Chapter 10
"I spoke harshly and made her feel wronged."
"What else?"
"No, please take care of yourself."
"Alas, Second Brother, I understand that you look down on the old ways of the village. After all, you went to school and were exposed to advanced ideas."
"But you can't be prejudiced against your wife. You dislike her for not being able to work and being spoiled. Even if I didn't give birth to a daughter, I would put myself in her shoes. If I had a daughter, I wouldn't let her work, let alone get married."
"Even the affection between blood relatives is bought with human hearts, not to mention the daughter-in-law we married. There are many cases of father-son discord and family division in the village. We didn't pay much, just a little money. Can you expect her to live with you wholeheartedly? And you expect her to serve you? What are you dreaming of?"
"You two are already drifting apart before you even get to live together. You've only been married for a few days and you're already talking about divorce?"
"If you really don't like her, don't harm her. I was too naive, thinking you'd be able to live a good life once you got married. Now that I think about it, Miaomiao doesn't like you either. You can do whatever you want."
This is what arranged marriages are like. The two children are not familiar with each other and are forced together. It is normal that they don’t understand each other’s character.
Besides, it is inevitable that there will be some bumps and bruises when a family is together. Misunderstandings can be resolved, apologies can be made, and compensation can be made through actions.
What made her angry was that her son was so stupid, that he treated marriage as a joke, that he didn't value his wife, and that he thought about divorce whenever something went wrong.
"Mom, don't worry, I will live a good life in the future. If she really doesn't like me, we can talk about divorce then. I will never treat her as an outsider again."
Pei Ze took his mother's words to heart. Zhong Miao didn't take him as her husband seriously, and likewise, he didn't take her seriously either.
Just like his mother said, Zhong Miao didn't owe him anything and was a well-behaved and lovely girl. Instead, he was the one who always found fault with his wife. He was narrow-minded.
"Just listen to me. Go check it out. Miaomiao's dad isn't home, and she's been mad at you. How bad must she be feeling?"
"I'll go right away."
Zhong Miao had been busy that afternoon, cleaning up the house that hadn't been occupied for a while with Li Hongmei. When she opened the door and saw Li Guodong, she hurriedly asked, "How's my mother-in-law?"
"Auntie, I'm fine. I just have low blood sugar. I just got a bottle of nutrient solution at the clinic." Li Guodong couldn't help but feel guilty when he thought about how he had lost face with her. "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. I had a bad attitude this afternoon. Please don't take it to heart."
Zhong Miao didn't care. "It's okay. I don't care."
As soon as Li Guodong entered the house, he saw his sister busy helping Zhong Miao clean the house, which surprised him. When did their relationship become so good?
"Brother, you're back. How is my aunt?" Li Hongmei was also worried.
"Hey, Auntie is fine. She just fainted due to low blood sugar. Brother Ze will be here soon. It's getting dark now. You should pack up and come home with me." Li Guodong responded to his sister.
"What? I haven't finished my work yet, and Zhong Miao doesn't know how to do it."
Li Hongmei was unhappy. She had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder and always felt upset if the house was not clean.
"Hey, why aren't you so diligent at home?" Li Guodong felt quite awkward sitting there, so he simply helped his sister with the work.
Pei Ze arrived quickly. When Li Guodong saw him coming, he greeted him and pulled his sister away.
"Brother, what are you doing? There is still a cabinet that has not been cleaned." Li Hongmei glared at her brother who snatched the rag.
"Do we need you now that Brother Ze is here? Let's not get involved."
Seeing the brother and sister were about to leave, Zhong Miao immediately took some snacks and stuffed them into Li Hongmei's hands, "Thank you for your hard work, brother and sister."
"Sister-in-law, you are too polite. It's not hard at all." Li Guodong felt a little embarrassed. This girl really knows how to do things.
"Ah, so many delicious foods, hahaha, I will help you with the work next time." Li Hongmei said as she walked.
The brother and sister left one after another, and Pei Ze took over Li Hongmei's work and continued to wipe the dust.
Zhong Miao was also happy to have someone help her with the work, as she herself was not efficient at all.
"Please help me sweep the roof later. Our house is in ruins and it would be terrible if it collapsed."
Zhong Miao was not polite at all and asked him to help clean up as compensation for pushing her. Although no one lived in the house, it couldn't be collapsed by the snow.
"Well, are you going home with me today?" Pei Ze felt uneasy when he saw that Zhong Miao was not angry at all.
"It doesn't matter whether I go back or not. It makes no difference to me."
Zhong Miao didn't care where she lived. Although her mother-in-law was a nice person, she was no match for her father who had raised her for more than twenty years.
It was just a small matter. She didn't feel wronged and wouldn't spend her time thinking about it. Since her mother-in-law was fine, she felt relieved.
Although Pei Ze is not an easy person to get along with, he will not bully her. Maybe it is the bloody nature of the male and female supporting roles, or it may be a pure coincidence.
It would be nice if she could leave her husband's house and look after the house for her father. If she doesn't know how to make a fire, she can learn. If she doesn't know how to cook, she can learn. After all, this era is different from the past, and she will have to adapt sooner or later.
Besides, her mother-in-law has to cook an extra meal, wash a few more clothes, and serve her at her husband's house, which is a bit of a bother for others.
Pei Ze didn't say much. He was quick and efficient and worked much faster than Li Hongmei. After finishing his work in the house, he went to clean the roof.
By this time it was completely dark, and the cold reflection off the snow made it seem brighter outside than usual.
