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Chapter 27
At that moment, Zhang Xiuyun wished she could dig a hole and hide in it.
But seeing how worried her eldest daughter was, she couldn’t lie. It was Zhang Hu who had begged her to pretend to be sick this time.
Seeing her ashamed look, Jiang Xi sneered inside but looked even more worried, “Mom, tell me where you feel uncomfortable so I can help. If there really is something wrong, don’t be afraid. I’ll do whatever it takes to treat you.”
Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei also gathered around. They had heard someone say that their mother was ill and had asked their eldest sister to send money. If someone went out of their way to send a message, it couldn’t be a minor illness. They were also very anxious, “Mom, please tell us, what’s wrong?”
“Mom, don’t worry, our eldest sister is very capable and will definitely be able to cure you. If not, I’ll stop studying and earn money to pay for your treatment.”
Jiang Ermei was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes.
The two children, like hungry birds, looked at her with worry and dependence.
Zhang Xiuyun’s face turned even redder. She wanted to pull her three children inside, “Eldest sister, let’s go inside and talk…”
Jiang Xi disagreed, “What can’t be said? Don’t worry, you’re my mother, everyone can see that. If I say I’ll treat you, I will. Don’t worry.”
Pei family’s parents, who were hesitant to say anything, gritted their teeth and said, “Mother-in-law, Xiaoxi is right. We’ll help treat your illness. Just tell us what’s going on.”
Even the Pei family said this, and the surrounding villagers were even more amazed.
The Pei family is so kind.
Zhang Xiuyun couldn’t help but cover her face when she heard this, whispering, “Mom isn’t sick. It was your uncle who coaxed me.”
Jiang Xi was shocked, “What did you say? You’re not sick?”
Jiang Ermei’s tears froze on her eyelids as she looked at her mother in surprise.
Zhang Xiuyun said dryly, “Yes, I’m not sick.”
“Then why did you ask someone to tell me to send the money?” Jiang Xi asked with a fallen face, feeling cheated.
Zhang Xiuyun blushed and remained silent.
Jiang Sanmei pouted angrily, “Mom, you lied! Didn’t you always tell us not to lie? Why did you lie yourself?”
Everyone sighed and stared at this side, with all kinds of thoughts in their minds. “My mother lied, why? For money?”
Zhang Xiuyun didn’t dare to answer, she just pulled her eldest daughter and begged, “Eldest sister, can we go inside first?”
If she stayed any longer, she would really die of shame.
Jiang Xi shook off her hand and looked at her with disappointment.
Zhang Xiuyun’s eyes turned red, and she was about to cry when a clear voice rang in her ear, “Mom, did Uncle ask you to cheat Eldest sister for money?”
Zhang Xiuyun’s body stiffened, and she turned her head to look.
Her second daughter, who was usually quiet, looked at her with tearful eyes, showing both anger and disappointment.
Jiang Xi was shocked. She only wanted to reveal the truth about her mother, but she didn’t expect to upset Jiang Ermei so much. She quickly said, “Second sister, it’s okay…”
Jiang Ermei wiped her tears with her sleeve and, for the first time, ignored her elder sister. She yelled at their mother: “Do you only care about your brother? You’d rather lie to your elder daughter to give money to him?! Why don’t you go live with him instead?! What are you doing here?!”
Zhang Xiuyun, feeling utterly ashamed, covered her face and ran into the house, trying to find somewhere to hide.
The fact that her usually obedient second daughter spoke out like this showed just how disappointed she was in her.
Zhang Xiuyun didn’t know how to face it.
This was even more humiliating for her than the criticism from her estranged eldest daughter.
The villagers who witnessed this scene had mixed feelings. They wondered why someone would cheat their daughters out of marriage money for the sake of a brother. Zhang Xiuyun had three daughters, with Jiang Xi being the most promising. It seemed foolish to them.
Mother Pei approached and patted Jiang Xi on the shoulder to comfort her: “Forget it, forget it. How can a mother and daughter hold a grudge overnight? Your mother was just confused for a moment.”
Jiang Xi smiled, her eyes cold: “She isn’t just confused for a moment; she’s confused for a lifetime.”
Mother Pei choked up, realizing the truth in Jiang Xi’s words. Despite being almost forty, Jiang Xi’s mother still couldn’t discern who she could rely on.
Since Jiang Xi wasn’t the original owner of the house, she wasn’t too sad. She let her two sisters inside, then turned back to greet the guests with a smile, hiding her previous indifference to Zhang Xiuyun: “He Mai, I told Third Aunt that you’ll be eating here tonight. The meal is in the kitchen; help yourself.”
Pei Hemai, who had been planning to leave but stayed due to the commotion, nodded: “Okay, thank you, cousin.”
