“Did her family not care at all?”
“What was there to manage? Did you not see that no one from her family came when she gave birth? I even heard her mother-in-law chatting with others, saying they thought the daughter-in-law’s belly had a grandson, and had they known it was a girl, they would have just let her give birth at home.”
“How could she be so heartless? That is her own granddaughter!”
“So what if it’s a granddaughter? Let me tell you, older women tend to prefer boys, they don’t take girls seriously. My mother told me about a family in the village when I was little that gave birth to a girl, and the mother-in-law didn’t like it and would drown the baby. Even today, such things aren’t rare. It’s just that now, killing your own child is considered a crime, so they don’t dare do it openly.”
Zhou Qianqian, listening behind them, turned pale, feeling even more discomfort in her already upset stomach.
Her mother-in-law didn’t like girls either, including her own mother. After the news of Zhou Qianqian’s pregnancy was sent back, the letters received all urged her to give birth to a boy, without even mentioning the possibility of a girl.
Even Zhou Qianqian herself hoped the baby in her belly was a boy; after all, a girl would be married off and become someone else’s.
But if she had a daughter…
As she panicked, one of the nurses behind her suddenly spoke up: “Do you think if He Xuezhong has a girl, will Commander Lin mind?”
Another nurse hesitated to reply: “Probably not. Commander Lin cares for Xuezhong so much, and during every check-up, he never asked if they could tell if it was a boy or girl. I heard Commander Lin has a strong sense of military ethics; he should be following the Chairman’s words and think that whether it’s a boy or girl is the same.”
“I think that’s not right. Look at that woman in labor, her husband took care of her so well when they came in. They even said they grew up together, but once she gave birth to a girl, he changed. He used to be attentive, even fetching water for her feet, but now he doesn’t even care if the child urinates, just watching the old woman hit his wife with open eyes.”
“I heard from the head nurse that he wanted to help but was stopped by his mother. It seems the old lady was upset about not having a grandson. Of course, the mother who raised him and his wife of just a few years must come first.”
Hearing this made the nurse who thought Lin Shiheng wouldn’t change even more doubtful. “I remember that Commander Lin has a mother back in his hometown, right?”
“Yes, she mentioned during the last check-up that she planned to come over and help before Xuezhong gave birth. I wonder if this old lady also prefers boys…”
“Alright, alright, let’s not worry about other people’s matters. Let’s hurry inside; it’s really cold out here.”
As they turned to leave, Zhou Qianqian quickly felt guilty and looked down, hurriedly turning towards the stairs.
Even though her steps were hurried, her mind gradually began to clear up.
That’s right.
She wasn’t the only one with a mother-in-law; He Xuezhong had one too.
It’s quite possible that He Xuezhong’s mother-in-law didn’t like her at all.
Zhou Qianqian secretly hoped He Xuezhong would give birth to a girl, just to be looked down upon by her biased mother-in-law. If Lin Shiheng’s attitude changed, that would be even better.
At that time, she would see how He Xuezhong could continue to act like a happy little woman.
Just thinking about that made her previous feelings of inferiority vanish like smoke, even easing the pain in her stomach.
Zhou Qianqian didn’t rush to jump on the same bus; instead, she took another one, her mind spinning, but she didn’t forget to gather information about Lin Shiheng’s mother.
If she was biased against girls, then there would definitely be a good show to watch.
When the bus arrived at its destination, Zhou Qianqian got off, suppressing her nausea with a few dry heaves, her pale face masked with excitement as she walked ahead.
She vaguely remembered that the girl selling clothes in a shopping mall was from the same village as Lin Shiheng, and she heard it was quite close. They had both been working away for two years. The last time she went out shopping with other military wives, the girl mentioned that she was looking for a husband, planning to marry someone nearby.
The reason was simple: she was a girl, not valued at home, struggling to earn money while her parents expected her to give money for her brother’s house, and wanted to marry her off to a disabled man. After that, the girl never went home again.
Since they were from the same village, if this girl wasn’t favored, there was a good chance the whole village didn’t value girls, considering Zhou Qianqian’s own family situation.
She quickly found the place where the girl sold clothing, and at first, the girl wouldn’t say anything. Zhou Qianqian gritted her teeth and bought her a piece of clothing, and then she spilled everything she knew.
“Aunt Li?”
Upon mentioning Li Chunhua, the young girl, whose face seemed weathered beyond her years, twitched at the mention, revealing a pained expression, “She really favors boys.”
“When I left, Shiheng had been married for a year; Aunt Li always talked about wanting a chubby grandson. Whenever she argued with someone, her curses were always about wishing the other’s child was a girl.”
Zhou Qianqian’s eyes sparkled brighter: “What about her personality? How is she?”
If she only liked boys but couldn’t control her daughter-in-law, that would be of no use.
“Her personality…”
The girl’s facial expression became even harder to describe. “She’s not someone you want to provoke. I often saw her chasing after others, scolding them, and I heard she would curse from one end of the village to the other. Even Shiheng’s grandparents don’t dare to mess with her.”
“How does she treat her daughter-in-law?”
The girl thought for a moment and shook her head, “She doesn’t like Shiheng’s wife, always saying she’s a hen that doesn’t lay eggs, and she constantly scolds her. I haven’t seen her hit her, but she definitely doesn’t like her. Look at this piece of clothing; it’s nice, right? Feel this fabric, it suits you. Want to try it on? I’ll give you a discount.”
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments