After Mu Yi'an finished cutting the sheep grass, Jiang Qi also carried over half a basket of sheep grass.
"Second sister-in-law, you work so fast!"
"It's alright. I've improved over this period of practice. At the beginning, I stumbled along the way."
Jiang Qi looked much more composed, as if she had made a decision.
"Second sister-in-law, thank you. I've been keeping these things bottled up inside for too long, and I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I came back this time to calm down and think about what I should do. I wanted to talk to our mother, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. I've grown up without being a good son to my parents, and instead, I've made them worry and feel uneasy. Now something bad is about to happen again. I'm really an unfilial person."
“Jiang Qi, parents love their children so much that we ourselves don’t even know how much. Even though you’re married, you’re still your parents’ daughter. If there’s anything, instead of hiding it from them and letting them guess and worry, it’s better to talk to them clearly. As children, living a good life is the greatest filial piety we can show our parents.”
Mu Yi'an reflected on her past thirty-odd years, her days filled with thoughts of how to earn tuition and continue her studies. Later, she worried about escaping her mother's nagging about marriage, having had numerous disagreements with her parents. She didn't know if she was a dutiful daughter; she had given her family a lot of money, but she truly couldn't conform to her parents' wishes or live according to their expectations.
"Yes, Second Sister-in-law, I don't know why, but this time when I came back, I felt much closer to you. Being by your side made me feel very at ease."
Second sister-in-law, my mother-in-law is planning to let my husband take a concubine. They've even chosen someone—his distant cousin—who's already living in the house. I don't know what to do. If I accept, I'll be heartbroken; if I don't, does that mean I have to get a divorce?
"Distant cousin, did your mother-in-law explicitly say that you should let your husband take a concubine?"
"Although it wasn't said explicitly, it was implied in the words. It was said that they had tolerated me for so long without having a child, and that they had already been very kind to me."
Jiang Qi felt a pang of sadness as she thought about her mother-in-law's words. Over the years, she had taken so many medications, and only she knew the suffering she had endured.
"Jiang Qi, I have a rather personal question. You two haven't had any children yet. Has your husband seen a doctor?"
“My husband? He didn’t see a doctor; I was the one who always saw one. At first, they said he had some cold in his uterus, and after taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, he recovered. But we still couldn’t have children, so my mother-in-law had the doctor prescribe medicine for me. Second sister-in-law, to be honest, after all these years, I’m really scared. I feel like vomiting just from the smell of medicine.”
Jiang Qi couldn't help but gag a few times at the thought of the medicine's smell.
"Jiang Qi, if a couple has normal sexual relations but no children, the chances of the problem being with one of them are fifty-fifty."
"Second sister-in-law, are you saying the problem might also lie with your husband?"
Jiang Qi's tone was full of uncertainty and surprise. Over the years, no one had ever said such a thing to her. Everyone thought that her inability to have children was her problem.
"Yes, having a child is a matter for two people, and problems can arise on either side. Haven't you thought about that?"
"No, when I first saw the doctor, he said I had a bit of uterine coldness, but it wasn't serious, and that some medicine would fix it. However, over the past few years, the doctor said my uterine coldness was cured, but I still haven't been able to have children, and I'm so tired of taking the medicine that I'm about to vomit."
Jiang Qi felt nauseous just thinking about it and never wanted to take medicine again in her life.
"So what are your plans? Will the Fan family agree to let your husband see a doctor? What is your husband's attitude towards not having children?"
"My husband cares about nothing but studying. He listens to his mother-in-law in everything and lets her make the decisions."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yi'an thought, "Isn't this just a mama's boy?"
“My mother-in-law’s intention is very clear now; she wants my husband to take a concubine. However, I am unwilling and feel uncomfortable about it. But everyone says that women should not be jealous and should think about the family line and the continuation of the bloodline.”
Mu Yi'an didn't say anything about men taking concubines being wrong; that was her opinion, not the mainstream thought of the time. She and Jiang Qi were different.
"You should discuss this matter with your parents and see what they think. Will they accept the concubine, or will they have your husband see a doctor to determine whose cause is the problem and receive treatment? If you really can't take it anymore and want a divorce, that's also possible."
Mu Yi'an almost blurted out "divorce".
"Divorce? Wouldn't that bring shame to my parents?"
Jiang Qi had considered it; she felt that married life wouldn't be as carefree and relaxed as living at her parents' home.
“If you can’t live with your husband’s family anymore, your parents won’t stop you because they think divorce is a disgrace to the family. Your second brother and I won’t think divorce is a shameful thing either. If Chuyue grows up and is unhappy after getting married, I will also let her get a divorce and come home.”
"Second sister-in-law, Chuyue wouldn't do that."
Jiang Qi didn't want her niece to encounter the same thing as her in the future. For a woman, an unhappy marriage is really hard to endure!
"I also hope that everything goes well for her in the future, but no one can guarantee that bad things won't happen. We must always consider the worst-case scenario and make corresponding countermeasures."
"That's true. Every woman thinks of beautiful things the moment she puts on her wedding dress. But real life is really different."
Thank you, Second Sister-in-law. I will talk to Mom and Dad about this. I don't know what the final outcome will be, but I've considered even the worst-case scenario, so nothing else matters.
Jiang Qi felt a little better. Putting everything else aside, her second sister-in-law's attitude represented her second brother's. At least she had her brother and sister-in-law supporting her.
The two women, an aunt and a sister-in-law, carried baskets on their backs as they walked home, their steps feeling much lighter than when they arrived.
Returning home, the aroma wafting from the yard made me feel even better.
"Second sister-in-law, eldest sister, you're back."
Li Qiuniang came out of the kitchen. She really admired her second sister-in-law. The simple bone broth tasted so good that her mouth was watering.
"Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work. I'm going to wash my hands and change my clothes so I can put the tofu in the soup."
"It's not hard work at all, the aroma is so enticing, it's making my mouth water."
Li Qiuniang and Mu Yi'an got along well, so they spoke quite casually.
Mu Yi'an didn't stand on ceremony with her. She took the sheep grass to the backyard and went back to her room to wash up.
Later, add tofu and kelp to the soup, and then make a small side dish with the soup and vegetables.
Mu Yi'an went to the kitchen and started steaming the buns. The dough she had prepared that morning was now fermenting perfectly. Without yeast, it wasn't easy for the dough to rise.
At noon, the food was delivered to the school, and the children returned. Mu Yi'an busied herself preparing the meal.
Seeing that her eldest daughter's complexion had improved, Jiang's mother wondered what she and her second daughter-in-law had discussed. She wanted to ask, but ultimately held back, deciding to wait until her daughter had thought it through before telling her.
Sister-in-law Jiang and Jiang Lan exchanged a glance, wondering what had happened on the mountain, as the sister-in-law's expression had clearly changed.
Ignoring their bickering, Mu Yi'an ate and drank her fill, tidied up, and then took her child for a nap.
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