After repeated disappointments, she complained about everything and the unfairness of fate.
Fortunately, the dean's slap woke him up.
"Your parents don't want you, so why are you relying on others? And what gives you the right to resent them?"
She will always remember those words, and she will never forget them in either of her two lifetimes.
Since then, despite the shattering of my dreams, I have worked hard, studied diligently, and seized every opportunity to improve my life.
Never again... complain about fate!
Many years later, Jiang Nuan realized that she didn't need to wait hopelessly for someone else's untouchable compassion. She could take one step at a time, use all her strength, and one day, she would be able to overcome all the obstacles.
"Does Mother mean," Old Huang asked uncertainly, "that we are no longer weak?"
"At least you don't have to humbly beg for help from others."
“But I,” Huang Lao Er still said, unwilling to give up, “still don’t like the old house.”
“You are free to dislike them, but they are your elders and you must maintain proper etiquette.”
Upon hearing this, Huang Lao Er felt aggrieved.
You must respect your elders no matter what. In that case, what difference does it make whether you like them or not?
Even if you really dislike doing chores for other people, you still have to do it tomorrow.
So annoying!
"Mother," Xie's eyes darted around, "do you mean to maintain appearances and avoid giving anyone a handle to use against you?"
Cough cough...
Jiang Nuan didn't expect Xie Shi to say this so bluntly. She turned her face away and replied softly, "Figure it out yourself!"
"Oh, I see," Huang Lao Er said with a sudden realization, then complained, "If Mother wanted to explain it so clearly, that would have been enough. It's just for show, so easy."
“Shut up,” Jiang Nuan glared at her son, “I didn’t say that.”
"Mother," Wang asked softly, "would you like to go with us to plant rice seedlings tomorrow?"
Since marrying into the Huang family, I haven't actually done any housework.
Previously, because there were many children in the family and his mother-in-law was seriously ill and needed care, the men were able to support the family once they were able to free up their hands.
“How could we not go?” Xie said indignantly. “Everyone in the village is going. If we don’t go, they’ll say all sorts of nasty things.”
Now that our family is better off, no one dares to gossip about us.
In the past, the villagers would say all sorts of hurtful things about these two women because they didn't work in the fields.
So what if I don't work in the fields? I haven't eaten a single grain of rice from her family, why do these people have to worry about things that don't concern them?
Besides, they weren't idle either. The older sister-in-law did needlework and she wove bamboo utensils, both of which could earn money, which was no worse than working in the fields.
"Go and see first. If you can't handle it, I'll think of something else," Jiang Nuan said after a pause. "Don't worry too much. I reckon this won't work out."
Those with few children are naturally happy, but those with many offspring may not agree.
Why do people work so hard to have and raise children? Is it so that more people can work and produce more food?
Isn't doing this the same as raising someone else's child?
What's the point?
"Really?" Madam Wang was skeptical. "That was something we'd already agreed on. How could it be changed?"
“This is going to cause quite a stir,” Jiang Nuan shook her head. “Just watch, the village will be in chaos in a few days.”
This matter differs somewhat from Jiang Nuan's guess.
The night the men finished speaking, Huangjiakou erupted into chaos. The usually quiet night was filled with countless families lighting kerosene lamps and arguing all night long.
Fortunately, the Huang family lived in a relatively remote area and was not affected.
After a good night's sleep, Jiang Nuan began to prepare breakfast.
To help her family members maintain their health, she drips a little water into her body every day, so she often has to ask someone else to prepare breakfast because she feels it's too little.
The two daughters-in-law assisted, and when they were adding water, they simply sent the person away.
Ms. Xie got up very early today, thinking that she was too tired to cook rice because of the rice planting, so she wanted to prepare all the food for the day.
Just as she finished kneading the dough, Jiang Nuan walked into the kitchen and dismissed her, saying, "I'll do this. You collect all the fallen pear and peach blossoms. We don't have much wine left, so we need to brew a few more jars to keep on hand."
"Okay, I'll pick them right away. Mom, please cook some sweet potatoes for me. I haven't had them in a long time, and I'm craving them."
"Don't worry," Jiang Nuan smiled gently, "you'll get your share."
After an incense stick had burned, Madam Xie returned, beaming with joy.
"Second sister-in-law," Jin asked curiously, "what good thing happened?"
His eyes narrowed into slits from laughing.
“Mother said yesterday that there would be trouble in the village, and sure enough,” she beckoned to Jin Shi and waited for her to come closer before whispering, “There was trouble last night. I heard that several families fought all night.”
"Ah," Ms. Jin was taken aback, "How could this be?"
“I’m not happy about it,” Xie shrugged. “I don’t want other families to take advantage of me.”
“Whether we suffer a loss or not is secondary,” Wang replied, “it’s also because we care about our own family.”
“That’s right,” Xie clapped her hands. “I heard that all the kids over twelve have to go. We love our own children, and if they work for ten or fifteen days in a row, these half-grown boys definitely won’t be able to handle it.”
"Is Uncle Liang's family the one causing the most trouble?"
“Sister-in-law guessed right,” Xie said in a low voice. “Uncle Youliang’s family has many sons but little land. The whole family works together. After finishing the work in the fields, they go to reclaim wasteland. Aunt Youliang was unwilling to delay her own wasteland reclamation and scratched Uncle Youliang’s face until it bled. She then took her two half-grown sons and went back to her parents’ home overnight.”
"So impulsive?" Jin clicked her tongue. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Aunt Liang is probably in trouble this time."
"What's the trouble?" Xie Shi pursed her lips. "The clan is in the wrong in this matter to begin with. If we want to help our clansmen, it's not wrong for everyone to do their part. What's the point of dragging the whole village into it?"
Xie was very disgusted by this.
“That’s right,” Jin agreed wholeheartedly. “If no one in the family can farm it, we can rent it out. They’re all relatives, and no one will deliberately take advantage of us. They will definitely not give us less grain than we should.”
"But that would mean a lot less food."
"What you're saying, sister-in-law, is unreasonable. You want more grain without working. No family would do that."
"Second sister-in-law," Wang explained helplessly, "I just wanted to say that these people are unwilling to rent out their grain because they are reluctant to part with it."
If we rent it out to others, we'll lose 30% of the grain. After deducting the grain for taxes, there won't be much left at all.
It's better to grow it ourselves; even if we harvest less grain, it's still better than renting it out to others.
"You can only eat as much as you're capable of," Jin said dismissively. "You can't have it all.
"That's right, when I came back from outside, they were almost fighting."
"What's going on?"
Jiang Nuan looked curiously at the three sisters-in-law huddled together.
“Mother,” Xie Shi ran over, winking, “Uncle Youliang and Uncle Gensheng’s families are about to fight.”
"Why?" Jiang Nuan asked疑惑地, "Is it about transplanting rice seedlings?"
“Yes,” Xie nodded emphatically before explaining, “Aunt Youliang went back to her parents’ home. When Uncle Gensheng found out, he went to Uncle Youliang’s house and scolded Aunt Youliang for siding with outsiders. He said some very harsh things. If it weren’t for Uncle Youquan stopping them, they would have started fighting.”
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