Chapter 65: Pursuing Psychological Equilibrium

Meng Jia quickly looked around, relieved that they were in the Li family courtyard where outsiders likely couldn’t overhear. Whether she admitted to liking him or not, such words were best kept from spreading right now.

Li Xiyue, though young and impulsive, was by no means stupid. Seeing Meng Jia’s flustered appearance, she immediately understood. Pointing indignantly at Meng Jia’s nose, she exclaimed, “Oh, so you like Lu the Educated Youth, and now you come to our house spouting nonsense. What exactly are you up to?”

It had been days since Li Xiyue had last thrown a tantrum, so she seized the moment, her voice brimming with righteous fury. “You heard my sister-in-law received a parcel and rushed over, hoping to take advantage. Now you accuse her of slandering you—what slander? Honestly, Mother, throw her out!”

Meng Jia was thoroughly vexed by this performance. There were many unreasonable old women in the brigade, but rarely had she seen a young girl so willful.

To drive out a guest who had come to visit?

Shaking her head, Meng Jia found herself pitying Tang Xin even more. Married into such a family, what happiness could she have? That generous parcel would likely be devoured by these people. In that light, she felt a measure of consolation: her own life might be hard, but Tang Xin’s days ahead would be even tougher.

With this self-comforting thought, Meng Jia ceased to concern herself with this troublesome household. Tossing her hair, she strode out without another word.

Thus, the Li family watched as this seemingly deranged Meng the Educated Youth suddenly appeared and just as suddenly left, all shaking their heads.

Why was their sister-in-law, also an educated youth, so much better than that one?

Feeling that her daughter-in-law had probably suffered an emotional blow—though Fang herself didn’t fully grasp the term, having only heard Tang Xin mention it several times—she decided to bring out her best culinary skills for dinner, rather than use the rice sent by Tang Xin’s father as the main dish.

It looked like her daughter-in-law was used to eating rice, and anything, no matter how delicious, would lose its luster if eaten too often. So, Fang planned to make stuffed eggplant and zucchini pancakes, both of which she considered specialties.

She selected the best eggplant, sliced it open without cutting all the way through, and stuffed it with a seasoned mixture of chive and minced meat. Then she dipped it in egg batter and fried it in oil.

The meat was from the portion her daughter-in-law had bought from the commune a few days earlier. Fang couldn’t bear to use it up all at once and intended to spread it over several meals. Likewise, she used only a little oil, frying the stuffed eggplant slowly over low heat so it turned out fragrant and rich, yet not greasy—much like the best pan-fried dishes.

She grated the zucchini, mixed it with egg and flour, and fried the mixture into golden pancakes that were sweet and aromatic.

With so many mouths to feed and everyone in the family fond of these treats, Fang made a large platter, which was quickly devoured. She even invited Third Gu and his son over to share the meal.

Tang Xin loved the food, eating a whole stuffed eggplant and two pancakes. She ended up so full she could only wander the courtyard several times to help digest before finally heading to bed.

But sleep didn’t come easily. Although, out of consideration for both avoiding awkwardness and protecting Li Xiyue’s reputation, no one in the family mentioned the earlier incident after Meng Jia left, it still stirred ripples in Tang Xin’s heart.

Among all the members of the Li family, Li Xiyue was the most problematic. She possessed a certain cleverness but her character left much to be desired—vain, petty, selfish, and even a bit cold-hearted. In the countryside, such traits might not matter much; a girl’s fate was typically to marry and then spend her days squabbling with her in-laws.

Yet Li Xiyue was an ambitious girl, determined to climb upward. She had always dreamed of marrying a city man; after her elder brother wed an educated youth, her desire only grew stronger. She wanted to marry an educated youth herself and follow him back to the city.

In the original novel, this was described: at first, she fancied Lu Liqin, but Meng Jia was always on guard and she never got the chance. Later, she met a cadre down from the provincial capital on business. Seduced by Li Xiyue’s youth and beauty, he easily won her over with promises of a future in the city and a job. Naively devoted, the girl gave him everything.

The novel described how the young man already had a fiancée in the city—her family was well-off, though she was far less attractive than Li Xiyue. He simply wanted to indulge himself in the countryside before returning to marry his city sweetheart.

Li Xiyue fancied herself clever, but how could she resist the sweet talk and empty promises of a man like that? She’d never encountered such deceit before and had no idea men could be so shameless.

Blinded by what she thought was love, Li Xiyue threw caution to the wind. The two never married; the young man merely secured her a letter of introduction and some papers, and Li Xiyue followed him to the city without hesitation.

In truth, it was a filthy scheme. The young man handed Li Xiyue over to another man, who treated her as nothing more than a plaything. In the end, she and her unborn child were cast away like rags in the wilds, both lives snuffed out.

When Li Kai found her, she had been dead for some time, with no one to claim her body. The trauma drove Li Kai to swear vengeance; after much hardship, he eventually became a successful businessman, notorious for his ruthlessness—many said he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

While the novel didn’t state it outright, Tang Xin sensed that Li Kai’s ending was not a happy one. After the original protagonist’s death, none of the Li family fared well.

The novel’s original protagonist died, but Tang Xin didn’t blame the Li family; a host of factors had gradually pushed things to that tragic end. Besides, the real people she now lived with were not as the book described. Tang Xin felt the warmth of family here and wanted to work hard to maintain it, to do more for the Lis.

She didn’t think it wrong for Li Xiyue to want a better life. Everyone should have aspirations. But first, her attitude needed to change; working together as a family was far better than relying on some scoundrel man.

Moreover, the reality was that women often needed a strong family behind them. Tang Xin believed in Li Sheng’s abilities—had he not met with misfortune, the family would never have descended into chaos.

Li Sheng could lead them all to a brighter future; if given the chance, perhaps he and his wife could bring the entire family into the city.