Mei Niang also did not sleep well that night. In her 25 years of life, she had never thought that she would remarry.
When she saw her husband for the first time at the age of fifteen, she was filled with joy. There was no way in the world that there was such a handsome young man, a scholar at that. She was willing to endure any hardship to follow such a man.
She didn't care that life was hard at her husband's home. When she felt tired from work, her husband would just say thank you for your hard work and it would be worth it.
She had a son at the age of seventeen. She could see that her husband liked him. Who wouldn’t like a chubby, fair-skinned boy?
If it hadn't been for that college entrance examination, if it hadn't been for that accident, everything would have been fine. She wouldn't have become a widow, her parents-in-law wouldn't have died, and her son wouldn't have become silent.
Almost six years have passed, and she has decided to remarry as a widow.
It’s not because they can’t hold on, but because they can’t go on. The debt is like a mountain pressing down on them. If they could pay it back slowly, they wouldn’t be afraid, but these creditors can’t wait any longer.
Her son is her life. If she remarries and the man treats Dashun badly, she will take the child with her even if she dies. As long as she can hold on for seven or eight years, everything will be fine when the child grows up.
For now she can only eat it piece by piece, and try to get through this difficult time first.
I hope that person is a good one.
Early the next morning, Mei Niang got up from the kang. Their place was located in the north, and it was still very cold in the early morning in March.
My mother's home is twelve miles away from Changjia Village. There are not many cars going there, so most people have to walk. A round trip takes two or three hours.
If I can see someone tomorrow, I can come back early the day after tomorrow, and the chickens in the backyard must be fed.
Three years after she got married, her husband left. There were still some young ladies in the village who got along well with her, but soon their in-laws stopped them from associating with her, for fear that they would be tainted with bad luck.
Aunt Li next door had been nice to her, but her son Li Daniu had developed feelings for her, which made Aunt Li unhappy. Her son was still a young man, so how could she want a widow with a son?
She couldn't keep him no matter how good he was. Moreover, she had only been in her husband's family for two or three years when her husband and parents-in-law died one after another. The villagers kept saying that she was a nemesis.
Of course, some people in the village also said that her son was their nemesis. How could such a young child not be childish at all? He spoke and acted like an adult, which was very strange.
Some say she can do it, but others say her son can't. Whenever she hears anyone talking about her son, she immediately goes to the door and fights them to the death.
In the past six months, Aunt Li has become much more distant from her family.
Mei Niang is not a tactless person. Since the other party doesn't want to talk to you, there is no need to rush them. Sprinkle some chicken feed in the chicken coop before you leave. If everything goes well, you will be back at noon tomorrow. The chickens will not die if they go hungry for two meals.
Chang Shun heard a noise in the kitchen, looked up and saw light outside the window, it was time to get up.
He didn't go to his maternal and child's house very often because it wasn't on the main road in town and there were few cars passing by. His family didn't have a car, so they had to walk.
It was still a little difficult to walk more than ten miles. He was small before, and his mother couldn't carry him far on her back, and a long journey is not a light burden.
What’s more, my grandmother was sick and bedridden in the past few years, so she needed someone to stay at home.
He is older now, but a seven-year-old's legs are so long that he can't walk fast at all.
My grandmother has a lot of family members. In addition to my grandparents, there are three children from my eldest uncle's family and two children from my younger uncle's family, a total of eleven people.
There are only so many rooms, and if he goes with his mother, grandpa will have to sleep with his cousins, which is very troublesome.
The eldest aunt is a straightforward person who works quickly and efficiently. She is very good to them and their mother. The younger aunt is also a nice person. Now she lives in town with the children and helps her younger uncle run a small grocery store. The business is not very good, but it is much better than farming at home. They only see each other once a year and do not have a deep impression of each other.
Chang Shun picked out a thin jacket that was 50% new and put it on. It was the best piece of clothing he had this season.
A quarter of an hour later, the mother and son locked the gate of the courtyard. His home was close to the village entrance, so they were out of the village in a short while.
