Chapter 245: A few words awakened the dreamer, and Xiang Ermei finally woke up

Peng Shuangcheng's rank is the same as Li Rong's, so his salary must be the same. Li Rong's is 104 yuan, so naturally Peng Shuangcheng's is also.

A salary of a hundred yuan is more than enough to support Xiang Ermei and her daughter. There is no need to live so frugally, starving the three children to the point of being pale and thin, and each one of them is malnourished.

Luo Xinxin didn’t bother to talk about it before because they weren’t familiar with each other, but the little girl was so hungry that she had meningitis, so she felt she had to persuade her.

Xiang Ermei looked a little embarrassed. She never talked about family matters outside, so no one in the family building knew that Peng Shuangcheng only gave her 20 yuan a month for living expenses. She didn't know how to explain and was speechless for a moment.

Luo Xinxin noticed something was amiss and, recalling the plot of period novels she had read in her previous life, she asked, "Did Comrade Peng send the money back home to support his nephew?"

Peng Shuangcheng is a male chauvinist and favors boys over girls. He treats his three daughters very badly and it is possible that he really did it.

She shook her head and said with a wry smile to her second sister, "He only has three sisters, no brothers."

Luo Xinxin frowned. It was too impossible for Peng Shuangcheng to have a lover outside. He didn't have the courage.

"Isn't he going to give you money?" she asked.

Xiang Ermei gritted her teeth and her eyes turned red. She had endured the grievances for five years, and when she was suddenly discovered, she couldn't bear it anymore.

As soon as she saw her appearance, Luo Xinxin knew that she had guessed right, and couldn't help but curse the scumbag inwardly.

She wiped her tears from her second sister and told her about the grievances she had suffered over the past five years.

"I only give him twenty dollars a month, and his food can't be bad, otherwise he'll get angry. But don't worry, sister, I will definitely pay you back."

"I'm not in a hurry for my money, but you're willing to take only 20 yuan? Peng Shuangcheng's monthly salary is 104 yuan. The three daughters are his own. The law stipulates that he has the responsibility to raise them. If he doesn't, he's breaking the law. You took on all the housework and gave birth to three daughters for him.

You even take care of his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Even if you're a landlord's maid, you still get paid every month. But Peng Shuangcheng doesn't give you a penny. He's exploiting you. You've been exploited by him for five years. You're hopelessly stupid!"

Luo Xinxin became more and more angry as she spoke. She had never met a more honest woman than Xiang Ermei.

He doesn't look like a weak person, so why did he willingly let Peng Shuangcheng suck his blood for five years?

Xiang Ermei was stunned by what she said. It was the first time she had heard of such things as illegal and exploitative.

"I married into the Peng family, gave birth to his children, and it was my duty to take care of him. Moreover, I failed to give him a son, causing the Peng family to die out, and he felt resentful."

She whispered to her second sister that she was already very satisfied with the twenty yuan. After all, she didn't have a son. If Peng Shuangcheng was not in the army but in his hometown, she would definitely be divorced.

Five years ago, she had made a big scene and had used up all her courage. Now, as long as Peng Shuangcheng was willing to give her 20 yuan for living expenses, she would be satisfied.

"What right does he have to complain? If he can't give birth to a son, then he should blame himself. You reap what you sow. Besides, the quotations say that men and women are equal in the new society. The daughter is also Peng Shuangcheng's biological child. She has the blood of the Peng family in her body. How can it be said that there will be no descendants? Sister-in-law Xiang, you have to stand up for yourself, otherwise Chunlan and the others will follow your example. When they marry men in the future, they will have the same ideas as you and will still be bullied."

Luo Xinxin tried to slow down her tone and reason with her second sister.

We can't blame Xiang Ermei for her ignorance. She has never been to school and has lived in an ignorant and backward rural area since childhood. The relatives around her all have such ignorant ideas and have been brainwashed since childhood. It is normal for her to have such thoughts.

