Chapter 59: The Pitiful Female Supporting Character from a Patriarchal Family in the 2000s (6)

Mother Ai gave birth to Ai Dejun, then to Ai Xiaofen.

Originally planning to try for another boy, she ended up having Ai Xiaoling. So before Ai Xiaoling started earning money and handing over her salary, she was the most unloved child in the family, scolded and beaten every day.

Ai Dejun was already twenty-eight this year, and even though he had attended a technical secondary school, he still hadn’t found a wife.

Mother Ai had originally gone to have her fortune told. The fortune-teller said that it would be better for the family if Ai Xiaofen married closer. Mother Ai thought this would be beneficial for Ai Dejun’s marriage, so she immediately had someone make arrangements and married Ai Xiaofen off to the neighboring village.

Since it was close, Ai Xiaofen often came back to help with farm work, just like she had never married. It was naturally beneficial for the Ai family. But Ai Dejun’s marriage still had no progress. So Mother Ai set her sights on Ai Xiaoling.

She heard that only a long-distance marriage wouldn’t clash with Ai Dejun’s fortune, and she wished Ai Xiaoling could marry as far away as possible.

Ai Xiaofen came back yesterday to help with harvesting. Now the work was almost done. Father Ai stayed in the field to finish up while Mother Ai, Ai Xiaofen and Ai Xiaoling went back first.

Mother Ai wore a joyful smile. She was very happy.

Especially when people said Ai Xiaoling had come back, she raised her voice even more in response, wishing everyone would know.

Who in the village didn’t know her youngest daughter had gone out to work and made a high salary?

One thousand yuan a month.

More importantly, Ai Xiaoling brought back eight hundred and fifty yuan every month, filial and sensible. That was all thanks to her good upbringing. This was how daughters should be raised to be worth it.

As soon as Mother Ai got home, she got busy right away, slaughtering a chicken and frying preserved meat. Ai Xiaofen watched enviously. Other than Ai Dejun, only when Ai Xiaoling returned home did their parents show this much importance.

Once the food was ready, Father Ai also returned, and the whole family gathered around the table to eat.

“Where did Brother go again?” Ai Xiaoling asked, noticing Ai Dejun was not present.

Mother Ai replied, “He went to look for a job. He heard there are opportunities in the provincial capital, so he went to check it out.”

“How much money did he take this time?” Ai Xiaoling asked sharply.

“What money?” Mother Ai hesitated. “He’s going to look for work. He has to take some money with him or it’ll be inconvenient.”

“Mom, you’re so biased towards Brother. When Sister and I went out to work, you didn’t give us any money. But when it’s Brother, you’re afraid he’ll suffer,” Ai Xiaoling pouted while eating.

Mother Ai said, “How can you and your brother be the same?”

“Why not the same?”

“He’s a boy. When he gets married, he can bring a wife home and have children. But once you’re married, you’re someone else’s family,” Mother Ai said righteously, not thinking there was anything wrong with her words.

“Mom, if you say that, once we’re married, we don’t have to support you or care about family matters. So why did you call Sister back to help?”

Ai Xiaoling’s words made Mother Ai choke.

“You said we’re someone else’s family, but you keep asking Sister to come help with chores. Isn’t that why her in-laws are unhappy with her?” Ai Xiaoling frowned. “Your words are so contradictory.”

“She married into a poor family. I don’t expect anything from her. Can’t she just help out a bit?” Mother Ai said with a stern face.

Ai Xiaofen lowered her head deeply, her eyes welling up with tears.

Ai Xiaoling continued questioning, “She married into a poor family because of you. If you hadn’t forced her to marry Xu Zhi, would she be this poor?”

“How is it my fault?” Mother Ai refused to admit.

“Why isn’t it your fault? The fortune teller said Sister marrying nearby would be good for everyone. Do you see anything good now? Nothing has improved!” Ai Xiaoling criticized harshly. “Isn’t it your fault? You listened to some random fortune teller. Sister’s entire life has been ruined by you.”

Use magic to defeat magic.

Back then, Mother Ai had told Ai Xiaofen to consider the family’s wellbeing and not to harm the family. Ai Xiaofen didn’t dare carry such guilt and obediently agreed.

Now that Ai Xiaoling turned those same words back on her, Mother Ai was immediately speechless. Ai Xiaofen was living a hard life, her eyes red. Plus, the family hadn’t improved much over the past two years, and Ai Dejun still hadn’t found a wife.

Father Ai also found it unreasonable. He looked at Mother Ai with some anger and said sternly, “Don’t listen to that crippled dog’s nonsense. Look at how you’ve harmed Xiaofen!”

The “crippled dog” was the fortune teller from town, from Mother Ai’s home village. She always went to him for fortune readings.

