On the phone, Su Ning seemed to have a thousand words to say to her family.

Her parents said the phone bill was too expensive and they couldn't talk for too long. Only after knowing that everything was alright at home did Su Ning reluctantly hang up the phone.

Li Mei wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. This was her daughter's first time going out, and she was sure she would suffer in an unfamiliar place.

After the family returned home, Li Mei started cooking, while Su Qiang sat under the stove to tend the fire.

In rural areas, almost every household still uses a traditional stove for cooking; not many people use gas stoves.

They eat radishes and vegetables grown in their own fields. It's already winter, and there's not much farm work to do in the fields.

Su Qiang's leg injury cost a lot of money, and they originally planned to sell the apples at home in the afternoon to pay off some of the debts, but they didn't expect Ning'er to wire so much money.

Su Qiang has three siblings: one older brother and two older sisters. There's a saying in the countryside: "The eldest is doted on, the youngest is spoiled, and the middle one is left."

The old lady disliked her youngest son, Su Qiang, the most, feeling that he was incompetent and a burden to the family.

The old lady's eldest son, Su Mao, was the commune secretary, and the old lady was the director of the women's federation. The old man had served in the army before retiring and was supported by the state.

Her two older sisters were already married and had a good family life. As for Su Qiang, the old lady disliked him since he was a child, and he was always the one who did all the dirty and tiring work at home.

The old lady was famous throughout the surrounding villages. If you were to ask where family planning was strictly enforced, the old lady would be someone that would make pregnant women tremble at the mere mention of her name.

The old lady has been the director of the Women's Federation since 1990. I heard that if someone is caught having a second child, they will be sent to have an abortion, and those who give birth will be fined between 900 and 2,000 yuan.

Because of the old lady's decisive and efficient manner, almost everyone in the commune knew about her. Su Mao was initially a police officer at the local police station.

The old lady, concerned for her eldest son's future, wondered how she could get him transferred to the commune as secretary.

It wasn't that Su Qiang was unambitious; he wanted to join the army, but the old lady found out and had the commune remove his application form.

If Su Qiang leaves, who will farm the dozen or so acres of land? One of the sons, who is successful, can do it.

It was only after Su Qiang got married that they separated their households. Liu Mei, with her fiery temper, couldn't stand the old lady's behavior.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law argue every three days and have a big fight every five days, making the house a chaotic mess almost every day.

When the old lady realized she couldn't control Li Mei, she had no choice but to separate the family. After the separation, during busy farming seasons, their two sons-in-law would help with the farm work.

Later, Su Ning was born. The old lady didn't like girls and looked down on Su Qiang even more.

On the other hand, the couple doted on Su Ning, but for some reason, they couldn't conceive again for several years after she was born.

The villagers said that his family line would end, which made the old lady dislike the family even more. She thought Su Ning was a jinx and had never given her a kind look since she was a child.

Under pressure, the couple sought medical treatment everywhere, and their efforts paid off when Li Mei became pregnant again.

Although the old lady is her mother-in-law, family planning is strictly enforced now, and if she is caught, she will definitely be forced to have an abortion.

Therefore, Li Mei returned to her parents' home and stayed there for half a year. By the time her mother found out, the baby was already seven months along, and it was too late for her to have an abortion.

After the child was born, Li Mei could no longer stay at her parents' home, so Su Qiang took her directly back to his own home.

Three days later, the old lady, accompanied by people from the commune, drove up to his door. Su Qiang was aware of the current policies, and the commune people, out of respect for the old lady, gave him a few days to raise the money.

Left with no other choice, Su Qiang sold his two pigs. He was fined 1,500 yuan, but only got 900 yuan for the two pigs.

Li Mei's father is a primary school principal, and there are many children in the family. Li Mei has six siblings, and her maternal family often takes care of them.

This time, Li Mei's mother knew that her daughter needed money, so she took out half of Li Shengfa's salary and sent it to her daughter.

Seeing how good his mother-in-law was to his family, Su Qiang felt so guilty that he didn't dare to look up. He was useless; he couldn't even support his wife and children.