Liu Xiuqin tried to sound friendly.
“Jiang Heng’s wife, your family sure is generous! Look at those dishes—so much oil in them!”
As soon as she said that, she swallowed hard.
In her own house, cooking meant boiling water, tossing in the vegetables for a few seconds, fishing them out, sprinkling a little salt, and mixing it up. That was it.
Su Jin hadn’t planned to respond, but since they were neighbors, she didn’t want things to get too awkward or let others see a joke between them.
Besides, she hadn’t figured out yet what kind of person Liu Xiuqin really was—whether she’d back off if she couldn’t take advantage, or if she was the type to spread rumors and badmouth others behind their backs.
Either way, Su Jin decided to watch her carefully for a while—better safe than sorry.
She still had a husband to build a relationship with; she wasn’t about to waste her time or energy on people like this.
“We’re just two people,” Su Jin said calmly, “so I make small portions. Just a bit of pork lard is enough.”
“You even use pork lard? Oh my, in my house we can’t bear to use any, not even once in half a year.”
Su Jin smiled pleasantly, her eyes gleaming with feigned kindness.
“Well, Jiang Heng’s the one who cooks. He’s not like you, sister-in-law—measuring out every grain of rice, every drop of oil and vinegar per person every day.”
Liu Xiuqin clapped her hands, as if she’d finally found someone who understood her struggles.
“Exactly! I calculate everything so carefully, and still my man scolds me if I use a little too much!”
Then her tone shifted suddenly, her face turning pitiful.
“Sigh, speaking of which, the grain at home is running out again.”
Su Jin smiled knowingly. Ah, here we go—finally getting to the main point.
She sighed as well.
“Yeah, isn’t everyone the same these days? It might look like we’re eating better now, but honestly, this is all that’s left in the house. If we don’t cook it, we’ll go hungry anyway.”
Liu Xiuqin looked heartbroken.
“True! Every night I dream of a full meal. Just smelling this aroma here makes me feel like I’ve already eaten!”
She’d been right to stop by the new bride’s house to freeload—playing the pitiful act always worked.
Once, when a new daughter-in-law arrived in the village, Liu had pulled the same trick. The poor girl, soft-hearted, took pity on her and invited her in.
Liu had sat down at the table, chewing on a bun while holding another one in her hand—and before anyone knew it, she’d eaten two of the host’s three buns.
Since then, every mother-in-law in the village had warned their new daughters-in-law:
“Don’t ever give that shameless Liu Xiuqin a free meal!”
But Liu Xiuqin knew that Su Jin didn’t have a mother-in-law at home.
No one to warn her.
At that moment, Jiang Heng came out carrying a plate of cucumber salad—perfect for the summer heat.
“Let’s eat,” he said simply.
Liu Xiuqin’s eyes scanned every dish greedily. She leaned on the mud wall, standing on tiptoe.
“Oh my, your husband really can cook! Didn’t expect your food to look so delicious!”
Clever woman—she didn’t speak directly to Jiang Heng, but to Su Jin instead.
After all, she thought Su Jin was soft-hearted and wouldn’t embarrass her.
But Su Jin looked up at Jiang Heng, eyes sparkling like stars.
“Wow, did you hear that? She says your cooking looks amazing!”
Jiang Heng set down the chopsticks and replied casually, “Mm.”
Su Jin quickly scooped rice into a bowl and handed it to him.
“Sister-in-law Liu, we’ll start eating now! You can still smell it from there, right? Sitting here, the aroma should drift over to you too. Take a good whiff—it might not fill your belly, but it should satisfy your craving a little.”
Su Jin’s tone was overly warm and polite, almost theatrical.
Liu Xiuqin froze, not expecting the conversation to take such a turn.
She hadn’t realized this little girl could handle herself so well.
But today, she had her eyes on that plate of smoked pork, and she wasn’t leaving without tasting it!
Still pretending not to understand, she waved her arms dramatically.
“Wait a second! If you really know how to cook, it’s not just about how it looks—it’s the taste that matters! Some dishes look good but taste awful, you know?”
Su Jin acted as though she hadn’t heard her. She deliberately picked up a slice of the smoked pork and took a bite.
“Mmm, this smoked meat is so good!”
She wasn’t blind—she’d noticed Liu Xiuqin’s gaze locked onto that dish the whole time.
Liu Xiuqin, realizing she was being ignored, slammed her fist lightly against the mud wall in frustration.
“Su Jin!!”
Her voice carried the force of ten years’ worth of temper.
Su Jin looked up calmly.
“Yes? What is it?”
Liu Xiuqin huffed indignantly.
“It’s so hot today—do you think it’s reasonable to make me stand here just smelling it?”
Clearly, she meant “Aren’t you going to invite me in to eat?”
Su Jin could hardly keep from laughing.
“I never told you to stand there. You said you wanted to.”
Jiang Heng had been ready to step in and kick her out a while ago, but Su Jin had held his hand under the table to stop him.
She knew how these village women were—especially the older, cunning ones.
The moment they saw someone new, especially an outsider, they’d test her to see how easy she was to push around.
If Jiang Heng had stepped in now, they’d just say she hid behind her man and couldn’t handle things herself.
So Su Jin smiled sweetly and kept her composure.
