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Chapter 4: I’ll Show You
He looked completely different from before—no longer the sharp, tailored suit he usually wore, but a far more casual outfit that softened his whole presence.
Chen Maidong lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced at her. She met his look with a teasing smile.
He turned to his grandmother. “Grandma, are you coming back or not?”
“I’m not going back. You can go back yourself,” Chen Grandma said matter-of-factly. “My fried chicken isn’t ready yet.”
Chen Maidong turned and walked out of the roasted chicken shop. He didn’t go far—just stopped at the intersection ahead to wait.
Seeing him leave, Chen Grandma gave Zhuang Jie a sly wink. “My grandson’s just shy. Don’t let that big frame fool you—inside he’s still a bashful little boy.”
Hahaha—
“Mainly because he… worked the night shift yesterday,” Chen Grandma added smoothly. “He just woke up and was hungry, so I brought him out to get some meat. He usually dresses very properly—his suits are all custom-made. If I’d known I’d meet you today, I would’ve dressed him like a movie star.”
Zhuang Jie had been smiling the whole time. This old lady was too entertaining.
Chen Grandma asked about her job, and Zhuang Jie answered honestly. When she heard Zhuang Jie had been working in Shanghai for years, she visibly lost a bit of confidence. Then she asked whether Zhuang Jie had any plans to come back and settle down.
Zhuang Jie shook her head with a smile. “No plans.”
The disappointment on Chen Grandma’s face was impossible to hide. She forced a few more words with Zhuang Jie, then came out with the packed fried chicken. When she saw her grandson waiting at the intersection, her eyes turned red for a moment—but she quickly blinked it away and went next door to queue for milk tea.
Zhuang Jie had been her ideal granddaughter-in-law in her mind—though before today, that “ideal” had no clear face, just a vague wish for her grandson to have someone dependable by his side.
Now that she had seen Zhuang Jie, she felt like this was exactly the kind of girl she had imagined.
And so, all the joy she had felt earlier turned into quiet disappointment.
Chen Maidong came over and asked why she was buying milk tea. Chen Grandma simply handed him the fried chicken without saying anything.
After buying the milk tea, she carried it back and gave it to Zhuang Jie, saying that even if they couldn’t be more than friends, that was fine too. Before leaving, she praised her a few more times.
Chen Maidong followed behind her silently. He didn’t know what had happened, but it wasn’t hard to tell things hadn’t gone as she hoped.
He stepped forward, scratching the back of his head. “You just met her once. She might not be as good as you think.”
After thinking for a moment, he added, “Her mother remarried, and her left leg… is amputated.”
“If I didn’t know all that, I would’ve wasted decades living in this town,” Chen Grandma said flatly. “If she weren’t disabled, would she still be unmarried now? Disability is a small issue. Character matters more. Her mother is very capable—like mother, like daughter. And she’s lively. People like her always have more ways to live.”
Chen Maidong clearly didn’t agree.
“You’re good in every way,” Chen Grandma said, “except your taste.”
…
“Girls like that should be acted on early. What a waste—you were classmates.”
…
“I don’t like that kind of personality,” Chen Maidong replied.
On the train earlier, Zhuang Jie’s gaze had made him uncomfortable—too casual, too light. He preferred gentle women with quiet refinement, the kind who felt like ink hidden in poetry.
“That’s why I say your taste isn’t great,” Chen Grandma said. “That girl is generous. When I offered to introduce her to someone, she just laughed—no awkward shyness at all. But fine, everyone has their preference. You’re the one living your life.”
He nodded half-heartedly. “Whatever you say.”
He ate a little fried chicken, changed clothes, and returned to the funeral home.
Chen Grandma sat alone for a while, then called her son and asked him for 300,000 yuan outright. Without hesitation, he transferred 500,000 instead. She went to the bank with her passbook, and only after confirming the exact amount did she finally relax.
She felt her energy wasn’t what it used to be anymore.
