Chapter 21

At night, Yu Bing stir-fried a full plate of conch meat that she had been saving for half a month. She even mixed green melon, eggplant, and stir-fried green vegetables. One meat dish and three vegetable dishes made a very sumptuous meal, so everyone was full. It was their last dinner together before leaving the dormitory.

Other than the first day in the countryside, it was only during today’s break that everyone was in the mood to relax. After dinner, they sat in front of the house and chatted. Everyone talked about the specialties of their city and joked around. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

On the other hand, Yu Yan, who was eating at the villager’s house, was the complete opposite. She looked at the food in the bag in her hand and could not help but feel enraged.

Because Yu Yan was moving to the youth dormitory tomorrow, she planned to eat in the dormitory with her new roommates. Tonight, she would come to the villagers’ house to eat and tell them to bring back her remaining oil and rice.

At this moment, Yu Yan held the bag containing her food and argued loudly, “I brought 30 pounds of food for a month. I’ve only been eating at your house for half a month. The amount in this bag can be eaten for another five days at most.”

An old lady sat cross-legged on the brick bed. She looked at Yu Yan and smiled disdainfully. “Young lady, you can’t say that. You only brought rice and oil to my house, but you didn’t give me the money for the vegetables. Isn’t it reasonable for me to use some food to pay for the vegetables?”

Yu Yan knew that this villager was treating her like a fool. How much were the vegetables she had eaten these days worth? The rice that had been deducted was at least 10 pounds. According to the current market value, it was worth 1.4 yuan.

Yu Yan naturally had to fight to the end. “The vegetables I’ve eaten these days add up to less than five cents. Madam Li, you’re bullying me. I’m going to the village to report you!”

Madam Li was famous in the village for being feisty. “I’m not afraid of anyone!”

Madam Li’s eldest daughter-in-law, who was the strongest, also stood at the side and added, “Miss, you say that the vegetables don’t cost cents, but didn’t our family pick the firewood and water? Don’t condiments like soy sauce, vinegar, and salt cost money? You’ve eaten my family’s meat before, right?! Why, do you want to eat it for free?”

When Yu Yan heard about eating meat, she was even more angry. She had only eaten it twice in total, and she only got a small piece each time. Even the most unloved little girl in this family got a bigger piece than her. At that time, she thought that she could eat it for free without paying, so she was so happy that she didn’t say anything. She didn’t expect that she would pay for it in this way.

“Previously, when we came to your house to eat together, you guys were the ones who said that we could bring rice and oil. Now, you guys are going back on your words!”

The second daughter-in-law did not want the limelight to be snatched away by the eldest, so she also mocked her. She wanted to show off in front of her mother-in-law. “You say that you’re from the city, but you don’t know the rules. At that time, I thought that a young lady like you would be sensible. I didn’t expect that you would play dumb if our family didn’t say anything.”

“It’s fine if you come to someone else’s house to eat, but you come when it’s time to eat and leave after eating. You didn’t even help when the broom fell. Our family deserves to be your slave and serve you.”

In an era where the country called for equality every day, anyone who dared to let others serve them as slaves would be criticized. Yu Yan was so anxious that she hurriedly replied, “Don’t accuse me! Your family is the one who is scamming people now!”

Madam Li snorted and directly revealed her purpose. “Alright, young lady, we don’t have time to waste with you. Either you give us two yuan as food expenses for the next few days and take back 10 pounds of rice, take the rest of the rice and leave quickly!”

Yu Yan was furious, so she turned around and looked for the village supervisor to be the judge. However, it was difficult for an upright official to resolve a family matter. Under the mediation of the village, Yu Yan finally paid one yuan for food before getting back the 10 pounds of rice.

Yu Yan could only return to the dormitory angrily.

In the dead of the night, everyone had already fallen asleep. Only Yu Yan was still angry about what happened tonight. She wanted to eat at the villagers’ house and secretly take advantage of them, but she didn’t expect to encounter Old Madam Li’s family.

Yu Yan was so annoyed that she couldn’t sleep, so she sat up and looked at the calm Yu Bing. She couldn’t help but feel mischevious.

Thinking of the fruit knife in her rattan box, she suddenly had the urge to take it out and stab it into Yu Bing’s heart, like the goldfish that she had secretly dissected when she was young.

Yu Yan, who was recalling that pleasure, could not help but shudder. Because she was afraid of being discovered later on, she had always stopped herself from killing small animals. Now, she was somewhat puzzled as to why she had such an urge again, so she laid down and slowly fell asleep.