Chapter 2: The Little Village Girl of the 1970s
Just then, Yao Yunzhen heard her second aunt Yang Erni's distinctive scolding voice coming from afar.
After all that fuss outside, you've finally decided to come back.
I don't know what the final outcome of the discussion will be.
Yao Yunzhen quickly sat up in bed and went to the door of the room to look out.
Yang Erni was seen storming home, holding Yao Kemei, who had just been rescued from the water, while cursing under her breath.
Yes, the younger sister Yao Yunzhen mentioned earlier is named Yao Kemei.
In the village, almost everyone is sexist, but Yao Lao Er and his wife are particularly sexist.
They had three daughters. The eldest was named Zhaodi, the second was named Pandi, and the youngest was named Kemei.
It means that girls should not be reincarnated, because if they are, they will be cursed.
They dared not come.
The name was too malicious, and Yao Yunzhen was very disgusted by it, which made her dislike Yao Hai and Yang Erni, the couple, as well.
Because Yao Kemei was a few months younger than her, Yao Yunzhen always called her "little sister".
The rest of the family members were almost always willing to grant Yao Yunzhen's requests, and seeing this, they naturally followed suit. However, Yang Erni, as her biological mother, didn't take it seriously and kept calling her "Kui Mei" (meaning "bad sister"), and was quite proud of it.
If she hadn't given that brat such a name, how could her precious son have been born into her womb?
Those money-losing companies would have taken all the spots long ago!
Perhaps it was the right name, because Yang Erni was unable to get pregnant again for the next few years until Yao Kemei was 10 years old.
This time, things turned out well; she gave birth to a boy.
"You brat, you good-for-nothing, how dare you talk back to me? I'll beat you to death."
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Yang Erni slapped Yao Kemei across the face without warning.
Just now, when we were outside, Yang Erni grabbed Li Yunqi and wouldn't let him leave, demanding that he take responsibility for Yao Kemei.
With so many people present, all neighbors, they will surely help their family.
Yang Erni was very confident that the other party would definitely agree.
Who knew that this money-losing bastard would dare to undermine him and jump out to oppose him?
Yao Kemei covered her face, looking dazed, her head slightly lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
"Listen to me carefully, you must marry Li Zhiqing. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to him. He touched you and ruined your reputation, so he has to marry you!"
Upon hearing this, Yao Kemei seemed to have been stepped on and suddenly raised her head.
"I don't want to! I don't want to marry Li Yunqi! I don't want to marry Li Yunqi!"
The voice was shrill, as if it were a scream using all the strength in the body.
Yao Yunzhen narrowed her eyes, sensing that something was amiss.
If she remembered correctly, Yao Kemei liked Li Yunqi, and she had seen him steal eggs from home and give them to her more than once.
Why did she refuse such a great opportunity?
Yang Erni raised her voice: "Don't want it? I think you're tired of living, you brat. You don't want such a good offer from Li Zhiqing? What do you want then? Dragon meat from heaven?"
Yao Kemei stared intently at Yang Erni, her eyes filled with malice: "I will absolutely never marry Li Yunqi, not even if it kills me!"
Yang Erni's anger flared even more instantly: "You dare glare at me? I think you're asking for a beating."
As he spoke, he raised his hand again.
Yao Kemei came to her senses and instinctively dodged backward.
"You dare to hide? I'll beat you to death, you worthless slut! I raised you all these years, and you've only made enemies! If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'll change my surname to yours!"
Yang Erni immediately reached out to tear it, while Yao Kemei turned and ran away. The two of them then started circling around in the yard.
This was yet another unexpected scene for Yao Yunzhen.
Perhaps due to living under constant beatings and scoldings from their parents, these three girls were exceptionally timid, hardworking, and willing to endure both beatings and scoldings.
Grandma Tan Guihua and her mother Miao Cuilan did try to intervene, but the three sisters just couldn't stand up for themselves. When Yang Erni beat and scolded them again, they could only look pitifully at Miao Cuilan and the others, not daring to utter a single word.
Over time, Miao Cuilan became too lazy to get involved, since the child wasn't hers anyway.
Only Tan Guihua would occasionally get involved.
Therefore, Yao Kemei would never dare to refute Yang Erni, and she would not dare to run away when she was being beaten.
Yao Yunzhen looked at Yao Kemei, who was still trying to dodge, with a probing gaze.
She looked so pathetic when she left home this morning, how come her personality changed so drastically after just one fall into the water?
At this moment, Yao Daqiang and Tan Guihua entered the courtyard. Upon seeing this, Tan Guihua immediately shouted:
"Second brother's wife, stop right there!"
