Chapter 172: Inspecting the Goods

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Inspecting the Goods

In the main hall, Song Yao was consulting her sister-in-law, Li Ying.

"What color do you think I should paint my nails to look more lively? Rose red is too tacky, and mint green is too flashy..."

Before she could finish, Li Hanchen came through the curtain carrying two dishes.

"Dinner’s almost ready. Let’s eat!"

Li Ying shot up to her feet to move the table.

Song Yao also wanted to lend a hand, but Li Hanchen waved her off.

"Don’t worry about it, just rest."

Hearing this, Wu Xixi sank even deeper into her stool, her bones feeling as if they were filled with lead.

She didn’t even bother to get the bowls. Instead, she spun around and was the first to grab the seat of honor.

In truth, Song Yao hadn’t really done any work either, but as soon as she entered the kitchen, she stuck close to her mother-in-law, asking.

"Mom, should I help you bring out the food?"

Wei Guilan waved her hand dismissively.

"There’s a whole house full of people, do we need you to run errands? It’s pitch black out, and the ground is slippery. What if you fall? Hurry back to the main hall and sit down!"

With a flick of her wrist, the soup she’d scooped into the ladle landed steadily in the bowl.

In the end, it was Li Hanchen who carried two steaming bowls of rice, leading Song Yao toward the main hall.

Song Yao followed half a step behind him, her sleeve occasionally brushing against the outside of his arm.

The moment Wei Guilan entered, she saw her eldest daughter-in-law sprawled shamelessly in the seat of honor, and her face immediately fell.

Li Yuan had just set down his bowl when he reached out to pull Wu Xixi’s arm.

"Hey! Are you a guest or something? Is the seat of honor yours for the taking?"

His fingers had just touched her sleeve when Wu Xixi violently flung his hand away, her own sleeve whipping through the air in an arc.

Wu Xixi’s rear was like it was nailed to the stool; she didn’t budge an inch.

"Who says I’m a guest? There are no outsiders here! I’m the eldest son’s wife, so what’s wrong with me sitting here? Is it against the law?"

Song Yao wasn’t about to act like her.

She obediently sat down beside Li Hanchen, and seeing that Wei Guilan was still standing, she immediately looked up with a bright smile.

"Mom, you’ve been working all evening. Please, take a break and sit down!"

Before her words had even faded, her chopsticks had already darted into a dish. With a soft CLINK, CLINK, two glistening pieces of cured meat landed in Wei Guilan’s bowl.

Wei Guilan glanced at Song Yao, then at Wu Xixi, understanding the situation perfectly.

Cradling her bowl, she slowly sat down next to her daughter-in-law, her words filled with affection for Song Yao.

"Oh, dear, don’t just worry about me! You eat. Your health is precious right now, you need to build up your strength!"

As she spoke, she returned the favor, picking up a large piece of meat, marbled with fat and lean, for Song Yao.

Wu Xixi’s eyes bulged, and she grew anxious.

"Hey, hey! There are only a few pieces of meat in total! The two of you, mother and daughter-in-law, pass them back and forth, and they all end up in your bowls!"

She pulled her son over to sit down, her hand moving faster than the wind.

With two swift movements of her chopsticks, she piled her own bowl and her son’s high with meat.

Li Yuan’s face stiffened, and he coughed dryly again and again.

"Ahem... ahem, ahem!"

He even winked desperately at her, but Wu Xixi pretended not to see.

And Song Yao?

Without so much as raising an eyelid, she turned and served Li Hanchen, then Li Ying, and finally added another piece to Wei Guilan’s bowl. She distributed the food decisively, even more efficiently than Wu Xixi.

After she was done, everyone at the table had meat in their bowls.

Except for Li Yuan’s bowl, which was empty, without even a speck of grease.

Seeing that the meat was almost gone, Wu Xixi immediately set her sights on the scrambled eggs with green onions.

With a sweep of her chopsticks, she gathered all the eggs into her and her son’s bowls.

Song Yao immediately moved to get some too.

"Mom, Xiao Ying, eat up while it’s hot. If you wait a second longer, I’m afraid the dish will be scraped clean!"

Li Yuan was so embarrassed his ears burned.

’Next time, I’d rather eat instant noodles than bring Wu Xixi to the table. This is too humiliating!’

Wu Xixi snatched and snatched, but in the end, it was all for naught.

