Chapter 29
Everyone opened their mouths and dug in. The children picked up their chopsticks and picked up the braised pork intestines and pork liver.
After tasting it…
“Mmm…it’s delicious.”
The only problem was that there was only so much food. Two bites for one person and it was gone.
But to the children, this was a rare delicacy. They were extremely happy.
Father Han couldn’t help but take a few more bites.
There were many people at home, so it was impossible for him to keep eating. He ate some wotou and looked at Han Qiao, who was sitting at one of the other tables.
He hid his worries in his heart.
After eating, Han Qiao found out that her youngest brother had gone to work for someone. He had to work for two months for a hundred cash per day.
She didn’t need to do the dishes. The two sisters-in-law quickly went to take care of the mess. When they saw the extra food in the kitchen, they were shocked.
“This…”
The older sister-in-law’s eyes widened.
“As expected, Han Qiao once lived in the city. No matter what, they have a lot nicer things there,” the younger sister-in-law, Mrs. Mu, sighed.
She could not take out these grains, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Even though she had them, she just couldn’t bear to part with them.
Thinking of this, the two sisters-in-law decided to find their mother-in-law and ask if they could put these things away. When the time came, they would let Han Qiao take them into her home.
The Han family wasn’t poor to the point of not being able to put food on the table. Even if Han Qiao and her children stayed with them for ten days or half a month, they wouldn’t go hungry.
Since Han Yuan had been busy all day, she was drenched in sweat.
After taking a bath, she sat in the yard and fanned herself.
She also swatted away at mosquitos.
She heard laughter coming from Han Qiao’s room
The children moved from the yard to the house to play on the bed.
The house was rarely this lively.
“Mother,” The older sister-in-law sat beside her and called out softly.
“Huh?”
“Mother, Han Qiao has brought a lot of things back. I think we still have food at home, so why don’t we pack it up and bring it over to her new house when she moves in. That way she won’t have to spend money to buy it again.”
Han Yuan was stunned for a moment.
Then, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“Qiao also said that they are planning to stay here for more than ten days–maybe even twenty. They can’t eat and drink for free. I’m very glad that you came to tell me about this. When I asked you to marry my eldest son, I knew that you were a good person.” Han Yuan patted the back of her hand, “Listen to Qiao on this matter. You have to feel sorry for her and help her out more in the future.”
Lady Han nodded. “Han Qiao’s personality has changed a lot since she came back.”
“After going through such a great disaster, if she was still so timid and cowardly, she wouldn’t have dared to bring up the matter of the divorce.” Han Yuan fanned herself and sighed. “She seems quite fine like this.”
Han Qiao had been pregnant with her children for ten months each, then spent ten years raising them, and all that time never raised a single complaint. How could she not feel sorry for her?
Their father didn’t say anything about it, but many people had made it known over the years that Qiao was getting beaten by Sun Yiming and couldn’t even get a night’s sleep.
But since their daughter didn’t go back to her parents’ house to tell them, they didn’t dare to interfere.
They would rather tear down ten temples than ruin a marriage.
“Then we’ll keep them. The steamed buns that Han Qiao brought back are delicious. Mother, let’s make some tomorrow as well. We’ll send some to uncle and auntie as well,” The older sister-in-law said in a fawning manner.
“Yes, Qiao brought some flour back. We have pumpkins at home. Make two more steamer baskets. Each of you send twenty back to your parents’ house.”
White flour pumpkin buns were a precious thing.
Her mother’s house was not far away, so it was only right to send a few buns back.
“Okay,” she agreed with a smile.
“Mother, I’m going to wash clothes.”
“Go, go. Wash up and sleep early. You must be tired today.”
“Okay, Mother, you get some sleep, too.”
The older sister-in-law got up and looked at Han Qiao’s house before she left.
The house was lit with yellow oil lamps. The children were making a racket. It was very lively.
At that time, Han Qiao was in the house of her younger sister-in-law, Mrs. Mu.
Now Mrs. Mu had no big ambitions. All she wanted was to give birth to a son. It had become an obsession.
She was now seven months pregnant. She was thin and had a small stomach. Her face was full of worry.
