Just after four o'clock, Su Yun handed her work permit to Gu Hai and used the excuse of having him go to the Street Office to collect her salary.
Upon receiving the task, Gu Hai became visibly excited. He jumped on his bicycle and sped toward the Street Office. When he ran into Wang Yang there, he deliberately greeted him loudly and casually mentioned that he was helping Su Yun collect her salary.
Wang Yang's face darkened immediately. He turned around and walked away, unwilling to look at Gu Hai's smug expression for even a second.
The moment Gu Hai left the recycling station, Su Yun quickly shut the gate and opened the system store. She purchased 11,000 jin of watermelons in one go. Then she bought two chickens, five jin of pork fat, and ten jin of rice as a thank-you gift for Gouzi.
After thinking for a moment, she also bought a brand-new set of men's clothing and a pair of white sneakers in the same size as Gu Hai's.
Every time she saw Gouzi, he was dressed in patched-up clothes, just like Gu Hai had once been—faded shirts washed nearly white, torn navy-style trousers, and worn-out cloth shoes.
Since she was giving a gift, she naturally wanted to give him something he truly needed.
After finishing her purchases, Su Yun looked at the watermelons piled across half the courtyard and nodded with satisfaction.
Near quitting time, Gu Hai returned, drenched in sweat.
Su Yun immediately locked the recycling station and sat on the back seat of his bicycle, allowing him to ride her home.
However, Gu Hai still had to help Gouzi transport the watermelons that evening, and he also wanted to continue studying televisions and cameras. As a result, he did not enter the courtyard with Su Yun.
After happily returning home, Su Yun immediately noticed that the atmosphere in the house was unusually heavy.
Su Wenshan sat silently on the kang, dressed in his gray work uniform, smoking without saying a word. Chen Xiu'e stood by the dining table with her sleeves rolled up, kneading dough.
Even Su Baoguo wasn't outside playing. He was squatting beside the kang, counting ants.
The moment Su Yun entered, she put down her shoulder bag and asked,
"Dad, Mom, what happened? Did Deputy Factory Director Jiang give Dad trouble again?"
The mention of Deputy Factory Director Jiang stirred mixed emotions within her.
Chen Xiu'e kneaded the dough absentmindedly and shook her head.
"No... nothing happened."
The moment Su Baoguo saw Su Yun return, he jumped up and immediately tattled:
"Second Sister, nobody caused trouble. Mom received letters from Su Weiguo and Su Ling. They want the family to send them a few more cans of milk powder!"
"You little brat!"
Chen Xiu'e immediately raised her flour-covered hand.
"They're your second brother and eldest sister! What do you mean by calling them Su Weiguo and Su Ling? Don't you know what brotherly respect is?"
Su Baoguo quickly hid behind Su Yun and made a face at Chen Xiu'e, looking stubborn and unrepentant.
Protecting her younger brother, Su Yun stopped Chen Xiu'e's half-hearted attempt to hit him and quickly asked,
"Mom, half a month ago I already sent a can of milk powder to both Second Brother and Eldest Sister. Logically speaking, babies don't eat that much. One can should last at least a month. How did they finish it in less than half a month?"
"And if we count the dates, Second Sister-in-law isn't even eight months pregnant yet. She hasn't even given birth, so how could..."
Before she could finish, Chen Xiu'e sighed heavily.
Wiping her hands haphazardly on her apron, she pulled two letters out from beneath the kang mat and handed them to Su Yun.
"I can't explain it clearly. Read them yourself. Your brothers and sisters really know how to cause trouble."
Only then did Su Wenshan finally speak.
"Don't send them anything."
He took a drag from his cigarette and continued,
"When I was Weiguo's age, I'd already passed the factory examination and become a worker at the steel mill. He's a grown man. If he can't even support his own wife and child, that's his problem. We've only stopped sending money and food for one month. I refuse to believe they'll starve to death."
As he spoke, Su Yun unfolded Su Weiguo's letter.
