Chapter 156 A Woman's Path to Survival Isn't Just One
"Father! What are you saying!" Duan Feiyang frowned.
Granny Duan also got up from the ground. "A hen that doesn't lay eggs! She's just jealous that your sister-in-law had two sons."
"She attacked us with deadly force right in front of us today. If we hadn't been here, our Duan family's granddaughter, Miaomiao, would be gone!"
Duan Feicheng also walked in. "Brother, if you don't give me an explanation for what happened today, don't blame me for not being brothers anymore!"
Luo Danniang's eyes were red. "Duan Feiyang, as soon as we got back, they robbed the money that Yao Niangzi was giving to Xuan'er. It was just some copper coins. You're telling me to put up with it?"
"Your good nephew just tried to push Xuan'er into the fish pond. If I hadn't been home, you would be coming back to find Xuan'er's corpse!"
Wang Su'e spat, "Everyone witnessed you hitting us!"
Dan Niang didn't want to compete with them now, so she looked at Duan Feiyang.
"Today you have two choices: either get a divorce, or come with us, mother and child."
Granny Duan's eyes darted around, and she rushed forward, trying to snatch Xuan'er away.
"Duan Xuan is my granddaughter. If you want to leave, leave yourself!"
Xuan'er screamed and hid behind her mother, Dan Niang, who immediately picked her up.
"I've heard you all say behind her back that she's a money-loser so many times!"
"What do you want her for? Are you thinking of selling her for a good price when she's a few years older?!"
Danniang hated their hypocrisy and her husband's blind filial piety.
If her mother hadn't fallen ill and spent all the dowry money back then, she would never have married into this family!
Wang Su'e was from the same village and had two sons, so they were somewhat hesitant.
She was from a neighboring village. Her father died young, and her younger brother was still quite young.
She has no one to rely on, so she's the easiest person to bully in this family.
Why should I?!
She sold embroidery, she worked as a helper, she earned money and supported her family.
What did we get in return?!
"Dan Niang, don't say things in anger."
Duan Feiyang will not divorce his wife. His wife has had a hard life, but his parents are also his parents. If he leaves, the word "filial piety" alone could land him in jail.
Dan Niang nodded with a slight tremor in her lips, "Alright, let's get a divorce."
She turned and left the Duan family home with her daughter in her arms.
"Danniang!"
Duan Feiyang wanted to chase after him, but Old Man Duan grabbed him.
"return!"
Granny Duan stepped forward and grabbed him, "You mustn't go! Even if Luo Dan's mother is gone, I'll find you another wife who can bear sons!"
The neighbors who were watching were all criticizing Luo Danniang.
“A woman who causes such unrest during the Lunar New Year, I wouldn’t want her in my family.”
"That's right. Women should stay at home and serve their parents-in-law. Luo Danniang has only been away for less than a year, and her heart has already become wild."
The group dispersed, chattering away.
Only a thin woman in the corner watched Luo Daniang's back, a hint of envy quietly welling up in her eyes.
very nice.
There is more than one way for a woman to live.
Luo Danniang held back her tears, realizing that after leaving her husband's family, she truly had nowhere to go.
After their mother died, her younger brother went to work in the Dengzhou mines to make up for her dowry.
There were almost no students in the first year of junior high.
Everyone went back to their hometown.
"Xuan'er, Aunt Dan!"
Fu'er ran over, holding a string of bright red, round candied hawthorns in her hand.
Dan Niang quickly wiped away her tears.
"Fu'er, why are you here all alone? Where are your mother and uncle?"
There are two streets between here and the mansion.
Fu'er pointed to the alley next to her, where there was a temple dedicated to the God of Wealth.
“My mother is praying to the gods, and she doesn’t want me to disturb her.”
"Aunt Dan, why are you crying?"
Dan Niang smiled slightly, "No, it's just that the wind got in my eyes."
Just then, Yao Shisan came out. "Hey? Dan Niang, didn't you go back?"
