Reborn in 1966

Chapter 84 Recuperation

Hearing the noise, Third Grandma came out of the house.

Looking at her, Aunt Zhao thought that Third Grandma looked to be only about fifty years old, but she knew that Third Grandma was already over sixty.

Taking this opportunity, Aunt Zhao carefully examined Third Grandma. She was of medium height, thin, with a fair complexion and some gray hair tied in a bun with a black hairnet. Her eyes were smiling as she looked at her.

Grandma said, "Third sister-in-law, this is Tiezhu's aunt. She's here to see Xuanxuan."

Third Grandma hurriedly stepped forward to take the things from Aunt Zhao's hands, saying, "Oh, it's my sister-in-law! Please come inside and sit down."

The three rooms appear somewhat low, but inside they don't feel low at all. A small room is partitioned off on the west side, and there's a firewall on the east side. A kang (heated brick bed) is built near the window, connected to the firewall. Just inside the entrance is a long table with a tea tray on it, holding a black porcelain teapot and several black porcelain teacups, which complement the black-lacquered long table perfectly. Several black square stools are placed under the long table. Both the long table and the stools are spotless. Against the wall is a black-lacquered cupboard, which is also very clean.

Unlike other houses where the firewalls are made of mud, these half-person-high firewalls are smoothed with cement. Beyond the firewalls is a large window covered with thick, snow-white paper. It's probably because Tiezhu's wife is here; the window is closed very tightly.

Aunt Xuan sat up as soon as she heard Third Grandmother and Aunt Zhao talking outside. Aunt Zhao quickly helped Aunt Xuan up and said, "Don't get up, don't get up, lie down quickly. You're in your postpartum period too. Isn't this the time for us women to recuperate?"

Grandma said, "His aunt is right."

Aunt Xuan said, "Auntie, do you really need to bring me these things? I'll be going back in a few days."

Aunt Zhao said, "Xia's mother, you can just stay here and rest. Your uncle and I will help Tiezhu with things at home, so don't worry."

Grandma said, "Thank you so much, Auntie. I never imagined the child would suffer like this."

Aunt Zhao said, "Sister-in-law, it is our Zhao family that has wronged you. Such a good girl has married into our family, and we have mistreated her."

Grandma said, "Look at his aunt, she's talking nonsense. In daily life, there's no such thing as neglecting or not neglecting. Besides, we've seen what kind of people you and his uncle are. If it weren't for you two when the family divided last time, these two children might not be doing well. We remember your kindness and will let the children remember it too. In the future, they must take good care of you and his uncle."

The old ladies chatted for a while longer, and seeing that Aunt Xuan looked a little tired, Aunt Zhao said goodbye and went home.

After Aunt Zhao left, Grandma and Third Grandma were talking in the front yard.

Third Grandma said, "Sister-in-law, I didn't expect the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhao family to have this attitude."

Grandma said, "I didn't expect it either. I thought that when Zhao's eldest daughter-in-law came, she wanted Xuanxuan to go home. This is perfect, let Xuanxuan stay a few more days."

Third Grandma said, "Okay, sister-in-law, there were several girls in our courtyard back then, but now only Xuanxuan is at home. We have to take good care of her. When she was a girl, we could spoil her however we wanted, but now that she's married, she belongs to someone else. If we want to spoil her even more, we have to consider her in-laws' attitude."

Grandma laughed and said, "Sure, as long as you don't mind the noise, let Xuanxuan stay here for a few more days. I'd like to see how Xuanxuan's mother-in-law handles this."

When Aunt Zhao got home, she told her husband about her trip to the Shen family. Uncle Zhao kept his head down, smoking his pipe. After a long while, he finally said to his wife, "My dear wife, this time our family has really lost face. Sigh..." A long sigh escaped his lips, making Aunt Zhao feel terrible. She and her husband had shared such a shameful affair, and she knew her husband was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. Now, their sister-in-law had completely disgraced them. It didn't have to wait until tomorrow; everyone would know today that such a disgraceful thing had happened to their family. The mother-in-law had caused her daughter-in-law to miscarry, and the daughter-in-law had gone back to her parents' home and wouldn't come back. What kind of mother-in-law was that? That was her own grandson! How could she be so heartless?

Aunt Zhao felt a tightness in her chest. She was initially happy that the Shen family hadn't made things difficult for her during her visit and even remembered her and her husband's kindness. However, things were far from simple. From now on, not only her and her husband, but also her children would probably be gossiped about behind their backs. In rural areas, people value face above all else.

