Chapter 95 - 32: A Meticulously Chosen Control Group

Chapter 95: Chapter 32: A Meticulously Chosen Control Group

’It’s different,’ Da Zai thought. ’If Mom makes it for us again, I’ll save some for Grandma.’

"Alright, alright," Mother Gu agreed with a smile.

"Grandma, eat the watermelon! It’s super, super sweet!" Da Zai urged.

Mother Gu lowered her head and took a bite. It was indeed juicy and sweet, melting away most of the day’s fatigue.

She had never eaten such a sweet watermelon.

The twins used their few baby teeth to gnaw and suck on the watermelon. Their fair, tender little faces were dotted with juice. Noticing Lin Zhao’s gaze, they looked up, their cheeks as if rouged, and broke into pure, innocent smiles.

Mother Gu finished one slice of watermelon but couldn’t bring herself to eat the other. She wanted to take it to her husband.

After telling her grandchildren, she prepared to leave. She wanted to hurry back and give the watermelon to the kids’ grandpa so the old man could enjoy it too.

Just then, Lin Zhao came out of the kitchen, called out to her, and walked over, pressing half a watermelon into her hands.

"Mother, take this watermelon back with you."

Mother Gu opened her mouth to refuse, but Lin Zhao had already turned and walked away, reverting to her old, aloof self who paid no mind to others.

"..." Mother Gu fell silent. "Well, I’ll accept it then."

Only then did Lin Zhao look at her. "It was for you in the first place."

Gu Chenghuai wasn’t home and had given her his entire allowance. As his wife, she had a responsibility to take care of his parents. These things were nothing compared to what the Father had given her.

Mother Gu left the third son’s house holding the watermelon. Her back straightened unconsciously, her pace slowed, and the watermelon in her arms was particularly eye-catching.

"Yuan Shan’s mother, why are you carrying a watermelon? Why is it so big? It’s so red, it must be sweet," a passerby commented upon seeing her.

Honestly, no one in the entire Fengshou Team had ever seen such a large watermelon.

Mother Gu straightened her back, feeling utterly refreshed and invigorated. "Where else would it be from? My third son’s wife insisted on giving it to me, telling me to take it home to quench my thirst. She wouldn’t take no for an answer."

She sighed, feigning annoyance, but she couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips. "Oh, dear. I already ate at her place, but she insisted I take another half. Honestly, it would have been better to leave it for Da Zai and the others. We’ve already split the households, yet she still thinks of me and his father. I really don’t know what to do with her..."

The people of Fengshou Team once again changed their opinion of Lin Zhao.

"Da Zai’s mother is so filial."

"They’ve already split the household, yet she’s still willing to give her in-laws watermelon. She really is filial. Not like the one in my house, who wouldn’t even part with a roasted sweet potato."

"Sigh."

After showing off all the way home, Mother Gu finally arrived, her ears full of envious remarks. She had never felt so proud and vindicated.

"Grandma, what are you holding?!"

"Grandma, did Third Aunt give you this?!"

A cacophony of voices erupted around her, making Mother Gu’s head feel like it would explode. She hurried to the kitchen and cut a slice of watermelon for each of the children, finally managing to send them away.

Having many children had its advantages—you were never short on people for a fight—but they were just too noisy.

After Mother Gu paraded the watermelon around the village, Lin Zhao’s reputation was completely turned around.

Before, whenever Chenghuai’s wife was mentioned, everyone would shake their heads, unwilling to say more. The impression of her was that she was lazy and gluttonous. But now it was different. When people spoke of Lin Zhao, they would give a thumbs-up, calling her filial and educated, and claiming they had seen her potential long ago.

Su Yuxian, who had just finished coaxing Lu Baozhen, heard the village gossip. Her brow furrowed, and displeasure flickered in her eyes.

’She wanted Lin Zhao to cause trouble, but Lin Zhao wasn’t... How was she supposed to stand out as a rare gem now?’

Su Yuxian had finally found the perfect control group in Lin Zhao. A biological mother who was unkind to her own children, while she, a stepmother who was the subject of gossip, treated her stepchild as her own flesh and blood. What a perfect stepping stone.

The thought that all her previous efforts had been for nothing made Su Yuxian’s face flush with anger.

Lu Baozhen saw her expression and, her face filled with terror, frantically pushed her away.

"Go away! I don’t want you to hold me!"

Su Yuxian’s face was scratched, and a red mark instantly appeared. She sucked in a sharp breath. Not daring to lose her temper, she coaxed in a gentle voice, "Baozhen, don’t move. Be careful, or you’ll fall."

Lu Baozhen didn’t hear clearly and thought her stepmother was going to drop her. She froze for a moment, then began to wail at the top of her lungs.

"Help! The evil stepmother is trying to drop a child—!"

Her voice was shrill.

It attracted the attention of the villagers, who all turned to look.

They stared at Su Yuxian with the strangest of expressions.

The gossiping aunties exchanged glances, a thousand emotions passing between them. TSK TSK TSK, were there ever any good stepmothers? Especially not one who had been so eager for the role!

Su Yuxian was very sensitive to the villagers’ stares. Feeling their eyes on her, she tightened her arms around Lu Baozhen, her expression ugly.

A flash of pain shot through Lu Baozhen’s body, and she cried even harder.

"WAAAH—I’m hurt! Grandma, save me! Daddy, save me! The stepmother wants to eat me!!"

Lu Yizhou heard his daughter’s cries from a distance and rushed over.

He was in a military uniform, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree. He had a square jaw, thick brows, and large eyes, exuding an air of righteousness that made him look proper and dependable.

"Baozhen." Lu Yizhou walked up to Su Yuxian, took Lu Baozhen from her arms, and wiped away his daughter’s tears. He softened his voice and coaxed, "Why are you crying?"

He didn’t look at Su Yuxian once.