Chapter 44: A Happy Ending for All

Li Kai was absolutely adaptable, able to bend or stand tall as needed. Holding his bowl of porridge, he presented it to Tang Xin. “Good sister-in-law, share a spoonful with me too, won’t you?”

He often clashed with Li Xiyue, and felt it was a big deal that his sister-in-law had seized the household authority from his mother, but when there was profit to be made, he could easily lower himself before his brother and sister-in-law.

Tang Xin gave Li Kai a small spoonful, then scooped another for each of the twin brothers.

Li Xiyue watched eagerly, thinking surely it was her turn next. She was the only one in the family who hadn’t received a share of the sugar.

But Tang Xin simply covered the jar, carried it back to her room, and announced to everyone, “You can start eating now.”

Li Xiyue was dumbfounded. Where was her share?

“I’m not eating!” she declared, glaring first at Tang Xin, then at Li Kai, finally looking pitifully at Fang, on the verge of tears.

Usually, at times like this, Fang would set down her chopsticks to comfort her, and Li Sheng would give up his portion to her as well.

But now, Fang only minded her own bowl. She had already said that the daughter-in-law was in charge, so she wouldn’t interfere with household matters anymore.

With men handling outside work and women managing the home, Li’s father never got involved in domestic disputes.

The twin brothers were stunned, surprised by how formidable their sister-in-law was, but also fearful that their second sister might get angry enough to smash bowls or bully her.

After exchanging nervous glances, Li Jiang finally spoke up, cautiously, “Second sister, I—I can’t eat sugar. You can have mine.”

Li Hai quickly followed, “I can’t eat mine either. You take it, second sister.”

Unexpectedly, the two youngest were quite kind-hearted, willing to give up their own treats.

In this era, what child didn’t love sugar? It wasn’t like decades later, when little emperors and princesses would be spoiled with endless snacks and toys.

Tang Xin remembered well: these two little monkeys only got sugar by helping her with chores.

Before marrying, Tang Xin had made it clear to Li Sheng that she would help him support and raise his younger siblings. That was her duty as the eldest sister-in-law, but raising them also meant educating them. She wouldn’t let them stray.

Tang Xin understood Li Sheng’s character. Even if she helped him avoid a fatal path, if the rest of the Li family fared poorly, their own days would not be easy.

Li Sheng would never live just for himself. For their future happiness, Tang Xin took her responsibilities seriously.

After all, the twins were already grown, and though habits are hard to change, Tang Xin believed that slow, patient guidance could still save them. At heart, they weren’t truly bad—just flawed in their own ways.

Besides, it was an investment. If she could help her brother-in-law and sister-in-law improve, wouldn’t they become assets to her and Li Sheng’s future endeavors?

In the original story, Lu Liqin later became a local powerhouse, thanks not only to his own abilities but also to the support of the Lu and Tang families.

Tang Xin had foresight, her own spatial farm, and a mysterious confidence in her husband. She believed that with effort, their future would not be lacking.

So, face stern, Tang Xin said seriously, “Li Jiang, Li Hai, if you don’t like the sweet porridge, you can give it to Father and Mother.”

If she’d said to give it to the elder brothers, it might sound like snatching; but offering it to the parents meant there was no chance of getting it back.

Li Xiyue was spoiled, not stupid; she knew children should be filial. Li Jiang and Li Hai understood as well, and were about to hand their bowls to their parents, who immediately refused.

Seeing everyone else sharing affection, but none for her, Li Xiyue finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears.

“Father, Mother, big brother, big sister-in-law, you’re all obviously targeting me—aren’t you going to do anything?”

Li’s father and Li Sheng silently drank their porridge, saying nothing. All the men in the Li family knew better than to meddle in women’s quarrels.

If disputes broke out, they’d never be resolved; as long as it didn’t escalate to blows, men should stay out of it.

Fang merely coughed and said, “Hurry up and eat, then go to work.”

Li Xiyue was on the verge of collapse, slamming her chopsticks onto the table. “I’m not feeling well, my head hurts—I won’t be going to work later.”

Tang Xin took a sip of porridge, responding calmly, “If you don’t go to work, you won’t get lunch.”

Then she turned to Fang, “Mother, I brought some cured pork. At noon, let’s make a stir-fry with garlic sprouts and cured meat, and cook some mushroom soup, shall we?”

The mushrooms had been traded for sugar with the little monkeys. Several older children in the commune often played in the hills, picking mushrooms and such was routine.

But Tang Xin always emphasized: don’t wander too far, don’t venture into dangerous mountains. Not all mushrooms were edible.

There were poisonous ones, but Tang Xin couldn’t identify them. No matter—the wisdom of elders is invaluable. Li’s father was skilled; the mushrooms brought back by the little monkeys would be sorted by him before being eaten.

Tang Xin got fresh mushrooms, the little monkeys got sugar, and Li’s father felt he was useful—a win for everyone.

Still, not everyone was happy. Naturally, Li Xiyue cried even louder at Tang Xin’s words.

But crying aside, Li Xiyue didn’t dare skip work. In these times, every commune member had to labor daily to earn work points.

Her sister-in-law could skip work, with her simple-minded elder brother supporting her, and the Tang family sending goods.

But Li Xiyue had no such advantages; missing a day’s work meant losing a day’s ration.

In truth, Li Xiyue went to work because her parents often helped with her tasks, and sometimes tricked the twins into helping as well.

So while she loudly proclaimed she wouldn’t eat, she secretly grabbed a few biscuits and went to work, only showing tears and grievance before her mother.

She conveniently forgot that the biscuits had come from her brother for her sister-in-law, but Tang Xin had shared them with everyone.

Li Xiyue refused to feel grateful, even grew angry; if the sister-in-law weren’t around, wouldn’t all her brother’s things go to them?

After breakfast, the Li family left for the fields. Li’s father and Li Sheng donned straw hats and took their water bottles.

Before leaving, Li Sheng reminded his wife to stay home—the sun was too fierce, better not go out and risk getting tanned.

As luck would have it, Li Xiyue, just heading out, overheard him, and glared resentfully at her shameless brother and sister-in-law before following Fang out.

[Note from the author: The previous chapters were posted incorrectly; chapters 42 and 43 were repeated. Sincere apologies—this has been corrected. Important things are best said thrice: it’s been corrected, it’s been corrected, it’s been corrected! The New Year was chaotic, updates were messy, so sorry again. Updates resume tomorrow at 10 a.m. as usual. Though the holiday is over, I trust everyone’s home is still lively. Wishing you happiness and good fortune in the Year of the Ox! Thank you to all who voted, commented, and tipped. I’ll keep working hard. Much love from the group!]