Spicy Daughter-in-Law and Evil Mother-in-Law
Li Guorong was stunned for a moment, then someone called her from downstairs. She only had time to rub her waist before running downstairs again.
Lin's mother sat on the sofa, reading the newspaper with her gold-rimmed glasses, tapping her teacup with a spoon. Li Guorong hurriedly went over, poured her some black tea, picked up the empty plate, went to the kitchen to set out the snacks, and bowed to place them.
She picked up a broom and started sweeping the bedroom, but Lin's mother seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, and said in a drawn-out voice, "You haven't wiped the table yet, so you're sweeping the floor."
Li Guorong shuddered, put down the broom and started wiping the table. When he got to Lin Yicheng's room, he vaguely understood why Lin Shaocheng said that the family favored his younger brother. His room was twice the size of Lin Shaocheng's, with four wardrobes filled with all kinds of fashionable clothes.
Inside the glass cabinet are a video game console that she couldn't bear to buy for her daughter in 2010, as well as a Walkman.
She remembered that the MP3 player in her family in her previous life was a gift from Ye Fan's cousin's company. Ye Fan's cousin didn't want it. Inside, there were several digital watches, several rows of tin frogs and toy guns, and countless comic books.
Her gaze lingered on these things. In her later life, she had a mobile phone, and her only entertainment was it. She was reluctant to spend money on all sorts of amazing toys, never letting her daughter play with them, and naturally, she herself never played with them either. Her hand pulled open the glass.
"It's not ready yet."
Li Guorong was startled, closed the glass door, and hurriedly went out.
Lin's mother wiped the windowsill with her hands, her fair hands covered with a thin layer of dust. She complained, "The water you used is black, and the rag isn't clean either. Isn't this a waste of time? Change the water and wipe it again."
The surroundings were bright and clean. She said, "It's quite clean. I've already scrubbed this cloth."
Lin's mother looked impatient. "Can't you see the dust on the windowsill? And can the mirror still be used after wiping it with a wet cloth? You need to wipe it again with newspaper."
Li Guorong could only lower her head. No one in the family was on her side. When would Lin Shaocheng return? It wasn't just two or three days, but a week had already passed.
She could only drag her heavy steps, pulling the mop, making sure not to miss any corner.
She hadn't been to the movies in a long time. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was dressed in drab clothes, her hair was all tied back, and her face was sallow. She had been busy from 5 a.m. until late at night and still had to endure the criticism of her family.
"Guorong, what are you dawdling for? It's time to make lunch."
There was no time for her to wallow in self-pity. Putting on her apron, she began preparing the dishes—the ones her grandfather liked, her brother-in-law liked, and her parents-in-law liked. She followed the recipes in order, not daring to change them arbitrarily, for fear that the taste would be too different.
When the main dishes were served, her grandfather and father-in-law wanted steamed buns, her brother-in-law wanted noodles, and her mother-in-law and she wanted rice. Everyone had to be taken care of. Sometimes she wondered how such a big family could not save money. With the way the Lin family ate, it would have taken thousands of acres of land to feed them in the past.
"What are you thinking about? Hurry up and serve the old man some soup."
Li Guorong quickly stood up and rushed to Grandpa Lin's side to serve him soup.
The old man said slowly and deliberately, "So impulsive."
Lin Yicheng, holding the bowl, asked with some confusion, "Why don't you use Mom's favorite set of tableware? You've been using the ones you bought all along?"
Li Guorong's expression changed slightly, but he quickly put on a smile to cover it up. "I thought the tableware was so beautiful, so I wanted to wait until the guests came before using it."
Lin Yicheng chuckled, "My home isn't that shabby."
Li Guorong also smiled awkwardly.
Lin's father took a letter out of his bag and handed it to Li Guorong, saying, "This is a letter from Shaocheng to you."
Li Guorong's eyes lit up as he reached out to open the letter.
Lin's mother coughed twice. "Eat first, tidy up the house, then read the letter."
Li Guorong put the letter in his pocket and remained lost in thought throughout the meal, rubbing the letter back and forth with his left hand. For the first time this week, his expression was relaxed and joyful.
She placed the last bowl in the cupboard, the countertop spotless. She sighed deeply, her back creaking. Her face was pale; she didn't have time to brush her teeth or wash her face. The most important thing now was to read the letter.
Under the warm yellow light, the letter read:
My dearest wife, I am going on a business trip to the south for work. I am assembling a 10-person convoy. Please do not worry about my safety.
Having just arrived in the South, I am deeply impressed by the rapid pace of economic change and the demand for international trade.
I deeply regret that you are not here. This place is open and free; I'm sure you'll like it.
I've bought all sorts of clothes, jewelry, and electronic items; I hope you like them.
Li Guorong's nose stung with tears. She curled up in a ball on the peony-covered bed, clutching the letter tightly in her arms, as if she could smell Lin Shaocheng's scent in it.
She sat up, opened her small bundle, and inside was a savings book containing Lin Shaocheng's savings, her own money, and Shaocheng's money.
These past few days, she's had to pay for household expenses and outings with her mother-in-law. Only for things that require receipts does her mother-in-law pay herself. The 2000 yuan she had, plus the 500 yuan from Lin Shaocheng, has shrunk to 1200 yuan. She didn't even realize how the money was spent.
She wanted to write to Lin Shaocheng to ask where her mother-in-law had bought the plates so that they could be replaced as soon as possible.
Knock knock knock.
Lin's mother opened the door, and Li Guorong quickly placed the letter and money under her pillow. She hurriedly wiped her face clean, got out of bed, and stood up.
