"But..." Gu Jinhua had wanted her son to go at once, but facing her father-in-law's stern expression, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Go back to work. What kind of example are you setting, running off in the middle of your shift? Do you want everyone to think you're acting so high and mighty just because you're coasting on my influence?"
Liu Donghai's dissatisfaction with his daughter-in-law was nothing new. It was bad enough that her family couldn't offer his own any support, but they also came with a mountain of messy problems. Moreover, while his daughter-in-law was obedient to his face, she would immediately start feigning compliance, bullying others with his authority, and slacking off the moment his back was turned. Out of respect for him, most people at the supply and marketing cooperative were furious but didn't dare to say anything. Honestly, he now deeply regretted arranging for her to work under him.
"Oh, I understand." Gu Jinhua lowered her head. The intimidating aura emanating from her father-in-law crushed any thought of rebuttal. She could only bow her head in agreement, though she was secretly cursing him in her heart. 'Old coot.'
"Grandpa—" Liu Yixiang tugged on Liu Donghai's sleeve, a look of anxious pleading on her face.
"Go on, then. But don't watch for too long. You'll strain your eyes."
Satisfied by Gu Jinhua's compliance, Liu Donghai retracted his intimidating presence. He looked down at his granddaughter, his expression softening into affection as he patted her head. He absolutely adored this granddaughter, who looked so much like his own mother—he loved her to his very bones, even more than he doted on his grandson.
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa!" Liu Yixiang's face lit up. She chirped her thanks, not forgetting to shoot Gu Jinhua a triumphant glance before scampering back to the television. She flipped the switch, and the theme song for *Jigong* once again filled the room.
Gu Jinhua gritted her teeth. Seizing a moment when her father-in-law wasn't looking, she shot Liu Yixiang a vicious glare and cursed under her breath, "You little brat." Liu Yixiang just made a face back at her, completely unbothered by her mother's anger.
'Truthfully, she didn't like her mother one bit. She always felt that her mom played favorites, that she only had eyes for her older brother. But she couldn't care less. After all, Grandpa was the head of the household, and he just so happened to dote on her the most. Hmph. It didn't matter if her own mother didn't love her. As long as she had Grandpa's affection, that was more than enough.'
'Gu Jinhua was so furious she could grind her teeth, but she knew there was nothing she could do about her daughter. Take this errand, for example. She could have easily sent her daughter. It was only a half-hour walk, and she was already eleven years old! When Gu Jinhua was that age, she was already working in the fields. How could her daughter be so pampered?'
Unfortunately, she knew her father-in-law would never agree to it. Besides, with her grandfather backing her, her daughter often paid her no mind at all. As furious as she was, she had no choice but to obey her father-in-law and head toward the supply and marketing cooperative. No matter how resentful she felt, she didn't have the courage to openly defy him.
As she walked, Gu Jinhua's thoughts turned to her older brother in the hospital. The uncertainty of his condition made her increasingly anxious. She scanned her surroundings, hoping to run into an acquaintance who could deliver a message for her, but the road was practically deserted.
The nameless fire in her heart blazed ever stronger.
'That old coot was so heartless. All he cared about was power. It was bad enough that his word was law at the supply and marketing cooperative, but he acted the same way at home. He clearly heard there was trouble with my family but completely ignored it. All he cared about was me leaving work and what people might say; he didn't even bother to feign concern by asking a question or two about my brother.'
'And that wretched girl was just as cold-blooded as her grandfather. She heard her uncle was in the hospital and didn't even offer to run over to her grandma's house to let her know what happened—'
'So ungrateful. Her grandmother doted on her for nothing. Every time Yixiang visited my family's home with me, wasn't she treated almost as well as her brother? If I'd known she would grow up to be like this, I never should have given birth to her.'
"Mom, how come you're home from work so early?" Gu Jinhua was lost in her thoughts when her eldest son's voice snapped her out of it. Looking up, she saw him, Liu Cong, standing a short distance away, holding a large aluminum lunchbox.
Beside him, her mother-in-law held a net bag filled with several heads of napa cabbage. A fully-laden basket, covered by a cloth, was looped over one arm, and in that same hand, she carried a grass carp that looked to weigh at least seven or eight pounds.
'We're having fish today?'
Gu Jinhua's eyes lit up at the thought of the fish's fresh, tender flavor. It had been quite some time since she'd tasted fish; she recalled the last time was over half a month ago, during a visit to her parents. She couldn't believe her mother-in-law had been so generous as to buy such a huge fish. Pigs must be flying.
'She couldn't help but gulp. The thought that she wouldn't be home for lunch was depressing. That wretched old woman was sneaking good food while she was away. Still, given how stingy her mother-in-law was—usually buying only a sliver of meat or finger-sized fish—surely at least half of this one would be left for dinner, right?'
Her gaze lingered on the fish for a few more moments before she finally turned to her son. "Not yet. Your uncle's in the hospital. That heartless woman, Zhang Minhua, picked this very moment to abandon him and take that good-for-nothing daughter of hers back to her family. Your poor uncle is all alone in the hospital with no one to look after him, and I have to get back to work. We need to tell your grandmother as soon as possible. I rushed back home to ask you to run over and tell her, so she can go to the hospital and take care of him."
"...I have to go all the way to Grandma's? ...Alright, I guess." Liu Cong hesitated, put off by the long walk. But then he remembered that there were always delicious treats waiting for him at his maternal grandmother's house, so he reluctantly nodded. "I'll go after lunch."
He couldn't bear to miss out on the feast his grandma had bought for the day. Even if his other grandmother had good food, it could never compare to what this grandma had bought. He much preferred to stay home for lunch.
'His grandma had said that Grandpa got a bonus yesterday, so she had taken him out for a special trip. Not only did she treat him to big meat wontons, but she also bought all of his favorite vegetables, to say nothing of the meat. He knew for a fact that besides the fish, her basket also held a large cut of pork belly and some ribs. On the way home, his grandma had promised him a real feast for lunch to satisfy his cravings. They would have red-braised pork, red-braised fish, and fried ribs, all served with a big pot of steamed white rice—the most delicious combination imaginable.'
'Then for dinner, she would save his favorite part, the fish head, and make a big pot of fish head soup with pickled greens. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about getting too stuffed at lunch to enjoy the fish head later. It was all part of a healthy eating philosophy.'
Liu Cong gulped.
'His grandma's own grandfather had supposedly been a famous doctor of national renown, and having been influenced since childhood, she placed great importance on healthy living. She often told him that having a good appetite was a blessing, but that didn't mean you should just stuff yourself silly. You had to at least understand the basics of eating well.'