Chapter 25: Good Limbs Are No Match for a Silver Tongue

Seeing her head hanging low, Li Xiangqin felt an immense wave of irritation.

"Back at her maiden home, she was bossed around by her own mother like a donkey pulling a millstone, but once she moved here, she became all delicate and high-maintenance. What, is the feng shui in my house making her special?"

Zhao Meijuan choked on her words, her face flushing red, yet she found herself unable to argue.

"Mom, we're just having a nice meal, what are you doing?" The third son washed his hands, went to the kitchen to fetch some soup, and hurried over to bail his wife out.

"What am I doing? Are you blind? I just want to eat a peaceful meal without you people constantly getting on my nerves."

Li Xiangqin slammed her chopsticks down and made a direct announcement.

"Both the fourth and I have officially started working. Starting tomorrow, housework and cooking will be rotated between the fifth child and Meijuan—one day each. No one is allowed to slack off. As for the fixed quota of coal briquettes, grain, and oil, the sixth child will be in charge of running the errands."

Upon hearing that chores were being assigned to her, the fifth child immediately protested.

"Mom, I'm still a student! My academic pressure is already huge, and I have homework to write. How am I supposed to find time to do laundry and cook?"

"If you don't want to eat, you don't have to," Li Xiangqin said, not being polite in the slightest. This girl was cunning; she had often used this excuse to dodge her responsibilities.

"Then I want to swap with the sixth child." Queuing to haul coal and buy grain was much easier; it only happened about twice a month.

"As long as you aren't afraid of eating undercooked rice or getting your clothes dirty, I don't care," the sixth child said calmly, taking a sip of soup, much to the fifth child's annoyance.

Zhao Meijuan kept her head down, her brow furrowed. *She doesn't treat me like family, yet she still wants me to do the work. That old woman... she has a whole repertoire of ways to torment a daughter-in-law.*

Seeing his wife's unhappy expression, the third son reached out to touch her arm and whispered soothingly, "Don't worry, I'll help you when the time comes."

"Tsk, anyone who didn't know would think Third Brother married a pampered princess and carries her in the palm of his hand every day. I'm your biological sister, yet why don't I ever see you helping me?" The fifth child pouted, clearly unable to stand her sister-in-law.

In her opinion, the woman was just putting on an act. Everyone was eating together, and her appetite wasn't small, yet she acted so dainty every day. She couldn't tell if she was truly frail or just faking it.

"Even a meal isn't enough to shut your mouth; you're always meddling in things that don't concern you."

The third son glared at her, then habitually placed a piece of eggplant in his wife's bowl. "Try this, Mom's cooking is excellent."

"You eat too. You've been working hard all day and must have burned a lot of energy; if you don't eat your fill, you'll be hungry again in the middle of the night." Zhao Meijuan gave him a soft smile, urging him to eat quickly.

Then, the third son looked like he had fallen into a pot of honey, his face turning a sweet, rosy pink.

Li Xiangqin's lip twitched, and she quickly buried her head in her food. She couldn't bear to look at them.

After finishing a bowl of soup, Li Xiangqin had just set down her chopsticks when the fifth child immediately turned to Zhao Meijuan. "Sister-in-law, since you slept through until Mom finished cooking, the dishes should be your turn to wash, right?"

"...Even if you didn't say anything, I would do them on my own initiative."

Zhao Meijuan smiled gently and pushed the remaining food in her bowl toward the third son. "You eat more."

"Eww~, how disgusting. Aren't you afraid of getting saliva on it?"

The fifth child stood up with a look of pure loathing. "Why do you always make Third Brother eat your leftovers?"

Zhao Meijuan's face reddened. Before she could explain, the third son barked at the fourth child, "What do you know, you brat? This is called romance."

"Cough—what nonsense are you talking about?"

Zhao Meijuan slapped him with a blushing face, then looked at the fifth child awkwardly. "My appetite is small, and your brother always gives me his food. If I don't finish it, it would go to waste."

Watching the couple's mushy affection, Li Xiangqin subconsciously rubbed her arms.

She and the old man had been introduced by a matchmaker, and they had several children; she couldn't quite explain the nature of their relationship.

They were people who had lived through the hard years. Forget leftovers—they would have licked the bowls clean. Even the leftover dishwater used to feed pigs wouldn't make them gain weight.

Therefore, neither she nor the old man had ever eaten each other's leftovers... if they truly had, she thought she would have found it quite repulsive.

The third son and his wife were a product of free love; perhaps it was different from arranged marriages.

*Whatever, it's not me eating it. As long as it doesn't disgust me, it's fine.*

Li Xiangqin turned and went back to her room to prepare her work clothes. The weaving workshop was hot, so besides single layers, she wore white aprons to hold her tools.

In the living room, the third son was the last to finish eating, and he began clearing the dishes to wash them.

Zhao Meijuan followed behind him, looking at him gratefully. She spoke softly, "In this house, you are the only one who tolerates me without limit."

"Of course. You're my wife; it's only right that I cherish you," the third son replied with a chuckle, without even looking up.

"Tell me, what should I do if Mom always looks at me with disapproval? I've been trying so hard to integrate into this family, but everyone still rejects me. When you aren't home, I try my best to hide in my room so I don't get in their way... Do you think I'm doing something wrong? I can change."

As Zhao Meijuan spoke, she lowered her head, revealing her fair neck. Her long, elegant neck had always been a point of pride for her. As a woman, she knew that learning to show vulnerability would make a man more protective.

Sure enough, the moment the third son saw her like this, his heart ached. He hurriedly finished the dishes and pulled his wife back to their room.

He held her in his arms, patting her comfortingly.

"You're overthinking it. My mom works at the textile factory; she just has a loud voice. She's not a bad person. Especially when it comes to food—look, when has she ever shortchanged us?"

Hearing this, Zhao Meijuan's body stiffened. Was Zhao Jianshe implying his mother was stingy with the cooking?

"Don't try to brush me off with sweet words. Your mother simply dislikes me. She clearly bought a whole bag of fabric and made clothes for the fourth and fifth sisters, but none for me. I was naive to think otherwise. In a mother-in-law's eyes, a daughter and a daughter-in-law are fundamentally different."

The third son: "..."

*Mom, really, you're just causing me trouble.*

"Mom has been in a bad mood lately. In a while, I'll have her make it up to you."

The third son patted his wife's shoulder. He decided that later, he would talk to his team leader. He wanted to claim one of the loading and unloading positions at the factory; although it was tiring, he could earn an extra half-month's salary every month.

If Mom wouldn't buy her new clothes, he would.

"Never mind, I don't want to cause you trouble, nor do I want to face rejection. As long as you continue to be good to me, any grievance is worth it."

Zhao Meijuan leaned into his chest, pouting. The thought of having to take on housework in the future made her feel incredibly frustrated.

*Not even a scrap of glory, yet she wants me to provide the labor? Not a chance.*

"My wife is the only one who truly cares for me. Don't worry, I'll work hard from now on and strive to make something of myself so you can enjoy a better life with me." The third son pulled her closer, deeply moved.

*Truly, no one is as close as a wife.*

Zhao Meijuan resisted his advances, rolling her eyes internally.

*He really is a simple-minded man with more muscle than brains. He gets all worked up just because he's full. So annoying.*

Li Xiangqin came out of her room and heard the low murmurs of the third son and his wife, causing her to pause.

She turned to look at the clock on the table. It was only seven-thirty in the evening—they had already started?