Second Marriage in the 1970s
Second Marriage in the 1970s Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Zhao Meixiang could see at a glance that the bib Yingbao was wearing was newly made by her sister-in-law with several colors of floral cloth stitched together, frilly lace around the edges, and a big red apple embroidered on the chest.

“Sister-in-law, your handicrafts are so good. This bib is so beautiful. “

Usually, people make bibs for their children from old clothes, and if they had new clothes, they would have taken them to make new clothes, so they wouldn’t bother making any bibs for their children from new clothes.

“I made them from the scraps of clothes I used to make, and there are two more in the room for Yingbao to wear instead.”

Dong Jiahui went back to the room and showed the other two pieces to Zhao Meixiang, who complimented her again when she saw them.

This one also has sleeves, so you don’t have to worry about getting it dirty, sister-in-law. I heard that you also made the big red wedding dress you wore yesterday. “

Dong Jiahui nodded implicitly and smiled, “It’s not much of a handy job, I just know how to make a few pieces of clothes. I still have a few pieces of flower cloth there. I’ll take your measurements later and make one for you.”

Zhao Meixiang waved her hands and said, “No, no, I’m just talking about it. I envy my sister-in-law for having this kind of skill. “

She really didn’t mean it, but if her sister-in-law made one, it would look like she was deliberately asking for new clothes.

At this time, Zheng Yuefang also walked over with Shitou in her arms.

“It is quite good, sister-in-law. Do you have more fabric there? Make one for our Shitou. “

The little boy is sturdy and she often takes Shitou to the field. His clothes are always dirty and it takes a long time to scrub them every day, so it would be a relief to let him wear a bib.

“If you have any clothes there, bring them to me and I will make two for Shitou.”

Dong Jiahui politely refused. Before the wedding, she made two pieces of clothing for Heidan and Yingbao. For Shitou, she also made one. The Zhao family has a total of three children. There is no need to look cheap for a small piece of clothing, but it can only be done once. Is it possible to make Shitou’s clothes every time for nothing in the future?

She’ll just do it for Yingbao and Heidan. Who made herself their stepmother? She married Zhao Donglin. Yingbao and Heidan will be her own children. It’s right to spend money and effort on them, but Shitou is not. Don’t you have your own parents to bother instead of your aunt?

Sister-in-law relationships should indeed be good, but Dong Jiahui has no intention of being a good man. Some things still need to abide by the principles. She is not selling cloth, and there is no golden or silver mountain. She did one thing for nothing today, and she will do one thing for nothing tomorrow. There is no such good thing.

And right, getting along with others, giving a bucket of rice raises grace, giving a quarter of rice raises enmity. Giving too much tends to feed the other person’s heart.

Giving a bucket of rice raises grace, giving a quarter of rice raises enmity. The meaning is that if you give people a little help in times of crisis, they will appreciate you. If you continue to help in this way, and suddenly you do not help for some reason, the other party will hate you and accuse you of it. This is because the other party took the things you originally funded with love as a matter of course, allowing them to form dependence, from being grateful to be taken for granted, and finally becoming enmity.

Zheng Yuefen did not expect Dong Jiahui to refuse. She thought it was not a big deal; it was just a few pieces of rags. She made a few pieces for Yingbao, but how come she said no to Shitou? She was not stupid; she simply did not want to do it for her own Shitou.

So after thinking about it, Zheng Yuefen’s face became terrible.

Sister-in-law, it’s just a bib. What can a child care about the color pattern as long as you can wear it?

Zheng Yuefen also said the truth: in this era, who can be picky about their situation? Many boys wear their sister’s clothes, but Dong Jiahui is like this. She is willing to give if she is willing to give. If she is not willing, it won’t work regardless of others’ persuasion. She eats soft food but refuses hard food. If you’re nice, it’s all right. If you talk hard to her, it won’t work.

[1]eats soft food, but refuses hard food means amenable to coaxing but not coercion

“Next time, the rags I saved have run out today.”

Zheng Yuefen opened her mouth and almost said, “Didn’t you just say you were going to make clothes for Meixiang, and you said you had a few pieces of flower cloth. How come you ran out of cloth for Shitou?”

But in the end, she did not open her mouth. She would not let them know that she had just eavesdropped.