He looked at his cousin’s wife with sympathy and went into the house to get the meal, thinking to himself that his cousin’s wife was pitiable. He hoped his cousin would get better soon so he could take his wife away from such family troubles. Otherwise, it seemed that nothing he did would be right.
_
The commotion ended with nightfall.
The main characters had retreated, and others, feeling too embarrassed to stay, left with their grievances.
Jiang Xi sent the helpers away. The team leader, who hired them to work at the clinic, had provided dinner, so Jiang Xi used leftover chicken soup from the previous day, adding some water to make rice soup.
The meal included not just rice but a stew of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and some wild vegetables.
Everyone was satisfied, happy to have some meat.
Jiang Xi had low expectations for the clinic, estimating it would be finished by tomorrow night. The remaining tables and chairs would take more time.
Starting the day after tomorrow, everyone wouldn’t have to gather in the Pei family yard anymore, which relieved some pressure from Jiang Xi.
However, the main focus today was Zhang Xiuyun. Because of the incident, all outsiders had left. The Pei family felt very down, and no one looked happy.
Zhang Xiuyun realized her mistake and quietly followed the child who made the error, shedding tears.
She seemed quite pitiful.
Yet, Jiang Xi couldn’t feel any sympathy.
Jiang Ermei and Jiang Sanmei were also very disappointed. One had a cold face, and the other pouted, both looking unhappy while eating.
“Eat more, dear in-law.” Mother Pei dryly picked up some chicken for Zhang Xiuyun. Despite the situation, she tried to show kindness, especially as Zhang Xiuyun was Jiang Xi’s mother.
Zhang Xiuyun was both flattered and embarrassed: “Thank you very much.”
Mother Pei then said to Jiang Xi: “Eat quickly. You must be tired after a long day. Let your father take care of He Jun. He’s been idle at home lately.”
Father Pei, busy with his own work, responded with silence.
Jiang Xi smiled and said, “Well, you all eat too, Mom.”
She then served meat to Pei’s parents and her two sisters.
The old hen from yesterday had been quite large, and the soup made from it was plentiful. Jiang Xi gave half of it to the helpers and kept the rest for her family.
Everyone enjoyed the meal, except Zhang Xiuyun.
The eldest sister served food for everyone but not for herself, still showing her anger.
Zhang Xiuyun, short of breath and unable to speak, could only lower her head and eat silently. During the meal, there was a commotion outside, and a woman’s voice said, “Dad, Mom, sister-in-law, I heard my in-laws are here?”
Jiang Xi turned with some surprise and saw Liu Xiaohua arriving with a plate, followed by Fengshou.
Liu Xiaohua, with a hint of flattery, put down the plate and said with a smile: “This is fish your second brother caught in the river. Please let your in-laws try it.”
Jiang Xi narrowed her eyes. She hadn’t seen Liu Xiaohua since the harvest and was surprised by the gesture. Nonetheless, she politely accepted: “Thank you.”
Zhang Xiuyun stood up to express her gratitude.
Pei’s parents were pleasantly surprised by the second son’s family’s gesture and happily invited Fengshou over: “Come here, grandma has food for you.”
Fengshou, who was afraid of Jiang Xi, looked at her but seeing her non-reactive, went to his grandparents and enjoyed a piece of chicken, saying, “Delicious!”
Liu Xiaohua touched her slimmer face and smiled: “It’s okay. Alright, Fengshou, let’s go back now.”
Fengshou didn’t want to leave, staring at the meat on the plate. He said, “Don’t go back, I want to eat meat!”
Even though I had chicken soup and meat from my grandparents yesterday, I didn’t have any today. How could fish compare to chicken?
Liu Xiaohua, feeling awkward and ready to get angry, was stopped by Pei’s mother who said, “Let the child eat a few bites here, and you can go back to eat first.”
Liu Xiaohua glanced at Jiang Xi and, seeing no objections, agreed, “Okay, I’ll go back first. Fengshou, bring the plate back when you return.”
She left, and everyone continued eating.
Liu Xiaohua must have spent a lot of money. She served a fried fish, not too big, about half the size of a palm. Her cooking skills were great—the fish was golden brown, crispy, and the bones were soft enough to eat.
The two little girls, who hadn’t had fish for a long time, happily ate the fish with rice, swinging their legs in joy.
Mother Pei laughed and said, “We can only eat this thanks to Xiaoxi.”
Zhang Xiuyun looked at them with confusion. Why did it seem like her daughter’s sister-in-law was trying to please her daughter or maybe even competing with her? Could it be that her daughter was as strong in her husband’s family as she was at home?
Worried that her daughter might not know how to behave, Zhang Xiuyun forgot about the earlier embarrassment when she heard Pei’s mother’s comment. She asked, “Why do you say that, relative?”
