As soon as she entered the building, a comfortable wave of cool air refreshed her. She had only taken a couple of steps when the door to the east apartment on the first floor opened and a head poked out. It was none other than the mother of her apprentice, Gu Shaodong—the same woman she’d gone wheat-gleaning with last time.

"Dongzi’s mentor," Aunt Gu called out in a low voice, waving her over.

Zhu Yun became even more alert. She leaned in closer, a fire of gossip already burning in her eyes.

"Your neighbors across the hall have relatives visiting today," Aunt Gu whispered, pressing two large mangoes into her hands.

Zhu Yun couldn’t resist the temptation and accepted them. "Aunt Gu," she said with a smile, "in return, I’ll cook something special for Gu Shaodong and cure a jar of salted duck eggs for you. I guarantee every single one will have a perfectly runny, fragrant, and tender yolk!"

Aunt Gu exclaimed happily. "Oh, Dongzi’s mentor, that’s one of my absolute favorite things to eat!"

Then her tone shifted. "It looked like an old man, probably Director Wang’s father, along with a young man and a young woman."

"They were carrying all sorts of bags. The person on duty at the family residence compound said their visitor’s pass is for three months! That’s such a long time. They’re probably planning to settle here for good. And with a temper like that little wife Lin Jin’s, who knows what kind of scene she’ll make behind closed doors..."

"The pay and benefits at our cafeteria are great, so a lot of families sent telegrams back home, telling relatives to come and take advantage. It’s a good thing our cafeteria made some rules, otherwise we’d be eaten out of house and home by outsiders..."

The first-floor apartments had small yards with waist-high fences. No visitor could possibly escape the notice of Aunt Gu, who loved tending to her tiny vegetable patch.

Zhu Yun listened with a smile for quite a while before Chu Shenyu, seeing she still hadn’t had her fill of gossip, had to drag her upstairs.

Just as they were taking out their keys, the door across the hall slammed open.

Lin Jin’s face was red with anger. Always one to play the part of the virtuous, gentle wife, her voice was now sharp and shrill. "Wang Xianbing, what is the meaning of this? Our apartment is only so big, and you let your relatives take over the whole place?"

"Did you even bother to ask me? It’s like I’m not even part of this family, is that right?"

"So tell me, who’s staying in a hotel tonight—me, or them!"

’What a familiar opening act...’ Zhu Yun thought. She may not have had any gossip to "eat," but she did have a mango to chew on.

Wang Xianbing quickly grabbed the door. His eyes met Zhu Yun’s, who was clearly enjoying the show, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. He wanted to shut the door but was afraid of knocking over the heavily pregnant Lin Jin, so he could only say in a low voice,

"Lin Jin, that’s my father, my own nephew and niece. We can’t just kick them out to a hotel on their very first day, can we? It’s a long trip from our hometown. That would be just humiliating. And it’s not like we don’t have room, right?"

"Let’s close the door first. We can discuss this calmly. Let’s not give the neighbors a show."

Lin Jin also noticed that across the hall, one person was already chewing on a mango while the other was studiously rummaging through a bag for keys. The rage in her heart burned even hotter.

"You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I care about my reputation, aren’t you? You just keep bullying me!" Tears streamed down her face. She turned her head away, her hand gripping the doorknob tightly. "From the moment we met, to our marriage, to my pregnancy—when have I ever not done exactly what your family wanted?"

"You all just keep pushing and pushing. Are you planning to move your entire family in here?"

Old Mrs. Wang was also furious.

She was the one who had invited them, but to be confronted by her daughter-in-law like this, with the neighbors watching the spectacle... what about her dignity?

She wasn’t the only one who could cry.

Old Mrs. Wang began to wipe away tears of her own, her voice thick with grievance.

"How are we the ones pushing you? We’re the ones who have been accommodating you! Ever since my son got together with you, the money he sends home isn’t even enough to buy you a single new outfit."

"Our entire family sacrificed to put him through college. Is it so wrong for him to help the family out a bit, to find a driving job for his nephew?"

"Besides, I saw you’re about to give birth and was worried you couldn’t manage on your own, so I asked Jingjing to come help. She came all this way to take care of you, and you’re not happy about it?"

"We’re here eating well, while you let your father eat nothing but bran and greens back home? Do you people have any conscience?"

Zhu Yun nodded and chimed in supportively. "Old Mrs. Wang, even though your family tormented me for seven years, I have to be fair: you are boundlessly good to your youngest son. You’d practically rip your heart out for him."

"How could Director Wang marry a wife and forget his own mother and father?"

"In the city, all the sons take turns supporting their parents. Often, whichever son is better off is the one who takes care of them." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"You two are still spry enough to get around and help with chores, yet your youngest son’s wife is already trying to chase you away. Tsk, tsk. When you’re old and paralyzed in bed, do you really think she’ll be there to feed you a single bite of food?"

These words struck a chord deep in Old Mrs. Wang’s heart. She was genuinely heartbroken now. She looked over at Zhu Yun’s earnest and exceptionally disapproving expression—an expression that would have been more convincing if not for the ring of yellow mango pulp around her mouth.

"Oh, son," she lamented, "your mother told you not to marry a city girl. All that talk about being virtuous and sensible... it was all just an act for your benefit..."