When Fang Lin returned home for the Spring Festival in 1988, she slapped her stepmother herself.
In a fit of anger, Fang Lin slapped her stepmother several times. After slapping her, she said, "Alright, let's call it even. How could my father have married a shameless woman like you? Don't worry, I won't expose you for my younger siblings' sake."
Fang Lin did not hold her stepmother accountable at the time because of her younger siblings, her father, and the broken family.
Now, the stepmother is slapping herself. The meanings of these two slaps are completely different. Back then, Fang Lin slapped her stepmother out of hatred. This time, it is her stepmother slapping herself out of remorse and repentance. On the contrary, this time it makes Fang Lin feel more sorry for her.
Fang Lin hurriedly grabbed her stepmother's hands, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Mom, I don't hate you anymore. My mother passed away many years ago, and from now on you are my biological mother. Do you know why I've been calling you Mom these past few years? I so long to find the warmth of home in you, to find the shadow of my biological mother."
Fang Lin cried at the end of her story. She longed for this broken family to be united by the bonds of kinship that transcended blood ties. A family where everyone harbored their own secrets was not what she wanted.
The stepmother suddenly hugged Fang Lin tightly, crying, "If you don't mind my mother, I'll be your biological mother from now on!"
Fang Lin nestled in her stepmother's arms and called out "Mother".
The meanings of "mother" and "mama" are different. The fact that she calls her "mother" fully demonstrates that she accepts this mother who is not related to her by blood. Facing the mother who once harmed her, she has let go of all the hatred in her heart, all for the sake of her father.
The terms "mother" and "mama" have different meanings. In the mother-daughter relationship, "mother" is a more formal term, and one cannot be called "mother" without blood ties.
"Mama" is just another name for mother, mostly used in daily life. You can also call your stepmother "mama".
The word "mother" is too common. In the old days, prostitutes in brothels also called their madams "mother," meaning that the prostitutes were the madams' daughters, so they called her "mother." This shows that even without blood ties, one can still call someone "mother."
However, one cannot call someone one's mother without blood ties; only a woman with blood ties can be called one's mother. This shows that the meanings of "mother" and "mother" are different in some ways.
Fang Lin's use of "stepmother" to refer to her stepmother is merely a way of acknowledging her as her biological mother; she can never truly be considered her biological mother.
Of course, nothing is absolute. In ancient times, stepmothers could also be called mothers. This is an ancient traditional culture and fully reflects the respect that younger generations had for their stepmothers.
However, such a title no longer exists. Generally, after a stepmother marries into the family, she is no longer called "Mom." It's considered good if she's called "Auntie."
At noon, my father brought my younger sister back from the city. He said he was buying dowry, but it was more like he was buying quilts. My father bought quilt covers and cotton for my sister, and also some red thread.
Having lived in the North for so many years, Fang Lin knows the wedding customs there. In the North, the bride's family usually asks for a large dowry from the groom's family.
But it's different in my hometown of Sichuan. When getting married, the bride's family doesn't value the bride price. In other words, they don't accept a bride price; they just want to marry into the family.
But things change after marriage. After marriage, the husband must hand over his money to his wife to manage. To be precise, the wife is in charge of the household after marriage. Perhaps this is just the personality of a feisty woman.
Just like in Song Zuying's lyrics: "A spicy girl isn't afraid of spice since she's a child, a spicy girl isn't afraid of spice when she grows up, a spicy girl is afraid of not having a spicy husband when she gets married, so she hangs a string of chili peppers to touch her mouth..."
Spicy is the symbol of Sichuan girls' personality; they dare to love and hate, and they are decisive in their actions and words. Isn't Fang Lin exactly like this personality?
Of course, in the 1950s and 60s in the North, the husband was in charge of the household. Later, the husband's position gradually declined. It was better in the 1970s, but by the 1980s, the wife was absolutely in charge of the household. In this respect, Sichuan and the North were basically on par.
However, bride prices in the north are increasing, and now they are demanding cash. Some girls are even going so far as to demand an exorbitant amount at the time of the wedding, and on the wedding day, they won't even get on the wedding car if the bride price isn't high enough.
Some girls even break up on their wedding day because they can't get enough dowry. It's hard to tell whether they're marrying for love or for money.
However, even after marriage, the husband still has no status at home, and the wife is still in charge. In this respect, the custom is not as good as that in Sichuan.
Many short videos online nowadays portray such things negatively. Novels are based on life, and so are short videos. We should believe that there's no smoke without fire; these problems do indeed exist in real-life marriages.
On the wedding day, there aren't many people who refuse to leave because of the bride price; in fact, there are many who refuse to drive the wedding car because the bride price isn't high enough. Many brides are brought home in the afternoon because they've already wasted time waiting for the bride price.
It's not that the husband's family is unwilling to give money; they've really run out of money. They've borrowed from all their relatives and friends, but even that's not enough. If you say that some girls are getting married, it's more like outright robbery.
Fang Lin walked into the yard, took her luggage out of the car, and carried a suitcase into the house.
When the box was opened, it was full of clothes. These were all new clothes she had bought for her family at the wholesale market before returning home. Of course, there were also clothes for her stepmother, and she had bought more clothes for her than for anyone else. She did all this for her father and for this family.
Fang Lin handed the clothes to her father, stepmother, and sister, and gave her brother's two sets of clothes to her stepmother.
When her stepmother went to the kitchen to cook lunch, Fang Lin said, "Mom, let's not cook lunch. Let's go to the city for lunch and buy my sister's dowry this afternoon."
Father said, "Aren't you tired after just getting back? Don't go anywhere this afternoon, just go back to your room and sleep."
Fang Lin said, "It's okay, I'll get a good night's sleep when I get back tonight."
The stepmother suddenly asked, "Daughter, something doesn't seem right about you. Are you pregnant again?"
Fang Lin said, "Yes, I will stay at home for a few months this time, and leave after giving birth."
The father said, "Really? I hope you can give me a grandson this time."
Fang Lin smiled and said, "Let's hope so. Let's go!"
Fang Hui, the younger sister, picked up her niece from the ground with one hand each, and walked into the yard with her parents and sister.
Walking up to the car, Hui asked, "Sister, you bought a car?"
Fang Lin said, "It's a company-provided car."
Fang Hui smiled and said, "Sure, the company has provided a car for my sister."
Fang Lin smiled without saying anything, opened the car door and let her sister carry her niece into the car, and her stepmother got in and sat down next to her sister.
Fang Lin got into the car and drove it to the gate. Her father locked the gate, then got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. Fang Lin started the car and drove down the mountain.
The family had lunch at a restaurant at noon.
After finishing their meal and leaving the restaurant, Fang Lin planned to buy dowry items for her younger sister that afternoon, as her sister's wedding couldn't be too shabby.
The family went into a gold jewelry store, and Fang Lin bought a set of gold jewelry for her younger sister. In those days, most girls really couldn't afford to wear such expensive jewelry.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