When she found out that Han Qiao was divorcing her husband and coming back to live in Xishan Village, she was even more fl.u.s.tered. She was afraid of getting chased back to her mother’s house. She wanted to ask Han Qiao why she wanted to get a divorce? If she couldn’t give birth to a son, she could always just keep popping out more babies until it happened.
“Sister, why do you want a divorcei?”
Han Qiao sighed. “Hui, when you and I were young, we went into the mountains to collect firewood and pig gra.s.s together. I won’t beat around the bush with you.”
Han Qiao lifted up her clothes. There were bruises everywhere. Under the oil lamp, she looked particularly terrifying.
“…” Mrs. Mu’s eyes widened.
“You gave birth to four daughters. Did your husband ever hit you?”
She shook her head.
Han Qiao asked again, “Did Mother scold you for having daughters. Did she say she only wanted sons?”
Mrs. Mu shook her head again.
“Then, did your sisters-in-law ever bully you?” Han Qiao continued to ask.
“No, my sisters-in-law treated me very well,” Mrs. Mu quickly said.
“Yes, you see, you put the pressure on yourself to have sons. But I’m different. Sun Yiming, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, beat me when he was drunk. Not only did he beat me, but he also beat the kids. That was something I couldn’t tolerate.”
“He didn’t make a single penny all year. We had to work hard to earn some money but it wasn’t enough to keep him from getting into trouble. He borrowed more than forty taels of silver from his big brother. The Sun family refused to give me the deeds to the land and house even after I moved in with Sun Yiming. Now he’s using them to pay off all the debt.”
Han Qiao took a deep breath. “Hui, we’re both women and we’re both mothers.”
“You ought to treat your daughters better. Change their names. Zhaodi, Pandi, Laidi, Shidi. These names are terrible. They’re all children that you carried for ten months. Don’t you feel bad for them?”
Mrs. Mu was stunned by the question.
She definitely felt sorry for them. If it wasn’t for her taking care of them at home, then they would have starved or frozen to death.
Mrs. MU touched her stomach.
“Sister…” Mrs. Mu called out softly.
“The four children are all obedient and sensible. If you teach them well, they will definitely be more reliable than a son would be,” Han Qiao advised her again.
“Regardless of whether the child in your stomach is a boy or a girl, you don’t have to be in a hurry to conceive again after giving birth. You have to remember that your life and your body are your own. If you don’t cherish yourself, how can you expect others to cherish you?”
Mrs. Mu was stunned.
No one had ever told her these words.
“Sister…” she again called out softly.
Han Qiao patted her shoulder. “Remember, children are only going to be with you for so long. Once they get older, they start having their own ideas about things, and it’s too late for you to do anything.”
“In the blink of an eye, they are going to get married.”
The pain of childhood took a lifetime to heal.
Fortunately, those children were still young. They didn’t know their mother wanted a son more than them.
After a long while, Mrs. Mu whispered, “Sister, thank you.”
“If what I said changes your mind a bit, don’t tell anyone you heard it from me.”
“How can that be? You and I have known each other since we were young, and I know that you are tell me this for my own good. You are right. I should treat my children better. After all, they are the children that I carried for ten months.” She lowered her head and touched her belly.
“I will listen to you, Sister. Regardless of whether the child in my belly is a boy or a girl, I will rest for two years before trying to conceive again.”
“But…”
Mrs. Mu looked at Han Qiao. “Sister, I already have four daughters. If I give birth to another daughter…”
“What’s wrong with five daughters? Wouldn’t it be a blessing to have five golden flowers? Listen to me. Even if it’s a daughter, raise her well. She’ll be better than anything else.” Han Qiao comforted Mrs. Mu, preventing her from getting emotional.
“But others are going to say something…”
“So be it. I left Sun Yiming and brought my three children here. I did that knowing full well that the world would look down upon me for it. There are lots of people who wish bad things upon me, but I won’t let that happen. I will work hard to live well and raise my three daughters well. Others can say whatever they want. As long as I stand upright, no one can do anything to me. And there are so many of us in the Han family that as long as we stick together, we will always be strong.”
Mrs. Mu smiled upon hearing these words.