The Female Supporting Character Forced to Become a High Official - Chapter 2- A Family of Extremes

The sweet brown sugar water went down smoothly, making her feel much more comfortable. Le Yi licked her lips, for the first time finding brown sugar water delicious.

The whole family took turns sharing a big bowl of brown sugar water, all wearing smiles on their faces, feeling very happy inside.

Le Yi looked at her parents, then at her little brother who had a blissful expression, and a hint of warmth appeared in her eyes.

In this atmosphere of valuing sons over daughters, the equal treatment by the Le Guorong couple was quite unusual. They ate meals together and shared meat soup, which made Le Yi very satisfied.

The barefoot doctor looked at the family with disdain, coming over every time to mooch off brown sugar water, “Get lost already.”

If it weren’t for the fact that Le Guorong had given him two sweet potatoes during the three years of natural disasters, saving his son’s life, he wouldn’t have bothered to help cover for them.

Le Guorong immediately lay down on the sickbed, pretending to be weak, and he did it so convincingly that it was clear he was an old hand at it.

Wu Xiaoqing immediately pretended to support the weak Le Guorong back home. The two worked together seamlessly, explaining to the villagers that he had injured himself from overwork and the doctor had advised him to go home and rest.

Word spread quickly throughout the village, Le Yi was slowly following behind with her brother’s hand in hers, unable to suppress a slight smile.

The Le family had only four dilapidated earthen houses. The old lady lived in one half, another half served as the kitchen, and each room was assigned to a family member. A small kitchen was set up in front of the house.

As the head of the family, Old Lady Le managed all the household affairs. What they ate and drank. All the money goes to her; no private stash is allowed, even if the eldest son is the team leader, he has to listen to her. She’s that domineering.

Usually, the three daughters-in-law take turns cooking, but during busy farming seasons, when they are all in the fields, Grandma Le steps in personally to prepare meals for over ten people.

Today is a busy farming day, and to replenish the energy of her grandchildren, she specially took out the rice she usually can’t bear to eat, picked a few sweet potatoes, washed and chopped them, and cooked them together. In no time, there was a pot of steaming sweet potato rice.

Then she steamed a pot of corn buns, stir-fried vegetables, and cold cucumbers. She even specially bought two pieces of tofu and made a pot of tofu, vegetable, and egg drop soup, with the egg drops floating on the surface, looking very tempting.

Just as she was about to serve the soup, Le Chunmei walked in, “Grandma, let me help you, you’ve worked hard.”

In the dim light, she picked up a ladle, poured some water into a basin, washed her face, and cleaned her hands thoroughly, even applying a bit of clam oil to her hands.

Although she was wearing patched clothes, she had a smile on her face, spoke gently, was particularly clean, and had fair skin, unlike the rough village girls.

Only she used the clam oil, a privilege given by Grandma Le.

Old Lady Le turned around and saw her most beloved granddaughter, her eyes crinkled with a smile. “You’re still the most obedient.”

She quickly ladled a bowl of tofu soup and handed it over, deliberately adding more egg drop and tofu. Le Chunmei didn’t mind the heat, and drank it all in one go, leaving not a drop of broth.

After finishing the drink, she couldn’t help but lick her lips, “So delicious, Grandma, your skills are really good.”

These days, you can only afford to buy a piece of tofu to entertain guests if relatives come over; otherwise, where would you get it?

City folks need a ticket to get tofu.

Old Lady Le felt a pang in her heart as she watched; it wasn’t that her cooking was good, it was just that they usually ate less.

She didn’t know where she found a warm egg, “Here, eat this to replenish your strength. You must be tired today, right? I told you to help me cook at home.”

She usually didn’t let her granddaughter work in the fields. Her granddaughter was fourteen and would be able to get married in a few years. She needed to be well taken care of.

She was also planning to marry her granddaughter off to the city, so she could enjoy the comforts of city life, and the whole family could benefit from it.

But the granddaughter insisted, saying she couldn’t hold anyone back, couldn’t give anyone a reason to talk, and couldn’t make her father, who was the captain, uncomfortable. She wanted to lead by example.

What a sensible child.

Le Chunmei’s eyes lit up; she could have one every few days, but she still craved it. She didn’t rush to eat the boiled egg she received, but instead cut it in half and forcefully stuffed one half into Grandma Le’s mouth. As Grandma Le savored the rare delicacy, her heart felt sweeter than drinking syrup.

“Chunmei, hurry up and eat, don’t let others see.”

Everyone says she favors her eldest granddaughter. How could she not favor her when her eldest granddaughter is so filial?

In fact, the old lady often gives Le Chunmei special treatment, secretly slipping her food to nourish her body, but if the rest of the family found out, they would definitely be unhappy.

Le Chunmei held half an egg, looking a bit uneasy, “This isn’t right, we’re all family, we should eat together in the future.”

The old lady liked children who were so understanding and polite, “You, you’re good at everything, just too kind-hearted.

Le Chunmei slightly curled her lips, just about to put the egg in her mouth, when a large hand reached over from the side and quickly snatched the egg away.

Le Chunmei felt her palms empty, and anger surged from the depths of her heart. She turned and glared at the newcomer, who was Le Guorong, his face looking very grim.

She inwardly cursed, took a few steps back, and hid behind Grandma Le, appearing timid and scared, which made Grandma Le’s heart ache. “At your age, how can you have the nerve to steal food from your niece? Give it back quickly.”

Le Guorong already knew that his mother was biased, often secretly giving his niece special treatment, raising her to be healthy, while his own son and daughter had no share and were emaciated.

Now, when he caught her in the act of giving special treatment, could he be happy? In front of his mother, he deliberately took a bite of the egg, smiling with great delight. He gave the remaining yolk to Le Yi and the egg white to Le Ran.

