Song Wei waved her hand dismissively. “No need for that, it was just on my way.”
“But,” she added, “I do need to talk to you about something.”
Lin Zhen, holding the money and regretting he couldn’t persuade her to keep it, handed her a freshly made potato-filled pancake.
Song Wei’s eyes lit up when she saw the pancake. She grabbed a stool, sat beside the fire, and started eating.
Heidan also scooted over, happily munching on his own pancake.
“What’s the matter?” Lin Zhen asked.
“It’s about Lin Dahai…”
Song Wei recounted her encounter with Lin Dahai and the woman, leaving no detail out.
“I suspect the Lin family might try to come after you again. Just keep that in mind. It’d be best if you had someone investigate the woman. If the Lin family really does try something, at least you’ll have some leverage.”
She glanced at Lin Zhen. “That’s just my suggestion, though. Whether you follow through is up to you.”
Lin Zhen grinned. “Song Zhiqing, don’t think of me as some upright saint. I’ve got it all figured out. Don’t worry, I’ll have someone look into it.”
Song Wei nodded and said nothing more, gaining a better understanding of Lin Zhen.
“Not rigid. That’s good,” she thought.
After eating, Lin Zhen and Heidan washed the dishes.
When it was time for Song Wei to leave, Heidan eagerly followed her to the door.
“Song Zhiqing, come back tomorrow for braised pig’s trotters! I’m making them.”
Knowing Lin Zhen’s cooking skills, Song Wei couldn’t help but lick her lips.
But eating food meant for a patient didn’t feel quite right.
“Forget it, I’ve got meat at home too,” she said.
Lin Zhen raised an eyebrow. “These pig’s trotters are huge. I can’t finish them alone. Heidan will eat too, and I’m also inviting the brigade leader’s family to thank them for helping me out before.”
Heidan immediately jumped in, clutching Song Wei’s arm with a pitiful look.
“Come over, Sister Song. Braised pig’s trotters will be so delicious!”
With so many people invited, Song Wei decided not to be overly polite. “Alright, I’ll come by tomorrow.”
Lin Zhen flashed a big toothy grin.
He figured out that Song Zhiqing is a foodie.
Fortunately, when he was in the army, he learned from the veterans in the kitchen squad, otherwise he wouldn’t know where to start.
Back at the educated youth dormitory, Song Wei, with Li Juan and Liu Linlin’s help, began cutting the fat into chunks to render lard.
Before long, the aroma of pork fat filled the air.
Even though it was late at night, the smell spread through the nearby houses, drawing hungry children to their doorsteps.
“Hey, you’re rendering lard, huh? Where’d you get the pork?”
Curious villagers peeked into the educated youths yard, their eyes full of envy.
“And not a small amount either!”
There was no way of hiding the act of rendering lard—its bold fragrance was impossible to contain.
Song Wei didn’t bother concealing it and cheerfully explained that she’d been lucky to come across a butcher selling pork in town.
The villagers were envious.
“Now that you mention it, I thought I smelled pork coming from the XX family too. I thought I was imagining things.”
“Ah, why didn’t I go to town today? If only I’d been lucky enough to catch that!”
“Even if you had, no meat coupons would mean nothing but staring at it in vain.”
Song Wei listened to the chatter at the door and realized she likely wasn’t the only one who had bought pork today. However, no one had mentioned it on the ox cart—they were all keeping quiet to avoid trouble.
In front of the stove, a few children stared longingly. Song Wei didn’t shoo them away and even handed each a piece of candy.
It wasn’t fancy, just a cheap and simple treat, but it was enough to make the children beam with happiness, chattering excitedly with Heidan.
The adults watching smiled more warmly at her.
However, the mood was soon soured by an older woman barging in and snatching a piece of candy from one of the little girls.
“A girl shouldn’t be so greedy,” the old woman scolded. “You’re the elder sister—save this for your brother!”
The thin, timid girl looked tearfully at the candy in her grandmother’s hand, visibly upset but too scared to fight back.
Song Wei, watching this unfold, felt her anger rise. She stepped forward and snatched the candy back.
The old woman immediately glared, planting her hands on her hips. “Song Zhiqing, what are you doing taking my candy? Once you’ve given it away, you don’t take it back. What kind of behavior is that? If you can’t afford to give it, don’t!”
Song Wei raised an eyebrow and stared her down.
“Was this candy yours to begin with? You took it. I gave it to the children because I wanted to. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”
“Not want it? My grandson isn’t home, so I told her to save it for him. Why are you meddling in my family’s affairs?”
“Well, excuse me,” Song Wei said with a sweet smile. “This candy is mine, and I’ve decided not to give it to you. That’s my business, not yours.”
“You—”
“And,” Song Wei continued, her tone casual, “I wouldn’t dare fight an elder like you. But if you push me, I might have to resort to the same tactic I used on old lady Niu last time.”
Everyone remembered how she had tied the infamous old lady Niu to a tree, humiliating her in front of the entire village.
The old woman, though angry, still cared about her reputation. She backed down, but not before pinching the little girl’s arm hard enough to make her yelp in pain.
“Always eating, that’s all you’re good for,” the old woman muttered, directing her anger at the girl. “Lazy, greedy, and useless. No one will ever want you as a wife. You’ll end up in some poor family, eating scraps!”
Her veiled insults didn’t escape Song Wei’s notice. She sneered but kept her tone light.
“Wow, Auntie. Listening to you, I can tell you must be a very capable housekeeper.”
The old woman blinked, momentarily confused by the compliment. The other villagers exchanged looks, wondering if Song Wei hadn’t caught the insult.
“So,” Song Wei continued, feigning curiosity, “you must’ve married into a wonderful household. How big is your house? How much money do you have saved up? Are your children doing well? Tell me so I can learn from your example!”
The old woman’s face turned ashen, her expression frozen.
Someone in the crowd couldn’t hold back a laugh, and soon, the entire yard erupted in laughter.
“‘Wonderful household’—ha!”
The truth was, while the old woman’s family wasn’t the worst off, they weren’t well-off either.
She had three sons and two daughters, they can barely made ends meet. The sons had all married, draining the family’s resources with dowry demands. Now, over a dozen people were crammed into three small rooms, constantly squabbling.
Her insistence on controlling everything under the guise of “unity” only added to the chaos.
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