Zhao Meixiang stood in the middle and watched her new sister-in-law, who had entered their family yesterday. And the next day, she met her second sister-in-law’s needle. She was really impressed with her new sister-in-law.

She didn’t expect her to look so soft and weak, but her temper was hard to control!

While they were talking, Zhao Donglin pushed his bicycle into the yard.

Zhang Qiaoer saw her son enter the kitchen and shouted to her daughter and daughter-in-law, who were talking in the courtyard, “Donglin is back, let’s eat.”

The meal was set up with a table full of chicken, pork, fish, and shrimp. All of it was leftover dishes from the previous day’s events.

These dishes are not leftovers from the dinner table at the wedding banquet. The food that was served on the tables was already gone. The plate was licked clean.

These dishes are specially prepared by the chef to prevent insufficient food. After the wedding banquet, when Zhao Mexiang came home, Zhang Qiaoer brought some for her, the rest for her neighbors, and the rest for her own food.

Dong Jiahui looked at the rest of the dishes and reheated them once tonight.

Today’s meal was cooked by Jiahui. Let’s taste it. “

Zhang Qiaoer and Zhao Changgui moved the chopsticks first, and then others followed. This is the rule of the Zhao family.

Zhao Donglin’s chopsticks went to the plate of scrambled eggs with leeks first. He had to support his own wife’s work first. He had not eaten his wife’s cooking yet.

The farmhouse pot rice fire was strong; the vegetables that went in the pot would be cooked already after stir-frying a few times.

Sometimes the same ingredients are made by different people with different tastes. I don’t know whether Dong Jiahui is gifted at cooking or whether she is more willing to put oil in her pan than Zhang Qiaoer. Anyway, the taste of the food she fried was really not bad.

Well, it tastes good. It’s very delicious.

Zhao Donglin felt like he could eat three bowls of rice with this plate of scrambled eggs with leeks.

The green vegetables also taste good. When Dong Jiahui cooked, she especially chose a chopstick meat oil. Several mushrooms grew on the wood in the corner. Dong Jiahui also took it off and fried it with the green vegetables.

Zhang Qiaoer took a bite, and her eyes lit up. Her cooking skills are not good. She belongs to the kind who can cook but does not have any requirements for taste. In the past, Wang Mei and her second daughter-in-law didn’t like cooking. The things they made were like pig food. There is always a smell of rotten rags in the meal. She didn’t expect that the cooking skills of the new daughter-in-law would be so good.

“No wonder your sister-in-law praised you for cooking well on the day when we went to see your relatives. The taste is different from others. “

The mother-in-law complimented Dong Jiahui, who smiled down in embarrassment and said modestly, “They are all sisters-in-law selling melons. My cooking is also average, but it’s not bad.”

Zhang Qiaoer laughed and said, “Don’t be modest. I’m telling the truth. I never thought I would be able to enjoy the blessings of having a daughter-in-law in this life. I’ll leave the future meals of our family to you. Seeing that you can’t do rough work, but you are quite good at these fine jobs. “

This is purely Zhang Qiaoer’s misunderstanding. Seeing Jiahui’s gentle and thin, she thinks she has little strength. In fact, Jiahui’s skeleton was just small and appeared weak.

Dong Jiahui didn’t think much of it and thought her mother-in-law was arranging a job for her, so she directly nodded her head and agreed.

Okay, as long as Mom loves to eat my food, then I will do all the cooking at home from now on.

Her little mouth was sweet. Zhang Qiaoer was very happy when she heard it. Zhao Donglin also looked at his wife quietly. I was looking at the smile on her face and how her eyes were bright. Obviously, she was in a good mood.

Zhao Donglin was relieved to see how well Jiahui got along with his mother. Zhang Qiaoer didn’t want him to marry Jiahui before. Although she later changed her decision, he was not sure that they could get along well. Looking at Jiahui’s performance today, he felt he didn’t have to worry so much.

Zheng Yuefen tilted her lips and secretly scolded the ass-kisser, Dong Jiahui. At the same time, she also felt that her mother-in-law was eccentric.

What do you mean by “finally enjoying the blessings of having a daughter-in-law”? Could it be that the mother-in-law didn’t think that she was blessed before Dong Jiahui entered the family?