Le Ran was still a child, and he gobbled it down. It’s so delicious, the last time he had an egg was during the New Year. He still misses the taste.

After he finished eating, he was still smacking his lips, savoring the flavour. Le Yi saw this and felt bad. Their family was poor, and they saved eggs  to trade for oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other essentials. Unless someone was sick, they could only have a bowl of steamed egg.

She stuffed the egg yolk into her younger brother’s mouth, and the little guy was so happy he looked like he could fly, with a big smile on his face, like a little puppy trying to please its owner. The sister was really good to him; he liked his sister the most.

In Grandma Le’s eyes, Le Guorong’s actions were a provocation! She immediately got angry, “You little brat, you don’t even listen to what I say anymore? What’s the point of raising you? Old man, you died early, leaving me to suffer alone…”

She is the old widow of the village, having raised four children on her own. She is extremely strong-willed and fierce, with a very strong desire for control.

Le Guorong, used to his mother’s crying and making a fuss, so he immediately imitated her and rolled on the ground, “Dad, if you were alive, how good it would be. You don’t even know how much your beloved youngest son has been bullied. I’m so miserable, this life is too hard for me, I’m almost driven to the point of no return.”

His shameless tantrums as a grown man are indeed inherited.

Old Mrs. Le glared angrily, smacking her son on the head. “Who forced you? Huh? You heartless thing, I raised you since you were a  baby, and you, you’ve forgotten your mother after getting a wife, you’re always going against me.”

Her son was her own flesh and blood, even if he did wrong, it was because he was led astray.

This “someone” was naturally her daughter-in-law. She turned her head and vented all her anger on Wu Xiaoqing. “I shouldn’t have let that jinx into the house back then, but you wouldn’t listen to me, you insisted on marrying her. Wu Xiaoqing, what good things have you done since you came in? You’re lazy all day long, and you incite your husband to fight with the family!” 

She used to be very fond of her youngest son, but he turned out to be a disappointment. He disregarded her objections and insisted on marrying Wu Xiaoqing, who came from a complicated family background, completely infuriating her.

The other family’s background was not good, and they raised their daughter to be pampered unable to do any farm work. Can good looks fill your stomach?

Wu Xiaoqing knew early on that her mother-in-law didn’t like her, but so what? Their marriage was good, her husband protected her, and they had children. What was she afraid of?

“Mom, if you were fair, who would cause trouble? As the old saying goes, ‘Marry the chicken, follow the chicken, marry the dog, follow the dog.’ I listen to my husband.”

She’s different from others. She went to school and in her youth, her looks and demeanor were exceptional—she was a beauty. Back then, countless men wanted to marry her. If it wasn’t for that sudden and unexpected  change, she wouldn’t have married a farmer who couldn’t read or write.

Le Guorong has many flaws, but one good thing about him is that he’s very obedient to her and can protect her.

Old Lady Le trembled all over, pointing her finger at Wu Xiaoqing’s nose, “Believe it or not, I’ll get him to divorce you!”

Wu Xiaoqing has been battling wits with her mother-in-law for years, and has gained a wealth of experience. She has become thick-skinned and willing to go to any lengths.

“I believe it, believe it, believe it. I’ll go to the town government office and cry. A mother-in-law forcing her son and daughter-in-law to divorce is the dregs of the old era? or a revival of feudal thought? Chairman said that everyone has the right to freedom of marriage, whoever opposes it is a reactionary element.”

Le Yi looked at her mom with awe; her combat power was top-notch, one person could take on two. With such parents, all she needed to do was shout “666” from the sidelines, “Awesome!”

After this exchange, Grandma Le’s face turned blue, then red, then white, then black, but she still didn’t dare to say anything. She felt a lump in her throat, her body swayed slightly.

A shrew isn’t scary; what’s scary is a shrew with an education.

Wu Xiaoqing was about to lend a hand, but Le Chunmei was quicker, stepping back two paces while supporting Old Lady Le’s arm, her eyes wary. “Third Aunt, please say fewer words. After all, Grandma is an elder, and we should be filial and respectful to our elders. Whatever they say, we should listen. Not being filial is worse than a pig or a dog. Of course, I’m not talking about you, so don’t take it the wrong way.”

It’s okay if you don’t add the last sentence, but adding it gives that certain flavour. Wu Xiaoqing frowned, glanced at the steaming white rice, gave her man a look, and without saying a word, Le Guorong directly took the rice. He placed a steamed bun on top of the full bowl of rice, pushed the sweet potatoes to the side, saying he had enough.

Usually, we eat brown rice, but today it’s white rice. You can’t imagine how fragrant it is.

He handed two bowls of rice to Le Yi, gently pushed her, and told her to go back to her room. Le Yi immediately hugged the bowls tightly, turned around, and ran to her room.

Le Ran followed her like a little tail, swallowing saliva as he ran, dying of hunger.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaoqing served herself two large bowls of tofu soup, filled with all sorts of ingredients. With Le Guorong blocking the way, Grandma Le couldn’t stop her and was so angry she kept cursing, saying they were lazier than pigs and ate more than pigs.

The couple didn’t argue; they quickly grabbed their food and ran back to their room. Once the door was closed, Grandma Le’s angry curses were kept outside.

The tofu was tender and smooth, so delicious! The egg drop was fragrant and even better!

Let them scold, it won’t cost them a piece of meat. It’s a rare opportunity to eat my fill, that’s the most important thing. Usually, the mom calculates the food based on the number of people, being stingy, so everyone can only eat half-full. The leftovers are all given to Le Chunmei and her three siblings as a special treat.

Outside, Le Chunmei listened to her grandmother’s curses, looked down at the rice that was missing a small portion, frowned unhappily, and snorted coldly in her heart. Her uncle and aunt were still so troublesome and their two children just as annoying.