Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s

Chapter 28: 027 Weight Loss (Making up for the 500 extra from the day before yesterday)

Tian Sangsang propped her chin, squatting to the side as she asked, "Son, what did you feed the chickens?"

"Oh, Mom, it’s this." Meng Shuyan puffed out his little chest and extended his hand—a green caterpillar was squirming reluctantly in his palm.

"Ahhh! Ah—" Upon seeing what he was holding, Tian Sangsang let out a series of ear-piercing screams, jumped three feet high, and scrambled backward.

"Yanyan, quick, throw it away, it’s dangerous!" She pointed at the squirming bug, gagged once, and almost threw up.

Meng Shuyan blinked his shiny black eyes in confusion. He didn’t understand why his mom was so afraid of the little bug, but he obediently tossed it aside. The two chickens rolled around fighting over the caterpillar.

"Mommy~"

Tian Sangsang gasped in uncertainty, clutching at her fluttering heart. She finally walked over to Meng Shuyan, grabbed his small, soft hands to inspect them, kissed his little cheek, and pulled him into her embrace. It seemed only then her heart calmed down.

"Son, you must never do such dangerous things again, okay? How could you catch bugs like that?"

Meng Shuyan lifted his head from her embrace, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Then if I don’t catch bugs, can I catch worms to feed the chickens?"

"No, absolutely not." Tian Sangsang trembled violently.

Meng Shuyan vaguely understood—his mom was afraid of these things. He chuckled, straightened his petite figure, and solemnly stated with his handsome little face serious, "Mom, don’t be scared. I won’t catch them anymore; I’ll protect you!"

"Alright." Tian Sangsang replied with a tone devoid of dignity.

"What’s going on, Sangsang? What happened?" Li Xiaoqin was startled by the earlier terrifying scream. She walked out and immediately saw the mother and son embracing.

Tian Sangsang stood up, her face pale yet flushed. "My Yanyan is too mischievous—he brought home two caterpillars and scared me almost to death."

Poof. Li Xiaoqin’s expression shifted several times before she finally burst out laughing.

"Look at you, so cowardly. It’s just a bug! Your Yanyan isn’t afraid, yet you’re the one scared. It’s not like the bug is some vicious beast; it’s not going to eat you."

Her tone carried no hint of mockery—she was simply amused. How had she never noticed Tian Sangsang was this funny before!

Tian Sangsang blushed furiously but scratched her head upon seeing Li Xiaoqin’s grinning face. "You don’t understand, Xiaoqin. I’m not afraid of much, but bugs, worms, eels, snakes—they creep me out as soon as I see them."

"Such tiny little things, but they managed to scare you. Alright, as long as you’re okay." Li Xiaoqin chuckled as she headed back to her garden, passing along the story to Aunt Zhong and the others. The whole family was entertained again. It seemed everyone had their weaknesses—even though Tian Sangsang was a big, sturdy woman, she couldn’t handle small creepy crawlies.

The next morning, Tian Sangsang prepared porridge using Northeast rice she bought yesterday. She added more rice than usual, so it wasn’t as watery as the previous days. She also fried two sunny-side-up eggs—carefully, since managing the temperature while frying eggs wasn’t easy. But in the end, she managed to create the shapes with cooked yolks.

Tian Sangsang ladled the porridge, then placed the sunny-side-up eggs and cold cucumbers on the table.

Meng Shuyan stared at the food, an undercurrent of doubt flickering in his gaze. Then he looked at Tian Sangsang acting composed and reserved. He pressed his lips together but didn’t say much. However, when eating, the little bun seemed far from calm...

After all, he was still a child. For a moment, faced with steaming fragrant porridge, beautifully presented eggs, and cucumbers—he rarely ever had cucumbers and had almost never eaten fried eggs before. His great-grandmother occasionally steamed egg custard, but it was different from what his mom made.

"Mommy, why aren’t you eating?" The little bun’s round face was flushed red from feasting.

"Yanyan, just eat. Both sunny-side-up eggs are yours." Tian Sangsang smiled sweetly, pretending not to look away. "Mom’s on a diet—cucumbers are enough for me."

"Dieting?" Meng Shuyan didn’t know what that meant—it wasn’t in his vocabulary.

Tian Sangsang set down her chopsticks and pointed to her cheeks seriously. "Yanyan, I have some questions for you. You have to answer honestly. Do you think Mommy is fat?"

Meng Shuyan looked at Tian Sangsang, lowered his head, his eyes darted back and forth before he looked up. "Just a little bit."

"Do you think Mommy is dark-skinned?"

Meng Shuyan glanced at his own hands and replied quietly, "Just a little bit..."

