Chapter 47: You Can Eat Sh*t

The two were scolded by their mother until they were utterly humiliated, unable to offer any rebuttal. Especially the sixth child, who kept her head down, staring at her toes, lost in thought.

Finally, the fifth child lowered her head, walked up to the fourth, and took her hand.

"Fourth Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"It's okay. As long as you understand Mom's feelings. It's just the three of us siblings in the family now; we need to stay united and help each other to lighten Mom's burden."

The fourth child reached out to ruffle the fifth's hair, offering a soft word of comfort, looking every bit the responsible older sister.

The little disturbance caused by the pork cracklings had passed, but knowing the fifth child as she did, Li Xiangqin knew this girl wasn't apologizing sincerely. She was merely reading the room, compromising because she didn't want to be scolded any longer.

By the time the braised noodles in the pot were perfectly steamed and ready to be served, the eldest son and his family arrived.

As soon as Zhang Yanli stepped into the house, she caught the scent. Glancing at her mother-in-law busy in the kitchen and thinking about the chaos she had dealt with lately, her expression immediately soured.

"The food at home is still the best; I could smell it from a mile away. Not like me—the kids are so rowdy I can't even get a decent meal in."

"If you can smell it from a mile away, do you have a bull's nose?" Li Xiangqin brought out a basin of braised noodles, glancing at the eldest's family and delivering a sharp, measured retort.

Zhang Yanli choked on her words. Looking at the glistening noodles, she rubbed her stomach. Had she known the old woman was making something delicious, they wouldn't have gone to a restaurant today; they had spent several yuan, and it still hurt her wallet.

Seeing her eldest brother's family arrive, the fourth child immediately brought out a few extra bowls.

"Don't bother working; they came here full. You're the only one overthinking things." Usually, when they saw good food, they didn't even need to ask; they just sat themselves down at the table.

Today, although they looked hungry, they didn't make a move to pick up their chopsticks. It was obvious they had eaten something better than what she had made.

Zhang Jianguo sat down in a nearby chair and gave a light chuckle.

"Mom, it's been a while since I've had your steamed braised noodles. I've really missed them. When we leave later, pack some for us; it'll make a perfect breakfast for tomorrow so we don't have to eat out."

"Yes, yes, yes! I wake up early every day to make breakfast for the kids, busy as a bee. I go to work every day with dark circles under my eyes, so exhausted my back can barely stay straight."

Zhang Yanli chimed in, taking the opportunity to rub her aching lower back.

Watching the couple's performance, Li Xiangqin didn't even blink; she simply sat down and started eating.

Zhang Leizi leaned in, peering at the noodles on the table, and smacked his lips.

"Grandma's cooking isn't as good as the restaurant's. Mom and Dad took us to the state-run restaurant today. We had a huge plate of braised pork; it was so fragrant!"

Seeing her son open his mouth, Zhang Yanli thought to herself, *Oh no.*

Before she could even try to stop him, her son blurted it all out in one breath. This brat really couldn't keep a secret; she had warned him on the way there, but it was completely useless.

Zhang Jianguo coughed, looking awkwardly at his mother. "The kids are so noisy and restless, it's really quite a headache, so I thought we'd treat them. When you're free later, Mom, I'll take you out to eat too."

"Is that so? Then let's make it tomorrow; it happens to be my day off." Li Xiangqin nodded immediately, without a hint of hesitation.

The eldest couple: "..."

Since when did the old lady become so thick-skinned? Wasn't she supposed to worry about how hard it was to earn money?

"Cough... Mom, you're joking. It was just that the grandkids were being so difficult that we had no choice but to take them for a little something. Jianguo and I didn't even have the heart to eat." Zhang Yanli explained awkwardly.

She was fuming inside. This old woman was so greedy. Was a state-run restaurant something one could just visit casually? It cost several yuan a trip; if they went a few more times, their entire month's salary would be gone.

"What nonsense are you talking about? If Mom wants braised pork, just take her to eat it. Mom has been living frugally all these years, worrying about us and the kids. She wouldn't even eat a little meat, saving it all for the children. It's only right that she wants some meat now."

Zhang Jianguo glared at his wife, pushed up his glasses, and smiled at Li Xiangqin.

Though Zhang Yanli was angry, she bit her lip and endured it. She still relied on the old woman to watch the kids; she couldn't afford to provoke her further.

"Fine. If you don't have the heart, don't make big promises, and don't use your words to insult me. I'm not blind or deaf. If a bit of meat scares you off, then you really are my wonderful son."

"Why are you angry? It's just a bit of meat. A son can certainly afford to show filial piety. Let's do it tomorrow; we'll all go to the restaurant together."

Zhang Jianguo made the final call, prompting Zhang Yanli to angrily pinch his arm.

Before she could salvage the situation, the fifth child suddenly stood up, her eyes bright as she looked at Zhang Jianguo.

"Big Brother is the best! Being a college student really makes a difference—high salary and so generous. Then we'll wait for you at the restaurant entrance tomorrow, and we'll all have a great meal together."

"Alright, meet at the state-run restaurant entrance." Caught in the middle of several staring eyes, Zhang Jianguo could only grit his teeth and agree. As long as he could appease his mother and get her to agree to watch the kids, one meal was a fair trade.

Zhang Yanli felt stifled; she shouldn't have come today.

"Yanli, what are you standing there for? Mom's finished eating. Hurry up and help clean up and wash the dishes."

Zhang Jianguo gave her a meaningful look. Zhang Yanli felt a surge of irritation; she hadn't even eaten, so why should she do the dishes? But seeing her mother-in-law's gaze, she stood up reluctantly.

The fourth child was about to speak up when Li Xiangqin stopped her with a look.

"You've been working all day and your clothes are dirty. Wash them quickly while there's still light out." Having just encouraged her to have some initiative, she immediately forgot it.

She was addicted to acting like a maid; once she started, there was no stopping her.

The eldest couple was typical—they never showed up without an ulterior motive. Living with them all these years, she knew exactly what they were up to. Since they wanted to play the part of the devoted family, why should she stop them?

Zhang Yanli stood in the kitchen washing up, her face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Just as she stacked the bowls, she turned and saw a large jar of oil. Her eyes lit up instantly. No wonder the house smelled so good; she was rendering oil. Thinking about the little oil they had left at home, she immediately began searching for an empty jar, planning to take half of it home to save herself from buying more.

"You're so slow even with washing dishes; clearly, you don't do much work." Li Xiangqin stood at the doorway, watching her rummaging through things, wondering what mischief she was up to.

"Mom, are there any spare jars at home? Let me take some oil back; we've just run out at our place."

Zhang Yanli spoke without thinking. In the past, whenever she asked for something from the house, her mother-in-law would have it ready for her.

Li Xiangqin's brow furrowed.

"You must be dreaming. I worked so hard to get meat coupons and bought two pounds of fat, and you want to turn around and take it? In your dreams!"

Zhang Yanli froze. Seeing her mother-in-law roll her eyes at her, her face flushed red. "Mom, what do you mean by that? Are you saying you don't want us to take any?"

"What else did you think?" Li Xiangqin looked at her mockingly and reached out to pull her out.