"Shumei, I'm sorry."
Ji Zong, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke when he saw Shu Mei busy under him.
"What are you sorry for?"
Ji Zong's incontinence was a real problem; he couldn't always be allowed to urinate and defecate in bed! There weren't enough quilts at home to replace the bedsheets, so Shumei temporarily put a pile of straw paper under Ji Zong's bed and dug out some discarded rags of cotton-padded clothes to make a diaper for him.
Ji Zong had wanted to tell Shu Mei what he was thinking. He had been like this, and Shu Mei hadn't had a good life with him for two days. He couldn't bear to see her continue this inhuman life because of him. He wanted to divorce Shu Mei and let her go. But seeing Shu Mei busy and busy, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"It's the middle of the night, and you haven't cooked yet. Are you going to starve us to death?"
Wu Ju was sitting in the main room, feeling bored but unwilling to get up to cook, so she shouted at the top of her voice.
Upon hearing this, Shumei put down her work and prepared to go out to cook. Although she was still in confinement, although she was exhausted, and although her mother-in-law had abandoned her own flesh and blood, she had to grit her teeth and persevere in order to continue her life and for Jizong to live a more peaceful life.
Love? She believed that what she felt for Ji Zong was true love. Since they had fallen in love, since they had begun, there was no reason to give up halfway. Love wasn't all about love and affection; love wasn't all about bliss and happiness; love wasn't just about staying together in good times, but also about sticking together through bad times.
She didn’t know what tomorrow would be like, but she firmly believed that there would be a rainbow after the storm.
All I have to do is to try my best to keep my life going, and let my love smell of happiness again amidst the chaos, rumors and storms.
"Mother, Shumei still has to take care of the child! You..."
Ji Zong thought, since he couldn't help Shu Mei, at least he couldn't just watch his own mother abuse Shu Mei so unscrupulously.
Before Ji Zong could finish his words, Shu Mei shook her head at him, interrupting him.
"You look after the kids, I'll go cook."
Shumei tied on an apron, walked out of the room, and opened the rice jar in the main hall. The rice jar was empty, and the remaining rice was barely enough for today's dinner.
"Mother, do you have any grain left at home? I'll go get some rice tomorrow."
"Wheat? There's no chaff left, so where's the grain? If you don't find a solution, all of us, young and old, will die."
Shumei and the others pay for daily expenses. After so many years, it is impossible for Wu Ju not to have saved some money. She just doesn't want to spend it.
Shumei said nothing and quietly went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After the family happily finished this "last dinner", they all returned to their rooms.
Soon, Wu Ju and the others' lights went out. On Shumei's side, Ji Zong lay in bed, his hands protecting the sleeping child, his eyes wide open, accompanying Shumei, who was still holding a lamp to make a diaper for her.
"Shumei, it's late. Let's do it tomorrow."
"No, I have a lot to do tomorrow! This is what you're waiting for, I can't neglect it."
"Then come sit on the bed! You're still in confinement, it's freezing cold, be careful not to catch a cold."
After hearing what Ji Zong said, Shu Mei took the sewing basket and crawled into bed to continue working.
"Shumei, do you regret marrying me?"
"Why are you saying all this? Don't overthink it. Things will get better. If I could turn back time, I would still choose to marry you without hesitation. Don't feel too burdened. Let's switch roles from now on. You'll take care of the interior and I'll take care of the exterior. Nothing is impossible for those who set their minds to it."
Shumei actually smiled as she said this to Jizong. She actually thought this way. Jizong should have been happy, but the better Shumei treated him, the more he blamed himself. This was the blessing he had cultivated over several lifetimes to marry such a virtuous wife in this life.
The next day, Shumei got up before dawn and rushed to the brick factory where Jizong worked, carrying her child on her back.
With so many mouths to feed, relying solely on the meager harvest from the fields meant they couldn't afford to eat their next meal. She had to find a way to make a living for her family, and everything started with filling their stomachs.
Although she was already a mother, she still had a charming demeanor, attracting bees and butterflies wherever she went. If it weren't for the child on her back, no one would have believed she was a married woman. The ravages of fate and the passage of time had left many new wounds on her heart and spirit, but her pretty face showed no trace of them.
As soon as they entered the brick factory, there was a commotion. The crowd of men, all of varying heights, weights, and ages, but all covered in dust and dirt, began to cast lecherous glances at Shumei.
"Look, look, there's something going on over there."
A man's voice forced everyone to look towards Shumei. Although Tang Boyi was among them, he didn't have the time to meddle in other people's affairs. He buried his head in the work at hand.
"Wow! Whose daughter-in-law is this? She is so tender and beautiful."
"Hey! Is this yours?"
"Him? Look at his ugly appearance, how could anyone like him, haha..."
"This kind of woman is not something you and I can afford."
"Yes, yes, beautiful women are unsafe. Who knows, one day they might become a cuckold and have to help others raise their sons."
"Hahaha……"
The men started to use Shumei as an introduction, and they joked with each other while doing their work.
Under the guidance of the goalkeeper, Shumei carried her child on her back and walked towards the factory director's office.
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