Chapter 35 Old Grudges Do you know why I didn't get into high school? ...
Ayili held Chen Mian's hand and stroked it a few times, then exclaimed again, "Girl, you're so smart! A-Yue is going to enjoy a life of luxury with you as her daughter-in-law!"
Ayili's eyes were filled with deep admiration: "If only our Dili could be as capable as you. I'm not saying she's bad; I watched her grow up. It's just that if she could encourage Batuer to be more ambitious..."
My son just got married and, having tasted the sweetness of success, he's unwilling to go out and earn money. That's one thing, but now that his wife is pregnant, he still refuses to go out. How can this be allowed?
Her son was already grown up and married, so it wasn't appropriate for her, as a mother, to say too much. She could only subtly hint to Delidar to speak to him. But to her surprise, Delidar seemed completely oblivious to her hints and even started complaining about her son's lack of tact…
Chen Mian awkwardly withdrew her hand and said politely, "Acha, please don't say that. I'm getting embarrassed. Ji Yu and I aren't even together yet."
After saying that, she secretly thought to herself that she was smart so that she could bring her parents to Xinjiang to enjoy a better life in the future, not so that she could serve her mother-in-law. Who said that a woman is automatically assigned to her husband's family after marriage? She didn't believe it.
Besides, Delidar is already quite sensible and virtuous; she hasn't had a day off since marrying into the family, yet her mother-in-law is still dissatisfied and complains about her to others in private. She certainly doesn't want to have a mother-in-law like that in the future.
The more Chen Mian thought about it, the less she wanted to continue exchanging pleasantries with Ayili. She rolled her eyes and changed the subject, saying, "Acha, I have to go get to work now. After we finish here, Cuiping and I will pack up and go home for the New Year."
Ayili wanted to say a few more words, but seeing that she wasn't interested, she had to stop for the time being. "Okay, then you guys go ahead and get busy. I need to go back and cook for you too." After saying that, she left in a hurry. Before, Dili could help her out, but now that she was pregnant, she had to do everything herself.
Chen Mian returned to the warehouse and, together with the other workers, packed the last batch of cotton into sacks, then loaded them onto the truck one by one, working until the afternoon before finishing.
Ayili also took out her usual notebook for keeping accounts, calculated everyone's wages, and they received the last batch of wages before returning to their tents.
Inside the tent, the two were counting the wages they had earned during this period. Chen Mian had worked at the goji berry farm for a month and earned 500 yuan, and then worked at the cotton farm for two months and earned 2,000 yuan. Adding the 600 yuan she had earned from the Wu family, she now had exactly 3,000 yuan in hand.
Although Li Cuiping arrived late, she worked quickly and efficiently, and with the money she earned at the farm in southern Xinjiang, she had saved three or four thousand yuan.
The two sisters counted again and again, lying on the bed with great satisfaction. When they came out, they thought they would make a lot of money in Xinjiang, but when they actually made it, they couldn't believe it.
It's worth noting that even Chen Mubai's monthly salary in the army was only one hundred yuan, yet the two of them earned in just three months what others earned in one or two years.
The two exchanged a glance. Xinjiang is truly a land of opportunity! We'll come back next year to make more money, so let's come as soon as possible!
Looking at the luggage piled up in the tent, Chen Mian seemed to remember something and said, "Cuiping, Aunt Yu and I have already agreed that we can leave our luggage at her house before we go home, and we can stay at her house after the New Year until we find work."
After saying that, she added, "It's not free, you get paid, one yuan a day, which is cheaper than hotels outside."
Chen Mian was already thinking about going home. She planned to visit her younger sister first after arriving in the provincial capital, and then they would go home together for the New Year. The thought of seeing her family and eating all sorts of delicious food soon filled her with an uncontrollable smile.
Before going home, she needs to go to the city to buy some local specialties for her family, a pretty headscarf for her mother and sister, and what to buy for her father and brother...
Just then, Chen Mianmian suddenly realized that Cuiping seemed to have been silent the whole time. She turned to look at her friend and found that the other person was expressionless and didn't seem very happy.
Chen Mian asked with concern, "Cuiping, what's wrong? Aren't you happy that you made money?"
Li Cuiping clenched her fingers, a struggle flashing in her dark eyes. After a long while, she slowly said, "I don't want to go back for the New Year..."
"I had such a bad fight with my mom before I left, she'll definitely beat me to death when I get back, and she might even make me marry some unknown person."
Chen Mian put her arm around her friend's shoulder and comforted her, "No, Aunt Li is usually reasonable. She just has a sharp tongue. Besides, you're still her own daughter. There's no such thing as a grudge between a mother and daughter. Even if she loves money, wouldn't she think about your future?"
