Chapter 143 Good Brother
Xia Qinghe chimed in, "That's right. Hua Jing does so much work every day, washing clothes and cooking during the day, and then you keep urging her to have a baby at night. Last time I saw the dark circles under her eyes, they were worse than a panda's. As her mother-in-law, how come you didn't see how tired she was?"
Xia Qinghe's words may be rough, but they make sense. Everyone has seen Yan Huajing's condition, and it is indeed as she said.
Zhang Guixiang was speechless, but she still muttered, "I'm doing this for the good of the family."
"For the good of the family, you have to love your daughter-in-law."
Lu Mingyue pulled her hand and pointed to the cloth shoes in the bag. "The shoes you're holding were made by Comrade Yan. She sewed them stitch by stitch, and the stitches are very close. She went from a clueless young girl to the skilled girl she is today. If her parents saw this, they would definitely come after you. You can't treat people like this."
Hearing what Lu Mingyue said, Yan Huajing could no longer hold back her tears. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she finally burst into tears, as if she was crying out all the bitterness and grievances she had suffered over the years.
Her tearful appearance made the surrounding military wives feel very uncomfortable.
After years of hardship, the daughter-in-law finally becomes the mother-in-law. There are many people around them who, like Zhang Guixiang, complain about their daughters-in-law. Everyone can empathize with them, and many onlookers wiped away tears.
When Liang Zhiheng returned after receiving the news, he saw his sisters-in-law wiping away tears. His heart sank. Something serious must have happened, otherwise so many neighbors wouldn't have been alarmed.
"Sisters, what's wrong?" He rushed forward, his voice filled with urgency.
When everyone saw him return, they quickly pulled him over: "Zhiheng, you're finally back! Your mother had a fight with Huajing at noon, saying that Huajing was hogging the toilet without doing her business, and that since she can't have a baby, she should stay at home and be a slave."
The sisters-in-law chimed in, recounting all the things Zhang Guixiang had done these past few days—from nitpicking and cursing to her little trick of hiding her cloth shoes to complain.
Liang Zhiheng's brows furrowed more and more. He turned to look at Zhang Guixiang, who was standing to the side, stubbornly refusing to speak. His anger flared up.
When Zhang Guixiang said she wanted to go with the army, he was vehemently opposed.
His stepmother had been cold to him since he was a child, at most giving him a meal so he wouldn't starve. After he grew up and got married, she had no contact with him. Why would she suddenly be so eager to come and help?
He had sensed something was wrong long ago. Every time he asked Yan Huajing, his wife would say that everything was fine. It turned out that she was afraid he would be distracted in the army, so she kept her grievances to herself.
"Mom, tell me the truth, have you been making things difficult for Hua Jing these days?" Liang Zhiheng's voice was extremely deep.
Zhang Guixiang was speechless when asked the question, but she still stubbornly insisted: "I didn't. I was doing it for her own good, to teach her how to live."
"Does it mean we should scold her for her own good? Does it mean we should let her cry in secret for her own good?" Liang Zhiheng interrupted her, his gaze falling on Yan Huajing's swollen eyes, his heart aching as if pricked by needles.
"Hua Jing, why didn't you tell me? You suffered such a great injustice, why didn't you tell me?"
When Yan Huajing saw him return, she couldn't hold back all her grievances anymore, and her tears fell even harder: "I was afraid you would worry in the army, afraid you would be distracted from training. Besides, she is your mother, and I didn't want you to be caught in the middle."
These words made Liang Zhiheng feel even more heartbroken. He went over to her and said, "Silly wife, I am your husband. If you suffer grievances and don't come to me, who will you come to? You are not allowed to bear it all by yourself in the future."
Seeing her son protecting his wife, Zhang Guixiang felt both angry and bitter, but dared not utter a word.
She insisted on going with her son to the army, hoping to enjoy some happiness with him and also to control her daughter-in-law. However, she never expected that her son would not side with her at all and would see through her past.
Seeing this, Lu Mingyue quickly smoothed things over: "Zhiheng just got back, he must be tired from his journey, let's go inside and rest. Huajing, don't cry anymore, Zhiheng is back, we can talk things out."
Liang Zhiheng nodded and helped Yan Huajing into the house, not even glancing at Zhang Guixiang as they passed by.
Zhang Guixiang stood there, stunned, watching her son and daughter-in-law's retreating figures, and for the first time, she felt a pang of panic.
Once the person involved left, the onlookers dispersed, but the topic of conversation remained the same.
That evening, when Lei Lei's shouts came from outside the courtyard gate, Lu Mingyue had just finished setting out the dinner dishes when Lei Lei, carrying his schoolbag, rushed into the courtyard like a little sparrow, clutching a small cloth bag tightly in his hand, his smile almost overflowing.
"Mom, I won!" He threw his schoolbag on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), opened the cloth bag like a treasure, and inside lay two round glass marbles, which dazzled people under the lamp.
“My fighter jet flew more than two zhang farther than Niu Niu’s, and he was convinced, so he gave me the two glass balls.”
Lu Mingyue leaned over to look, smiling as she patted his head: "Our Leilei is so amazing! This glass ball is so beautiful. Are you going to keep it for yourself?"
"No." Leilei put a marble into Yaoyao's hand. "Give one to your little sister, let's play together."
Yao Yao held the glass marble, her little face beaming with joy. She held it up to the light to look at it, babbling, "Bright, beautiful!"
The brother and sister were lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing with marbles when Leilei suddenly remembered something. He straightened up, stuck out his nose, and said in the manner of an adult, "Oh, right, Mom, they were talking about Xiaolong having a younger brother at school today. A lot of classmates are envious, but I'm not envious at all."
Lu Mingyue teased him on purpose: "Why aren't you envious? When Xiaolong's younger brother grows up, he can accompany him to raid bird nests."
“I have a little sister.” Leilei took Yaoyao’s hand and lifted her little paw up.
“Yaoyao helps me pick up marbles and shares her candy with me. Last time I fell, she even wiped away my tears. Xiaolong’s little brother only knows how to cry now, he’s not as well-behaved as my sister.”
Yao Yao seemed to understand, but nodded and stuffed the glass marble back into Lei Lei's hand, as if to say, "Brother, play with it."
Leilei was engrossed in playing with marbles when he suddenly stopped. Holding the marbles in his little hands, he looked up at Lu Mingyue with his rosy cheeks and said, "Mommy, but I would be very happy if you had a little brother or sister."
Lu Mingyue was helping Yao Yao pick up the glass marble that had rolled to the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed). Hearing this, she paused for a moment, then laughed: "Oh? Why? Didn't you say that having Yao Yao was enough?"
Leilei climbed up to her, put the glass marble in her hand, and said earnestly, "Because little brothers and sisters can play with Yaoyao and keep me company."
Yao Yao also came over, hugged Lu Mingyue's arm, and called out in a babbling voice, "Little sister, little brother," as if echoing Lei Lei's words.
Huo Zheng had just entered the room when he heard this and walked over to sit next to Lu Mingyue. He smiled and said, "Our Leilei knows how to make arrangements. If there are any younger brothers or sisters in the future, you'd better be a good big brother and not bully them."
"I won't bully them," Leilei puffed out his little chest. "I will protect them, just like Dad protects Mom."
These words made Lu Mingyue and Huo Zheng laugh.
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