Although the envelope bore Su Weiguo's name, the handwriting clearly belonged to a woman. Judging by the tone, it was obviously written by her second sister-in-law, Xu Hongying.
Su Yun wasn't particularly familiar with Xu Hongying.
In her previous life, she had married early and rarely interacted with her brothers and sisters-in-law after they returned to the city. However, she'd heard enough stories from Chen Xiu'e to know that this woman was far from simple.
Sure enough, the letter began with polite greetings to Su Wenshan and Chen Xiu'e.
Immediately afterward, however, Xu Hongying brought up Su Yun's job.
She claimed that Su Yun had used the family's money to purchase her position and had therefore taken the share that rightfully belonged to Su Weiguo. As a result, the Su family owed them compensation.
Xu Hongying further wrote that she was carrying Su Weiguo's son and urgently needed nutrition. One can of milk powder was nowhere near enough.
She hinted repeatedly that Chen Xiu'e should think about her future grandson and send several more cans.
She even declared that she would pay for them herself and would never take advantage of the family like Su Yun supposedly had.
By the time Su Yun reached that part, she was laughing in anger.
The milk powder she had sent was intended for babies, yet Xu Hongying seemed perfectly comfortable drinking it herself.
Suppressing her irritation, Su Yun opened Su Ling's letter next.
Su Ling's approach was far more emotional.
She first described the dangers she had faced during childbirth, then detailed the hardships of caring for a baby while still working in the fields every day.
Only after all that did she finally mention the milk powder.
She explained that her husband's parents were in poor health, so she had shared half of the milk powder with them.
Now she hoped that Chen Xiu'e would show some compassion and send two more cans.
Her breast milk wasn't sufficient, and her son cried from hunger every day.
She even added that if the family truly couldn't obtain milk powder, she wouldn't mind drinking whatever Su Yun had left over.
The implication was obvious:
She was convinced that Su Yun herself had milk powder to drink regularly.
After finishing both letters, Su Yun's expression darkened.
Only then did Chen Xiu'e finally vent the frustration she had been holding back.
"Your father and I have five children. We've always treated every one of you fairly. We've never favored anyone. But look at this! They still think we're biased!"
Her voice cracked.
"We've only gone one month without sending them things, and suddenly everything we've done for them over the years means nothing. They don't remember any of the sacrifices we've made!"
"And now they're asking for several cans of milk powder in one breath. Where exactly are we supposed to get that?"
Tears streamed down her face as she continued.
"Milk powder is such a precious thing. Even when your father was sick, he couldn't bear to drink much of it. We saved every mouthful and sent it to them instead. Yet they're still dissatisfied. They actually think we're secretly enjoying ourselves here at home..."
The more she spoke, the harder she cried.
Eventually, she sat down on the kang and burst into sobs.
She felt utterly wronged.
Over the years, she and Su Wenshan had lived frugally, surviving meal after meal on coarse cornbread and pickled vegetables so they could save food and supplies for the three children living away from home.
They had never believed they were treating any of their children unfairly.
Yet every letter they received contained nothing but demands.
This time, they had even asked for several cans of milk powder at once.
Where were they supposed to find something so valuable?
Seeing Chen Xiu'e crying so bitterly, Su Wenshan felt equally miserable.
He sighed deeply and gently patted her back in comfort.
Su Baoguo pouted angrily.
His opinion of his brothers and sisters, already poor, sank even lower.
Su Yun's mood also plummeted.
After thinking for a moment, she finally said,
"Mom, milk powder is valuable, but I might still be able to get some. How about I contact that collector again and see if he can help me exchange for a few more cans? I got paid today, so I have money on hand."
Chen Xiu'e immediately shook her head.
"Keep your money for yourself."
She spoke firmly.
"As for the milk powder, forget it."
"Our family is in this situation. We simply don't have the ability to keep sending them milk powder."
"Besides, they already raised several children before this without milk powder, and those children grew up just fine."
"They're becoming more and more demanding."
"And I refuse to indulge them any longer."