Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 432 - 417 Urban-rural disparity, provoking public outrage

"What about Yanyan if we leave?" Grandma Tian glared at her.

Tian Sangsang suddenly choked on her words.

"You child, what exactly are you afraid of?" Grandma Tian said angrily, "You’re just too considerate of others, that’s why your mother-in-law keeps bullying you. Why can’t you live here? You’re their daughter-in-law; you gave their family a child, so you must live here. Half of their property belongs to you. Stop overthinking and start feeling entitled!"

Tian Sangsang tried reasoning with Grandma Tian to no avail. She frowned and said, "But Grandma, my mother-in-law just got discharged from the hospital. If she causes trouble again and something happens..."

"Discharged so what? You can’t use the excuse that she’s a patient to demand everyone cater to her whims and let her do whatever she wants! Even if something happens, it’s on her. She wouldn’t get upset if she didn’t want to. She’s just narrow-minded and wants to pin everything on you!"

"But I don’t want you all to suffer," Tian Sangsang said.

"This kind of suffering is nothing to us. Your second aunt and I have weathered so many storms over the years. It’s you who’s bearing the brunt. You’re still pregnant, but their family completely disregards you. All they care about is the child you’re carrying, neglecting everything else. You must stand your ground!"

Tian Sangsang seized the opportunity to say, "Then the child can live with me in the future. It’s no big deal, Grandma."

"What nonsense are you talking? A married daughter is like spilled water! Why would you establish your own household? You haven’t done anything wrong; the one in the wrong is your mother-in-law! You should stay with their family and be a thorn in their side for the rest of your life! Having the child live with you—does that even make sense? Do you want people to gossip about the child?"

Tian Sangsang once again felt she couldn’t reason with them. They encouraged her to cause trouble, but the trouble had to be raised in her husband’s home, not by separating from them. However, her thoughts leaned toward staying out of disputes altogether—getting a divorce, even. And even if she didn’t divorce, the child still had to stay with her. Otherwise, over time, the bond would fade. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Aunt Zhang called them from outside to come down for dinner. Tian Sangsang responded and suddenly thought of something, looking at them, "Grandma, Second Aunt, please try not to mention my pregnancy later. Everyone at home is already quite angry. If we bring it up, they might think we’re trying to use the baby as leverage, and the child can’t be treated as a bargaining chip. If their anger ends up targeting my child, that would..."

Grandma Tian and Second Aunt Tian were still unaware that the Jiang Family didn’t know about her pregnancy. Tian Sangsang planned to keep it under wraps for as long as she could, ideally until she could take Meng Shuyan with her.

They nodded, naturally refraining from saying more. Observing the Jiang Family’s attitude, it seemed that having Yanyan had already diminished their affection for her next child. If they truly cared, why would they have come to the restaurant today to stir up trouble?

**

During dinner, the family was very quiet. The adults hardly spoke to one another, only occasionally placing food on Meng Shuyan’s plate.

Anything Grandma Tian placed onto the table, Ye Binyi avoided. Later, Grandma Tian seemed to pick up on Ye Binyi’s intentions and deliberately took from every dish on the table.

Ye Binyi wore a cold expression, but Grandma Tian didn’t care. She ate cheerfully, blatantly antagonizing Ye Binyi.

The centerpiece of the table was a large, steaming bowl of chicken soup. The aromatic soup smelled heavenly; there was no need to taste it to know it was rich and flavorful. Tian Sangsang had little appetite, eating plain rice and occasionally picking at some light side dishes.

Grandma Tian used her own chopsticks to pick out a large drumstick and a piece of chicken from the soup, placing them into Tian Sangsang’s bowl. She said affectionately, "Sangsang, eat more. It’s not good for your health to keep skipping meals. You need to nourish yourself."

As she spoke, she picked up another piece of chicken for herself.

The expressions around the table grew peculiar at once. The reason was that Grandma Tian had boldly used her chopsticks in the communal dish. Tian Sangsang’s heart sank; she’d forgotten to remind her grandmother that eating here wasn’t the same as eating back in the countryside. Glancing at Ye Binyi, she saw her expression predictably sour.

Jiang Jinghuai didn’t seem to mind, though. As someone who had experienced tough missions before, he had reached points of destitution where he’d even roasted mice for food. Eating someone else’s saliva now hardly seemed like a concern.

But his mother cared. He nervously glanced at Ye Binyi.

Ye Binyi suppressed the nausea rising in her stomach. The old woman’s saliva had contaminated the entire bowl of chicken soup; she couldn’t even bring herself to touch it.

"I’m done eating," she declared, setting down her chopsticks and heading straight to the couch to watch TV.

Jiang’s father also only ate a few bites before stopping.

Jiang Jinghuai lost his appetite over the situation with Ye Binyi. He went to the kitchen and instructed Aunt Zhang to cook a fresh batch of food, then casually sat beside Meng Shuyan, feeding him instead. By now, he was adept at feeding the child—likely spurred by a desire to bond more with his son, whom he didn’t see often.

Though he maintained his usual cold demeanor, his tenderness in feeding his son resembled that of a doting father. Watching him, Grandma Tian thought to herself, "He does care about his son, but toward Sangsang... Later, I must tell her to consider this carefully."

"It’s such a waste not to eat so much food. Sangsang, eat more!" Grandma Tian and Second Aunt Tian rarely had the opportunity to eat such a meal; they ate with gusto, which made Ye Binyi seethe angrily on the couch.

Once everyone was full, Aunt Zhang started cleaning up the tableware.

Ye Binyi suddenly spoke up, "Aunt Zhang, there isn’t much food left. Just throw it all away, no need to keep it."

Tian Sangsang felt a heavy sense of frustration. Aunt Zhang typically prepared just enough food for the family, so there were rarely leftovers. In the rare case there were, it would usually be thrown away. But tonight, with so little eaten by Ye Binyi, Jiang’s father, and Jiang Jinghuai, at least half of the meal remained—especially the chicken soup, which was still nearly full, with plenty left in the pot as well.

If the food were thrown away, it would be a serious waste. Having grown up in poverty, Tian Sangsang felt disheartened by the idea. She also couldn’t ignore the earlier incident with her grandmother putting her chopsticks in the communal dish. While it was no big deal for family, for gatherings involving extended relatives, serving utensils were more appropriate. She understood Ye Binyi’s unease, but still, she felt upset deep down.

"Alright," Aunt Zhang responded respectfully.

"Wait a second, why throw it away?!" Grandma Tian’s heart ached as she stared longingly at the untouched dishes. "These are perfectly fine. Heat them up later this evening, and they’ll still be good to eat. How can you throw them all away? Such wastefulness!"

Second Aunt Tian agreed, "They’re not spoiled; warming them up later saves a meal. Back in our village, we can’t even dream of such good food." She hadn’t expected her in-laws would be so wasteful.

Tian Sangsang understood Ye Binyi’s deliberate intent to discard the food. She didn’t want her grandmother and aunt to embarrass themselves further, so she quickly said, "Grandma, Second Aunt, it’s hot right now, and food left out for long spoils easily. Eating it later wouldn’t be healthy."

"It hasn’t been sitting that long—it’s only for the afternoon!" Grandma Tian said, grieving over the food as if she’d just lost a fortune. "Jinghuai, what do you think? Isn’t it wasteful to throw this away? You’re a soldier—I’ve heard soldiers are diligent and frugal, accustomed to hardships."

"Don’t worry, Grandma. Usually, we hardly have leftovers; it’s just today," Jiang Jinghuai replied indifferently.