It was late at night. From the east wing of the Zhou family, muffled coughs could be heard from time to time, mixed with the muttering of dissatisfaction of Wu Jinfeng who was woken up from her sleep.
Zhao Yunxiang knew it was her father-in-law, Zhou Chunping, who was coughing. Zhou Chunping had no other hobbies besides a few puffs of dry tobacco. Whenever he was at home, the entire Zhou household was filled with the choking smoke of burning tobacco leaves.
Of course! Zhou Chunping's habit took a toll on his trachea. Every winter, his chronic bronchitis would flare up, and his coughing would be most severe at night. Zhao Yunxiang would sometimes be awakened by Zhou Chunping's coughing and unable to fall asleep. All night long, she would hear Zhou Chunping's constant coughing.
With the exception of Wu Jinfeng, no one in the Zhou family dared to express dissatisfaction with Zhou Chunping's disturbing their sleep. Eight years passed, and Zhao Yunxiang went from being woken up every night to falling asleep to the sound of her heart-wrenching coughs.
Yuanyuan fell into the water that evening, and several hours had passed since then. After the barefoot doctor left, Zhao Yunxiang ran to Zhou Zhiqiang's house to demand an explanation. Zhou Zhiqiang's door was locked, and Zhao Yunxiang had only knocked twice when she was scolded by Wu Jinfeng, the mother-in-law who lived next door.
Having not seen the troublemaker Zhou Miaomiao, nor had she seen Zhou Zhiqiang and his wife, Zhao Yunxiang, after receiving a few glares from Wu Jinfeng, had cooled down considerably. Placing her hopes on her father-in-law, Zhou Chunping, who hadn't shown up, Zhao Yunxiang returned to the west wing in dismay. Her son, Zhou Jiasheng, had been taken to school in town by Zhao Yunxiang's younger brother a few days earlier. Otherwise, that impetuous young man wouldn't have cared less about Zhou Miaomiao's presence and would have definitely kicked a hole in the door.
Zhao Yunxiang watched over her daughter, occasionally listening for sounds from the east wing. Hours passed, and the east wing was completely silent, as if none of the families were home. No one came to the west wing to check on her, or to ask if Yuanyuan was okay. No one came to ask Zhao Yunxiang if she needed any help.
If she hadn't heard Zhou Chunping coughing, Zhao Yunxiang would have thought her father-in-law Zhou Chunping wasn't home either. Such a big thing happened this afternoon, and as the head of the family, Zhou Chunping didn't say anything at all?
Zhao Yunxiang felt a chill in her heart.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Chunping, who usually seemed fairly fair and impartial, was so partial this time. The passerby who rescued Yuanyuan said the person who pushed her into the water was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, wearing a red sweater. And Zhou Miaomiao was wearing a red sweater that day. In Zhoujia Village, there were only a few girls who could wear a red sweater. Besides the village chief's granddaughter Xiniu, there were only Zhou Miaomiao and Zhou Yuanyuan from the Zhou family.
Xiniu is only five years old this year, one year younger than Yuanyuan. She couldn't have been the one who pushed Yuanyuan into the water. The only one left is Zhou Miaomiao.
The wool for Zhou Miaomiao's red sweater was bought by Zhao Yunxiang, who asked her younger brother to go to Qingshan City to buy it for her in order to make up for her guilt of not having red leather shoes for the New Year.
In the darkness, Zhao Yunxiang's tears flowed quietly.
Zhou Chunping remained silent. Was it because Zhou Miaomiao was his favorite granddaughter, or because he thought it was just childish play? Not worth his fuss?
The more Zhao Yunxiang thought about it, the more bitter she felt. She had been married to the Zhou family for eight years. During these eight years, Zhou Zhixin had been at home for very few days. The couple were rarely together, but she endured it silently.
On weekdays, Zhao Yunxiang, a young wife, not only worked with the production team to earn food but also cooked, washed clothes, and took care of the household chores for her parents-in-law when she returned home. She kept none of the twenty yuan Zhou Zhixin sent her each month, giving it all to Wu Jinfeng.
