There would be too much hassle if she was to go with them. She didn’t return over New Year. If she was to go now, she would have to visit all of the family members then, for certain, they would all say it would be so nice if she had become prettier earlier and that Ye Zhiqiang would never have left her if that was the case, etc. etc.
Then they would ask where she was now; what did she do. If she was to tell them that she had her own business, they would ask how her business was doing. If she said her business was doing well, they would then ask what kind of business and beat around the bush having her help out her brothers and sister back home. If she said her business wasn’t doing well, they would opine on how it wasn’t easy to be in business and, afterward, spread words about how she had lost all of her money.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? I have been raising some chickens and ducks. I saved them all for you. Come back with me. Mom will make you chicken soup every day. You’ve always loved my chicken soup.” Lin Zixiang wanted to hold Shu Yan’s hand but she avoided her.
She loved it? In her memory, the original owner had her chicken soup a total of two times. Once when she got married and once when Lin Zixiang came asking for a loan. Original owner was so touched that she handed Lin Zixiang all of her private stash and even gave Lin Zixiang the gold bracelet that Ye Zhiqiang had bought for her.
“Maybe next time. I really have things that need taken care of.” Shu Yan glanced over at the gold bracelet on Lin Zixiang’s wrist. It was the one that original owner had given to her.
They really didn’t care about how original owner felt. They didn’t even bother switching it to a different one at a shop but just wore it as is.
Seeing that they did not want to leave. She got what they wanted. She pulled out 200 yuan from her purse and gave it to Lin Zixiang. “I will pass. You and Dad go and have something good for yourself. I will be back when I have free time.”
The two finally left happily when they got the money.
After her trip here, Shu Yan was going to need to bring some souvenirs for her friends back in City Nan. Shu Yan had Feng Zeyu went with her to go shopping.
They had just stepped out of the hotel when they saw a dark, petite woman keep looking inside of the hotel.
Shu Yan knew this woman. She was the only warmth that the original owner had experienced in her memory.
“Second Sister.”
The woman was Shu Yan’s real sister. She was the second girl in their generation; as such, Shu Yan referred to her as “Second Sister.”
“Yan……Yanyan……” Shu Li was startled. She turned and looked at Shu Yan. Then, pausing a little, she said, “You had become skinnier and lighter skinner. You look prettier than when you got married.”
She was the only one who didn’t question Shu Yan since Shu Yan’s return to City Xi as she was the only one who remembered what Shu Yan looked like.
“Second Sister, how come you didn’t come to Third Brother’s wedding yesterday? I asked Mom about you and she said you are pregnant and couldn’t ride in the car. You……” Shu Yan glanced over at her stomach.
Tears rolled down Shu Li’s eyes. “Yanyan. You…… please save me and my child……”
“Tell me what is going on.” Shu Yan quickly brought her up to her hotel room.
Shu Li, much like Shu Yan, was sold by their family so their sons would have money to get married. Her husband’s family resided in a town. They went to find a wife from the village because her husband had lost an eye in a fight.
Shu Li, who was sold to her husband’s family, lacked confidence and was always the one who ate the least and did the most work. She had over-exhausted herself and lost the child when she was finally able to get pregnant. Not only did her husband’s family not feel bad for her, they felt that it was her fault and was treated her even worse.
Three years after she had been married, she got pregnant again and her husband family finally reined in a little and would let her have some chicken or duck meat. She gave birth to a fat daughter and what happened next was fairly predictable. She didn’t even get her one-month’s rest before she had to start doing work again. When she was pregnant again, her pregnancy face looked just the same as the previous one so her mother-in-law didn’t let her have extra food and continued to boss her around in the effort that Shu Li would lose that child as well.
As it turned out, the child was a tough one and made it to labor. It was a scrawny son. The old lady regretted deeply. As the mother didn’t get enough nutrients when she was pregnant, the son had been weak and got sick a lot ever since he was born. The old lady worried that he wouldn’t make it and was forcing Shu Li to give birth to another.
“I can’t have another child. If I give birth to another son, they will for sure not let me take Pingan to the doctors.”
