Chapter 50

He thought of how his mother treated Shuiqing and then looked at how his mother-in-law treated him, feeling even more guilty.

When his mother divided the food, she would only give the best portions to his older brother and him, as well as to his grandson, never thinking about her daughters-in-law and granddaughters, considering them as outsiders. She believed giving them food, especially the good portions, was a loss.

But wasn’t he also an outsider to his mother-in-law?

Especially since his child was her grandchild, yet his mother-in-law and brother-in-law ensured they had the best food and drinks.

They thought simply: that child was Shuiqing’s child, and treating the child well was treating their daughter well. He was their daughter’s husband, so treating him well meant he would treat their daughter well.

“Brother-in-law, you accompany the children to eat. We’ll go out; the kids might get restless and want to go out too,” Hu Wenhua said without a second thought.

Fan Jin softly agreed and slowly sat down.

Mother Hu felt very pleased.

She reminded them once again to eat as they pleased, mentioning there was more in the kitchen. She then took some steamed buns and went out into the yard with Hu Wenhua.

In the yard, Shuiqing had already set up a small table and brought a few chairs.

Mother Hu first placed the bamboo basket of steamed buns properly, then went to the kitchen to scoop out some egg drop soup and brought it out.

They didn’t use extra bowls for eating the buns. One hand held the bun, and the other held the bowl of egg drop soup, taking big bites of the bun followed by gulps of soup.

“Mom, today is even more sumptuous than New Year’s!” Hu Wenhua exclaimed with satisfaction after taking a big gulp of egg drop soup and a big bite of a spicy tofu bun.

“Isn’t it all thanks to your sister and brother-in-law bringing back so much white flour?” Mother Hu beamed.

Seeing Shuiqing also eating a tofu bun, she picked up a cabbage and meat-filled bun and handed it to her: “Eat this one.”

Shuiqing, who had helped make the buns, knew the different fillings. She didn’t particularly like the cabbage and meat filling, so she casually said, “Give it to my brother.”

“Your father slaughters pigs; he won’t lack a mouthful of meat. You are home now, so eat more,” Mother Hu insisted, shoving the bun into her daughter’s hand.

Though she cared for her son-in-law and grandson, the person in front of her was her own flesh and blood. She whispered, “Mom saved these for you; there are plenty, enough for you to eat.”

Shuiqing finally understood that her mother had saved the best for her!

Her nose tingled, and she lowered her head, asking, “Mom, when will Dad come back to eat?”

“Your brother saw a lot of pork left at the market, so your dad might come back late today. Don’t worry, I have his portion kept warm in the steamer, and your brother can bring it to him after the meal,” Mother Hu said casually.

“Why is there so much left?” Shuiqing asked, concerned but not quite understanding the pork market.

Mother Hu patted her daughter’s hand to reassure her: “After the busy farming season, rural families rarely buy meat to supplement their diet. Most have gone from three meals a day back to two, and from solid to semi-liquid meals. It’s normal for meat to be hard to sell.”

Shuiqing softly acknowledged, thinking of ways to help her father and brother.

Manual labor like Wenhua’s was not a long-term solution.

She needed a legitimate way to earn money…

After happily eating the meat buns, Fan Jin went back to the market to buy some fruit trees, secured them on the ox cart.

“What’s this?” Mother Hu asked from the side.

Fan Jin, tying the fruit tree seedlings with hemp rope, patiently answered, “Shuiqing wanted these, saying they would bear fruit in a couple of years, which is good for health.”

“We have plenty of land, and it’s better to plant more fruit trees than leave it idle. At least the family will have fruit to eat,” Shuiqing added.

In front of her son-in-law, Mother Hu didn’t criticize her daughter for spending money on their family. She smiled and nodded: “Yes, having a lot of land is indeed good.”

After everything was settled, the family was ready to leave.

Mother Hu held her daughter’s hand, eyes full of reluctance.

Shuiqing comforted her, “Mom, once I build a new house, I’ll leave a room for you, Dad, and my brother to stay for a while!”

“Alright, once you build the new house, Mom will come to stay,” Mother Hu agreed, but her heart was heavy.

Building a new house was not easy.

In the past, when her daughter lived with her mother-in-law, twenty people squeezed into three rooms. When she visited, she feared bumping into people, let alone staying overnight.

Her daughter’s mother-in-law was strict, not allowing her to return home easily. They could only meet once or twice a year.

Now that they had separated from the family, they had no house, no money, starting from scratch. The straw house her husband and others helped build was barely spacious enough for her daughter’s family.

Earning money had never been easy.

Shuiqing sat on the ox cart, watching her mother reluctant to go inside, her eyes filled with tears.

She shouted, “Mom, go back. I’ll come to get you once the house is built!”

“Okay.” Mother Hu stood outside, agreeing but not moving.

She only went inside after the ox cart turned a corner and disappeared. She wiped her tears and went inside.

Who knew how long until she would see her daughter again…

Shuiqing felt a void in her heart.

In Huaguo, she was abandoned at birth, never experiencing parental love. She fought her way to success, but suffered from illness, without children.

Unexpectedly, her lack was compensated in this way.

She now had a family and was no longer alone…

The ox cart wobbled along the dirt road, not very comfortable, but the family was content.

Compared to walking, this bumpiness was nothing.

As the sun set, birds occasionally flew across the empty fields, peaceful and quiet.

“Mom! Dad, look!” Yanqiu’s shout broke the tranquility.

Shuiqing craned her neck to look.

“Mom, it’s the rich young master we saw at the market.”

“Where’s his white horse? Why isn’t it with him?”

“Didn’t his servants follow?”

“Could he have been targeted for robbery and murder?”

Shuiqing’s heart skipped a beat.

Fan Jin had already walked up, checked for breathing and a pulse, then turned to Shuiqing: “He’s just fainted. Should we help?”

Shuiqing initially wanted to say no.

But then she thought, her current good fortune might be because of past good deeds. So she quickly changed her mind: “Since you say he’s a rich young master, he probably fell off his horse. Let’s take him on the ox cart. If he wakes up or his servants find him, it would be a good deed.”

Buddha, remember this good deed.

With the ox cart already crowded with fruit seedlings, Fan Jin walked to drive the cart. With the addition of the unconscious young man, Shuiqing and the others had to walk.

Fortunately, they were not far from Shanshui Village, so they walked as exercise.

Starting from dawn and returning at sunset, they felt like birds returning to the forest, completely relaxed.

Shuiqing was about to say that no place was as good as their own home when a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

“You still remember to come back! If not for me watching, the chickens wouldn’t be fed, and the house would be a mess. There’d be nothing left.”

Shuiqing: …Damn, how did I forget about this person!