Chapter 46: You Can Only Help Yourself

With Zhang Tiesheng gone, the Yao family seemed to have returned to peace.

Yao Shuxin and Yao Shuli still felt that it wasn't enough, feeling that their sister's strength hadn't been fully displayed and that she hadn't performed well today.

Yao Shula, however, remained calm.

I came here just to watch the fun and have some dumplings.

"Mom, should I try to persuade Chun Nian again?" Aunt Yao asked, serving dumplings while looking at Grandma Yao.

Grandma Yao shook her head.

"Let her think for herself; there are some things we can't reason with her."

If it were so easy to explain, would she have ended up marrying into the Zhang family in the first place?

Aunt Yao also sighed.

"But Chun Nian has suffered a lot in the past few years. I think if we talk to him, he should be able to understand."

Mom, should I go...?

"What's wrong with suffering? Everyone in this house, every single one of them, has suffered before."

"Shura, don't you agree?" Grandma Yao immediately looked at Yao Shura, who was already eating mutton dumplings with chopsticks.

Yao Shula nodded as she stuffed dumplings into her mouth.

"Yes! Only by enduring hardship can one truly appreciate the value of hard work!"

The other people in the room...

Grandma Yao was also a little speechless, but she still added a couple of sentences.

"If she can understand our good intentions after suffering, that's fine. But the problem now is that she has to figure these things out for herself!"

Regardless of what happens between her and Zhang Tiesheng in the future, she's already endured enough hardship. Even if she hits a wall and realizes what's really going on, it'll be worth it!

"Grandma is right. Only after experiencing the hardships of life can one appreciate the sweetness of life!" Yao Shula chimed in obediently.

Grandma Yao...

"Let's eat dumplings! Let's not talk about those unappetizing issues!"

Shula, Shuxin, Shuli, let's eat dumplings!

Grandma Yao quickly served dumplings to the three siblings, afraid that Yao Shula might say something else that would upset her.

Yao Shula also knew when to stop and started eating dumplings heartily.

Grandma Yao's mutton dumplings are so delicious. When I have money in the future, I'll buy a whole sheep to eat.

Lamb soup, lamb skewers, lamb stew with bread, lamb hot pot, and lamb dumplings...

They ate one after another without making a sound!

...

Yao Chunian watched Qiangqiang eat dumplings from inside the house, but she couldn't eat a single bite herself.

It wasn't until today that she finally understood that there wasn't a single good person in the Zhang family, including Zhang Tiesheng.

I used to be so naive, thinking that Zhang Tiesheng would remember all the good I had done.

Looking at it now...

Haha, she's not even living as well as her sister-in-law from her own family.

Yao Chunian also knew that her mother was not a good mother-in-law.

But her brothers protected her, so they all lived better lives than she did.

Zhang Tiesheng...

He's no longer the Zhang Tiesheng who cared about her, who would go to the movies with her, buy her a bag of melon seeds that he himself wouldn't eat, and give them all to her instead.

What should I do in the future...?

How are we supposed to get by?!

With a creak, the door to the west room was pushed open, and Aunt Yao came in carrying a small bowl of dumplings.

"Spring Festival, have a taste, it's mutton filling, your grandma specially made it for Shura and the other little ones."

"Your grandma's mutton filling is delicious! She secretly saved a bowl for you." Aunt Yao said, placing the bowl in front of Yao Chunian.

"Mom, did you hide these yourself?" Yao Chunian asked, looking at the bowl of dumplings.

Aunt Yao chuckled. When she was serving it, the old lady pretended not to see it!

“Chunian, from now on…” Yao’s eldest aunt looked at Yao Chunian.

"We'll talk about the future later. Anyway, I'm not going back to Old Zhang's house easily."

"Even if we go back, life will definitely not be like this anymore," Yao Chunian said softly.

Aunt Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just think it through. Actually, Shura is quite right. Before you married into the family, why didn't their family realize how hard your mother-in-law had it?"

Ultimately, they just want to use you as a long-term laborer.

Stay home and rest well these next couple of days. Your grandma said that Qiangqiang is here, and it won't be more than two days before your mother-in-law comes to visit.

"Back then, I handed her over to your grandma, and she said she would take care of your mother-in-law." Aunt Yao said, patting Yao Chunian's hand.

Yao Chunian breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Okay, I understand!"

"By the way, where's Shura? Did she leave?" Yao Chunian asked in a low voice.

"I'm off! I'll go back after I finish eating the dumplings. I also made ten steamed buns with green beans and pork filling for her to take back with me."

Shura is much more shrewish than you; you really should learn from her…

Why didn't you tell me? I could have gone to see him off!

"Never mind, I'll make Shura a dress in a while! Thanks Shura for these past few days!"

Upon hearing this, Yao's aunt also felt that she should thank Yao Shula properly.

but……

"You should learn more from Shura in the future! But try to learn from her, and don't bring it here," Aunt Yao whispered to her.

"Why?" Yao Chunian asked, puzzled.

"What if you corrupt your brother's wife? They'll use what they've learned on me."

"Do I even want to live anymore?!" Aunt Yao said irritably.

...

"Sister, will my cousin be coaxed back by that Zhang Tiesheng again?" Yao Shuxin asked Yao Shula in a low voice on the way back.

Yao Shula shook her head.

"I don't know! This has escalated to this point, so it probably won't be so easy to appease them."

If my cousin gets coaxed away again, she'll probably never be able to go back to the Yao family home again.

We can't help with this; she has to help herself.

"Eldest sister, second sister, you two shouldn't date people like Zhang Tiesheng in the future. That kind of man is unreliable."

"They don't make much money, yet they put on airs." Yao Shuli was also a little indignant.

"Alright, stop worrying about us."

"Have you done your winter break homework? You've been playing all this time! School starts in just over ten days." Yao Shula tapped Yao Shuli on the head.

Yao Shuli immediately fell silent.

Okay, he'll try to finish his winter break homework in two days...

...

Yao Shuli had just finished catching up on her homework for a day when she had to stop again.

Nothing else happened, it's just that Xiao Tiantian is back.

On the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Yao Shula and her two siblings had just gotten up when he arrived.

He didn't come alone; he brought his cousin, Lei Jingwu, with him.

They also brought two large cardboard boxes of stuff.

"Eldest sister, second sister, I've come to wish you a Happy New Year."

"These are my New Year's gifts for you!" Xiao Tiantian said proudly, pointing to the two large boxes.

These days he hasn't dared to leave his house even for a moment, for fear that Aunt Tian will take all his things and give them away.

Now that everything is here, he can finally relax...

Lei Jingwu also looked at Yao Shula with a helpless expression.

"Excuse me, I just arrived here last night. He dragged me out of bed early this morning, saying he wanted to come and wish me a Happy New Year!"