C6 Chapter 6

“She’s just upset. She didn’t mean any harm,” Yongnian said, then lowered his head.

“Why does she get to take her anger out on us? I haven’t done anything to her…” Lee Chongniang said, wiping away tears.

“That’s enough.” Mrs. Wang lightly tapped the tabletop. “It hasn’t been easy for her, either. She was supposed to marry into money, but instead she ended up… Of course she’s resentful. And now she’s fallen out with her own family. We shouldn’t kick her when she’s down. If she’s willing to change and live properly, then as long as this old woman has food to eat, she won’t go hungry…”

Qiqi stopped in her tracks and leaned against the outer wall of the main room, head slightly bowed.

She hadn’t expected that after the way the original Qiqi had cursed at her mother-in-law and ordered her around, Mrs. Wang could still say something like this at a time like this.

Not everyone had that kind of grace. It also meant Mrs. Wang was too soft-hearted—an easy target.

Mrs. Wang had been married off young. Her husband died when she was still young, and she raised three sons on her own, through sheer hardship.

When her eldest finally reached marriage age, the family scraped together enough money for the wedding gifts and the ceremony. She thought bringing a daughter-in-law home would mean she could finally catch her breath—only to end up more exhausted than she’d been for the past ten-plus years.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Qiqi was about to go in when she heard a new commotion inside.

“Mom—if she refuses to change, I’m willing to move out with her and split the household. I won’t trouble you anymore!” Yongnian suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Mrs. Wang, his words heated.

Qiqi froze again, not sure what to make of Yongnian.

Saying that now did show where his loyalties lay, but it also put Mrs. Wang in a terrible position. If Qiqi really didn’t change, was he forcing Mrs. Wang to choose between him and everything else?

Qiqi couldn’t help thinking Yongnian wasn’t exactly quick on the uptake.

But by modern standards, he was the kind of man who stood by his wife—especially since he was doing it while his own mother was defending her.

“Mom, why aren’t you going in?” An’an asked, staring up at Qiqi with wide, innocent eyes.

As An’an’s voice fell silent, everyone in the main room turned to look.

Wan Qiqi looked at An’an, not even noticing when the girl had come up beside her.

An’an looked grimy, but those big, bright eyes were strikingly beautiful. With a little care, she’d grow up to be a real beauty.

Wan Qiqi scooped An’an up and, under everyone’s gaze, walked into the main room.

The moment she lifted her, she paused.

An’an was far too light—nowhere near what a four-year-old should weigh, almost weightless in her arms.

Before all this, her best friend’s kid was already old enough to toddle around, chubby and rosy-cheeked, the kind of child everyone adored. She’d adored them too.

Now she had a child of her own, and the poor thing was so skinny it made her heart ache.

One, there hadn’t been enough food. Two, there hadn’t been a decent place to grow up.

Pingping stared longingly at An’an in Wan Qiqi’s arms, his head drooping. He wanted Mom to hold him too.

As far back as he could remember, Mom had never held him or his little sister.

Wan Qiqi didn’t notice Pingping’s look. She sat down with An’an on her lap and studied the faces turned toward her.

No one was staring as brazenly as before. Now there was caution in their eyes.

Chen Yongxing and Lee Chongniang looked downright scared, as if she were some kind of monster that might swallow them whole at any moment.

Chen Yongnian was still kneeling on the floor. “Wife, I… we…” He struggled for a long time and still couldn’t get a full sentence out.

Wan Qiqi set An’an down, walked over, and knelt beside Chen Yongnian. Then she looked to Mrs. Wang and said, “Mom, after everything that happened, I’ve figured it out. From now on, I’ll live quietly with the Chen Family. I won’t cause trouble anymore!”

How the Chen Family had treated her—she’d seen it, and she’d remember it.

For a mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang had already done more than most. If it were Wan Qiqi, she would’ve kicked out a daughter-in-law like this a long time ago.

And Chen Yongnian—he might not be the sharpest, but he was sincere.

The two younger brothers didn’t always like her, but they still treated her with respect, as their sister-in-law.

Lee Chongniang might have a sharp tongue, but she wasn’t truly bad. At the very least, even with the family down on its luck, she still chose to stay.

The two little ones were a bit scared of her, but it was easy to tell they both longed for a mother’s affection.

What had happened was real. There was no changing it—so she might as well settle in and make the best of it.

Wan Qiqi’s words and actions sent everyone’s expressions through a whole range of emotions, until they finally landed on disbelief. They couldn’t help thinking: Has Wan Qiqi lost her mind?

Mrs. Wang hesitated for a moment, then helped the two people kneeling on the ground to their feet. Her face still held a hint of shock. “Qiqi, I’m glad you’ve come around!”

Wan Qiqi took Mrs. Wang’s hand on her own, smiling faintly. “Mom, from now on, we’re all going to be fine.”

She had a system shop. She would make their life better and better, and leave this poverty behind.

She’d been a top sales performer for five straight years—good at reading people, seizing the moment, and handling herself in any situation.

She refused to believe that, as someone from the modern world, she’d end up living miserably in this time.

When Lee Chongniang saw Wan Qiqi smooth things over with Mrs. Wang in just a couple of sentences, she felt a surge of irritation—but she didn’t say anything.

Only after everyone else had left did she mutter, “She must’ve overheard us talking—she knows we want to kick her out, so now she’s putting on an act.”