Chapter 82: Women Are Not Inferior

The Hu family was struggling to make their way to Jiang’s house.

Their stomachs were growling, their chests pressed against their backs from hunger. They were too weak to walk quickly.

No, I won’t leave, I won’t leave, Hu Yun, at the back of the group, plopped down on the ground, not caring about the dirt. “I can’t walk anymore. I’m starving to death.”

Hu Laosan followed suit, “I’m not leaving either.”

Hu Laoer, the eldest, also sat down and lay back, sprawled on the dusty country road.

Hu Wenguang, as the eldest, was more conscious of appearances, but he was also weak and hungry.

Mom, have you brought anything to eat?” he asked Mrs. Hu.

Old Mrs. Hu, panting heavily and resting on a large rock, waved her hand dismissively. “What should I bring? We went to your wife’s parents’ house to eat meat. What does it mean if we eat ourselves first?”

Of course I have to free up my stomach. Let’s eat some meat when we get there,” she thought, convinced that she wouldn’t bring any food.

She only wanted to take advantage of Lao Jiang’s family, never considering the long journey on an empty stomach.

Now, halfway there, they were tired, thirsty, and unable to turn back. They lacked the energy to continue.

The family grumbled about Mrs. Hu’s greed.

If I had known this was the case, I wouldn’t have come,” Hu Yun declared.

Her brothers echoed her sentiment, “Well, we don’t have anything to eat. We’re going to starve to death. How can we go to Lao Jiang’s house to eat meat?”

Jiang’s house hasn’t been there for a while. There are a few more bodies on the road. Starved corpses,” Hu Laosan joked, adding humor to their misery.

Mrs. Hu was furious. “What are you yelling about? Are you blaming me now? Am I not taking you to Jiang’s house because I feel sorry for you that you haven’t eaten meat for a long time?”

Mom, you are just too picky. If you want to take advantage of others, you have to let us eat first,” Hu Laoer argued.

Hu Laosan chimed in, “That’s it, mother. Kaoshan Village is more than a hundred miles away from Qianjin Village. We have to walk on two feet and don’t let anyone eat. How long will it take?”

My feet are all soaked, Hu Yun complained, rubbing her feet delicately.

Mrs. Hu was close to exploding. She couldn’t swallow her anger and couldn’t spit it out.

Boss, what did you say? she snapped, directing her anger at her eldest son.

In the past, Jiang Meiyue had been her target for venting frustration. Now, with her gone, she could only scold Hu Wenguang.

Hu Wenguang, fearing her wrath, replied cautiously.

Looking at his siblings, he frowned, “Mom, how about we go home first?”

He wanted to save face for Jiang Meiyue, who might still be upset with him.

What? Go back?” Mrs. Hu’s voice rose, as if Hu Wenguang had suggested the unthinkable. “What are you thinking? You want us to go back at this time? Do you want the whole village to see our old Hu family’s joke?”

Sure enough, you married a wife and forgot about your mother. After you got married, I was treated like you what a fart…”

Mrs. Hu continued her tirade.

Hu Laoer, Laosan, and Hu Yun remained indifferent. They had heard it all before.

Hu Wenguang, expecting the scolding, lowered his head and stayed silent.

He let her rant, knowing she would eventually tire herself out.

Meanwhile, at Jiang’s house, Jiang Mingyue and her sisters were preparing wild vegetable dumplings.

Jiang Meiyue, skilled in cooking, needed only a quick demonstration from Jiang Mingyue to understand the process. Even Yaya, sitting beside her, learned quickly.

Yaya is really a smart girl,” Jiang Mingyue praised.

She couldn’t help but think of how the Hu family mistreated Yaya, despite her intelligence and good behavior.

Those people in the Hu family are really stupid,” she thought with a sneer.

Together, they made over a hundred dumplings, mixing wild vegetables with meat for flavor.

After finishing the dumplings, Jiang Manyue returned from school, followed by Gu Dongqing.

He brought a bag with two brand-new children’s clothes, bought for Yaya by his uncle.

Yaya’s eyes widened in disbelief and longing as she saw the beautiful pink clothes.

Yaya, don’t you like it? the old lady asked with a smile.

Jiang Manyue put the clothes on Hu Yaya. “It looks good, Yaya. You will have new clothes in the future.”

I originally wanted to give you my new clothes, but you are too thin to wear them,” Jiang Manyue said, acting like an elder despite her young age.

Hu Yaya shook her head, tears welling up as she looked at the smiling faces around her.

My grandma said, you can’t wear new clothes if you lose money!” she whispered, showing her desire for the clothes but her fear of being scolded.

Jiang Mingyue, entering the room and calling everyone to eat, heard Yaya’s words and her smile froze.

The Hu family, she thought, deserved punishment.

Yaya, at such a young age, had already been poisoned by the Hu family’s belief in female inferiority.

Yaya, girls are not losers, we are equal to boys,” Jiang Mingyue declared, stepping forward and covering Yaya’s shoulders. What they can have, we can also have. We are not inferior to others.”

She hoped that both Yaya and Full Moon would understand this.

Women are not inferior.

Hu Yaya didn’t fully grasp Jiang Mingyue’s words, but she was deeply moved by her expression.

Years later, she would still remember the unwavering look on her second aunt’s face that night.

It planted a seed in her heart: women are not inferior.