"When you go back, bring her some local specialties and coax her a little, and everything will be fine. If she brings up marriage, just say that you already have someone you like in Xinjiang and are just waiting for you to come back after the New Year to get married."
Although Aunt Li brought her nephew to visit before she left, she had already chased him away. Now that her parents are home for the New Year, Aunt Li will surely not dare to do anything reckless.
As for the conflict between Cuiping and Aunt Li, all she knew was that Aunt Li was a bit stingy and greedy, and also had a tendency to favor sons over daughters. Because her husband had died early, she raised her two children alone, so she was quite strict with them.
Unexpectedly, Li Cuiping brought up an old story, "Do you know why I didn't get into high school?"
Without thinking, Chen Mian blurted out, "Of course I know, isn't it because you had a stomachache during your Chinese exam and didn't finish the paper?"
Li Cuiping shook her head and slowly said, "I never get sick normally. That day was because I had an exam. The night before, my mother suddenly said that I was working hard preparing for the exam, so she would cook for me."
"It was that breakfast that gave me food poisoning and caused me to fail my high school entrance exam. I suspect she might have put something in my food..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian sat up in shock. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Cuiping, you...you must be mistaken? How could this be? Aunt Li shouldn't have the guts to do this. It's a matter that concerns your entire future!"
Li Cuiping's eyes suddenly reddened, and she sat up, saying emotionally, "How could it not be? You don't know who she is, but do you think I don't? I never thought of doubting her at first. I just hated my bad luck. I knelt on the ground and begged her to pay some tuition so I could go back to junior high for another year."
“I know I’m not smart and my grades aren’t good, but I still wanted to go to high school. I dreamed of continuing my studies with you. I worked so hard before the exam, and even the teacher said that as long as I performed normally, I should be able to pass. But what happened?” Li Cuiping smiled sarcastically.
As a result, he failed the exam. During the summer vacation, he went to the mountains alone to collect herbs to exchange for money. He finally saved enough for the tuition to repeat the year. He knelt on the ground and begged his mother to let him repeat the year, but his mother would not budge.
She harbored a lot of resentment and indignation. Why couldn't she repeat a year of high school? Her younger brother's grades were even worse, and he often skipped classes. In the end, her mother still preferred to believe that her brother could get into high school, or even university, and bring honor to the family.
My mother said that boys are just late bloomers; if they don't pass the exam in one year, they can try again in two, and if they don't succeed in two, they can try again in three. They'll pass eventually. Girls don't need to study so much; it's better for them to help with chores at home early, get married, and have children peacefully...
But why?! Why do I only get one chance, and she ruins it? Why does my brother get chance after chance, just because I'm a girl? But you were a girl before you became a wife and mother.
Even their names are full of irony: Cuiping, so rustic and ordinary; her younger brother, Yaozu, truly the family's hope.
Li Cuiping slowly closed her eyes, lay back down on the bed, let out a long breath, and no longer wanted to hope for any unfounded maternal love.
Chen Mian looked at her with eyes full of heartache, leaned in and hugged her friend tightly, "You still have me, I will always be with you. When you go back for the New Year, stay at my house and let my mom cook you something delicious, okay?"
"We should stay away from that wicked woman, Aunt Li. If she dares to bully you again, I'll beat her up for you!"
Chen Mian hugged her friend and rocked her back and forth, "Don't be sad, okay? Our Cuiping is so amazing, she's earned so much money on her own. Think about how we're going to spend it! We'll go shopping tomorrow!"
She tried her best to comfort her depressed friend, hoping to cheer her up and warm her with her own body heat.
Li Cuiping also stretched out her arms and hugged the other person tightly. After calming herself down for a while, she slowly said, "I want to go to the Poplar Restaurant for another meal. It's so delicious, but it's too expensive. I usually can't afford it."
"I wonder how much money we'll need to earn so we can eat out every day," she said wistfully.
Perhaps because she had never eaten anything good since childhood and her life was hard, sometimes hungry and sometimes full, she didn't have much desire for pretty clothes and jewelry. However, when it came to food, she absolutely could not be allowed to eat.
Chen Mian smiled and teased, "You'd be perfect to marry a chef, haha, so you can eat out every day."
Li Cuiping retorted, "Why can I only be a cook? Maybe I can marry a restaurant owner! Then I can manage his accounts and eat different delicious food every day..."
"Alright, alright, I misspoke. Our Cuiping is going to be the boss's wife in the future, so you can't cry secretly anymore, otherwise you won't look pretty and won't be able to be the boss's wife."
"I didn't cry." Li Cuiping snorted. She would never cry for that woman again. She just... she just suddenly got sand in her eye. Yes, she just got sand in her eye.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Cuiping's mother is called Di. After finishing this chapter, I felt a little sorry for Cuiping. Sending her a hug~
There are other stories from different eras in this column, please bookmark them! Mwah!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