Tian Sangsang chuckled helplessly, deliberately teasing him. "Yanyan is naughty—lying children will be punished, you know!"

"Mommy, I’m not lying!" The little bun protested, aggrieved. "Even if Mommy is a bit fat and a bit dark-skinned, in my heart Mommy is the prettiest!!!"

Tian Sangsang was moved to tears. She kissed him affectionately. "Oh, my son, you’re so sweet."

Meng Shuyan’s cheeks turned crimson.

"Mommy is going to reward you with another sunny-side-up egg—eat it up."

"Mommy, my belly is already full. You should eat it—you’ll be hungry!" Meng Shuyan rubbed his tummy, looking expectantly at her with wide, black, and shining eyes.

Ack! The aroma of the sunny-side-up egg tantalized Tian Sangsang’s nostrils. She swallowed hard. She didn’t want to reveal her hunger, but she couldn’t control her plump body. Every cell in her screamed to eat. The first obstacle of dieting had arrived, taking the form of an irresistible sunny-side-up egg.

In the end, Tian Sangsang couldn’t resist and devoured the egg. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she added, "I’ll start dieting tomorrow instead." Her stomach was just too empty; she couldn’t help but eat before going for a run. Running right after a meal wasn’t good—it needed digestion time. Running too soon would shift blood to the limbs, make the stomach rub against food, and cause pain.

"So, Mommy, what exactly is dieting?" Meng Shuyan asked curiously.

"Dieting is... slowly, slowly... Mommy will eventually look like everyone else." Tian Sangsang chuckled, stroking Meng Shuyan’s head lightly.

...

Later, Tian Sangsang washed dishes in the courtyard. Her Jade Thumb Ring slipped into the greasy water. Lost in thought, she looked down—it was a spatial artifact. If someone grew envious of it, it would be trouble. She decided to remove it for safekeeping. After drying her hands, she pulled off the ring. But then, Tian Sangsang stood dumbfounded—her finger now bore the imprint of the ring. Wide-eyed, she examined it carefully. She took advantage of Meng Shuyan’s distraction to enter the spatial dimension and consulted the Space User Manual. She learned the space had bonded with her and detached from its physical host. The Jade Thumb Ring on her finger was now invisible to outsiders.

As for this Jade Thumb Ring...

Tian Sangsang found a thick red thread in the study drawer, threaded the deep green ring, and called Meng Shuyan over.

(Last night while clicking around online, who knows why, but I ended up clicking on Guo Pinchao and remembered his starring role in *Hua Mulan: The Legend*. The more I thought about it, I recalled An Yixuan, and then another popular Taiwan drama from back in the day, *The Outsiders*. Suddenly, I spiraled into a nostalgic abyss. The good girl protagonist fell for the rebellious gangster lead. Because of his underworld activities, she suffered beatings and abuse but never told him. Instead, she silently grew stronger and became a boss-level figure. Yet in the end, the lead longed for the innocent girl she once was and found a pure substitute mistress. The finale was tragic—the lead died, and the heroine lived alone with their child. Thinking about it just makes me sad! Two people from different worlds were doomed from the start. The tale of a bird and a fish, forever apart.

Then, as I kept reminiscing, I thought about an essay I once read in *The Best Novel* magazine called *Northwest Chang’an*. It was also about a bad boy and a good girl—a touching story free from toxic tropes. The heroine was an ordinary woman who secretly loved the bad boy for ages. When they finally got together, she led a life of constantly running and hiding with him. With a woman in his life, the bad boy gave up his delinquent ways and sought legitimate work. But with no degree or qualifications, finding a job was tough. He couldn’t take the rejection and turned to drinking and gambling, spiraling into despair. In the end, the heroine contracted a terminal illness from pregnancy and poverty and forwent treatment. She urged him not to lose hope and to work hard. Tearfully, he whispered: "You fool... why are you like this... I’ve never even been good to you..."

Many readers criticized the male lead, calling the heroine foolish—but I understood her devotion. He was her sole beacon during her teenage years. Even if he was fire, the moth would still fly into the flames. The essay was featured in literary magazines as a shortened prose-like version, but the full unabridged story appeared in *The Best Novel* by Sun Xiaodi.

And as I kept reminiscing, I thought back to stories by Yi Du Jun Hua—a unique author whose works could make you laugh and cry simultaneously. Her stories like *Abandoned Empress General*, *Boiled God*, *Lustful Mistake*, and *East Wind’s Malice*, along with others, were always rich in contradictions.

Then my mind wandered further... Eventually, I had to tell myself to stop reminiscing, or I’d tumble into an endless pit of self-distracting thoughts! Unsurprisingly, I ended up sleepless last night. In this era of insta-gratification novels, remembering old tragedies always leaves me with mixed feelings.)