Chapter Thirty: The Eccentric Mother-in-Law

Ping'an Village.

Lu Kun had just returned from town. As soon as he stepped into his yard, he saw his mother-in-law helping to tidy up the small courtyard.

Memories long buried in his heart began to surge up…

His mother-in-law, Li Xiuqin, was quite the character—a rarity even among rural folk. Every time she visited, Liu Liping would inevitably be scolded, and the hostility between mother and daughter had almost reached the point where they could barely stand the sight of each other.

“Ah, Mom, you’re here early. Let me do this. Why don't you rest in the inner room?” Lu Kun hurriedly took over the chores from Mrs. Lin.

“How could that be? Men are meant to do great things—housework like this is for women,” Mrs. Lin brushed a strand of hair aside. “Kun, I'm telling you, these trivial household tasks should be left to that useless Liping. Why are you doing them?”

Lu Kun couldn't help but laugh wryly. Sometimes, it seemed as if Liu Liping wasn’t her real daughter—he felt more like her actual son.

“Liping’s still in the city. She hasn’t come back yet,” Lu Kun explained, careful not to provoke his mother-in-law.

“What’s she doing in the city? With her, you couldn’t even get a peep out of her with three kicks. What’s the point? Isn’t she just making you and the two kids suffer?”

Li Xiuqin grumbled as she swept the yard, venting her displeasure at her own daughter.

“Mother-in-law, have you eaten? I bought some meat buns—please try some,” Lu Kun quickly changed the subject, knowing that otherwise, Liu would be criticized the whole day.

Hearing about the meat buns, Li Xiuqin was delighted. It wasn’t about the money—it was the satisfaction of enjoying the blessings brought by her son-in-law.

In Lu Kun’s memory, his mother-in-law had always treated him with exceptional kindness. When he married Liu Liping, he had little money and a tarnished reputation. Aside from his mother-in-law, not a single member of the Liu family supported the marriage.

Even after marrying Liu Liping, Lu Kun received no shortage of care from Li Xiuqin. That was why, even though he faced plenty of scolding every visit, he still made his way to the Liu family home every New Year like clockwork.

Mrs. Lin would always slip him a few coins when nobody was looking—not much, but it was the thought that mattered.

“How is Father-in-law these days? Haven’t seen my brothers-in-law in a long while,” Lu Kun asked, not wanting to seem unconcerned about his wife’s family.

When Lu Kun married Liu Liping, it was his mother-in-law who held her ground, but the three brothers-in-law were not easy to handle either. Fortunately, Shi Tou had accompanied him throughout the betrothal and wedding, or else Lu Kun might have left with more than a few bruises.

“Don’t mind them. They’re just too idle—that’s why they like to find trouble with you,” his mother-in-law waved her hand, her expression sour, unwilling to say more.

Since she didn’t want to talk, Lu Kun let the matter rest. What he didn’t know was that his mother-in-law had come to him this time after being wronged back at home.

Just the day before, Li Xiuqin, despite scolding her husband and all three sons and daughters-in-law into submission, still felt wronged and so came to hide out at Lu Kun’s place.

Lu Kun never quite understood why Li Xiuqin treated him better than her own sons. If the villagers hadn’t vouched for his parentage, he might have suspected some melodramatic secret.

In the seven or eight years since their marriage, Li Xiuqin had given him nearly two hundred yuan in cash alone—not to mention all the goods that couldn’t be priced.

If anyone suggested it was just for her daughter’s sake, Lu Kun would scoff. Those two women could barely meet without coming to blows.

However, Lu Kun had heard that Li Xiuqin was close with Widow Zhao from the village, who always spoke highly of him. Perhaps, he thought, it was Widow Zhao who’d managed to brainwash Li Xiuqin on his behalf.

“Hey, girls—come see who’s here!” Lu Kun called to his children.

The village elementary school let out late; it was already noon. Lu Kun summoned his daughters to chat with Mrs. Lin while he went into the kitchen, took down the smoked meat hanging from the eaves, sliced half of it, and stir-fried it with scallions, ginger, and garlic.

The rice was ready, cooked by Li Xiuqin herself. Lu Kun knew that, while she was sharp-tongued with others, his mother-in-law had always had a soft spot for her only son-in-law.

She seldom came to Lu Kun’s home—most years, it was only when he brought the children back for the New Year. As for Liu Liping, she hadn’t returned to her family for years, ever since the constant slights and cold shoulders made her not want to visit.

Of course, Lu Kun had a hand in this too. He’d used more than a few tricks to make sure Liu Liping devoted herself completely to him.

This time, Li Xiuqin had left in such a hurry after being upset at home that she’d forgotten to bring gifts for the children. She fumbled in her pocket, found two fifty-cent bills, and gave one to each girl—a generous gesture in those days. Fifty cents was enough to buy an entire semester’s worth of exercise books for a primary school student.

“Thank you, Grandma! You’re the best!” Second Daughter, a little miser, sweet-talked her grandmother, making her laugh heartily.

The older girl, more reserved, didn’t dare be so affectionate. Instead, she ran to her room, fetched her homework notebook with the teacher’s bright red ‘100’ marks, and presented it to her grandmother for praise.

Li Xiuqin was overjoyed, looking at the pages filled with perfect scores.

“Grandma, I’ll be starting first grade soon, too,” Second Daughter, sensing her status threatened, clung to her grandmother’s arm and swung it, her eyes sparkling.

This was Lu Kun’s doing. Before his rebirth, he’d taught his daughters to chat with their grandmother and keep her happy—there were always benefits.

And, of course, all those benefits ended up being confiscated by Lu Kun—for their own good, naturally.

The two girls, still following old habits, expertly flattered their grandmother.

“Dinner’s ready—wash your hands and come eat!” Lu Kun called.

The rice was coarse grain as usual. Though the family’s situation had improved, thrift was still necessary. Besides, by village standards, Lu Kun’s family was already doing well, eating meat almost every other day.

There was a pork stall at the village entrance, but Lu Kun mostly bought meat in town—buying so much locally would’ve drawn unwelcome attention. After all, they still owed a hefty sum in debts; buying at the village stall was just for appearances.

Lunch with meat was a rare treat for the children. Most villagers saved meat for dinner, a custom that baffled Lu Kun—was it to give couples extra strength for “work” at night? He could never make sense of it. Why save meat bought in the morning for dinner? It didn’t multiply by waiting. Besides, eating meat at midday gave more energy for afternoon farm work.

Li Xiuqin was delighted. She’d noticed the large slab of meat hanging in the kitchen earlier—at least three or four pounds by her estimation. Seeing a platter piled high with meat, Mrs. Lin’s heart swelled with joy.

This son-in-law truly wasn’t stingy—a model of filial piety!