Zhang Guofu came home from work when the door opened. He went back to the kitchen, but as expected, there was no hot pot. Ever since the children could eat at their parents' house, his wife had become accustomed to taking advantage.
Zhang Guofu returned to the bedroom with an expressionless face, glanced at his wife lying on the kang, changed into home clothes without saying a word, picked up the book and left the room.
Huang Cuilan had been waiting for him to speak, even if it was just to come over and see if she was asleep. She wiped her tears, left the bedroom, and stood at the door.
Zhang Guofu was seen biting the steamed bun and drinking boiling water while looking down at the book.
"Why don't you wake me up to cook? Eating like this will make my stomach upset."
Zhang Guofu replied without even looking up, "It's okay, I'm used to it."
I'm used to it... Huang Cuilan blushed. She didn't have so many feelings before. Everyone just needed something to eat while working in the fields.
She mustered up her courage and walked up to him, "Brother Fu, let's talk."
Zhang Guofu looked up at her, then lowered his head to read again and asked, "How much food do you need this time? Just leave enough for the children."
"No...I'm not this..."
Zhang Guofu raised his head and frowned, interrupting her. "Don't mention finding a job for your family to me. I don't want to hear about this nonsense."
"You misunderstood, that's not what I meant to tell you."
Zhang Guofu put down the steamed bun, looked at her quietly, and waited for her to speak.
"Are you impatient with me?"
Zhang Guofu frowned. "I know what you mean. I won't get involved with any female comrades. Don't be suspicious and keep coming to my workplace for no reason."
Huang Cuilan was speechless when facing the calm Zhang Guofu.
"Are you okay? I'll read then."
"I won't care about my mother's family affairs in the future."
Zhang Guofu nodded casually, "You decide." He continued to chew his steamed bun and read. He didn't want to persuade his wife anymore, and he didn't believe what she said.
Over the past two or three years, she'd said this countless times. But what was the result? She'd forced the children to eat their parents' food, and the remaining food was moved back to her parents' home, nearly starving him to death.
His elder brother-in-law and his wife are both working, as is his younger brother-in-law, but they are unable to support their family. His father-in-law and mother-in-law eat in the village canteen, and he has to support three families himself.
Zhang Guofu is honest, but not stupid. He is still thinking about his daughter-in-law's wealth. Even his daughter can see the problem at such a young age, but what about his wife?
If her heart is not with her husband's family, no matter how many promises she makes, it will be useless. He has given up hope. The child is already so old, so she just has to make do with it. What else can she do?
After Huang Cuilan finished speaking, she looked at him, hurried to the kitchen, opened the cellar, and saw the small bag of cornmeal inside. She paused, smiled bitterly, and sighed.
Now even her beloved little daughter couldn't stand it and hid the food. It was obvious that she had gone too far and scared the children. What happened to her?
Mai Miao wasn't afraid, but she was furious. Her three brothers only hid the things their uncle gave them, forgetting that food was most important. She was a girl, and her grandmother disliked her, but she didn't mind. But why did she have to eat at her grandmother's house, saving her cousins for the good stuff?
Her mother always claimed that her four siblings and grandma had enough to eat, while her cousins cried from hunger. Who was she kidding? She was even a child, and she had her own rations. She was just taking advantage of her uncle being away, wanting to eat up all her grandparents' rations.
Mai Miao skipped back home with her schoolbag on her back. Seeing her father at home, she smiled as she took out a piece of cake from her schoolbag, broke it open and stuffed it into Zhang Guofu's mouth.
"Dad, is it delicious? My grandma gave me two, and I saved one for you. My second uncle said he wants to see you tonight, so he asked you to stay home and wait for him."
Zhang Guofu looked at his little daughter cheerfully, swallowed it, and drank a sip of water. "Okay, I just happened to need something from your uncle. Don't give it to Dad, eat it yourself. Didn't your grandma say anything?"
Mai Miao didn't try to persuade her, and carefully placed the rest on the table. "Yes, when I came back, grandma told you to wear more clothes in the mornings these few days, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Haha...your grandma told me the same thing this morning."
Mai Miao laughed along, "Grandpa also said that grandma just said that this morning, but she glared at him. Dad, you read the book, I'll go help mom."
"Go ahead, but be careful with your hands." Zhang Guofu looked at the child's hand worriedly and nodded.
Mai Miao entered the kitchen and called out "Mom". Seeing her mother putting a pot of tortillas on the wall, she glanced at the deflated bag beside her and took the initiative to sit down and light the fire.
