Chapter 30: Her little mouth was like it had been coated in honey, so sweet

Chapter 30: Her Little Mouth is as Sweet as Honey

Earlier, everyone had seen with their own eyes the fourth child of the Lu family and his wife bringing food to Shen Meng and the children. How could it be that after only one day, they stopped bringing food, leaving a sick person and four children to go out searching for food to stave off hunger?

Liu Sanjin stomped her feet in fury, pointing a trembling finger at Shen Meng.

"You're talking nonsense! You, eldest daughter-in-law, you are simply a wicked seed! Dr. Lu said you couldn't even get out of bed for months at a time, yet you suddenly managed to run all the way to the county town? Such a long distance, and you just went like that? When you moved back home, the grain was divided, and the production team also gave fine grain and eggs. How could you let Mingyang and Mingliang go out to catch fish to eat? You're full of lies! Do you have no conscience?"

When Shen Meng moved house, Lu Debang and Zhang Hongfa hadn't just come to the door with gifts themselves; they had also sent family members to visit with goods. Many people knew this, and everyone knew Liu Sanjin's character over the years; she wasn't the type to mistreat a daughter-in-law.

"Mother, everyone within ten miles knows Dr. Lu's medical skills; there is certainly nothing to dispute there. When my health was poor, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it all at once, so I asked him to make it sound more serious to you beforehand so you could be mentally prepared. Otherwise, when the village chief and others came, I wouldn't have been able to settle my affairs. Zhenping wasn't home, and if the children lost their mother, I had to make arrangements for them in advance. Yesterday, I received a letter from Zhenping; I don't know if it was a final surge of strength or what, but I felt exceptionally energetic, so I took the chance to go to the county town. The journey back made my head ache terribly, and as soon as I got home, I collapsed onto the bed. We do have some grain at home, but I couldn't bear to eat it. If I pass away and Mingyang and the others don't learn how to take care of themselves, I'll be climbing out of my grave to cry."

Liu Sanjin: "..."

*Look at you, acting so shameless! The kids have grown this much, when have they ever relied on you!!!*

"Oh, Mother, did you come here just to scold me? I thought... *cough, cough, cough*... I thought you came to see the children and me. Didn't I have Jinghao bring you the pension money Zhenping sent? And the vermicelli and mushrooms from Yunnan? Mingyang even brought some to you when he went out!"

"Nonsense! I didn't see Mingyang at all when I came. Shen Meng, those things were sent by my son; they were originally meant for the two of us old folks. And you won't even show me the letter Zhenping wrote—what kind of heart do you have? Just because we were a little late with the food, you dared to let the children go to the river to catch fish in the middle of the night? Is this how a mother behaves?"

Shen Meng swayed unsteadily, almost leaning against the doorframe as she endured Liu Sanjin's lecture. The onlookers felt their hearts racing, fearing that one harsh word from Liu Sanjin might drive Shen Meng to her death.

"Third Aunt, Third Aunt, please calm down! There's no need to speak like this to family!"

"That's right, Auntie. You're usually so kind; seeing you this angry is quite frightening. Zhenping is your son; he must be very worried about you. Xiao Meng, go get the letter so your mother can see it."

"Go on, Xiao Meng, hurry up. Don't let your mother-in-law get worked up; she's just missing her son. Can you do it? If not, let Mingfang do it. Hey, Uncle, go see if Mingyang and Mingliang are by the river. The auntie is right; it's almost dark, and it's a bit dangerous."

...

Watching Liu Sanjin's stiff face, Shen Meng felt a slight sneer in her heart. *Go ahead, keep up your persona. Now look at you—you can't even throw a tantrum properly. You'll die of anger, old woman!*

"Mingyang and Mingliang went with Yongjun to take a bath. They'll be fine. Mother, wait for me, I'll go get the letter right now."

Shen Meng turned around and stumbled toward the courtyard. This time, the people who had just been mediating felt uneasy. Her body was in such a state, yet they were still forcing her to go back and get a letter. Any reasonable person would have told her to go back and rest.

Now it was perfect—stuck at such a moment, she couldn't even leave if she wanted to.

A short while later, Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang, looking like little mud monkeys and carrying a small grass carp, walked home happily. From a distance, they saw a crowd standing at the doorstep.

"Grandma, why are you here? What happened?"

Liu Sanjin, having received glares from others, acted very affectionate upon seeing Lu Mingyang. She pulled him into her arms, pushing Lu Mingliang back a couple of steps.

"My sweet grandson, my dear grandson! You are truly bold! If you were hungry, why didn't you think to come to Grandma? You just listen to your mother and dare to go to the river at night. What if something happened to you?"

As she spoke, she looked Lu Mingyang up and down.

"Grandma, I'm fine. Mingliang and I were with Uncle Yongjun. Uncle Yongjun even shared two fish with us!" Lu Mingyang's voice was full of joy as he spoke. Ever since he received the things Shen Meng bought today, his mood had been excellent.

For several days now, his mother had been doing quite well. He only wanted her to stay this way forever; he desperately hoped she would never revert to how she used to be.

Lu Yongjun gave a silly laugh. "We were just going to take a bath, and we happened to catch these fish. Hehe, Third Aunt, your two grandsons are truly filial. They care about their mother and wanted to catch some fish to help her nourish her body. Well, it's getting late, I'm heading home now."

The neighbors, who had been standing there awkwardly, saw Lu Yongjun grab his bucket and leave. They didn't care why there were so many people or what had happened; they just made an excuse and left. While they were critical, they were secretly envious; a man who didn't care about social niceties truly lived a life without worries.

"Mingyang, your mother said you and Mingliang already gave Grandma a bag of the vermicelli and mushrooms your father sent. Is that true?"

"No, Grandma..."

Liu Sanjin's eyes lit up, and she said with her chin held high, "I knew it! How could she be so kind as to give me things my son sent? If she were truly willing, she wouldn't be hiding Zhenping's letter and the remittance slips. Bring them all out so this old woman can see! For all these years, I've treated her like my own daughter, yet she's constantly on guard against me, as if I'd steal from her. I really..."

"That's not it, Grandma! Those things weren't sent by Dad; they are specialties from Yunnan sent by the uncles in the army. Many times before, it was the army uncles who sent them. Dad's regular allowance isn't much, but doesn't Mom always give you the pension money first? And the food coupons, cloth coupons, and kerosene coupons? Grandma, you always say life is hard and tell Mom to think of the family; she treats you like her own mother too! Whenever there's anything good, she thinks of you first!"

Lu Mingliang's heart raced, but he tried his best to remain calm. He didn't know about the other things, but regarding the items sent by his father and the uncles, their family kept as much as they could—those all belonged to the first branch of the family.

Holding the letter, Shen Meng listened to Lu Mingliang's words and thought, *Good heavens.* As expected of someone who would be able to resell imported goods in the future; his mind had been sharp since childhood. His little mouth was as sweet as honey.