As He Xuezhu grew a little older and learned to identify medicinal herbs, her tasks changed from sewing clothes with her sister to accompanying her father into the mountains to gather herbs.
The four children gradually grew up, and life at home improved slightly. However, just as the village announced the opening of a primary school, He Fu tragically fell to his death while collecting herbs. With the family’s pillar gone, they lost a significant source of income. How could they manage a son’s marriage, build a new house, and raise children?
Sell the daughter!
Most families that sold their daughters were incredibly poor, unable to afford a bride. Any family that cared for their daughter would be reluctant to marry her off to such families. Yet, He Mu did not mind; as long as they could meet her asking price for the bride price, she would readily agree to marry her daughter off.
He Xuezhu’s elder and second sisters both married into impoverished families. They had never been to school, having been oppressed by their parents since childhood without any thought of rebellion. They obediently married into their new families and were never heard from again.
Li Chunhua saw this as an opportunity. She was unhappy with her own in-laws and did not want another daughter-in-law from a troublesome family. She noticed that He Xuezhu was diligent, honest, had a good physique, and looked decent, plus she had some skills in herb gathering and medical treatment. Marrying her son to He Xuezhu would surely give her a robust grandson. Therefore, she quickly arranged the match and paid the bride price.
Unexpectedly, the He family veered away from their usual “once a girl is married, she is like spilled water” attitude and began visiting the Lin family frequently, asking for loans at every opportunity.
How could Li Chunhua tolerate that?
She had firmly separated from the Lin family before, making it clear she was not someone to mess with. Each time the He family visited, they left empty-handed, and after each visit, she would admonish He Xuezhu once again.
Despite this, the He family seemed oblivious to the situation and continued to approach her with shamelessness, completely disregarding what treatment their daughter would receive at the Lin family.
Li Chunhua’s only weakness was her son. Yet, her son cared about his reputation and was dutiful towards his grandparents while needing to maintain a facade towards his wife’s family, leaving her feeling restrained. She could only send the He family away every time they arrived.
When He Mu and her son recently arrived, she opened with, “In-law, I heard that Shi Heng has been severely injured and disabled?”
Li Chunhua grabbed a kitchen knife and retorted, “Who do you mean is disabled?!!”
Even He Xuezhu, who was usually bossed around by her mother, looked troubled and interjected, “Mother, what are you talking about? Shi Heng is fine.”
“It’s not like that! I heard it from the villagers; I’m concerned about Shi Heng!”
He Mu was terrified by Li Chunhua’s fierce demeanor, her legs felt weak, and she regretted being so direct. She quickly tried to appease her with a smile, backing away awkwardly, “This is what the villagers said, not me!”
“Yes, yes, we also heard it from others,” He Xiaobao quickly chimed in, acting meekly towards Li Chunhua. He was filled with resentment towards his sister, who had grown up being bullied by him.
“In-law, please don’t rush! I heard that Shi Heng was injured and feared he would pass that injury onto the child. You and the Old Lin family don’t get along too well; it would be better for you to adopt our Xiaobao than to adopt theirs, right?”
If Li Chunhua had previously been scaring them on purpose, now she was genuinely furious. She picked up a broom from the ground and hurled it at the two of them, who squealed as they dodged. Her vision turned black with anger as she put her hands on her hips and started berating them.
“You inhumane creatures! My son is fine, and your son is dead? You think you can adopt someone in your dreams!? It will never happen in this lifetime!”
He Mu’s heart raced at Li Chunhua’s outburst, and considering that she would lose the opportunity for money from the Lin family, she swallowed hard and tried to maintain her composure, saying cautiously, “In-law, please, don’t be angry. I only heard from your Shi Heng’s second aunt that he was seriously injured and needed to adopt her son. I thought, given your poor relationship with the Old Lin family, adopting our Xiaobao would be better, right?”
“You! You! I’m going to kill you today!”
Li Chunhua dropped the knife and picked up the broom again, charging towards them.
The two were alarmed and prepared to flee when a clear male voice rang out behind them, “What is going on here?”
Li Chunhua froze, seeing her handsome son in military uniform with a knapsack standing at the door. Instantly, her eyes turned red, “Shi Heng…”
He Xuezhu, who had rushed to intervene, also halted, gazing at her tall and handsome husband, while noticing the dirt on her hands from feeding the chickens earlier. Feeling awkward, she hid her hands behind her back and cautiously approached, “Shi Heng, you’re back.”
“Yes, didn’t I say I would be back in a few days?”
“Mother, what’s going on?”
Hearing her husband’s questioning voice and seeing her family looking embarrassed beside her, He Xuezhu lowed her head. “It’s my mother and younger brother who came.”
She knew that Shi Heng did not like her family. Every time they showed up, he was reluctant to be intimate with her at night. He Xuezhu felt utterly helpless; she even began to resent her family for causing such disturbances at the Lin family.
The more they acted like this, the more He Xuezhu felt unable to hold her head high, especially now that Shi Heng had witnessed it.
She kept her head down, trying to conceal her reddening eyes, fully aware that she was likely to be disliked again. Just as her body trembled slightly from distress, a warm, long hand wrapped around her shoulder.