Wasn’t it just cooking a meal? She’s just a divorced woman who can’t give birth to children, and she’s just a stepmother.

Thinking about it, Zheng Yuefen took the chopsticks and fried eggs with leeks and put them in Heidan’s bowl.

“Heidan, come on, eat your mother’s cooking, see if it is to your liking.”

Heidan, who was eating and gnawing on a chicken bone, didn’t stop moving his mouth. He pulled out the dish that Zheng Yuefen had given and put it aside.

“Hey, why don’t you eat it? This is what your mother cooked. Your father and your mother said it was delicious. Quickly try it. “

Dong Jiahui frowned slightly, if not for her own sensitivity, she wouldn’t know that Zheng Yuefen’s words could be a bit too deliberate.

“If Heidan doesn’t eat, he doesn’t eat. Children definitely love meat, and he loves to eat what he clips.”

Dong Jiahui looked at Zhao Donglin and Zhang Qiaoer, whose faces were not good. She does not want to have an unpleasant day on her second day of marriage. Heidan is an innocent disaster. It’s Zheng Yuefen who deliberately instigates it.

All right, have a good meal. Heidan usually doesn’t care about eating. Why are you talking too much today? “

Living for a long time, can Zhang Qiaoer not understand her second daughter-in-law’s behaviour? It’s because she was not an evil mother-in-law; otherwise, with the behaviour of the second daughter-in-law, she’d have had to be killed by the mother-in-law.

“Eat quickly and feed Shitou.”

Dong Jiahui prepared steamed eggs for the children. Yingbao was still small and couldn’t eat the meals of these adults. As for Shitou, although he’s not small, he can’t eat it by himself. Zheng Yuefen eats it by herself first and then feeds it to Shitou.

After a messy lunch, Zhao Meixiang was responsible for washing the pots and dishes. Dong Jiahui feeds Yingbao after dinner and sees Yingbao’s eyelids come down. She knew she was starting to fall asleep.

“Yingbao has to sleep for two hours every afternoon, so she should be sleepy now.”

Dong Jiahui nodded and untied Yingbao’s bib, which was dripping with vegetable soup. She took Yingbao into her arms, rested her head on her shoulder, and patted her back as she entered the house.

“I think this sister-in-law is quite good. With only a small amount of time in the morning, she made a few bibs for Yingbao.”

You won’t do it if you don’t really love it.

Indeed, she is good, except for being divorced. I am still quite satisfied with her. “

When Zhao Meixiang heard this sentence, she hurriedly looked out the window to see if there was anyone there.

“Mom, you can’t let your brother and sister-in-law hear this. They would be upset.”

“Am I not aware? You didn’t see your brother? His eyes were always on his wife. “

“They are newlyweds; it’s normal to have good feelings.”

“You’re our family’s little daughter. Can you say such things?”

Oh, mom, I’m so old. Don’t always treat me like a child, okay?

When her sister got married, her mother always talked to her sister in front of her about the way to get along as a couple. She grew up listening to this. Could she not understand?

Wait for the new year and I will find someone for you. I’m telling you, I’ve married your father at your age. “

Zhao Meixiang, who had just spoken very tigerishly, blushed after hearing her mother say that she would find someone for her.

I’m not in a hurry; I think it’s good to stay at home.

“Humph, when a girl is of age, she must be married off. If you stay here, you will stay with a grudge. If you don’t find someone in two years, you should not blame me.

If you stay here, you will stay with a grudge. When a girl grows up, she will have a family with someone she loves. If you ignore it as a parent or guardian, it will inevitably lead to resentment.

“Mom, you are wronging me. When have I ever blamed you? If you want to keep me, then I will never marry anyone. “

Their family is still quite good; their parents have never given preference to sons over daughters, and the family conditions are good; at least she has never been hungry.

Dong Jiahui entered the room with Yingbao in her arms, and Zhao Donglin was writing on his desk.

“She’s asleep?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Donglin got up to pick up Yingbao. Unexpectedly, as soon as he touched Yingbao, she hummed twice and held Dong Jiahui tightly.

Zhao Donglin awkwardly held up his hand. Dong Jiahui smiled and said, “It’s okay, I’ll hold her, you move the covers a little, and then I’ll put her down when she’s asleep.”

