Wang Xiangxiu vaguely caught the smell of fish. She turned over in bed, sniffed, and thought to herself that she wasn't mistaken about the scent.
"Who's cooking fish?"
Before Wang Xiangxiu could speak, she heard her mother-in-law's voice.
She turned over and asked, "Mom, you're still awake too?"
Their house had several rooms, more than enough for separate sleeping arrangements, but they couldn't afford to buy another bed. Besides, in winter, sleeping in separate rooms would require burning too many coal briquettes - not just their family, but most families couldn't afford to do that.
Aunt Su sat up and peered out the window. The two households on the left had their lights off, but the one on the right still had lights on. She said with certainty, "It's the Zhuang family."
She muttered under her breath, "Where did they get fish from?"
Wang Xiangxiu also sat up and said with a sneer, "Who knows? They probably bought it from the black market. They had fish yesterday, and they're having it again today. They're really showing off! Hmph! Just because they got a wealthy daughter-in-law, they think they're something special. Do they have to flaunt it?"
Aunt Su thought for a moment and asked, "During your argument today, did you see anyone from their family come out to watch?"
Wang Xiangxiu thought about it and shook her head, "I don't remember, probably not."
At that time, she was only focused on defending her son - who cared about who was watching? Others didn't matter; in her world, her son was the most important. Thinking of her son, she said angrily, "Aunt Zhou is really awful. It was just a few peanuts - would it kill her? She tried to extort us with moldy peanuts. She must be desperate!"
Getting more agitated, she continued, "And the Zhuang family has no kindness in their hearts. When we're struggling so much, they should share some fish with us! How can they eat it all by themselves? My boy is growing and needs nutrition."
Aunt Su nodded in agreement, "That's right."
She wiped her face and said, "Ah, but even if they have fish, they wouldn't share with us. Zhao Guihua is such a fierce and stingy woman, hard to deal with. It's impossible to get anything from her. We shouldn't get our hopes up."
Though she said this, she looked expectantly at her daughter-in-law.
Wang Xiangxiu replied, "No, even if it's difficult to ask, we have to try. We adults can go without, but what about the child? Mom, leave this to me. I'll talk to Aunt Zhao tomorrow. She may be stingy, but she's not completely unreasonable. If I play up our hardship and cry a bit, I might be able to get through to her - she has a soft heart despite her harsh words."
Aunt Su smiled quietly, then hesitantly said, "But... is that appropriate? What if she humiliates you?" She held her daughter-in-law's hand and said, "I don't want you to suffer such indignity. We may be poor, but we shouldn't lose our dignity."
Wang Xiangxiu said firmly, "Don't worry, Mom. I can handle it."
She looked toward the Zhuang house just as their lights went out. She said, "Let's go to sleep now. They must have bought it from the black market. Aunt Zhao is usually so stingy, I wonder what made her spend money this time!"
Aunt Su suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead, "Ah, I know why they bought fish today! Tomorrow Zhuang Zhixi is probably taking his wife for her return visit home. They married Ming Mei, which was marrying up, so of course they need to make a good impression."
Wang Xiangxiu scoffed, "Huh, such favoritism! I never saw her treat Liang Meifen this well! It's just because Ming Mei's family is well-off."
She muttered jealously, as Ming Mei was the most privileged among all the young wives in their courtyard.
Aunt Su held Wang Xiangxiu's hand and comforted her, "Mom doesn't care about others. In my heart, you're the best. Not just in our courtyard, but on this whole street, how many daughters-in-law can give birth to three sons in a row? That's something others can't match, even if they envy it."
Wang Xiangxiu became proud, smiling smugly - this was her greatest achievement.
She snorted in the direction of the Zhuang house, thinking: So what if you're well-off? Let's see you give birth to three sons first! If you can't bear sons, let's see how long you stay privileged, how long you can stay proud! Let's see if Zhao Guihua still treats you like a good daughter-in-law, if Zhuang Zhixi still dotes on you!