Pei’s mother explained, “The wives of my eldest and second sons were difficult to deal with. If we hadn’t separated the family early, I wouldn’t have been able to control them. Xiaoxi is different. She is very capable.”
The second brother’s family wouldn’t have sent food here before, especially such good food, if it wasn’t for Jiang Xi’s medical skills, which made them careful not to offend her.
Zhang Xiuyun didn’t see the smile and disagreed, “Why would a girl be so powerful?”
Jiang Xi suddenly turned to her and asked, “Mom, are you full?”
Zhang Xiuyun choked and remembered the afternoon’s events. She shook her head, feeling guilty, “No…”
She quickly lowered her head and continued eating.
Mother Pei watched and shook her head, thinking: This mother really doesn’t understand. Isn’t it a good thing for her daughter to be strong? Shouldn’t she be supportive rather than critical?
_
After dinner,
Zhang Xiuyun wanted to preach to Jiang Xi, but Jiang Xi was too tired to listen. She said, “Mom, since you’re fine, go back tomorrow. I’ll bring the girls to visit once a month, but I won’t give you any money. Give up.”
Zhang Xiuyun was taken aback but kept quiet due to the cold treatment from the elder sister.
She didn’t want her daughter’s money anymore. She was embarrassed and already felt the loss deeply.
Before she could speak again, Jiang Xi interrupted her, “By the way, I need to tell you something. My second and third sisters don’t have names yet. I’ll start teaching them to read and write tomorrow, and they’ll start school in September. What do you think of naming them?”
The two little girls’ eyes lit up—they were excited about their names!
Zhang Xiuyun had some ideas: “A formal name is needed. Your father suggested Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi, but I didn’t like those names. I asked him to think of others. I didn’t expect…”
Her eyes reddened, and the girls looked sad.
Jiang Xi felt upset remembering that their father had been gone for three years. If she brought it up now, it was too painful.
Jiang Xi took a deep breath, smiled, and said softly: “Second sister, third sister, what do you think of Jiang Yu[1]Fish and Jiang Mi[2]Rice? Jiangnan is known for its fish and rice, so this name has a good meaning.”
The two girls’ eyes brightened, and they smiled and agreed.
“Then my name will be Jiang Mi,” one of the girls said.
Jiang Xi smiled and rubbed their heads: “Okay, that’s settled. Bring your notebooks and pens, and I’ll write down your names.”
The girls quickly followed her instructions.
Jiang Xi wrote their names clearly and handed them to them: “Remember, this is your name from now on.”
The girls nodded enthusiastically.
Zhang Xiuyun watched, sighed with a complex expression, and said, “Big sister, I know you’re doing this for their good, but you’re already part of the Pei family. I haven’t prepared a dowry for you this time, and it’s good enough that they help raise the children. Why bother with school?”
Jiang Xi’s expression turned cold.
The girls’ smiles faded.
Zhang Xiuyun noticed but continued, “You’re now a village doctor, and they can help you at home. Why study if you can’t go to college?”
Jiang Xi said coldly: “Why do you keep insisting on these things?”
Zhang Xiuyun was a bit annoyed: “I’m doing this for your own good!”
Jiang Xi snapped: “If I had listened to you, I’d be a stepmother, overwhelmed with children, trying to support your brother with my in-laws’ money, and end up in trouble. I have my own means of support. Look at me now, I’m doing well. If you have nothing to do, go help your brother.”
Zhang Xiuyun’s face turned red after her daughter yelled at her. She was speechless and trembling, not knowing how to respond.
She had old-fashioned views, shaped by her parents and society for forty years. Changing overnight wasn’t easy, and she wasn’t willing to. Even though her daughter was doing well now, Zhang Xiuyun doubted the future. She believed elderly advice was always right: women should be submissive…
But Jiang Xi didn’t want to hear this.
Jiang Xi looked at Jiang Yu and Jiang Mi, still angry, and said firmly: “I’m in charge now. You only need to listen to me, not her. Understand?”
Jiang Yu wanted to speak through her tears.
Jiang Mi pulled Jiang Yu’s sleeve and said loudly, “Got it, big sister! We’ll only listen to you.”
She nudged her second sister, urging her to agree.
Jiang Xi waited for Jiang Yu’s response.
Jiang Yu lowered her eyes, wiped her tears, and said, “I understand. I will only listen to my elder sister from now on.”
She wanted to speak up for her mother but knew her eldest sister was truly acting in their best interest.
Zhang Xiuyun felt completely ignored and thought, “How can my daughters treat me like this?”
Jiang Xi didn’t care and said, “You two can take care of your mother tonight. Let her go tomorrow morning. I’m going to sleep.”
“Okay!” Jiang Mi said loudly again.
Jiang Yu nodded vigorously.
Jiang Xi turned away, showing no lingering feelings towards Zhang Xiuyun.
***
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