Chapter 419: Chapter 417: Extra update today, hope for your support.
According to their customs here, once a son gets married, he can’t live with his parents. If Liang Zhi finalizes his marriage this year, the house will certainly be indispensable.
Well, today, the eldest brother’s family just sent off someone they were looking at.
Liang Hongmei was helping in the kitchen, boiling water and lending a hand to Saozi.
"Ah Mei, Wei Xiang will definitely come on the second day of the lunar New Year, be cautious." After the family left, seeing her mother-in-law go out to inquire about the background of the girl for her grandson, Cha Zhenfang went to the kitchen and instead of mentioning the girl Liang Zhi was considering this time, she reminded Liang Hongmei.
Liang Hongmei was taken aback by this. Though they were sisters, the relationship had faded significantly since both got married. Most times when they met, it was mainly Liang Weixiang belittling and looking down on her and her son.
In the past, when at home, she would avoid her if she could. "Saozi, what’s wrong?"
She only heard Cha Zhenfang sigh deeply.
"These past two years, since you weren’t home, you wouldn’t know. Ever since we opened a rice noodle shop in the county, she has been scheming to cry poverty to your aunt. One day, it’s her second son’s wedding, another day, it’s her fourth daughter’s school tuition. Or she’s crying to your eldest brother, trying to have her third son go work in our shop. Sigh, it’s always trouble without any peace." Cha Zhenfang was quite helpless, probably reckoning that the money her mother-in-law had saved had been more or less swindled by the sister-in-law. Her husband couldn’t say anything, after all, she was his sister.
"Our family rents land and opens restaurants, borrowing money from you guys. She knows very well, but she can’t stand her elder brother living better than she does. She just wants to squeeze us dry. She doesn’t realize that we don’t have any spare money either. Since you weren’t around these two years, she couldn’t bother you, but I reckon if she knows you’re back, she will surely go to your house" begging you, "you must not relent."
"Saozi I understand, we aren’t in urgent need of our money. You should talk to elder brother, don’t always think about Wei Xiang, you also need to consider Ah Zhi."
"Ah Zhi isn’t worried about the money for the house and wife, but this year the money from you guys might not be paid back." "If it can’t be repaid, then let it be, we’re not in a hurry. Xiao Wan has her own little family now and can earn money herself; no need to worry about it now. Ah Hui has always been easy-going from childhood to adulthood, we hardly need to spend anything now. You and elder brother don’t need to rush things, about Ah Zhi’s mountain contract, I know the money where it falls short, Ah Hui has it with him."
Liang Hongmei’s words made Cha Zhenfang feel a lot more at ease. The years of support to their family have now paid off.
Saying she wasn’t grateful would be a lie. When opening a restaurant in the county, Hongmei’s family frequently sent letters teaching her.
"If not for the sister-in-law, the money for the mountain contract would have been saved up. Her husband Da Guo (Liang Weixiang’s husband) works carpentry for people every day and he has taken quite a few jobs. The eldest has learned carpentry from Da Guo, the second works at a flour factory in the county and married a female worker from there. The eldest daughter got married early and is living comfortably; only the third son at home is not reliable, idling about and not doing honest work, he worked at our shop for less than a week before quitting, the youngest daughter is still in high school. Almost everyone in the family earns money, how can it be that they are too poor to cook a pot of food." Thinking about the money the sister-in-law swindled from their family these days makes her furious. They owe Hongmei’s family hundreds, the eldest son still needs money for marriage and house construction, and the mountain contract money isn’t settled yet, not to mention the youngest son needs college tuition.
"Over so many years, Saozi should know what kind of person she is. The aunt is old and can easily be confused, you and elder brother must hold firm. Wei Xiang keeps asking for more," known as being insatiable.
"Sigh, isn’t it so." Cha Zhenfang also felt quite helpless.
Liang Zhi had been looked at but none were satisfactory; according to Ah Hui, he wants to wait two years to marry, focusing on establishing his business first as he is now obsessed with the mountain contract.
In these days, Liang Zhi has been taking Lin Yinghui and his younger brother Liang Song, running back and forth to the village team, and the mountain contract seems settled.