Song Yao was also snatching and vying for the food, but Wei Guilan patted the back of her hand and praised her endlessly.

"This child, you only think of others. You can’t even bear to eat a bite yourself!"

As she spoke, she tried to move some eggs into Song Yao’s bowl again, but Song Yao smiled and waved her off.

"No, no, it’s okay. I secretly had a couple of bites earlier, so I’m not hungry right now."

She casually picked up her soup and took a sip.

"Sister-in-law, what did you get Mom for a New Year’s gift?"

If this question were posed between normal sisters-in-law, it would have long since been seen as showing off and hurtful.

But to Wu Xixi?

Song Yao didn’t hesitate for a second.

Wu Xixi had just opened her mouth to retort, but it snapped shut.

Wei Guilan’s face bloomed into a smile, but her heart ached. Simply looking at the clothes, she couldn’t even bring herself to reach for them.

"Oh, you silly girl, why did you buy something so expensive? I’m just an old woman who claws a living from the dirt. What would I do wearing this? It doesn’t suit me at all!"

"How about this, you take it back for now. After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, take it to the city and let your real mom try it on."

Song Yao smiled, pressing her lips together.

"There’s no need. She has mountains of clothes and can’t wear them all anyway."

’She knew perfectly well.’

’Some things, if you reveal your own scars for others to see, are the same as handing them a knife.’

’Who knows when someone might take it and turn it into gossip?’

That was why, whenever people asked about her family background, she would only say nonchalantly, "I was switched at birth."

Not another word more.

If that kind of talk were to spread in a village like this, you could drown in the gossip!

Since Song Yao had put it that way, Wei Guilan didn’t feel right insisting and only mulled it over to herself.

’So, what seemed like a rare treasure to me is really nothing in the eyes of a high-ranking official’s wife.’

But she didn’t feel that Song Yao was putting on airs. On the contrary, she felt the Shen Family had been blessed with incredible fortune.

Meanwhile, Wu Xixi was already getting antsy, craning her long neck to look around.

"A hundred and eighty yuan? Bought with cold, hard cash? You’re not bluffing, are you?"

Song Yao glanced at her and replied with a chuckle.

"Want to inspect the goods, Sister-in-law? After dinner, I’ll bring it out for you to take a look."

And the result?

At this meal, though her bowl was piled high with chicken legs and stewed eggs, Wu Xixi ate as if she were chewing on a dry bun.

Her mouth was full of meat, but her heart was empty.

The moment her bowl and chopsticks were set down, before anyone else had even stood up, Wu Xixi was the first to clamor:

"Hey, didn’t my sister-in-law buy Mom a new jacket? Hurry up and show it to us!"

Song Yao nodded, stood up, and hurried back to her room, returning with a bag.

With a shake of her hand, WHOOSH, a date-red sheepskin jacket appeared before everyone’s eyes.

She deliberately dangled it in front of Wu Xixi.

"See this? See it clearly?"

Wu Xixi’s eyes went wide, and she shot up from her stool.

"Oh my, this color, this material... it’s just gorgeous!"

Her tone changed instantly.

Seeing her reach out to touch it, Song Yao sidestepped, pulling the entire jacket tightly against her body.

She turned and moved closer to Wei Guilan.

"Mom, hurry and try it on!"

When Wei Guilan saw the color, as red as the character for "joy," her face instantly grew warm.

"What would a sallow-faced old woman like me do wearing something so eye-catching? You should keep it for yourself!"

"Tsk, this fur is so thick! It feels warm the moment you touch it!"

Before the words were even out, Wu Xixi pushed forward again, shouldering aside the little niece standing nearby and taking two large steps to get to Wei Guilan’s side.

"Mom! If you don’t like it, give it to me! Look at what I’m wearing..."

"I haven’t had new clothes in three years! I even feel cold at night under the covers!"

"Besides, this color will make you look old, but it’s perfect for me!"

Her hand was only halfway there when Song Yao took a light step back.

"Sister-in-law, no matter how much you’re drooling over this jacket, you should first be clear on who paid for it."

"I bought it for my mother-in-law. What number are you in line?"

She felt from the bottom of her heart that Wu Xixi was truly shameless.

’Otherwise, how could she have the face to say something like that?’

’When it comes to being a bad person, Yao Yuzhen isn’t great either, but at least she knows what shame is.’