Dan Niang tried to sound casual by saying that she had some business in town.
But looking into her concerned eyes, no matter how much she smiled, it felt like she was weighed down by a ton.
"Danniang?"
Yao Shisan sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward, only to find that her eyes were bloodshot.
"Where's Duan Feiyang? Why are you and Xuan'er the only ones here? Come on, let's go back together."
Back at the mansion.
Yao Shisan asked Fu'er to take Xuan'er out to play.
"Sister Zhang took Xiulian and Xiuzhou back to Yuzhou. Fu'er had been complaining about how boring it was, so it's perfect that Xuan'er is here!"
After Shuang'er took the child out to play.
She then took her hand and said, "Dan Niang, I won't advise you to reconcile or separate."
“It won’t be easy for you to raise Xuan’er alone.”
She sighed softly, "I'm dealing with a tiger for its skin. I might escape some harm, but I can't avoid a huge sacrifice."
Dan Niang shook her head. "In Fei Yang's heart, his parents are more important than me and Xuan'er."
“I have never called him an unfilial father or mother. I just want him to stand up for us when my mother and I suffer injustice.”
"Xuan'er nearly lost her life today, and what will happen in the future is still unknown."
"I can't take it anymore. So what if it's hard to walk? As long as there's a road, it's fine."
Yao Shisan looked into her eyes and laughed after a long while.
"Since there's a way out, why are you crying like this?"
"I thought you still had hope for that family."
Dan Niang was taken aback at first, then raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears. "Right! Why am I crying!"
Yao Shisan said, "Didn't you want to open a pastry shop? From now on, you should seriously study how to make pastries."
Dan Niang, "What should we do about Little Fatty Xi?"
"Didn't you say you were going to cook for him? Just consider it cooking for him!"
Dan Niang chuckled, "How can we eat snacks every day?"
"Then eat it occasionally."
Yao Shisan's eyes also held a smile, "As long as you're ready, go open the shop."
Dan Niang said, "I haven't saved enough money yet. I'll raise Xiao Pang Xi until he's three years old, and then I should have enough money."
"I'll rent a small shop on the main street then!"
Yao Shisan: "Is there any hope now?"
"I've got it!" Dan Niang nodded vigorously, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Mother!"
"Mother!"
The cheerful voices of two children rang out from outside.
"Uncle He bought a huge sheep!"
Yao Shisan took Dan Niang's hand and said, "After you've finished crying, wipe away your tears and look ahead!"
"good!"
It's too cold in the courtyard now, so Jiang Xingyao and Wei Xun cleared out an empty room next to the kitchen.
In the middle of the empty room, a round stove was built using blue bricks.
The slaughtered sheep is placed on a fire to roast.
He Zhuo and He Ran ate roasted lamb most often at the border. Lamb was rare in Ding County, let alone roasted lamb.
Therefore, He Zhuo searched for a long time before finally buying a sheep, and according to the customs of the border region, it was slaughtered and brought back today.
Apart from Jiang Xingyao, none of the others had ever eaten roasted lamb.
Fu'er stopped running around and sat quietly to the side, waiting to eat.
He Ran gently rubbed her little face. "It will take more than an hour to bake this!"
Fu'er: "It's alright, it's worth the wait for this taste."
Xuan'er: "It's worth the wait!"
The two children's innocent and childlike remarks made the adults in the house burst into laughter.
*
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I went back to my parents' home.
The daughters of the Duke of England who had married out all returned with their husbands and children.
Now, with Zhou Congxian's increased reliance on them, their respective status in their husbands' families has also risen accordingly.
Zhou Wanyan was the eldest daughter of the Zhou family and married the earliest. Although she was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, she married down to the family of Bo Mu of Fenyang.
When she got off the carriage, Mu Shouzhen reached out to help her down.
“Wanyan, I’ve brought plenty of gifts today. Don’t forget about my future when you’re with Xiandi later.”
