Unexpected Motherhood: Marked by the Elite Alpha - Chapter 4

She carried the large buns outside before dealing with the live shrimp. The shop owner had added oxygen to the bag, so they were still jumping when she poured them out. It was only after a while that they lay limp and motionless in the water.

She ladled the stewed fish with tofu out of the pot into a large platter. She had not used too many heavy seasonings, so the dish was suitable for her mother to eat. After quickly boiling some water to blanch the shrimp, dinner would be ready.

For ten years, their dining table had consistently featured dishes from both Northern and Southern Chinese cuisines. Their family was the only one in the village like this. The villagers often gossiped behind her mother’s back, wondering why she still was not used to Northern food after living in her hometown for twenty years.

They called her mother delicate and claimed her grandmother had spoiled her. However, they only dared to whisper these things. No one would say it to her face, as her mother would surely beat them.

“Grandma, it is time to eat. We can finish sorting those later,” Li Sangyue called out to her grandmother, who was still in the yard picking through cherries.

Tuanjie and Lin Yin helped the elderly woman into the living room. Once the whole family was gathered, they prepared to eat.

Space was tight in the house. Half of the living room was dedicated to computers and livestreaming equipment, which was where Li Sangyue usually edited her videos. It was so crowded that there was no room for a proper dining table, so they made do by eating around the coffee table.

The two grandmothers sat on the sofa while the others squeezed in around them. It was a tight fit, and if they had guests, they would have to set up a small folding table.

Today’s meal featured a large grass carp, which had plenty of meat and few small bones. In addition to tofu, the stew included glass noodles and Chinese cabbage. The firm Northern tofu was perfect for stewing; the longer it cooked, the better it tasted. The fish was coated in a thick, savory sauce rich with the aroma of green onions, garlic, and soybean paste. It was especially delicious when dipped with the bun crust.

Taiyang was at an age where she was growing quickly, and since the home-cooked food was excellent, she was never a picky eater. Even though she had eaten quite a bit before dinner, she still ate heartily. There was nothing she did not like.

The adults found her appetite adorable. Her face was naturally round, and when her cheeks were full, she looked like a little peach. To the older generation, she was the dream granddaughter.

“Our Taiyang is a true heavyweight in the world of eating,” Tuanjie remarked with respect after Taiyang finished two large buns.

The child really could eat. She had been like that since she was a baby, often drinking two more bottles of formula than other children.

Li Sangyue nudged Tuanjie with her elbow and glared at her. “Are you calling my Taiyang a glutton? I will cut your rations later.”

Grandma placed a piece of boneless fish into Taiyang’s bowl and smiled. “Eating well is a blessing. Children need to eat a lot to grow tall and strong. Being sturdy means being healthy. You girls, on the other hand, are all thin as sticks except for Tuanjie. A gust of wind could blow you over. Especially you, Xiaoyue. Look at how much weight you have lost lately; your face is hollow.”

Li Sangyue touched her cheek. Was it really that obvious?

A moment later, a piece of boneless fish appeared in her bowl. She looked up to see her mother had given it to her.

“You have indeed lost weight,” Li Ningjun said as she peeled a few shrimp for her. “Once you get busy, you forget to eat or just settle for whatever is around. I offered to bring you meals, but you refused. Eating only a few buns for lunch is not enough.”

Feeling guilty, Li Sangyue lowered her head and ate. Helping the villagers sell cherries was hard work that earned almost no profit. Her mother had disagreed with the idea from the start. If she went up the mountain and saw how hard Li Sangyue was working to pick cherries, she would be heartbroken. That was why Li Sangyue did not let her grandmother or her mother deliver food. She preferred to just grab a quick bite and be done with it.

“I have been eating well. You cannot blame me if I do not gain weight,” she said, offering what she thought was a reasonable excuse.

“Nonsense. You were quite sturdy before you had Taiyang,” Grandma insisted. She had a certain obsession with being “sturdy.”

In reality, Li Sangyue had not been sturdy back then. At most, she had some lingering baby fat before her features fully matured.

Li Sangyue did not argue. In her grandmother’s eyes, even if she grew as large as a pig, she would still be considered thin.

After finishing dinner and washing the dishes, Li Sangyue finally had time to import the footage Lin Yin had filmed into her computer. She hoped to finish editing and post the video before going to sleep.

Her account was named Li Sangyue across all platforms, and she had over five hundred thousand followers. She had opened an online shop this year to sell the village’s agricultural products and had only recently started hosting livestreams to sell goods.

By the time she finished, it was nearly midnight. Tuanjie and Lin Yin had finished sorting the cherries and had already showered and gone to bed. She was the only one still awake.

She rubbed her aching lower back. Her eyes felt dry after staring at the screen for so long. Once the video was uploaded, she shut down the computer and grabbed her clothes to take a shower.

A while later, she returned to the room, shaking out her damp hair. When she did not see Taiyang on the bed, she walked over to her mother’s room. A faint light escaped from the gap under the door. She gently turned the handle and poked her head inside.

“Mom, is Taiyang asleep?” she whispered, careful not to wake the child.