Mei Niang was carrying a small basket with a piece of bacon weighing more than two kilograms in it. It would be bad for a woman to go back to her parents' home empty-handed, and this was the best thing she could bring.
She was wearing a new light lotus-colored jacket and skirt that reached her ankles, which highlighted her slender figure. However, her delicate features were dulled by her slightly sallow skin.
She hasn't made any new clothes in these years. The one she is wearing was made by herself using the cloth her husband bought for her.
Mei Niang thought about her husband who had passed away long ago, and then thought about the current situation of her and her daughter, and her eyes became red again.
She looked at her son who was struggling with his short legs in front of her, and made a secret decision in her heart that no matter how difficult the future might be, she would raise her son well.
In this way, the spirits of her husband and parents-in-law in heaven would not blame her for remarrying, but would be grateful to her instead.
In the middle of the morning, the mother and daughter entered Hejia Village. Her home was at the foot of the West Mountain, so they didn't have to go into the village, which suited her needs.
Since becoming a widow, she wanted to wrap herself up completely. If possible, she would rather go to an uninhabited place and didn't want to hear people talking behind her back about her and her son being nemesis.
There are three families at the foot of the West Mountain: her mother's family, her uncle's family, and her third uncle's family.
At that time, my grandfather thought that there was a large open space here and a lot of land that could be cultivated. The three sons did not need to be separated. Each family was only a dozen meters apart, so they could hear each other if they shouted.
Over the years, her aunt, her third aunt and her own mother have all advised her to move forward.
At first she mourned for her husband, and then for her parents-in-law. In the countryside, one can remarry after mourning for a year. She was not ugly, so it was easy for her to remarry, but she basically became someone else's second wife.
Moreover, few people are willing to raise a son for someone else. If it's a girl, you can get some dowry by raising her for a few years. But for a boy, that's not the case. You have to marry him off, and even if you divide it up, you still have to give some things. It's not cost-effective.
He Hu came over from the river and saw her sister-in-law and her daughter at a glance, "Mei Niang, Dashun, you are here. You must be exhausted after walking so much in the morning."
Chang Shun obediently called her aunt, and then stood quietly behind his mother.
Mei Niang pulled her sister-in-law aside and whispered that her son wanted to meet that person. She said that when there were more people at home, it would be embarrassing to say some things out loud.
He Hu glanced at the child beside her and felt a little sad. Such a smart and well-behaved child, it was a pity that his father, a scholar, passed away early, otherwise the child would have been studying now.
"Okay, I'll talk to mom later and ask Da Qiangzi to go to Wan Changsheng's house. If he agrees, we can meet at the river bank. Then I'll go with you to wash two pieces of clothes."
Da Qiangzi is her eldest son, who is fourteen years old this year. It is just the right time for him to pass on a message. If she, the head of the family, goes, and someone sees her, it would be a bit embarrassing, and it is still unknown whether the matter will succeed.
After entering the courtyard, her mother was picking wild vegetables in the yard, and next to her was her nine-year-old niece Taohua.
Chang Shun called her grandma and cousin politely.
"Dashun, come sit down and rest your feet. Grandma will cook you some fried eggs." Mother He looked at her little daughter again, "You left early in the morning, right? Have you thought it through?"
Mei Niang looked around: "Where are Dad and Big Brother? Aren't they home?"
Mrs. Hu said, "Dad and the head of the household have gone to the fields. The sweet potatoes need to be planted, and the fields need to be plowed in the next two days."
Mei Niang nodded. It was only March, which was not the busiest time in the countryside.
While Mrs. Hu was talking to her mother-in-law, Grandma He took a look at her little grandson. This child was so pitiful, being forced to grow up at such a young age. Her daughter had a soft personality, so this child could only be like a little adult.
"You can ask Da Qiangzi to go, even if it's just to meet him. If the Wan family kid agrees and Da Shun is willing, then we can hurry up and do it. A second marriage doesn't have to be a big deal. Just take the person home and live a good life."
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