Chapter 30.2

Translated by Aviana

The entire house was unusually quiet. Over there in the main room, it was pitch dark, without even lamp lit.

It seemed as if the family didn’t have any intention of cooking dinner tonight. Anyways, Lin Qingwan also had no intention of eating. She had enough of these people.

After both of them had the cakes bought by Yang Tiezhu, they freshened up and went to bed. After such an exhaustive day, and once going through such a fuss in the evening, everyone was tired out.

Just when they were about to fall asleep, Lin Qingwan suddenly spoke.

“Your mother is truly not a human!” Then, after pausing for a second, she once again added, “In the future, if your mother dares to treat our kids like that, Yang Teizhu, then don’t say that I didn’t warn you in advance. I will definitely have a fallout with her.”

Upon hearing her say so, Yang Tiezhu didn’t say anything but simply embraced her tighter.

After a while, he replied, “Wanwan, this kind of thing will never happen for sure, don’t worry!”

However, by this time, Lin Qingwan was already fallen asleep and couldn’t hear him.

On the other side, in the third branch’s room, ever since Lin Qingwan and they have walked out, Yao-shi’s tears never stopped dripping.

Both the children had already fallen asleep, and no one also dared to mention hunger. Moreover, they were also still young; after all the crying and fuss, they were already tired and fell asleep.

Yang Tiegen had been all along squatted on the ground with his head in his arms, listening to his wife’s sobs.

After a good while, he stood up and came to Yao-shi’s side.

“Wife, don’t cry. I will make it up for you.”

Yao-shi turned her head in the opposite direction and wiped her tears.

Yang Tiegen sighed in distress as he pulled his hair.

“You say, she is my mother, what can I say to her, ah?!!!” His heart was also very much very uncomfortable. His mother, younger brother, and younger sister were stealthily eating in the house, and in the end, were caught by children, whom she threatened to hit them if they happen to speak about it anywhere else. Who would have imagined that not only Erniu and Sanniu saw them, but the eldest branch’s Erlang also saw them and told it to Wang-shi, who ended up making a din. Ultimately, after all this fuss, their whole family was caught upon in misfortune.

But what can he even say, ah? Can he even hit or scold his mother?

When Yao-shi heard Yang Tiegen say as such, she turned around. Her eyes were bright red, don’t know whether it was because of crying or hatred.

“Yes, yes, yes, what you said is reasonable. She is your mother; thus, she cannot distinguish red-green or black-white, and can hit Erniu. She is your mother, so she can give preferential treatment to some. And when children happen to see it, she can even threaten them to beat them?”

Yang Tiegen had pain across his whole face, but he, too, didn’t know what to say.

Tears started to drip again on Yao-shi’s face. With a sorrowful sob, she said, “Yang Tiegen, you tell me, it has been several years since I have married you. Apart from not being able to give you a son, where have I ever let your Yang family down? All the meals were managed by your mother; thus, I didn’t even dare to eat much. Both the kids have grown so much, yet they couldn’t even get to eat an egg when they wish to…I always ate the least amount of meals, yet I didn’t work less than you. Am I still not good? What do I do?!” Yao-shi seemed to be agitated, “…Your mother, your eldest sao, both look down upon me. Even our two kids are pitiful and are every day suppressed by the eldest branch’s sons. Both of them are only 4-5 years old, yet the food is snatched from them by their elder brothers. Still, they never uttered a voice and would only come back and cry to me…”

Yang Tiegen’s eyes also welled up as he took his thin and weak wife into his hands.

“I’m sorry, wife. Blame me for not having any ability. However, she is my mother, ah… what can I even say to her…”

It wasn’t that Yang Tiegen wasn’t aware of how his wife and daughter are treated at home. But by nature, he was inarticulate and was honest and filial by conduct. Unfortunately, sometimes even upon seeing his mother harshly criticizing his wife and children, he was also rendered motionless.

When his mother hits or scolds him, he can neither hit nor scold back. So even if she makes a fuss, he doesn’t stand a chance against her. And could only be suppressed and manipulated by her.

Yao-shi and Yang Tiegen are both orthodox by nature with filial piety as big as the sky. As such, she also didn’t wish for her husband to do anything. Because she knew that her man was filial, and her mother-in-law, He-shi, was an unreasonable and temperamental type.

However, after working hard without any complaint for years, few thoughts arose in her heart. Just like her second sao said, even if adults can be ignored, one must still look after children.

At night, Yao shi laid on the kang without sleeping for a long time. Second sao’s words kept swirling around inside her head…

The next day, early in the morning, everyone got up, as usual, washed their face, and rinsed their mouths.

He-shi was the one who made breakfast this morning. After making breakfast, He-shi stood in the yard and called everyone in a loud voice to have breakfast and go for work.

Originally, He-shi didn’t want to get up and prepare it, but Yang laoyezi forced her saying if she doesn’t cook, how can everyone go to the fields for work. Could it be that they have to starve again, just like last night? He-shi had no choice but to angrily get up and cook.

老爷子 (lǎoyézi): old father, an appellation used for an elderly male.

When having breakfast, everyone was unusually quiet; neither adults nor children spoke. Yao-shi and the two kids didn’t come for breakfast. Yang Tiegan came and took their share and left.

He-shi wanted to say something but gritted her teeth and did not speak.

After breakfast, everyone got ready to go to the fields for work. Yang Tiegen went to Yang laoyezi to inform that Yao-shi would not go today and be at home to look after the child as the doctor had said that she was hit a bit seriously and need to be taken to town if she felt dizzy and nauseous.

Upon hearing this, Yang laoyezi at once nodded his head and instructed He-shi to send a few eggs to her as nourishment. Hearing that child was struck a bit by her, she also didn’t object. But she had a long face, not knowing what she was thinking.

Lin Qingwan’s work was the same as what she did the previous day. Today, Wang-shi was also unusually sincere; perhaps after venting a bit yesterday, she had a bit lingering fear, fearing that He-shi would seek her to look for trouble.

All the time harvesting, harvesting, and again harvesting; Although Lin Qingwan was only helping them a bit, doing this all day long every day, she was also extremely tired.

Only at this moment was she truly able understand the classical Chinese poem she had learnt in her previous life, and understand the meaning of ‘Hoeing cereal in the midday sun, his sweat drops and nourishes the grain and the earth, but only few people know that his supper is nothing but hard work.’ All the cereals are the sweat of families of farmers.

But, the only thing worth rejoice was that after them stealthily eating incident, don’t know what Yang laoyezi said to He-shi, but there was also meat in the meals for the next few days packed by He-shi. Although it was only bits and pieces of diced meat, it was still a bit more appetizing than previous lunches.

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