My Wife Always Thinks She's Right - Chapter 3

Sun Heng’s mood was complicated. She should not have been kind enough to bring the child home yesterday and let her wreak havoc on her kitchen. She should have let her fend for herself to avoid having her kitchen turned into a war zone. Sun Heng felt a pang of pain for her eggs because prices had risen to 7.5 yuan per catty. Wasting one was like throwing away fifty cents, which was truly a pity.

“Sister…”

Knowing she had done something wrong, Su Nian trailed behind Sun Heng, acting pitiful and apologizing. “I did not mean to. I just wanted to make you breakfast. I saw my auntie do it this way at home, and I wanted to do it for you, too.”

Sun Heng was busy wiping the stove, only to have to wipe the floor next because Su Nian had spilled egg whites everywhere. Su Nian, quick to read the room, jumped in. “Give it to me, sister! I will mop the floor!”

Sun Heng glanced at her, tossed her the rag, and leaned against the kitchen island with her arms crossed. “Clean it thoroughly. My floors are very expensive. Selling you would not be enough to pay for them.”

Su Nian immediately tensed up and began scrubbing the floor.

Sun Heng shook her head, worrying about how to get rid of the child today, when she noticed the phone on the island lighting up repeatedly. She took a look and saw it was Su Nian’s phone, with a series of calls coming in from a contact labeled Shen Mu Ran.

Sun Heng’s heart skipped a beat; she could not tear her eyes away from the name. She remembered that this was the name Su Nian had used for their online relationship. Now that Su Nian was squatting on the floor mopping, there was no way she was calling herself.

Does this person, Shen Mu Ran, actually exist? Did Su Nian use her information to catfish me?

The more Sun Heng thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Once the phone stopped ringing, she turned to Su Nian and asked, “Kid, someone is calling you.”

Su Nian did not even look up. “Not answering.”

Sun Heng tilted her head. “Who is Shen Mu Ran?”

Su Nian froze, turning her head to look at her in shock. “What?”

Sun Heng repeated, syllable by syllable, “Who is Shen Mu Ran?”

“I, I do not know.”

“Still lying?”

Sun Heng stared at her. “Su Nian, how many times have you lied to me? Do you want to keep lying this time?”

Su Nian turned pale with fright, looking at her helplessly from the floor. Sun Heng did not want to waste time bickering with a habitual liar. She rolled her eyes and reached out to pull her up. “If you will not talk, then go. I will just pretend that I was drunk yesterday and brought you home by mistake. Get out now. Lie to whoever you want and date whoever you want online. I cannot afford to deal with you, understand?”

“Sister, sister!”

Being tugged by her clothes, Su Nian dove into Sun Heng’s arms with tears in her eyes. Sun Heng pushed her away, annoyed, and tried to nudge her toward the door. Su Nian wept, hugging Sun Heng’s waist tightly. “I will not lie to you anymore. I will tell you everything, ask me anything!”

Sun Heng pushed her aside. “Then speak! Who is Shen Mu Ran!”

“She is my older sister,” Su Nian said through tears. “When my parents divorced, I went with my dad and she went with my mom. All the information I used online was hers.”

Sun Heng asked, “So all that information was your sister’s? Including the university degree and the job details?”

Su Nian nodded timidly, looking up at her. “Sister, please do not be angry. I really did not mean to lie to you.”

Sun Heng could not be bothered to be angry. She grabbed the girl by the back of her collar and tossed her aside. “Did you lie about anything else? Are your name, your home address, and being beaten by your stepmother all fake, too?”

“No, no!” Su Nian shook her head repeatedly. “Those are all true.”

“Fine,” Sun Heng said. “I will believe you one more time.”

Seeing Su Nian’s eyes light up again, she said with a headache, “Go wash up. I will make you something to eat.”

Su Nian looked at her happily. “I love whatever you cook, sister.”

Sun Heng did not fall for the flattery. She sent her to the bathroom, handed her a new toothbrush, and went to the kitchen. It was almost noon, so she decided to make a simple meal of two dishes and a soup.

She heated oil in the wok, sautéed scallions, ginger, and garlic, and turned on the loud exhaust fan. With a sizzle, she dumped in the shredded potatoes, deftly flipping the wok while adding light soy sauce and salt. Finally, she drizzled a bit of white vinegar along the edge of the wok, and the sour and spicy shredded potatoes were done.

She marinated minced meat for ten minutes before stir-frying it, adding tender tofu and half a bowl of water to boil. After thickening it with a starch slurry, she simmered it until the sauce was a rich, beautiful color. Finally, she prepared a seaweed and shrimp-paste soup and served the meal over rice topped with sliced sausages.

