Chapter 21: Leaving a Backdoor

Lin Meiru felt increasingly heartbroken, her eyes reddening uncontrollably. She was filled with hatred, especially for the years before they separated when Jiang Old Madam instilled too much nonsense about a wife obeying her husband into her eldest daughter.

Of course, what she hated most was her eldest daughter’s lack of ambition; clearly, her family was willing to support her, but she refused, truly foolish to the core.

By the end, Lin Meiru’s chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath. Looking at her eldest daughter, who was enduring like a wooden post, she simply lost the desire to hit her and staggered away.

“Mom…” Jiang Shulan suddenly felt empty inside, terrified.

“Go back to your room and reflect on yourself.” Lin Meiru found her annoying with just one more glance, “Duobao will bring it to your father tonight, so my precious grandson won’t be tainted by his mother’s foolishness.”

Jiang Degui felt wronged: “…”

But he dared not express his anger, let alone challenge his wife’s fury. In this household, women were revered and men were belittled; he truly felt miserable as a man.

He had washed his daughter’s diapers when she was little, and now he had to wash his grandson’s.

Jiang Shulan didn’t dare defy the order and covered her face as she went into the house.

“Mom, you must be thirsty after talking so much? I made you some warm brown sugar water; it’s sweet.” Jiang An’an brought a bowl of warm brown sugar water and, trying to please her, walked behind Lin Meiru to massage her shoulders and pat her back.

“The old Jiang family really lacks your steady presence. With you here, we have a backbone, and no one dares to ride on our heads.”

“Drink the sugar water while it’s hot; you’re the only great contributor in the family. My dad can only watch.”

Listening to her younger daughter’s flattery, Lin Meiru felt the anger in her chest gradually dissipate, but it didn’t stop her from finding Jiang Degui, who resembled her eldest daughter, displeasing. “If you linger in the kitchen a bit longer, you might as well have hot water ready for washing up. You’ve got no sense at all; you’re not as considerate as An’an.”

Jiang Degui: ???

He realized.

Even his breathing felt wrong.

The resigned “head of the household” shot a self-satisfied glance at his younger daughter and took his nephew to the kitchen.

The air suddenly went quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Meiru suddenly asked, “Things didn’t go well in the county today, did they?”

Jiang An’an gave a thumbs up: “You really are perceptive…”

She tried to explain the information the Women’s Federation had found in simple terms, making Lin Meiru click her tongue in response. But when she heard there were risks involved, her attitude became quite firm: “Forget it; we won’t file a lawsuit.”

Aside from the educated youth, I’ve heard that there are also the so-called “stinky old nincompoops” from other places. With the outside world in turmoil, Lin Meiru insisted that Jiang An’an should not take any risks, not even for her own daughter.

“I’ve already discussed it with your father. After all, your elder sister is from the Nanxi Brigade. As long as we make a scene in front of the brigade leader, he definitely won’t ignore it. With more and more educated youth around, if he doesn’t establish some authority, wouldn’t that make them look down on him? Even for the sake of his reputation, the brigade leader will pressure Zhou Kang to pay some child support.”

Jiang An’an felt a mix of emotions, pitying her parents for their heartfelt love for their daughter. Their idea of making a scene was merely about throwing a tantrum and sacrificing their dignity for face.

“Mom, suing sounds simple, but it really depends on which side the public opinion leans towards. I’ve gained some insights from the Women’s Federation; several newspapers are currently soliciting submissions. We can package the incident involving my sister as a positive example of ‘women resisting feudal thought and daring to fight back,’ guiding women to create public pressure. We will definitely win this lawsuit.”

Lin Meiru’s mind was in disarray; she somewhat understood but also didn’t, yet she gritted her teeth and insisted, “No lawsuits!”

Jiang An’an sighed, “The plan I proposed is feasible, but the reality of executing it is a bit difficult. It will take a long time and may cause Zhou Kang to lose his job opportunities in the city.”

