Volume One, Chapter 15: Overthrowing Su Wanhua

“Go ahead and speak first,” Jin Nian took the lead once again.

Shen Nian’an was not one to be pretentious; since Jin Nian had asked her to speak first, she complied.

“Jin Nian, may I move out on my own?”

The woman looked up at him, her round, bright apricot eyes filled with hope.

For some inexplicable reason, Jin Nian drew a conclusion: she did not like this home.

She had only been here a day; if she didn’t like it, she must have felt wronged.

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed his mind. He asked, “Yesterday, when you went into the wrong room, was it Jin Yue who did that?”

“Ah?” The topic shifted too suddenly, and Shen Nian’an was momentarily caught off guard, a hint of innocent bewilderment flickering in her eyes.

But she quickly regained her composure.

Liu Jin Yue was at fault, but she had already been reprimanded.

That matter was closed; Shen Nian’an would not pursue it further.

Besides, tattling behind someone’s back was not in her nature.

“It’s not important anymore,” Shen Nian’an said.

She neither confirmed nor denied, but Jin Nian had already formed his own answer in his heart.

“Can I move out?” Shen Nian’an asked again. “Um… I can rent a place. I’ll pay.”

“Housing on the island is scarce; there won’t be any rentals available.”

“Ah?” To Shen Nian’an, those words were tantamount to rejection. She lowered her small head slightly, her long eyelashes casting a shadow over her eyelids, evoking an uncontrollable sense of pity.

Jin Nian pressed his thin lips together; the words “there’s a residential compound for families on the island” rolled around his throat, but he swallowed them back.

With his seniority and position, he could secure a place in the family compound.

However, many relatives of the military personnel were waiting for housing on the island, and Jin Nian was unsure if Officer Wang still had any vacancies.

Better to wait until one became available than to get hopes up needlessly.

Suddenly, the quarrel ahead caught Shen Nian’an’s attention, and she looked up toward the commotion.

“Don’t stop me, Jin! I’m going to find Jin Yue!”

Father Jin frowned. “Jin Yue’s old enough and won’t get lost on the island. You, on the other hand, aren’t well. How can you be running around looking for her? What if you fall ill?”

But Su Wan Hua, in the heat of anger, ignored Father Jin’s words. She pushed him aside forcefully, arms outstretched. “Get out of the way! Jin Yue is my daughter! If you don’t worry, I will!”

...

Seeing Father Jin, Shen Nian’an belatedly understood why Jin Nian had spoken so confidently earlier.

She thought Su Wan Hua’s agitation meant the quarrel would last a while before breakfast could begin, and she rubbed her protesting belly.

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Who would have thought that after a couple of rubs, instead of lessening, her hunger made a shameful “gurgle” sound.

Shen Nian’an’s eyes widened, her mouth opened in shock.

She instinctively glanced at Jin Nian, but he was nowhere to be seen where he had just stood.

Her gaze swept forward, and she saw the tall figures of the man and Father and Mother Jin engaged in conversation.

Shen Nian’an breathed a sigh of relief.

So... perhaps they did not hear it?

Otherwise, she would have been utterly mortified, digging her toes into the floor.

But had they really not heard?

As Shen Nian’an’s thoughts raced, a shadow suddenly fell over her. The man’s voice came from above.

“It’s time to eat.”

Wait... why wasn’t it “time to eat” but rather “you may eat now”?

After a confused moment, she sat down at the table. Soon, the food filled her stomach, and the awkwardness vanished without a trace.

After all, she was definitely overthinking—it was clear the man did not care for her.

Shen Nian’an did not eat slowly, but compared to Father Jin and Jin Nian, she was still no match.

They finished eating and left for work.

Before leaving, Jin Nian glanced back at Shen Nian’an a couple more times, clearly concerned.

Deep in her focus on her meal, Shen Nian’an was completely unaware.

Once they left, only Su Wan Hua and Shen Nian’an remained at the table.

Looking at Jin Yue’s usual seat, now empty, Mother Jin couldn’t help but worry that Jin Yue might be hungry out there.

A mother’s heart simmered like something frying in hot oil—she was utterly distressed.

With Father Jin and Jin Nian present earlier, Shen Nian’an’s hearty eating was less conspicuous. Now that they were gone, and Mother Jin was too upset to eat, Shen Nian’an’s cheeks puffed out with every bite were painfully conspicuous.

Though Jin Nian had explained the situation, Mother Jin could not suppress the rising resentment.

Smack.

Su Wan Hua slammed her bowl and chopsticks heavily on the table. Shen Nian’an looked over. “Auntie, have you eaten enough?”

“Wait a moment, I’ll eat shortly. I won’t keep you from washing the dishes.”

Shen Nian’an said this with the dishes in mind. She was clever but seemingly only in her research; she was clueless about cooking—every time she entered the kitchen it was a disaster zone.

Su Wan Hua, however, had no idea, and hearing this only made her angrier.

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Her daughter was out there cold and hungry, while another’s daughter sat at home eating hot meals and bossing her around like a maid—who could feel at ease about that?

Even if that person was her best friend’s daughter, her chosen daughter-in-law, Su Wan Hua’s heart filled with deep dissatisfaction.

But she was a woman of decorum and refrained from saying anything too harsh.

She trembled all over, clutching her chest to steady her breath, and sarcastically said, “Jin Yue also calls you sister. She’s out there, and I’m worried sick. But you, heartless as you are, don’t worry at all and eat with such relish.”

Why would she worry about someone who made things difficult for her?

Shen Nian’an swallowed a mouthful of food and seriously corrected her, “Auntie, everyone has a heart and lungs. That’s common knowledge.”

Was she implying Shen Nian’an lacked common sense?

Su Wan Hua slammed the table and stood, her hand trembling as she pointed at Shen Nian’an, unable to utter a word.

Seeing Su Wan Hua’s face pale, Shen Nian’an assumed she was growing impatient. Regretfully averting her eyes from the food, she stood and said, “Auntie, you go tidy up. I’ll go for a walk outside.”

Su Wan Hua’s vision darkened, and her body swayed backward.

Shen Nian’an’s pupils contracted. She dropped her crutch and moved to catch her.

But a figure was faster.

“Mom, mom…” Liu Jin Yue caught Su Wan Hua as she collapsed, calling anxiously, tears streaming down her face.

Before fainting completely, Su Wan Hua seemed to hear Jin Yue’s voice. She struggled to open her eyes, saw Jin Yue, and was uncertain if it was real.

She strained to wipe away the tears at Jin Yue’s eyes. “Jin Yue, you’ve come back…”

Warm... not a dream!

Realizing this, Su Wan Hua seemed revitalized, as if injected with glucose. Comfort spread through her.

She embraced Liu Jin Yue. “You silly child, you’re back! Your mother was worried to death!”

“Mom, you scared me,” Liu Jin Yue cried, promising, “I’ll never be willful again. I won’t make you worry anymore.”

Seeing Su Wan Hua safe and the mother and daughter deeply affectionate, Shen Nian’an endured the pain in her foot and painfully picked up her crutch.

Just as she struggled to stand, before she could check on her worsening injury, another woman’s sharp scream echoed through the house.

“Wan Hua, what’s wrong? Why did you faint all of a sudden?”

Immediately, Liu Jin Yue shot a venomous glare at Shen Nian’an.

“Sister An’an, why would Mom treat you badly? How could you heartlessly push her down?”