlier?"

That whole family’s rotten. What good could come from going head-to-head with them?

Every time, Xu Jiefang just lays into her worse.

Xu Meng simply took out the ointment and applied it herself, saying nonchalantly, "He’s already been beaten up by someone else. And look—nothing serious came of it. It only hurt for a moment, didn’t even leave a mark. You shouldn’t go looking for him anymore."

She filled Feng Yanwen in on Granny Xue’s fall and hospital stay.

Feng Yanwen looked at the bruises on her child and felt her eyes burn.

"Not going back. Why would I? I’d sooner die than go back."

——————

After Feng Yanwen left, the Xu household wasn’t running as smoothly as before.

Granny Xue was still in the hospital on IV drips, needing daily care that had to be shared among the three sons.

Originally, they agreed to take turns, but apart from Xu Jiefang, both the eldest and second son’s families had both working parents. Taking care of an elderly woman meant taking time off work.

In theory, Xu Dawei and Xu Jia were free during summer break and old enough to handle things—they could have taken care of their grandmother. But who could get those two to budge? Not only did Xu Dawei refuse to do such dirty work, even Xu Jia pinched her nose and fled the room at the sight of the old woman—she couldn’t stand the sight of her.

Finally, when Granny Xue’s condition stabilized somewhat, the family gathered to discuss the matter.

Granny Xue launched into her usual spiel, reminiscing about the hardships of raising her sons and how she scraped by under her in-laws’ and husband’s thumbs. By the end, she even complained about her long-dead husband. All of it was meant to guilt-trip her sons into remembering a mother’s irreplaceable place in the home. She also stressed that despite being old, sick, and frail, she remained the family’s core.

Of course, she never mentioned how she lived like royalty since her 40s after her daughters-in-law married in, nor how she exploited their labor once becoming a mother-in-law.

Otherwise, how could someone as patient as Feng Yanwen have reached her breaking point?

Her rambling made Wang Meili frown.

Li Xiuzhi, one of the Eight Great Workers, cut in with bureaucratic flair: "Third Brother, you need to figure out how to get your wife back. How long’s she been gone now? Still out there, not coming home—what will people think? And she’s too spoiled. She’s the only one not earning money, yet she balks at her share of housework. What right does she have to complain? Is she even planning to come back? Don’t expect her to waltz back in once the coast is clear. I won’t welcome her then."

Li Xiuzhi always threw her weight around the most in the family.

No surprise there—she was one of the “Eight Great Workers” and had borne the family’s only son.

Perhaps too used to being superior, she couldn’t be bothered with Feng Yanwen.

Xu Jiefang stayed silent, not mentioning his run-in with Xu Meng the day before. But he suspected deep down that Feng Yanwen and her daughter were doing just fine on their own. They clearly had no intention of returning. Besides, he didn’t even know where they were now. Maybe he shouldn’t have hit her yesterday. Maybe he should’ve talked it through properly.

Old Xu was worried. He lit a cigarette and took several hard drags before finally looking up at Xu Jiefang.

Xu Jiefang was resentful too. Lately, he’d been left to his own devices—none of his sisters-in-law offered to wash his clothes. He knew full well how much Feng Yanwen had done for them when she was here. But without a child of his own, he always felt beneath others. He thought Feng Yanwen should’ve endured it too—whose fault is it she couldn’t pop out a kid?

Xu Meng was worse. A foster kid like her should’ve stayed in her lane.

Pulling her weight was the least she could do.

Not having kids already ate at him. Now his wife was gone. Who knows what people were whispering behind his back. Just thinking about it curdled Xu Jiefang’s gut. After Old Xu and the second brother glared at him for a while, he dug in his heels.

"I’ll make her come back and take care of Mom."

Suddenly, Granny Xue perked up like she’d been jabbed with a cattle prod, raising her voice sharply: "Pah! If she thinks she can just walk back in, it won’t be that easy. She’ll have to get on her knees, kowtow, and beg forgiveness first!"

Wang Meili had had enough: "Mom, if you’re angling to replace Jiefang’s wife, then keep fighting with her. But count me out. Work’s a nightmare, and we’ve got endless stuff to deal with at home. Do you really think we’ve got nothing better to do all day?"

Granny Xue huffed in frustration.

Most folks accept getting old and settle down, but not her.

Without a pension and now even the ability to care for herself, she still threw her weight around, bullying her daughters-in-law so badly they could barely breathe. Even during this period of illness, when she had to rely on her children and grandchildren to tend to her, she still barked orders—no one knew where she got the nerve.

"Tell her that as long as she behaves, Xu Meng can continue her studies," Granny Xue finally gave some ground. "But let me make this clear: if she ever acts up like this again, she can go pound sand. From now on, she must obey. This house runs by my rules—if I say something isn’t to be eaten, neither of them is allowed to touch it."

They called Feng Yanwen back to wait on them, not to give her a chance to live the good life.

She still wanted to have folks at her beck and call for a lifetime—how could she start disobeying so soon!

Wang Meili scoffed. "With her grades, another year of school is just a waste of money. She’s not even half as good as our Jiajia—dumb as a post. She didn’t inherit a shred of her parents’ cleverness."

And hundreds down the drain every year too.

Li Xiuzhi raised her voice. "If that's what she wants, let her study. Better than her resenting us for life. Does she think college is so easy to get into? Not everyone can pass the exams. Honestly, it’s Third Sister-in-law who spoiled her. She just got lucky back then, passing the college entrance exam. If we’d had the chance to study in advance, who’s to say we wouldn’t have made it too?"

She had always looked down on Feng Yanwen, that country girl, yet Feng Yanwen ended up getting into college.

Xu Jia usually made such a big deal at home that, by comparison, Xu Meng seemed plain as day. No one ever imagined Xu Meng could pass the college exams either. In Granny Xue’s eyes, at most, they’d support her for another year. Once she graduated, she could work, and in a few more years, she could marry. Whether it was her salary or the dowry later on, it would all contribute to the family. Raising her only for her to run away now would be money down the toilet.

As for Feng Yanwen, even if she couldn’t bear children, she was still good for something—she could do housework.

But Xu Jiefang wasn’t so optimistic. Judging by the girl’s attitude, she must be doing well outside. Would they really be willing to come back and submit to the old lady’s "management"?

"But I don’t know where she’s staying now," Xu Jiefang said guiltily.

"I do," Wang Meili said. "I’ve already looked into it."

These past few days, she had been hoping Feng Yanwen would return soon, so she’d asked around. It's a small town, and she quickly found out. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she continued, "Do you know where they’re staying now?"

Granny Xue dismissed it. "Where else could she be? She didn’t find herself another man, did she?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Old Xu and Xu Laoer exchanged sympathetic glances at Xu Jiefang.

It had to be admitted—Feng Yanwen was quite good-looking. Otherwise, Xu Jiefang wouldn’t have taken a liking to her at first sight and married her into the city. Over the years, Li Xiuzhi had gained weight, Wang Meili had grown haggard, but Feng Yanwen, who never had children, still maintained her youthful figure. One could easily believe she was only in her early thirties.

If not for her reputation of being infertile, a divorced Feng Yanwen could easily find a much better match.

But for Xu Jiefang to find someone with both a better temper and looks than Feng Yanwen? Good luck with that.