Chapter 40: An Unexpected Incident
Everyone present was stunned, including Zhu Yanyi. She never expected Gan Juhua to actually attack her. While she knew Gan Juhua would be angry, no one could have predicted that she would splash food onto a five-year-old child.
Xie Xinlian hurriedly scooped Zhu Yanyi into her arms, checking her body for injuries. Although the fish was no longer scalding hot, it still retained some warmth. With a child’s delicate skin, Xie Xinlian worried she might have been burned. Fortunately, Zhu Yanyi was wearing a cotton-padded jacket, which protected her from the heat, though the jacket was now clearly ruined.
Zhu Shunyao stood up, walked over, and took Zhu Yanyi from Xie Xinlian’s embrace. She patted her back, concerned that she might be frightened, and then glanced at Gan Juhua. “Mother, if you didn’t want us to come eat, you could have just said so. There was no need to humiliate us like this.” After speaking, she turned to Xie Xinlian. “Take An’nan, and let’s go home.”
Xie Xinlian nodded. Leading Zhu Yanli, she followed Zhu Shunyao, who was carrying Zhu Yanyi, back home. Although Zhu Yanyi knew that in her previous life, they had parted on bad terms, she hadn’t expected that this life’s conflict would be triggered by her own actions. Still, it wasn’t a bad outcome. It was better to go home directly than to let her parents continue to suffer indignities.
Back at home, Xie Xinlian wiped Zhu Yanyi down and changed his clothes before tucking her into the bed, letting her sit up in the blankets. She then took the soiled cotton jacket outside to soak it, planning to wash it later. Seeing this, Zhu Shunyao said, “It looks like it’s going to snow soon, and the path by the river will be slippery. Don’t go out; I’ll wash it in a bit.”
Xie Xinlian didn’t bother being polite with Zhu Shunyao. She agreed, set the soaking clothes aside, and sat down by the bed. Reaching out, she touched Zhu Yanyi’s forehead, worried she might be traumatized. “Was An’ni scared?”
Zhu Yanyi shook her head slightly. “No.” However, her little face looked a bit unhappy. “Mother, did I say something wrong?”
“No, our An’ni didn’t say a single wrong thing today.” Before Xie Xinlian could answer, Zhu Shunyao, who was boiling water on the electric stove, spoke up.
“Then why was Grandmother so angry?” Zhu Yanyi asked. Don’t blame her for using a bit of cunning; since her grandmother didn’t like her, she could just as easily choose not to like her grandmother back.
Zhu Yanli spoke up from the side. “Because Grandmother doesn’t like us.” Ten-year-old Zhu Yanli was already sensible and understood the family dynamics clearly. “An’ni, remember this: Grandmother only likes Nanhong from Second Uncle’s house. She doesn’t like us.”
“An’nan, don’t talk nonsense,” Xie Xinlian scolded Zhu Yanli quickly, worried her husband might get angry hearing such words.
Zhu Yanli pursed her lips. “Mother, I’m not wrong. Grandmother doesn’t like us. When An’ni fell into the water and got sick, Grandmother didn’t even ask about it. But a few days ago, when Nanhong coughed twice, Grandmother bought her canned fruit. I saw it. Grandmother held Nanhong and went into the room, even closing the door, afraid I’d try to eat some.”
Xie Xinlian wanted to say something but ultimately didn’t know what to say. Her mother-in-law’s favoritism wasn’t a one-time occurrence; this was merely a minor incident. She remembered being separated from the main household the day after her wedding. They claimed it was “dividing assets but not the family,” yet all Xie Xinlian and Zhu Shunyao received besides this thatched hut was a large side-plate pot. This pot had been discarded by the cafeteria and given to them. It was suitable for a family of twenty or thirty people, but for just the two of them, it was completely impractical. Xie Xinlian recalled that when she first married in, she had no idea how to measure rice for such a huge pot. A handful of rice disappeared to the bottom, invisible, so she kept adding more. As a result, one pot of rice lasted them a week of cold meals. Winter was manageable, but in summer, the rice would spoil. Because of this, the first thing Xie Xinlian did with her salary was buy a proper pot.