Chapter 55: Another Woman Who Has Been Tormented by Patriarchal Views

Wu Yinghai agreed wholeheartedly, “Of course, no problem. I’ll have it delivered tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Brother Wu.”

“You’re welcome. We’re siblings, no need to be so polite.”

Soon, Hu Zhaodi led the convoy to the vacant land at the east side of the village.

The villagers gradually arrived to help unload the carts, and the area became lively.

Under Old Master Ji’s guidance, the villagers and the cart drivers worked together, unloading the bricks and neatly stacking them in a corner.

The villagers’ faces were filled with happiness. Their children would finally be able to attend the private school—something that hadn’t been possible for so long!

One of them spoke up, “Zhaodi, you’re really impressive! You’ve been away from the Hu family for less than a month, and you’ve already bought land and are building a private school for our village. Truly remarkable!”

Hu Zhaodi shook her head with a smile. “It’s not that I’m so capable, it’s just that I’ve been lucky.”

“Besides, our Dawai Village is so poor. If we don’t find a way to change things, we’ll stay poor forever, just relying on farming.”

“Knowledge can change one’s fate. As long as the children in our village get an education, even if they don’t take the imperial exams, they’ll have more opportunities.”

“Being able to read means they can learn other skills. With a trade to rely on, they won’t have to worry about living well, right?”

The villagers started agreeing, one after another.

“Zhaodi’s right. Spending a lifetime farming barely lets us cover the basic needs. It’s hard even to have enough food. How many families are struggling to make it to the next meal?”

“Exactly! Our food ran out long ago, and we’ve been living off wild vegetables and tree bark. There’s still a month before the autumn harvest. Ugh! Life is tough!”

“We’ve suffered because we can’t read. If we want to find easier work, no one will hire us.”

“We’re working ourselves to death for our children. We hope they can grow up safely and make something of themselves. But if they end up following our path, wouldn’t we just be giving them a hard life too?”

“But sending kids to private school costs money! Where are we supposed to get the silver to send them?”

Hu Zhaodi said, “Folks, there’s always a way around problems.”

“After the autumn harvest, won’t your fields be empty?”

“We can grow some cold-resistant vegetables or wheat. In your spare time, you can hunt or gather herbs from the mountains to sell. That could help with the family expenses.”

“We live by the mountains, so we can make use of them. There’s plenty of good stuff in the mountains.”

“If one person is scared to go, we can gather a few people. As long as everyone works together, there’s no obstacle we can’t overcome.”

The villagers nodded in agreement. They hadn’t thought of teaming up to go into the mountains before.

Going into the mountains always carried risk, and if something went wrong, they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves.

Once the bricks were all unloaded, Hu Zhaodi led Han Dongsheng and the others back to the Ji family.

When they arrived, Hu Zhaodi was surprised to see someone unexpected.

It was Ji family eldest daughter, Ji Chunhua.

Ji Chunhua was 26 years old but looked to be in her early thirties. Her face had clear signs of bruising.

Auntie Ji stepped forward. “Zhaodi, do you remember your sister Chunhua?”

Hu Zhaodi searched through the original owner’s memories. She vaguely remembered Chunhua as bright and lively before her marriage, but seeing her now, looking like this, she wouldn’t even recognize her if they met outside.

“I still remember a little. Sister Chunhua, I’m Hu Zhaodi.”

Ji Chunhua managed to force out a smile, though it was more painful than it was pleasant. It wasn’t that her smile was unattractive, but when she smiled, the bruises on her face were clearly visible.

“Zhaodi, I didn’t expect you to grow up so much. Time flies, doesn’t it?”

Hu Zhaodi immediately grabbed Ji Chunhua’s hand and pulled up her sleeve, revealing her arms, which were covered in bruises of varying shades.

Hu Zhaodi pulled up Ji Chunhua’s other sleeve, revealing that her other arm was also covered in bruises—there was hardly a patch of unmarked skin.

In the original owner’s memories, Ji Chunhua had been very kind to her, treating her like a younger sister.

Hu Zhaodi’s face darkened. “Sister Chunhua, how did you get these injuries?”

Ji Chunhua’s eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her lip, struggling to keep the tears from falling.

Auntie Ji stood by, wiping away tears, her eyes full of sorrow.

Hu Zhaodi’s expression grew even more severe. “Sister Chunhua, please tell me! Are these injuries from your husband?”

Ji Chunhua nodded slightly, unable to hold back any longer. Tears began to stream down her face. “Yes, it was from my husband.”

Hu Zhaodi’s anger surged. “Why did he hit you? Tell me.”

Ji Chunhua’s voice was thick with sobs. “It was my mother-in-law’s instigation. After I married into their family, I gave birth to five daughters, but never a son.”

“The family was already in hardship, and my second daughter was secretly abandoned in the mountains by my mother-in-law.”

“My fourth daughter and youngest child died mysteriously before reaching a month old.”

“My mother-in-law kept blaming me for not giving birth to a son, constantly whispering in my husband’s ear.”

“At first, my husband was still kind to me, but in the last two years, he started to resent me too. Under my mother-in-law’s influence, he began to beat me—punches, kicks, it’s been constant.”

Ji Chunhua broke down completely, unable to continue speaking.

Hu Zhaodi was furious beyond measure. Another woman crushed by the oppressive weight of patriarchal thinking.

But now was not the time for her to let her anger consume her.

She turned to Han Dongsheng and Wu Yinghai. “Brother Han, Brother Wu, please rest for a moment. I’ll take a look at my sister’s injuries.”

Han Dongsheng nodded. “Alright, go ahead. See how bad the injuries are. If you need any medicine, I can rush to the county town and get it for you.”

Hu Zhaodi nodded, gently wiping the tears from Ji Chunhua’s face. “Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll apply some medicine first, and we’ll talk about the rest later.”

Ji Chunhua nodded through her tears and followed Hu Zhaodi into her room.

Once inside, Ji Chunhua removed her clothes, revealing the horrifying injuries all over her body.

Hu Zhaodi’s heart ached as she looked at her. Tears, which she had been holding back for so long, suddenly spilled from her eyes, falling onto Ji Chunhua’s bruised back.

Damn it, what kind of worthless man had Sister Chunhua married? To treat his wife like this, with such cruelty.

This was unforgivable!

Hu Zhaodi first examined Ji Chunhua’s injuries, then took out three pieces of Sanqi from her space and handed them to Ji Chunhua to swallow.

Next, she applied a pain-relieving ointment and gently massaged the affected areas.

As she massaged, Hu Zhaodi asked, “Sister Chunhua, do you plan to continue living like this?”

Ji Chunhua hesitated, then sighed in resignation. “What choice do I have? Once a daughter is married, she is like water poured out—there’s no turning back. I have no other option, and I can’t leave my two daughters behind.”

Hu Zhaodi spoke softly, her voice filled with compassion. “Sister Chunhua, a daughter doesn’t become like water poured out just because she’s married.”

“You’ve suffered, and it must be like a knife cutting through Auntie Ji’s heart. She’s your mother too, and she can’t bear to see you in pain.”

“If you had been born into another family, maybe you wouldn’t have had a choice. But you were born into the Ji family, and you still have a chance to choose.”