Li Ningjun nodded. “Let Taiyang sleep with me tonight. You have to get up early tomorrow, so you should get a good night’s rest.”

Li Sangyue walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. Taiyang was sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed, her round belly rising and falling with her breath. Her arms and legs were spread out wide in a bold sleeping position.

“Taiyang is a restless sleeper. She will keep you up all night.”

She knew her daughter well. There was a time when Taiyang insisted on sleeping with her grandmothers and ended up kicking both of them awake in the middle of the night. Taiyang herself never woke up and had no idea what happened the next morning, even asking to sleep with them again. The two elderly women did not dare take her in after that.

“Taiyang is a bit better when she sleeps with me; it is no trouble,” Li Ningjun said. Noticing her daughter rubbing her back, she asked, “Is your back hurting again? Lie down and I will massage it for you.”

“It is a bit sore,” Li Sangyue admitted. She took off her shoes and lay face down on the pillow.

Her mother was excellent at massages. She could always make Li Sangyue feel so relaxed she would drift off to sleep, and the pain truly did subside afterward.

Li Ningjun’s warm, dry palms pressed against the sides of Li Sangyue’s lower back. She used the right amount of pressure to soften the tense muscles before using the heels of her palms to knead in circular motions.

Li Sangyue let out a couple of comfortable hums and closed her eyes to enjoy it.

“Your grandmother is right. Maybe you should stay home for a few days, okay? Xiaoyue?” Li Ningjun looked down and saw that her daughter had already fallen asleep.

She felt like laughing but was also filled with sympathy. Xiaoyue had been working too hard lately, often editing videos until midnight and working all day.

She stopped the massage and carefully tucked in her daughter. Then, she got a thin blanket to cover her. She gently carried Taiyang to the other room so that Xiaoyue could sleep in peace.

It had been seven or eight years since Qin Nian had last been to Taining. Standing by the office window and looking at the city’s night view, she could not help but feel sentimental.

Even though it was late, Fan Rou was still working. If Qin Nian had not come, she likely would have stayed up all night.

“Why did you suddenly come to Taining without sending a message first?” Fan Rou asked. She was drinking a beer, but she handed a can of juice to Qin Nian.

“I was riding with friends near Nanshan. We did not pass through the city, and I only decided to stop by on a whim.” Qin Nian took a sip of the juice and frowned when she saw Fan Rou had already finished her beer. “You should drink less. If my eldest sister finds out, you two will argue again.”

Fan Rou was the partner of Qin Nian’s eldest sister, making her Qin Nian’s sister-in-law. However, the two were currently going through a divorce, and Fan Rou had moved out. Taining’s branch office had a very important investment project, so Fan Rou had moved from Shanghai to Taining and was no longer answering the eldest sister’s calls.

Fan Rou gave a cynical smile. “She will find a reason to argue with me regardless of whether I drink or not.”

Their conflict had been building for a long time. The eldest sister was a university professor who was in the habit of treating Fan Rou like one of her students, constantly lecturing her and expecting her to follow orders without question. Fan Rou had endured it for years out of love, but she had finally had enough.

Their mother wanted Qin Nian to mediate, but she did not know what to say. In her opinion, separating was for the best. If two people were incompatible, they should not force it. Continuing to torment each other would only lead to more pain. Since neither of them wanted children, it was better to part ways.

“Drinking is bad for your health. Are you living at the office now?”

Qin Nian had gone to Fan Rou’s home in Taining first, but the nanny said she had not returned, which was how she ended up at the office. Setting aside their family connection, she and Fan Rou were good friends, and she wanted to check on her.

“I know. I will quit drinking,” Fan Rou said, clinking her empty can against Qin Nian’s juice. She sat back on the sofa. “Enough about me. Tell me, why did you come looking for me so late?”

She had known Qin Nian longer than she had been married and understood her well. Qin Nian was not the type to just “stop by”; there was definitely a reason for her visit.

Qin Nian did not beat around the bush. “A few years ago, we went to a club for drinks. You mentioned it was owned by a friend of yours. Is she in Taining now? I have something I want to ask her in person.”

“Her?” Fan Rou asked, surprised. “What could you possibly need to ask her?”

“Personal business.”

“Okay, I will not pry. She is in Taining. She invited me over for drinks last week, but I was too busy with work. I can take you there now.” Fan Rou stood up to grab her bag. She suddenly remembered something and laughed. “By the way, someone broke her nose a while ago. Even after going to Korea for surgery, it could not be fixed perfectly, so she has a fake nose now. It looks terrible.”

Qin Nian followed her out. “She was beaten?”

Fan Rou leaned against the wall while waiting for the elevator. “Yes. It happened the week after you left. Someone beat her up right in her office at the club. They even went through all the security footage, looking for something. They still have not caught the person. She is furious. Fortunately, the floor we visited did not have cameras. Otherwise, if your sister found out I took you there, she would never stop arguing with me for corrupting you.”

“Sounds like someone was seeking revenge,” Qin Nian guessed.

Fan Rou nodded. “Most likely. She has a lot of enemies.”

The elevator arrived, and the two went down to the basement parking lot.