Huang Cuilan finished her work and pulled her up with a smile, "Go and keep your father company. You can have dinner soon."
Mai Miao looked at her suspiciously. Was there something wrong again? The last time her mother pulled her up with such a smile, she had cheated her out of two boxes of cakes.
"What are you looking at? I won't ask for anything from you right now. Even if your cousin is greedy in the future, I won't send anything to her. Mom has figured it out. You two are still the closest."
The almost ten-year-old girl had her own thoughts. She felt that this was definitely a case of the weasel paying a New Year's visit to the chicken with ulterior motives. Her cousin was no longer greedy, but what about her cousins?
She shook her head. "No, Dad is reading and can't be disturbed. I'd better help you get him something to eat quickly. Mom, can you make some midnight snacks for Dad to eat and sleep after? My second aunt told my grandma a few days ago that my second uncle has taken to eating midnight snacks recently and can't sleep without them."
Huang Cuilan was about to say they were running out of food and what to eat for supper, but when she saw her child's sullen face, she suddenly realized that if she didn't subsidize her parents' family, her family would be better off than her second son's.
Pursing her lips, she nodded solemnly.
Mai Miao breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed her expression, and smiled at her mother.
Huang Cuilan also breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the wheat seedlings burning in the fire and asked cautiously, "My daughter, if your father doesn't want your mother anymore, who will you go with?"
Without even turning his head, Mai Miao said, "Don't overthink it. Don't go to my aunt's place anymore. There's nothing wrong. You always disobey me. I've told you to respect my grandfather, and I won't hide anything. But you think of my eldest cousin and his family whenever you have something good. Their new clothes this season are made of the fabrics of my brothers, right?
If you keep doing this, it's not my dad who wants you gone, it's my grandma who's going to kick you out. My grandma always says your brothers are growing so fast that last year's clothes aren't long enough anymore, and she even asks me if you've finished. I kept it a secret from her, saying you didn't want to waste them and planned to continue wearing the next section.
After saying this, Mai Miao looked at her mother angrily and complained, "During the winter, my aunt sent Mai Sui, Ya Ya and I all this beautiful floral fabric so we could make new cotton-padded jackets for the New Year. And you, my cousin, kept pampering me and saying a few nice things to me, and my jacket became her cotton-padded vest.
I didn't dare tell my grandma, and I lied to her that I didn't like the floral fabric. She even scolded me, saying that I didn't understand my aunt's feelings. Why didn't I understand? Mai Sui and Ya Ya looked so good in them, why wouldn't I want to wear them? But I was worried that my grandma would be angry with you, so I didn't even dare to think about it. Do you think it's easy for me?
"You used to tell my dad that if Second Aunt hadn't secretly sent gifts to her parents' home, grandma wouldn't have been so rude to her all the time. But you, knowing that, still did it on purpose. My grandma has complained several times that my dad is not having a good life with you. Now you are not even as good as my Second Aunt. Of the three sons, she is most worried about my dad."
Huang Cuilan asked nervously, "Did your grandma really say that?"
Mai Miao nodded, "My eldest brother and the others heard it. If it weren't for my grandfather persuading her, she would have given you a bad look a long time ago. You see, when my grandma gets tired of you and won't let you go to the courtyard, what will you do? You're still worried that my dad doesn't want you, but you should worry that my grandma doesn't want you first."
Huang Cuilan knew her daughter wouldn't lie to her. Her mother-in-law must have said all of this, and perhaps even more awful things she hadn't mentioned to the children. If her husband couldn't argue with her, her mother-in-law would probably be the first to agree. The thought of this possibility made her pace back and forth in the kitchen in anxiety.
"It's over, it's over..."
Mai Miao was dazzled and rolled her eyes. "Are you scared? How many times have I told you? Why haven't you been doing this before? It's over. You treat my dad better, and my grandma is praising you happily again. My grandma is a very easy-going person. As long as you treat her son well, she will be happy."
It must be said that Mai Miao is a smart child. She saw through the essence of the matter, saw through Zhang's mother's character, and grasped her own mother's weaknesses.
Huang Cuilan pondered for a while and felt that despite her daughter's young age, her words made sense. She really couldn't go on like this, otherwise the family would really fall apart.
Even though she had said to her brother that her husband would never have an affair, what if? The child was already so grown up, and he really wanted to divorce her, and after throwing the child to his parents-in-law, he could still marry a tender young wife.
So what should I do? Go back to my parents' home?
No! This absolutely cannot happen.
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