Zhang Jing was completely unaware of the gossip behind her back as she hurried toward Zhangjia Village.
Zhangjia Village.
Village entrance.
With the rush harvest now completed, villagers had time to gather at the entrance to enjoy the cool air.
Zhang Jing had married Zhao Yi just two days before the rush harvest began. The traditional three-day post-wedding visit to her parents' home had long passed, though such customs weren't strictly observed nowadays, with most newlyweds still making the visit on the third day.
"Oh! Why is this girl returning alone?"
"She must be unwelcome in her husband's family."
"But she doesn't have any bruises on her face. Look, she's carrying such a big fish and what appears to be candy too."
Several women at the village entrance whispered as they watched Zhang Jing approach.
Zhang Jing's beaming face showed no signs of having been mistreated by her in-laws.
"Then why isn't her husband accompanying her? She must be putting on a brave face. Even if life with her in-laws is unbearable, she has to pretend everything's fine. If she complains to her parents, she might get beaten again when she returns."
Zhang Jing's maternal home courtyard.
As Zhang Jing entered the courtyard gate, she saw her mother sitting in the yard twisting hemp rope.
During slack periods in the village, family members would often twist hemp rope. Thin hemp ropes made for durable and comfortable straw sandals, far superior to those made from rice straw. Some even sold their hemp ropes to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative for extra income, though the cooperative paid very little and had strict length requirements.
"Dear child."
Wang Kaihui's face immediately lit up with joy upon seeing Zhang Jing, but when she peered behind her daughter and found no sign of Zhao Yi, her expression stiffened.
For a bride's first visit home, the groom's absence clearly indicated he didn't value Zhang Jing much.
"Dear, have they been mistreating you there?"
Wang Kaihui looked at Zhang Jing with pained sympathy. She had originally thought Zhao Yi was an honest man – even if the couple couldn't live in perfect harmony, at least they could get by. Never did she expect he would completely disregard her daughter.
"No, Mom. Brother Yi treats me very well."
Zhang Jing quickly shook her head.
"Child, it's my fault for failing you. You don't need to hide anything from me. I misjudged his character and ruined your life."
Wang Kaihui's voice choked with emotion as she spoke.
"Really, Mom, you don't understand. Brother Yi is wonderful to me. He couldn't stand listening to his mother criticize me, so he separated from his family. Now we're living in his grandfather's old house. Brother Yi is very capable – he earned several yuan just from one day's work.
He couldn't come with me today because he went to the city to buy chicks for raising. We just moved out and don't have any mother hens yet. Brother Yi even had me bring you this fish and brown sugar."
Zhang Jing promptly presented the prepared gifts to her mother.
Seeing the sincerity in Zhang Jing's eyes and hearing her words, Wang Kaihui realized her daughter wasn't lying. She never expected Zhao Yi to be such a good man – willing to separate from his family just to stop his mother's nagging. This alone made Wang Kaihui mentally applaud Zhao Yi as someone who truly cherished his wife.
Wang Kaihui and Zhang Jing soon walked cheerfully into the kitchen together, chatting and laughing as they began preparing the midday meal.
Rural families typically only ate two meals a day – one before morning work and another at noon. With no evening work, most people skipped dinner unless the household had abundant food supplies.
The aroma of cooking fish soon wafted through the air, making passersby swallow hard with anticipation.
Before long, Zhang Jing's father and brothers returned home.
"What's the occasion today? Why does it smell so delicious?"
Zhang Fusheng said with a cheerful laugh.
"Xiaojing came back to visit us and brought us a fish. It's quite a big one, so we cooked this large pot of it."
Wang Kaihui replied with a smile, her face showing a hint of pride.
"Where's your husband? Hurry and call him over to join us for the meal."
Zhang Fusheng nodded with a grin. Bringing such a large fish showed they truly had good intentions.
"He went to town to buy chicks. They just set up their own household and have nothing. Xiaojing came specifically to take the iron pot her grandmother left behind. Since they're newly independent and short on money, she only brought three yuan with her."
Wang Kaihui quickly explained.
"They've set up their own household? Why?"
Zhang Fusheng was puzzled. It was rare for rural families to split up unless brothers couldn't get along and were constantly fighting.
"I'll tell you about that later. Let's eat first."
By then, Zhang Jing had already served rice to everyone.
Right after the meal, Zhang Jing packed the cleaned iron pot into her carrying basket, said her goodbyes, and prepared to set off for Wangou Village.
"Let me walk you out. Be careful on your way back—don't drop and damage the pot."
Zhang Fusheng looked at his daughter with concern.
"Mm."
Zhang Jing nodded, carrying the iron pot on her back as she followed her father toward the village entrance.
"Take this money back. You've just started your own household and have many expenses. You can bring money another time when you're better off."
After seeing Zhang Jing out of the village, Zhang Fusheng returned the money she had given Wang Kaihui back to her.
"Mm."
Zhang Jing nodded. She had known her parents wouldn't accept the money. Keeping it would allow her to have a decent set of clothes made for Zhao Yi.
Watching Zhang Jing's receding figure, Zhang Fusheng didn't turn back toward the village until she was completely out of sight.
"Fusheng, don't you think that Zhao family boy is looking down on us? It's the girl's first visit back home, and he didn't even come along. He really doesn't take us seriously."
An elderly woman spoke to Zhang Fusheng with visible irritation.
"Auntie, Zhao Yi had matters to attend to. They're newly married and still figuring things out. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Zhang Fusheng knew these people were trying to stir up trouble. Whether Zhao Yi respected their family or not was something only he truly knew. It was rare to find a man who would separate from his family for his wife's sake—most just followed their parents' lead and mistreated their wives.
If a wife dared talk back to her in-laws, she might even face beatings from all three.
Zhao Yi's treatment of Zhang Jing left Zhang Fusheng with no complaints. If he didn't come, it was because he had legitimate business. Living their own lives well was what mattered most. Even if he never once visited Zhangjia Village, as long as his daughter was happy, that was enough.
"You're so understanding, Fusheng. If it were my husband, he'd probably have taken the boys and stormed over to confront them by now."
The old woman continued.
"Yes, yes. My uncle has a particularly short temper. If this happened to him, he'd definitely go demanding answers. I still have work in the afternoon—no time to go to Wangou Village."
Zhang Fusheng hurriedly agreed.
After saying this, he left the village entrance without looking back. These people clearly wanted to drive a wedge between him and his son-in-law, urging him to take his sons and teach Zhao Yi a lesson. If he actually listened and beat up his son-in-law,
Zhao Yi might hold a grudge against his daughter, and who knows how many beatings she'd suffer for no reason.
"These villagers—always meddling in others' business with nothing better to do."
Zhang Fusheng couldn't help muttering as soon as he arrived home.
"We've known what they're like for more than just one day. They must have seen Xiao Jing coming back alone and thought that men don't fancy her, so they wanted to make fun of our girl."
Wang Kaihui curled her lips and said.