Just after sweeping the snow off the roof, the yard door was pushed open. Hearing the sound, Zhong Miao turned around and saw her father whom she was worried about.
"Dad, why did you come back when it was snowing so heavily?" She ran over excitedly and took the package from her father.
"Dad." Pei Ze also called out and took the things from Zhong Miao's hand.
"Why are you back here? My son-in-law is here too. There's no need to clean this shabby house of mine. Just make do with it. You guys should clean up quickly and go home to rest."
When Zhong Ming saw that the two children came to help him sweep the snow, he felt warm in his heart and looked at Pei Ze with more favor.
"Dad, are you leaving again after you come back this time?" It was snowing so heavily that she didn't want her father to go out again.
"Wait two days before leaving."
"Well, Pei Ze, I'll stay with my dad for two days, you go back first."
Now that his father is back, Zhong Miao naturally wants to be with him.
"Dad hasn't eaten yet, and you haven't eaten either. I'll go cook and we'll talk after we're done eating." Pei Ze said and went to the kitchen, leaving the space for the father and daughter.
Zhong Miao was indeed hungry. He had been busy all day and had not eaten either lunch or dinner.
As the father and daughter were talking, Zhong Ming and Pei Ze had the same idea: business was bad on a snowy day, so it would be better for him to go home and spend time with his daughter. Since coming here, the father and daughter had only met twice, and he was also thinking about his precious daughter.
"My dear, do you miss your daddy?"
"Yeah, I think about it every day."
"How are you doing?"
"Okay, everything is fine." Zhong Miao didn't want his father to worry, and of course he wouldn't tell his father about today's mistake.
"That's good. Tell me, isn't it a bad idea to let your son-in-law cook alone while we two are waiting for dinner in the house?" Zhong Ming discovered the key point.
Zhong Miao thought for a moment and took a deep breath. "Dad, we won't starve to death in the future, right? Can you cook?"
Zhong Ming was choked by his daughter's words. He thought about the first two days after he came here. If it weren't for the help of his neighbors, the house would have been burned to ashes.
"Well, then you go out and keep me company for a while, don't let me do all the work by myself. I'll take a break first."
Zhong Ming was indeed tired, but he was lucky enough to come across a bullock cart from the next village. He followed the cart for a while and paid fifty cents. He then walked the rest of the way by himself, which was also quite a long way.
"Well, I'll go right away."
Pei Ze searched the kitchen but there was nothing there, so he could only make do with what he had. Even the water tank was empty.
Li Hongmei had made a fire before, so he boiled some hot water and poured it into the well through the pressure hole. The ice and water came up with this pressure.
He had just filled a jar of water when Zhong Miao opened the door and came out, "What are you cooking?"
"Cook noodles." It's not that Pei Ze is lazy, it's just that the Zhong family doesn't have much food stored. Even a skilled housewife would have a hard time, let alone him.
"Well, do you need my help?"
"Nothing much to help with, it's almost healed."
After a simple meal, Pei Ze called Zhong Miao out before leaving.
Under the cold moonlight, the white snow reflected a deep blue cold light, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.
A beautiful young couple leaned against the gate of the courtyard, whispering something.
"Zhong Miao, I'm sorry. I was wrong about what happened today."
"I didn't take it seriously. If I had seen you push my dad, I would have been angry too."
Pei Ze was surprised that she would say that. He felt a little embarrassed by the girl's generosity. "Are you going back or not?"
"Let's wait until my dad leaves. I want to be with him."
"Okay, I'll send some food, meat, and vegetables over tomorrow. You don't have anything here, and it's hard to go out and buy anything in this heavy snow."
"Okay, thank you." Zhong Miao was still very well-behaved and thanked politely.
"Zhong Miao, what do you think about us getting married?"
Pei Ze didn't understand. Zhong Miao had never had a temper and would not feel wronged even in such a situation. Except for being scared by the scoundrel on the wedding day, she had never had any emotional ups and downs. It was very unreal.
"My thoughts may be a little harsh, please don't be angry. This is an arranged marriage. You are unwilling, and I don't like you. It may sound a bit hypocritical to say this now, but I chose you because of your face."
Zhong Miao thought that this marriage started because the original owner was attracted by her looks.
"Look at the face?" Pei Ze didn't react.
"Well, the women of marriageable age in the village are either poor or ugly. You're the only one who looks pretty good."
"Haha, so that's how it is." Pei Ze found Zhong Miao quite interesting for the first time.
"Well, my dad is going to the city, and it's inconvenient for him to take me with him. My mother-in-law treats me very well, and you won't bully me. I thought that since we're married now, I might as well live in your house first and deal with other things later."
Pei Ze's dark eyes shone startlingly brightly in the darkness as he stared at her. Zhong Miao paused and continued, "Later, I figured it out. People always have to adapt to the environment. It's okay for me to come back and look after the house for my dad. That's not bad either."
Pei Ze frowned and asked, "Don't you want to go back?"
"I'm conflicted about this idea. My dad is definitely worried about me being alone at home, but I don't want to have an unclear relationship with your family. After all, I'm not truly living with you, and my mother-in-law still has to serve me. That's not good either."
Zhong Miao's honesty actually made Pei Ze feel a lot more relaxed. "There's nothing we can do for now, so just go back and live here. We're already married, and our family doesn't need a bite of your food."
"Hmm?" Zhong Miao didn't expect Pei Ze to say that. Wasn't he very disgusted with this marriage?
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