“This isn’t just marrying off a daughter; it feels like marrying off an ancestor!”
A normal mother would surely feel happy about her daughter being cared for by her husband and mother-in-law. Yet, Mother He only had thoughts of her son in her mind, and she wanted to show off to her potential mother-in-law to borrow money. She instantly tossed the sunflower seed shells on the ground and scolded He Xuezhur, “Xuezhur! What’s the matter with you? It’s just pregnancy! How can you do nothing and let your mother-in-law and husband serve you? How can you be such a daughter-in-law? Aren’t you ashamed!”
He Xuezhur was just gratefully accepting a cup of water that Li Chunhua handed her when she heard her mother’s stern voice, making her stiffen involuntarily. Coupled with her unease about resting while her mother-in-law worked, she was about to stand up.
Lin Shiheng immediately reached out to stop her, holding his wife’s hand without losing his smile: “Mom, we didn’t know about Xuezhur’s pregnancy before. My mom said she was up in the mountains collecting medicinal herbs recently, and we were worried.”
“What’s there to be worried about? Xuezhur could run around the mountains with a medicine basket at eight years old; she’s not that delicate.”
Previously, whenever Mother He spoke, Li Chunhua not only disliked her but also took it out on her daughter-in-law. However, now that she was the mother-in-law, she didn’t mind taking care of He Xuezhur. It was ironic that Mother He, Xuezhur’s own mother, dared to stop her daughter from resting.
Thinking about it, although the women from the He family frequently visited, they always came to take advantage and had never shown any concern for Xuezhur.
Li Chunhua suddenly felt that her previous resentment towards Mother He was foolish.
Having such a biological mother was indeed a misfortune!
It’s easy to imagine how much hardship and suffering Xuezhur endured before she got married if she was sent to collect medicinal herbs at just eight years old.
After all, they had interacted for three years, and Xuezhur had always treated her with respect and care. Even if she looked down on her, it wasn’t necessary for the He family, who almost sold their daughter, to criticize her.
Seeing that Mother He was about to say something else, Li Chunhua put her hands on her hips and scolded, “Are you that unhappy about Xuezhur? What exactly are you doing here? Speak up quickly; if you don’t, then you should leave. Do you want me to keep you here for dinner?”
Mother He turned pale at being scolded but, with a request in mind, could only swallow her remaining words and forced a laugh: “Look at you, why are you getting so angry while we’re just having a conversation?”
“It’s just that my boy, although he’s still quite young, is already a father of two. His wife just gave birth and can’t get out of bed to take care of the children. Xuezhur’s father passed away early, and we’re a family of orphans and widows without any income, so… ”
Li Chunhua was already too tired to even smirk: “So you came looking for Shiheng’s help?”
“What do you think Shiheng is for? If we’re out of money, we just come to him? I’ll tell you, that’s just a dream!”
“Mom, don’t be in such a hurry.”
Lin Shiheng stood up, gently coaxing Li Chunhua to sit down, and went to see the downcast He Xiaobao.
“Xiaobao, although we’re not blood relatives, I’ve always regarded you as my little brother. Be honest with me: this time I brought money back to build a new house. Do you want to build a new house as well? If you do, I’ll point you towards the right way.”
He Xiaobao hesitated, wanting to say he didn’t have such grand aspirations—he just wanted to borrow some money to gamble—but Mother He’s eyes lit up at the mention of a new house. Before her son could reply, she hurriedly answered,
“Yes! Absolutely!”
“Shiheng, Xiaobao also wants to be as successful as you; after all, he’s your wife’s brother, so you have to help him!”
Li Chunhua and He Xuezhur exchanged shocked glances. Li Chunhua was worried that her son, too kind-hearted, would agree, while Xuezhur completely understood her relatives now.
He Xiaobao had never hit or scolded his sisters, but he was spoiled and could not endure hardship. Not only was he thick-skinned, but he also loved to monopolize; all the good food in the house, he would eat without even letting his own mother or wife touch it.
If he clung to Shiheng, how would things unfold in the future…
But Lin Shiheng seemed oblivious to the expressions on Li Chunhua’s face and He Xuezhur pulling on his sleeve. He directly focused on his brother-in-law in front of him: “Xiaobao, if you really want to earn money to build a new house, I’ll take you to the army.”
He Xiaobao hadn’t spoken yet when Mother He exclaimed, “The army? No, no! The army is too tough; our Xiaobao cannot endure that hardship!”
“Hey, Mom, you simply don’t know. I’m a big shot in the army. If Xiaobao goes there, how can I not take good care of him?”
Lin Shiheng said this while loosening his grip on his wife’s hand, turning to face his mother-in-law with a wholesome smile. “The ones who suffer are those who get deployed; the ones who stay inside, not only get free meals and accommodations but also receive clothing and subsidies. A monthly salary is this much.”
As he spoke, he gestured a number with his hand.
Mother He’s eyes brightened up, and even He Xiaobao, who feared hardship, began to change his expression.
Although he was pampered in the He household and money was often lacking due to his sisters marrying away, He Xiaobao had an aversion to labor. His wife had to take care of the child, and Mother He was also weak, so they couldn’t manage the land much. Every year, they barely scraped by.
But if there was such a sum of money every month, wouldn’t that mean they could play and eat whatever they wanted in the future?
Mother He’s maternal love added some hesitation: “But my Xiaobao is really physically weak…”
Lin Shiheng looked at He Xiaobao’s plump, pale face, which resembled an undercooked dough pancake. His smile became even gentler. “Don’t worry; I’m his brother-in-law. Can’t I take care of him?”