"Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi really dreamed about it..." Lian Shouxin lifted his drooping head, asking somewhat incredulously.

Xiao Qi leaned against Lady Zhang’s embrace, but her eyes were looking toward Lian Manman.

Lian Manman just blinked, Xiao Qi was very clever, and she wasn’t afraid of being exposed. Even if she was exposed, what of it? After all, that incident did happen.

"Mm," Xiao Qi nodded lightly.

"That child cared about us, worried we wouldn’t have any steamed bread to eat..." Lady Zhang cried, "I have let him down..."

Lian Manman climbed onto the kang bed and sat down next to Lady Zhang. Bringing up the past scared Lady Zhou, but it also saddened Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang once again. But it was inevitable.

"Manman, how is your mother-in-law?" Lian Shouxin asked.

"As a daughter-in-law, I shouldn’t say this, but today I must," Lady Zhang spoke before Lian Manman could reply. Her emotions slightly out of control, her voice pitch changing. "Does she act like a mother-in-law? Does she bear the demeanor of an elder? When Xiao Qi playfully asks a question, she throws bowls. What’s so big about that? In the end, you still have to kneel before her to please her."

"We took the steamed bread because it was ours by right. Couldn’t she have asked nicely? Instead, she cursed us as thieves in the yard... kicked at the door of our courtyard, trying to throw away the steamed bread, not letting us eat. If we starved to death, would she be happy?"

Lian Shouxin was somewhat speechless. Lady Zhang was always gentle and amiable; even when talking behind Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou’s backs, she was always respectful. This was seemingly the first time she spoke in such a tone.

Lian Manman also felt some emotions. For Lady Zhang to maintain her virtuous image and character until now, serving as a daughter-in-law to Lady Zhou, was simply a miracle. If it were anyone else, even a sheep would be forced to become a tiger, a lady compelled into a shrew.

"This is an elder? She’s a tyrant, a tyrant!" Lady Zhang’s pitch rose again by an octave, "And you’re asking about her? Why don’t you see how scared Xiao Qi is, why don’t you think about our poor..."

Lady Zhang’s tears streamed down fiercely.

All ten of Lian Shouxin’s fingers were buried in his hair, scratching back and forth in distress.

"My child, don’t you think my heart aches? But still, one must delineate clearly; no matter what, she is an elder, my mother." At this time, Lian Shouxin would be wiser not to say such words. But at that moment, his heart was also clenched, various conflicting emotions roiling within him, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

The classic image of a man caught between his mother and wife, a man getting the squeeze. Actually, Lian Shouxin was still fortunate; in the past, because of Lady Zhang’s virtuousness, he hadn’t suffered much of this frustration, but today, Lady Zhang had lost her temper.

"You don’t have to stay with us; go to the Upper Room, stay with your mother," Lady Zhang cried, "I will take care of the children myself. If we have food, we will eat; if not, we will go hungry. I no longer care about maintaining a virtuous reputation. All the effort I’ve put in over the years, I might as well have fed it to the dogs!"

"You get out," Lady Zhang bellowed at Lian Shouxin.

The pitiful Lian Shouxin, of course, would not leave, only looking helplessly to his children for support.

Lady Zhang was truly provoked, having declared so many decisive words, the most powerful being that she no longer cared about the label of ’virtue.’

Indeed, Lady Zhang’s past submissive behaviors, though related to her compliant nature, were also significantly motivated by her fervent pursuit of being deemed ’virtuous.’ Now that Lady Zhang no longer sought virtue, she could truly escape the fate of being a doormat.

As for Lady Zhang lashing out at Lian Shouxin, it was likely a displacement of her anger. Lady Zhang, still fundamentally good-natured, had not gone to the Upper Room to settle accounts with Lady Zhou. But with no outlet for her pent-up grievances, she could only vent her frustration on her own husband, Lady Zhou’s son.

"Mother, calm down, let’s give Xiao Qi some water to drink," Lian Manman saw that Lady Zhang had vented most of her anger and hurriedly spoke up.

Lian Zhizhi quickly fetched a bowl of warm sugar water. Lady Zhang took it and carefully fed it to Xiao Qi, as if Xiao Qi were a baby cradled in her arms.

Xiao Qi cried for a long while until his throat really got a bit dry, and he graciously drank a few sips himself before handing it over to Lady Zhang. After mother and son had finished a bowl of water each, they both calmed down considerably.

"My father said my grandma is all right," Lian Manman whispered into Lian Shouxin’s ear.

Lian Shouxin nodded, there was not a sound from the Upper Room, and he too believed that Lady Zhou was really fine.

"Let’s wash up and go to sleep."

After the commotion of the half day, everyone was utterly exhausted, and it didn’t take long after lying down for them to fall asleep.

It had to be said that, thanks to Lian Manman’s quick thinking in coming up with such an idea, it not only saved themselves but practically benefited the entire Lian Family. Had it not been for that, if Lady Zhou had made a fuss, nobody would have had a peaceful night’s sleep.

When Lian Manman got up the next day, the sky was already bright, and Lian Shouxin, following Old Master Lian, had returned from collecting manure outside.

"...I didn’t even get to mention it before Dad told me first." Lian Shouxin sat on the edge of the kang, "The buns we get from the garden, we can eat as many as we want, and if that’s not enough, just go to the Upper Room to get some."

"Old Master truly is beyond reproach," Lady Zhang said.

"Our father knows what kind of people we are, he trusts us," Lian Shouxin said, "Dad said, our mother is sick..."

Lady Zhou was indeed ill and had been bedridden for several days before getting up. After summoning a doctor, it was still unclear what the matter was. When Lian Manman went to the Upper Room to see, she noticed that Lady Zhou’s eyes had sunk in, and there was a dark bluish tinge below them.

For days in a row, Lian Xiuxiu did not dare to leave the Upper Room, and if she had to use the privy, even during the day, she had to have someone accompany her.

Another snow had fallen, providing a rare quiet in the courtyard of the Lian Family.

Early that day, with the weather exceptionally clear, Xiao Qi suddenly remembered something.

"Sister, you said you’d buy me a fried dough twist to eat."

Lian Manman chuckled.

"Mother, I’ll take Xiao Qi to town to eat fried dough twists," Lian Manman told Lady Zhang.

Lady Zhang pulled a handful of Copper Coins from her pocket and handed them to Lian Manman, money she had earned from selling bean sprouts these past days.

"Go on, but be careful on the way."

Lian Manman then took Xiao Qi out and when they reached the Earth God Temple, they saw it surrounded by a crowd.

"Eh, what’s going on?" Lian Manman was a bit surprised.

"Sister, look, who is that?"

*******

Here’s the second instalment, rolling for pink hearts.(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)