They walked behind to shoo away the villagers who insisted on following them to see what was going on, but then another disturbance broke out at home.
Yang Erni dared not disobey her mother-in-law, so she stopped and turned to Tan Guihua to cry.
"Mom, this girl is really outrageous. Look at Li Zhiqing, she has such good conditions, and she's still not happy about it. I'm doing this for her own good. There were so many people around, and she jumped out to object. It's really disheartening. If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll probably get out of control."
How could Tan Guihua not know what kind of personality her daughter-in-law had?
"Since my little sister is unwilling, then forget it."
The Yao family had few children, and the three sisters of the second wife were like weeds in their parents' eyes, but they still held some weight in the hearts of the old couple.
Yang Erni said anxiously, "No, we can't just let it go like this. He's already seen that brat, how can we just let it go like this? He has to marry Ke Mei. Mom, think about it, with his family's conditions, they can definitely afford this amount of dowry when Ke Mei gets married."
Yang Erni held up two fingers and compared them.
Tan Guihua's heart skipped a beat, and she tentatively asked, "Two hundred?"
Yang Erni nodded vigorously: "That's right, how could Ke Mei get so much dowry if she married someone else? But it's different with Li Zhiqing's family background. He can definitely come up with that much, otherwise I'll go to the commune and report him for being a hooligan!"
Yao Kemei looked coldly at Yang Erni and suddenly said, "Don't even think about it, his family doesn't have any money at all."
Yang Erni frowned, about to explode in anger again, but when she saw Tan Guihua, she forcibly suppressed her anger.
"Go away, what do you know? Mom, our family must seize this opportunity. With this money, our family will be much more comfortable, especially Da Bao. He's growing up year by year. Where won't he need money for school and getting married?"
Yao Kemei clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with hatred: "In the end, it's all because of Yao Jigen. You're willing to sell your daughter for your son."
“You good-for-nothing! If I don’t think about your brother, who else should I think about? He will be the pillar of support for you sisters in the future. It’s only right that you make sacrifices for him now! Besides, what’s wrong with Li Zhiqing? He’s handsome and his family is well-off. If you marry him, you’ll be living the dream. I’ve done right by finding you such a man.”
"Alright, that's enough." Tan Guihua looked at Yao Kemei: "Little sister, are you really unwilling to marry Li Zhiqing?"
Yao Kemei replied curtly, "Yes."
Tan Guihua made the decision: "In that case, let's not mention this matter again."
It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted, but in Tan Guihua's opinion, Li Zhiqing was indeed not a suitable candidate.
Li, a sent-down youth, had good conditions, but he was still a sent-down youth, like a rootless duckweed in the village.
The Yao family has few descendants; the elderly couple only had two sons and one daughter. Their two sons didn't have many children either. Tan Guihua still hoped that her granddaughter could marry into a family with many descendants, preferably in the village or a nearby village, so that they could take care of each other in the future.
"mom!"
Yang Erni was unwilling to give up and tried to say something more, but seeing her mother-in-law's determined expression, she ultimately didn't dare to say anything more.
She hadn't given birth to a son in previous years, which made her feel ashamed in front of her mother-in-law. She was always very careful. It wasn't until she gave birth to a son that she finally stood up straight. But the habits she had formed over the years made her afraid to go against any of her mother-in-law's decisions.
Seeing that the people in the courtyard had finished their discussion, Miao Cuilan, who had been staying in the kitchen, finally came out.
"Dad, Mom, dinner is ready. Shall we eat?"
Tan Guihua said, "Let's eat."
Then he looked at Yao Kemei and said, "Little sister, why don't you go change your clothes too? Come and eat when you're done."
Having watched a great show, Yao Yunzhen was already hungry. Upon hearing the word "dinner," she immediately rushed to the kitchen like a rabbit.
Yao Jigen, who had been playing outside, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and went straight into the kitchen, without giving his sister, who had fallen into the water because of him, a single glance.
Upon seeing her beloved son, Yang Erni immediately forgot about everyone else and hurriedly followed him inside, no longer caring about scolding Yao Kemei.
Farmhouses aren't that particular; the kitchens are spacious, and the dining tables are placed directly in the kitchen.
Miao Cuilan put the bowl in her hand on the table and tapped Yao Yunzhen: "You little rascal, you run faster than anyone else when it comes to eating."
"Hehe." Yao Yunzhen chuckled foolishly.
Tan Guihua doesn't like her beloved granddaughter being told, "Being able to eat is a blessing. Our Zhenzhen loves to eat, which shows she's a lucky person."