“I didn’t expect it to turn out this way,” Mother Ai began to doubt the fortune teller’s words.

Ai Xiaoling added fuel to the fire, “Maybe he doesn’t want our family to do well. Mom, you still believed him. You’ve already ruined Sister’s life. If this keeps up, you’ll ruin mine, Brother’s, and even Dad’s too.”

Upon hearing that, Father Ai immediately said, “From now on, don’t go to him for fortune telling anymore.”

What he meant was not to go to that particular fortune teller, not to stop believing in fortune telling altogether.

Because Father Ai also believed in fate.

He did not want to put in effort. He preferred to pin hopes of changing fate on fortune tellers, using it as a reasonable way to avoid responsibility.

Mother Ai thought about it and began to suspect that the fortune teller truly did not want her to live well. The fortune teller’s wife was also known to be jealous and not easy to deal with.

She had forgotten about this.

So she shut her mouth and no longer mentioned forcing Ai Xiaoling into a distant marriage.

Ai Xiaoling did not stay home for long, mainly because she didn’t want to. When Ai Xiaofen got up to head back to the village, Ai Xiaoling asked her to take her to the intersection so she could catch a bus back to the county.

“Leaving already?” Mother Ai got up to see her off.

“Yeah, there’s work to do at the shop this afternoon,” Ai Xiaoling lied.

“Then hurry back. Don’t delay your work,” Mother Ai said as she gave Ai Xiaoling some tomatoes she picked from the field, telling her to eat them like fruit.

Ai Xiaoling took them. Even after getting on Ai Xiaofen’s bicycle, she made no further movement.

Mother Ai couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s your salary for this month?”

Usually, as soon as Ai Xiaoling came back, she would hand over her salary. Now she was leaving, and Mother Ai hadn’t seen a dime.

She was waiting to deposit it at the bank tomorrow.

“Speaking of salary, Mom, can you give me two hundred yuan? I don’t have money for food this month.” Ai Xiaoling got off the bicycle and said to Mother Ai, “I was hospitalized for a week this month. The whole salary is gone. Give me some money.”

Mother Ai heard that not only was there no salary, but now she was being asked for money. She immediately said, “What illness was so serious that you had to be hospitalized? Were you scammed? Spent so much money?”

There was a tone of blame in her voice.

“Allergy and stomach bleeding. I almost died. How could I not be hospitalized? I’m still on medication.” Ai Xiaoling told her not to talk so much. “Just give me two hundred yuan first. I need to get back to work.”

Mother Ai kept hemming and hawing but did not act.

Ai Xiaoling’s expression changed, “Mom, I give you so much money every month. You won’t even give me two hundred yuan? I’m waiting to buy food.”

“Why don’t you borrow from a friend? Or ask the boss lady for an advance?” Mother Ai finally said.

“Mom, what do you mean by that?” Ai Xiaoling raised her voice. “Brother goes to the provincial capital to look for work. You give him money again and again. I give you eight to nine hundred every month. Now I ask you for two hundred to eat and you won’t give it?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Mother Ai was afraid the villagers would hear and quickly tried to explain.

Ai Xiaoling began to cry, her voice choked, “You don’t even ask how I’ve been since I got sick. You take all my money, and now you won’t even give me money to eat. Are you trying to drive me to death?”

The neighbors had all gathered around. Seeing this, Mother Ai grew even more anxious and scolded, “You wretched girl, what are you crying for?”

“I still need to take medicine and go for check-ups this month. Business at the shop isn’t doing well. Who knows when I’ll lose my job. Who am I supposed to borrow from?” Ai Xiaoling said.

“You can go ask whoever you want. I don’t have any money,” Mother Ai changed her attitude completely.

She had no money to give.

Ai Xiaoling’s eyes gradually darkened. She took a breath, stubbornly wiped away her tears, sat back onto the back seat of Ai Xiaofen’s bicycle, looked at the neighbors gathering around, and said calmly, “Mom told me before that the money was being saved for me. I gave a total of tens of thousands. Now I can’t even get two hundred. You don’t care whether I live or die. I don’t want the rest of the money either. Just count it as the cost for raising me. We’re even now.”

“Sister, let’s go.”

Only when Ai Xiaoling said she didn’t want the money anymore did Mother Ai feel satisfied.

What did she mean by saying they were even? Before Mother Ai could ask clearly, Ai Xiaofen had already taken Ai Xiaoling away.

The surrounding neighbors began criticizing Mother Ai, “Really, just for two hundred yuan, you’re turning your back on your daughter,” “Exactly, Xiaoling is so filial. She was sick in the hospital and didn’t even have money for treatment. You wouldn’t even give her food money. That’s too much,” “She gave the family tens of thousands and now can’t even get two hundred. If I were Xiaoling, I wouldn’t come back either”…

Father Ai came out of the house and, hearing the village elders saying this, immediately scolded Mother Ai and told her to take money to give to Ai Xiaoling.

