The little quarrel wasn't worth mentioning at all.
It couldn't dampen Zhao Guihua's good mood - feeling fifty years younger would make anyone happy! While she was certainly joyful, she wouldn't hesitate to put up a fight if provoked. After all, even in this second chance at life, she was still the same feisty, uneducated old woman.
Though she had more wisdom than others now, her personality remained unchanged.
Even at a hundred years old, Comrade Zhao Guihua had been a spirited elderly lady who would brandish her walking stick to teach queue-jumpers a lesson with her fierce temper. So this current situation? It was nothing.
Zhao Guihua didn't take this minor incident to heart at all. Upon returning home, she instructed, "First daughter-in-law, go buy some tofu this afternoon. We'll make braised fish with tofu for dinner."
Liang Meifen was stunned for a moment before forcing a slight smile and saying, "B-braised fish?"
Her heart grew bitter again, thinking how partial the old lady was, making all these nice dishes just because the younger daughter-in-law had joined the family. Didn't they need to save food for the New Year? Her heart ached. If it were up to her, they wouldn't have had the wedding before the New Year.
Having a wedding before the New Year meant not only an extra mouth to feed during the festivities but also using up precious meat and food ration tickets for the wedding feast. Now they were cooking fish right away - it didn't sit well with her.
Zhao Guihua gave her a sideways glance and sneered, "Are you questioning my decisions about what we eat?"
Liang Meifen noticed her mother-in-law's harsh tone and quickly responded, "No, I'll do whatever you say, Mom."
Wiping her hands, she added, "No need to wait until afternoon, I'll go now - it's not far anyway."
She hurried out, feeling bitter about how difficult it was being a daughter-in-law. Zhuang Zhixi and his wife were crouching by the stove warming themselves, and as soon as Liang Meifen left, Zhuang Zhixi immediately sidled up to Zhao Guihua, grinning, "Mom, about tonight's family meeting - what's it about? Give me a hint!"
Zhao Guihua shot him a glare, saying, "Get lost."
Zhuang Zhixi persisted: "Just tell me early, I won't tell anyone else."
Zhao Guihua gave him a look of disdain and said, "I told you to get lost."
Zhuang Zhixi: "...whimper."
Ming Mei couldn't help but laugh at his rejection.
Zhao Guihua put her hands on her hips: "You only have one day off, go spend it in your own room. Why are you hanging around me? Don't get in my way here."
Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei: "..."
"Go on, get out!"
After shooing the couple away, Zhao Guihua shook her head, her thoughts turning to tonight's family meeting...
Time flew by, especially in winter, and before they knew it, the day was over - darkness fell early.
The courtyard became lively during the evening rush hour after work, with people coming and going, exchanging greetings, washing vegetables, fetching water, and children playing - a bustling scene. Old Man Zhuang met his eldest son Zhuang Zhiyuan at the entrance of the alley on his way home from work.
Father and son returned home together, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, they caught the scent of food being fried in oil.
Old Man Zhuang sniffed the air and declared confidently, "Someone's frying fish - it smells wonderful."
Zhuang Zhiyuan smiled, "Well, it certainly can't be our house - we don't have any fish."
Old Man Zhuang: "That's true."
A plump woman came out to dump some water and, hearing their conversation, raised her eyebrows and greeted them with anticipation in her voice: "Uncle Zhuang, you're back! Actually, you've guessed wrong - that wonderful smell is coming from your house. My three boys are so tempted by the smell they don't even want their own dinner. They're begging to eat at your place."
Old Man Zhuang chuckled: "That won't do."
The plump woman's eyes twinkled as she laughed heartily, saying, "Oh, Uncle Zhuang, I was just joking. Times are hard for everyone, we all know that. We're not the type to take advantage. I was just teasing - how could you take it seriously?"
Old Man Zhuang: "Well, what can I say? I'm a simple man. I take everything at face value."
"Old man, hurry up and come in for dinner. We have a meeting tonight," Zhao Guihua called out fiercely as she opened the door.
Old Man Zhuang responded quickly: "Coming, coming right away!"
When the Zhuang father and son entered their home, the contrast was stark - the delicious aroma was even more intense inside. Their two young ones were already seated at the dining table, forgoing their usual outdoor play as they eagerly waited for dinner to be served.
Zhuang Zhixi and his wife were crouching by the stove, swallowing their saliva and adding firewood, pretending to help.
Zhao Guihua spoke coldly: "You should avoid getting involved with that widow."
Old Man Zhuang: "We were just greeting our neighbor..."
Seeing his wife's fierce glare, he quickly nodded: "Whatever you say."
