Chapter 5.1

Lin Shiheng arrived just in time, just when He Xuezhu’s family came.

The reason why Li Chunhua did not like He Xuezhu, was a large part because of her maternal family.

Her father is a doctor, and her mother is an ordinary woman in the village. The reason why the husband and wife were together at the beginning was because of their three views. Their three views are very simple: the son is treasure and the daughter is grass.

(三观 / Sān guān = Generally speaking, the three views refer to the world outlook, values, and outlook on life. It’s different to each person, it usually depends on how you grew up or in what type of era and country.)

When they got married, they wanted to have a son, but it was a pity that they gave birth to three daughters in a row before they got a baby boy. From then on, they spoiled their son to high-heaven and disliked their daughters.

When the eldest daughter was born, although the husband and wife were disappointed, it was also the first child at least. They had a little more love for her. When the second daughter was born, the couple’s face was not very good. Xuezhu mother’s body was already a little poor because she had even given birth to a child before. She was nursed by her husband with difficulty. When the third daughter came, He Xuezhu was born, she would have been thrown her directly into the river to drown if it hadn’t been stopped by Xuezhu’s grandparents who were still alive at that time.

He Xuezhu struggled to live until she was one and a half years old and her mother gave birth to a son.

The parent’s wish came true, but the three sisters’ lives were not easy, on the contrary, it was even more bitter than before.

The son is delicate and only wants to drink milk powder, but the family has no money. Father He and Mother He not only work hard to make money for their son, but also asked their three daughters to earn money. He Xuezhu is young, and she doesn’t have to follow her mother every day like the two older sisters. Her mother was too lazy to take care of her at that time. Fearing that she would wander about, she simply tied her waist to the leg of a table with a hemp rope for a whole day.

When He Xuezhu grew up and learned to distinguish herbs, her task was not to do needlework and sell them for money with her sisters, but to go up the mountain with her father to collect herbs.

The four children grew up gradually, and the family’s life was getting better. There was even a notice to each household that a new primary school was opened in the village. But, Father He fell down a hill and died while he was collecting medicine.

If the pillar of the family is gone, then most of the income will be gone. When the son marries a daughter-in-law and wants to build a new house, what should the He’s do?

Sell the daughters!

Most of the families whose mothers sell their daughters are so poor that they can’t afford daughters-in-law. After all, because they are poor, any family that had some affection for their daughters wouldn’t be willing to marry their daughters to them.

But Mother He doesn’t mind. As long as she can offer the bride price, she can nod and marry her daughters off easily.

(Bride price = sum of money given to a wife’s family to bring the bride to the husband’s home; not a dowry.)

He Xuezhu’s elder sister and second sister married poor families. They did not go to school, were oppressed by their parents at an early age, and had no thoughts of resisting. After an obedient marriage, the He family never contacted them again.

This is what Li Chunhua took a fancy to. She was unhappy with her husband’s family and did not want to have another unhappy relationship with her daughter-in-law’s family. In addition, when she wanted to find a daughter-in-law, she took a fancy to He Xuezhu who was diligent and honest, with a good figure and a decent appearance. She also has some skills in collecting medicine and diagnose small illnesses. Marrying Xuezhu to her son would definitely give her a fat and white grandson. Therefore, she directly made a deal, gave money and set the marriage.

But in the end, she didn’t expect that the He family had changed the old style of ‘a married girl is like water thrown out’ and came to the Lin’s frequently, always borrowing money.

(嫁出去的姑娘泼出去的水/ Jià chūqù de gūniáng pō chūqù de shuǐ = a married girl is like water thrown out/ a married girl cannot be involved with her maternal family affairs any more, nor do they get involved with her affairs.)

How can Li Chunhua endure it?

She was able to split from Lin Shiheng’s father’s family, she was never an easy person to mess with. The He family failed to make her yield money every time they came. When they left, she would reprimanded He Xuezhu.

Unfortunately, they were all slapped in this way, but it seems that the He family are unable to understand people’s expressions. Every time, they thicken their skins and come to the Lin’s home again, regardless of what kind of treatment the daughter would get in the Lin family.

Li Chunhua’s only weakness is her son, and it so happens that her son is person who cared about face, filial to his grandparents and also to his wife’s family. She can’t do anything about it. She could only drive them away when they come.

Mother He had just brought her son to the door and said.

“In-law, I heard that Shiheng was seriously injured and disabled?”

Li Chunhua directly grabbed a kitchen knife and went up, “Who the F*** said who is disabled?!!”

Even He Xuezhu, who has always been bossed around by her mother, didn’t look very good, “Mom, what are you talking about? Shiheng is fine.”

“Don’t listen to people in the village that are saying that. Don’t you care about Shiheng?”

Mother He was frightened by Li Chunhua’s vicious and wicked manner of wanting to kill someone, her legs softened. She felt a little regretful for saying it too directly. She quickly laughed and added. “That’s what they said, not what I said!”

“Yes, yes, I also heard these words. Elder sister, you quickly stop your mother-in-law, ah!”

He Xiaobao immediately spoke. Although he was also a bully, infront of Li Chunhua he was weak. He was full of resentment toward his own sister; who he bullied growing up.

“In-law, slow down. I heard that Shiheng was injured, and I’m afraid that he had hurt his body? The relationship between you and the old Lin couple is not very good. Shiheng can’t adopt their baby in the future. Look at my Xiaobao. That’s Xuezhu’s own brother. In terms of kinship, it must be my Xiaobao … er, Oh my God ah!!”

If Li Chunhua had just intimidate them before, she was really angry now. She threw a broom on the ground and looked at the mother and son squealing, darkening her eyes and scolding them with her hands on her waist.

“You’ve lost your conscience! Your son is the one who is disabled! My son all right! Want to be adopted?! Dream on! Even in the next life, it would never happen!”

He Mother’s heart burst with fright. Thinking about the Lin’s money, she swallowed her saliva and restrained herself from running away. She said cautiously: “In-law, slow down. I heard this from Shiheng’s second-aunt. She said that Shiheng was seriously injured and wanted to adopt her son. I just thought, your relationship with the Lins isn’t very good anyway. You might as well adopt our family’s Xiaobao.”

“You! You! Today, I have to kill you … ”

Li Chunhua lost her kitchen knife, picked up the broom on the ground and hit them.

The two people were shocked and were about to escape, but behind them came a clear male voice: “What’s going on?”

Li Chunhua made a gesture and looked at her handsome son standing outside the gate with his military uniform and bags on his back. Her eyes immediately turned red: “Shiheng ah…”

He Xuezhu, who was trying to stop people from fighting each other, also froze in place. Looking at her handsome husband, who was standing tall and smiling. She looked down at her dirty hands; because she had been feeding chickens before. She hid her hands behind their back awkwardly and approached cautiously, “Shiheng, you are back.”

“Yes, didn’t I say it in the letter? That I’ll come back in a couple of days.”