Zhang Xuemei kept thinking about Zou Yu's talk of contracting the canteen, and thought that she would ask Yan Hong about it when she returned to Tianshui City. She had a feeling that this was another good business opportunity.
It is said that the second day of the Lunar New Year is the day for married daughters to return to their parents' home, and Li Xiufen was no exception. However, she returned alone, and it was already dark when she came back.
When Sun Ni saw that only her daughter had returned, her face immediately fell, and she turned and walked into the house without even looking at her daughter outside the door.
Li Xiufen bit her lower lip and silently followed them in, finding a seat for herself.
Li Xiulan, the older sister, glanced at her younger sister and saw that there was no one behind her. She was also a little unhappy. Her brother-in-law was really something. No matter how busy he was, he couldn't let his younger sister go back to her parents' home alone. If the relatives and friends found out, they would start gossiping behind her back.
“Mom, Zhengming was supposed to go out with me, but my mother-in-law suddenly broke her foot, so he had to stay home to take care of her. Please don’t be angry…” Li Xiufen explained softly.
Sun Ni glanced at her and asked in a stern voice, "Haven't you eaten dinner yet? There's no more rice, I'll make you a bowl of noodles!" After saying that, she went straight into the kitchen.
Li Xiufen's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes. Afraid that her mother would see, she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve, looking pitiful.
Looking at her aggrieved younger sister, Li Xiulan sighed, stepped forward, put her arm around her shoulder, and comforted her, "Mom was worried about you. She's been waiting all day, and you haven't called. She thought something happened to you on the way."
"Yes, I know. It's just that I feel really bad that I'm still making my mom worry at my age." Li Xiufen has been married for over a year, and she's had enough of the hardships of life.
She used to be unable to listen to her mother's advice, believing that as long as the two of them worked hard, things would eventually get better.
But it's really too hard. My parents-in-law are not even fifty years old this year, but they just stay at home and rest. Although they are not in good health, they can still do ordinary housework, right? But they just wait for her to come back from the fields and continue doing the work.
Her husband was hardworking, but her younger siblings were still growing and never had enough to eat, so they relied on her and her husband. She felt that she had done more work in this year than she had done in her own family for the past twenty years, and she really regretted it.
Sun Ni placed the bowl of noodles on the table, sighed softly, and said, "Eat up. I fried two eggs for you. We can talk after you finish eating. You'll sleep with me tonight."
Li Xiufen silently finished a bowl of noodles. She wasn't afraid of being laughed at, but she hadn't eaten noodles much at the He family's house. It was usually sweet potatoes mixed with a little bit of rice, and eggs were even rarer. The moment the chicken laid an egg, her parents-in-law would immediately put it away and lock it in a drawer, waiting for her to be away so they could have extra food.
She had seen her in-laws feeding steamed egg custard to their young children more than once, and her dissatisfaction grew.
But when she mentioned it to her husband, he accused her of being petty, saying that it was only right for her in-laws to eat eggs to help them recover from their illness, and that the children were growing too, and that she shouldn't be so concerned. These words chilled her to the bone, and she instantly lost all hope for life.
After finishing her noodles and putting down her chopsticks, Li Xiufen looked up at her mother and sister and said softly, "Mom, Zhengming's parents aren't that old, and they look healthier than me, but they just stay at home doing nothing and push all the chores onto me. I really can't take it anymore..."
Sun Ni hardened her heart and glanced at her youngest daughter. "Isn't this the fire pit you wanted to jump into? I stopped you, did you listen? If you had listened to me and married Xu Minghe, you wouldn't be suffering like this."
Look at Xu Minghe, he's bought a house in the city now, he has money, and he married a city woman who's a teacher. She's probably even secretly glad you didn't choose him back then.
"Mom," Li Xiufen was embarrassed by her mother's words. Could she say that she was now filled with regret? Only after suffering did she realize that love really can't put food on the table. When you're in love, everything is wonderful, but once you start living together, all sorts of conflicts arise.
It's not that she can't endure hardship, but the thought of such a long and arduous period makes her genuinely afraid.
"Alright, alright, Mom, stop talking about Xiufen. She didn't want things to turn out this way either."
Li Xiulan grabbed her mother's hand, telling her to stop talking. "Can't you see my little sister's eyes are red? If you keep talking, we'll start arguing again. Isn't that just making us a laughingstock?"
"Hmph," Sun Ni turned her head and snorted coldly, "What's the use of telling me all this now? Since you're married, you should live your life properly. Do you think I'm going to go to your in-laws' house, grab a knife, and force them to do chores? Do you still want to live with them?"
Li Xiufen glanced at her mother, gritted her teeth, and tentatively asked, "Mom, would you be angry if I said I didn't want to go back?"
"Not going back? What do you mean?" Sun Ni was stunned by her youngest daughter's words and didn't immediately understand what she meant.
It was the eldest daughter, Li Xiulan, who reacted quickly: "Xiufen, you're not thinking of getting a divorce, are you?"
"What, divorce? You really want to?" Sun Ni suddenly stood up from her chair, her finger trembling as she pointed at her youngest daughter.
Li Xiufen subconsciously took a few steps back, covered her face with her hand, and muttered softly, "Mom, I didn't say that. I just want to stay at home for a few more days."
“You are my child, how could I not understand what you’re thinking? That’s what you just meant, I…” Sun Ni wanted to say something more, but she was afraid that the neighbors would hear her, so she immediately stopped talking.
She reached out and pulled her youngest daughter into her room. "Come in with me, I have something to tell you. Xiulan, wash the dishes on the table."
"Okay, Mom, don't get upset, talk to me calmly, there's no rush!"
As soon as Sun Ni entered the room, she shook off her youngest daughter's hand, stared straight at her, and asked, "Tell me honestly, do you really have that thought?"
Seeing her stern mother, Li Xiufen decided to throw caution to the wind and said directly, "This is exactly what I think. The He family doesn't treat me like family, so why should I be their slave?"
"Didn't you go after him yourself? Didn't you say you liked He Zhengming?"
"Can't I regret it now?"
"You're always talking about divorce, but have you thought about what you'll do after the divorce? You can't just stay at your parents' house and have me support you forever."
“I don’t need you to support me. I see that Zou Yu remarried after her divorce and is living a good life. I’m no worse off than her, so why can’t I?” Li Xiufen said defiantly, sticking out her neck.
Sun Ni gave her youngest daughter a deep look. "Are you absolutely determined to get a divorce? Does He Zhengming know what you're thinking?"
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