Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Pour a basin of water
Cheng Ying chimed in, “What you aunties and grandmas say is true. Those who can’t stand to see me doing well are just jealous of me. They think that I found a rich and powerful man and then rejected him, and instead found a handsome man that everyone likes to date and get engaged to. They’re jealous of my good fortune. If they don’t go around spreading rumors about me, they’ll feel terrible, like they’ll die!”
To put it bluntly, these people are just bored and have nothing better to do! I'm living my own life, whether I marry someone rich or poor, it's my own business and nobody else's to do with it! Some people are jumping up and down here, and if you didn't know the situation, you'd think they wanted to date or marry someone!
I've always been a very strong-willed person, and I told my mom before that I wanted to find her a son-in-law to live with her family. These days, what man would want to live with his wife's family? Would that man from the capital be willing? He definitely wouldn't, but Long Buxi is!
The man I marry will prioritize me. If I'm unhappy or treated badly, I'm ready to divorce him. Do you dare? If not, shut up in front of me. If I hear anyone gossiping about me again, believe me, I'll tear your mouths apart!
Her words stunned everyone. They hadn't expected that Cheng Ying was looking for a son-in-law to live with her family and that she was dating that Miao guy. Thinking about it, the man from the capital was indeed not suitable to date Cheng Ying.
Wan Shuhui disagreed, saying, "You child, why do you keep bringing up divorce? Today is such a wonderful day, and you haven't even married Long Buxi yet. Saying these things will only make you a laughingstock."
Cheng Ying said, "Mom, I'm telling the truth, there's no need to hold back. You know my personality, I can live without anyone. If Long Buxi continues to treat me well and always puts me first, and we're living a good life together, how could I possibly divorce him? I'm just warning those people with ulterior motives not to say anything untrue in front of me."
As she spoke, she strode to the left side of the yard, picked up a basin of water for washing dishes, and hurried to the earthen wall she had repaired.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, she lifted the basin of water and splashed it onto the other side of the wall. Soon after, the screams of Huang Cuizhi, her mother-in-law, and her two daughters-in-law could be heard.
It turned out they had been lying on the other side of the earthen wall, listening to what was happening at the Cheng family's side.
With a wooden basin tucked under her right arm, Cheng Ying sneered at the earthen wall, "I'm the kind of person who always holds a grudge and seeks revenge. Some people shouldn't think that just because they're hiding in the shadows and pointing fingers at me, I can't see them or swallow my anger. This time, I'll just throw cold water on you to teach you a lesson. Next time, I'll throw boiling water on you and see who dares to gossip about me!"
After she finished speaking, she turned her head and gave Old Man Guan a sharp look.
Even though she was decades younger than Old Man Guan, he felt inexplicably terrified when he saw the way she looked at dead men.
Now he had no choice but to apologize. After stammering and apologizing to Cheng Ying, he felt too ashamed to stay at the Cheng family's house any longer and quickly left.
As soon as he left, the courtyard became lively again, and everyone went about their business.
Friends and relatives surrounded Cheng Ying, asking her how she started dating Long Buxi, whether Long Buxi was really a Miao person, why his Mandarin was so good, whether he used witchcraft, and whether he really hunted that wild boar alone.
Cheng Ying patiently answered everyone's questions, and Long Buxi occasionally chimed in with a few words.
Seeing that it was getting late and almost time for dinner, Wan Shuhui urged Cheng Ying to go inside and change into a new dress that she had made for her yesterday, so that she could come out and greet the guests later.
Cheng Ying then walked into the house, with Long Buxi following behind her.
Wan Shuhui and the others stopped Long Buxi, saying that the two were not married yet and he could not go in, otherwise he would be laughed at. They left him alone in the courtyard to answer all kinds of questions from his aunts, uncles and other relatives.
Cheng Ying caught a glimpse of Long Buxi standing in the courtyard, surrounded by a group of people, looking helpless and confused. He looked pitiful as he gazed at her. Her heart softened, and she couldn't bear to leave him alone in the courtyard to be 'interrogated' by her relatives.
Just as she was about to speak and ask him to come inside with her, Cheng Xue pulled her into the room where the two sisters lived, closed the door, and blocked her view.