While Wang Xiangxiu was indulging in these spiteful thoughts, the subject of her contempt was completely unaware. At that moment, Ming Mei and Zhuang Zhixi had just finished their evening activities and were cuddling together. Ming Mei had no idea she was being thought of this way. How could she know? Without any interaction between them, she had become someone's imaginary enemy - quite an unreasonable situation.
Ming Mei was currently curious about something else. Leaning against Zhuang Zhixi, she said, "I want to ask you something, and you must tell me."
Zhuang Zhixi, his forehead still covered in sweat, was absently stroking Ming Mei's long hair. He asked, "What is it?"
Ming Mei looked up with sparkling eyes: "Who are the Four Tiger Ladies?"
Zhuang Zhixi burst out laughing.
He hadn't expected this question at all. He quickly laughed and said, "Well, who do you think they are?"
Ming Mei blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering, and said, "Well, your mother must be one of them."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Correct, who else?"
Ming Mei: "Definitely Madam Zhou Li, that Aunt Zhou. She's already put on several shows since I arrived just two days ago."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Right again, can you guess another?"
Ming Mei thought for a moment and said, "Mrs. Wang? She seems very fierce."
Zhuang Zhixi laughed even harder and said, "Look, you've already guessed three correctly! The last one shouldn't be hard to figure out, right?"
Ming Mei hesitated: "...Could it be Aunt Su?"
Although she'd heard Aunt Su was not to be trifled with, she looked so frail, and her voice was so soft - thirty years ago, she must have been a delicate flower. So calling her a tiger lady seemed odd to Ming Mei.
But Zhuang Zhixi nodded, confirming Ming Mei's guess.
Ming Mei's eyes widened in surprise, "She doesn't look like one at all."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Appearances can be deceiving. I haven't seen it myself, but according to my mother and others, when Aunt Su was young, she once threatened a male coworker who harassed her with a kitchen knife."
Ming Mei: "Wow! I never would have guessed!"
Zhuang Zhixi: "There's a lot you wouldn't guess."
Ming Mei: "Oh?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "I'll share more gossip with you later. Shall we continue with round two?"
He looked at his wife with bright eyes, but Ming Mei quickly rolled to the side, wrapping herself in the blanket like a cocoon, and started fake snoring: "Hoo hoo hoo~"
Zhuang Zhixi couldn't help but laugh: "Your fake sleeping is so obvious. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Ming Mei: "Hoo hoo hoo~"
No matter what, she was "asleep."
Seeing she wasn't interested, Zhuang Zhixi didn't insist. He reached out and pulled the cocoon-like figure into his arms, saying, "Share some blanket with me, I get cold too~"
The Ming Mei cocoon firmly refused to loosen, apparently not trusting him.
Zhuang Zhixi: "I really just want to sleep, honestly. I won't do anything... we have to visit your mother tomorrow, I know my limits."
Ming Mei muttered quietly: "You didn't seem to know your limits when you mentioned round two."
Zhuang Zhixi laughed: "Oh, you're trying to provoke me now? Want to see what it's like when I really don't know my limits?"
Ming Mei promptly: "Hoo hoo hoo~"
Back to the eternal fake sleeping.
Zhuang Zhixi chuckled, bundled Ming Mei in his arms, and managed to get under the blanket himself - in the cold weather, cuddling was the warmest way to sleep... He held Ming Mei, his large hand covering her small one, completely enveloping her in his embrace, and said, "Let's sleep."
Ming Mei gave a soft "mm" in response.
In the moonlight filtering through the curtains, Zhuang Zhixi saw her upturned lips, and whispered, "You're wonderful, wife."
Ming Mei's smile grew wider, and she softly said, "You're wonderful too..."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Don't tempt me, or I'll think you want round two after all..."
Ming Mei: "Hoo hoo hoo~"
Zhuang Zhixi laughed, hugged her close, and closed his eyes. His wife was so lovely, warm and soft and gentle. Ming Mei looked quite slim, not fat at all, but she had a small frame with just the right amount of softness - others might not notice, but as her husband, Zhuang Zhixi truly loved her this way.
"Sleep well~"
Ming Mei gave a soft laugh and snuggled closer into his embrace.
