I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 195: Here to Educate Me

"I've heard all about it. Your mother-in-law bought a lot of things for you and the two babies in your belly. It was even brought back in a military jeep. Many people helped carry it back. Your mother-in-law also treated them to some coffee, saying it was an imported beverage."

While taking a walk in the courtyard, Yuan Xiu ran into Sister Xiulan. As soon as Sister Xiulan saw her, she asked about what happened yesterday.

"That's such an exaggeration!" Yuan Xiu laughed. "Using a jeep? Where did you hear that from?"

Sister Xiulan laughed too, "I heard it from them. The daughter-in-law next door is also pregnant. Her mother-in-law came over to take care of her two months ago. When I got back, she was standing at the door talking to someone about it, praising your mother-in-law to the skies, saying that she bought this and that, and that your mother-in-law looks like an intellectual, cultured and capable. Actually, she was just saying it to her mother-in-law. That's how I found out."

"So that's how it is."

"That's right, anyway, a lot of people in our building are talking about your mother-in-law, and quite a few are praising her for being beautiful and generous!"

Of course, there were also sour comments, saying that Yuan Xiu's mother-in-law was being pretentious and showing off!

They also said that she was quite old but dressed like a vixen, not dignified at all, and didn't look like a working-class person, and they didn't know what her social class was.

Whenever someone questions the "class background" of Granny Yuan Xiu, someone else will retort, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think the military wouldn't know her class background? If there were really a problem, how could Chief of Staff Jiang have been promoted to deputy regimental level officer at such a young age? Aren't you afraid of offending people by saying such things!"

Xiulan's sister-in-law naturally couldn't say these things to Yuan Xiu, so she only said the pleasant things.

"My mother-in-law is very generous. She bought a lot of things for me and the child. What I prepared was not as complete as what she prepared."

"You're really lucky to have a good mother-in-law. Not only is she willing to spend money on you, but she also has money in her own purse. By the way, what does your mother-in-law do for a living? Her salary must be quite high, right? Her benefits must be good too!"

"She works at the cultural center in their city, and the pay is indeed quite good."

"No wonder everyone says she's cultured. She really does work in a cultured place. I've heard people talk about that cultural palace. It's full of arts and culture workers. Many of the young women from our army's arts troupe were assigned to places like the cultural palace after they were discharged from the army."

Sister Xiulan wasn't the only one pulling Yuan Xiu aside to ask about her "generous" mother-in-law. During their short walk, many neighbors in the courtyard pulled Yuan Xiu aside to inquire about Ms. An Hui.

"Where's your mother-in-law? Why didn't she come out for a walk with you?"

"That's right, she's been here for several days now, and we haven't seen her come out to chat with us at all."

"She's at home," Yuan Xiu said.

Ms. An Hui wasn't one to chat with others. When the families in the compound gathered together to chat, they would talk about men, children, or gossip about so-and-so's family. If she heard any of that, she would probably just walk away.

When Yuan Xiu returned home, An Hui was entertaining guests, including Wu Yufen from the parents' committee.

Wu Yufen was holding a cup of coffee in her hand, holding her breath as she gulped it down.

Yuan Xiu's return was a relief to her. She quickly put down the cup, stood up, and was about to leave when she said, "Little Yuan is back. You two chat, I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

After saying that, Wu Yufen walked past Yuan Xiu and went out the door, rushing out as if someone was chasing her from behind.

"What is she doing here?"

An Hui: "I've come to 'educate' you."

Yuan Xiu asked in confusion, "Educate on what?"

I'm trying to educate you, and you even invited her for coffee?

An Hui pointed to the empty enamel mug on the coffee table and said, "She said I shouldn't drink such foreign beverages, that drinking coffee is following the path of the Western bourgeoisie, and that I shouldn't invite the families in the compound to drink foreign beverages, fearing that these foreign beverages would corrupt everyone's minds."

An Hui said this with a smile, showing no displeasure at Wu Yufen's words.

Yuan Xiu didn't understand. "So, what is this cup of coffee?"

"Oh, I made it especially for her, so she could try it and see if it would corrupt her mind. Then I told her that this stuff is very bitter. There's a saying, 'Remembering the bitterness of the past helps us appreciate the sweetness of the present.' How could something so bitter possibly corrupt her mind?"

An Hui laughed and said, "She was very curious about why foreigners drink this. I told her that coffee is something that poor people drink abroad, used to stay awake while doing physical labor. It's a 'proletarian beverage,' and it's not even worth as much as our soda abroad."

"and then?"

An Hui glanced at her and said, "I'm not lying. This thing is imported garbage from abroad."

"So you still love drinking it so much?"

She not only loves drinking coffee, but also enjoys the feeling of drinking it. She even pays attention to the cup she uses to brew her coffee, using a bone china cup that she brought from home.

"I like its bitter taste, but that doesn't mean it's that good." An Hui picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip.

What she misses most is her younger self.

"That Comrade Wu was quite interesting. She clearly didn't like it, but when I told her it was 'the proletariat's drink,' she picked up the cup and gulped it down. Luckily, I didn't make her too much, otherwise, it would have been a real waste of my coffee. It's cheap abroad, but here it costs foreign exchange certificates. Next time someone comes to my house, I won't let them drink it."

Yuan Xiu never expected that Comrade Wu Yufen would be dismissed by her mother-in-law with just a few words and a cup of coffee, and that she would leave so quickly that it could be described as "fleeing in panic".

If her mother-in-law's lifestyle had been like this before, she might have really been labeled as "corrupt in thought," but the tide has turned. The movement ended last year, and with the college entrance exams about to resume, bourgeois ideas are starting to emerge, so it doesn't really matter much.

"Would you like a drink?" An Hui asked her.

Yuan Xiu waved her hand. She had drunk this stuff in her past life. It was the instant kind. The restaurant where she worked had it. It was called something like Nest, but she had forgotten the name. Anyway, she didn't like it. The one her mother-in-law made was pure coffee powder, without anything added. Just smelling it made her feel bitter.

No wonder the military dependents who came to my house for coffee had that kind of expression.

Her family's bitter coffee is almost famous throughout the compound.