Liu Xiuqin couldn’t refute that — after all, she’d been the one who made that fake polite comment in the first place.
She had thought Su Jin would take the hint and act sensibly, but it turned out the woman was sly and cunning instead.
“Oh, I’m getting old, standing here isn’t very comfortable… how about—”
How about sitting by the table to “smell the dishes,” and then—
Before she could finish, Su Jin cut her off.
“If standing is uncomfortable, then you’d better go home and sit down!”
Su Jin could already tell that this Liu Xiuqin was the kind of person who wouldn’t stop until she got some benefit out of others — shamelessly persistent.
“No way!!”
Liu Xiuqin flatly refused. Su Jin, unbothered, turned toward Jiang Heng.
“Jiang Heng, look at the wife you married — she really doesn’t know how to handle people, huh?”
Her beady eyes darted sideways toward Su Jin.
Jiang Heng tilted his head slightly toward his wife. “Doesn’t know how? I think she’s doing just fine.”
Su Jin blinked — surprised. Was Jiang Heng… complimenting her?
Liu Xiuqin, seeing that Jiang Heng was taking Su Jin’s side, refused to give up.
“Jiang Heng, you only married her because she’s young and pretty. Pretty faces are nice to look at but useless in real life! You should’ve found someone practical who knows how to run a household.”
She kept smacking her lips and shaking her head as if lamenting how naïve he was. “Too young… no one at home to guide you — you’ll take the wrong path sooner or later.”
Jiang Heng didn’t care. “You’re the one who said I can’t cook and don’t know how to live properly. Sounds like we’re a perfect match then.”
At that, Su Jin’s cheeks flushed. This man really knew how to talk.
She suddenly found herself looking forward to hearing him say sweet things like that again someday.
Alright, she thought — time to speed up her plan to win over Jiang Heng.
Liu Xiuqin’s expression twisted — she felt like she’d just been force-fed dog food.
“Jiang Heng, you don’t understand. You need to find a thrifty woman! That’s how you balance things out!”
Jiang Heng replied flatly, “I don’t like people meddling in my business. Otherwise, I might as well marry a nanny. And besides, I don’t need any ‘balancing.’”
That left Liu Xiuqin speechless. Jiang Heng was notorious for being hard to talk to — no point trying.
Su Jin then tugged at Jiang Heng’s long arm, her soft, sugary voice sweet enough to melt anyone’s heart.
“Honey, I think I left something at the oil-pressing shed earlier… could you go fetch it for me? Please~?”
She shook his arm playfully, rubbing her cheek against him.
Jiang Heng felt a rush of heat flood his head; his body stiffened.
“So careless,” he muttered stiffly.
But even though his words sounded reluctant, his long legs moved — and off he went.
His body was always more honest than his mouth.
Once he left, Liu Xiuqin tried again. “Su Jin, the food’s almost cold now, and you’re so skinny — you probably can’t finish it all. Why don’t you share some with me?”
Su Jin could no longer hold back. If she kept talking to this woman, the nonsense would never end. Better to go straight to the point.
She picked up a piece of cured meat and popped it into her mouth.
“You really have no shame. Just now you were bad-mouthing me to my husband, and now you’re trying to take my food? You’ve got some nerve.”
Liu Xiuqin huffed, “Hey, I just thought you couldn’t finish it — I was doing you a favor!”
This woman actually stood there begging with the self-righteousness of a saint.
“Get lost. So what if I can’t finish? Jiang Heng can eat too, can’t he?”
Su Jin could tell this woman was all bark and no bite — bold on the surface but timid inside.
If she didn’t give her a taste of her own medicine, she’d just keep pestering.
“Su Jin,” Liu Xiuqin said, “I saw Jiang Heng didn’t take much of the cured meat either. I just thought you two didn’t eat much, so maybe you’d let me try a few pieces.”
Su Jin stood up. “Alright, wait here. I’ll go get it for you.”
That left Liu Xiuqin stunned. A moment ago Su Jin was ready to bite her head off — now she agreed so easily?
Still, her eyes couldn’t help but linger on that plate of cured meat. She’d been drooling over it the whole time.
The translucent fat, the thin layer of lean meat — just imagining it sandwiched in a steamed bun made her mouth water.
She swallowed hard, already picturing herself eating it.
“Here you go,” Su Jin called out cheerfully. “Catch!”
Liu Xiuqin wiped her mouth quickly and stretched out her hands. “Alright, I’ll catch—”
A splash!
A whole basin of greasy dishwater hit her square in the face.
“Not fresh off the stove,” Su Jin said sweetly, “but the flavor’s strong enough, don’t you think?”
Liu Xiuqin stood there gaping, water dripping down her face. “Su Jin! You tricked me!”
“Who tricked you? I said I’d go get something and told you to catch it — I never said what it was. You agreed, didn’t you?”
“I wanted cured meat, not this! You did it on purpose!”
Su Jin raised her voice. “Hey everyone! The Liu family’s begging for food again!”
The Liu house was only a few steps away, so her shout drew everyone’s attention.
Soon, the entire Liu family came out — along with curious neighbors who’d heard the commotion.
Liu Qiangzi, bare-chested and barefoot, came running. “Who just called us?”
His eyes landed on his wife. “Why are you soaked?”
Su Jin grabbed a stool, stepped on it, and called out, “Let’s see, how many people are in the Liu family again? The old, the young, and the couple — wow, seven mouths to feed!”
Old Madam Liu hobbled forward, her back bent. “Isn’t this Jiang Heng’s place?”
“That’s right,” Su Jin said brightly. “I was just wondering — if one person’s out here begging for food, she’s probably feeding a whole family, huh?”
Liu Xiuqin jabbed her finger angrily. “Who are you calling a beggar?”
Su Jin spread her hands innocently. “Who was just now clinging to my wall staring at my food, asking for some? Isn’t that begging? Or do you call it something else?”
The old Liu patriarch’s face turned dark — he was a prideful man.
To call his daughter-in-law a beggar was the same as saying the entire Liu family were beggars.
He pointed a finger at Su Jin. “You’re Su Jin, right? Don’t you go around slandering people. Be careful — I’ll report you to the village committee for defaming a good comrade and disrupting social order!”
He was clearly trying to intimidate her — taking advantage of her young age.
But Su Jin didn’t flinch.
“Report me? I’ll report your daughter-in-law first!”
“First, she tried to stir up trouble between my husband and me, questioning our relationship. Even the Party promotes family harmony as the key to progress! You’re supposed to encourage unity, not break up a couple — that affects both social order and morale.”
“Second, she shamelessly demanded our food — that’s no different from stealing or robbing. That kind of behavior damages the integrity of our production team and spreads bad influence.”
“If children start copying her, hanging around people’s doors at mealtime begging for food — where’s the hard-working, honest image our commune promotes?”
“And deeper than that, it shows she hasn’t internalized Party discipline!”
“I think she needs to be sent for one week of re-education!”
Everyone gasped. In their commune, being sent for “education” meant public criticism and mandatory study — a real stain on one’s record. No decent family wanted that.
Liu Xiuqin’s eyes widened in panic. She looked helplessly from her husband to her father-in-law.
It was over. If Su Jin actually reported her, every word would make sense — she had no defense.
Su Jin smirked inwardly. She knew perfectly well that the Liu family had heard everything from their house next door.
After all, when Liu Xiuqin had yelled her name earlier, there was no way her family hadn’t heard it.