Su Nian sat at the dining table, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the potatoes and tofu. “Sister, you are such a good cook! You cook better than the housekeeper at home!”

Sun Heng teased, “Comparing me to your housekeeper, are you?”

Su Nian shook her head vigorously, eyes curving into crescents. “No, I am complimenting your cooking.”

Sun Heng loved being praised. She sat in the chair opposite her and ladled out some soup. “Try this soup. It is even better. This is my signature dish.”

Su Nian took the soup and drank it hungrily, not even stopping when it scalded her tongue. Sun Heng scolded her a bit, only to be interrupted by her phone buzzing on the kitchen island again. It was another call from Su Nian’s sister, Shen Mu Ran.

Staring at the name, Sun Heng could not help but recall the photos Su Nian had sent her. In their first photo exchange, the woman wore a white dress and leaned against the wall of a brown castle, head turned toward the distance. The setting sun behind her made her skin look porcelain-fair, and her eyes shimmered with a pale green glint. Sun Heng had been captivated then, leading to their intense online conversations and eventual plans to meet.

Actually, Su Nian looked quite like the woman in the photos, especially around the eyes. That was probably why she dared to catfish her, thinking she would not be found out.

Sun Heng realized that while she had guessed she was being deceived when she first saw Su Nian, she never expected the girl to actually have a sister named Shen Mu Ran.

Watching the call end unanswered, Sun Heng felt a spark of curiosity. She kicked Su Nian under the table to stop her from stuffing her face.

“Kid,” Sun Heng said. “Your sister keeps calling you; she must be worried. Why do you not call her back?”

Su Nian kept her head down, shoveling rice into her mouth. “No.”

Sun Heng squinted at her. When the phone rang again, she reached out, took the call, and answered.

“Hello? Nian Nian, where are you?”

Shen Mu Ran’s voice came through. Sun Heng immediately remembered the beautiful woman from the photo. Her voice was cool and refined, like the damp, pleasant wind at the seaside on an autumn day.

Seeing that Su Nian remained silent, Shen Mu Ran called out again, “Nian Nian?”

“She is not Su Nian,” Sun Heng said, leaning back with her arms crossed while watching the wide-eyed child. She laughed into the phone. “Su Nian is with me right now.”

The other end went silent.

Sun Heng continued, “This girl is a huge eater. She finished two bowls of rice today and even stayed over at my place last night. These things have to be paid for, you know.”

Su Nian jumped up, anxious. “Sister, why did you answer my phone!”

Sun Heng lifted her chin. “Sit down. Children should not interrupt when adults are talking.”

Su Nian pursed her lips and sat down reluctantly. Sun Heng pointed at her bowl. “Finish your food. Not a single grain of rice can be wasted. Go wash the dishes when you are done. If they aren’t clean, I will not let you leave, understand?”

“Understood.”

After talking to Su Nian, Sun Heng realized Shen Mu Ran had remained silent. She laughed. “Is this Ms. Shen?”

“Yes,” Shen Mu Ran replied coldly. “My sister has caused you trouble. Where are you? I will drive over to pick her up and settle the costs for her stay and meals.”

Sun Heng gave her an address and said, “There is a coffee shop at the south gate of the residential complex. Wait for me there.”

Shen Mu Ran nodded. “Okay, thank you for taking care of my sister.”

“You are welcome.” Sun Heng grinned, showing her bright white teeth. “Is your phone number linked to your WeChat? I will add you in a moment, okay?”

Shen Mu Ran responded coldly.

Sun Heng continued to smile. “Do not misunderstand. You need to pay me back, right? Adding a friend makes the transfer easier.”

Shen Mu Ran likely had not expected Sun Heng to be so shameless, demanding to be paid, but since this person had taken care of her runaway sister overnight and fed her, she owed her.

Adding a friend was no big deal.

“Fine,” Shen Mu Ran said. “Add me, and I will transfer the money to you later.”

“Alright, hanging up then, Ms. Shen.”

After hanging up, Sun Heng hurriedly added the number to her contacts and sent a friend request, hoping Shen Mu Ran would accept. Even though the process had been convoluted, her online dating partner actually existed. Sun Heng felt hopeful.

Once we meet and talk, I will see what kind of person she really is.

After that, Sun Heng handed the phone back to Su Nian, only to see the girl looking at her resentfully with red-rimmed eyes. “Sister, did you take a fancy to my sister? Do you not want me anymore?”

Sun Heng shoved the phone at her. “Eat! Go wash the dishes when you are done!”