Zhuang Zhixi was holding his wife in bed, not yet asleep, when he heard the soft sound of a door opening and closing. He knew it was his elder brother returning home after secretly delivering gifts in the dark, acting as if it was something to hide.
He found a comfortable position and closed his eyes...
Young people certainly have good stamina. Although Zhuang Zhixi had been full of energy the night before, it didn't affect his ability to wake up early. Nobody slept in these days anyway - every household was stirring early in the morning, and no matter how deeply one slept, they had to get up.
Early in the morning, Zhuang Zhixi brought hot water for his wife to wash up. Ming Mei didn't stand on ceremony, contentedly letting him attend to her.
The young couple dressed themselves neatly and picked up their return-visit gifts before heading out. As soon as they left, they ran into Wang Xiangxiu, whose eyes immediately fixed on their fish - four large ones, each more impressive than the last!
She gave a dry laugh and quickly approached them, saying, "Oh my, what fine fish! Did you get these from the state-run food store? We couldn't get any. With New Year's coming up, it doesn't feel right not having fish for the celebration of abundance. Say, those fish of yours..."
Zhuang Zhixi cut her off: "Sister Su, we're in a hurry to make our return visit. We need to go."
He put his arm around Ming Mei's shoulder and said, "Let's go, we still need to visit the supply and marketing cooperative."
Ming Mei blinked and waved: "Goodbye!"
The couple left, with Zhuang Zhixi pedaling the bicycle carrying Ming Mei. They turned the corner and disappeared in a flash, barely exchanging pleasantries with Wang Xiangxiu, who stamped her foot in frustration: "How could they just leave like that!"
You stingy little brat!
No wonder there was such a strong fishy smell yesterday - it was these four big fish! Even for a return visit, isn't that too much?
Bai Fendou rode out on his bicycle proudly, and seeing Wang Xiangxiu stamping her foot, asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Wang Xiangxiu's eyes rolled slightly as she put on a wronged expression, saying, "It's all because of Zhuang Zhixi. He was carrying four big fish, and when I just asked where he bought them, he rode away in a flash, as if I was going to beg him for one. This boy has been selfish since he was little, and he hasn't changed one bit."
Bai Fendou replied: "Hey, why bother with him? It's just fish... Wait, didn't I give our fish to your family?"
Wang Xiangxiu complained coquettishly: "How could that be enough? I have three growing boys who eat a lot. How big was your fish? You didn't see Zhuang Zhixi's fish - they were huge. Fendou, you know how hard things are for me. Won't you help your sister out?"
Her eyes held a hint of spring as she said coyly, "I won't forget your great kindness."
Bai Fendou suddenly became energized, as if enlightened: "Oh, don't say that! It's nothing, we're good neighbors, and you're my Sister Xiu. It's no trouble to help. Just wait, I'll check by the lake today when I have time, and if there are any, I'll get you a couple. The ones they just caught are big."
Wang Xiangxiu: "Oh, wonderful! I knew you were a good person."
Bai Fendou smiled "shyly" and touched his head: "We're close like family."
He quickly added: "Sister, get on, I'll give you a ride."
Wang Xiangxiu: "Great! Let me experience your new bike. This Forever brand is really something else. A man like you should definitely ride such a nice bicycle..."
"That's right!"
Their voices drifted away with the wind, but they hadn't noticed two people standing against the wall around the corner, with a bicycle beside them. Both had their ears perked up, listening with grins on their faces.
These two were none other than Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei.
Zhuang Zhixi: "See that? Did you learn something?"
Ming Mei sighed deeply: "I certainly did!"
Zhuang Zhixi: "Even more natural than acting in movies, right?"
Ming Mei nodded emphatically: "Absolutely."
Zhuang Zhixi: "You see how Sister Su is? We can't take her for a good person."
Ming Mei nodded vigorously: "I understand!"
Ming Mei marveled again: Is this the kind of performance I can watch for free?
Well, these two had nothing better to do than to hide and watch this drama unfold.
"I need to go home and warn Mom. They've got their eyes on our family now, we need to be extra careful. Those three wild kids of hers have sticky fingers!"
Ming Mei: "Let's go home."
Anyone who dared to steal her fish would have to face her Wing Chun!