Zhao Guihua: "That's more like it."
Zhuang Zhiyuan: "Mom, I never really interact with them anyway, but as neighbors, I think we should maintain harmony..."
"I think you should be quiet now," Zhao Guihua said. "Wash your hands for dinner!"
She lifted the lid off the pot, and everyone immediately started salivating.
"My goodness, why does the fish smell so much better than usual?" Old Man Zhuang thought it was far more fragrant than before. Though they didn't eat fish often, he couldn't remember it ever smelling this good.
Liang Meifen said painfully: "How could it not smell good? The fish was pan-fried today."
The amount of oil used made her heart ache.
With that much oil, it had better taste good!
Zhao Guihua: "Do you have a problem with that? Are you the head of this household or am I?"
Liang Meifen quickly shrank back, saying: "You are, I was just making a comment."
"Alright, alright, let's eat," Zhuang Zhixi was getting impatient. His father and older brother had just come from outside, but he had been tormented by this fragrant smell the whole time. His mouth had been watering for ages.
Looking over, he saw his little niece was already drooling.
See? He knew it!
No one could resist.
Zhao Guihua brought the fish to the table. Though the fish wasn't large, she had added plenty of side dishes - cabbage and potatoes. The iron pot-braised fish came with these vegetables, which were just as flavorful, especially those that had soaked up the broth around the edges of the pot.
The family quickly gathered around the table, and Zhao Guihua announced: "Let's eat!"
At her command, chopsticks began flying, even Ming Mei joined in enthusiastically - mmm, it was so delicious.
While they feasted, their neighbors suffered. Having just attended the wedding feast yesterday where they had eaten well, most families were having simple vegetarian meals today. Usually, this wouldn't be an issue, but today the smell of fish was so overwhelming it made everyone extra hungry.
The Su family next door felt it most keenly, with their three boys refusing to eat their dinner.
Old Lady Su looked at her daughter-in-law distressfully and said: "Xiangxiu, can't you think of something? How can you, as their mother, bear to see the children suffering like this? It's my fault for being useless - a poor old widow who can't help at all..."
Wang Xiangxiu, the plump woman who had earlier chatted with Old Man Zhuang, was the Su family's young widow. She sighed and said, "I tried testing the waters earlier, but Uncle Zhuang wouldn't agree."
She added, "Even if Uncle Zhuang agreed, Aunt Zhao would chase us away - she's not easy to deal with."
Old Lady Su knew all too well how difficult Zhao Guihua could be - they had been neighbors for many years. She was just hoping her daughter-in-law could push a little harder. However, she didn't dwell on this, instead saying more dejectedly: "Should we cook the fish we bought for New Year's now? We can't let the children..."
"No!" Wang Xiangxiu shook her head: "We're not like them - they have many workers in their family. We can't afford that. If we eat it now, we'll have nothing for New Year's. Wait, I'll go see the Bai family..."
She quickly left, heading towards the Bai residence.
As soon as she left, Old Lady Su's face showed a fleeting smirk before quickly returning to her gentle, kindly expression. She said, "That's wonderful, your mother's gone to figure something out. Just wait a bit."
The Zhou family across the way could smell it too. Madam Zhou Li grumbled, "These unfortunate people, how could they be richer than my family? Showing off with their fancy food - hope they choke on it. Why couldn't they get a fish bone stuck in their throats..."
His daughter-in-law Jiang Lu was cooking when she chimed in, "That's right, they're showing off despite having no money. Mom, why don't we cook fish too? Our family isn't any worse than theirs..."
"Bah! You worthless woman, what nonsense are you spouting? Such a wasteful creature - just because we have money doesn't mean we should squander it! You really don't understand the value of things. What eating this, eating that - we need to save money for your medical bills. You're all talk and no action - if you don't give our Zhou family a child soon, I'll make Qun divorce you! Still dreaming about good food? Not happening! I'll fry some eggs for Qun, while we'll eat corn buns."
Jiang Lu responded with a meek "mm" as her eyes reddened with tears.
Zhou Qun sat beside them listening to the radio, remaining silent throughout.
The Old Zhuang Family had no idea about the commotion in other households. Though it was hard to keep secrets in their courtyard community, not everything could be overheard. While others were quarreling about dinner, their family had finished their meal peacefully.
After sending the two children to their room, Zhao Guihua initiated the first-ever family meeting for all members of the Old Zhuang Family.
Being straightforward as always, Zhao Guihua declared, "Alright, let's begin the meeting."
She scanned the room, noting how everyone sat up straight. With a grunt, she said, "In this meeting, I represent both myself and your father. My opinion is our shared opinion."
