Traveling to the ancient harem

By the time the mother and son recovered, almost half an hour had passed and all the people around them had left. Huang Ye also learned about their experience from the mother and son.

It turned out that the old woman Zhang was from the nearby Shihua Village. She was the only child she had because her parents were in poor health. More than 20 years ago, she met Li Youbao, who was working as a temporary worker in the village. The two young people loved each other, so Li Youbao asked a matchmaker to propose marriage. The Zhang family also liked this diligent and sweet-talking young man and wanted Li Youbao to marry into the family. Unfortunately, the Li family did not agree. The Zhang family loved their children and did not want to break up the two lovers, so they agreed to the marriage.

Zhang moved from Shihua Village to Liwa Village and married Li Youbao, the youngest son of the Li family. Her parents from her natal family died one after another shortly after her marriage. Without her parents, Zhang's life became difficult.

The Li family is one of the most prominent families in the village. Their ancestors were frugal and managed the household well. By their generation, the family had some land. Old Mr. Li had two sons and a daughter. The daughters had already married. The eldest son, Li Youcai, married a woman from the neighboring village. The eldest daughter-in-law gave birth to three big fat boys in one breath after she got married. The old couple loved them very much. In addition, the eldest son and his wife were sweet-talkers, and they gradually won the old couple's hearts.

Since Zhang got married, she has not been able to get pregnant for several years, which makes the old couple even more dissatisfied. They are completely biased and dislike the couple in every way. All the heavy and tiring work at home are done by them. The eldest couple always find excuses to cheat, and the old couple don't say anything. But if Zhang and her husband take a break, the old couple will start to complain.

Zhang and his wife spent a full ten years in the Li family. In his spare time, Li Youbao was driven out by the old man to do odd jobs, and all the money he earned had to be given to the old couple without a penny less. Even so, he never got a good face from them, and the two of them often did not have enough to eat. When the food was on the table, the three children would rush to eat it, and they would eat whatever was left over, whether they were full or not.

The cause of the incident was that Zhang was sick and had a low-grade fever. Li Youbao asked her mother for money to treat her daughter-in-law. Not only did her mother refuse to give any money, but at the instigation of the eldest brother and his wife, she scolded Zhang for being lazy and not wanting to work. Li Youbao could no longer bear it and proposed to divide the family.

This really stirred up a hornet's nest. The old couple cried and made a fuss, scolding them for being unfilial. In that dynasty, it was very rare for parents to separate the family property.

Li Youbao insisted on dividing the family, otherwise his wife would die. The old couple couldn't persuade him and suggested dividing the family. They had no children, and the main house was for their grandson to marry in the future, so they couldn't give it to them. They could only build a small building behind the house, which used to be a cowshed. They didn't have any land either, as the old family had more children and more food, so they left it to the old family. There was more than an acre of thin land reclaimed on the mountain, which was divided among them. However, after the division of the family, they had to take out money and grain every year to honor their parents.

Li Youbao and his wife certainly wouldn't accept this, so they started making a fuss. The old man picked up a hoe at hand and almost beat Li Youbao to death. Zhang was too sick to have any strength, so she had to ask the neighbors to call a doctor. When the doctor came, the old couple refused to pay. Zhang was so angry that she could only hug her husband and cry.

Li Youbao was lucky and slowly got through it, and Zhang also gradually got better. The two discussed for a long time, but still felt that they could not survive in this family. Li Youbao often traveled around and had some experience, so the two decided to go out and try, maybe they could make a way out.

The two men were afraid that the family would not let them go. If they left, the family would have no money to work. So they ran out of Liwa Village in the middle of the night, taking advantage of everyone being asleep. They did whatever work they saw along the way. They worked hard and were willing to be hired. They did not go hungry, and when they reached Taiyuan, they had some savings.

The two men asked someone to make a small wheelbarrow and started selling pancakes on the street. It was very hard in the beginning. They rented a small shabby house to make pancakes. The house was so small that they had no place to sleep at night. However, because their pancakes were made with authentic ingredients and tasted good, their business slowly grew.

With money in hand, the two of them rented a small shop with room for two tables. In addition to selling cakes, they also sold drinks. Three or five people could come in and order a few dishes and a few drinks. As the two were diligent, down-to-earth in their business, and willing to put in the work, their business was booming.

Li Youbao was very financially savvy. When he had saved enough money, he bought a bankrupt restaurant and started running it again. The restaurant's business quickly picked up. At this time, good news came from Zhang's belly: she was pregnant.

The two cried with joy, and finally had this child after so many years of waiting. When the child was born, the two named him Li Wansheng, hoping that even though he was born late, he would have a safe and smooth life and no worries about food and clothing.