Mother Ai was still unwilling and walked straight back into the house.

Smack— Father Ai rushed in and slapped her. The two began to fight. Only then did he learn that all the family’s money had been given to Ai Dejun for his trip to the provincial capital to find work.

Father Ai’s eyes turned red as he pointed at Mother Ai and cursed, “Our family has been ruined by you. Marrying you was a disaster.”

Unconvinced, Mother Ai fought back again. The two became the village’s laughingstock.

Everyone instead felt great sympathy for Ai Xiaoling. Some even thought it was not too much if she cut ties with her family.

Ai Xiaofen rode the bicycle to the intersection. She stopped and wanted to comfort Ai Xiaoling but didn’t know how to begin.

She used to be a bit envious of her younger sister, who seemed to be valued more by their parents, but now she realized Xiaoling was actually even more pitiful.

Ai Xiaoling’s tone was calm and emotionless, “When I was lying in the hospital, almost dying on the bed, no one cared. No matter how much I gave, Mom and Dad still thought our brother was the most important. I’ve seen it clearly now. I might as well not come back to upset myself.”

“Xiaoling—” Ai Xiaofen’s eyes filled with worry and heartache.

“Sister, I won’t come back anymore.” Ai Xiaoling looked at Ai Xiaofen, seeming like she had something more to say.

“What is it?” Ai Xiaofen noticed.

“Sister, the other day when I was delivering goods in town, I saw Xu Zhi with another woman. They were even holding hands and went into a residential building together.” Ai Xiaoling was not making this up.

According to the timeline, Xu Zhi was indeed fooling around with that widow.

“Are you sure you didn’t mistake him for someone else?” Ai Xiaofen couldn’t believe it.

Ai Xiaoling didn’t argue. Instead, she gave a detailed location, “It was the building behind that shoe wholesale shop in town. They went up to the second floor. The woman had red curly hair. I heard she’s a widow.”

She spoke clearly and in detail, making Ai Xiaofen feel uneasy.

Ai Xiaoling took some change from her pocket, “I’ll go wait for the bus. You head back.”

“You didn’t take the tomatoes Mom gave you.” Ai Xiaofen tried to hand them over from the basket.

Ai Xiaoling didn’t even look at them. She didn’t want them.

Ai Xiaofen wanted to give her the fifty-something yuan she had on her, but Ai Xiaoling pushed it back and shook her head, “I don’t want it.”

“Xiaoling—”

While the two sisters were gently pushing and pulling, a delivery truck stopped at the roadside. Ai Xiaoling saw it was Ye Zhou, “You just got back from a delivery?”

It had been quite a while already.

“Had some things to deal with. Are you heading back now?” Ye Zhou wouldn’t admit that he had made five trips just to run into her.

“Hurry up,” Ai Xiaofen urged Ai Xiaoling to get on the free ride quickly.

After getting in the truck, Ai Xiaoling turned to her, “If you want a divorce, I’ll help you find a job too. Let’s both live well in the county.”

As the truck drove off, Ye Zhou kept watching Ai Xiaoling from the corner of his eye. Seeing that her eyes were red, his gaze darkened.

He reached over and handed her a cup of black tea, “My friend just bought this.”

“You’re not drinking it?”

“I already had a cup. Can’t drink anymore.”

The weather was hot and sunny. Ai Xiaoling was terribly thirsty. She thanked him and took the drink, “There’s no ice in it?”

Knowing her stomach was sensitive, Ye Zhou hadn’t let them add ice, but what he said instead was, “It’s been sitting a while. The ice melted.”

“Right.” Ai Xiaoling drank a few more sips and turned to smile at him, “You showed up at the perfect time. I’m lucky today.”

“Not really.” He hadn’t shown up that quickly. She had already cried, and she still said she was lucky.

So silly.

Over the next few days, Ye Zhou often found excuses to hang around Ai Xiaoling. Whether there was something to say or not, he always chatted with her and paid special attention to her expressions.

Sometimes when he went out, he’d bring back a small piece of watermelon for her.

Of course, Ye Zhou would pretend that he had bought too much and only gave her a small piece. Seeing her enjoy eating it, he would secretly smile.

That morning.

Ai Xiaoling was at work. She handed a completed delivery slip to Ye Zhou and gave him ten yuan, “Can you help me buy a pork knuckle rice for lunch when you get back? I’ve been craving it.”

She wanted to treat herself better. She didn’t want to keep eating the two-yuan set meals. Now she wished she could have meat every day.

