Chapter 18: Women Outside Are Too Devious; My Sister-in-Law Is the Only One I Can Trust

Now that Huang He had come up with a solution, his mind was a tumult of colliding inspirations… Of course, only Huang He himself was aware of this; to everyone else, he seemed to be lost in a daze, his gaze fixed and unmoving, as though he were trapped in some sorrowful memory or mood.

“What’s wrong with Little He?” his mother-in-law asked worriedly.

“Oh no! I just remembered!” Leng Zhiruo exclaimed in alarm. “Zhiwen, which bottle of shampoo did you use—was it the one on the top of the shelf?”

“So what if it was? Am I not even allowed to use some shampoo?” Leng Zhiwen replied irritably.

“No, that’s not it!” Leng Zhiruo shook her head vehemently. “That bottle is different—it’s the last half bottle of shampoo that Big Sister left behind. She always used that brand and that scent. As soon as Brother-in-law smells it, he’ll be reminded of her!”

“Ah!” A flicker of unease passed through Leng Zhiwen’s eyes. She hurriedly explained, “I didn’t know! The old shampoo ran out, so I just grabbed another bottle.”

“But I already put a new bottle right next to it. Why didn’t you use that one?” Leng Zhiruo stamped her foot in frustration.

“Because it was new, I didn’t want to use it yet—I thought I’d finish the old one first, so I took the one on the top!” Leng Zhiwen’s explanation left everyone speechless for a moment. Yet, thinking about it, their family had always been thrifty and accustomed to making do; waste was simply not in their nature.

“What are we going to do now?” Seeing Huang He still lost in his own world, Leng Zhiruo was deeply troubled. She wanted to call him back, but she couldn’t bear to—after all, her brother-in-law was mourning her sister, and here she was, the younger sister, inadvertently pushing her sister further away. The whole thing felt wrong…

Since Leng Zhiruo didn’t call out, no one else dared to either. An awkward silence descended over the dining table; everyone ate their meal in an unusually subdued manner. It wasn’t until Huang He snapped out of his reverie that the atmosphere gradually returned to normal.

“Mom, I’ve got something to take care of at work. I’ll head back to the company now—once I’m done, I’ll come home for dinner!” Huang He, anxious to deal with matters at hand, wolfed down a few bites and rushed out.

“I’ll go with you, Brother-in-law!” Leng Zhiruo also got up, ready to leave.

“Wait, Zhiruo, stay and help me with the housework,” her mother-in-law unexpectedly interjected. Huang He also agreed she should stay. It was already dark; having Leng Zhiruo alone with him at the factory was rather unsafe. So, he hurried off alone, leaving the somewhat aggrieved Leng Zhiruo stamping her foot. “Mom, what are you doing? I’m supposed to help Brother-in-law with his work! Do you even know how tough things are for him right now? Over a thousand people depend on him for their livelihood—he’s going to work himself to exhaustion!”

“That’s exactly why I want you to stay,” her mother-in-law replied, tapping the table. Then she sent the youngest two, Leng Zhiqing and Leng Zhiyuan, off to do their homework. When Leng Zhiwen tried to slip away, she was called back. The three of them were summoned to their mother’s room for a ‘family meeting.’

“Mom, there’s no need for a family meeting. I’ll do whatever you say when it comes to family matters. Just let me know the decision—I’m going to bed. I have training with my unit in the morning.”

“And if I told you to marry your brother-in-law, would you agree?” her mother-in-law asked coldly. Leng Zhiwen was so stunned she nearly lost her balance.

“Mom, what nonsense are you talking about?” Leng Zhiruo burst out.

“It’s not nonsense,” her mother-in-law replied with a sigh. “I’m speaking the truth—for the sake of our family’s future! You all saw it just now: without Zhixuan, Hehe is utterly devastated. I’ve watched those two grow up together. Hehe cared for Zhixuan deeply—he’s had such a tough time.”

