Chapter 27 Biting Their Tongues
The two granddaughters who came with Zhang Shufen immediately stood up nervously upon hearing Wu Yanhua's words, not daring to sit back down.
Meanwhile, the chubby boy sitting next to Zhang Shufen was completely oblivious, remaining firmly seated.
"Sister-in-law, what's that supposed to mean? Kids are growing—they need their food. Look at Dajun back then—didn't I raise him single-handedly? I never sent him away from the table either."
Zhang Shufen once again brought up the one or two years she had taken care of Fu Dajun. Because of this favor, the Fu family had endured in silence and let her take advantage for so many years. Now, she was pushing it further and further.
"Your family really doesn't know how to adapt. Just set up another table and chairs—easy fix. Honestly."
As soon as Zhang Shufen finished speaking, her chubby grandson beside her immediately whined, "Grandma, I'm hungry!"
"Oh, oh, oh, we're about to eat. Come, come, Grandma will serve you rice." Zhang Shufen quickly stood up and scooped a bowl of rice for her chubby grandson.
"It's all vegetables. I want meat! You said Second Grandpa's house would have meat for me!" The little boy whined, clearly spoiled rotten at home.
"Hey, how about Grandma buys you meat tomorrow? Your Second Grandpa's family is poor and can't afford meat. Just eat what's here today. If we wait any longer, my precious grandson will waste away." Zhang Shufen even tried to spoon-feed her chubby grandson as she spoke.
Su He stared in disbelief. The boy looked at least seven or eight but was barely five, yet he still needed to be fed.
Her own kids, Zai Zai and Niu Niu, were just three and already fed themselves.
What baffled her most was that despite Zhang Shufen's outrageous behavior, no one in the Fu family seemed angry. If it were her, she wouldn't have been able to tolerate it for a second. At this moment, Su He couldn't help but admire her mother-in-law.
But Su He had misjudged her mother-in-law, Wu Yanhua. Wu Yanhua's face burned with anger.
However, Fu Dajun was grateful to his elder brother, so he had always extended tolerance toward his sister-in-law, Zhang Shufen.
His brother was several years older and had taken care of them when they were young, becoming an apprentice early to support the family.
Since marrying into the Fu family, Wu Yanhua had suffered no shortage of bullying from Zhang Shufen, yet her husband always insisted she yield to her.
After biting her tongue for so many years, they had finally separated households—yet Zhang Shufen still showed up occasionally to torment her. It was infuriating.
Zhang Shufen was jealous of Wu Yanhua. Wu Yanhua had given birth to many sons, while she, desperate for a boy, had five daughters in a row before finally having one son—the rest were just 'useless girls.' The ordeal of bearing that son had damaged her health, leaving her unable to have more children.
Her blatant favoritism for boys was village legend. She treated her daughters like dogs and her son like treasure.
Maybe karma struck; her only son also had three daughters in a row before finally getting this chubby grandson.
Turns out, Su He had misjudged Zhang Shufen. That chubby grandson of hers looked seven or eight but was barely five.
Her granddaughters—six, seven, and eight—were even thinner and smaller than the chubby boy.
No guessing who got the best meals at home.
Wu Yanhua shot Fu Dajun a look, willing him to speak up. She had truly had enough of this sister-in-law.
But Fu Dajun only offered a resigned, apologetic smile. It was just one meal—he figured things would be fine once Zhang Shufen and her brood left.
Seeing her husband so useless, still caving to Zhang Shufen, Wu Yanhua was utterly disappointed in him.
Noticing her mother-in-law's stormy face, Su He couldn't help but interject, "Is this Great Auntie? I barely recognize her."
As soon as Su He spoke, Zhang Shufen finally noticed her. She eyed Su He up and down and asked curiously, "You're Ting Hua's wife?"
Su He smiled and replied, "Yes."
"Oh, you and my nephew are quite a match," Zhang Shufen said with a laugh, though her tone carried a hint of malicious delight that was quite unpleasant to hear.
Unexpectedly, Su He replied, "Actually, Ting Hua and I aren't that well-matched. I'm a little overweight.
I was my parents' miracle child born to older parents, so they spoiled me with all kinds of good food growing up, which left me stuck with a slow metabolism.
But looking at my nephew here, he's outdone even my childhood chubbiness."
Hearing this, Zhang Shufen was momentarily stunned, then said proudly, "It's good for boys to be a little chubby. Even if he's heavy, as long as the family has money, he'll have no trouble finding a wife."
"But obesity comes with a lot of health problems," Su He countered.
She then turned to the chubby boy sitting beside Zhang Shufen and asked, "You ever get winded just sitting there?"
The boy immediately nodded and said, "Yeah! I've told Grandma and Dad, but they never believe me."
"Do you often snore in bursts and suddenly wake up in the middle of the night?" Su He pressed.
Before the boy could answer, Zhang Shufen cut in, "Well, yes, but it doesn't last."
Su He's gaze immediately turned sympathetic as she said, "Aunt Shufen, you really need to get my nephew on a diet.
If this continues, obesity could lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, gout, fatty liver, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, and more.
It also increases the risk of obstructive sleep apnea, tumors, colon cancer, and so on. I'm actually trying to lose weight myself because my health's been going downhill."
Her words shocked everyone.
Zhang Shufen was scared stiff, while the Fu family was terrified that something might happen to Su He.
Su He smiled at them and added,
"But once you slim down, these symptoms can improve. I've already started feeling better."
The Fu family sighed in relief, but Zhang Shufen didn't.
This grandson was the only male heir in their family—if anything happened to him, what would she do?
Her appetite vanished, and Zhang Shufen blurted, "Dajun, why don't you ask Ting Hua to help take Tie Zhu for a check-up?
You know Tie Zhu is the only hope for carrying on the family line. Ermei was useless—only gave us one boy, the rest were just worthless girls."
Every word from Zhang Shufen seemed like she was deliberately pushing all of Su He's buttons.
If this were her home, she would've stormed into her house and thrown this woman out long ago.
No matter how much gratitude was owed, Su He would never tolerate someone acting so shamelessly. She thought Fu Dajun was spineless—how could he keep letting his wife and children endure Zhang Shufen's behavior?
Before Fu Dajun could respond, Su He quickly interjected, "Aunt Shufen, have you forgotten? Our Ting Hua is deployed with the border troops now.
We have no pull with the hospitals. My advice is to start getting my nephew on a diet right away—improve his health instead of shoveling rich food down his throat. You're harming him."
Zhang Shufen stammered, at a loss. She no longer cared about staying for dinner and yanked her grandson's arm to drag him out.
"Grandma, I'm hungry! I want to eat!" Tie Zhu whined, digging in his heels.
"Let's go home! No more stuffing your face—you're going on a diet from now on!" "I don't want to diet! I want food! You evil witch! It's all your fault!" Tie Zhu shouted, swinging his pudgy fists to hit Su He.