Zhou Wanyan glared at him and snorted coldly, "How dare our good-for-nothing brother mention the name of an official?"
Mu Shouzhen slapped his face twice. "Isn't this just drunken nonsense!"
"It's been two or three years, and you're still holding a grudge."
Zhou Wanyan ignored him and led the two children inside first.
Mu Shouzhen had no idea that a seemingly insignificant commander of the Yan Guard could rise so rapidly in rank!
If he had known earlier that his brother-in-law was such a peculiar person, he wouldn't have needed to spend his days writing pretentious poems with that group of pedantic scholars.
He raised his voice as he stepped through the door.
"Brother Xian! Your brother-in-law has acquired a new treasured sword!"
Mu Ziqiu and Fu'er were the same age, and he had long forgotten that Fu'er was no longer in the Duke of Ying's mansion.
As soon as he came in, he called out, "Zhou Jiafu!"
This shout startled everyone in the room.
Zhou Wanyan's face stiffened, and she immediately covered her son's mouth, "What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and kowtow to your maternal grandparents."
Mu Ziqiu looked up and saw the warning in his mother's eyes, then obediently stepped forward and kowtowed.
He and his sister Mu Zirong said in unison, "We wish our maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, and great-grandmother a Happy New Year."
"Get up!"
The sound of children making noise in the mansion brought smiles to the eyes of Duke Zhou and Lady Zhao.
Zhou Wanyan glanced at her younger brother and, seeing that his expression hadn't changed, slowly let out a breath.
It's been two years; you should have moved on by now.
Even if a concubine is someone you admire, if she can remain in your heart for two years, then her brother is quite devoted.
The second person to arrive was Zhou Wanyue, the second daughter of the Zhou family. After getting married, she followed her husband to his post. Last year, she returned to the capital due to a major reshuffle in the court.
The second son-in-law of the Zhou family was better than the eldest son-in-law; he served as a vice minister in the Ministry of Works.
They brought three children, and as soon as they arrived, they started playing with the two Mu family members.
Then came Zhou Wanqing, who got married last year.
Although she was a concubine's daughter, she married the third son of the Marquis of Xingyang, thanks to the success of her elder brother Zhou Congxian's rise in rank.
Her married life was actually the best.
She had an eldest sister-in-law to manage the household and two other sisters-in-law to serve her, so her mother-in-law didn't really boss her around as the newlywed daughter-in-law.
"Ziqiu, stop being naughty and stay with your older brother and sister."
After giving her instructions, Zhou Wanyan turned to look at her second sister, who was pregnant again, and asked, "When is your second sister going to give birth?"
Zhou Wanyue: "It's probably almost summer."
She smiled slightly, then said, "Big sister, you shouldn't be asking me that right now."
Her gaze swept towards Zhou Congxian.
Zhou Congxian noticed his two older sisters' gazes and, remembering the imperial decree given to him by the Emperor, wondered if he should use it as a shield...
No, he doesn't even know who Meng Shilan is, and besides, he doesn't want to get married. He shouldn't hurt her.
"Sister, don't look at me. I'm going to Jianzhou soon. It's a long and arduous journey. Don't delay others."
Zhou Wanyue glared at him, "It won't delay anything. I'll go to my post with you and take care of your daily needs."
Zhou Congxian said, "The navy is all men, it's not suitable. Let's discuss it later."
Zhao waved to her two daughters, completely ignoring what he said.
"The wife of the Minister of Rites told me about a candidate, what about the daughter of the Yang family?"
Zhou Wanyue had met the Yang family's daughter a few times, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"I think it's a good match! She has a good personality and is good-looking!"
"Mother, you must say, they really are a perfect match!"
Zhou Congxian, "Mother..."
Zhou Wanyan pushed away her younger brother's outstretched hand and joined the discussion, "The Yang family's daughter is renowned for her virtue; so many people would kill for her. Mother, you should hurry!"
"Big sister..."
No one paid any attention to them.
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