Chapter 90 Swallowing the sweet mooncake with bitter tears

Steam quickly filled the steamer. Jiang Haitang squatted down to adjust the firewood. The flames licked the bottom of the pot, making crackling sounds.

Lu Liangchen and Zhang Shangwen sat together and chatted.

"You are a lucky boy."

“I also feel that I am blessed.”

Soon, the sweet aroma of mooncakes emanated from the steamer.

After the mooncakes came out of the pot, Lu Liangchen smiled and said, "This is the first time I've seen steamed mooncakes. They smell even better than the five-nut mooncakes distributed by the factory."

"Haitang, you steamed so many mooncakes. It would be a waste if you couldn't finish them. How come your hands are so loose now?" Zhang Shangwen looked at Jiang Haitang and said disapprovingly.

"Uncle Zhang, I won't waste anything. Besides eating it at home, I'll also give it away to others."

As Jiang Haitang spoke, she dotted the mooncakes with small red and green dots, making them look even more festive.

Hearing Jiang Haitang say that she wanted to give someone away, Zhang Shangwen nodded: "It's good that you understand the ways of the world."

Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen took away eleven big mooncakes, and the remaining one was given to Zhang Shangwen.

Zhang Shangwen didn't want it, but he couldn't resist Jiang Haitang, so he finally accepted it.

After returning home, Jiang Haitang gave Lu Liangchen instructions: "Send this to Director Hu's home, this to Director Liu's home, and these two to Zhao Kai and the others. Cut this in half and send it to the security guard..."

Lu Liangchen smiled and said, "You are quite generous. You put in all our food coupons for a month this time."

"During this time, I've been at the factory, and they've been helping me a lot. It's a holiday, so I can't just not show any appreciation."

Jiang Haitang specially found clean paper and wrapped the mooncakes one by one.

It’s a pity that the factory director has not responded yet, and I don’t know what he thinks about the matter between Professor Gu and Professor Shu.

The two went out together, Jiang Haitang went to find Kang Xiaoxia, and Lu Liangchen took Xiao Taozi to Director Hu's house.

Jiang Haitang had just walked to the door of Kang Xiaoxia's house when she heard the voice of a middle-aged woman cursing in the house.

"Mom, if this family can't tolerate me, just put a notice in the newspaper to cut off ties with me. There's no need to keep making insinuations."

This is Kang Xiaoxia's voice.

Jiang Haitang listened to the noise in the room, and her hand, which was originally intended to knock on the door, just hung in mid-air.

"What sin did I commit to give birth to a debt collector like you? Your brother just sent your welfare to your sister-in-law's house, why are you so persistent?"

"That's my benefit. Why should my brother give it away? There's a whole bag of apples, but I don't even have the right to eat one. And I can't even say a word?"

Jiang Haitang had heard that Kang Xiaoxia's family was heavily patriarchal, but she hadn't expected it to be so serious.

The three of them worked in a textile factory and were given a lot of apples. Could they have all been given away?

"Eat, eat, eat. Why don't you eat yourself to death? I've never seen a girl as greedy and lazy as you."

"What I eat is earned by myself, not given by others. If my sister-in-law wants to eat, she can earn it herself."

"Kang Xiaoxia, you will go on a blind date tomorrow and get married before the New Year. Before you get married, transfer the job to your sister-in-law."

Kang Xiaoxia said loudly: "No, I won't. I got the job myself. Why should I give it to my sister-in-law?"

"Your sister-in-law's job is for you."

"A female worker in the fertilizer factory and an office clerk in the textile factory, Fang Baitao is incredibly beautiful. Why doesn't she want to go to heaven?"

"Why, you want to bring such a good job to your husband's family? Kang Xiaoxia, I tell you, you have to agree to it whether you agree or not."

"I just don't agree. If you keep pushing me, I'll write a letter of denunciation. Then, no one will eat and we'll all starve to death!"

Kang Xiaoxia said this and walked out without paying any attention to Kang's mother's crying.

As soon as she walked out the door, she saw Jiang Haitang.

Jiang Haitang said nothing, turned around and went downstairs. Kang Xiaoxia also said nothing, and quickly followed him away.

"Sister Haitang, you heard it too, my mom..."

Kang Xiaoxia felt sad and couldn't help but let her tears fall. She looked up at the sky and forced the tears into her eyes.

"It's okay. Not all parents in the world think about their children."

Jiang Haitang patted Kang Xiaoxia's shoulder gently, but she didn't want to say anything extra.

"Come to my place and I'll treat you to mooncakes."

Kang Xiaoxia didn't want to stay at home, so she followed Jiang Haitang directly.

When Kang Xiaoxia returned home and didn't see Xiao Taozi and Lu Liangchen, she asked, "Are Director Lu and Xiao Taozi not here?"

"He's not here." Jiang Haitang washed the dates, grapes and apples for Kang Xiaoxia, and brought a plate of cut mooncakes.

"Try the mooncakes I made. Something sweet will make you feel better."

Kang Xiaoxia didn't hesitate and picked up a piece of mooncake and started to eat it. However, as she ate it, tears started to fall.

Kang Xiaoxia swallowed the sweetness of the mooncake along with the bitterness of her tears, and finally couldn't help but burst into tears.

Jiang Haitang handed her a handkerchief but did not offer any comfort.

Some things can only be endured by the person involved on his own, and no amount of comfort will be of any use.

After Kang Xiaoxia had a good cry, the anger in her heart dissipated a lot.

"Sister Haitang, please don't laugh at me."

She wiped away her tears and forced a smile with her red and swollen eyes.

"I'm not making fun of you. Everyone has troubles at home." Jiang Haitang wrung out a towel and handed it to Kang Xiaoxia.

Kang Xiaoxia, this girl, despite facing such treatment at home, can still maintain a sunny and positive appearance. She is really strong inside.

"Sister Haitang, you said we are both biological children, so why do my parents treat me and my brother so differently? I accepted it when they asked me to give in to my brother, but now they want me to give in to my sister-in-law who hasn't even entered the family yet."

It would be a lie to say that she wasn't sad or disappointed. Kang Xiaoxia also hoped to be loved by her parents.

After all these years, she still didn't get the love she longed for since she was a child.

In her parents' minds, she exists only to help her brother.

"Xiao Xia, I can't say anything else. I only have one thing to say: love yourself first before loving others, whether it's your parents or other relatives."

Jiang Haitang had no way to help Kang Xiaoxia, and could only tell her the lessons he had learned from his two lifetimes.

When Kang Xiaoxia heard Jiang Haitang's words, her face suddenly lit up.

"Sister Haitang, you're right. Love yourself first, then love others. If you don't even love yourself, how can you place your hopes on others?"

"I was so confused before that I didn't understand such a simple truth. I always put my parents and brother's opinions before my own."

Perhaps because she had a desire to talk, Kang Xiaoxia couldn't control her emotions after she started talking. She desperately hoped that someone would listen to her.

Jiang Haitang sat quietly opposite her, listening patiently to Kang Xiaoxia's grievances.

"From childhood to adulthood, no matter what they asked for, whether I was happy or not, I would agree to it."

"After graduating from junior high school, my grades were good enough to go to high school, but my mother said that it was useless for girls to study and that it would be better for them to start working early to help the family."

"Even though I really wanted to study, I still agreed to work in the cafeteria. I thought being well-behaved and sensible would win my mother's favor. However, my mother looked at the chilblains on my hands and didn't care at all..."