Chapter 111: Parents Are Heaven

Early on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Taohong’s family came to visit, bringing pastries and candies.

“Elder Sister.” The man beside her, stooping and hunched, greeted them politely, then quietly stepped aside.

Xie Yunshu and Xie Jiancheng quickly greeted them as well, “Auntie, Uncle.”

Li Taohong’s husband, Zhao Baoliang, had a physical disability—his back had been hunched since youth, and now with age, he couldn’t straighten up at all. He wasn’t capable of heavy labor. His work unit, taking pity on him, had assigned him a job as a gatekeeper at the local grain bureau. The pay was low and included night shifts, but it was all he could do.

Perhaps because of this, Zhao Baoliang rarely spoke. Whenever he appeared, his silence made him seem like a wall—completely unmatched beside the lively and attractive Li Taohong.

The Li sisters were all beautiful. Back in the day, the Zhao family had to pay a hefty bride price to secure a marriage for their son. Any family with slightly better means wouldn’t have married their daughter off to someone like him. But in the Li family, parents prioritized marrying off the son; daughters were just commodities to be sold.

At only seventeen, Li Taohong had no say in the matter. She hadn’t even met Zhao Baoliang once before she was forcibly married off into the Zhao household. Fortunately, her in-laws knew they’d gotten a beauty and treated her decently. Zhao Baoliang, though quiet and insecure, was obedient to his wife.

That was probably the only stroke of luck in her otherwise unfortunate life. She did once consider rebelling, but a single slap on the table from her parents had silenced any resistance. Like her elder sister Li Finlan, she’d been beaten and scolded into submission since childhood.

To them, parents were like heaven—untouchable and unquestionable. Visiting her parents every New Year’s Day was non-negotiable. She had to bring gifts or get scolded; help with chores or get scolded anyway…

In recent years, her elder sister rarely visited home anymore—and truth be told, Li Taohong was envious of that.

Li Finlan glanced behind her. “Why are you here alone? Where’s Fangfang?”

Though it was just after New Year’s, and her face wore a smile, Li Taohong couldn’t hide her discomfort. “You know how our parents are. Why bring Fangfang to suffer? Every time she comes home, she ends up crying the whole afternoon.”

Li Finlan fell silent and gave a small smile. “Come in and sit for a bit. Let’s chat. It’s not too late to head over around ten.”

Go too early, and it just meant more scolding while doing chores…

Zhao Baoliang followed Li Taohong in, quietly sitting in a corner like a statue. When she removed her scarf and hat, he took them and held them gently.

Li Finlan wore a fashionable down jacket that looked stylish and warm. Li Taohong admired it with a few touches. “This jacket’s great—so much softer than cotton-padded clothes.”

“My daughter bought it for me!” Li Finlan said with a hint of pride. She pointed at Xie Jiancheng’s coat. “That one too—Yunshu got it for him. I’ve always said my girl’s something else!”

Xie Yunshu had always been determined and smart, excelling in school and bold by nature. But fate hadn’t been kind—just as she was entering high school, her father got into trouble. Now, though she had married, she was already divorced.

Li Taohong genuinely pitied her niece and sighed, “You should change out of those clothes before going back. Otherwise, they might not even let you leave with them on.”

At that moment, Xie Yunshu, who had been reading by the window, suddenly looked up and said, “No need to change. I bought them to wear.”

Li Taohong shook her head. “Yunshu, you know how your grandparents are…”

This girl hadn’t been back in years—had she forgotten how things were when she was younger?

But Xie Yunshu only smiled. “Auntie, Jiancheng and I will go with Mom. How could we let her visit family alone?”

Li Finlan’s expression changed slightly. “Yunshu, it’s fine. I’ll go by myself. You and Jiancheng stay and read. We’ll be back after dark.”

If she went alone, wouldn’t she just get bullied again?

Xie Yunshu smiled at both women. “I’m grown up now. What are you worried about? Just getting there takes over an hour. Jiancheng and I would worry if we let you go alone!”

This wasn’t like when they were children—when they had no choice but to watch their mother swallow grievances silently.

Xie Jiancheng put down his book. “Mom, Sis and I are going.”

The children were older now—there was no stopping them.

Li Finlan was frustrated but helpless. Surprisingly, Zhao Baoliang suddenly looked up and said, “Big Sis, it’s good to let Yunshu and Jiancheng come too.”

Back when Lao Xie was still alive, the in-laws were more restrained—after all, Lao Xie was a proper worker with an iron rice bowl. But now that he was gone, Zhao Baoliang knew he was too spineless to stand up to anyone. Their only hope was Yunshu and Jiancheng, who were finally grown.

At least, this niece of his was tough—she’d swing a knife at someone if necessary…

Li Finlan’s family lived in the suburbs of Haicheng. It used to be rural but had been incorporated into the city in recent years. Still, it was over ten miles away from where they lived, requiring a bus ride and some walking to reach.

Li Taohong carried a large bamboo basket filled with dozens of eggs in one hand, and two jin (about 1 kg) of pork in the other—a generous gift. By comparison, Li Finlan’s offering was meager: just two large cabbages.

She had originally prepared some meat as well, but Xie Yunshu had deliberately kept it behind. With a tight smile, she said, “Mom, our situation is already tough. No need to give Grandma so much.”

Li Taohong opened her mouth but said nothing. She was used to enduring things and didn’t want to bring that much either—but she was too afraid to push back, afraid that a slap might come without warning.

When they arrived, the courtyard well was running, and two large basins of dirty clothes sat nearby. Li Xiuzhi was seated at the door, and when she saw her daughters, her eyes immediately scanned their hands.

Li Finlan instinctively stepped back, feeling those two cabbages burn her palms.

Xie Yunshu took her mother’s arm, looked her grandmother straight in the eye and called, “Grandma,” then walked straight inside. Seeing the water still running, she chuckled, “Grandma, you’re doing laundry? Why leave the water running? Isn’t that wasteful?”

Li Xiuzhi looked up and saw Yunshu and Jiancheng. Her eyes lit up. “Oh my, Yunshu and Jiancheng came to see Grandma? Naughty girl! You got married and don’t even think of your grandparents anymore!”

Taken alone, the words could sound like affection from a doting grandmother.

Xie Yunshu smiled. “I’m here now, aren’t I, Grandma?”

Li Xiuzhi put on a benevolent smile and led them into the house. “Old man, look who’s here! Our Yunshu is back—our doctor’s wife! Didn’t you say your leg hurts? Ask Yunshu to take you to the hospital and have your grandson-in-law take a look!”