Three thousand yuan for twenty years. Their family needs a thousand yuan for house construction, and they only have a thousand yuan.
Liang Zhi thinks about not building the house now, using two thousand yuan, and borrowing another thousand yuan shamelessly from Ah Hui.
By the end of next year, he promises to repay him with the principal and interest.
Aspiring children are good, but one must consider age, as failing to act hastily may result in good girls being picked by others.
The family advised Liang Zhi to look at another one.
On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, Liang Hongmei and her son went to pay respects to their parents’ grave and worship ancestors.
As the sky darkened, firecrackers started popping consistently throughout the village.
It was just her and her son, and Liang Jian Country invited the mother and son directly to their house for the New Year. At night, the family joyously ate the New Year’s Eve dinner together, filled with happiness and harmony.
...
On Ye Qing’s side, they kept vigil until after ten o’clock, Ye Qing’s dad was already drunkenly dazed, and as usual, he started hitting her mom when intoxicated.
After all, it was the New Year, and Ye Qing’s brother didn’t want to see their mom being beaten by their dad during the festive occasion.
The siblings quickly pulled them apart. After a long night of chaos, their dad finally calmed down.
Looking at her dad slumped like a dead pig, for a moment, a gloomy silhouette flickered in Ye Qing’s eyes.
She cursed inwardly, hoping he would just die.
In the summer, she was expelled from school, too ashamed to return, falsely claiming she found a job there. When calling home, her own dad didn’t inquire about her exhaustion or the nature of the job, his first reaction was to ask how much she made a month and demanded she sent the money back to him.
Her own dad, not realizing what kind of job a girl out there could find, asking her to send him all the money, leaving her with nothing to eat or a place to live.
This New Year’s trip back lasting several days, never once did he ask about her studies or life, the first question upon seeing her was about money, asking if she went out looking for a job over the weekend. Searching through her belongings to see if she hid any money.
Ever since she could remember, her dad was like this. Sometimes she would dream of her dad just dying swiftly.
On the first day of the New Year, neighbors would be visiting each other’s homes, playing, chatting happily. It was quite lively.
Lin Yinghui came back specially bringing Lin Wan’s camera. On the morning of the first day of the New Year, he went to take a family photo for Little Grandmother’s family.
The younger generation was ecstatic, eager to have Lin Yinghui take a picture for them. Some older generation families wanted a family photo too, so they turned to Lin Yinghui.
Liang Hongmei, in the village, didn’t have any heart-to-heart neighbors. However, there was a confidant intellectual, a female professor, and her husband, both banished here. Her husband was also a university professor, just because their son was abroad they got criticized. A few years ago, when the situation improved, they returned to the city, and they could be anywhere now.
Enjoying a few days of leisure, she spent time at home flipping through the comic books her son brought back. One stretch lasted a whole day, living quite carefree.
Feeling bored with reading, Liang Hongmei took out a rusty iron box from under the bed out of the tiles hidden away securely.
This iron box was unknown even to Lin Yinghui and Lin Wan. The box was only as big as a hand.
Upon opening, it was empty except for a crisp black-and-white photo.
The photo showed a young couple, the woman with fine black long hair draped over her shoulders appeared soft and her bright eyes curved like crescents, clean and clear, smiling quite happily. The man appeared steady and handsome, with well-defined features like carved, a prominent nose, moderately thick and thin red lips, his face displayed a dazzling smile.
If Lin Wan were to see it, she would surely compliment it, saying the man and woman looked even more attractive than those modern-day male and female stars.
The people in the photo, who could it be if not Liang Hongmei and Lin Guozhi in their youth?
No wonder Li Fugui thought about Liang Hongmei all these years!
It had been years since Liang Hongmei last looked at this photo. Every time late at night, no matter if she missed him or resented him, she’d secretly take it out to look. She feared time might make her forget him.
To outsiders, whenever Lin Guozhi was mentioned, her hatred was fake, merely self-deception.
In her heart, she still loved. To say there was no grievance would be untrue, but compared to the longing in her heart, it was less.
Liang Hongmei stared at the photo for a long time, deeply sighed before restoring it to its original place.
She was troubled for quite a while, even skipping dinner.