Mr. Zhang showed a smile, patted his eldest son on the shoulder, and praised: "You’re truly my eldest son! An ordinary person would have already been tempted. I’m very happy my son can withstand the temptations outside."
Zhang Guofu rubbed his own head and laughed heartily: "Dad, I’m not that good. To tell the truth, I was tempted, but then I thought, actually marrying a young girl would be so shaful, and then I lost any desire."
Mr. Zhang was no longer angry now. The fact that his son could say this showed he knew his boundaries. Once this young girl is gone, other won will co along. As long as the son knows his boundaries, that’s good.
Now that the external issue was resolved, there was still the matter with his son and daughter-in-law. Mr. Zhang decided to take advantage of the quiet evening, with no interruptions, to have a good chat with his eldest son.
Mr. Zhang was very familiar with his three sons. Others may beat and scold their sons, but his three have been sensible and filial since they were young, and as long as he spoke to them with emotion, they would listen.
"Thinking like this is correct. Once we n have a wife, we can’t have an external heart. If a ho isn’t united, it isn’t a ho. What is a ho? After you’re tired outside, you co ho to soone serving hot food; when bullied outside, there’s soone behind you who will support you without a second thought."
As Mr. Zhang spoke, he looked at his son. Seeing him lower his head in silence, he sowhat understood. While the eldest daughter-in-law wasn’t right, good won are molded by n.
Worried that his son might be tired of hearing this, he shifted the topic, recalling the past: "When your mother was young, her temper was really explosive, but I lived with her for half a lifeti without ever having a fight. Why was that? I couldn’t bear to speak harshly to her. I always rembered when she first joined the family, she’d save up any bit of food for , smiling as she said she had a small appetite."
When we separated, she worked day and night, following to the fields. Many tis when I had to leave, she had already been working for half a day. She truly treated herself like an ox to be worked. Whatever little wild ga we had, most of it ended up on my plate. If I didn’t eat it, she’d wipe her tears. The soup I drank in those days felt like it was mixed with her tears.
Once she had you, she started drinking a little soup. Within less than half a year of marriage, she was reduced to a bag of bones. When your grandfather ca to see her, he cried on the spot. He said he had hoped to give his only daughter a good life by marrying her to , but didn’t expect it to be even harder than at ho. My face burned with embarrassnt, making it hard for to be a man.
Looking at Daqing Mountain, I decided to hide it from your mother, and during the winter off-season, I went up the mountain. It was unendurable to go on like that, so I decided to take a gamble.
When the heavy snow sealed the mountain, I tricked your mother into going to the county to find work, while I stayed on the mountain with your uncle’s three brothers for a full week, and we managed to hunt two wild boars. I even got injured at the ti, and when I ca ho, your mother fainted from fright. In the following days, whenever she opened her eyes, she would look for first, and that worried look is sothing I can’t forget to this day.
Besides your grandparents, no one has ever been as good to as that. After having you all, your mother’s life beca even harder; for several years, she barely closed her eyes to rest."
Mr. Zhang found that his words had wandered off-topic. He chuckled and shook his head; truly, he was getting old!
"Later, when your wife joined the family, this child was diligent and considerate, always letting your mother rest a bit. She would smile broadly, carrying a hoe and following you around. Your mother was overjoyed seeing this, saying you were fortunate to have found the right wife.
This kid is indeed good-looking, with a good nature, and is a skillful worker. At a glance, she outshone Qingshan’s wife and the others. Especially since she had three big, chubby boys for our family all at once. Your grandparents often praised her, saying having such a daughter-in-law was a sign of prosperity for our family.
To reach this point as a daughter-in-law is very rare. Before Xiao Wu turned ten, this eldest daughter-in-law contributed greatly to our family. Raising several pigs and a flock of chickens and ducks each year were all her doing.
I still rember every dawn before it was light, she was the one who prepared breakfast first, then ran to feed the pigs and chickens. After the family ate, she’d carry a hoe and follow you to the fields. After every busy farming season, she’d be as thin as a bone. Your in-laws cried several tis too when they ca over, do you rember?"
Following his father’s words, Zhang Guofu fell into reminiscence. Those days were truly hard. Seeing his wife having such a tough ti, he never had the heart to bla her.
Zhang Guofu nodded. He understood why his father had gone up to the mountain to hunt back then. He tasted the silence of being subtly blad by his father-in-law and despised by his mother-in-law.
"The Huang Family..." Mr. Zhang paused, "Your father-in-law is a good man. You can’t deny that. Out of concern for his grandchildren, he’d always take Xi Zi and the others ho whenever he had ti, and later, even Shi Tou would follow. In the end, what did your father-in-law want in return? He only wanted you to be good to his daughter."
Zhang Guofu furrowed his brows, wanting to argue that his younger brother didn’t allow his in-laws to suffer a loss. Over the years, Xiao Wu sent plenty of ga, and their mother sent a lot of dried goods.
Then he glanced at his father. He sowhat understood what his father ant to say next. It was better not to sift through this matter right now; otherwise, his father might get physical.
How could Mr. Zhang not understand his son?
He shook his head: "Son, in this world, we can’t always demand others to be good to us without giving anything in return. Nor can we let past favors be wiped clean over certain issues. Besides your father-in-law, didn’t your two elder brothers-in-law try to pull you into the city those years?"
Zhang Guofu timidly nodded.
"When our family wasn’t well off, did your wife ever move things back to her parent’s house?"
Zhang Guofu was very clear on this and nodded emphatically.
"People, indeed, have their selfish desires. Let’s not discuss your wife for now, but take your uncle. He is undoubtedly my brother, right? Recently, he talked about wanting to buy Xiao Wu’s small yard, and that’s not all, hinting that I should help out with your eldest aunt’s matters in the future. You see, even between brothers, and Xiao Wu being his nephew, he harbors his own selfish calculations.
Can I be angry with him? No! Because it’s true that our family life has improved, making him feel that it’s rightful for a relative to lend a hand. I know that if our family were still in the village, just as modest as them, he definitely wouldn’t say these things. So, can we call him bad?"
Zhang Guofu looked at his father with a reflecting gaze.
Mr. Zhang continued thoughtfully, "And your wife has similar thoughts to your uncle. When we were poor, she couldn’t help her family. But now that the family is better off, she’s very filial to us, her in-laws, so how could she not think of her own parents?
Your second brother’s marriage cost a fortune. Wouldn’t most daughters-in-law have complained? And that was before the separation. But what about her? She didn’t say a word. When your second sister-in-law joined the family and your mother didn’t like her, it was she who diated.
What does this say? It shows that this child is kind-hearted and virtuous. Even with her husband’s brothers, she tends to them well, so how could she not think of her own brothers who love her? So, don’t bla your wife. Even if she’s at fault, it’s only because she overstepped a boundary. But it’s a boundary you allowed. If you’d flipped on her a couple of tis, she wouldn’t dare."
Listening to his father’s words, Zhang Guofu’s face flushed red.
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