Widow Yuan's parents-in-law are typical traditional parents-in-law from the old society, otherwise they would not have tied their daughter-in-law up tightly and not allowed her to remarry. They didn't know she was having an affair before, but now that they know, it's like the sky has fallen.
Not only did they verbally insult her, they also often tied her up with ropes at night, fearing that she would go out and mess around again and ruin the family's reputation.
Widow Yuan had to go to the village to clear snow from the road during the day, and had to endure such terrible treatment when she came back at night. If she said one more word, she would be beaten severely. No one would feel sorry for her or say a word for her.
Her parents had ignored her in the early years.
I am truly alone and helpless.
All her old lovers kept their tails between their legs, fearing that she would expose them and drag them into criticism.
On the day when Wang Quezi and Yuan Guafu were criticized, everyone went to watch. It was shocking. Who could endure such torture?
You never feel sad unless it happens to you.
How to say it, there must be something hateful about a pitiful person.
After dealing with Wang Cunzi, Ji Linhai could finally breathe a sigh of relief, otherwise he would always be worried.
Zhong Zijun's family finally prepared food and firewood for the winter before winter came.
Around the beginning of winter, several nearby villages organized a firewood harvesting activity. After each family paid their quota, they could take any leftovers back home to burn. One season, Lin Hai helped openly and secretly, and Zhong Zijun had a lot left after handing over his quota, so he could bring it back home to burn, and he didn't feel bad about burning the kang every year.
The village gave them 13 parts fat and 70 parts lean meat from the winter hunt every year, about one pound.
Later, when they slaughtered the New Year pig, they gave me another knife and two pounds of lean meat.
In short, other families didn't want the meat, so they gave it to her.
Zhong Zijun was quite satisfied. She had no shortage of lard now. When the lady left, she left her a large basin of lard, enough for her to eat throughout the winter.
She cut the meat into small pieces and froze them in a large natural refrigerator, and took a piece when she wanted to eat.
Also, before the young lady left, she gave them a lot of meat. These days, Ji Linhai occasionally gave them some game, so the family is not short of meat now.
Zhong Zijun quietly prepared everything, froze them, and prepared them for Cat Winter to eat slowly.
The food they distributed this year was the same as the previous year, not much and all coarse grain, just enough to make ends meet.
However, there was less work for the past six months, so the whole family had a good rest. Now our bodies are strong, and the three of us have not been sick this whole winter, which is better than anything else.
She didn't know that this was the effect of Gu Qinghuan Spirit Spring Water, and thought it was fate that the nutrition had caught up.
The cotton jackets, cotton pants, sweaters and trousers for the family of three were all prepared by Gu Qinghuan beforehand, so we didn't have to buy them again, which saved us a lot of trouble.
Zhong Zijun and Cheng Shuying worked together to make new cotton-padded jackets for the Ji family father and son before the weather turned cold. Zhong Zijun secretly sent them to Ji, who tried them on and found they fit well. There was some extra space left, so they could be worn with other clothes.
She was quite good at making clothes, mainly because when Gu Qinghuan was little, she always loved to make all kinds of skirts for her, so she developed this skill.
At the same time, they also stewed some carrot and meat soup for the two of them. In fact, mutton and carrot are a better match. Without mutton, they can only make do with pork, but something is better than nothing.
It was the first time for the Ji family father and son to wear warm new cotton-padded clothes in winter after they had lived here for several years.
Take another sip of the refreshing radish and pork soup to warm your whole body.
It's so comfortable. This body is getting better and better.
Old Master Ji's eyes were shining when he looked at Zhong Zijun. She was clever, could make clothes, cooked delicious meals, had a good heart, and was grateful. How nice it would be for her to be his daughter-in-law!
Thinking of this, he gave his son a cold look.
Ji Linhai, this kid, is saying that in the current situation, he is already in danger and doesn't want to drag others down.
Why!
Ji Linhai didn't notice the old man's look at all, he lowered his head and drank the soup seriously.
She finished a bowl in one go, and showed Zhong Zijun how delicious her cooking was.
Old Master Ji praised: "Your cooking skills are really good. Unlike our family, no matter how good the food is, it doesn't taste like that." The main reason is that the family lacks a daughter-in-law.
Zhong Zijun smiled and said, "As long as you like it, I'll make something delicious later and give you a bite."
Ji Linhai put down the bowl and wiped his mouth.
"Don't get used to him. It's icy and snowy here, and it's so cold. It's not easy to go back and forth. It's good enough to have something to eat. You are so picky all day long. What a wretch!" The last sentence was said to Old Man Ji.
Master Ji touched his nose awkwardly and said: "I'm not being picky, just think about what you are doing!
Xiao Zhong, don't take it personally. I'm just saying, the brat is right. It's not worth running back and forth in this icy weather."
Of course Zhong Zijun listened to it, and from then on, every time his family made something delicious, he would send a bite to the Ji family if he could.
Lian Zhong Weiqian has come to the Ji family twice to help deliver meals.
Although these two old men, one a scholar and the other a warrior, should have been uncomfortable with each other, they surprisingly got along very well.
Zhong Weiqian had made some friends. From time to time, he would come to play chess and chat with Master Ji. The two old men would even go fishing by digging holes in the ice together.
The exchanges between the two families gradually increased.
As they got along during this period, Ji Linhai did develop a special feeling for Zhong Zijun.
This was the first time in his life that he had a desire to protect a woman, a tough guy with a soft heart.
