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The eldest daughter of the Zhao family returned to her parents’ home, and this news quickly spread, turning into a lively event in the tranquil afternoon in Liushu Village.
The villagers of Liushu knew well that initially, the Zhao family had deceived their daughter into marrying into another family due to her illness, causing quite a stir. Eventually, the husband’s family acknowledged this unfortunate event. The Zhao family never visited their daughter, leading the villagers to brand them as heartless. Later, upon hearing that the daughter had recovered from her illness, separated from her husband, and become wealthy, the villagers were skeptical. They wondered why, if she had become rich, they hadn’t seen them flaunting the good things brought from her family. Now, with news of Zhao Xiaomei’s return, curiosity among the villagers naturally grew.
Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi looked at the people standing by the street, craning their necks to size them up. They greeted them with smiles, understanding that courtesy never goes amiss. Su Zhi thought that her family members were exceptional individuals. If they ever aimed to tarnish her reputation, she needed to establish a good rapport with the community first. She wanted others to see her as sensible and polite, so that she could also stand up to the Zhao family if needed. She wouldn’t allow anyone to trample over her, not even her own parents at this point.
Upon seeing Su Zhi warmly greeting them, the elderly men and women, uncles and aunts, older brothers and sisters, all felt delighted. Their impression of Su Zhi was exceptionally positive. They thought that the daughter of the Zhao family, after all these years away from home, was truly different from her family – polite and courteous.
“Sister, you’re back!”
Lianhua approached Su Zhi with a smile. She had been playing at someone else’s house when she heard the loud shouts of the kids outside and rushed to see her sister’s return. She hoped her sister had brought some good things back with her so she could check them out before her sister-in-law hid them all away!
Upon hearing Lianhua call out to her, Su Zhi thought to herself that ever since that incident with Shen Ziju, this girl seemed to have become a bit more obedient. She even started addressing her as “sister” more sincerely, although Su Zhi felt that it wasn’t entirely heartfelt. But what did it matter? She only intended to show kindness to Zhao Xiaomei’s parents. As for her brothers, sisters-in-law, and younger siblings, she didn’t care much about their feelings.
“I’m back,” Su Zhi replied, glancing towards the door where Lianhua had just emerged. Seeing a young girl who appeared to be around her age coming out of the door, she wondered whether this was the Zhao family’s house or someone else’s. She wasn’t sure and didn’t bother asking, considering that Shen Zi’an was there. He would know.
The young girl walked over, her small eyes appraising Su Zhi, and said to Lianhua, “Lianhua, is this your sister? She doesn’t look anything like you. She’s much prettier than you!”
Lianhua felt a bit upset. After all, which young girl would like to hear that someone else is prettier than them, even if it was their own sister making the comparison.
Ignoring Lianhua’s irritation, the young girl smiled at Su Zhi and said, “Sister, I’m Liu Wuniang. You can just call me Wuniang. Lianhua and I are good friends. Since you’re her sister, you’re my sister too. I’ve heard about you. You’re really beautiful, well-dressed, and that hairpin on your head looks lovely too.”
Liu Wuniang reached out and felt Su Zhi’s clothes, finding the fabric very fine and soft, the kind she had always admired but her mother never bought for her. She felt a mix of envy and jealousy, thinking how good it must be to be married, wearing such nice clothes and beautiful hairpins. Glancing at Shen Zi’an beside her, she blushed and lowered her head.
Upon hearing Liu Wuniang’s name, Su Zhi wondered if she was Liu Siniang’s cousin from the fourth branch. Names seemed to run in the family! Before she could respond to Liu Wuniang’s straightforward words, she noticed Liu Wuniang blushing and looking down as soon as she glanced at Shen Zi’an. Su Zhi’s expression darkened, thinking how young she was to blush upon meeting a man for the first time. It seemed she was no naive girl!
Lianhua pulled Su Zhi along, urging her to head home. She said, “Sister, let’s go back home quickly. Mother misses you and has been waiting for your return! She’s not doing well this time.”
Su Zhi glanced at Lianhua and overheard Liu Wuniang inviting Lianhua to play again sometime. Su Zhi responded calmly, “Oh, mother is unwell, yet you have time to come out and play? Shouldn’t you be by her side taking care of her?”
Lianhua choked a bit, saying, “Don’t listen to her! I’m not here to play. I just needed some fresh air. I’ve been taking care of mother all this time, and it’s been exhausting.”
Su Zhi glanced at Lianhua, who tried to meet her gaze but ended up looking away. Lianhua thought to herself about Su Zhi’s intimidating gaze, finding herself unable to hold eye contact with her.
As Su Zhi and Lianhua walked, Shen Zi’an drove the ox cart. Lianhua chatted with Su Zhi, paying no attention to the three children. She didn’t care for these kids, considering them lowly as they were just children Su Zhi had picked up. In her eyes, they enjoyed luxuries she couldn’t, which made her somewhat resentful. She disliked them and thought Su Zhi was blurring the lines between family and outsiders. The fact that people in the village didn’t believe Su Zhi’s family was wealthy made her angry.
