When I got home, my parents asked me how it went.
I said it was good.
I didn't dare tell my parents about Shouren's idea of having the children together with his sisters; they definitely wouldn't agree.
In our area, this kind of thing would be punishable by being drowned in a pig cage.
Dad was taken aback for a moment, then pressed for details, saying there really was no problem.
I said, there's really no problem. She's good-looking, has a good job, and is very considerate.
Dad breathed a sigh of relief and said I'd hit the jackpot.
I thought to myself, it seems like I've really hit the jackpot.
Such a handsome man! If my cousin weren't my cousin, I probably wouldn't have a chance. Thinking about this, I became happy again, and I spent each day in anticipation.
He wasn't lying to me; he came to propose during the Chinese New Year and set a date.
May 7th is my wedding day.
After getting married, I got everything I wanted.
Moving to the city, there was a new house, new furniture, and even the bedding was new.
Such a life is something I never dared to dream of.
And yet, it actually happened. At this moment, I feel like having one more cousin doesn't really matter. Besides, I'm still the empress.
Brother Shouren was very kind to me. He taught me a lot, including how to understand the world. He told me that people must set a long-term goal, otherwise, you will be very bored in the future.
I thought about it, and I still don't know what I should do.
He said, "If you don't know, just read more books. You'll eventually find a path that suits you."
I listened to him and started reading.
Some books are very interesting, while others are very boring.
With nothing else to do, these household chores in the city are no problem for me at all. If this were in the village, I would be out chatting with people. But now, I have to listen to Brother Shouren, study hard, and know what I want to do in the future.
As I read on, I found mathematics to be quite interesting.
But the interesting part is the kind of interesting that money brings.
Shouren had a considerable fortune, and after we got married, he gave me a portion of it.
That was more than a thousand yuan—more than I had ever seen in my life. He told me that he was giving me that money to spend as I pleased, and that I didn't need to be too frugal. He told me to make my own decisions about what to spend and what to do, whether it was small or big, and to make a plan and discuss it with him.
Good heavens, that's over a thousand yuan! Are all men in the city this generous?
No wonder he could have two, I don't blame him anymore.
But this man is really good at creating things!
They would bring home a chicken every now and then, and occasionally half a pig. I ate more meat at this place in a month than I had in the previous 20 years. I felt like I was living a sinful life.
No, I have to hold onto the money in my hands, otherwise, if Brother Shouren continues to squander it like this, this family will be ruined sooner or later.
Later, the world fell into chaos, and there was war and turmoil outside.
My neighbor from the courtyard, the one with the chubby bangs, came to cause trouble. It startled me, as I was pregnant at the time. It was the first time I'd ever seen Shouren angry. Although he didn't say anything, I knew he was upset.
He's gone, he's been taken away, and I'm very worried about him.
I wanted to go to the factory to find him, but my mother wouldn't let me. She told me he'd be fine and to stay home and wait. I didn't want to; I was going no matter what. They couldn't possibly make things difficult for a pregnant woman like me. I had to go!
So I went there, but I couldn't get into the factory. The security guard told me that Brother Shouren was fine, but we couldn't go in. That's the rule.
I thought about it for a moment and decided to just wait outside. If he didn't come, I would go in and make a scene. I couldn't put Brother Shouren in a difficult position, since I was pregnant.
Brother Baowei wasn't lying to me; Brother Shouren has come out. He seemed a little surprised to see me, so I asked with a grin, "Aren't you surprised?"
He hugged me and said thank you.
I don't know why I should say thank you. Aren't we husband and wife? We're always together.
I'm a little unhappy.
He seemed to have noticed and asked me what was wrong.
I told him.
He paused for a moment, then smiled and said to me, "I was wrong. We are one."
I'm happy again.
After that incident, no one bothered our family anymore. I heard that my second uncle was dismissed from his job the next day and even dragged away for a public criticism session. In the end, he was assigned to clean toilets. From then on, he was covered in a sack almost every few days. This rather fat old man was beaten thin and frail in just a few months.
In 1967, I gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Everyone was very happy, and I was happy too, though a little tired. My cousin's expression when she looked at the two babies made me envious. I knew she envied me, but she didn't dare to have children. So I'm the official wife, hehe.
After having children, we focus most of our attention on them.
I don't know why, but it's strange in our family. Shouren seems to prefer girls. He holds Wang Xirou all day long and won't let go.
I like Wang Ruiming.
My cousin likes both of them and wants to visit them every day. I think she's trying to usurp my position. No way, when the kids are older, I'll make them call her stepmother. My position as the empress is unshakeable.
By 1970, apart from Brother Shouren occasionally going on business trips, we rarely went out. It was very chaotic outside, and everyone was afraid.
Both children have grown up and are very good-looking, resembling their parents.
My cousin really dislikes the term "stepmother," and I told her that if she called me "auntie," then she wasn't a "mom." I was stating a fact, right? But that night, my cousin really went all out against me, while my brother Shouren just stood by watching with a smile. He said he wanted to see who would win. How could I admit defeat? After all these years, I know exactly where my cousin's weaknesses lie! She's incredibly sensitive!
By 1971, Brother Shouren would often disappear for a few days without explanation, and then return just as inexplicably.
My cousin and I were both a little scared; we didn't know what he was doing.
It's not that I'm afraid he'll find other women; he probably doesn't have that kind of interest. He's not a lecherous person.
One day, I couldn't hold back any longer and asked him, "What exactly are you doing outside? Have you found me another sister?"
He chuckled and pinched my cheek. He's liked pinching my cheeks ever since we got married, and he's been doing it for years without getting tired of it.
He told me he was doing something meaningful.
I asked him what it was about.
He said he was picking up old men and women.
I was completely dumbfounded. What? Go out and pick up old men and women?
Suddenly, I remembered something, my face turned pale, and I asked him in a trembling voice, "Is it...is it those people?"
Seeing my state, he sighed and told me that they shouldn't have ended up like this. He didn't tell me because he didn't want me to worry.
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