"We don't know what Second Aunt is thinking. Why is her own son not as precious as her nephew?"
"They always think of their nephew whenever they have something. They give him grain, they give him cloth, but even when Zhuzi manages to get something, they take it all back with them. How many times has this happened? Even if you're close, you can't just take things like this!"
"With a mother like that, how could Zhu Zi be close to her? Sister-in-law, when we pass by that door, we often see Second Aunt beating and scolding Zhu Zi. We all know her well. Anyone who doesn't know would definitely think she's a stepmother."
Forget about food, even if he's idle for a little while, his second aunt will throw things around and beat him, calling him lazy and a freeloader. She won't stop until he can't take it anymore and runs away.
A young married woman nearby also came over.
"Sisters-in-law, are you talking about Zhu Zi, the son of Second Aunt?"
Wang Guihua took a look,
"Erdan's wife,"
"Sister-in-law, I knew you were talking about his family as soon as I heard you say that."
Hey, that's nothing. It's the same thing almost every day. Sometimes when he brings back less than usual, he scolds Zhu for stealing food. When he's unhappy, he takes firewood from the stove and hits Zhu with it, with sparks flying everywhere.
Tsk tsk, at first my mother-in-law couldn't stand it and said a few words, but then she hit Brother Zhu even harder, so my mother-in-law didn't dare to say anything more.
Whenever someone said anything, she would retort, "This is my own son. I can beat him however I want. If anyone can't stand it, I'll take him to their home!"
To be honest, Erdan's wife imitated it quite well, but the content wasn't very enjoyable.
"But this time, it shouldn't be about food. A few days before Brother Zhu disappeared, Erdan and I were tending the garden by the fields when we overheard Auntie talking about finding Brother Zhu a wife. She said, she said..."
Not only Wang Guihua and Sun Xiang, but also several other people who had been drawn over nearby were intrigued.
"Speak up, why are you dawdling?"
"Exactly, just say it. There's nothing wrong with a mother asking her son to marry someone. What's wrong with that?"
"Yes, I didn't realize Second Aunt was so capable in this area. Even when we're struggling to make ends meet, she's still thinking about finding a wife for her son."
Erdan's wife quickly stopped her.
"What are you thinking? Your second aunt is always like that to her son. You're all so dense, you know something's wrong, right?"
“My son Erdan and Zhuzi have always gotten along well. My mother-in-law doesn’t allow us to tell others, saying that it’s not good for Erzhu.”
Hey, you've all guessed wrong.
The second aunt was going to tell Brother Zhu about a girl from her hometown village.
"This is normal, isn't it?"
Nowadays, most weddings are arranged between nearby villages.
"What's wrong? Is the girl not good? Or is her family not good?"
Jian Dan was listening intently from not far away. These days, everyone is so worried about their stomachs that they don't even have time for gossip.
I've finally managed to hear one, so I have to listen to the whole thing.
"It's not that it's bad, it's just..."
"What is it?"
Erdan's wife is now surrounded by a group of people. The more people there are, the less she dares to speak, and she also vaguely regrets bringing it up.
Wang Guifen glared at the group of onlookers who seemed to enjoy the drama, then turned back to comfort her.
"Erdan's wife, think about it. Zhuzi's fate is unknown right now. What you said might help the village find him, right? You said you get along well with your Erdan, so if you really find him, your Erdan will be happy, right?"
That makes sense, Erdan's wife thought for a moment, then lowered her voice again.
"Sister-in-law, I'm telling you this, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone, otherwise, my second aunt will go to my house and make a scene at my mother-in-law's house."
With the matter at hand, naturally no one refused. Not only Wang Guifen and Sun Xiang, but everyone around them also agreed.
"Don't worry, no one will go back and spread rumors."
"Erdan's wife, hurry up and tell me."
After making a huge decision, Erdan's wife looked around at everyone before finally approaching Wang Guihua with some difficulty.
"Sister-in-law, Second Aunt wants Brother Zhu to find a wife, but that wife is from her hometown village, and, moreover, she's already pregnant by her nephew!"
There was a three-second silence, and then it exploded.
"Huh? Did I mishear?"
"No, that's how it's said."
"Is this a mother letting her son become a cuckold?"
Once the truth was out, Erdan's wife stopped hiding it.
"My second aunt said that the Liu family's offspring are not good, but her own family's offspring are good. They are willing to let Erzhu become a father directly, which is a great thing. She told him to thank his cousin properly."
From now on, send him any good things you have without hesitation. Otherwise, once he's made his fortune, if the child's biological father doesn't allow the child to support him in his old age, he'll have nowhere to turn for help.
Then Erzhu asked her, "Am I your child?"
My second aunt said, "If you weren't my son, why would I give you such a good thing? You got a son for free, what a blessing!"
Then Erzhu said no, and later Ershen got angry and started hitting him again. Erdan and I were afraid of being discovered, so we quickly left.
Then for the next few days, I went to the river to fetch water every day to irrigate the fields. I was so busy that I didn't notice anything.
Then, after what seemed like three or five days, Erdan said he wanted to go find Brother Zhuzi to go into the mountains and see if there were any wild vegetables or anything, but they didn't find any.
When asked, his second aunt kept saying he was unfilial and so on, and she wasn't worried. Erdan also thought he might have gone into the mountains, but he didn't come back for several days.
Later, everyone learned that Brother Zhu had gone into the mountains and never came out.
Even Jian Dan sighed upon hearing this. There are always women who are obsessed with supporting their brothers, no matter the era. As long as they have no bottom line, it is others who suffer. What does it matter if it is their own son? He still has to give way.
"With a mother like that, Zhu Zi is truly pitiful. Do you think he can survive?"
“In these deep mountains and forests, there are not only wild animals, but also a lot of poisonous snakes and mosquitoes. Besides, eating, drinking, and relieving oneself are not easy.”
"To be honest, being a wild man in these mountains is better than staying at home."
"That's true. His place doesn't feel like a home at all. He works himself to the bone, and then gives it all away to someone else. Anyone would think twice about that."
"Over the years, Zhuzi has never said anything. He just does whatever his second aunt asks him to do."
An older woman, pulling on a vine on the ground, sighed.
"Now that you mention it, I remember, isn't Zhu Zi twenty this year?"
The group looked at each other and even started calculating with their fingers.
"I think so?"
"Pretty much. My Erdan is over 20 years old after the New Year. Brother Zhu is a year older than him."
Upon hearing this question, Wang Guihua suddenly remembered...
"Sister-in-law, you mean?"
"You do the math, isn't it about time?"
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