Old Man Zhuang added weakly, "Right, listen to your mother."
Zhuang Zhiyuan and Zhuang Zhixi remained silent, unsurprised.
Zhao Guihua continued, "Now, I'll announce the decision your father and I have made... we won't split up the family."
Upon hearing this, Liang Meifen's eyes lit up instantly, her whole demeanor perking up. Her greatest fear had been the family splitting up, so this news was perfect. She could barely contain her excitement, wanting to spin around in joy. She shot Ming Mei a smug smile, thinking to herself that the old couple would surely rely on them for support in their old age and couldn't afford to offend them.
Zhuang Zhixi frowned slightly, not being one to accept disadvantages openly.
While it wasn't appropriate for his wife to speak up about such matters, he could.
Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Guihua continued, "Given our family's current situation, splitting up isn't practical or convenient. However, though we're staying together, we need to make some changes to how our household operates."
Zhuang Zhixi swallowed his words and continued listening.
Zhao Guihua surveyed the room again, noting everyone's varied expressions, and said, "Your father and I have decided not to split up the family, but we must be fair. Eldest daughter-in-law, what you did was simply despicable."
Liang Meifen, being called out, quickly lowered her head, thinking it wasn't a big deal to endure some scolding as long as she wasn't losing out.
Zhao Guihua didn't stop there, but continued directly, "Though the job was yours, we're family and haven't split up, plus you have two children. You told no one and secretly gave up your job - your intentions are clear. You wanted to leech off your younger brother-in-law's couple while helping your own brother? How does that sound? Because of what you did, not just our courtyard but the whole street is laughing at our family. I can't even go to the public toilet without people asking if we're splitting up - you've really caused trouble. This incident almost ruined Third Son's marriage prospects, and I promised his mother-in-law an explanation, which I must deliver! When you got married, your mother insisted that even after marriage, you must give half your monthly salary to your maiden family because they paid for your education. They wouldn't agree to the marriage otherwise, and I agreed and kept that promise. Now, I will also keep my promise to Third Son's in-laws."
Liang Meifen's face turned deathly pale.
Zhao Guihua continued, "When I say I'll give an explanation, I mean it! Although we won't split up the family, from now on, each household will manage their own affairs. You won't need to hand over your salaries to me anymore. Starting next month, after the New Year, each household will contribute ten yuan monthly for living expenses, and we'll continue eating together. Other expenses will be handled by each household separately. Since you all receive salaries at the end of the month, this month will proceed as usual. Ming Mei just joined the family, so you don't need to contribute for these few days."
Everyone stared at Zhao Guihua.
Ming Mei nodded obediently.
Zhao Guihua continued expressionlessly, "This arrangement actually favors the eldest son's family, since you have two children. The third son's couple has no children yet pays the same amount."
"But Zhiyuan is often out driving..." Liang Meifen instinctively protested.
Zhao Guihua gave a cold laugh, disgusted by her eldest daughter-in-law's calculations, and said, "Yes, he's often away, but Third Son's couple eats lunch at their workplace and doesn't come home. You and the children eat at home."
Liang Meifen wanted to say more but her mind went blank, unable to explain or justify herself. She had feared the family splitting up, and while they weren't technically splitting up, this arrangement felt no different...
Zhao Guihua scanned the room again and asked, "Any other opinions?"
Liang Meifen had thousands of words but didn't know how to express them, feeling defeated.
Her husband Zhuang Zhiyuan spoke up instead, "Sounds good to me."
Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei exchanged glances, "We'll follow Mom's decision."
Zhao Guihua understood young people's desire to manage their own money - she had been young once too, and with her previous life's experience, she vowed not to repeat the same path.
In her previous life, she had insisted on keeping the family together.
To appease Ming Mei's family, she had given her an extra five hundred yuan as private savings.
But that hadn't been handled well.
When the eldest daughter-in-law Liang Meifen found out, she resented Zhao Guihua deeply, accusing her of favoritism while ignoring how much she herself had benefited.
As for the third son's couple, they weren't happy either despite receiving the money. Without splitting up, their salaries still went to support the family, and their annual income was more than five hundred yuan. Most importantly, not only was the eldest sister-in-law ungrateful, but she also resented them, feeling bitter about not receiving private savings while still having to manage household chores.
Eventually, this affected the relationship between the brothers, and they grew distant.
Looking back now, Zhao Guihua realized she had made mistakes from the start. While her current approach might not be perfect, in this second chance, she would follow what she believed was fair.
And if anyone wasn't happy with it?
Well then, they could get out!
