Li Jianhong then briefly recounted what she had learned.
In essence, Yin Ruyun had an unaccomplished younger brother who acted recklessly, relying on his parents' favoritism.
The reason Yin Ruyun left the capital for the northwest after being expelled from school was that her family felt she had disgraced them.
Especially Yin Ruyun's brother, who repeatedly said he would leave the family if Yin Ruyun was still considered a member.
Yin Ruyun's parents, who already favored sons over daughters, forced Yin Ruyun to leave.
It would have been one thing if Yin Ruyun's parents had forced their daughter to leave without demanding that she financially support them and take care of her unaccomplished brother.
But this family, believing Yin Ruyun's reputation was already ruined, thought it would be good if she could make money for them.
The family took a lot of money from Yin Ruyun, but then turned their backs on her.
Especially Yin Ruyun's sister-in-law, who would constantly make veiled insults, almost explicitly calling Yin Ruyun a woman of loose morals.
She would even bring this up whenever there was a family dispute, saying that her own innocent daughter had married into such a shameless family.
It was laughable that this woman completely disregarded the fact that Yin Ruyun had provided the bride price and wedding expenses.
"Actually, it's just because Yin Ruyun disappeared for the past two years, and the Yin family couldn't find her. Without finding Yin Ruyun, they couldn't get money."
"Her brother and sister-in-law are both lazy and good-for-nothing. The whole family relies on Yin's father and mother's meager salaries to get by, living frugally, which has led to many disputes."
Li Jianhong sighed with emotion as she said this.
Humans are like this; once they take a wrong turn in life, it's difficult to find their way back.
After hearing this, Su Xiaotian suddenly remembered that she did know Yin Ruyun's general situation.
"Yin Ruyun took the college entrance examination later and is probably studying at a university in the south now!" Su Xiaotian said casually.
The words came out of her mouth as if she were commenting on the pleasant weather.
However, Li Jianhong, upon hearing this, became quite agitated.
After a long pause, Li Jianhong finally confirmed that she had indeed heard such a sentence and wasn't mistaken.
"Xiaotian, are you serious? How do you know?"
Su Xiaotian smiled, "I met Yin Ruyun on the train once and gave her some advice. Later, she took the college entrance examination and left me a letter before she left!"
Su Xiaotian had not told anyone else about this matter.
Yin Ruyun chose to go south to start anew because she didn't want people who knew her to be aware of her current situation.
Therefore, she hadn't intended for more people to know about Yin Ruyun's situation.
After hearing what Li Jianhong said today, she was even less inclined to let others know about her circumstances.
The Yin family parents still had their salaries, and even though the family wasn't living well, they could at least eat their fill.
In another two years, it was uncertain how Yin Ruyun's brother would manage his life. It was better for Yin Ruyun to distance herself from this family.
Li Jianhong clearly understood the key point and said with a smile, "It's good that others don't know. By escaping such a family, perhaps Ruyun can achieve something in the future."
Just as they finished speaking, they heard movement outside. It was Qian Xiaobei.
Qian Xiaobei was a little thinner and darker than when she was at school, but her overall spirit was completely different from before.
"Xiaobei, how did you get so tanned in such a short time? Anyone who didn't know would think you went mining," Su Xiaotian teased.
Qian Xiaobei, unusually, didn't get shy. Instead, she smiled and replied, "Besides work hours, I go out selling whenever I have time, so of course I got tanned and lost weight."
"So this is what they mean by 'husband and wife sing in harmony'!" Su Xiaotian couldn't resist another teasing remark.
This time, Qian Xiaobei truly blushed.
"Xiaotian, you're so young, how do you know so much? Are you missing your Brother Yiyuan?"
Qian Xiaobei's personality had changed significantly, and she knew how to tease back.
When Su Xiaotian heard Chi Yiyuan's name, she felt a slight pang of disappointment, but she didn't show it.
If Christina was right, Brother Yiyuan would be returning from Germany soon.
She wondered what Brother Yiyuan would be like now. Sudancn.com
"I'm talking about you, why did you bring me into this? Besides, how old am I? My brothers said that if I want to find a boyfriend, I have to be at least twenty-four!"
Su Xiaotian said to Qian Xiaobei with great pride.
Being young was an advantage!
The original words of Su Xiaotian's brothers were that anyone who dared to covet their sister before she turned twenty-four would have their legs broken!
Su Xiaotian estimated that her brothers would likely not allow her to get married too young.
She would probably have to wait until she was twenty-five or twenty-six to get married.
With her two good friends arriving, Su Xiaotian stopped working on her proposal. After a simple tidy-up, she planned to go shopping with the two girls.
"Wait for me, I made some snacks for you, they'll be ready soon. Have some before you go out!" Grandma Su said when she heard the girls were going out.
"Grandma, what delicious food did you make for us today?" Li Jianhong asked, hugging Grandma Su's arm with a smile.
"I made lard cakes, they're very fragrant."
Upon hearing that Grandma Su had made lard cakes, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but lick her lips.
Lard cakes tasted truly good, and Su Xiaotian had always loved them.
As the name suggests, lard cakes are made with lard.
Such greasy food was considered a rare delicacy in this era, as it required a lot of lard.
If the family had lard, it could be used for stir-frying for many days, but a batch of lard cakes would be gone in one meal.
Li Jianhong also quite liked eating lard cakes.
However, she preferred the savory ones, while Su Xiaotian liked the sweet ones.
"Lard cakes?" Qian Xiaobei was clearly also excited.
She was also from the northwest, and her family used to make lard cakes when she was young.
However, her parents were reluctant to make too many, and each time they made them, they only let her brothers eat them; she was not worthy.
As a result, in Qian Xiaobei's heart, there was a deep-seated belief that she was not worthy of eating lard cakes.
"I made two kinds today, both savory and sweet. They'll be out of the oven soon. Have them while they're hot before you go. Xiaobei, you should be able to eat them, right?"
When Qian Xiaobei heard Grandma Su's words, she didn't know how to answer.
Could she eat them?
She didn't know.
Perhaps, she should be asked if she wanted to eat them.
Qian Xiaobei's eyes suddenly turned red.
Fortunately, Qian Xiaobei was different now from before; she could control these negative emotions.
"Grandma Su, lard cakes are precious. To me, they are a rare delicacy. I didn't expect you to make them today."
Grandma Su smiled, "In the past, conditions were poor, so we were reluctant to waste lard or use white flour. Now, conditions have improved. Perhaps in a few more years, people will find such food too greasy!"
Listening to Grandma Su's unintentional remarks, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but sigh. Her grandmother was truly prescient to have thought that in a few years, when living conditions improved, people would find greasy and fatty foods unappealing.
However, even in a few decades, when people's conditions were much better, lard cakes would still have a vast market in the northwest.
This showed that this pastry had a very strong vitality.
The three girls each took a lard cake according to their preferences and began to eat.
The rich aroma of lard from the freshly made lard cakes stimulated their taste buds, offering an indescribably wonderful flavor.
As Qian Xiaobei ate, a tear rolled down her cheek.
However, she carefully wiped away her tears and praised, "Grandma Su, the lard cakes you made are truly delicious, simply a masterpiece of the human world!"