Chapter 15

The next day

Today, Zhang Xiuyun took half a day off work, which was unusual.

The captain understood that a married daughter coming back is important.

Although Zhang Xiuyun preferred sons, she had raised her three daughters with great effort. Her husband provided for the family, while she managed their daily needs, so she had strong feelings for them.

From childhood to adulthood, they had never been apart for so long.

Zhang Xiuyun was worried. She cleaned the house thoroughly the night before. With nothing much to offer, she exchanged some coarse grains for fine ones. She took a bath, washed her hair, and sat in the yard waiting early in the morning.

Recently, it hadn’t been too busy. The wheat harvest was still a few days away, so many families were taking turns to rest, and there were still quite a few people at home.

Around eight o’clock in the morning, someone from Jiangjia Village came over and said, “Daughter-in-law Datian, your daughter seems to be back.”

Zhang Xiuyun stood up and said, “Are they at the entrance of the village? I’ll go take a look.”

“She’s riding a bicycle. No need to look. She’s going very fast,” the man said with a smile and left.

Zhang Xiuyun thought that was true and didn’t go out. A few minutes later, she saw her eldest daughter, tired and sweating, along with her two younger daughters, who were smiling.

“Hey, you must be tired. Come over and have some water,” Zhang Xiuyun called out with concern.

“Mom!” Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei ran over and shouted as soon as they got off the bike.

The mother and daughters were very affectionate, but Jiang Xi felt out of place. She silently parked the bike, took the gifts inside, and sat down. She was exhausted from riding a bike with two growing girls, one on the back and one on the front crossbar, over a long distance on a rough dirt road.

Next time, those two girls are walking back!

Jiang Xi slumped in the chair, thinking angrily.

This home was familiar to the original owner, and Jiang Xi inherited those memories, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with it. As she watched her mother and sisters being close, she said nothing and drank from her teacup.

After Zhang Xiuyun finished catching up with her two younger daughters, she approached Jiang Xi with teary eyes and said, “I’m sorry for all your hard work.”

Jiang Xi felt uncomfortable under her gaze. She quickly shook her head and said, “I’m fine. It’s not hard at all.”

Zhang Xiuyun smiled, understanding: “You’re such a good child, only sharing good news. How could you marry someone like that?”

Jiang Xi sat up straight and said seriously, “Mom, men don’t determine the quality of my life. Money does. Even though Pei Hejun is unwell, his family lives well. Didn’t you notice how much better I look compared to before?”

Marriage is important but doesn’t define a person’s life.

She would have lived comfortably if Pei Hejun was well, but she is also living comfortably without him. Even if he lived and needed care, as long as he reached the 1980s, she could hire a nanny and live a carefree life.

Zhang Xiuyun was touched by this and looked at her three daughters.

Her eldest daughter, though still thin, seemed healthier. The two younger daughters had clearly grown and were no longer as pale and thin.

Jiang Sanmei added loudly, “Yes, Uncle and Auntie always give us delicious food and sweet soup. Sister also bought us fruit leather, and we ate dumplings yesterday!”

Zhang Xiuyun felt a mix of emotions and was a bit ashamed.

As a mother, she felt she wasn’t as good and was a little embarrassed about this.

Jiang Xi coughed lightly, opened the package, and took out the meat, biscuits, and other gifts: “Mom, this is for you.”

“Did your mother-in-law give these to you?” Zhang Xiuyun was surprised to see them. Although there weren’t many items, they were indeed good.

Most people couldn’t afford such things.

Jiang Xi nodded: “Yes, there could have been more, and your two daughters ate a lot.”

Zhang Xiuyun felt very distressed, quickly closed the package, and said: “You can’t eat it like this. How can you eat such good things?”

The two children, who were initially excited, now had their mouths drooping and heads down, not saying a word.

Here we go again.

Just because they are girls, they don’t deserve to eat these?

But even outsiders like uncles and aunts are willing to give them food!

At this time, even though Jiang Ermei didn’t want to criticize her mother, she felt grateful that she followed her elder sister. When she grew up, she would definitely repay her elder sister.

Jiang Sanmei put up with it for a while, but when she saw Zhang Xiuyun still nagging, she finally said, “I want to eat! What’s wrong?!”

Zhang Xiuyun’s breathing stopped for a moment, and she said angrily, “Okay, you have grown wings and followed eldest sister without even caring about your mother. What else can I do?”