After washing the sheets in the morning, Dong Jiahui put on a new one, the old-fashioned pink, blue, and green stripes.

Zhao Donglin responded by moving the folded quilt inside the bed, leaving an empty piece outside.

Dong Jiahui patted Yingbao’s back and looked down. After confirming that she was sleeping quite heavily, she bent down to put her on the bed. She didn’t leave immediately after putting her down, but continued to pat Yingbao and covered her with the quilt only after she had settled down.

Zhao Donglin watched Dong Jiahui’s series of actions. Her patience with Yingbao was unmistakable, which filled his heart with gratitude and respect.

“You’re working?”

“What time do you go to the village committee this afternoon?”

“Two o’clock.”

“Then do you want to rest at noon?”

“No, I don’t have the habit of taking a lunch break. If you’re tired, you can sleep with Yingbao. “

Dong Jiahui shook her head and said, “No, I haven’t done any work all day, so I don’t need to rest.”

Compared to the family’s work in the field, she just cooks and takes care of the children, which is easy enough.

You have not been idle since you got up in the morning, so don’t be embarrassed to rest when you are tired. You are my family and we will be living together for a long time, so there is no need to think too much.

Dong Jiahui smiled and nodded. Zhao Donglin said this is the truth and she also understands it. If she was really tired, she would certainly rest, but she really is not tired at all. Being told to lie down, there is no need to look for trouble. 

“Then you work, and I’ll go out and talk to Mei Xiang for a while.”

Zhao Donglin wanted to say that there was no need to go out; she was fine staying in the house, but when he saw that Dong Jiahui had a leather ruler in her hand and was going to measure Zhao Meixiang, he didn’t say anything.

“Sister-in-law, you really don’t need to make my clothes. I was just mentioning it casually.”

It’s all right. I’ll just measure it. I don’t know when I will do it.

After measuring Zhao Meixiang, she went to measure Zhang Qiaoer as well.

I don’t have the right cloth now, so I’ll make it for mom when I buy the cloth next time I go to town.

“Aigoo,” I said, “I don’t lack clothes. Don’t bother with that.”

“There are still two months to go before the New Year, and we must make new clothes for the New Year.

I know you are good at your craft. I heard that you used to earn money with this craft at your mother’s house.

It’s just that people who I knew came to me to do some work.

Zhao Meixiang was still envious. It’s a great thing to make money with her craft in this era. No matter how much she earns or how little she earns, she always has this ability, doesn’t she?

“That’s great, sister-in-law. Can I follow you to learn how to make clothes?”

Zhao Meixiang raised this request, but she was also worried that her new sister-in-law was not willing to teach her. She thought that she did not want to compete with her sister-in-law, she only wanted to learn a skill. Not to mention how well she can do it. She just managed to get by. When she really got married, couldn’t she use it?

“Yes, there are many skills I can teach. You can learn from me in the future. “

Notlucia: I’m really sorry for the late update. I wasn’t able to update this week and last week due to school matters (it’s almost the end of my semester). I’m still not done translating the other chapters, but when I’m done translating, I will post them immediately. Thank you so much for your understanding. My goal is to update 7 chapters this week. 2/7

References

References
1 eats soft food, but refuses hard food means amenable to coaxing but not coercion

stillnotlucia[Translator]

( •̀ ω •́ )✧ Hi~ Lucia here~ I love translating 60s-90s and Ancient Times themed novels! If you have any recommendations for me to translate or pick up, feel free to comment below~ Oh, If you like my translation, please consider buying me a coffee 🍵☕

4 Comments
  1. chinesefanreader has spoken 3 years ago

    That sil is a real pain in the @ss🤨 but even the matriarch knows it. Did that son choose for himself bc I doubt that mom chose her. Now that the kids are back living with them how are they gonna revisit that interrupted wedding night😆?

    Thanks for the chapter and more coming! What a feast 🤤 Good luck with finals💪

    Reply
    • sona has spoken 3 years ago

      i don’t doubt the mom choosing for him though, since she practically forced Wang Mei on Donglin

      Reply
      • Ling Guifei Niangniang has spoken 3 years ago

        It is normal for parents to choose their children spouse. So I can’t really say is forced

        Reply
  2. socialk has spoken 3 years ago

    Thanks for the update.

    Reply

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