“Mom, if you know how much Brother-in-law loved Big Sister, how could you say something like that?” Leng Zhiwen retorted, exasperated.

“That’s precisely why! Hehe is a wonderful young man. With his parents gone, I’m half a mother to him now. I’m responsible for his future happiness. He’s still young—just twenty-five! He can’t go on alone forever, especially when he doesn’t even have a child. You can see his state—no one close at hand to care for him, his health will suffer if this continues.”

“But Mom, haven’t I been looking after him? I clean his clothes, his office, the house—I’m taking care of him!” Leng Zhiruo protested.

“Ha! But do you have the nerve to climb into your brother-in-law’s bed?” her mother-in-law retorted, so bluntly that Leng Zhiruo went red and nearly collapsed on the spot.

“Child, don’t blame me for being tactless. I speak plainly, but it’s for your own good!” her mother-in-law’s face was unwavering. “That’s why I’m going to find Hehe a new wife. It has to be soon—within the next year or two. He can’t be allowed to waste his youth like this.”

“Mom, you don’t know how many scheming women are eyeing Brother-in-law. They’re all after his money—none of them are good!” Leng Zhiruo raised her head, resisting fiercely.

“Exactly right—the women out there are all bad. We can’t let them snatch Hehe away!” her mother-in-law agreed wholeheartedly. “If you think about it, the best, most trustworthy women are right here in our own family. The three of you are all of age now. As the saying goes, ‘keep the wealth in the family.’ So I’ve decided one of you will marry Hehe!”

“What!” The three women shrieked in unison.

“Mom, I’m just here as a spectator—don’t count me in! I have the college entrance exam this year, I’m going to university!” Leng Zhimeng, who had been silently watching, finally spoke up.

“Oh, please. Your teacher called me—unless a miracle happens, you won’t even get into a technical college. You only scored 250 on the third mock exam. You’d have been better off missing another point—at least it would sound less pathetic!” her mother-in-law huffed, and Leng Zhimeng stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

“It’s not my fault—they don’t test computer science in the college entrance exam! If they did, I’d score a hundred more points!”

“A hundred more and you still couldn’t get into university. You’ll end up working for someone else. You might as well get married early—you’re eighteen already.”

“Mom, the law says women can’t marry until they’re twenty!”

“When we registered your account back then, I pushed your birthday forward a year to meet the policy. So you’ll be twenty next year—no problem!” her mother-in-law replied imperiously, leaving Leng Zhimeng speechless.

“This is ridiculous. Mom, this is New Huaxia now—how can you still be so old-fashioned? I’m Brother-in-law’s sister-in-law! How could we possibly get married?” Leng Zhiwen recovered enough to stand and argue vehemently.

“Which law says a man can’t marry his sister-in-law?” her mother-in-law sneered. “That’s the real feudal thinking. Unless you’re third-degree blood relatives or closer, it’s perfectly legal to marry. That’s true freedom in marriage and love. And you call yourself a university student? You don’t even know that, and you dare call me old-fashioned!”

“I…” Leng Zhiwen was lost for words.

“And you—do you have any objections?” her mother-in-law turned to Leng Zhiruo.

“Mom, if Big Sister’s spirit in heaven knew about this, she’d be furious with us!” Leng Zhiruo replied weakly.

“She’s already in heaven—how could she be angrier?” her mother-in-law waved her hand decisively. “Even if your sister knew, she wouldn’t mind. Your brother-in-law is only twenty-five. He’ll remarry sooner or later. If none of you step up, some outsider will. At least if it’s one of you three, any children will still be connected to your sister by blood. When the holidays come, there’ll still be someone to honor her memory.”

At these words, her mother-in-law’s eyes grew moist. “My poor daughter… If another woman enters the family, when we’re all gone, no one will remember her. Not even a scrap of yellow paper on the grave come festival time. She’d be so pitiful… Oh, my child!”