He didn't want to deceive himself, but he was used to being single, and for a moment he didn't know how to react.
On the one hand, he was not prepared in his heart. He was now a prisoner and could not provide Zhong Zijun with a stable life, let alone any security. Therefore, he was powerless and could not even open his mouth to express his feelings.
On the other hand, it is the man's self-esteem that is at work. He hopes that he can express his feelings to Zhong Zijun in a better mental state.
Now Zhong Zijun is obviously not attracted to him yet. If he confesses his feelings rashly, he is afraid of being rejected. He is even more afraid that they will not even be able to be friends in the future.
So he kept his feelings to himself.
Zhong Zijun didn't think about it at all. After all, she had experienced a nightmare marriage and now had no idea about men. She just wanted her family to live a good life and wait for the clouds to clear and the moon to appear.
Ji Linhai and Zhong Zijun helped to collect the vegetables from the backyard vegetable garden of Gu Qinghuan's home in Xujiatun. Except for the vegetables that did not last long, which the two families shared and ate, Ji Linhai put the rest into the cellar.
Zhong Zijun didn't know when her daughter and son-in-law would return, so she could only help collect the vegetables to prevent them from freezing.
Ji Linhai had previously saved a lot of skins from hunting, mostly rabbits, but also roe deer and so on.
He specially asked the old hunter in the village for the method of tanning leather, secretly processed all the leather, and then packed them all and sent them to Zhong Zijun's home so that she could make clothes to wear. The fur was warm and soft.
Zhong Zijun didn't expect that he would be this capable. These furs seemed to be well handled.
These two white pieces will definitely look good when made into a hat for Huanhuan, and this gray piece can be made into a cover to match.
She liked these furs very much and wanted to keep them but felt embarrassed because they were all obtained with great effort by her parents.
In order to reassure him, Ji Linhai said that he was a grown man and was not suitable to wear these things, and it would be a waste to throw them away, so he gave them to her.
Zhong Zijun accepted it with peace of mind and even gave him a dollar, not wanting him to suffer a loss.
Of course Ji Linhai would not charge her any money, and only said that he would make more delicious food for her later.
This way we can see each other more often.
Zhong Zijun collected these furs and made some plans.
He used the fur of the roe deer to make a warm warmer for the Ji family father and son and his own parents.
I also made a hat and a pair of gloves for Gu Qinghuan.
The two grandsons each made a pair of grey fur coats. I wanted to make hats, but was worried that they would not fit because I did not measure their sizes as they are still growing.
Of course, Xu Huaiyu, the son-in-law, did not forget and made a hat with ear protection.
And her son. Although Xu Yu was gone, she still missed him in her heart. She made a hat for him according to Xu Huaiyu's size, but she was sad for Xu Yu in her heart.
Although these furs seem a lot, it would be more crowded if every piece had to be taken care of.
After finishing them, there were still some scraps left, so Zhong Zijun pieced them together and made himself a pair of warm water bottles.
Ji Linhai received the heating pad she sent, and then looked at the heating pad made of various colors on her body.
I sighed in my heart.
He had originally wanted her to use the fur to make him a new set of clothes, but in the end, all she had were some leftovers. At this point, he really wished she could be more selfish.
It is inconvenient to hunt in winter because of the heavy snow in the mountains. Ji Linhai decided that if there is a chance next year, he would hunt more rabbits and make a rabbit fur coat for her.
Those in power are confused, but those who are watching can see clearly.
Zhong Zijun didn't notice that Ji Linhai treated her differently, but Zhong Weiqian and his wife saw it all.
This boy surnamed Ji is too good to his daughter. The fiery look in his eyes cannot deceive her. It would be strange to say that he has no ulterior motives.
However, they did not point it out. It was obvious that Zhong Zijun did not have that kind of intention towards Ji Linhai. Ji Linhai did not say it explicitly, and it was obvious that he had his own concerns, so he just let it go.
It's up to the children to decide on their own.
Even though they knew each other for so long, they actually didn't know much about Ji Linhai's past, because none of them liked gossiping and never asked about other people's family affairs. They believed in keeping a gentleman's friendship pure and simple and lived in the present.
I often hear Old Man Ji mention that his son is still single.
Speaking of Ji Linhai, he looks tall, steady and down-to-earth. Although he has a beard, you can see that he has good facial features. How could he be single?
But these are not important anymore. The most important thing is that although Zhong Zijun seems to be happy every day, she actually keeps her heart closed and it is difficult for her to open her heart to him.
If Ji Linhai can really make her open her heart, then that is their fate.
The two decided to keep quiet, watch the fire from the other side of the river and let nature take its course.
It was the end of the year in a flash. Zhong Zijun counted the days every day and often went to Xujiatun to see if her daughter and her family had returned. At the same time, she also wanted to bring some warmth to Mr. and Mrs. Ji.
She thought to herself that the girl probably wouldn't come back to celebrate the New Year next year. She did receive a letter before saying that the house had been taken back and that the ungrateful Gu Yunchuan had been brought to justice.
This made her cry bitterly and vent her anger.
There has been no news about this episode.
She originally wanted to send some food over, as her family had stored a lot of game over the years.
But then I thought, my daughter is a big girl, she won't let me down wherever she goes, so I decided to just forget it.
Unexpectedly, just a few days before the New Year, Gu Qinghuan actually came back, bringing her son, who she missed so much, and niece with her.
It was Ji Linhai who took the initiative to go and inform her first. He knew that Zhong Zijun was looking forward to news from here every day.