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The three people in the room were silent and unhappy.

Jiang Xi smiled and said, “Mom, since you know there is no other way, then don’t say anything. Just eat these if you are given them, otherwise it will be a waste.”

Zhang Xiuyun: “?”

Why did she feel that what her eldest daughter said was more irritating?

But when she looked at her eldest daughter’s smiling face again, she thought she might have been too harsh. Except for the matter of getting married, her daughter had never been rebellious. She shouldn’t think of her daughter like this.

Zhang Xiuyun calmed down a bit and said softly, “Mom won’t eat it. Save these for your cousins. They will definitely like them.”

Jiang Xi pretended not to hear and said regretfully: “You really don’t want to eat it? These cookies are all good stuff, sweet, and have a pleasant onion fragrance. They are not greasy at all…”

As she spoke, she opened the package and took out a bag of biscuits. The bag was small, with a red outer ring and a transparent middle. The beige biscuits inside were round.

This was something Jiang Xi loved to eat when she was a child, but as she grew up, it disappeared from her life because there were so many other delicious foods.

The Pei family had two bags, one of which had been half eaten, so Jiang Xi took the other bag.

It was indeed a treat. Most people are reluctant to buy such things. Zhang Xiuyun was angry but had to admit that the Pei family was indeed richer than her own family and lived a better life. She rejected her daughter’s offer again: “Put it aside for now, big sister. Since you are married, mother will not say much. Serve your husband well and respect your parents-in-law.”

Jiang Xi remained silent and looked up at her. What else could she say?

Zhang Xiuyun changed the subject and said with a smile: “By the way, your uncle mentioned you last time, and your two cousins miss you. How about we go there at noon…”

Jiang Xi said without thinking: “No.”

Zhang Xiuyun paused, her eyes starting to turn red again.

Jiang Xi’s scalp tingled. She was just thinking of finding an excuse to go out for a walk when she heard voices from outside. Her eyes lit up, and she stood up to greet them.

_

“Big sister is back!”

“The two girls came back with me. Oh, it looks better than at home. Are your parents-in-law generous?”

The visitors were from Jiangjia Village. Most of them were Jiang Xi’s relatives, and a few were good friends. When they heard that Jiang Xi had returned, they all came to see her.

After all, they are from the same village. They went to the wedding to attend the wedding, so they need to come and visit now.

If you are not doing well, you need the men in your family to help you out.

Unexpectedly, when they saw this, several women laughed.

Everyone was wearing new clothes and looked better, almost the same as when Jiang’s father was around.

Jiang Xi greeted everyone: “Auntie, Third Auntie…” After she finished greeting, she also asked her two younger sisters to greet them.

Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei were quite good at this. They had known each other since childhood and were familiar with everyone. After greeting them, Jiang Xi poured them some water and said, “Sit down first.”

“Hey.” Aunt Jiang responded, glanced at Zhang Xiuyun, and said with a smile: “What’s wrong? Eldest sister is coming back, and you’re not happy?”

Aunt Jiang looked at the cookies on the table and showed an envious look: “Wow, this time the gift is quite good. I couldn’t bear to buy this cookie even though my kid kept asking for it.”

Everyone was joking around, and Zhang Xiuyun couldn’t keep a straight face, so she just smiled and said, “No, I’m not unhappy.”

Jiang Xi replied calmly, “My mother is not unhappy. She just thinks it’s a waste that I brought back so many gifts. She doesn’t like to eat them either.”

“What’s so wasteful about this? My daughter is just being filial!” Aunt Jiang scolded, “You are just too frugal.”

Jiang Xi nodded and said, “Yes, I am just too frugal. I have to eat the delicious food.”

As she spoke, she came to the table, opened the package naturally, took out the biscuits, and divided several pieces among them: “So, Auntie, Third Auntie… you can help eat together. From now on, my second sister, third sister, and I will not be with my mother. Please take care of her. If she is sick or in pain, please ask someone to tell me.”

Nowadays, not everyone is willing to share good things like biscuits, especially those that are still unpacked. Zhang Xiuyun was stunned and wanted to say something, but her daughter had already made it clear, so she was too embarrassed to speak.

Aunt Jiang and the others were pleasantly surprised: “Hey, why are there so many? No no!”