Inside the room, on the wooden bed by the window, lay a crimson, diagonally-buttoned, Republic-era style autumn dress.
Cheng Xue picked up the dress and gestured for Cheng Ying to put it on. "Sister, this is a dress that Mom specially borrowed cloth coupons from a few familiar aunts yesterday and bought the best polyester fabric in town. She worked overnight to make it. She said she would make you a red dress so you could wear it to your engagement party and also wear it to your wedding. Then you won't have to buy fabric to make a wedding dress. She'll make you two more everyday clothes for your wedding, which is more cost-effective."
More than a year has passed since the end of the ten-year turmoil. Policies from above change every day. After the riots completely disappeared, people were no longer limited to wearing only dark-colored fabrics of black, gray, blue and white, which were the only colors available during those ten years, for fear that wearing brightly colored clothes would attract unnecessary trouble.
Nowadays, many people boldly wear brightly colored clothes and appear on the streets without causing any trouble.
Gradually, people in many places began to wear brightly colored clothes that they hadn't dared to wear in the past ten years, going to work, strolling around, and expressing their individuality.
However, since we are still in the era of ration coupons, cloth coupons are still very rare. When making clothes, many people consider the long term and choose fabrics that are suitable for any occasion. For example, a red dress like this is usually only made for a wedding and worn occasionally after the wedding.
People in the countryside are generally reluctant to spend money on cloth coupons or large sums of money to make red clothes that are not often worn. Even for weddings, they make clothes in ordinary colors so that the bride can wear new clothes when she marries into the groom's family. That is considered to be doing the bride a good job.
Wan Shuhui felt sorry for her eldest daughter. She had suffered so much as a child, and had been hurt many times after growing up and starting work. Now that she was finally getting engaged and getting married, even though she didn't have many cloth coupons, she would borrow some to make a festive red dress for Cheng Ying.
Cheng Ying understood Wan Shuhui's good intentions, put on the clothes, and twirled in front of Cheng Xue, asking, "How is it? Does it look good?"
She had been recuperating from her injury and hadn't been running mail under the scorching sun. Her skin, which had been tanned by the sun, had become much fairer. The dress she wore had a fitted waist and a pleated skirt style, which accentuated her slender waist and made her look delicate and beautiful, standing tall and graceful like a flower.
Cheng Xue looked at her and nodded without hesitation: "Beautiful."
After saying that, she said enviously, "Sister, Mom is so good to you. You look so beautiful in this red dress. I wonder if Mom will make me a red dress like this when I get married? Your future brother-in-law is also very good to you. He brought such a big wild boar to your engagement ceremony. Mom is so proud of you. She's been beaming with joy wherever she goes these past few days."
Cheng Ying comforted her, "Our mother treats us sisters equally. She has saved up a lot of fabric for us before, just waiting for us sisters to get married and make clothes for us. What I have, you will have too. You don't need to envy how good Mom is to me."
Long Buxi made a bet with me to carry a wild boar because he is a Miao person and cannot afford the same amount of money and gifts as we Han people do. So, he can only offer a wild boar to his parents as a token of his filial piety, which is what he should do.
When you get engaged and married to Sun Zhiqing, he will definitely give you everything you're entitled to according to Han Chinese customs; he won't shortchange you. Rest assured, Sun Zhiqing is absolutely someone you can entrust your life to.”
Cheng Xue blushed as she thought of Sun Qinghui, twisting the hem of her clothes with her hands and asking hesitantly, "Sister, do you really think that Sun Qinghui is someone I can entrust my life to?"
Cheng Ying raised an eyebrow: "What, is he not good to you?"
"No, no, he's very good to me." Cheng Xue quickly shook her head. "He's just too good to me. It feels unreal, like I'm dreaming."
Sun Qinghui's parents were labeled as low-class and imprisoned in a cowshed for reform through labor. During those turbulent ten years, he and his parents suffered from the ostracism and oppression of the villagers. He had very little money and food and became extremely thin from hunger.
