Chapter 91 A Virtuous Wife

Nan Zhiyi also rode her bicycle back to the family compound.

After a casual dinner, she stared blankly at the tangled ball of yarn for a while...

After some back and forth knitting, the body of the sweater is finally knitted quite neatly.

But when it came to the sleeves, nothing seemed right. Either the stitch count was wrong or the seams were crooked.

She packed some snacks and candies, then got up and went to her neighbor, Aunt Liu's house. She knew Aunt Liu was always skillful with her hands and very adept at knitting.

"Sister-in-law," Nan Zhiyi called out from the doorway.

Aunt Liu was sitting under the lamplight inside the house, doing handicrafts. When she saw her come in, she didn't move, but just smiled and greeted her.

"Zhiyi's here? Come in and have a seat!"

Aunt Liu's yard isn't big, but it's kept quite tidy.

The youngest son, Bao'er, was squatting on the ground playing with pebbles. The three-year-old was babbling away.

Erni quickly wiped the dining table, and when she saw Nan Zhiyi, she obediently called out "Auntie" before turning around to pour water.

"Erni is so good, be careful not to burn yourself!" Nan Zhiyi quickly took the enamel mug.

Sister Liu said, "It's alright, she's used to doing it."

Nan Zhiyi patted Erni's rough hair and stuffed the bag of snacks and candies into Erni's hand: "Take it and share it with your sister and brother."

Erni's eyes lit up, and she whispered, "Thank you, Auntie. I'll save some for Dad, Mom, and... Grandma." As she spoke, she glanced into the inner room.

Nan Zhiyi then heard a few suppressed coughs coming from the inner room.

That was Li's elderly mother, who was bedridden.

As Aunt Liu watched Erni run to the kitchen with the candy in her hands to find Dani, she sighed softly, "Little sister, you were too loose with your hands, these things..."

"Sister-in-law, they're all just kids, so sweet-talking."

Nan Zhiyi didn't want to say anything polite, so she explained her purpose, "I've been trying to knit a sweater recently, but I just can't get the cuffs right. I know you're good with your hands, so I came to ask for your advice. I'm just afraid of bothering you while you're working."

"What's the big deal? It's nothing!"

Sister Liu readily pushed the basket of chores aside and moved closer to the lamp.

"Come on, start the stitch here by wrapping it around like this... Don't be too hasty when finishing the stitch at the sleeve cap... See, this way the picking up of stitches is smooth..."

As she spoke, she demonstrated, her fingers nimble, and she grasped the key tips immediately.

Nan Zhiyi looked closely and suddenly understood: "So that's how it is. Sister-in-law, you're really amazing, thank you!"

"Don't mention it," Sister Liu waved her hand.

Nan Zhiyi learned the trick and got up to take her leave.

Sister Liu also stood up to see her off.

At this stop, Nan Zhiyi noticed that Liu's belly was noticeably bulging under the faded old cotton-padded jacket she was wearing.

She was somewhat surprised: "Sister-in-law, I didn't notice you like this last time we met!"

Aunt Liu touched her belly and smiled: "When I was less pregnant before, I wore loose clothes, so it wasn't noticeable. Now that I'm almost six months along, it's cold, and I'm wearing thick clothes, so it's obvious that I'm pregnant."

Looking at her thin, pale face and swollen belly, and then at the room full of children and the faint coughing and wheezing of the old man, Nan Zhiyi felt pity.

"Sister-in-law, you've worked so hard. Your health... and you still have to take care of three children and do all the work. I see you're always busy in the vegetable garden. You have to take good care of yourself."

The smile on Sister Liu's face faded, replaced by worry: "There's so much work to do at home, and Da Ni and Er Ni can't help with some of the heavy tasks."

Nan Zhiyi thought to herself, "Can't Commander Li at home do something?"

But she didn't say it aloud, only saying, "Then... Sister-in-law, please take good care of yourself. I'm going back now. Thank you for today."

"Take care, sister." Sister Liu stood inside the house, watching her walk out of the courtyard gate.

Stepping out of the courtyard, a chilly mountain breeze swept over me.

Nan Zhiyi tightened her clothes, hurried home and closed the courtyard gate. She stood in the courtyard and looked at the bright moon in the sky.

In the neighboring yard, Da Ni seemed to be scolding Bao'er for getting her clothes dirty, while Er Ni whispered words of advice.

I remember Sister Liu, heavily pregnant, busily working in the vegetable garden...

Her mother had told her the truth about marriage long ago.

Men marry women to have free nannies and sexual partners.

Once married, women not only have to earn money to support the family like men, but also bear children, manage household chores, and care for the elderly...

She can only be praised as a 'virtuous wife and loving mother' if she becomes an outlet for a man's emotions.

When a woman tries to resist or express her dissatisfaction, she is accused of being a "bad woman," "disregarding her family," or "being too calculating."

A man is considered a "good man" simply for handing over living expenses, not cheating, or not hitting others; even doing a little "extra" housework is worthy of great praise.

Like Gu Xiao, perhaps out of love or responsibility, he took on household chores, which is why he is often praised. Simply because he is different from men in the traditional sense, he did what women 'should' do.

Are those housework responsibilities and duties truly associated with 'woman'?

Nan Zhiyi stood in the courtyard, lost in thought.

She heard the loud, scolding voice of Battalion Commander Li next door, "The vegetable garden needs tidying up! Why can't you tidy it up? I work so hard every day! Wan's wife is even bigger pregnant than you, but she's still harvesting sweet potatoes from the vegetable garden, and she's doing it very efficiently! And look at you? You stay at home enjoying yourself every day, tidying up a small vegetable garden, and you make the men do it?"

Battalion Commander Li raised his voice, "When my mother was pregnant with me! She was heavily pregnant, but she still fed the pigs, carried water, and harvested wheat. On the day I was born, she was still picking up wheat ears in the field at noon! Now that it's your turn, why are you so precious? You can't be exposed to the wind, the sun, or even touch the ground?"

He seemed to get angrier and angrier as he spoke, and he smashed something over with a loud bang.

The surroundings immediately fell into a deathly silence.

In that instant, Nan Zhiyi felt a tightness in her chest, her stomach churned, and she dry-heaved a few times.

She quickly went back inside, poured herself a glass of hot water, and tried to calm her overly turbulent emotions.

She picked up the unfinished sweater and, by the light of the lamp, continued to unravel and knit, knitting and unraveling, making slow progress.

In the morning, Nan Zhiyi felt nauseous as soon as she woke up.

She forced herself to cook some millet porridge and boil an egg, but after only two bites, she rushed to the sink and vomited.

She thought she had caught a chill from the wind last night and didn't pay much attention to it.

I spent the whole morning working in the office, and that feeling of nausea just wouldn't go away.

Finally, noon arrived, and I went to the cafeteria with Zhao Yaqin.

As soon as she reached the entrance of the cafeteria, the mixed smell of food wafting from inside assaulted her nostrils, causing a violent spasm in her stomach. She covered her mouth and rushed to a nearby tree to dry heave, only vomiting up some acidic fluid.

"Zhiyi!" Zhao Yaqin was startled and quickly patted her back. "Your face is frighteningly pale! Did you catch a chill last night? Come on, let's go to the hospital!"

Nan Zhiyi waved her hand gently: "You go eat first, I can go by myself..."

"No! You can't do this! I'll go with you!"

Seeing her exhausted state, Zhao Yaqin spoke resolutely.