Lin's mother looked her up and down, still dissatisfied. "Why didn't you change into your pajamas before going to bed? Aren't you dirty after doing housework?"
Li Guorong lowered her head, not daring to speak. These were indeed problems she should correct, and she had nothing to say.
Lin's mother sat on the chair at the dressing table, casually picking up some skincare products and lipsticks from the table, a flash of disgust crossing her eyes. "Shaocheng, what did I say to you?"
Li Guorong said, "I just wanted to explain why I came back so late."
Lin's mother had a few nail polishes chipped off one of her fingers. She sighed and said, "I've been a bit strict with you lately, but I have no choice. I thought that daughters from poor families should learn to be independent early. Maybe it's because you're the youngest daughter that you're not good at housework. The most important thing for a woman is to be virtuous. Shaocheng is becoming more and more capable. If you fall behind, well..."
Lin's mother gave Li Guorong a meaningful look, then rose and left with an air of elegance.
Li Guorong sat listlessly on the bed, all her strength drained away. She closed her eyes, and memories of her past life flashed before her eyes. She thought of her dissatisfaction and disgust with Ye Fan for not being able to earn money, for not doing housework well, and for not being able to provide emotional support.
She turned around. Lin Shaocheng wasn't that kind of person, but people always get tired. She really should change. Lin Shaocheng was getting better and better, and she couldn't be left behind.
She sat up, took out paper and pen from the cabinet, and wrote forcefully on the paper:
Lin Shaocheng, I miss you so much
This week I've been working hard to learn how to be a good wife.
I realize that I did not do well before.
I really love you, and I want you to come back safe and sound.
"And where can I buy a plate from my mother-in-law's blue porcelain set that I accidentally broke?" The handwriting was crooked and messy, a far cry from Lin Shaocheng's strong and powerful characters, which made me a little embarrassed.
He took the money out from under his pillow and bought Lin's mother an expensive silk and pure gold hair clip this month, while his mother and brother were still struggling to get enough to eat at home.
She had a very difficult life in her past life because her father died without an heir. After marrying far away, she rarely contacted her mother. After her mother passed away, she regretted it day and night, wondering why she was still so stingy with money in this life.
She unfolded a new sheet of paper:
Mom, I'm doing great in Beijing. I've been to Tiananmen Square, visited the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, and am living in a small Western-style house—bigger than my aunt's! I can eat meat and rice every meal.
Lin Shaocheng was very good to me; he bought me lots of new clothes.
My mother-in-law is also very kind; she teaches me how to dress well and how to be a virtuous wife.
Everyone was so warm and welcoming, I just missed you all.
Here is 500 yuan, enclosed with this letter. I have enough to eat and drink here. Don't be stingy; after paying your grain tax, your family can't always eat sweet potatoes. It's bad for your health.
As she wrote this, her neck was already wet. She half-slumped on the table, staring blankly at the little insects in the light. She wanted to eat chili peppers, but she didn't want to eat Beijing cuisine. She wanted to eat cured meat.
Letters carrying longing fly over mountains and rivers to reach loved ones.
Wu Cuihua opened the letter, crumpling it with her hands. She carefully unfolded it and called to Li Guojian, who was drying herbs outside, "Guojian, see what your little sister wrote in the letter."
Li Guojian put down the winnowing basket, jogged into the house, unfolded the letter, quickly glanced at it, and asked with a grin, "Mom, where's the money?"
Wu Cuihua said anxiously, "Hurry up and read it, or I'll hit you."
Li Guojian then calmed down and read the letter aloud word for word, his face full of envy and jealousy.
Wu Cuihua was relieved after hearing the contents of the marriage agreement. She had been feeling uneasy about marrying someone so far away.
After Li Guojian finished reading, he said, "What's there to worry about? My sister is going to be a great-aunt, with new clothes and shoes, and eating rice and meat every meal. Even workers don't have such a comfortable life."
Wu Cuihua was still worried and instructed, "Write back to your younger sister and tell her to listen to Shaocheng and her mother-in-law, and not to be as willful as she is at home. She also said that there is enough food and drink back home, so she doesn't need to worry. She doesn't need to send money. Go and buy some cured meat and the chili sauce I made and mail it to her."
Lin Shaocheng, in the south, looked at the letter over and over again, feeling a strange worry in his heart. The thought of becoming a good wife always made him inexplicably anxious.
With the influx of people and foreign investment in the South, he realized that the situation was changing rapidly. Everything here was about speed and efficiency, unlike Beijing where personal connections and rules mattered. This was an opportunity for the future, and he wanted to gain a foothold here, but he didn't know how to seize it.
He missed Li Guorong and wanted to go home immediately to see if she was doing well, but his rational mind kept him in this open land.
The convoy should have set off much earlier, but the fashionable items distracted his teammate. He secretly bought a bunch of trendy clothes at a lower price, including men's and women's clothing and a digital watch. He had very little money left and owed his coworkers a large sum of money.
He urged his coworkers to buy some things, but they hesitated and only bought a few items for their families. Apart from him, only one person secretly bought the goods.
The convoy leader, a man in his forties, said, "Let's leave today; we've been dragging this out for too long."
Lin Shaocheng hadn't yet figured out what he wanted when he started on his way home. A foreigner with brown hair and blue eyes walked past the convoy, and everyone in the convoy stared at him and whispered among themselves. Foreigners were a rare sight at this time.
His eyes lit up; he wanted to learn English. As society becomes more open, the demand for English will definitely increase.
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