Zhao Qingshan is a combat hero and a well-known figure throughout Yuyuan County.
Every year, the county holds a meeting for model workers, and Zhao Qingshan, a hero, is among the invited guests. At the meeting, Zhao Qingshan always gives a report to the model workers, recalling the past and imagining the future.
Whenever the Yuyuan County magistrate saw Zhao Qingshan, he would enthusiastically come over to shake his hand and chat with him. He had heard that Zhao Qingshan was no ordinary person! He was highly qualified and knew many provincial officials.
Zhao Yunxiang was also a low-key person, never telling her children about their father's achievements. Zhao Qingshan and Zhao Guohui certainly wouldn't say anything in front of the children. They believed the children were still young and needed to have a healthy outlook on life. Having a heroic grandfather wasn't something to be proud of; their own excellence was paramount. The children needed to earn their keep through their own hard work and not rely on their family's influence to bully others.
In Zhou Yuanyuan's mind in her previous life, her grandfather Zhao Qingshan was just a stubborn old man with a burly figure and a loud voice, who was very kind to her and her brother.
Zhao Qingshan never knew that the Zhou family agreed to the marriage between Zhou Zhixin and Zhao Yunxiang largely because of Zhao Qingshan's "heroic" reputation.
In that era, birth was more important than anything else. With a "heroic" father-in-law, the Zhou family could more or less borrow some strength.
Wu Jinfeng initially disagreed with Zhou Zhixin and Zhao Yunxiang's marriage. She had long planned to have Zhou Zhixin marry her niece, Wu Hongmei. After all, with her niece as a daughter-in-law, Zhou Zhixin and her mother would surely become much closer.
Zhou Zhixin firmly disagreed. His military service had broadened his horizons. Cousins were close relatives, and there was a high chance of producing children with defects. The Marriage Law stipulated that close relatives could not marry. Besides, Wu Hongmei's appearance made Zhou Zhixin feel uncomfortable.
Zhou Zhixin liked Zhao Yunxiang. One year when he went home to visit his family, he happened to see a friend from the village getting married, so he went to Zhaojiagou to pick up the bride.
The bride's family and Zhao Yunxiang's family were somewhat related, and Zhou Zhixin met Zhao Yunxiang at the wedding banquet. After returning to Zhoujia Village, Zhao Yunxiang's gentle and beautiful appearance had already been engraved in Zhou Zhixin's heart.
Zhou Zhixin disagreed with Wu Hongmei's marriage and gave strong enough reasons that left Wu Jinfeng speechless.
In rural areas, many people are unaware of the harms of inbreeding. It is not uncommon for cousins to marry and give birth to a child who is idiot. However, many people do not know that inbreeding is the cause.
Wu Jinfeng couldn't guarantee that Zhou Zhixin and Wu Hongmei wouldn't give birth to a fool after they got married, so she had to let go of her thoughts and let Zhou Zhixin's marriage go.
However, for some unknown reason, Zhou Zhixin fell in love with Zhao Yunxiang.
Zhao Yunxiang lost her mother at a young age, and Wu Jinfeng despised her for her tough life.
In rural areas, many people believe in superstitions and prefer to marry a girl with both parents alive, believing that such a girl is more blessed.
Zhou Zhixin asked Wu Jinfeng to go to the Zhao family to propose marriage, so Wu Jinfeng went to inquire about the girl. When she heard that the girl had no mother when she was young, Wu Jinfeng's face turned black on the spot.
Wu Jinfeng believed that Zhao Yunxiang was motherless at a young age because of her tough fate. Zhao Yunxiang's tough fate had killed her mother. What if Zhao Yunxiang continued to exert her strong ability to bring bad luck to her mother-in-law after she married into the family?
Zhou Zhixin didn't understand Wu Jinfeng's fear, and Wu Jinfeng was afraid of being criticized for believing in superstition, so she didn't dare to tell others about her guess. The mother and son fought for a year before Zhou Zhixin finally got the girl.
In fact, Wu Jinfeng was tempted after hearing about Zhao Qingshan's family background.
Zhao Qingshan was a combat hero, a disabled soldier, and had a respectable job. Wu Jinfeng had heard that Zhao Qingshan's monthly salary, combined with his various allowances, was at least fifty yuan.
Fifty dollars!
This figure made Wu Jinfeng feel dizzy. Her husband, Zhou Chunping, only made 18 yuan a month, and her son, Zhou Zhixin, a company commander in the army, only made a little over 20 yuan.
The combined income of all the Zhou family members was not as much as Zhao Qingshan's income alone. In addition, Zhao Qingshan's wife died and he never remarried. He only had one son and one daughter. He had so much money, but he couldn't take it to his grave. He must have given some money to his children.
Wu Jinfeng automatically distributed the family property for Zhao Qingshan in her mind.
Thinking that marrying Zhao Yunxiang as a daughter-in-law would bring in the huge wealth in Zhao Qingshan's hands, Wu Jinfeng agreed to the marriage between Zhou Zhixin and Zhao Yunxiang.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingshan was very smart. In addition to buying his daughter an enviable dowry when she got married, which was nothing more than furniture, quilts, clothing materials, etc., he also gave Zhao Yunxiang a large sewing machine as a dowry, and did not give his daughter much money.
After Zhao Yunxiang got married, Zhao Qingshan often went to Zhoujia Village and gave his daughter clothes, shoes, socks, and meat and vegetables for daily meals. After the two children were born, Zhao Qingshan was also very generous in buying things for the children.
Seeing that Zhao Qingshan did not give Zhao Yunxiang money, Wu Jinfeng was very disappointed and her attitude towards Zhao Yunxiang became worse day by day. Wu Jinfeng could only look at the things in Zhao Yunxiang's room and the clothes on her body, but could not take them for herself.
You know, in rural areas, if a mother-in-law touches her daughter-in-law's dowry, she will be criticized for the rest of her life.
Seeing Zhao Yunxiang and her two children well-dressed and well-fed, Wu Jinfeng was filled with resentment. Although Zhao Yunxiang always shared some of her food with the two elders and made clothes for them throughout the year, Wu Jinfeng was still not satisfied.
Wu Jinfeng loved money. She believed that as long as she had money, she could buy everything she wanted. She was deeply upset that her daughter-in-law, who had manipulated her son into taking all his salary and yet still lived comfortably, was still well fed and well clothed.
Zhou Jiasheng walked with his short legs, holding his aunt Xu Liqin's hand in one hand and holding a small clay pot in the other, and hurried to the hospital.
When Zhou Jiasheng returned to his uncle's house after school this afternoon, he was very surprised to see his mother sleeping on the bed.
Aunt Xu Liqin was afraid that Zhou Jiasheng would wake up his elder sister-in-law who had finally fallen asleep, so she found an old cotton-padded jacket, wrapped it around the lunch box, and pulled Zhou Jiasheng out the door.
Xu Liqin told Zhou Jiasheng that they were going to the hospital to see their sister. Yuanyuan was sick and was sent to the hospital yesterday. She only woke up this afternoon.
Zhou Jiasheng became anxious when he heard this. He broke free from his aunt's hand, ran back to the yard, and took the small clay pot with him. His sister was sick and must be feeling uncomfortable. If she looked at the toys he had found for her, she might feel happier.
As Zhou Jiasheng walked, he listened to his aunt explain the cause of his sister's illness, and he was furious. He had been away from home for two months, and that little bitch Zhou Miaomiao had been asking for punishment for so long that she had the nerve to do that. Pushing his sister into the pond in the freezing weather? Just wait and see how he'll deal with her when he gets back!
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