"Qin Si, what time is it? You still haven't made breakfast? All you do is slack off. Kneading and letting the dough rest takes so much time. Why don't you get up half an hour earlier?" Tan Hua yawned and grumbled as she entered the kitchen.
She lifted the lid of the pot on the stove; it was half full of water, with tiny bubbles rising slightly.
"Hurry up! We've finished breakfast and are taking your nephew to school in the county town. If we're late and ruin his future, you'll be sorry!"
Qin Si is fifteen years old this year. Her skin is dark like her mother's, and she looks very thin.
She didn't dare to delay, so she stretched and kneaded the risen dough into thin noodles, and put them into the boiling water as soon as they came in.
"Second sister-in-law, breakfast will be ready soon. Go and wake up your eldest nephew."
Tan Hua rolled her eyes at her, turned around and left.
A moment later, Qin Tianshi came in, stirred the noodles in the pot a couple of times, and grabbed Qin Si's hand with a bitter face.
“My dear daughter, my life has been hard. After giving birth to your three older brothers, I was bought by Qin Fu to have a son, but it turned out to be you. Your father couldn’t bear it and drowned. Now all I want is to live happily with your brothers and their families. Your second sister-in-law has a bad temper, so please be more tolerant of her.”
Qin Si lowered his head and said softly, "Mother, I know."
When she was very young, she heard from Grandma Wang next door that she and her three older brothers did not share the same father, and that her mother was Qin Fu's third wife.
Her father's first two wives both gave birth to daughters, and he desperately wanted a son, so he took a liking to her mother and bought her from Dashi Village. However, she was the one who gave birth to this daughter.
If she were a son, would her father not have died? Would her mother not have been bullied as an orphan and widow, and would she have been forced to bring her three older brothers and ex-husband to live with her?
This attracted rumors and gossip.
Qin Tian smiled with satisfaction, "I knew our fourth child was the most well-behaved."
After hesitating for a long time, Qin Si said weakly, "Mother, could you please not call me Qin Si? I..."
"It doesn't matter what you call him." Qin Tian patted her hand. "Hurry up and take the noodles out, don't overcook them. I'm going to check if your little nephew has woken up yet."
Qin Si opened her mouth, wanting to say something different, but her mother had already gone out, so she could only scoop out the noodles and have the family eat together.
After tidying up the house, Qin Si went out with Aunt Niu from next door to chop firewood in the mountains near the town.
Aunt Niu felt sorry for her, "Why is it always you, a little girl, who chops the firewood for your family? What about your brothers?"
“My eldest nephew is going to school in the county town, he left early.” Qin Si chopped up some firewood and threw it together. “My second and third brothers have to look after the butcher shop, they don’t have time.”
Aunt Niu snorted, "You're just too soft-hearted. You should learn from your eldest sister. You're from the same family. Your eldest sister was a legendary figure back then, a role model for the whole of Wanzhou. Even Third Sister next door followed your sister's example and started her own business. Now her life is getting better and better..."
"Hey, I have to say, now so many girls in our Wanzhou work in your eldest sister's factory, doing embroidery and textiles. They're treated like royalty at home, and no man dares to beat or scold them anymore."
"Yes, Qin Si, you are Manager Qin's own sister. Even if you go to work as a textile worker in your sister's factory, it will be better than being tortured at home."
Qin Si lowered his head and said after a long while, "They don't like me."
Otherwise, he wouldn't go all year without visiting her even once.
Aunt Niu disagreed, "What are you saying? If your three older sisters didn't like you, would they send you things every year? Your family's butcher shop is getting worse every year. Without the money your sisters give you, your family of so many people wouldn't even be able to afford to eat."
"Is the money your eldest nephew spends on school money the New Year's money your sisters give you? Is everything your family eats and uses given to you by your sisters?"
“Child, think about it carefully. People only truly care about you when they spend real money on you. Everything else is just empty talk. If it weren’t for your eldest sister taking the initiative back then and putting your current house in your name, your three older brothers would have taken it long ago.”
Qin Si was stunned.
He opened his mouth as if to refute, but couldn't say anything.
It was already midday when I returned home with firewood on my back. The kitchen was quiet, without a single spark.
Qin Tian came out of the main room. "Fourth brother, why are you only coming back now? Hurry up and cook, your nephews are all hungry."
Qin Si gritted his teeth, put down the firewood, wiped his sweat, and then went into the kitchen to start a fire, wash the pot, and rinse the rice...
Suddenly, a tear fell and landed on the stove.
She stared blankly at the pot, not understanding why, even though she had gone to work, she couldn't get a hot meal when she returned, as everyone was waiting for her to cook.
Qin Tianshi walked in and began to sigh again, "Little Fourth, it's because your mother is useless, her health is poor, and she can't cook."
She glanced at her daughter by the stove, her eyes darting around as she thought about the discussions her three sons had been having these past few days.
If we marry Qin Si off soon, this house will be theirs.
The third son is still unmarried. If he had this house, he wouldn't have to worry about not getting married.
Qin Tian pounded her knees and murmured, "Little Fourth, you've reached the age for marriage. My health is deteriorating day by day. I just hope you can marry into a good family. I'll be at peace even if I die then."
"Mother, don't say that." Qin Si was no longer in the mood to think about what had just happened; her heart was entirely focused on Qin Tianshi. "We'll go see a doctor this afternoon; this knee can definitely be healed."
Qin Tianshi rubbed her waist again, "My whole body aches, I'd better not go for it. This money, I'll save it for your dowry."
As they were talking, two people entered through the door. Qin Tianshi hurriedly went to greet them and warmly invited them inside.
Looking out the kitchen window, Qin Si could tell from the clothes of the two people that they were relatives from Dashi Village.
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