Thinking back to being in the hospital and the days when she was sick, there were so many things she couldn’t eat. Being able to eat well was such a blessing.

In the mornings, she would even buy herself a meat bun and a cup of soy milk. Such luxury.

The pork knuckle rice place was far away. Ai Xiaoling couldn’t go herself, so she had to ask Ye Zhou.

“Okay.” Ye Zhou took the money and the delivery slip, already thinking he could also buy a tomato and egg soup for her and make sure the boss added two extra eggs.

Just as he was about to leave, Ai Xiaoling answered a phone call. Crying came from the other end. Her face turned pale instantly, “Sister, don’t cry. Don’t get upset. Where are you?”

She hung up the call and was about to rush out.

Ye Zhou immediately followed after her and said, “I’ll take you there.”

Half an hour later.

Ai Xiaoling found Ai Xiaofen by the lakeside in the town. The other looked devastated, as if she wished to end her life.

“Sister!” Ai Xiaoling rushed over.

Seeing her younger sister arrive, Ai Xiaofen broke down and cried. Ever since Ai Xiaoling told her about that matter, she had been feeling uneasy. After Xu Zhi left the house, she also wanted to come and keep watch. She had just arrived when she saw the two of them holding hands and going upstairs.

Xu Zhi even hugged that woman and kissed her right there on the stairs.

Ai Xiaofen was greatly shocked. She felt she had no face left to live.

“You’re not afraid of dying, but you’re afraid of living?” Ai Xiaoling told Ai Xiaofen about this matter because she wanted to pull her out of this marriage, not to push her toward death.

In her past life, Ai Xiaofen was forced into divorce by Xu Zhi. She later married a divorced man, ended up being subjected to domestic violence, and was driven to commit suicide by jumping into the river.

She did not want her sister to repeat such a tragedy.

“What should I do?” Ai Xiaofen looked lost and kept crying.

Ai Xiaoling looked at her and said, “Sister, divorce Xu Zhi.”

“I—”

Ai Xiaoling lowered her voice and leaned closer, “Do you really think not being able to have children is your fault? Xu Zhi has had how many girlfriends before? I’ve heard he has azoospermia. In this lifetime, it’s impossible for him to have children. Now that he’s cheating too, what are you staying with him for?”

This was not something Ai Xiaoling made up. In the previous life, Xu Zhi had despised Ai Xiaofen for not being able to have children. He cheated and got his mistress pregnant. After divorcing Ai Xiaofen, he even went around mocking her for being infertile. In the end, it turned out he had azoospermia and the child wasn’t even his.

Ai Xiaofen widened her eyes in shock and forgot to cry.

“So, he’s cheating, let him cheat. He’s a piece of trash anyway. Might as well get divorced early. You’re not young anymore. If you wait a few more years, you might not even be able to have your own child. Is that what you want?” Ai Xiaoling understood her sister was very traditional, so she changed the way she spoke.

When Ai Xiaofen thought about all the humiliation she had suffered over the past two years just to have a child, along with the beatings and mistreatment, only to find out it wasn’t even her fault, tears streamed down her face again. “If that’s true, he definitely won’t let me go.”

“I have a way.” Ai Xiaoling leaned over and whispered a few words in her ear.

Ai Xiaofen listened and nervously clenched the corner of her clothes.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Just stay with Xu Zhi. Spend your whole life without your own child and put up with his cheating. Maybe he’ll even bring diseases back to you. If you think you can tolerate that, then fine.”

“No,” Ai Xiaofen blurted out and grabbed Ai Xiaoling’s hand, pleading, “Xiaoling, help me.”

“We’re just throwing away a dirty man who can’t have children. The fact that he’s cheating makes it even better. If he weren’t, it’d be harder to get divorced.” Ai Xiaoling comforted her and said, “Sister, don’t you think this is a good thing?”

Ai Xiaofen nodded lightly. It seemed that way.

Ye Zhou had watched Ai Xiaofen go from emotionally unstable to being calmed down by a few words from Ai Xiaoling and even being convinced to ask her sister for help to get divorced. He didn’t hear the whole conversation, but it felt surreal.

This woman—

Still so silver-tongued.

After they returned, Ye Zhou asked Ai Xiaoling, “How are you planning to help her?”

Ai Xiaoling smiled and said, “You want to know?”

He nodded. “Mm.”

He was quite curious.

“Come closer and I’ll tell you.” Ai Xiaoling waved at him.

Ye Zhou didn’t suspect anything and slowly walked over, standing in front of her, waiting for her answer.

Ai Xiaoling leaned her body forward, blinked her eyes in front of him, and said seriously, “Don’t pry into matters of society.”

After speaking, she turned and walked away, leaving behind a clean and sharp figure.

Ye Zhou stood in place, then realized what had happened and chuckled.