Even sixty years later, there are still many women who have this kind of thinking.

Xiang Ermei was a little dumbfounded. It was the first time she heard that giving birth to a son is not the woman's fault, but the man's incompetence. When her mother gave birth to her and her sister when she was a child, she was scolded by her grandmother every day, and her father was also not in a good mood. It was not until she gave birth to her younger brother that her grandmother and father stopped scolding her, and her mother also straightened her back at home.

After she married into the Peng family, she gave birth to three daughters in a row. None of her three sisters-in-law were happy with her and some even wrote to Peng Shuangcheng, asking him to divorce her.

Peng Shuangcheng had just been promoted at that time, and she declined the offer because she was afraid of the bad influence. At that time, she was very grateful and thought she had married a good man.

But when his youngest daughter had just turned one year old, Peng Shuangcheng wrote back and said he wanted to divorce her, citing his incompatibility in personality and lack of common language.

She didn't sleep all night. When she woke up the next day, she hid the letter and didn't tell anyone. Then she went to the team leader to get a letter of introduction. She took her eldest and second sons by the hand and carried her youngest daughter on her back, and stumbled to find the Northwest Military Region.

She did not go to find Peng Shuangcheng immediately, but instead found her fellow villagers in the military district and found out that Peng Shuangcheng was in love with a nurse.

Then she went to the army commander to complain, and even threatened that if Peng Shuangcheng insisted on getting a divorce, she would kill herself in front of the military district gate and let everyone know that Peng Shuangcheng was Chen Shimei.

After learning the whole story, Commander Jiang severely criticized Peng Shuangcheng and ordered him to break up with the nurse, otherwise he would be punished according to military discipline.

Peng Shuangcheng was so scared that he dared not divorce her and could only continue to live with her. She simply brought her three children to join the army. Five years passed like this. The nurse married and moved to another province and lost contact with Peng Shuangcheng.

Perhaps because he had been holding it in for too long, Xiang Ermei told an outsider about what happened five years ago for the first time, and Luo Xinxin frowned as she listened.

She heard that Xiang Ermei felt sorry for Peng Shuangcheng for not giving birth to a son. If she didn't have three daughters, she would definitely have agreed to divorce five years ago.

But as a mother, she is strong. When Xiang Ermei knew that after the divorce, it would be difficult for her three daughters to make a name for themselves in the countryside, she mustered up the courage to go to the military district and make a scene, forcing Peng Shuangcheng not to dare to divorce.

But this man had a grudge in his heart. He had been using cold violence against Xiang Ermei and her daughter for five years and had also withheld their living expenses, forcing Xiang Ermei to become unable to live anymore and file for divorce.

"Listen to me now. First, the fact that you have three daughters is entirely Peng Shuangcheng's fault. He's not a good fertile child and can't produce a son. Secondly, he hasn't given you and your daughter living expenses for the past five years. This is a serious violation of the law. You should go to Director Zhang and sue him. He should give you at least 80 yuan a month for living expenses. This is what you and your daughter deserve, not a penny less."

Luo Xinxin taught her second sister what to do. Divorce was unrealistic, so it would be better to teach her to stand on her own feet and fight for her legal rights.

"It's really not my problem that I can't give birth to a son?"

Xiang Ermei was half-believing and half-doubting, as this was too different from what she had known since childhood.

"If you don't believe me, go ask the doctor. They are all educated people, so they will definitely be right."

Doctor Xu happened to come over for rounds. He examined the child and said with a smile, "He's stable now. He'll wake up at night."

"Thank you, doctor."

Xiang Ermei was completely relieved and wanted to bow to Doctor Xu, but was stopped.

"This is my job, there's no need to do this. But your child is too thin and a bit malnourished. Try to eat more eggs in the future."

Doctor Xu didn't say to eat more meat. Even though he was a doctor, he only had one pound of meat coupons every month. Eating meat was too luxurious and many families couldn't afford it. Eating eggs was more realistic.

