“My man.”
A young woman’s voice called out beside his ear.
A wave of confusion washed over Zhao Yi. His own wife had passed away long ago, and his son and daughter-in-law were working in another city. No one from the local office would usually come looking for a wretched old man like him.
Still puzzled, Zhao Yi opened his eyes.
“Xiao Jing.”
As soon as Zhao Yi saw the person before him, his eyes suddenly reddened. Tears began to well up, threatening to spill over at any moment.
“What’s wrong, my man? Did Mother say something awful again?”
Zhang Jing looked at Zhao Yi and asked in a low voice, her words filled with concern.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
Zhao Yi could no longer hold back. He threw his arms around the woman before him, and tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.
“Thank God for letting me see you again before I die. The person I’ve wronged the most in my life is you. It was my fault for being useless, for not being able to give you a single good day.”
Zhao Yi muttered to himself, believing this to be a pre-death hallucination.
“My man, you’re talking nonsense. If we’re late for work, Mother will start scolding us again.”
Although Zhang Jing didn’t know what was wrong with Zhao Yi, the most important thing right now was to participate in the “Double Rush.” If the brigade leader found out they were slacking off, they wouldn’t just lose work points; they might even be dragged onto a stage to make a public self-criticism.
“Work?”
Hearing this, Zhao Yi felt a bit perplexed.
“Get up quickly. I’ve already made breakfast. We have to go to work right after we eat.”
Zhang Jing patted Zhao Yi’s back and gave him a sweet smile, leaving Zhao Yi in a daze. Was he dreaming?
Zhao Yi pinched his thigh, hard.
The sharp pain made him grimace.
It wasn’t a dream!
Zhao Yi hurriedly looked toward the wall, trying to see the current date, but all he saw were adobe walls and two straw rain capes.
A dilapidated cabinet stood by the bed, looking so wobbly it seemed it could topple over at any moment.
“What time is it? Still hiding in the room to be lazy. You just got married and you’re already planning to stop working, is that it?”
A familiar yet distant voice came from the doorway. Zhao Yi recognized it as the voice of his mother, who had been dead for nearly ten years. However, he felt little joy, and instead, his brow furrowed.
“Am I dreaming, or is this the ‘rebirth’ those young people are always talking about?”
Zhao Yi muttered to himself, then quickly put on his clothes and shoes, ready for breakfast.
He was still a little skeptical. All the things he had experienced didn’t seem like scenes that would only appear in a dream.
“You used so much oil just for breakfast. Is this family going to survive in the future? I don’t know what the eldest saw in such a spendthrift.”
Zhao Yi had just walked to the dining table in the main hall and sat down to eat when he heard his mother complaining to his wife, Zhang Jing.
“Ma, I’ll be more careful next time,” Zhang Jing said to Mother Zhao, looking somewhat helpless.
“Ma, Xiao Jing has only been married into the family for two days, and you’re finding fault with this and that. If you really can’t stand the sight of us, why don’t we just separate the family? We’ll go live on our own.”
Zhao Yi raised his head and looked at his parents.
Just a moment ago, Zhao Yi was wondering if he was dreaming, but now he was completely certain he had been reborn. Because just two days after his wife married in, his mother was nitpicking at every little thing.
Right now was the “Double Rush” season. Every household would use a bit more oil and fat. The labor was intense during this period, so people needed to consume more.
The first day, she complained that Zhang Jing didn’t wash the clothes clean enough. The second day, she said Zhang Jing’s porridge was too thick and the family’s grain couldn’t be wasted like that. Now, on the third day, she felt Zhang Jing used too much oil. She was clearly just looking for trouble, trying to put her daughter-in-law in her place.
Hearing Zhao Yi’s words, Father Zhao’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t know what had gotten into his usually honest and simple eldest son today.
“Just as I thought, an ungrateful wolf who forgets his mother as soon as he gets a wife. You’re not happy when I say a few words about your wife? Which family doesn’t go through this?” Mother Zhao said to Zhao Yi, huffing with anger.
“Other families are other families, our family is our family. Why do you always compare us to others? In the city, people get the ‘three rounds and a sound’ for marriage, but I haven’t seen our family have any of that. When the brigade leader’s son got married, he even sent fifty catties of grain to the in-laws. I didn’t see you send anything to my father-in-law’s family either.”
Zhao Yi finished the porridge in his bowl in a few gulps and then spoke.
Hearing this, Father Zhao said nothing, simply drinking the porridge in his bowl. It seemed the eldest had grown his wings and was ready to separate and live on his own. He had never realized his son was so eloquent and could make such a solid argument.
“How can our family compare to them? People in the city are workers with a source of income. The brigade leader’s family has work point subsidies, so of course they have extra grain,” Mother Zhao said to Zhao Yi.
“You know we can’t compare, so why do you bully Xiao Jing every day? She married me to live a good life, not to be bullied by you. Since you can’t stand us anyway, let’s have the brigade leader come over after work today to preside over the family separation. We won’t take anything, just give us our work points. I’ll move into the old house Grandpa left behind. Every month, I’ll give you five catties of grain for your support.”
Zhao Yi didn’t care what his parents thought. This family had to be separated today, no matter what.
He and Zhang Jing had toiled like beasts of burden for the family for over a decade, supporting his younger siblings through school. In the end, when Zhang Jing fell ill and needed money, Zhao Yi went to them to borrow some, but they all looked down on him as a poor, incapable older brother, thinking he wouldn’t be able to pay it back. In the end, Zhang Jing’s treatment was delayed, causing her to pass away before she even turned fifty.
If they hadn’t worked themselves to the bone to earn tuition for those few ungrateful wolves, how could Zhang Jing’s health have deteriorated so badly?
Mother Zhao had also frequently brainwashed Zhang Jing and Zhao Yi, saying that once the younger siblings finished university and got jobs, they too could enjoy a good life. They never got to enjoy any good life, but they certainly received plenty of disdainful looks.
This time, Zhao Yi would not be the family’s workhorse to support a few ungrateful wolves.
Mother Zhao never expected Zhao Yi to be serious.
“Oh, my heavens! Why is my life so bitter? I finally raised my son until he got married, only to have him bring home a troublemaker who’s tearing the family apart. How am I supposed to live now?”
Mother Zhao immediately unleashed her special skill: crying and making a scene.
Zhao Yi didn’t even glance at his mother. He grabbed Zhang Jing’s hand and started walking toward the brigade headquarters.
“My man, is this… is this a good idea?” Zhang Jing was a little scared.
“It will be in a moment. Let’s just ignore her. No matter what, we have to separate the family today. Otherwise, our hard days are still ahead of us,” Zhao Yi said in a low voice.
Zhang Jing didn’t quite understand what Zhao Yi meant. After all, her own mother was often scolded by her grandmother. Nothing she did was ever right, and she was always criticized for everything. She didn’t really mind these things.
She just never thought that her husband would want to separate from his family for her sake. This made Zhang Jing’s heart feel warm and fuzzy. She couldn’t explain why, but at this moment, she felt exceptionally happy.