Knock knock knock!
As the two were talking, Shu Ying knocked on the door from the outside. Huang Meiling tilted her body slightly and said, "Yingying, come in quickly."
Shu Ying pushed open the door from the outside, followed by Xie Zhiyan carrying a basin of water for washing feet. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, letting Xie Zhiyan put the basin of water on the ground.
"Mom, I thought you must be tired after such a long car ride. I just boiled some water for a foot bath, so I brought it over for you. Soak your feet first. I added some herbs to it to relieve fatigue."
Xie Zhiyan stood obediently to the side, clearly having become a tool in this family. He didn't need to say anything; he just did whatever his wife asked him to do.
Huang Meiling beamed with joy, having raised an obedient son; all she needed was a daughter-in-law.
"You're such a thoughtful child, always considering everything so thoroughly. Daughters are truly their mothers' little darlings."
Xie Zhiyan: ...
Why does this sound a bit sarcastic?
He glanced helplessly at Shu Ying beside him, who gave him a reassuring look.
The foot bath water was spring water that Shu Ying had changed in advance. She also brought over two boxes of moisturizing cream: "By the way, Mom, the environment where you and Dad work is relatively dry. This moisturizing cream is something I made myself. It contains Chinese herbal ingredients, so it's relatively gentle. You and Dad can use it if you have any skin discomfort."
Shuying's moisturizing cream was certified by Song Zhaodi, who nodded repeatedly and stretched out her hands to show Huang Meiling.
"These little gadgets that Yingying researched are really useful. I used to have chilblains on my hands, and they would crack even in the summer. But now, after using the moisturizing cream that Yingying gave me, they are much better. My hands used to be much rougher than this. Look how smooth they are now."
She looked at her hands with satisfaction. During this time, she hadn't had to endure wind and rain or do any hard or tiring work, and she felt like a completely different person.
The happier Song Zhaodi was, the more heartbroken Huang Meiling felt.
Those hardships should never have been hers to begin with.
"Your father and I have wronged you in the past. We had heard that conditions in the countryside were tough, but we had never experienced it firsthand, so we could never imagine it. My dear child, how can I make it up to you?"
As the somber atmosphere returned, Song Zhaodi smiled and said, "Everyone in the countryside lives like this. Even if I was able to grow up with my parents, it's only because I was lucky enough to be born into a good family. It's just that the situation of women in the countryside is indeed more difficult, but no one can't make it."
If it weren't for Zhou Dawei's constant beatings, she might have been working in the fields all day long, just like the aunties in the countryside.
"Yingying has almost completely healed these wounds for me, both physical and emotional, and they will eventually fade away."
Huang Meiling couldn't resist in the end and hugged her tightly, gently stroking her back.
Song Zhaodi's back stiffened a little, but after realizing what was happening, she hugged her back.
This was the mother-daughter bond she had always longed for, and the care she had never received from He Caixia.
She originally thought that she was destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone for Yaozu from birth, but now she realizes that she can choose her own life and live the life she wants.
Shu Ying glanced at Xie Zhiyan, and the two of them, as if by unspoken agreement, left. Xie Zhiyan carefully closed the door.
She pounded her shoulder with one hand: "Today was quite fulfilling. My bones feel like they're about to fall apart. I need to take a good bath today."
Xie Zhiyan placed a pair of strong hands on her shoulders, pressing them gently: "Thanks to you today, otherwise I wouldn't know how to say so many things. Thank you for your hard work."
Shu Ying turned around and met Xie Zhiyan's eyes, her pupils reflecting his face: "Then how are you going to thank me? I won't accept it if it's not sincere."
Xie Zhiyan put one arm around her waist and changed the subject: "Didn't you just say you wanted to take a bath? I'll go and boil some water for you now. You've had a long day, get some rest."
Shu Ying snorted: "I knew you weren't sincere. I've already boiled the water. You can go back inside now."
However, since they were family, she hadn't originally intended for Xie Zhiyan to do anything.
After a long day, a quick shower isn't enough to relieve her fatigue, and she doesn't worry about being disturbed when she goes to the bathroom.
Xie Zhiyan looked at her gloomy expression, and finally nodded and went back to his room.
After locking the bathroom door, Shu Ying mixed some spiritual spring water and entered the space.
The hot water in the bathtub was at the perfect temperature. She soaked in the tub, feeling her pores open up and every inch of her skin enjoying the sensation.
She splashed some water up to her shoulders, and then sank down until her entire body, except for her head, was submerged in water.
The warm steam from the water touched her face, and Shu Ying let out a long sigh of relief, closing her eyes in bliss.
In Shanghai, she could take a bath openly, but in Beijing, she had to hide many things from people. Fortunately, her mother left her a good place, which was relatively more convenient.
Her skin, soaked in the spiritual spring water, was delicate and fair. Her muscles, which had been stiff all day, finally relaxed. Perhaps because she had lost her parents, Shu Ying was both nervous and expectant about Song Zhaodi and Huang Meiling's reunion.
The house we live in now has a temporary cubicle in the yard that Song Zhaodi set up. Although the space inside is not very big, it is perfectly fine for taking a shower.
At first, the bathroom in the house was not connected to the water supply and drainage, so even taking a shower was a problem. It was Song Zhaodi who found some simple wooden planks and put buckets of water on the roof. Her arrival made the originally troublesome problems much simpler.
Shu Ying raised her head and looked out the window at the twinkling stars in the dark sky. One arm stretched out of the bathtub as she murmured to herself.
"Mom and Dad, it must be because you are watching over me and the child from heaven, right?"
Her only regret was that she could no longer reunite with her parents; the family's happiness had ultimately become an illusion.
No matter how much I do, I can only see my parents in my dreams in the future.
Her nose felt a little sore, and she supported her head with one hand. Her long hair was wet with water, giving her the beauty of a woman emerging from a bath.
"Mom and Dad, don't worry, I'm doing very well now. My parents-in-law are very kind to me and my child, and Sister Song is also a very honest person. I've learned a lot from her. In the last two days, I've even learned how to grow vegetables. You would never guess that."
A capable, hardworking, and simple person like Song Zhaodi should not be confined to that failed marriage.
A woman may have countless facets, but she should never be saddened or disheartened.
Now she has another option, and from now on, every path she takes will have endless possibilities.
Zhou Dawei is now just a memory of the past. All that's left is time; all the pain will fade away, but the lessons learned will help women grow faster.
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