There is a small stream in front of Zhaojiagou Village. The water is clear and transparent. Although the stream is not wide and the water depth is only up to the calf, it is still very convenient for washing and scrubbing.
Along the stream, there are solid mud houses in a row, and some of the roofs are covered with solid green tiles.
The better-off families in Zhaojiagou all lived by the stream. Only a few extremely poor families, unable even to build mud houses, built a few thatched huts near the mountainside.
Zhao Qingshan's family lives in the second house at the entrance of the village. The spacious courtyard and bright tile-roofed house are the most imposing buildings in Zhaojiagou.
A six or seven meter long staircase was built beside the stream. Villagers can put their washing clothes on the staircase and rub and pat them, which is very convenient.
That morning, Zhao Yunxiang went to the stream to wash clothes.
"Yunxiang, come here." A young wife about the same age as Zhao Yunxiang raised her hand and beckoned Zhao Yunxiang to come over to her side.
On the long steps, several aunts and young wives cleared their things to make room for Zhao Yunxiang. Zhao Qingshan held a high position in Zhaojiagou, and the villagers looked up to the Zhao family.
"Biyun, Aunt Gu, and Big Sister." Zhao Yunxiang greeted everyone. Having left the village for a few years, Zhao Yunxiang didn't recognize some of the newly married young wives, but she was a polite person, so a smile and a greeting were her due.
Wang Biyun felt secretly relieved when she saw that Zhao Yunxiang looked much more haggard in recent years.
Wang Biyun was Zhao Yunxiang's good friend when she was a girl. Before Zhao Yunxiang got married, Wang Biyun often went to Zhao's house to play. The two of them would mend shoe soles and knit sweaters together.
After Zhao Yunxiang got married, Wang Biyun married a young man from the village and is now the mother of two children.
"Hey, Yunxiang, I heard you're not getting along with your in-laws, so you came back to stay with your parents for a few days, is that right?" Wang Biyun was curious about how the most beautiful and virtuous girl in Zhaojiagou had fallen to her current state. In the countryside, being disliked by one's in-laws was not a good reputation.
Zhao Yunxiang washed the clothes in her hands silently, turning a deaf ear to Wang Biyun's words.
Yes, Zhao Yunxiang might be a pitiful person in the eyes of others, but no matter what, it was not Wang Biyun's turn to pity her. Zhao Yunxiang was soft-hearted, but that didn't mean she couldn't hear the malice in Wang Biyun's words.
The creek had always been the gathering place for gossip in Zhaojia Village. Zhaojia Village only had about twenty households, but now there were only five or six people gathered by the creek.
Back then, as Zhao Yunxiang's friend, Wang Biyun had benefited from her many favors, including the rice and noodles she would bring back from the Zhao family from time to time, as well as Zhao Yunxiang's "old" clothes that she had only worn a few times.
"Yunxiang, you are so stupid. The Zhou family treats you badly. Why don't you go to the army to find your Zhixin? What's the point of going back to your parents' home when your Zhixin is not at home? Wouldn't it be a waste of your parents' rice and grain?" Wang Biyun saw that Zhao Yunxiang didn't say anything, and thought that Zhao Yunxiang was embarrassed by her, so she continued to chatter and express her opinions.
When Zhao Yunxiang got married, the girls in the village all envied her for her good marriage. Her husband was a soldier in the army and was also very handsome.
Wang Biyun was deeply dissatisfied, feeling that all the good things in the world were taken by Zhao Yunxiang. From childhood to adulthood, Zhao Yunxiang had always been pampered by Zhao Qingshan. She was the only girl in Zhaojiagou who could attend junior high school. The other girls dropped out after just one or two years of elementary school.
In those days, it was a luxury for boys to go to school. Half-grown boys could go to the production team to earn centimeters. The food each family ate was tied to centimeters. The more centimeters they earned, the more food they received.
Zhao Yunxiang lost her mother at a young age, and logically she should have been a pitiful child. Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingshan did not even marry another wife for the sake of his children, and he still doted on his two children.
Zhao Qingshan has a salary and subsidies, and he lives a prosperous life with his two children. Many people are jealous of him!
What about Wang Biyun's family? She was the youngest, with three older brothers. Wang Biyun felt that compared to Zhao Yunxiang, she was a pathetic creature.
Wang Biyun attended elementary school for two years before her family discontinued her education. She stayed home to raise pigs, feed chickens, and do chores, while also taking care of her nephews and nieces. At twelve or thirteen, she went to work in the production team with her family, and then returned home to do chores. The most annoying thing was that despite all the work she did, no one praised her, and she didn't even have enough to eat. She was lucky not to be scolded.
"Sister Biyun, your Tiezhu treats you well, but why didn't you sit for two months and got out of bed right after giving birth?" a young wife was furious. Zhao Yunxiang had only been at her parents' home for a few days when Wang Biyun started spreading rumors about her in the village.
The young wife heard from her mother-in-law that Wang Biyun was a good-for-nothing and an ungrateful person. She had benefited a lot from Zhao Yunxiang in the past, but now she spoke ill of Zhao Yunxiang behind her back and had no gratitude at all.
Rural people are simple and honest. They believe in repaying kindness with kindness and quarreling with grievances. People who smile in front of others but stab them in the back are not popular.
Wang Biyun’s postpartum confinement was a topic of gossip in Zhaojiagou for several years.
When a woman gives birth, she is practically stepping into the gates of hell. In Yuyuan County, even the poorest families would ensure their daughters-in-law take a long confinement after giving birth, and not work in the fields for at least thirty days.
Wang Biyun did not receive this treatment. Both of her children were born three days after they were born.
Wang Biyun secretly resented it. If Zhao Yunxiang hadn't refused to introduce her to a city guy, would she have married that loser Tiezhu? Tiezhu's mother was a fierce woman, and after Wang Biyun married, the two had fought several times, with Wang Biyun completely defeated.
During her confinement period, Wang Biyun wanted to use the fact that she had given birth to a son to show off, but Tiezhu's mother did not tolerate her and used the fact that she had gone to work in the fields after giving birth to Tiezhu to trick Wang Biyun into falling into her trap.
Wang Biyun's face flushed red after being poked in the trachea by the young wife, but she couldn't say a word. She could only slap her clothes on the stone slab, splashing water everywhere.
"Yunxiang, is Yuanyuan feeling much better? Auntie will bring Xiaocao to your house later to play with Yuanyuan. Xiaocao likes Yuanyuan very much." Auntie Gu beside Wang Biyun spoke up to smooth things over.
Tiezhu is Aunt Gu's nephew. As her aunt, she had no choice but to help smooth things over the mess caused by her nephew's wife, Wang Biyun.
"Thank you, Auntie. Yuanyuan is fine now. Xiaocao plays well with Yuanyuan, so please bring her over." Zhao Yunxiang smiled at Auntie Gu.
Aunt Gu is a kind-hearted person. Before Zhao Yunxiang got married, she was the one who advised her on many matters concerning her daughter's family.
Xiaocao is Aunt Gu’s granddaughter and is the same age as Yuanyuan this year.
After arriving in Zhaojia Village, Yuanyuan spent her days poring over the pile of medical books in Zhao Qingshan's room. Sometimes, she would hold a book in her hands from morning till night, unwilling to let go.
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