Wanting to confirm her suspicions, Sun Miao'er deliberately said, "Auntie, could you wash the vegetables for me? I'll boil some water first!"
"Alright!" Sun Caiping's anxiety vanished instantly, replaced by an unusually relaxed expression. She took the vegetables away to wash them.
Before long, Sun Caiping brought in the vegetables, placed them on the cutting board, and skillfully began to chop them.
Sun Miao'er was tending the pot, but she was also watching Sun Caiping. Although her aunt's chopping technique was skillful, her two hands seemed to be not working together. Her right hand holding the knife would always pause for a moment when she made a cut.
It's obvious that she was injured before, but I hadn't heard that my aunt had a disability before she got married. Besides, the Jiang family wouldn't have wanted her if she had a disability.
Sun Miao'er put down what she was doing, walked behind Sun Caiping, and suddenly grabbed her arm. Jiang Caiping frowned and immediately dropped the knife in her hand. "Miao'er, what's wrong?"
Sun Caiping's expression betrayed her. Sun Miao'er lifted her sleeve, revealing shocking scars on her arm, crisscrossing and seemingly caused by whipping.
"Auntie, what happened to your arm?" Sun Miao'er carefully released her arm, feeling a little regretful for using too much force.
Sun Caiping couldn't avoid his gaze, so she tightly clutched her sleeves and hurriedly explained, "It's nothing, I did it myself."
"Auntie, tell me how I managed to get myself into this state?" Sun Miao'er naturally didn't believe it. Her eyes were sharp as she stared intently at Jiang Caiping's flickering gaze.
Sun Caiping was on the verge of tears, shaking her head repeatedly, "No, Miao'er, don't ask anymore, I really hurt myself while working."
She was unwilling to talk about it, and Sun Miao'er knew she wouldn't get any answers from her, but judging from Jiang Yutao's appearance just now, he was definitely not a kind person.
Sun Caiping has never returned to her parents' home in all these years since she got married. Her sudden return now must mean she has no good intentions.
When it was time to eat, there was one meat dish and two vegetable dishes on the table. Xiaoman and Xiaoning held their bowls and waited eagerly for their meal.
As soon as the food was served, before anyone even started eating, Jiang Yutao began flattering her, "My niece's cooking skills are truly exceptional. Such exquisite culinary skills at such a young age; whoever marries you will be incredibly fortunate."
Sun Miao'er rolled her eyes at him and remained silent.
"Come on, let your uncle have a taste." Jiang Yutao picked up his chopsticks and prepared to eat.
Seeing Jiang Caiping standing to the side, Sun Miao'er asked, "Why don't you sit down, Aunt? Isn't it empty?"
Sun Caiping lowered her head and whispered, "It's okay, you guys eat first."
“Miao’er, your aunt is always like this at home, don’t mind her, come on, let’s eat.” Jiang Yutao called out, his eyes never leaving Sun Miao’er from beginning to end.
Xiaoman was starving. Finally, when Jiang Yutao spoke, he eagerly took a bite of the dish, but his brows suddenly furrowed, and he muttered, "Sister, the dishes you cooked today are so salty."
"If it's salty, drink more soup," said Grandma Sun.
Jiang Yutao said unhappily, "Why can't the child speak properly? Your sister is so virtuous!"
As he was speaking, he put the food in his mouth and made a ferocious face. It almost made him choke on the food, but he still flattered him, saying, "Delicious, really delicious!"
Sun Miao'er couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Let's see how long you can keep up this act."
Jiang Yutao was halfway through his meal when he suddenly clutched his stomach, crying out, "Ouch, it hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Husband, what's wrong?" Sun Caiping squatted down and asked with concern.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yutao shoved her away and cursed, "Isn't it all because of you, you jinx? Get away from me right now! Where's the outhouse? Where's the outhouse?"
Upon hearing the word "outhouse," the two children who were eating couldn't help but burst out laughing and pointed to the east side of the door.
Jiang Yutao was being ridiculed by the two children and was about to curse them when he felt something in his stomach. Forget everything else, he turned and ran.
Before anyone inside could even react, Jiang Yutao had already vanished without a trace.
After Jiang Yutao ran away, Xiao Ning muttered to herself, "Uncle-in-law is so rude. How could he talk to Aunt like that?"
He and Xiaoman ran over and helped Jiang Caiping up from the ground. Although Xiaoning was a bit reserved, he was very protective of his own. He couldn't stand seeing his family members being wronged, just like Sun Miaoer.
"Don't say anymore, your uncle didn't do it on purpose," Jiang Caiping said, trying to defend Jiang Yutao.
Finally, even Grandma Sun couldn't stand it anymore and stood up from her chair. "Caiping, even now, are you still speaking up for him?"
“Mother…” Sun Caiping’s eyes reddened, tears fell like beads, and her voice was choked with sobs.
Sun Miao'er didn't know how much grievance Sun Caiping had suffered in the Jiang family over the years, but now it seemed that Jiang Yutao had definitely not treated her well. She looked up and asked Grandma Sun, "Grandma, what did Uncle bring Aunt here for today?"
"Oh, it's a long story." Grandma Sun looked at her daughter with heartache and said helplessly, "Your eldest aunt has been married for so many years but hasn't had any children. Jiang Yutao came to our house and asked me to return the dowry I gave him back then."
Returning the betrothal gifts? That's utterly absurd.
Sun Miao'er had never heard of someone being able to return the bride price if they couldn't have children; it was utterly outrageous. "Is such a thing even possible?"
She held Sun Caiping's arm, which was so slender that a single hand could encircle it. With such a frail body, how could she possibly bear children? She would probably struggle to even survive.
"Can't we get a divorce?" Sun Miao'er asked.
Sun Caiping was startled and interrupted her, "Miao'er, what are you saying? If we get a divorce, how can I face anyone?"
Sun Miao'er didn't know what to say. Sun Caiping seemed to regard divorce as a terrible sin. If that was the case, things would be difficult.
Sun Caiping thought of something else and said, "I heard that a skilled doctor has come to Fushui Village. Could you ask him to come and treat me? I'm sure I can give birth. I'm sorry to Yutao; I can't leave him an heir."
"You couldn't possibly leave him an heir, didn't his concubine who married later already give him a son?" Old Mrs. Sun couldn't help but say.
Sun Miao'er made no attempt to hide her shock and asked directly, "Aunt, he treats you like this, yet you still refuse to leave him?"
Sun Caiping continued to defend Jiang Yutao, "Mother, Miao'er, Yutao treats me well. Look at this silver bracelet, he bought it for me. Also, there's plenty of rouge and face powder at home."
Grandma Sun felt sorry for her but was helpless. Her eldest daughter was known for being proud and arrogant. She looked down on farmers and those with skills. Because she had been educated and literate since childhood, she did not want to marry a rough man. After much searching, she finally met Jiang Yutao.
Old man Jiang was a scholar. At that time, Old man Sun was still alive. The two families were of similar social standing, and they eventually got married. Who could have imagined that what seemed like a perfect match would end up like this?
Ultimately, Sun Caiping made a mistake in her judgment and married the wrong person.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