"I know. I will definitely give my child more eggs in the future."

Xiang Ermei felt very regretful. Most of the eggs in the house were eaten by Peng Shuangcheng. Xiao Luo was right to scold her. She was so stupid. She was the one who harmed her daughter.

Thinking of Luo Xinxin's words, Xiang Ermei mustered up the courage to ask, "Doctor Xu, I'd like to ask, is the inability to give birth to a son a man's problem or a woman's problem?"

Doctor Xu frowned. He glanced at the skinny little girl on the bed, guessed something, and said, "The sex of the fetus depends on the father, not the mother. Besides, in the new society, men and women are equal. Both boys and girls are the future of the country. Don't favor boys over girls!"

After Doctor Xu left, Xiang Ermei was still in a daze, crying and laughing at times. Luo Xinxin didn't scold her. She had suffered so many years of grievances and she needed to vent.

Xiang Ermei finally came to her senses. She wiped her tears vigorously and said gratefully, "Sister, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life."

"These are all common sense. The military region has literacy classes where you can go and learn. Once you learn the characters, you can read books. You can learn a lot from books," Luo Xinxin suggested.

"I've always wanted to learn, but I just haven't found the time."

Xiang Ermei frowned. She was busy like a top every day and had no spare time to go to the literacy class.

"If you do less housework, you'll have more time. You don't live alone at home, so why shouldn't Peng Shuangcheng do any work? Whoever is free should do the housework. Don't be silly and take on all the chores by yourself. If you have time for housework, you'd better improve yourself. The skills and knowledge you gain will be yours."

Luo Xinxin advised earnestly that Xiang Ermei was not very old, only 29 years old, and had plenty of time to improve herself.

Xiang Ermei nodded as she listened. Luo Xinxin's words seemed to open the door to a new world for her. She seemed to have touched a little bit of the vast world outside.

"As soon as the child is discharged from the hospital, I will go to Director Zhang to complain and ask Peng Shuangcheng to give me money."

"Why wait until the child is discharged? Call Peng Shuangcheng now and ask him to come to the hospital to deliver the money. If he refuses to come, call Director Zhang. Don't bother saving his face."

Luo Xinxin not only fanned the flames, but also pushed the second sister out the door, told her to make a phone call quickly, and gave her a reassurance.

"I'll take care of the child. Don't worry, you can make a scene. Peng Shuangcheng definitely won't dare to divorce you. He still wants to get promoted!"

Xiang Ermei took firm steps and went to call Peng Shuangcheng.

The hospital had a phone, so after paying the money, she dialed the military district switchboard and waited for a few minutes before being transferred to Peng Shuangcheng's office. She was lucky because the person who answered the phone was Peng Shuangcheng.

"I'm Xiang Ermei..."

I had just told my second sister my name when the other end of the phone hung up, leaving only a beeping sound in the receiver.

She gritted her teeth and called Director Zhang again.

"Director Zhang, I'm Peng Shuangcheng's wife, Xiang Ermei. I have something to trouble you with. My little daughter has meningitis and is now hospitalized in the military hospital. The doctors are using imported medicine, so I have to pay for it myself. Peng Shuangcheng only gives me 20 yuan a month for living expenses, and I don't have any money right now. Could you please ask Peng Shuangcheng to come to the hospital to pay? If anything happens to the child, I... I can't live anymore..."

Xiang Ermei followed Luo Xinxin's instructions and finished speaking haltingly. At the end, she did not forget to play the victim and cried heart-wrenchingly on the phone. Even the aunt on the phone next to her was full of sympathy and started crying too.

[The third update is finished. Xiang Ermei is not weak. In fact, she was very strong in that era. It was only because of her limited vision and cognition that she could not do better. In fact, even now, there are still many women who have been brainwashed by their parents since childhood and are willing to be enslaved and exploited. I hope that female compatriots can truly wake up and be truly independent. I have said a lot of off-topic things. See you tomorrow.]