For eight years, Zhao Yunxiang hadn't had a single day of rest, except for confinement. Unlike the two sisters-in-law of the Zhou family, who, aside from their own family matters, never helped with the affairs of the two elders, Zhao Yunxiang had to care for not only the two children but also the two elders. The Zhou family had nominally split up, but in reality, only the eldest and second eldest brothers' families had been separated.
If Zhou Chunping and his wife had been attentive, they would have easily recognized Zhao Yunxiang's dedication. However, after all these years, everything Zhao Yunxiang did seemed to them to be what she was supposed to do. Not only did they show no gratitude for her efforts, they were so lazy as to not even offer Zhao Yunxiang and her daughter a smile.
Looking at her unconscious daughter, Zhao Yunxiang burst into tears. For the first time, she regretted marrying into the Zhou family despite her father Zhao Qingshan's objection. The Zhou family was too deep. Zhou Zhixin was away from home all year round. She was alone with two children. It was really hard. If it weren't for her father and brother who often took care of her, she didn't know what her life would be like.
Eight years of being a young wife had worn Zhao Yunxiang down to the point where she looked four or five years older than she actually was. Even more frustrating for Zhao Yunxiang wasn't the constant daily grind, but the fact that she and her daughter were completely outsiders in the eyes of the Zhou family elders.
Zhao Yunxiang's husband, Zhou Zhixin, is the third of four siblings in the Zhou family and currently serves as a company commander in the army. Zhou Miaomiao is the daughter of Zhou Zhiqiang, the second oldest son of the Zhou family, and is two years older than Zhou Yuanyuan.
Zhou Zhixin was the most outstanding of the Zhou family's three sons and one daughter. Logically, Zhao Yunxiang should have held her own in the Zhou family. However, eight years of living there taught Zhao Yunxiang that, in Wu Jinfeng's eyes, they were no match for Zhou Zhixin's other two brothers. Even her married sister-in-law, Zhou Zhimei, held a much higher position in the Zhou family.
The Zhou family is just as my father Zhao Qingshan said, glamorous on the surface but with an indescribable weirdness on the inside.
Zhou Miaomiao is only eight years old this year! An eight-year-old girl wants her own cousin to die because she is jealous of not getting a pair of leather shoes?
Zhao Yunxiang shuddered and pulled the quilt to cover her cold shoulders. She was really scared. If Yuanyuan hadn't been lucky enough today, and a kind-hearted person who could swim happened to pass by, her Yuanyuan would have been gone.
The pond in Zhoujia Village wasn't very deep, but it was filled with mud. If Yuanyuan had fallen in and no one had rescued her in a short time, the consequences would have been disastrous.
If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have let Yuanyuan wear those leather shoes. Zhao Yunxiang felt filled with remorse.
Before the Lunar New Year last year, Yuanyuan's grandfather, Zhao Qingshan, returned from Qingshan City and brought Yuanyuan a pair of red leather shoes. Made of red cowhide with black cow tendon soles, Zhou Miaomiao fell in love with them the moment they were seen.
Zhou Miaomiao was used to taking Yuanyuan's things, so as soon as Zhao Qingshan left, Zhou Miaomiao started making a fuss.
Zhao Yunxiang originally wanted to settle the matter peacefully and give the leather shoes to Zhou Miaomiao, but for some reason, the pair of shoes Zhao Qingshan bought this time fit Zhou Yuanyuan very well. They were a little too big for her, and Zhou Miaomiao, who was two years older, definitely couldn't wear them.
Zhou Miaomiao was so angry that she threw her leather shoes out the door.
Zhao Yunxiang felt sorry for them and quickly went to pick up the shoes. Seeing her daughter Yuanyuan's desire for the red leather shoes, Zhao Yunxiang got excited and let Yuanyuan wear them during the Chinese New Year.
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