SWDnovel Chapter 58 Hu Mei's Knife
Chapter 58 Hu Mei's Knife
The sound was particularly jarring in the empty living room, startling Yan Xiujuan, who had just calmed down, so much so that her heart skipped a beat.
She subconsciously glanced at the tightly closed bedroom door, afraid that Wang Lili inside might make some more noise.
"Who is it? It's so late at night." Yan Xiujuan steadied herself and tried to make her voice sound calm and even.
"Xiujuan, it's me, Hu Mei! I saw your lights were still on, so I came over to check on you."
The voice outside the door was high-pitched and thin, filled with barely concealed excitement.
Yan Xiujuan's face instantly fell.
Hu Mei and she had been colleagues for decades, and Hu Mei was known as the "loudmouth" in the government compound.
The two started competing with each other when they first joined their workplaces, comparing their clothes, jobs, and husbands. Later, after they had children, they started comparing their children as well.
Hu Mei's son is a good-for-nothing who only knows how to sponge off his parents, which has always been a source of worry for Hu Mei.
What Yan Xiujuan was most proud of in the past was that Wang Lili had found a "handsome and promising" cadre named Zhao.
Yan Xiujuan used to boast to Hu Mei about how filial and capable Zhao Gang was, which always made Hu Mei roll her eyes in anger.
Hu Mei's visit now is like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—she has no good intentions.
Yan Xiujuan could even imagine the gloating smile on that face outside.
She straightened her slightly wrinkled collar, suppressed the anger in her heart, put on a faint smile, and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Hu Mei's chubby face, plastered with a fake smile, came closer.
He was holding a handful of sunflower seeds, cracking them open as he peered into the room. His two beady eyes were like radar, as if he wanted to scan every inch of the floor tiles.
"Oh, Xiujuan, you're still awake?"
Hu Mei spat out the sunflower seed shells into her hand and asked casually, "I saw you rushing home before you even finished your afternoon shift, without even having time to write a leave slip. Did something serious happen at home? I was worried and thought I had to come and check on you."
Yan Xiujuan subtly blocked Hu Mei's view towards the bedroom, a dismissive smile playing on her lips. "Oh, what could be so serious? It's just that Lili is so delicate. This afternoon she suddenly sent someone to say she wasn't feeling well. I'm just too anxious as a mother. Hearing that my daughter was unwell, I couldn't concentrate on work anymore, so I rushed back."
Yan Xiujuan leaned against the door frame, subtly blocking Hu Mei's view of the west room.
"Hey, what could be so serious? It's just that Lili is a delicate child, and this afternoon she suddenly sent someone to say she wasn't feeling well. I'm just too anxious as a mother. When I heard my daughter was unwell, how could I concentrate on work? So I rushed back."
"uncomfortable?"
Hu Mei raised her eyebrows, which were drawn up like caterpillars, and without considering herself an outsider, she walked past Yan Xiujuan and plopped down on the dark red velvet sofa.
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry? Is the pregnancy unstable? Oh dear, we have to be careful. Twin babies are the most precious; we can't afford any mistakes."
As she spoke, she placed the sunflower seed shells in her hand on the originally clean coffee table, and then picked up her teacup to pour herself some water.
Yan Xiujuan looked at the pile of sunflower seed shells, and her eyes twitched violently twice.
Hu Mei did this on purpose.
"It's not that serious, it's just food poisoning, I'm vomiting a lot."
Yan Xiujuan suppressed the urge to kick the person out and sat on the wooden chair opposite her, her back ramrod straight. "I've been busy all afternoon and just got some rest."
Hu Mei held her teacup but didn't drink it. Her eyes continued to dart around the room, finally settling on the tightly closed door to the west room.
"You ate something that upset your stomach..."
Hu Mei drew out her words, her tone laced with sarcasm, "That's not right, Xiujuan. If Lili isn't feeling well, shouldn't she go to the hospital or rest at her own little home? Why did she go all the way back to her parents' house? A daughter who's not even married yet only runs back to her parents' house because she's been wronged. Lili's already married, how can she still be so insensible?"
The knife was precise, piercing Yan Xiujuan's lung.
The enamel mug lid in Yan Xiujuan's hand creaked as she squeezed it.
There are many people and a lot of gossip in this compound, and no matter what happens in any household, it can't be hidden from the eyes of these old women.
Lili came home crying today, and many people probably saw it.
"Look at what you're saying. A daughter is a daughter, even after she gets married, she's still flesh and blood of her mother."
Yan Xiujuan suppressed her anger and put on airs, saying, "Her little home is cold and deserted, how can it compare to the comfort of being served by me when she comes back? Besides, Lili has always been a homebody, and she loves to cling to me whenever she has a slight headache or fever, you know that."
"Yes, yes."
Hu Mei nodded with a forced smile, then changed the subject, asking, "What about Zhao Gang? I always thought he treated Lili like a precious gem. But now that his wife is so sick, she's gone back to her parents' home. Why didn't he come back with her? He's not a very good son-in-law."
Yan Xiujuan clenched her molars so hard they made a grinding sound.
Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about! Hu Mei clearly heard something and came here specifically to try and get information out of people.
"Gangzi is busy."
Yan Xiujuan picked up her teacup and took a sip to hide the panic in her eyes. "You know, the supply and marketing cooperative is having this 'Excellent Service Month' event lately, and they're even selecting outstanding employees. Gangzi is a staff member, he's good at writing, and the leaders value him. He's been working overtime at the office every day writing reports, how can he leave?"
"work overtime?"
Hu Mei slapped her thigh dramatically, as if she'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Xiujuan, you're not telling me the truth, are you? I passed by the supply and marketing cooperative on my way home from get off work, and Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, told me that this afternoon there was a huge commotion at the entrance, with gongs, drums, and firecrackers going off everywhere. They said it was even more exciting than a grand opera! Apparently, it was all about Zhao Gang's matter?"
Yan Xiujuan's hand trembled violently, and a chill ran down her spine and straight to the top of her head.
That damn Hu Mei!
Since they already know everything, why are they still pretending to ask questions for so long? They just want to see Yan Xiujuan make a fool of herself!
I just want to see her proud face torn off and trampled on the ground!
"What big show? How come I didn't know about it?"
Yan Xiujuan straightened her face, adopting the tone she used to sternly reprimand people in the department, "Hu Mei, we're both veteran Party members and cadres; we have to be responsible for our words. You believe those unfounded rumors outside? If that gets out, it will affect stability and unity!"
Looking at Yan Xiujuan's flushed face, Hu Mei felt a sense of relief, more refreshing than drinking an ice-cold soda on a sweltering summer day.
For so many years, I've always been overshadowed by Yan Xiujuan, but today I've finally turned the tables.
"Hey, look at you, why are you in such a hurry!"
Hu Mei wasn't annoyed at all; instead, she laughed even harder. "I just overheard it and was worried that your Zhao Gang might have made some mistake at work. Since you said he's working overtime, then he's working overtime. We've been colleagues for decades; would I really want something to happen to your rich son-in-law?"
As she spoke, she stood up, patted off non-existent dust from her bottom, and couldn't hide her smugness.
"Since Lili isn't feeling well, I won't go in and bother her. You should rest early too, don't let the baby upset you. These days, you can't judge a book by its cover; some people look glamorous on the outside, but who knows what kind of rotten cotton is inside! I'm leaving now!"