Fifteen years have passed. When I left home, I was still a little girl who had not yet reached the age of marriage, and now I am almost thirty years old.
He Mengying's real name is He Hua, a typical farm girl. This slightly elegant-sounding name does not belong to her.
When she left home, she thought her grandmother, who favored boys over girls, had sold her to a human trafficker. Unexpectedly, the sale was real, but the trafficker was fake.
He Mengying was the daughter of He Xiucai, and was chosen as a candidate for the imperial concubine.
The concubines are also divided into different levels. Not everyone has the opportunity to see the emperor and thus rise to fame and lead the entire family.
With a background like that of a scholar's daughter, she could only become a palace maid of the lowest rank if she were chosen into the palace.
Miss He was unwilling to waste her best years in the deep palace.
She tried to commit suicide but her father and brother showed no mercy, so she eloped with a scholar.
He Xiucai searched in vain and had to spend money to buy a girl from a poor peasant family to make up the number.
But was the He family really so poor at that time?
The answer is no. The He family is not so poor that they cannot afford to eat. They even have enough money to buy a child bride for the eldest brother.
The He family in the village and the He family in the town are from the same clan. They don’t visit each other normally, but they still keep in touch with each other, after all, the place is not big.
After knowing this, Old Mrs. He didn't care about the age difference between her granddaughter and Miss He, and took the initiative to find Mr. He and sold her unpleasant granddaughter for twenty taels.
The human trafficker was a local thug who did things for money.
However, the man wanted to take advantage of her after drinking, so he told her all these things, with the purpose of making her give up struggling.
I have already been abandoned by my family, so there is no point in struggling.
"He Mengying" cried out loudly and refused to give in, and finally she kept her innocence.
She suffered a lot in the palace and finally managed to get out, but was betrayed by her relatives, humiliated and imprisoned by bandits.
Fortunately, Han Zeyu helped her, and she had the most relaxed and happiest three years of her life.
Han Zeyu found out that Old Man He died in the autumn three years ago.
But He Mengying's grandmother is still alive. Although she is in poor health and her mind is confused, she is still alive.
The old lady is seventy years old, which is considered a long life in the surrounding area.
People often ask her what is the secret to longevity?
The old lady always answered with a smile that it was the blessing of her children and grandchildren.
Living with four generations under one roof is indeed a rare blessing.
Compared with the old lady's comfortable life, He Mengying's mother's life was much more difficult.
The shadow of the old locust tree cut diagonally across the threshing ground. He Mengying looked at the courtyard in the distance. Her memory was a little confused, but she knew that it had once been her home.
"Mother-in-law, it's time to take medicine."
Liu stood by the bed with a bowl of medicine in her hand and a frown on her face.
The old woman lying on the bed had a sallow face, sunken eye sockets, and her skinny hands stretched out tremblingly.
"Ahem... this medicine is too bitter." The old woman said weakly.
"Drink it if you want!"
Mrs. Liu put the medicine bowl down impatiently.
"This illness has dragged on for two months, draining all our family savings. What else can we do despite the hardship? How can we afford to buy you some candy?"
"Please feel sorry for your eldest grandson too! Stop thinking about your daughter every day."
"I don't know where I'm going, eating delicious food and drinking spicy drinks, how can I think of you?"
As she spoke, Liu caught a glimpse of the brown medicine stains on her mother-in-law's collar, and immediately curled her lips and turned away in disgust.
The old woman knew that her daughter-in-law was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her, but she really couldn't stand hearing it.
"Ahem, you're talking nonsense. My daughter won't be anyone's concubine. Don't, ahem, don't slander her!"
Mrs. Liu retorted unhappily, "You said I slandered her? That's what your son said. It seems you didn't listen to a word he said! Then go find your old lady to take care of you in your old age and stop burdening us!"
Such conversations happen every now and then, and they always end in unpleasantness.
He Mengying walked slowly forward, and just as her fingertips touched the door panel, a sharp curse came from the yard: "You old fool knocked over the medicine bowl again! Do you think our money came from the wind?"
In an instant, He Mengying felt the blood in her body freeze.
This is the voice of my eldest sister-in-law, Liu, the child bride who hid in the woodshed and secretly ate steamed buns.
A strong smell of medicine wafted from the woodshed in the backyard. Through the open wooden door, one could see a person lying beside the bed.
Half of his sallow face was revealed among his messy hair, and his hands, like dead branches, were grabbing the scattered medicine residue and stuffing it into his mouth.
"I can't die. I haven't seen my daughter yet. Ahem, she wouldn't do something like that. I have to wait for her to come back."
Liu looked disdainful, brushed off the medicine soup on her clothes, and cursed inwardly that she was unlucky!
This old guy is such an eyesore. How come he hasn’t died after two months?
Did she not filter out the residue thoroughly? But would those residues really work?
When Liu turned around, she was met with a "wake-up call". She rolled her eyes and fell down.
He Mengying stepped over Liu's body, rushed to the bedside, and with trembling hands, brushed away the messy hair in front of the woman's forehead.
"Mom! I'm He Hua, I'm back to see you."
The old woman paused for a moment, clutching the medicinal residue, and asked in confusion, "He Hua? My little flower?"
Looking at her mother's cloudy eyes, He Mengying was overcome with grief: "Mom, it's me, it's me! I'm back! Let's not eat these medicine residues, I'll take you to see a doctor."
"Poor child, why did you really come back? Your brother said you wanted to stay in the capital to live a rich life and become someone's concubine. Mother didn't believe it. Mother knew you were not that kind of person."
The mother and daughter, who had been reunited after a long separation, hugged each other and cried bitterly, not knowing that the wall of the He family's courtyard was already surrounded by people watching the fun.
The official riding on a tall horse, accompanied by the older soldiers, walked straight into the village without even saying hello.
The villagers who have lived here for generations have never seen such a scene, and they must have been panicked for a moment.
Many officials entered the village and headed towards the He family.
The news quickly spread throughout the village, and the clan leader hurried to the door of the He family with his men.
He wanted to go in and take a look, but because of the soldiers guarding the door, he didn't dare to step into the He family's yard.
Han Zeyu came over and reported to the old patriarch that the He family's daughter-in-law was abusing her mother-in-law.
The clan leader looked a little embarrassed. It would be a lie to say he didn't know about it, but this situation is still very common among the elderly who have lost the ability to take care of themselves.
The conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been a very difficult problem to reconcile since ancient times. However, no matter what, he is not competent enough as the patriarch.
Liu knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, with a big bump on her forehead, crying bitterly and sincerely repenting.
"He Liushi!"
The clan leader shouted sternly, "Your harsh treatment of mother-in-law is unforgivable! From today on, you will be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days and tending the sacrificial fields for a month. You must apologize to our ancestors!"
Han Zeyu looked at the patriarch expressionlessly and said nothing.
But as long as you have eyes, you can understand what he means. Is this also considered a penalty?
I think you, as an elder of the clan, have reached the limit of your efforts. I will give you a look and let you understand it yourself. In short, everything is self-explanatory.
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