To make up for the debt owed to Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Her outburst and anger startled both Liu Fen and Zhiyuan.

Zhiyuan was afraid that she would argue with her grandparents, so he looked at her in alarm and gestured for her to stop talking.

Lin Qingping gave him a look, telling him not to worry about it.

Liu Fen was too frightened to speak, but she looked at Gu Dafu with a wronged expression on her face.

Gu Dafu was usually taciturn, and his presence was almost imperceptible, but now he slammed down his chopsticks and said, "Is that how you talk to your mother?"

Lin Qingping was not intimidated by the authority of the "head of the family," nor did she lose her temper. Instead, she deftly retorted, "Is this how a grandmother should act?"

Gu Dafu was speechless.

"mom……"

Zhiyuan called her softly, and she could already see tears in his eyes.

“Zhiyuan is our child. Even if we said this to Gu Juncheng, he would say the same thing. Zhiyuan is not only the apple of my eye, but also the apple of Gu Juncheng's eye. His name is on our family's household registration. If Gu Juncheng knew what happened today, he wouldn't agree to it either,” Lin Qingping said frankly.

She didn't hide these words from Zhiyuan, nor did she try to cover for the two elders. Zhiyuan was very smart; trying to cover things up would only lead to nothing being covered up, and the children would just keep all of this to themselves.

She didn't want him to suffer such injustice!

As long as Gu Juncheng's name is mentioned, his parents-in-law have nothing to say.

Gu Dafu struggled for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Liu Fen, the mother-in-law, said, "That's not what I meant. There's only so much chicken, and I was just making sure you got the best of it. Your father and I didn't eat a single bite."

"Mom, there's no need for that! It's not like we can't afford it!" Lin Qingping recalled the complaints from the young people later on: "Trying to suffer when there's no suffering to be had."

"Even if you have money, you can't just eat like that. Who eats fish and meat every day?" Liu Fen muttered, her eyes red.

“Mom, I know you’re used to being frugal, but why are Gu Juncheng and I working so hard? It’s so that our family can have a better life! If you still have to tighten your belts, what’s the point of Gu Juncheng and me working so hard?” Lin Qingping always remembered that they were Gu Juncheng’s parents, so she kept her emotions stable and tried her best not to escalate the conflict.

After saying that, she put some chicken from the plate on her father-in-law and mother-in-law's plates. "Dad, Mom, I'm full. From now on, either cook a whole chicken or make more meat dishes. In our family, there's no reason for one person to eat more than one person."

There was a moment of silence at the table; no one touched their chopsticks.

"Hurry up and eat! The chickens will be going back to their coop soon." Lin Qingping stood up.

My mother-in-law now treats all those chickens, regardless of size, like they're her lifeblood.

At night, Zhiyuan took the lead and slept in the small bed behind the curtain in the living room.

Liu Fen wanted to switch places with him, but Zhiyuan just pulled the blanket and shook his head, refusing. "That's perfect. I'll sleep here. It'll be easier to go to the beach with Chen Lei and the others tomorrow morning."

This was just an excuse, everyone knew that, but it couldn't convince Zhiyuan, and Lin Qingping didn't have the strength to hug him anymore.

However, after lying down, Lin Qingping felt a little uncomfortable.

Finally, she got up and went to the living room.

Zhiyuan was still awake, reading a book with a flashlight shining through the curtains.

"What book are you reading?" Lin Qingping walked to the curtain.

Zhiyuan was startled and turned off the flashlight. "Mom, I didn't..."

Lin Qingping turned on the light. "Am I coming in?"

"Mom..." Zhiyuan lifted the curtain, feeling a little embarrassed.

"You know, if you want to read, turn on the light. You can't read in bed with a flashlight. Don't you want to ruin your eyes? Didn't you say you wanted to be an air force pilot?" Lin Qingping became alert. "You didn't always read with a flashlight at school, did you?"

Zhiyuan scratched his head.

It seems to be true...

Under Lin Qingping's piercing gaze, Zhiyuan promised, "Mom, I won't watch it anymore. I didn't understand before."

Lin Qingping nodded, looking at the sensible child, then at the curtain and the bed, "Zhiyuan, how about we move the crib to my room?"

"Mom, really, you don't need to! Look how spacious and cool it is for me to sleep here!" Zhiyuan said nonchalantly.

"Zhiyuan, I'm afraid of the dark..."

"Mom, just leave the door open, and I'll hear you if you call me!"

"Zhiyuan!" This voice carried a sense of intimidation.

"Mom!" Zhiyuan whispered, "I know what you're thinking. Because I understand, I'm not wronged. Really, Mom, I know that in your heart, I'm your own son. I know you treat me the best. Mom, I understand."

Lin Qingping suddenly choked up, "Silly son."

Zhiyuan smiled at her, "I'm not stupid, I'm very smart. I know best who's good to me." He patted his chest, "I remember too!"

"Zhiyuan, shall I read to you?" Lin Qingping picked up the book he was reading.

"Okay!" Zhiyuan lay down.

He was actually looking at a book of essays. Lin Qingping had chosen a model essay and was reading it slowly in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

After reading a sample essay, Zhiyuan yawned. "Mom."

"Hmm?" Lin Qingping put down the book.

"I will work hard in the future to give you a better life..." He was already a little confused, muttering to himself as if in a dream.

Lin Qingping smiled slightly, pulled the blanket up, and covered his stomach.

The next day, Zhiyuan went out early in the morning and spent the whole morning having fun with Chen Lei before returning.

When she came back, her hands were full; she was carrying several large coconuts and kept calling "Mom" as she came in.

Lin Qingping looked at it and asked, "Where did these coconuts come from?"

"Mom, you're amazing! You know everything!" Zhiyuan exclaimed breathlessly, placing the leaves on the porch. "The uncles gave these to me, Mom. How do I eat them?"

"This..." Lin Qingping suddenly had a craving for coconut chicken. "You can drink the juice as soon as you open it. Open one first, and I'll make you something delicious this afternoon."

They all ate dinner early on Sunday because Zhiyuan had to go back to school.

Lin Qingping made a coconut chicken soup. The fragrant aroma of the chicken soup wafted over to several neighboring houses, who were asking: "Who's making this dish? It smells so good!"

Lin Qingping also prepared dipping sauces, using almost all the seasonings she had at home. In addition, she chopped up fresh chili peppers to make a dipping sauce. It's just a pity that there were no small green tangerines, which made it less than perfect.

But this meal was delicious enough; otherwise, eating sesame oil fried chicken every day would get boring.

Neither of her in-laws could eat spicy food, but Zhiyuan could eat a little. She would chop up a large bowl of raw chili flakes and eat it all herself. Even when drinking chicken soup, she would overturn the way she drank it in her previous life and add two spoonfuls of chili.

This way of eating made Liu Fen lose her appetite. That night, she lay in bed and whispered to Gu Dafu about a solution.