Hua Qingyi smiled and took the towel, saying, "Thank you, Auntie. This little bit of work will be finished in a moment. The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, so let's finish this quickly so you can start preparing for the New Year."
Hua Qingyang said, "Auntie, my brother and I will take turns chopping, it's fine." As he spoke, he went over to help Hua Qingyi continue chopping wood.
Zhang's mother sighed and said, "It's also my fault for being so useless. If I had given birth to a son, would the family not have a pillar of support at this time? These two daughters were already a laughing stock, and now that your uncle has gotten into trouble, they're even more of a laughing stock."
Hua Kai, standing beside Zhang's mother, said, "Auntie, you can't say that. Daughters are no less capable than sons. When Zhang Miao and Zhang Yan become successful, they will take care of you in your old age just the same. Whether it's a boy or a girl, character is more important. You must have seen plenty of sons who are unfilial, so don't favor boys over girls. If a girl is capable, even if she's not around, she can still hire a caregiver for you, right? If a son is incompetent, he can't even feed himself, and then you'll suffer too. So, regardless of gender, it's important that he's successful and has good character. Don't you agree?"
Zhang's mother remained silent for a long time after hearing Hua Kai's words.
At this moment, her youngest daughter, Zhang Yan, spoke up: "Mom, I will definitely take good care of you and Dad in the future, and let those people who say that our family has no sons see that you can enjoy happiness even without sons."
Zhang's mother sighed again: "I believe you two sisters are filial, but with no one to take over the household registration book, I feel sorry for the Zhang family..."
Hua Kai understood the old-fashioned ways people were these days. She said to Zhang's mother, "Auntie, we didn't have household registration books back then. Times are changing. In wealthy and developed countries abroad, people don't care about things like carrying on the family line anymore. Life is short, just a few years. It's good enough to live this life to the fullest. In ancient times, people wanted to be cremated, but now they're cremated for environmental reasons and in response to the national call. And now everyone has one child per family, so how can they all be boys? Wealthy families in the provincial capital all have only one daughter. People with such status and position don't care about these things. Why should we ordinary people care about these things?"
Hearing this, Zhang's mother's expression relaxed: "Yes, nowadays everyone advocates one child per family, so I should be able to let it go."
“That’s right, don’t think too much about it. When you go to the city to make money, the cemeteries there aren’t really cemeteries anymore, they’re mostly public cemeteries. So a lot of things are changing, and we need to look forward.” Hua Kai said.
Zhang's mother finally felt relieved: "Thank you, Huakai, for helping me understand many things that I've been struggling with for so many years. I feel much better now."
Zhang Miao also came over: "Mom, if we do well in the city, we might not have to come back. Then we won't have to worry about what others say."
Zhang's mother nodded: "Yes, I will definitely work hard in the future and earn more money so that you and Yan Yan can go to university. Let's make something of ourselves."
Zhang Miao said, "Mom, Huakai and I have found a shop in the city. We'll go there after the New Year to set it up and open for business when school starts. If we do well, we'll open a restaurant."
Zhang's mother said, "Yes, Heaven has taken pity on us and sent Hua Kai to help us. We must not let her down and will definitely do our best."
Hua Kai said, "Auntie, we all come from poor backgrounds. Don't worry, I will always help you and make sure things get better for you."
Zhang's mother held Hua Kai's hand and said, "Auntie, let's not say any more polite words, because nothing can express my gratitude. Anyway, Auntie isn't a fool."
Hua Qingyi finished stacking the wood and came over: "Auntie, I'll be in the city from now on. If you have any heavy lifting to do, please save it for me."
Zhang's mother covered her eyes and said, "Yes, yes, thank you, children."
Hua Qingyi said, "Don't be so polite. Just tell us if you have any difficulties." Then he added, "We'll finish this in another half hour. You can come inside now." He then went over to relieve Hua Qingyang and continued chopping wood.
Hua Qingyang helped Hua Qingyi carry and stack the wood. They were used to doing these kinds of chores at home. Zhang Miao's family didn't have much wood because they didn't have any men, so when they bought wood, they tried to buy only the thinnest pieces.
Zhang's mother wiped away her tears and said, "I'll go kill a chicken. It's almost noon, so I'll stew a chicken for you."
Hua Kai didn't stop them. They brought a lot of things, and if they left without eating any, the Zhang family would feel uncomfortable.
So she said to Zhang's mother, "Then we won't stand on ceremony. Add more potatoes and mushrooms; I like potatoes." She wanted the Zhang family to have more meat left over, since her own family didn't lack meat.
When Zhang's mother heard Hua Kai readily agree, she was also happy: "Okay, our potatoes are from the north, they're delicious, I'll give you extra." With that, she went to catch a chicken.
Zhang Miao said, "Then I'll go boil some water."
Hua Kai echoed her, saying, "I'll help you."
Zhang Yan was also a hardworking child; she went inside to get a large basin.
Soon after, Zhang's mother killed the chicken, and Zhang Miao boiled water while Zhang's mother began to pluck the chicken feathers.
Hua Qingyi and Hua Qingyang finished chopping the wood, washed their hands, and went inside. Because it was hot from working, they took off their cotton-padded coats and sat on stools on the floor to talk to Zhang's father.
While Zhang's mother was plucking the chicken feathers outside, Zhang Miao started cooking rice. After the rice was cooked, she put it on the stove, and Zhang's mother started stewing the chicken.
The food had just been put into the pot when a woman in her forties walked in.
The woman had shoulder-length short hair, which she pinned behind her ears with black hair clips. She wore a gray-yellow plaid double-breasted cotton-padded jacket.
The tone changed as soon as he entered the house. He started yelling at Zhang's mother, "Sister-in-law, it's not even the New Year yet and you're already eating and drinking like this. My brother is paralyzed, and you haven't even given him a son all these years. All you know is to eat and enjoy life. You're not living a good life anymore!"
When Zhang's mother heard her sister-in-law's voice, she was so startled that her hand trembled and the cooking spoon in her hand fell to the ground.
She quickly explained to her sister-in-law, "Guifen, we have guests at our house today, Miaomiao's classmate has come."
When Zhang Guifen heard that it was Zhang Miao's classmate, she became even angrier: "A little girl's classmate, is she worth you killing chickens and sheep to entertain? Do you think the township head has come? Giving food to these unrelated people is worse than giving it to me."
Hua Kai, who was listening from the side, couldn't stand it anymore. She said to Zhang Guifen, "I came here to buy some things for Zhang Miao's family. You came empty-handed. You have the nerve to eat, but I'm embarrassed to even listen."
Zhang Guifen was sharp-tongued, but she didn't expect such a young girl to talk back to her like that, and her face immediately turned sour.
Looking at the blooming flowers, she said, "Oh, where did this wild girl come from? So unruly, and she even dares to meddle in the affairs of the Zhang family?"
Hua Kai said to Zhang Guifen, "If you treat your brother and sister-in-law as family, then I don't need to interfere in your family's affairs. But now you've broken the rules, getting married and still meddling in other people's business. You've overstepped your bounds. Let's see who is truly sincere towards Zhang Miao's family."
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