Chapter 171

"What's gotten into that girl Emily now?" Mr. Johnson slammed his teacup onto the table, spilling a few drops.

Mrs. Johnson looked up from her ledger, giving him a pointed glance. "She takes after you, doesn't she?"

As the factory's seasoned accountant, Mrs. Johnson saw right through the family dynamics. Her daughter-in-law's schemes were as clear as day to her.

"She still hasn't forgiven you for sending her to the countryside," Mrs. Johnson sighed, her abacus clicking sharply. "Why must you keep provoking her?"

Mr. Johnson huffed, pacing the room with his hands behind his back. "If she's so stubborn, she shouldn't come back!"

His words were firm, but Mrs. Johnson noticed the slight twitch at the corner of his eye.

"Six years, and not a single proper letter," Mr. Johnson suddenly stopped, his voice lowering. "Just a few scribbled lines..."

Mrs. Johnson set down her pen, rubbing her temples. "How can she return when her own father won't relent? You know how headstrong she is."

Outside, the setting sun stretched their shadows long across the floor.

"What if she really marries someone out there in the countryside?" Mrs. Johnson's eyes welled up. "You'll regret it when it's too late!"

Mr. Johnson spun around, lips parting, but no words came out.

Meanwhile, in the Bright family's courtyard...

"Sister-in-law!" Amy Bright peeked through the doorway. "Are you going to town tomorrow?"

Emily Johnson wiped her hands as she checked the curing meat. "Come in and sit. I can't leave right now."

The smoky aroma from the kitchen made Amy swallow hard. The last time her family had meat, they'd cooked it secretly in the middle of the night, afraid the smell would draw gossip.

"I need to buy medicine for Grandma," Amy twisted the hem of her shirt. "Her legs hurt terribly."

Emily paused. "Rheumatism?"

"What's rheumatism?" The girl looked bewildered.

"It's..." Emily hesitated. How could she explain modern medical terms in this era?

She turned toward the house. "Wait here. Let me see if I have any ointment that might help."

Amy stood frozen. Since when did Third Brother's family keep medicine on hand? That was more thoughtful than anything her own brother had done.

In the kitchen, the meat sizzled over the fire. Beyond the courtyard walls, someone's radio played the warbling tunes of traditional opera. Memories from two different lifetimes tangled in Emily's mind, leaving her momentarily dazed.

Which one was real?