It was time to start preparing a future for her grandson.
*
Zhuang Jie didn’t get free until evening.
When she looked up, she saw her younger sister Chen Niaoniao half crouched at the doorway, only her head poking in as she watched her.
Zhuang Jie had been studying in Shanghai when her sister was born. Since then, she only came back a few times a year, so they hadn’t really built a close bond. But the girl clearly adored her, following her around like a little tail.
“Jie, Mom said to go pick up Brother,” Chen Niaoniao said.
“What time is Zhuang Yan’s train?” Zhuang Jie asked while wiping her hands. Her younger brother was in high school in the city and came home by train during holidays.
“Six twenty.”
Zhuang Jie checked the time, took off her work clothes, and said, “That should be about right.”
She got on her motorcycle and was about to leave when she saw Chen Niaoniao again at the door.
“Do you want to come?” she asked.
At first the girl nodded, then shook her head. “Brother has a suitcase. The bike can’t fit.”
Zhuang Jie thought for a moment, then patted the back seat. “Get on. We’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Chen Niaoniao ran over happily and climbed on.
At the station, Zhuang Yan spotted her immediately the moment he came out. “Sis!” he shouted, dragging his suitcase over, grinning. “Mom said you were on leave—I thought she was lying!”
“You’ve gotten fatter. School food must be good,” Zhuang Jie said, pinching his face.
Zhuang Yan laughed. “Nowhere near your cooking.”
The three of them returned to the parking lot. Zhuang Jie stared at the suitcase, a little troubled—the motorcycle really couldn’t carry it.
She glanced around, then spotted a familiar face. She walked over and asked if he was heading in the same direction, hoping he could help take the suitcase to the town center roasted chicken shop.
Once that was settled, she took the siblings to a small eatery in town. She ordered spicy hotpot for one and sour noodles for another, drinking milk while watching them eat.
Zhuang Yan asked why she wasn’t eating.
“My stomach’s not great lately. I need to avoid certain foods,” she said.
After dinner, they went home together. The courtyard next door was brightly lit—Liao Tao and a few temporary workers were sealing vacuum packs.
Fifteen boxes of vacuum-sealed roasted chicken were stacked on a cart. Each box contained a hundred pieces. If business was good, it would all sell out in two or three days.
Zhuang Jie tried to help, but Liao Tao told her to go check the sisters’ homework instead—especially Chen Niaoniao’s. Her math was terrible.
“Where’s Uncle He?” Zhuang Jie asked.
“He went out for something,” Liao Tao said. “Rest early. We’ll talk to you about something later.”
Zhuang Jie went back and checked the homework.
She pulled out a test paper for signature. The score read 79—but something felt off. There were only three correct marks on the entire page, so how could it be 79?
She didn’t expose it. She signed it anyway, then began checking question by question.
One multiple-choice question asked to pick the correct answer from A, B, or C. The answer was marked D.
Zhuang Jie stared at it. “How did you get D?”
Chen Niaoniao thought for a long moment, then stuck out her tongue. “I read it wrong.”
After flipping through more papers, it was clear—the foundation was too weak.
Zhuang Yan, doing his own homework nearby, chimed in, “She’s going to middle school soon. Mom still wants her to go to the city with that level…”
Zhuang Jie rubbed her temples. She had no patience for tutoring, and even less time.
“I want to study well too,” Chen Niaoniao muttered. “But I can’t understand what the tutoring teacher says.”
“Is it group tutoring?” Zhuang Jie asked.
“Yes. Twenty-six students in one class.”
“That won’t work for you. You need one-on-one first. Once you catch up, then go back to group classes.”
She thought for a moment, then took her on the motorcycle to find a tutoring center.
On the street, she suddenly saw Chen Maidong standing there in a suit.
She stopped right in front of him, raised her eyebrows, tilted her head, and smiled.
Chen Maidong found her completely inexplicable.
