Chapter 12 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Conflicts
On the way back, Xu Jinnian pushed a small cart with half a basket of pork bones on it.
The meat on the pork bones was completely removed, with only a few bits of meat remaining in the crevices between the bones.
These pork bones are worthless; using them to make soup wastes firewood, and firewood costs money anyway.
The Zhang family often used these as extras to give to their regular customers, and any leftovers were sold or given away to neighbors at half price.
These pork bones are perfect for stewing soup or making wonton soup base, and Sheng An wouldn't mind using them as firewood.
Pushing the cart to the entrance of the stove shop, the owner recognized Sheng An at a glance and warmly helped Xu Jinnian lift the heavy stove onto the cart.
Looking at the man pushing the cart steadily all the way, Sheng An felt something was off about him.
After seeing it so many times, Xu Jinnian couldn't ignore it: "What is my wife looking at?"
Sheng An snapped out of her daze, her gaze scanning him from head to toe like a scanner, and finally said with a deep expression, "Your hands, no, your whole being, shouldn't be pushing the cart."
A man like this, who exists like a white moonlight in a novel, seems to be born to stand high on the clouds. Pushing a cart and such is too down-to-earth and doesn't fit his temperament.
Xu Jinnian looked puzzled, not understanding Sheng An's thought process.
Sheng An coughed lightly, his gaze inadvertently falling on the exposed half of his arm.
The man's arms, like his face, were a smooth, jade-white color with clearly defined muscle lines, neither appearing weak nor overly exaggerated.
With a slight exertion, the bluish veins on his wrist became visible, adding a touch of masculine heroism.
Sheng An was so engrossed in watching that several blurry images vaguely appeared in his mind.
It seems, it seems, that on their wedding night, she couldn't bear it anymore and kept pushing against the man's chest while cursing him. Her hands were then bound by a long, strong hand and pressed above her head, making her unable to move.
In an instant, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and countless scenes unsuitable for children poured out and played on a loop in my mind.
Her heart was racing and her face was turning redder. Sheng An forced herself to shut up and couldn't help but despise herself in her heart.
Seeing that her expression was off, Xu Jinnian became a little worried.
Remembering his wife's unrestrained sleeping posture last night, he pushed the cart closer and reached out a hand to touch Sheng An's forehead: "It's a little hot, did you catch a cold last night?"
Sheng An felt guilty and didn't dare to move, her chest pounding like a rabbit: "No, it's just that the sun was too strong!"
Xu Jinnian touched her ears and palms, his expression growing increasingly worried: "There's a clinic up ahead, let the doctor take a look."
The woman was so thin and frail that it seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away at any moment.
Sheng An was so poor that he only had five coins in his pocket. He wasn't about to let the doctor waste his money, so he immediately took off running, shouting, "You go if you want, I don't want to!"
Seeing her childish behavior, Xu Jinnian shook his head helplessly.
He looks so energetic; he certainly doesn't seem sick.
Sheng An ran home in one breath, panting like a dog.
Xu Jinnian didn't ask her for help; he carried the large stove, weighing seventy or eighty pounds, to the eaves all by himself.
His stamina was unlike that of a frail scholar, which made Sheng An stare in disbelief and envy.
She didn't know that Xu Chenglin had once apprenticed under a hunter and learned some martial arts skills.
After Xu Jinnian could walk and run, she began to learn the basics from him.
Over the course of more than a decade, even the weakest body can be sculpted.
After resting for a while, Sheng An poured the pork bones into a large basin and added water to completely submerge them.
Soaking it for half an hour will remove any remaining blood. After rinsing it a few more times, it can be directly put into a pot for stewing.
The soup made this way is not only clear, but also has a rich meaty aroma.
There wasn't time to stew it at noon, so Sheng An and Xu Jinnian went to the vegetable garden by the river and picked a basket of vegetables to prepare for lunch.
As soon as the two reached their front door, they heard a loud argument coming from the house two doors down.
After listening carefully, I realized it was the mother-in-law scolding her daughter-in-law.
"I feed you and clothe you, and you've been married into this family for five years without laying a single egg. Even raising a chicken would be better than you, you useless bastard! And you still dare to give me attitude? You unfilial wretch, why don't you just die!"
"God, please open your eyes and strike this unfilial wretch to death! She caused my son to be childless, and she still dares to defecate and piss on this old woman's head! This old woman can't live anymore!"
"Shuanzi, beat her! Beat this slut to death! Let's see if she dares to be so insolent again! Beat her to death... Good, good! A slut like her deserves to be taught a lesson!"
"..."
A mixture of foul language, the old woman's curses, the man's roars, and the woman's cries and pleas rang out, making Sheng An frown.
Strangely, not a single neighbor came out to watch the commotion, nor did anyone step forward to persuade or stop them.
"What's going on with that family? Why are they always bullying their daughter-in-law like this?"
Sheng An didn't know the family's situation, so she naturally wouldn't act out of compassion and rush over to persuade them.
"That's the Sun family. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law don't get along. Aunt Sun often beats and scolds Sister-in-law Sun. The neighbors tried to mediate many times, but it was no use. So no one cared about the Sun family anymore."
At this point, Xu Jinnian unusually added a few more words:
“The Sun family runs a tofu business. Sun’s wife gets up before dawn every day to grind soybeans, makes tofu, and takes it to the market to sell. When she gets home, she still has to do laundry and cook, and she doesn’t have a moment to rest.”
Sheng An immediately understood Xu Jinnian's unspoken meaning.
The daughter-in-law of the Sun family is a hardworking person. She works herself to the bone at her husband's house but is still beaten and scolded. The problem is not with her.
Conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have existed throughout history; the history of these conflicts is as long as the institution of marriage has existed.
However, families like the Sun family, where one party unilaterally abuses their daughter-in-law, are a minority.
Sheng An had already etched the image of Sister-in-law Sun into her mind.
Diligent, kind, weak, and apathetic.
She lacked her own opinions and had no support from her family.
Listening to the sharp and grating insults and mockery from the old woman of the Sun family, Sheng An was filled with anger and couldn't imagine what kind of life the old woman of the Sun family had been living for the past five years since she married into the Sun family.
If she were to transmigrate into the body of Sun's sister-in-law, she would definitely get rid of the Sun family immediately.
If you can't get rid of them, kill the Sun family mother and son.
If you don't let her have an easy time, then none of us should live!
Seeing his wife's sudden murderous aura, Xu Jinnian understood what she was thinking and silently took her hand.
"My wife, there are no conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, no conflicts between father-in-law and daughter-in-law, and certainly no conflicts between husband and wife. I assure you."
Sheng An glanced at him and grumbled, "There's a long way to go, don't make promises you can't keep, or you'll be proven wrong."
Xu Jinnian smiled slightly, shook his wife's hand, lowered his head to look at her slightly flushed face, and his voice became even more gentle and magnetic:
"Please supervise me, my wife. If I fail to do so, I will be at your mercy."
Oh, is this considered a love confession?
Sheng An's palms began to sweat again, her cheeks grew increasingly red, and she turned her head to the side, distancing herself from this guy who seemed to be seducing her in broad daylight.
"Who has time to supervise you! If you can't do it, I'll just leave and stay far away from you."
Xu Jinnian wasn't angry; instead, a relieved smile appeared on his face: "My wife did the right thing. Stay far away from anyone who hurts you."
Sheng An shook her hand, but couldn't shake it off. She rolled her eyes at the man and said, "It's time to cook. Hurry up and go inside."
Xu Jinnian smiled, took her hand and walked into the courtyard, shutting out the Sun family's quarrel.
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