That afternoon, the sun shone brightly.
The villagers were busy harvesting corn in the fields, picking off ears of corn. Every household was busy.
Xie Daguang paced furtively outside the Song family's courtyard, sometimes meowing like a cat, sometimes barking like a dog.
He had the village children secretly deliver a letter to Song Caixing, asking her to meet him at the foot of the mountain, but Song Caixing didn't come after two attempts.
In the space that had become daytime, Song Yinhua was sewing clothes on a sewing machine.
In her past life, she made all the clothes for Han Zhiyuan's family by hand.
To save money, she learned tailoring and made clothes and shoes for her three children herself. Little did she know that it would come in handy in her lifetime.
"Big sister?"
"Big sister!!"
Song Caixing's voice came from the end of the space.
In the blink of an eye, Song Yinhua had returned to her room. Song Caixing noticed that she wasn't in the room and had just gone out.
Xie Daguang, standing outside the courtyard, started imitating bird calls again.
"Brother Da Guang!" Song Caixing called out, "Come in, my older sister isn't home."
Xie Daguang then poked his head out and happily took a few steps inside, when he saw Song Yinhua come out of the main room.
His smile froze on his face, and he called out obsequiously, "Big...Big Sister."
Song Caixing turned her head and exclaimed in surprise, "Big sister, you're home?"
"Caixing, are you still entangled with him?" Song Yinhua asked Song Caixing. "He can't give you happiness, and he can't protect you!"
Xie Daguang hurriedly assured her, "Big sister, believe me this time. I promise I will treat Caixing well for the rest of my life, protect her and love her, and never let her suffer any injustice."
"What guarantee do you have?" Song Yinhua asked. "Does your mother agree to you being with Caixing?"
"My mom agrees. She really likes Cai Xing. Once Cai Xing marries into our family, she'll treat her like her own daughter." Xie Daguang lied without batting an eye.
Song Yinhua: "Really? Your mother likes Caixing so much? Then Caixing and I will go to your house now to meet your mother and discuss your marriage?"
Upon hearing that he was going to his home, Xie Daguang's expression flashed with guilt, and he even lost his previous confidence when he spoke: "Caixing and I are not even close yet. Once it's settled, I will persuade my mother to agree."
"So you're saying your mom doesn't approve of you being with Cai Xing now?"
In her past life, Xie Daguang's biological mother, Huo Jinfeng, often tormented Caixing, while her mother, Qiao Guilan, could only get angry and had no ability to protect her daughter.
She was already disliked by her mother-in-law, had no one from her own family to support her, and her husband was a good-for-nothing and a mama's boy. You can imagine how miserable her life was.
When Qiao Guilan got angry, she would run to Han Zhiyuan’s house to complain to the eldest daughter. At that time, Song Yinhua was struggling to make ends meet and was too busy to help Caixing.
Moreover, as long as the couple doesn't get divorced, outsiders shouldn't interfere in their affairs.
Song Caixing looked at Xie Daguang, "Brother Daguang, that's not what you told me. You said your mother likes a daughter-in-law like me and will treat me like her own daughter."
“Cai Xing, let me explain. My mom is a very good person. Once you're married into the family, you'll be part of our family, and she'll treat you well.” Xie Daguang kept explaining to Song Cai Xing, “Believe me, Cai Xing, my mom will agree.”
“Then let’s wait for your mother’s approval!” Song Yinhua said. “Caixing is only sixteen, she’s still young. It’s not too late for you two to start dating after your mother agrees.”
Xie Daguang looked at the troublesome Song Yinhua and said, "Caixing and I will handle our own affairs. You don't need to interfere."
“Cai Xing is my own sister, I can’t just stand by and watch her get scammed.”
"Why do you say I cheated Cai Xing?" Xie Daguang retorted.
The two sides couldn't agree on anything, so Song Yinhua called Song Caixing into the house.
Xie Daguang stomped on the dried wild vegetables drying on the ground in anger, as if the dried wild vegetables on the ground were what angered him.
After Song Yinhua entered the house, she turned to Song Caixing and asked, "Did you hear what Xie Daguang said just now? He's been lying to you the whole time. He didn't tell his mother about you at all."
Song Caixing was angry with Xie Daguang.
She thought Xie Daguang was going to marry her and that she would soon be able to leave this family, but she didn't expect that he wouldn't mention her to his family.
“Cai Xing, if you insist on dating that good-for-nothing Xie Daguang, I won’t stop you. After all, it’s a major life event for you, and you’ll be responsible for your own future. But I hope you can listen to my advice and wait until Xie Daguang’s mother agrees before you start dating.”
In her past life, Qiao Guilan had complained to her that Cai Xing's in-laws looked down on her family and even more so on Cai Xing's background, and they were determined to have their son marry a girl from the city.
Cai Xing had been pregnant with several children before her death.
Huo Jinfeng consulted a fortune teller to determine the gender of her child.
The fortune teller said it would be a girl, so Huo Jinfeng forced Caixing to take medicine to abort the child, and she had to go back to work in the fields the next day.
Later, she experienced recurrent miscarriages. She managed to save one child, and the fortune teller said it would be a boy. However, during childbirth, her husband's family refused to pay for it, and she died.
The child was born with intellectual disabilities due to asphyxiation and lack of oxygen.
Thinking about all this, Song Yinhua felt incredibly heartbroken.
She took care of the youngest sister from birth, as her parents were busy with work and couldn't take care of the children, let alone the newborn Cai Xing.
In rural areas, families often have many children, and the older children usually take care of the younger ones.
Aside from breastfeeding, Cai Xing did everything else herself.
She coaxed her and changed her diaper.
Although she had to take care of Baogen and Qiuxue at that time, Caixing meant something different to her than Baogen and Qiuxue.
She couldn't save Cai Xing in her past life, so she'll protect her no matter what in this life.
"Brother Da Guang lied to me, I'm not dating him anymore," Song Caixing said angrily, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Caixing, Mom is so thirsty, get Mom a glass of water." Qiao Guilan's voice suddenly came from outside.
Song Caixing turned to pour water, but Song Yinhua stopped her.
"I'll go get Mom some water. You can wipe your tears." Song Yinhua poured a glass of water and went out.
She's the only one in the family who knows about this; she hasn't dared to let anyone else in the family know.
If her father knew about this, Cai Xing would definitely get a beating.
Sweating profusely, Qiao Guilan dumped a basket of corn cobs she had picked from the field onto the ground, then took the water that Song Yinhua handed her and drank it all in one gulp.
"Ha!" She breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "This well water tastes better than boiled river water. It's cool and refreshing, and a little sweet. I feel like I have energy all over again right after drinking it."
Qiao Guilan was wiping the sweat from her head with an old, yellowed towel around her neck when her neighbor, Liu Sannai, arrived.
"Guilan, are you busy?"
“My mom’s busy.” Song Yinhua guessed what Liu San’s grandma was doing there. “There’s such a big cornfield. After picking the corn cobs, she has to cut the stalks and dig the ground. She’s very busy.”
As if she hadn't heard Song Yinhua speak, Liu Sannai said to Qiao Guilan, "Guilan, I've come to ask you for a small favor. My grandson suddenly has a stomachache, and my husband and I need to take him to the clinic. There's no one home, so could you please look after the yard for a bit?"
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