What a joke! My man will help me turn the tables and restore my dignity.

“Everyone has their own preferences—like you said, she only submitted to Yanjing Literature after revising, didn’t she?” At these words, Mrs. Feng was momentarily stunned, her heart tightening even more. The ready-made example was right there; perhaps in their classmates’ circle, the word had already spread that submissions to October were held to high standards.

“In any case, she was accepted by Yanjing Literature. And what about me?! How many times have mine been rejected and revised?!” Feng Jiayou truly didn’t want to say more—the tears of grievance brimmed in her eyes. Was it really so hard to let her take a shortcut and get a manuscript through the back door?

“Hurry, just start a new piece. As long as it’s not too bad, I’ll let it pass!” Mrs. Feng, feeling the crisis herself, realized she couldn’t keep being so strict. The Chinese Department at Yanda was already October’s private garden because of her daughter’s position as a linchpin.

But suddenly, she discovered that her high expectations might have frightened off all those classmates; they were no longer submitting to October! That wouldn’t do! Their own private patch had been poached by Yanjing Literature—absolutely unacceptable. She had to make amends at once, at least help that wretched child get a couple of her pieces published, so she could show off at school.

Let everyone know October really needed submissions, and that getting published was just as the wretched child said: “Lots of money, easy to get in—anyone with hands can do it!”

“Heh!” Feng Jiayou gave a forced smile. The last piece had already tormented her to death, and in the end, it still didn’t make it! Now she was supposed to start from scratch and write another one?

If the woman before her weren’t her own mother, Feng Jiayou would have retorted, “Write your own damn—”

“Feng Jiayou, what’s with your attitude? I’m only demanding this for your own good, to make sure you master the fundamentals!” Mrs. Feng was already annoyed by her attitude—she’d said as long as it wasn’t too bad, she’d let it through! What was with that “heh”?

“Hey! Mom, sis—what’s the occasion? Why so many groceries?” At that moment, the youngest, Feng Jiamo, walked in holding the hand of a little one, and upon seeing her mother and sister picking vegetables in the yard, with baskets overflowing with meats and greens, her eyes nearly watered with hunger.

“Meat! There’s braised pork tonight!” The younger child, Feng Liwen, ran over, hopping with excitement.

“No way, did I just smell roast duck?” Feng Jiamo, probably part bloodhound, sniffed the air, her face breaking into a look of delighted disbelief.

“You and that nose of yours—always thinking about food!” Mrs. Feng shot her a look.

“Mom! You really bought a roast duck? What’s the big day? Your birthday? Mine? My sister’s?” Feng Jiamo counted on her fingers, trying to recall whose birthday it might be. But there weren’t many birthdays she could remember in this family.

“Roast duck! Auntie, there’s roast duck in the kitchen!” Clever little Feng Liqin had already snuck into the kitchen and found the roast duck, emerging with a greasy duck leg in hand, calling out to her aunt.

“Who said you could eat now? Did you wash your hands? Have you done your homework?” Mrs. Feng, Gu Xueqing, hurried over.

“Wait, is that Quanjude roast duck?” Jiamo pleaded, “Mom, can’t I just have a duck leg? I haven’t eaten roast duck in years! Do you know, during the years you weren’t in Yanjing, how hard it was for me? I was like a wild child, unloved and uncared for…”

“Alright, enough! Was it harder than your sister or your brother sent down to the countryside? Take it and go—go fetch your second sister-in-law for dinner!”

“What? Why is it always me? I have so much homework to review! Let my sister go—she’s got nothing to do!” Jiamo complained as she accepted a small piece of roast duck. “Mom, can I get a bigger piece? This isn’t even enough to fill the gap between my teeth!”

“Are you going or not? Your sister is pregnant, you want her to go? Besides, the roast duck and meat were bought by your sister. Don’t you feel embarrassed eating and taking without giving anything in return?” Mrs. Feng slapped her hand away as she tried to sneak more, urging her to hurry.

“My sister bought it? Sis, did you strike it rich?” Jiamo quickly finished the duck, licking her fingers in surprise.

“A big duck leg! Mom, you’re playing favorites—why does Liwen get one and not me?” When her mother chopped off another duck leg for her precious grandson, Jiamo instantly felt wronged.

“Are you going or not?” Mrs. Feng glared.

“I’ll go, I’ll go—just give me a duck carcass to gnaw on the way, alright?” Jiamo really wondered if she’d been raised by a stepmother; the favoritism was just too obvious. Both Feng Liqin and Feng Liwen, the grandchildren, got a duck leg each—why couldn’t she even get a wing? And why was it always her running errands to fetch people for dinner?

Seizing the moment when her mother was distracted, she grabbed a duck carcass and ran off, shouting as she went, “Mom, don’t start dinner without me!”

“Be careful—take my bike!” Still picking vegetables in the yard, Feng Jiayou shook her head at the foodie, issuing a reminder.

“Thanks! Sis, is it Old Cheng’s birthday today?” All this meat and roast duck, and it wasn’t her sister’s birthday—could it be that rascal Old Cheng’s?

“What Old Cheng, call him brother-in-law!” Her good mood was instantly spoiled by her sister’s words.

“Old Cheng, Old Cheng, Old Cheng—it’s Old Cheng, so what?” Jiamo stuck out her tongue at her sister and wheeled the bike out.

“Fine, let’s see if you dare eat the roast duck your brother-in-law bought for you tonight!” Feng Jiayou grumbled. If she’d known her sister was such an ungrateful wolf, she would have listened to her brother-in-law and just eaten out—wouldn’t even have brought back the duck carcass!

That night, the Feng family dinner table was more lavish than even New Year’s Eve. The two younger ones and the little aunt were practically drooling, and even the rarely meat-fed second sister-in-law Sun Juan, eldest sister-in-law Ke Yumei, and Feng Jizhao were left in a daze.

They were all waiting for Mrs. Feng to speak—what was the occasion?

Surely it wasn’t the wedding feast of Jiayou and her brother-in-law Cheng Xueming? Rumor had it, tonight’s meat and roast duck were bought by the two of them.

“Mom, what’s going on—what’s the occasion?” Jiamo, guarding the roast duck from her left and right against the two little ones, couldn’t help but ask.

“What else? Your sister Jiayou—she’s been published, made a fortune, become a great writer! She bought all this to show off her success!” Mrs. Feng’s sarcastic tone made everyone at the table—father, brothers, sisters-in-law, and sisters—turn to look at Jiayou in surprise.

“Sis, you got published?” It was Jiamo who voiced everyone’s question. After all those rejections and revisions, if she’d truly been published, it was no small feat.

“Published? Didn’t you hear Mom’s sarcasm? She’s mocking me!” Jiayou shot her sister a look. Even at the dinner table, she couldn’t stop running her mouth.

“You bought all this—roast duck and meat—without being published?” Jiamo was stunned, unable to fathom her sister’s mindset.

Still not published?

Not knowing what had happened earlier, but aware of the morning’s events, big brother Feng Jizhao and sister-in-law Ke Yumei looked at their mother. Father Feng wasn’t surprised at all; getting published would have been the real shock—it was practically doomed from the start.

“Heh! What a remarkable writer you are, Jiayou! How could I possibly mock a great author like you?” Mrs. Feng said, “Look, I even picked up your manuscript payment—sixty-four yuan in all. What’s wrong with treating everyone to roast duck?”

She had meant to use the payment slip to offer a few words of encouragement at dinner. But Jiayou, not even knowing if her piece had made it, went ahead and celebrated with a feast of meat and duck—how big-hearted could she be?

…