Chapter 2503: Miao Jing and Zhai Yaohui (4)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Miao Jing had inherited her mother’s good looks and was rather pretty.
Initially, Second Auntie Miao had been rather upset. Her own daughter wasn’t as pretty as Miao Jing, and because Miao Jing had been doing household ch.o.r.es since a young age, she was already ‘famous’ in that aspect.
Because of that, when Miao Jing turned fifteen, there were often people in the village who turned up at Second Uncle Miao’s house, asking if Miao Jing had already found a marriage partner. It didn’t matter if she was still young. They could simply get engaged and wait until she was eighteen to get married.
Second Uncle Miao and Second Auntie Miao’s first child was a girl as well and was only a few months younger than Miao Jing.
Everyone who visited Second Uncle Miao’s house only talked about Miao Jing. On the contrary, no one ever mentioned Miao Lanlan, who was of the same age. Because of that, Second Auntie Miao hated Miao Jing, who was stealing the attention from her own daughter. As such, any scolding and hard work were all reserved for Miao Jing alone to torture her.
Miao Jing knew about this situation as well.
Even if she didn’t, there would be people who would tell her. “Miao Jing, I’m your Mother Li.”
“Mother Li.” Miao Jing recognized her as the one who often matchmaked others. But the situation was different now. Arranged marriages and blind marriages were no longer allowed. As such, it was difficult to be a matchmaker as well.
Mother Li grabbed Miao Jing’s hand. “Look what a good girl you are. Your hands are so thick.”
Miao Jing retracted her hand. “Mother Li, the chairman has said that workers are the most glorious. Since I’m not at the age to produce offspring, it’s only right that I love to work. Everyone’s hands are full of calluses, including mine. They are my pride.”
“So why hasn’t your Second Auntie allowed your sister, Lanlan, to do the same?” Did they think others were fools?
If not for the fact that all three generations of the Miao family were poor, and Elder Miao had been crippled when he had been alive, the second son of the Miao family and his family would have been condemned as filthy landowners given the way they raised their children.
Which seventeen or eighteen-year-old young lady had never worked in the fields to earn money for the family? The daughter of the Miao family lazed around all day, waiting to be fed like a princess.
Humph! She couldn’t care less about a young lady like that!
Wouldn’t she be bringing trouble to another family and ruining her own reputation if she were to matchmake this young lady?
“Miao Jing, listen to me. Your second uncle’s family doesn’t treat you well. I’ll find you a family that loves and cherishes you. I’m doing this for your good.”
Miao Jing smiled. “I know you’re doing this for my sake, but I’m still young and I’m in no rush to get a partner.” If she had the chance, she would actually want to further her studies.
When she was younger, she never had the chance to go to school. It was always Lanlan attending school. Only after her ch.o.r.es was she able to learn a little secretly by the side.
Afterward, schools had closed and the teachers had gone missing. As such, Miao Jing’s desire to study naturally remained unfulfilled. Thankfully, Miao Jing heard that the production division was going to set up a literacy cla.s.s and invite educated youth to the countryside. Of course, Miao Jing was interested in it.
Miao Jing knew that Mother Li was doing this for the benefits she would reap as a matchmaker, but it wasn’t wrong that Mother Li cared for her too.
But she didn’t want to get married. She knew that her husband’s family would definitely refuse to let her attend the literacy cla.s.ses.
Ever since the educated youth from cities arrived, the young ladies in the villages were no longer willing to get married and had raised their standards. They all wanted to get married to people from the city.
Because of that, even married young ladies were firmly controlled by their in-laws so that they wouldn’t get close to those educated youths and be led astray.
Miao Jing knew about this situation.
She didn’t think that these youths from the city were any better than the men in the village, nor did she think that the men in the village were worse than these educated youths. But Miao Jing didn’t want to get married if that meant that she wouldn’t be able to attend the literacy cla.s.ses.
It was true that she lived a tough life in her second uncle’s family, but apart from having more to eat once she got married, nothing would change. She would still have to work and do ch.o.r.es, so why would she be in a hurry to get married?
“Miao Jing, are you looking for educated young men?”
“No, those educated youths are different from us.” It wasn’t just the educated young men but the educated young women as well. Whenever they looked at those from the production division, their eyeb.a.l.l.s always rolled downward. Miao Jing hated their att.i.tude.
It wasn’t that all of the educated youths were like that, but most were.
Apart from attending the literacy cla.s.ses, Miao Jing had never had any other interactions with them.
“Then… Miao Jing, don’t tell me you want to repay your second uncle? Don’t you know that he is only able to live comfortably like this because of your dad? Without your dad, he would never have had the money to get married and have children. Besides, your dad only died because of that ginseng. It’s only right for your uncle to have raised you all these years.”
In fact, Mother Li had done the calculations for Second Uncle Miao.
Not only had he not lost out by raising his niece, Miao Jing, but he had even earned from it.
From the time Miao Jing was adopted by him, she had started to work for him. She had started off with taking care of her younger siblings and was.h.i.+ng all of the family’s clothes.
Apart from cooking, Miao Jing took care of all of the family’s household ch.o.r.es.
Of course, Second Auntie Miao never allowed Miao Jing to get anywhere near the stove. It wasn’t that she was afraid that Miao Jing would get injured because she was young. It was because she was afraid that Miao Jing would poison the food or steal food for herself while cooking.
That was why she handed all household ch.o.r.es over to Miao Jing, except for this one.
Because of that, Miao Jing could do all kinds of ch.o.r.es, except for cooking. Even as she slaved for her second uncle’s family, she had never gotten the chance to learn to cook. After she got married, Grandma Zhai was still alive and Miao Jing hadn’t needed to learn to cook. After Grandma Zhai pa.s.sed away, the family had already hired an auntie to help around because of their status.
In that way, Miao Jing had never dared to skive on work, nor dared to eat any more than was given to her. Apart from that ginseng, Miao Jing had earned more than enough to support herself over the years in her second uncle’s house.
That meant that there was no kindness Miao Jing needed to repay Second Uncle Miao.
Besides, Second Uncle Miao had raised his daughter, Miao Lanlan, like a princess. Miao Jing, on the other hand, had become a servant to her. Even at this age, Miao Jing still washed all of Miao Lanlan’s clothes.
Miao Jing was obviously older, but she always only got the clothes that Miao Lanlan no longer wanted to wear.
Not only had Second Uncle Miao gotten a free ginseng, but he had also gotten a free servant at home.
It was a little blunt, but it was the truth.