After confessing his feelings to Cheng Xue and the two got together, Sun Qinghui saved every penny, even going hungry, to buy Cheng Xue things that girls liked, such as face cream, hair clips, and hair ties, as well as all kinds of snacks that Cheng Xue liked. He would secretly go up the mountain at midnight to dig traps to hunt pheasants and rabbits, getting injured in the process, and bring back some wild animals to roast for her and her parents as a treat. He would also occasionally exchange work points for money to take her to the county cinema, buy her books that she liked, and so on.
Cheng Xue recalled how good Sun Qinghui had been to her, so good that it felt unreal to her.
Cheng Ying sat on the bed and pulled her to sit down with her, saying, "It's normal for you to feel this way. Most men and women are very excited when they first start dating and want to be together every day, treating each other with all their heart."
As time goes by and the couple spends more time together, the initial excitement fades, and they spend their days dealing with household chores, children, and elderly relatives. Even the smallest things can spark arguments, and fights between the couple become commonplace.
If things continue like this, even the best feelings from the past will eventually fade away, turning into a miserable couple who will either divorce or torment each other for the rest of their lives.
Cheng Xue was stunned. "If that's really how it ends, what should I do now?"
Cheng Ying said, "There's no need to be nervous. The situation I described is just the final outcome of many marriages. To avoid this outcome, we must choose a good man from the very beginning, one who is of good character, treats us well, and is a good person in himself."
At the same time, we should not place all our hopes on a man, lose ourselves for a man, and forget our original intentions and dreams.
We must be self-reliant, have our own careers, jobs, friends, and social circles, and be prepared to live alone even if we lose our husbands or anyone else.
Only when you are independent and self-reliant will you have the confidence to live a good life, no matter what your future partner becomes.
That will make a man feel insecure, so he won't dare to misbehave or betray you. He'll try to please you and treat you well, and your marriage will last.
She took a breath and continued, "The reason I chose Long Buxi is not only because he is the young chief of the Miao tribe and can stand up against Wei Muchen, who is harassing me, but also because no matter what kind of person Long Buxi is, it is true that he likes me and is good to me."
During the months I worked as a mail carrier, I was injured several times, and he was always there to treat and take care of me, doing my laundry and cooking for me.
Even when I deliberately asked him to wash my underwear, he didn't hesitate to do it, even though his hands were broken, as if it was his duty to wash my personal clothes.
Unlike us Han Chinese men, who ramble on and on about nothing when asked to do laundry, they are unwilling to do it.
Not to mention asking them to wash their underwear; they would only feel ashamed and unlucky to do so.
Just because Long Buxi is willing to do housework—he does everything perfectly without me having to ask—I'm willing to be with him.
Cheng Xue was surprised to hear this, "It seems that my future sister-in-law is quite nice."
She had never seen her sister praise a man like this before. She had thought that her sister's sudden relationship with that Miao man was because he had bewitched her and made her lose her mind. Now it seemed that her sister was clearly doing it willingly.
Cheng Ying said, "Sun Zhiqing is a good person. At least in my dreams, he has always been very good to you. You shouldn't suffer any losses if you stay with him."
Cheng Xue recalled all the kindness Sun Qinghui had shown her, and a sweet smile appeared on her face. "Since you've said so, I won't worry about it anymore. Don't worry, I'll listen to you and focus on my own things. I won't put all my thoughts on Sun Qinghui."
I've already told him that with the college entrance exam just around the corner, we'll take it, and whether we pass or not, we'll stick to our original plans and do what we want to do.
If I don't get into university, I'll go with him to the capital to look for work. It's the capital, there will be many more opportunities there, and I can be with him.
Similarly, even if he doesn't get into university, he'll find a job in the capital and stay with me while I study.
Cheng Ying smiled and said, "It's good that you have your own ideas. Anyway, if you suffer any grievances or can't make ends meet in the capital, just come home. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life. If Sun Zhiqing bullies you, just send me a telegram, and I'll beat him to death to avenge you!"
Cheng Xue felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, walked over and hugged her tightly, snuggling in her arms and saying, "Sister, I'm so happy to be your sister in this life."
Cheng Ying reached out and patted her head. "I'm very happy to be your sister. It's getting late, let's go out and not keep the guests waiting."
Cheng Xue nodded: "Okay."
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