Post Date April, 15 2023
The happiest winter for rural women in the north is when the kang is always warm every night. Men go home from sidelines and receive their full wages on time, which is really a good thing. How proud women should be at this time! They planted melon seeds and hemp seeds from spring and autumn harvests, which were also good appetizers. When they were idle, they set up a small iron pot and cooked a plate, which was really enjoyable. There are also walnuts, persimmons, red dates, big yellow pears, and red apples picked from their own trees, all of which are saved up for the Chinese New Year. Whether out or at home, the couple has been tired for a whole year, and it's time to cuddle and rest well. This is called life
To be honest, most men who work outside actually rarely think about their wives. Even when they call home, they mainly ask about their children and elderly people. They always have too many ways to be happy. Women, on the other hand, are different. 30-40 years old is like a wolf in a tiger. You can't tie a man up at home, right? The feeling of not having money to spend will be even more uncomfortable, so you have to look forward to it every day helplessly.
Li Hui's husband has been working outside for many years and can only come back to stay for a few days at the end of the year. My son is in the second year of junior high school in the county, and my daughter went to a boarding primary school in the village as soon as she was in the second grade. On weekdays, Li Hui and her father-in-law live at home in a large courtyard, and the children can only be lively for two days after coming back every week.
Li Hui's family has seven new houses, which were built three years ago. Her father-in-law lives in two rooms in the east, she and her children live in three rooms in the middle, and the two rooms in the west are kitchens. Her mother-in-law passed away seven years ago, with advanced gastric cancer. Her husband used to find some odd jobs nearby to earn some small money to support his family. However, when the children grew up, the cost of studying was too high, so he left and wanted to earn more money to support his family. He had been away for five years and it was not easy for him. Li Hui knew that her heartbroken husband must have suffered a lot while repairing the railway outside. She saved all the money she earned and later built a new house on the old land, all of which were led by Li Hui. She has over ten acres of farmland in her home, and she also feeds two pigs and more than ten sheep. The housework was done with the help of her father-in-law, who was watching the good days come day by day, but she could never let go of the burden in her heart. Li Hui had once been bullied by her father-in-law.
Her father-in-law is in his 60s and has a strong body. He is usually quiet and lives alone in the old house after his old companion passes away. Since the new house was built at home, Li Hui's husband insisted that his father move to the new house and not let him cook on his own, leaving Li Hui to serve. Li Hui said that if she was alone, she could settle for a bag of instant noodles in the morning. But since her father-in-law came, he had to get up early to cook millet. He had a big appetite and ate at least two bowls of rice. My husband is an only child, and there are two older sisters who are both married in another village. They come to visit my father in the future.
Li Hui has a good reputation in the village, with polite children and good academic performance. Additionally, she is quite calm and doesn't let others gossip about her husband's prolonged absence from home, which makes her unable to resist loneliness. Her father-in-law stays at home every day, and no idle man dares to come and sit at her house. It can be said that everything is at peace in the world, and she generally does not have a short relationship with the neighbors' parents, and she is not willing to do that kind of long tongue. When others have nothing to do, they gather around to play mahjong or cards, which Li Hui doesn't like. At most, when she is extremely bored, she watches TV at home and doesn't go to school to watch children. Sometimes when I return to my mother's house for a short stay, my father-in-law stays at home alone to take care of me. Although there is an elderly person at home, although life may be inconvenient, it's still reassuring to know someone is at home after leaving.
The year before last, Li Hui and her father-in-law were working in the corn field. She sprinkled fertilizer and her father-in-law weeded, and they had been busy all morning. Due to the gloomy weather, it was already noon, and there were still three parts of the land left unfinished. They watched as it was about to rain, and if they didn't bury the fertilizer, it would be washed away, which didn't make much difference. My father-in-law said that if we are tired, we can finish it together. Li Hui also agreed that if it rains in the afternoon and it happens to be absorbed by the corn. After working for over an hour, it began to rain heavily. Fortunately, the work in the field had just been completed, but I got soaked on the way home. In summer, Li Hui was already wearing thin clothes, with a pair of pants and a large vest tightly attached to her body. My father-in-law held a hoe for her at the back, and Li Hui simply put the fertilizer bag on her head. She accidentally slipped down the slope and fell heavily, scratching the skin on her knees. Blood mixed with rainwater soaked through the pants and flowed down, so he had to limp back home with the help of his father-in-law.
My father-in-law poured boiling water and asked Li Hui to wash first before changing her muddy clothes. The rain outside is getting heavier and heavier, and the wind is blowing at the door with a loud bang. Li Hui watched as her father-in-law came out of her room wearing a straw hat and closed the door tightly. At that time, she happened to be washing the wound with salt water and let out a loud cry of pain. After her father-in-law heard this, he rushed out of the yard to Li Hui's door and opened it. At that time, Li Hui unexpectedly forgot that she was naked and only wearing a pair of briefs. She had just washed her head and changed into a dry vest. When she was wiping her lower leg, she was stung by salt and fell down from the small stool, causing even more pain in her sprained foot. After my father-in-law entered the door, he saw her sitting on the ground. Li Hui realized that she had not put on her pants yet and was in a hurry to call for her father-in-law to go out first. Unexpectedly, the father-in-law walked over and helped her up from the ground. Her two callused hands lifted her petite body and placed her on the bed. Li Hui quickly pulled on the bed cover and said to him, 'Go to the kitchen and cook your own food. I don't want to eat.'.
She said that at that time, her father-in-law didn't respond and remained in place for a full minute. Suddenly, he crawled onto Li Hui's bed. Helplessly, Li Hui had to close her eyes tightly, turn her head, and let him bully her. Later, her father-in-law made eggs for her, but she still didn't speak, and Li Hui didn't say anything. In the evening, her father-in-law came again and brought noodles to Li Hui. She still refused to eat, so he turned off the light and got into her bed again. Li Hui was really a bit angry this time, saying that he would call her if he didn't leave again. Her father-in-law still didn't say a word and bullied her again. Li Hui didn't even show off, afraid that there might be arguments or shouting that would be heard by her neighbors.
The next day, Li Hui's legs were able to barely walk on their own, knowing that they were not hurting their bones and would recover in a few days. She began to ignore her father-in-law, and he continued to cook for Li Hui until a week later when she was better
In the past two years, he has never touched Li Hui again, and Li Hui is always on his guard. At the end of this year, Li Hui returned after her husband's contract expired, and she no longer had to live as a widow. Li Hui said that if her husband went out to work again, she could follow him and her children would grow up. Li Hui also said that she always sees her father-in-law's dull and speechless appearance, and thinks he is quite pitiful. Li Hui is constantly persuading herself to forget the ugly incident of the past, but she often thinks of it. Can you tell her husband about this kind of thing? She said that in this lifetime, even if it's rotten for the sake of this family, she'll rot it in her stomach!
Li Hui said that in the past two years, she has only had this unresolved knot in her heart. She didn't dare to tell anyone, but since confiding in me, it seems like she has been relieved. I'm really happy for her. I said if you don't take him seriously, it won't be a problem. Li Hui is not wrong
(Intern Editor: Cai Junyi)
