When Zhang Yulian came in with the hot water, Zhao Ximei couldn't help but complain: "Why did it take you so long to carry the water?"
"I just met Brother Jiang Xun. He went to the kitchen to get water to wash his feet, and I gave him half a pot of water." Zhang Yulian explained.
"I said, what took you so long?"
"Um."
Zhang Yulian poured hot water into the basin, added some cold water, and held the basin with both hands and placed it in front of Zhang Ximei.
She squatted down, rolled up her sleeves, and started washing her mother's feet.
Zhang Ximei has always been in poor health, and it has gotten worse in recent years. She has old injuries on her waist, both caused by labor and beatings by her husband.
When the weather is bad, my waist hurts so much that I can't bend down at all.
Every time this happened, Zhang Yulian would squat down and wash her feet.
...
...
After washing her feet, add some hot water and let Zhao Ximei soak in it.
In the past, the mother and daughter would often talk and laugh at this time, but today Zhao Ximei found that Zhang Yulian was a little silent.
"Yulian, are you unhappy about work?"
No one knows a girl better than her mother.
She knew at a glance why Zhang Yulian was unhappy.
"Not bad." She did feel a little disappointed, but not that disappointed.
She knew very well what her identity was.
She could also see that it was not that people were unwilling to find her a job, but that it was really difficult to find a job with her conditions.
"My dear, we can't find a good job like this, but we can always do hard labor." Zhao Ximei said, "When the weather warms up after the New Year, I will go out with you to look for a job as a mover."
"I know, Mom. You don't have to worry about the job. I can find one myself. I'm not unhappy about this. You don't have to worry about me."
"I saw you were silent, and I was worried about you..."
Zhang Yulian lowered her eyes and gently scrubbed her feet: "Just now I saw Jiang Xun go to the kitchen to get water to wash his feet. I thought he was washing his own feet, but I didn't expect he was going to get water for his sister-in-law. Mom, this is the first time I've seen something like this since I was a child."
In her home, the woman is in charge of everything.
She had seen her mother squatting on the ground washing her father's feet countless times. If the water was a little hot or a little cold, her father would get furious and kick the basin over.
His anger was always vented on his mother, and sometimes it would even harm her.
It is the same in rural areas. Women are born to work and spend every day around the stove. When they are young, they listen to their fathers. After they get married, they listen to their men. After they give birth to sons, they still listen to their sons when they are old. They have never lived for themselves.
Seeing this scene today shocked her greatly and overturned her previous cognition.
It turns out that in this world, not only do women serve men, but men can also serve women.
"Ah..." Zhao Ximei sighed deeply and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Child, I have suffered all my life with your father. Although you are his daughter, he is not very kind to you. In fact, there are still many good men in this world, such as my eldest brother Jiang Xun. Your uncle Jiang Jingshan is also a good man... But it is not easy to meet a good man. It depends on fate!"
Although they both lived the same life, her sister's life was much better than hers.
When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, she once asked herself why she met such a man?
Fate! It’s all fate!
"Mom, let's not talk about this anymore." Zhang Yulian wiped her hands and stood up, adding some hot water, "Soak your feet."
After finishing this task, she started to make the bed and warm the quilt.
"Yulian... Mom thinks this way. It's not easy for us to get here from the countryside. I don't want you to go back to that place. If you can stay in this city, it will be a good thing for you."
"I also want to stay. But at least I need a job, right? If we don't have a good job, how can we stay? How can I support you?" Zhang Yulian said while busying herself.
"Actually, you don't necessarily have to have a good job to stay."
"What do you mean by that?"
"There's a saying that it's better to marry well than to work well! If you can marry well, you can still stay in the city!"
Zhang Yulian remained silent and did not respond.
Zhao Ximei continued, "Actually, I talked to your aunt about this today. The reason why Sui Sui was able to stay in the garment factory to work was because she learned a lot about design. We don't know what that thing is, but what is clear is that books on that subject are hard to buy. His girlfriend went to Shanghai to buy them! And they're not cheap either..."
"Please stop talking. I know what you mean. Our family has no money. Even if we want to learn, we can't." Zhang Yulian's mood fell into a trough again.
The gap between people is so obvious that she once again deeply realized it.
"No, you don't understand what I mean. Your eldest brother has the best life, he has money in his pocket. Sui Sui's life will not be bad in the future. Even if she doesn't have a job, she has a partner. I heard that they will live in the military compound after they get married. That place is where the leaders of the army live, not everyone can live there."
Zhao Ximei talked on and on for a long time, and it seemed as if she was talking to Zhang Yulian, but also to herself.
Zhang Yulian kept listening in silence until the end, when she heard her mother say, "So you still have to know how to marry! You are old enough to get married, so don't worry. I'll ask your aunt, your sister-in-law, and Sui Sui to keep an eye on you. It's better for us to pick a good man than anything else."
Zhang Yulian hummed softly, and no one knew what she was thinking, and she didn't say anything else.
"The water is cold, go pour it out."
"I know, Mom."
…
When Jiang Xun returned to the room with hot water, Ye Li had already taken off her shoes and socks and was waiting to wash her feet.
"I just met Yu Lian and she gave me some water, so I don't have to boil water." Jiang Xun squatted down and wanted to help Ye Li wash his feet.
"No need." Ye Li said, "I can bend down."
"I won't be able to see you for a long time tomorrow week, so let me wash your feet. Give me a chance." Jiang Xun said with a smile.
"Okay." Ye Li's mouth curved, "Thank you, my child's father."
After washing their feet, the two went to bed, and Ye Li snuggled in Jiang Xun's arms.
His hand involuntarily reached for her lower abdomen, and his gentle big palm gently caressed her lower abdomen.
"What are you touching?" Ye Li asked with a smile, "Are there any changes?"
"Yes." Jiang Xun said.
"What changes can come from touching it every day?"
Jiang Xun said seriously: "Your belly is not as flat as before..."
"Really?" Ye Li asked.
"Yes." Jiang Xun smiled and said, "Li Li, is there such a thing? Maybe you are pregnant with twins?"
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