She also adored this granddaughter, who was exquisitely beautiful from a young age and grew even more beautiful as she grew up, almost unreal.
Looking at such a face, Tan Guihua often suspected that this granddaughter was no ordinary person, but perhaps a fairy reincarnated from heaven.
In addition, Yao Yunzhen has a sweet tongue and a clever and obedient nature, so Tan Guihua inevitably favors her a bit.
As for Yang Erni, the idea of valuing sons over daughters was already ingrained in her bones. What good was her beauty if she was still a financial burden?
Yang Erni couldn't help but look at Yao Yunzhen again.
Yao Yunzhen was dressed in ordinary blue cloth clothes with two patches on them, and her hair was simply braided into a single braid.
Many people in the village dress like this, ordinary and unremarkable, but Yao Yunzhen, sitting there, inexplicably attracts attention.
She seemed to be glowing, and the drab kitchen looked different in comparison.
Yang Erni didn't know how to describe this feeling, but she couldn't help looking at it again and again.
After what seemed like an eternity, Yang Erni finally managed to pull her gaze away.
Hmph, she's just a girl after all, she's never as good as a son.
The group quickly took their seats.
As for Yao Yunzhen's father, Yao Sheng, and her second uncle, Yao Hai, they are still working at the county's brick and tile factory.
Aunt Yao Liuzhi married and moved to the county town. Through her efforts, Yao Sheng and his brother were able to work as temporary workers at a brick and tile factory during the off-season.
Farmers don't have a lot of food, and it's not the busy farming season, so they don't need to eat anything fancy. There's a bowl of mixed grain porridge on the table, along with a stir-fried cabbage.
It's the one Yao Yunzhen washed.
It's more accurate to call it boiled cabbage than stir-fried cabbage; you can't see a single drop of oil in it.
Looking at these, Yao Yunzhen was a little disappointed.
What a waste that she rushed so fast just now.
Yao Yunzhen pouted, not really having an appetite, but her stomach was rumbling, leaving her no room for coyness.
She picked up the bowl and handed it to Tan Guihua, saying pitifully:
"Grandma, I'm so hungry!"
The food in the family was always distributed by Tan Guihua.
How could Tan Guihua resist such an offensive? She couldn't see anyone else but her beloved granddaughter.
Originally, he was going to take Yao Daqiang's bowl, but instead, he turned his hand and took Yao Yunzhen's bowl instead.
"Are you starving? Grandma will give you a little extra."
Yao Daqiang wasn't dissatisfied; on the contrary, he was quite happy.
"Yes, give us a lot more, scoop it dry."
Tan Guihua had the same idea, so she didn't stir the spoon, but instead reached all the way to the bottom and slowly scooped it up.
Yao Yunzhen successfully obtained a bowl of thick porridge.
"Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Grandma!"
Even though it was just coarse grain porridge, not the meat she wanted, she still wanted to eat more of it.
Yao Yunzhen is not the type to suffer a loss.
Her mother once said that it's foolish not to take advantage of a good deal.
A look of satisfaction flashed in Miao Cuilan's eyes.
No wonder she's her daughter.
However, one should still be humble in words.
“Zhenzhen is spoiled by her parents. She has no manners. Dad hasn’t even picked up his chopsticks yet, and this girl has already started eating.”
"Oh, Mom, don't say that. Grandpa and Grandma are just showing their love for me, aren't they, Grandma?"
Tan Guihua smiled broadly, her eyes disappearing into her teeth: "Yes, yes, Grandma loves our Zhenzhen the most."
Yao Daqiang retorted, "Grandpa too."
It can be said that with Yao Yunzhen around, even the two grandsons would have to back down in front of the old couple.
Yao Yunzhen was special in the Yao family. Although Yang Erni looked down on girls, she didn't say anything when Yao Yunzhen received preferential treatment.
Subconsciously, she also believed that her niece, with her appearance, was born to enjoy a life of luxury.
However, she wouldn't forget her precious son. Seeing this, she quickly handed Yao Jigen's bowl over, smiling ingratiatingly:
"Mom, Da Bao is hungry too, please scoop some more for him."
Tan Guihua rolled her eyes at her and scooped a spoonful from the bottom of the basin into her bowl.
Although she didn't particularly like her second son's wife, Da Bao was, after all, the only son of the second wife, and she had waited so many years for him to be born, so she loved him dearly.
Yao Kemei, who had changed her clothes and walked into the kitchen with her head down, suddenly looked up when she heard that clear, ethereal, yet unfamiliar voice.
"Who are you?!!"
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