“That won’t do,” Lin Meiru shook her head repeatedly, “Cutting off someone’s financial resources is like killing their parents. Zhou Kang, in desperation, might retaliate against our family. You completely offended him yesterday, so don’t go anywhere these days to avoid him bullying you. Don’t worry about Shulan; if the sky falls, your father and I will support you.”

As the saying goes, it’s better to offend a gentleman than a petty person, and Zhou Kang is that petty person! Just after being punished for shoveling manure, he went off to scare and threaten Jiang Shulan, picking on the weak.

“Did you hear? You’re not allowed to go anywhere! If you dare sneak out, I’ll have your father lock the front door every day!” Lin Meiru raised her eyebrows, insisting that Jiang An’an agree.

With no choice, Jiang An’an could only nod, “Okay.”

–

That night, the Jiang family collectively suffered from insomnia.

In the west room, the candle burned for most of the night. It wasn’t until the sound of roosters crowing came from outside that Jiang An’an, satisfied, put down her pen and crawled into bed. When she opened her eyes again, it was almost noon.

Her parents had already gone to work, and the entire courtyard was quiet.

Duobao was sleeping soundly in a rattan chair, while Jiang Shulan sat under the eaves with a dustpan, making shoe soles.

The beautiful and worried young woman had her hair styled up, with willow leaf-shaped eyebrows and apricot kernel eyes. Her brow was slightly furrowed, lost in thought, so much so that she didn’t even notice when the needle pricked her finger.

“Elder sister, your hand is bleeding.” Jiang An’an took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around her injured finger. She glanced at the shoe sole she was working on, which was neatly and tightly stitched.

In the dustpan, there was also a pair of shoe uppers, with a gray fabric embroidered with a small daisy, vivid and lifelike.

Such embroidery skills could not be achieved without at least ten or eight years of practice.

Jiang Shulan suddenly came to her senses, her face flushing with embarrassment: “Don’t waste your handkerchief; I can just suck the blood out with my mouth.”

But when she uncovered the handkerchief, it was already stained with blood, glaringly red. Her willow-like eyebrows tightened even more, and Jiang Shulan lamented, “I’ll help you wash it later. If it doesn’t come out, I’ll compensate you with a new one.”

Jiang An’an immediately hugged her excitedly, “Elder sister, you’re so nice.”

The sudden intimacy made Jiang Shulan’s body stiffen for a moment, but she gradually relaxed, her eyes becoming moist again. It was so nice that her younger sister didn’t blame her.

She put down her work, patted Jiang An’an’s hand to signal that she was getting up. “Breakfast is still in the pot; it’s probably still warm. You wait here, and I’ll go get it for you.”

“I have something to do and will eat later,” Jiang An’an refused her kindness, quickly returned to her room to grab the manuscript on the table, and then ran out.

“Mom asked me to keep an eye on you; you can’t go anywhere.” Jiang Shulan chased after her for a few steps but couldn’t catch up. Seeing her sister run out of sight, she helplessly and worriedly called out, “Slow down; be careful, or your head will hurt…”

Sigh!

Ever since her younger sister bumped her head, she seemed to have been infused with endless energy. Being young is truly wonderful!

–

It was work time, and the road was empty with not a single person in sight. Even half-grown children could earn work points, especially girls, who were important laborers in their families, essentially taking on all household chores like washing, cooking, and cleaning the chicken coop.

Thus, Jiang Degui’s family was considered a unique case in the Nanxi Brigade!

Jiang An’an had a clear destination, heading straight for the cow shed.

As the most important asset of the brigade, the cow shed was kept clean and tidy. Aside from a slight odor, it was even cleaner than some households that didn’t pay attention to cleanliness.

At that moment, Zhou Kang was shoveling cow dung.

The once gentle and refined elementary school teacher had transformed, vigorously wielding a shovel in the dung pile. Even if Zhou Kang was careful, his clothes and shoes inevitably got dirty. Just as he was feeling exasperated, he suddenly spotted the enemy he had been thinking about.

“Little slut, you came at the right time.” Zhou Kang tightened his grip on the shovel and strode toward Jiang An’an, his bloodshot eyes gleaming like a vengeful ghost.