“Sister, Mother is very ill this time. You must spend time with her. She misses you terribly, and she always has trouble eating. Since you have money, buy her some good food. She’s our mother, after all.”
Lianhua directly asked for money, believing that if she didn’t ask outright, Su Zhi wouldn’t give her any.
Su Zhi replied, “I brought some food this time, enough to help Mother regain her strength.”
Lianhua looked at the baskets and crates in the ox cart, her eyes lighting up at the sight, wishing there was some money too.
The Zhao family’s house was located on the edge of the village, with yellow mud walls about a person’s height, a wooden door, and Zhao Yuanbao standing in front of the gate. As they approached, he immediately welcomed them warmly, saying, “Brother-in-law, sister, you’re here! Come in quickly, drive the ox cart inside too. It’s valuable; we don’t want anyone to take it away.”
Once the ox cart was inside the courtyard and the ox tied to an old tree, Zhao Daxi also came out. He greeted them with a simple “you’re here,” and then fell silent.
Su Zhi had long recognized that Old Man Zhao was the type of man who was under his wife’s thumb, likely having been controlled by her for a lifetime, lacking much initiative. He probably had a bit of a conscience, but in this household, even that conscience couldn’t shine through. That’s why he watched his daughter being married off to the Shen family and disappeared during those days. She found Old Man Zhao to be the only somewhat tolerable person in the house, but she didn’t like him either. She could only manage to exchange a few words with him peacefully.
“Father, how is Mother? Why is she ill?” Su Zhi, seeing that Zhao Yuanbao didn’t bother with formalities, began unloading the items without acknowledging him and asked Old Man Zhao, while walking towards the house.
Old Man Zhao replied, “The weather in early spring is unpredictable. Your mother caught a chill at night, leading to back and headache.”
Su Zhi thought to herself that even if her mother was pretending to be ill, she couldn’t tell. Nonetheless, she decided to let it go. Even if it was an act, at the end of the day, she would give her mother some things. If her mother wasn’t actually sick, Su Zhi couldn’t keep avoiding visiting her. This visit would simply be considered a gesture of returning to her parents’ home.
Zhao Yangshi lay on the kang, and as soon as she saw Su Zhi enter, she groaned and said, “You, this unfilial child, only know to come see your mother when she’s sick. If I weren’t ill, would you ever come back?”
Old Man Zhao interjected, “Don’t talk about illness or death. Your son-in-law is here. Don’t embarrass him.”
“Go away! I’m talking to my daughter. You have no say in this!” Zhao Yangshi snapped at her husband, then turned back to Su Zhi and continued, “You said you wouldn’t come back for the New Year, and here you are. Other people’s daughters return home, but my married daughter didn’t even send a message back. Everyone is laughing at me! You heartless child!”
Su Zhi stood there, listening to Zhao Yangshi’s fluent scolding, realizing that it wasn’t a serious issue. She responded, “Mother, in front of my in-laws, I mentioned that I used your New Year gift money to cover the medical expenses for my younger brother-in-law. That’s why I couldn’t bring any gifts for you. How could I return home empty-handed? Even if I did return empty-handed, they would assume I had something hidden. I’d rather not come back at all. Mother, why worry about being laughed at? My marriage to the Shen family is already a big joke. Haven’t you been laughed at enough? Are you still afraid of being mocked?”
“You ungrateful child, are you blaming us?”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yangshi started sighing again, holding her head and complaining of a headache. Lianhua quickly massaged her forehead, asking Su Zhi not to upset Zhao Yangshi further.
Su Zhi inquired, “Has a physician been called? What’s the diagnosis? How long until she recovers?”
Lianhua replied, “There’s no need for a physician, just medication. But we’re out of money at home. Sister, could you spare some money? Good medicine might require a significant amount.”
“What kind of medicine is so effective that it requires a significant amount? Your estimation seems quite precise.”
Su Zhi glanced at Lianhua, realizing she might be using this as an opportunity to ask for money. Even if Zhao Yangshi was genuinely ill, she wouldn’t need such a large quantity of medicine. Su Zhi wasn’t incapable of providing the money; she simply didn’t want to be taken advantage of. Once you start filling a bottomless pit, it’s hard to stop.
Lianhua rolled her eyes and said, “Even if it doesn’t need a full two, why not take some extra just in case? You’re wealthy, are you really unwilling to spare even a bit for Mother?”
At that moment, Shen Zi’an entered. He didn’t let the three children come in, fearing they might caught the illness due to their young age. Seeing Lianhua asking Su Zhi for money, he walked over and held Su Zhi’s hand. While he didn’t oppose his wife giving them money, he wouldn’t force her if she didn’t want to.
Su Zhi inquired, “Will this medicine work when taken? How do you know it’s effective?”
Lianhua replied, “Last time when Mother had a headache and back pain, this medicine worked for her. The physician said that Mother is susceptible to colds, and this medicine will help. If she doesn’t take it, the condition could worsen. Sister, you wouldn’t want to see Mother suffer from this illness, right?”