The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Jiang Furong had only been in contact with Hu Xiuqing for too short a time, so she couldn't understand Hu Xiuqing's way of thinking.

"Grandma, if I go to school and work like my classmates, I can start working and get paid early, which can reduce the burden on the family. This is obviously a good thing. Why doesn't she let me go to school?"

Grandma Jiang sighed, "Who can tell? I opposed her marriage in the beginning, and she's always resented me, so she takes it out on you."

There are some things that Grandma Jiang really can't say. Once she says them, it will seem like a mother-in-law complaining about her daughter-in-law.

In the village, if the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not good, there are generally two results: either they are in harmony on the surface but not on the heart, or they are in harmony on the surface but not on the heart.

When there is a quarrel between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, the one who suffers most is usually the son, who is caught between his mother and his wife and suffers from both sides.

It just so happened that Jiang Dapeng was serving as a soldier away and rarely stayed at home. There was no buffer between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Hu Xiuqing had no place to vent her anger, so she always beat the young Jiang Furong, scolding her while beating her, and the scolding was actually a veiled attack.

There are so many trivial matters like these.

Jiang Xiaocui interrupted, "Mom, you should have been more resolute and refused to let her into our house! After all these years, her mother still comes to quarrel with you for no reason."

Grandma Jiang's face was very ugly, and she scolded Jiang Xiaocui dissatisfiedly: "Furong is still a child, don't talk about these things here anymore."

These things are considered family scandals, and we have to talk about them behind the children's back no matter what.

Jiang Furong didn't care about gossip: "Grandma, since you didn't agree at the beginning, why did you agree later?"

Unless the woman gets pregnant before marriage, her status will be determined by her child.

That's not right. If a woman gets pregnant before marriage, it's usually the girl who suffers. She has to compromise for fear of being disliked by her in-laws, right?

Grandma Jiang sighed again and again: "Your brother had just been promoted at that time. If your sister-in-law had gone to the army to make trouble, what would have happened to your brother's future?"

"She's going to the army to cause trouble?" Jiang Furong was shocked. "She still has the guts to do that?"

Grandma Jiang nodded. "It was your grandmother. She said if I didn't agree, she would go to the commune to complain, and also write a letter to the army to report your father's behavior problems to the army leaders. Well, the party secretary came to our house to persuade me. He persuaded me three times, and finally said that if the trouble continued, your father would be criticized and expelled from the army. When your grandfather heard this, he was scared and followed my lead."

For rural children to be able to serve in the army and be promoted is just like becoming the top scholar in ancient times and becoming a high-ranking official. It is a matter of bringing honor to the family and makes the family very proud.

"Life is so hard, I don't ask your father to help support the family. I just hope he can live a good life and not have to go back to the countryside to farm." Grandma Jiang said as she wiped away another tear.

Grandma Jiang came from the old society and had experienced all kinds of hardships. As the head of the family, she would take on any difficulties, whether she could or could not, as long as she was not starving or tired to death.

When Jiang Dapeng went to join the army, Grandma Jiang was reluctant because she was afraid of having to fight and that something might happen to the only male in the Jiang family.

But life in the countryside is too hard, there is not even enough food to eat. If I join the army, at least I have a 50% chance of survival and I can still have a full meal every day.

After finally getting promoted safely, Jiang Dapeng's allowance increased, and he would send living expenses to Grandma Jiang every two months.

That period was the happiest time in Grandma Jiang’s life. Her son had become successful and was able to support the whole family.

In the following years, which were the most difficult years when people had to dig soil and peel tree bark to feed themselves, Grandma Jiang divided every penny of the money Jiang Dapeng sent back into eight parts to support the Jiang family's close and distant relatives to help them through the difficult times.

Later, the days of famine passed, and life was still hard, but there was hope.

Later, Jiang Dapeng went home to visit his relatives, but he only stayed for two days and left in a hurry, saying that he had a mission to do. However, people who came to propose marriage to him began to come one after another.

Grandma Jiang had already made up her mind that her son must never return to the countryside to farm, and that he should stay in the army if possible. She rejected everyone who came and told her son that she would look for a job in the army.

Remember at this time, Hu Xiuqing came to the door and said that she was already in a relationship with Jiang Dapeng.

Grandma Jiang was completely stunned and refused to believe it. Her son had only been at home for two days, and during those two days, there were many relatives and friends coming and going, and he had never left her sight. How could he be getting together with someone?

Unexpectedly, rumors soon spread in the village.

Everyone knew that Jiang Dapeng and Hu Xiuqing were in a relationship, and they described it vividly as if they had seen it with their own eyes.

Those who wanted to marry into the Jiang family, those who came to propose marriage, even though they had all received kindness from Grandma Jiang to some extent, no one was grateful now. Some pretended nothing happened and gradually distanced themselves from Grandma Jiang. Some who couldn't stand this humiliation said sarcastically that Grandma Jiang was not being kind. Some were even more vicious, saying that women were unreliable when they were in charge of the family. No wonder the Jiang family had no male heirs and could only recruit orphans as sons-in-law. This son was probably destined to be a son-in-law like his father.

Grandma Jiang felt upset when she thought about this: "They say people in the countryside are honest and kind, but that's not the case at all. Some people are cruel and vicious. If someone like that happens to be in your family, there will be no hope in life, and the family will never be well. This is also partly why I don't want your father to go back to the countryside."

Soldiers returned to their rural hometowns after retirement. Anyone who was promoted in the army could basically become a cadre in a production team or commune.

But Grandma Jiang knew her son's personality too well, and she knew that being a village cadre would be a thankless task.

Grandma Jiang understands human nature better. Those who can't stand you doing well and can't get any benefits from you will curse your whole family to death!

Anyway, go as far as you can and don't come back.

Jiang Furong listened to Grandma Jiang's intermittent conversation for a long time, listening very carefully, afraid of missing any important parts. Sure enough, she discovered a problem: "Grandma, you don't want my father to go back to the countryside, so why do you want to take me back?"

Jiang Xiaocui had been listening anxiously from the sidelines for a long time, and couldn't help but interrupt, saying, "Hey Furong, do you even need to ask? It's because your mother treats you badly! She won't even let you go to school, how can she find you a job? Then she'll marry you off with two loads of grain and a set of clothes!"

Jiang Furong found it amusing: "Does she think this is still the old society? She wants to sell her daughter? How dare she? She dares to do this?"

Jiang Xiaocui sneered: "Your father doesn't care about anything, so what is your mother afraid of?"

That’s true. Jiang Furong was silent.

From what she saw when she woke up the day before and from her memories, Jiang Dapeng really did not know how to protect his eldest daughter.

Sometimes it was because he was not at home and didn’t see it and didn’t take care of it. Sometimes when he was at home and saw it, he would follow the principle of keeping the peace and ask his daughter to be obedient and not make her angry.

In order to survive, the wronged original owner Jiang Furong could only become more and more silent day by day under Hu Xiuqing's beatings and scoldings.