Chapter Sixty-Six: Cutting All Ties

After they entered, they saw Liu Chunyan and her husband sitting off to the side, watching coldly as Liu Jianmin's mother-in-law flailed about, protesting her innocence.

When Liu Jianmin walked in, Liu Chunyan didn’t even bother to give her brother a pleasant look. Instead, his wife and mother-in-law became even more agitated upon seeing him, their words laced with veiled accusations—blaming him for not keeping his sister in check and for siding with outsiders against his own family.

“Stop flattering yourself. Since when are you considered family to me? When you were scheming against me, didn’t you treat me as just another gullible fool? Your so-called family is just supposed to toil for you, satisfy your every whim, and never show a hint of reluctance, right? You think you’re some treasure, that everyone should worship you? Have some shame, will you?”

Liu Chunyan slammed the table and pointed at her brother’s mother-in-law, launching into a tirade.

“Chunyan!” Liu Jianmin pinched the bridge of his nose, headache mounting.

“What do you want? If you’re so capable, go control your wife and mother-in-law. All you do is sell out your own family. Typical—get married, forget your mother.” Liu Chunyan was not one to swallow her anger; she fired right back at her brother.

“I’ve already hired a lawyer and filed a lawsuit. The police station has accepted the case. As for the verdict, I trust the law will give every citizen a fair outcome. If you think your precious nephew is innocent, then don’t be afraid!”

As Liu Chunyan finished speaking, Liu Jianmin’s mother-in-law’s face turned pale, alternating between green and white.

“You can’t do this. Jianmin, tell Chunyan—she can’t act this way. We’re all relatives…”

“Ha!” Liu Chunyan sneered mercilessly. “My parents said, if Jianmin insists on acknowledging your so-called cousin, they’ll no longer recognize him as their son. Let him decide for himself.”

Liu Chunyan had just finished signing her statement, and Chen Xin also came out of the interview room after signing hers. The two exchanged a glance, intending to leave the police station.

After just a few steps, Liu Jianmin’s wife blocked them, trying to grab Chen Xin.

Chen Xin dodged quickly, spinning behind Zhou Hao to avoid her grasp.

“Don’t lay a hand on me—this is a police station, after all,” Chen Xin frowned.

A female officer nearby warned Liu Jianmin’s wife to calm down, saying she could leave once the paperwork was done. Chen Xin had given up her claim for compensation out of respect for Grandpa Liu and his wife, choosing not to pursue the matter too harshly.

Liu Jianmin knew his wife and mother-in-law had gone too far, so he didn’t say much, just held them back and let Chen Xin and Chunyan leave first.

He felt quite troubled himself—his wife’s family had changed drastically over the past year. Before, his wife and mother-in-law weren’t together often and behaved fairly normally, but now that they were united, their combined effect was unpredictable. Maybe he needed to seriously reconsider whether this marriage was still worth keeping.

Zhou Hao had driven over, so he took them all home. On the way, he stopped to buy some groceries.

At Chen Xin’s house, Yi Bai got along surprisingly well with Grandpa Liu. With Yi Bai’s guidance, Grandpa and Grandma Liu’s spirits improved greatly. Before coming inside, Chen Xin had already told Liu Chunyan not to bring up the incident again—just say they explained things at the police station, so as not to upset the elders further.

Though Liu Chunyan was prone to impulsiveness, her filial piety was unquestionable. Her husband was a quiet, reserved man, but treated both sets of parents very well. Once inside, Liu Chunyan’s husband immediately helped with cooking, letting his wife spend time with her father.

“Sister Chunyan is truly lucky to have such a husband,” Chen Xin said during a break in cooking. “If I could find someone as good-natured as your husband, I’d be very happy.”

“I don’t have any other talents, but your sister Chunyan is capable. She’s a bit hot-tempered, but treats people well. For the past couple of years, whenever my parents needed anything, she was the one running around. I can’t provide her with greater material comforts, so all I can do is treat her well.”

“Just thinking that way makes you an excellent husband,” Chen Xin replied as she washed the wok, preparing to start stir-frying. She mentioned how several of her classmates felt it was natural for wives to work and then take care of household chores, lacking the kind of awareness her brother-in-law had.

Liu Chunyan’s husband only smiled, saying nothing more. Chen Xin didn’t elaborate further, deftly starting to cook.

With many people and little time, there was no chance to make elaborate dishes. Even simple stir-fries would take too long. So, she decided to prepare dry pot ribs and rabbit, a crucian carp and tofu soup, and two stir-fried greens—nutritious and perfect with rice.

She had the butcher chop the ribs and rabbit. Back home, she soaked them to remove the blood, blanched and cleaned them for later use.

She heated oil in the wok, deep-fried lotus root and potato slices, drained them and set aside. Using the same oil at just the right temperature, she stir-fried the blanched ribs and rabbit, adding bean paste, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and spices. When the oil began to sizzle, she poured in cooking wine and soy sauce, sprinkled half a spoonful of sugar for flavor, then tossed in ginger slices, green and red chili chunks, and onion pieces, stirring until the moisture evaporated. Finally, she added strips of green bamboo, the fried lotus root and potato slices, and finger-width strips of tofu skin. During the stir-frying, she could optionally add a small bowl of beer to enhance the freshness and prevent the meat from becoming too dry.

Of course, not too much beer—it would end up tasting like beer-braised rather than capturing the dry, spicy aroma of a proper dry pot.

Just before serving, she drizzled a little sesame oil for fragrance. After plating, she sprinkled a handful of toasted white sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

She had started simmering the crucian carp soup before beginning the dry pot. Now, as the dry pot was ready, the tofu carp soup was milky white. A sprinkle of pepper and a small spoonful of salt was enough—the soup’s charm lay in its freshness, and any extra seasoning would ruin it.

As for the greens, sweet and sour cabbage and stir-fried romaine were quick and easy vegetarian dishes.

With the table set, the whole process took less than an hour—remarkably fast.

“Too bad I couldn’t buy konjac—if I’d added some and a bit of pickled vegetables, the flavor would be even better.”

Everyone here loved pickles. Whether eating rice or noodles, a small dish of pickles with a touch of chili oil was simply delicious.

“Well, I don’t have pickles, but I made some spicy-sour cabbage last night. Want to try it?”

Chen Xin’s spicy-sour cabbage was different from the usual stir-fried variety. She washed the napa cabbage, removed the leaves, kept only the stems, cut them into small pieces, salted them for twenty minutes, squeezed out the water, added sugar and vinegar, and a bit of minced chili. Packed in a lunchbox and chilled overnight, it was ready to eat.

Everyone was tasting this spicy-sour cabbage for the first time—it was especially refreshing, mildly spicy with a hint of sweet and sour. After indulging in the rich dry pot, a bite of cabbage made them feel instantly invigorated.

“This dish is great, Xiao Xin! Teach me how to make it—when I get home, I’ll cook it for your brother-in-law’s parents,” Liu Chunyan said right away, and of course Chen Xin agreed.