"Go on down and share these with your friends, so you don’t have to go door-to-door asking for them." Zhu Yun smiled, leaning in to whisper to them conspiratorially, like they were old pals. She packed not only the candy but also the nuts and pastries from the table into a cloth bag and handed it over.
"I’m in a great mood from the wedding, so I want you all to have some fun too."
"Oh, right. These snacks are good for munching on, but they won’t fill you up. Just now, your Grandma Wang fried up a bunch of crispy pork, meatballs, and sweet cakes. She wanted to share them with the neighbors for a taste."
"You’d better hurry. They’ll be gone if you’re late. And remember to say a few nice things!"
The Little Doudings clutched the big bag of treats, their eyes lighting up. They nodded repeatedly, then hugged the bag and STOMPED down the stairs, shouting, "Hu! That new Grandma Wang was right! The new bride gives out candy!"
"I brought all their candy, pastries, walnuts, pine nuts, and peanuts! Not a single crumb left! Let’s split it..."
These bratty kids were tough and unbelievably mischievous. They’d climb trees to steal birds’ eggs, catch fish in the river, and even seemed to deliberately hit the residential building’s windows when they played ball.
The pay at the machinery factory was good, so all the kids were well-fed and sturdy, like little calves. Their full-throated shouts in the middle of the day echoed through the residential compound, loud and lingering, giving everyone pause.
The new Grandma Wang... ah, yes. This was the mother-in-law from the countryside who had been summoned by Mr. Wang’s wife a couple of days ago, the one who planned to fob people off with peanuts.
’How could she say something like that to the children?’
When someone got married, only close acquaintances who visited could take a couple of pieces of candy. The only other time was when the groom’s family would scatter a plate of candy to welcome the bride, letting the neighbors share in the good fortune.
The kids might be brats, but they still understood basic manners and common sense. They wouldn’t go door-to-door begging for things. They would only resort to such inappropriate behavior if an evil person led them to it!
And just as they’d thought, the bratty kids had completely cleaned out Mr. Chu’s house of snacks...
Listening to the brats’ shouts from their own homes, the neighbors’ minds were racing, full of twists and turns.
Whatever issues the neighbors had with Zhu Yun before, now they all felt like detectives who had just uncovered the truth!
The newly promoted Director Yun was such a good person—she was a great cook, beautiful, and had a straightforward personality. Otherwise, Mr. Chu wouldn’t have been so eager to marry her.
"You’re an old lady, so it’s not easy for you to get around. We don’t want to trouble you! Just give us whatever you have. My mom said she’ll bring you some pickled vegetables later..."
"Wow, it smells so good!" The bratty kids remembered to say nice things, and one by one, they praised her with gusto, some even closing their eyes for effect. "It smells even better than the cafeteria’s food! Grandma Wang, your cooking is amazing!"
Old Mrs. Wang listened, a vein throbbing painfully on her forehead.
Back in the countryside, even though her son earned money, she had always controlled the finances. She was stingier than any of her neighbors, pinching every last penny.
She was only happy when she was taking advantage of others; she’d never let anyone take advantage of her!
But at the same time, she was obsessed with saving face.
Now that she had just arrived at the residential compound, with so many children at her door, how could she send them away without parting with some of her precious goods?
"Alright, alright. You all wait here. Grandma will go get it for you now," she said, forcing a pained smile. She went to the kitchen and reluctantly scooped out a large basin full of fried food. Her original plan had been to just give each child one or two pieces for a taste.

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