Chapter 213: Mother and Daughter
Perhaps feeling guilty, Su Zhenzhen has been eating with the cook lately, chatting about everyday things whenever she has a spare moment.
This was the first time the cook had encountered such an approachable family member, who was also willing to talk to Su Zhenzhen about family matters.
“I have three sons and four daughters. People in the village say that my family is poor, that the adults can’t even get enough to eat, how could we possibly raise the children?”
Su Zhenzhen's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this. Why have so many children when you can't even support yourself? It really proves the old saying: the poorer you are, the more children you have, and the more children you have, the poorer you become.
"That year, famine victims from the south fled north. I don't know if they brought some bad luck with them, but ever since they came, the crops in our village have decreased. Several families in the village said they would send their children to the city to live a better life, but if there really was a better life, how could it be for us poor kids? The girls were sold into brothels, and the boys were castrated and given to rich families as playthings."
At this point, the cook's expression turned wistful, as if she had returned to the past.
"The child's father is easily swayed. He was persuaded by the neighbor's wife to sell one or two of our many children, saying that it would be better than the whole family going hungry."
The cook gritted her teeth, "They have so many children and they haven't eaten any of their wheat, yet they have to worry about this! And the children's father is so stubborn; he's determined to sell Xiaocao."
"I disagree." The cook looked at Su Zhenzhen, her eyes already moist. "Those are my children, flesh and blood of my own flesh. I brought them into this world, so I must raise them properly. What's the difference between abandoning them and raising livestock?"
Su Zhenzhen was surprised. The old lady's thinking was quite advanced. Even in the 906 century, some extreme parents still believed that children were their private property. They believed that the debt of gratitude for giving birth to and raising children was greater than heaven, and therefore they wanted to deprive children of their autonomy.
"Why should someone else decide to sell the children I gave birth to?" The cook's eyes burned as she said this. "I'll fight with the children's father. If he dares to sell the children, I'll break up with him and take the children to live in a thatched hut at the end of the village. He'll never hear a child call him 'father' again."
Su Zhenzhen silently gave the cook a thumbs up. There aren't many women who can make such a decision in adversity. Although she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she could imagine how hard it must be for a woman to raise a bunch of children. Only someone with great courage could make such a decision.
“My husband is a good-for-nothing. He has a long line of brothers and sisters, and he doesn’t know how to talk or handle things. When the family divided the property, the old lady gave us a mud house. The house we built later was one that we saved up together after I married him.”
The cook smiled mysteriously, a hint of smugness in her eyes.
“Although my husband isn’t very bright and is easily fooled, he’s more shrewd than anyone else when it comes to important matters. As soon as I told him I didn’t want to be with him anymore, he immediately changed his tune and said he would listen to me in all matters at home from now on, and begged me never to abandon him. This lazy bum that everyone dislikes can’t find another wife without me.”
Su Zhenzhen listened quietly as the cook spoke. Although the story only briefly mentioned saving up to build a house, the effort involved was unimaginable.
A woman who dares to start from scratch with a man is a testament to her character.
Although the cook's husband didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities, he was good at being pragmatic. He knew that the family they had built was something his wife had built up bit by bit, and that without her he was nothing. He could act arrogantly towards his children and assumed that his wife, like most people in the countryside, preferred sons to daughters.
This great mother never gave up on her children, regardless of gender.
Although she already had a guess in mind, Su Zhenzhen still asked a question.
How are your children doing now?
Parents are probably all the same; they all beam with joy when talking about their children. The cook's eyes lit up with pride.
"The eldest son has always been a quiet and reserved person. He doesn't talk much, but he's hardworking and reliable. When he reached marriageable age, we found him a wife, and she's honest and kind. The second son is smart. Back then, the family had saved up some money, so we sent him to the city to learn a trade. But these days, even farmers can't afford to eat. If I had known, I would have preferred to stay home and farm. He married a woman from the village, and now she works with the eldest son's family, helping with chores in the fields."
After talking about her two sons whom she was proud of, the cook's face darkened when she mentioned her youngest son. "That little one is a good-for-nothing. I don't know who he learned it from. He's all talk and no action, always dreaming of getting rich. He's been gone for over ten years and I don't know where he is now."
Just as Su Zhenzhen was about to offer a few words of comfort, the cook started to console herself.
"Forget it, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I raised him to eighteen, but I can't support him for the rest of his life. Whether it's good or bad, he's an adult and can make his own decisions."
Su Zhenzhen only wanted to praise her for being insightful. Life is what you make of it. Some people are often unhappy even if they are extremely wealthy. Throughout history, only the magnanimous are content and happy.
“Those four girls are all capable and hardworking. I let them choose their own partners. If they liked each other and the man’s family was fine, then I let them marry into the family.”
Su Zhenzhen was somewhat surprised. Here, marriages were supposed to be arranged by parents and matchmakers, yet the daughter was allowed to choose her own husband.
“However,” the cook’s tone changed, and she sighed, “I don’t know if what I’m doing is right or wrong. They say that a woman’s marriage is like a second reincarnation. I don’t care whether it’s a second reincarnation or not. I just think that the person I marry is someone I’ll be sleeping in the same bed with for the rest of my life. If I don’t like him, how can I live like this? Like my husband, when I see him making stupid mistakes, I feel like I’m going to faint. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be working at this age.”
Su Zhenzhen sincerely said, "It's your man's good fortune to have married you."
The cook smiled but didn't respond. "Xiaocao is the prettiest of my children. Otherwise, her father wouldn't have sold her. He was hoping to win over some nobleman. This girl is pretty and clever. She secretly hooked up with a widower merchant, saying she'd marry him and become his wife, saving her the trouble of childbirth. I couldn't persuade her otherwise, and seeing that the merchant was an honest man, I let her go."
The cook's tone remained the same, but Su Zhenzhen could still detect a hint of bitterness in it.
The young grass was spared from being sold because of its mother's resistance, but the grown-up grass chose to leave its mother for its future.
Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? The little grass, taking advantage of its mother's love, hurt its mother.
The cook rubbed her eyes awkwardly. "Xiao Cao didn't do anything wrong. Staying in the village, she'd be stuck in the same place forever. She might as well seize this chance to be reborn; maybe her descendants will never have to worry about food or clothing again. I wonder how successful that girl is now? She hasn't sent a single letter in all these years. I bet she's afraid we poor relatives will come and beg for her money!"
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