Zhuang Jie thought of Chen Grandma’s proud bragging earlier—and of the shop aunt saying she was practically hunting for a granddaughter-in-law with dry rations in her bag. The thought made her laugh out loud.
He glanced at her and shifted aside without responding.
Zhuang Jie called out, “Hey, young elite. Want to add each other on WeChat?”
“No thanks,” he said flatly.
Her smile faded. She revved the engine and sped past him, kicking up dust.
Chen Maidong brushed the dust off and cursed under his breath.
Zhuang Jie signed up for the class and returned home. She casually mentioned it to Liao Tao.
“How much for one-on-one?” Liao Tao asked.
“Ask Niaoniao.”
Chen Niaoniao reluctantly took out a receipt. “Four hundred per lesson. My sister signed me up for twenty-seven lessons. Two classes a week.”
“She saved the receipt. My entire schooling from primary to high school didn’t even cost that much,” Zhuang Jie laughed.
“This tutoring center is ruthless,” Liao Tao said. “How many roasted chickens do you need to sell for that?”
“She can’t keep up in class. You two can’t teach her yourselves—just hire a teacher for now.”
Liao Tao sent Zhuang Yan and Chen Niaoniao to bed, then said she wanted to talk to Zhuang Jie.
Zhuang Yan tried to stay with her, but Liao Tao’s expression made him retreat immediately.
Chen Niaoniao mumbled that she was scared of the dark.
“You two want to get hit, don’t you?” Liao Tao warned.
“If you shower, you can sleep in my room tonight,” Zhuang Jie said.
The girl didn’t like bathing—maybe three times a week at most.
Outside, Liao Tao sat in the yard with tea and a cigarette.
“I want to rent a small factory in the industrial zone with your Uncle He,” she said. “We want to promote vacuum-packed roasted chicken online. Everything at home smells like chicken blood. The neighbors are already complaining.”
“That’s good,” Zhuang Jie said.
“Rent is cheap—twenty thousand a year.”
“That is cheap.”
“The town is pushing transformation. As long as it doesn’t pollute, you can do anything. Environmental checks are strict now. Factories get shut down easily—some places can’t even be rented unless you pay.”
“I see.”
“Tourism here is saturated too. Five new homestays opened in half a year. I don’t want to keep making roasted chicken every day anymore, but I don’t know what else I can do.”
“Chen Niaoniao even livestreamed eating roasted chicken once. People actually asked for links.”
“Livestreaming?” Zhuang Jie asked.
“She learned it somewhere. On that platform… Dou something.”
Zhuang Jie laughed. “Douyin. Not ‘Dou something.’”
Liao Tao said setting up the factory would require at least two to three hundred thousand upfront.
Zhuang Jie understood and said she could transfer money anytime.
The family had just bought two houses, so liquidity was tight.
They ended the conversation and went to rest early.
The next day was the temple fair.
Liao Tao set up a stall in the street, handing out samples. The Women’s Committee director, Wu Zhaodi, passed by and, while chatting casually, quietly noted down Zhuang Jie’s name.
After she left, Zhuang Jie asked why.
Liao Tao said the town was simply registering young people working outside, planning to invite them back for a meal.
Zhuang Jie couldn’t understand it, but didn’t have time to think further.
The crowd was already flooding in. Elderly women gathered around, quickly finishing the free samples.
Liao Tao went back to cut more chickens.
Not long after, Wang’s daughter squeezed through the crowd, tasted a piece, then fed another to a man in police uniform standing outside the crowd.
The man looked embarrassed and refused to come closer. She simply ate another piece herself and fed him from a distance again.
Then a child squeezed in, tasting every flavor, whispering evaluations with her—too salty, not fully braised, and so on.
Zhuang Jie was speechless. Free food, and still complaining.
The two of them kept discussing. Wang’s daughter finally called out to the man outside the crowd:
“Pingping, what flavor do you want?”