Pei Yin warmly welcomed Aunt Xuan and Xiao Xia to stay at her home. Xiao Xia herself attends the primary school in Shenjia Village. Because Zhaojia Village and Shenjia Village are close by, the children from Zhaojia Village have always attended the primary school in Shenjia Village. That's how primary schools were in rural areas back then. Several villages that were close to each other would jointly run a primary school, and the villages would pool their resources to provide food for the teachers. The school in Shenjia Village not only served children from Zhaojia Village, but also children from nearby villages.

Xiaohe is about the same age as Peizhi and is also in the preschool class. Every day, the children go to and from school together. Because of the increase in the number of people, they feel even more invincible.

Besides following her own grandmother, Pei Yin now has an extra task: following behind her third grandmother and watching her cook medicine and soup for Aunt Xuan in a clay pot over a small stove. These medicines always include red dates, so Pei Yin is often given a red date by her third grandmother. Whenever this happens, Pei Yin will squint her eyes and smile at her third grandmother, who will then gently tap the tip of Pei Yin's nose with her index finger and whisper with a smile, "Little rascal, clever little devil." Her tone is full of doting affection.

A few days later, Pei Yin overheard Aunt Sheng Quan gossiping with her grandmother.

Aunt Shengquan said, "Sister-in-law, Xuan's mother-in-law is really asking for trouble. You have your daughter-in-law here, why don't you come and see her? Not only do you not come, but you also go to Xuan's house and ask Xiaoxia's father to come and take Xuan back. If he doesn't take her back, you will disown your son."

Grandma said in surprise, "Really? Xiaoxia's dad comes here every day, but I've never heard him mention it."

Aunt Shengquan said, "Auntie, I used to think Xia's dad was a loser, and that our Xuan was really wronged to have found such a man. But now it seems that Xia's dad really cares about Xuan."

It turned out that on the third day after Aunt Xuan returned home, Zhao's mother went to the small courtyard by the bridge.

It was just after work, and Zhao Tiezhu was feeding the chickens and sweeping the yard. Autumn had arrived, and the leaves on the trees were falling. Sweeping them together to dry would be perfect for firewood. Looking at the fallen leaves in the yard, Zhao Tiezhu thought about the leaves in the grove outside. He would go there later to gather some more, taking advantage of the fact that fewer people were gathering firewood now. That's how farming families live—being prepared for unforeseen circumstances and planning ahead.

Thinking of this, Zhao Tiezhu found a rake, carried a large woven basket on his back, and prepared to go out to the grove by the river. Before he even left, his mother came to his door.

Seeing his mother arrive, Zhao Tiezhu remained silent. He hadn't yet recovered from his wife's miscarriage. Although he didn't say it, he knew the sadness in his heart. It was his child, a child who would be born safely in seven or eight months, and who would be as adorable as Xiaoxia and Xiaohe. When he came home from work, the child would rush to his side just like Xiaoxia and Xiaohe, smiling and calling him "Dad."

When Zhao's mother came to her youngest son's house, she was no longer as domineering as before. Having offspring was a big deal. Although she didn't admit it, the harsh reality told her that she had really messed up this time. Walking in the village, those who used to greet her with smiles now seemed fine on the surface, but she knew they were all talking behind her back.

Seeing her youngest son's cold face, Zhao's mother opened her mouth but didn't say anything. The mother and son just stood there at the gate of the fenced yard.

Finally, Zhao's mother spoke up: "Tiezhu, why don't you bring Xiaoxia's mother back? It's not good for her to stay at her parents' house all the time."

Zhao Tiezhu kept his head down and didn't reply. Zhao's mother said, "Bring Xiaoxia's mother back. I'll come and help with the cooking every day. What do you think?"

Zhao Tiezhu said, "Mother, we've separated the family, I..."

Zhao's mother said, "Tiezhu, I was wrong. Please forgive me. I will never do it again." As she spoke, Zhao's mother started to cry.

The sound of crying sounded extremely heavy to Zhao Tiezhu's ears. He knew his mother well; she had never yielded to anyone since he was a child. Later, when she raised him and his two siblings on her own, she became even more shrewish. No one could get the better of her. Yet today, she was actually apologizing to him.

Zhao Tiezhu's feelings were complicated. He didn't know how to talk to his mother, so he stood at the door with his head down.

Seeing that her youngest son still hadn't agreed to bring his wife back despite her bowing her head, Zhao's mother became even more anxious. She was a public figure herself, and if her career was hindered by family issues, it would hurt her more than if her own flesh were torn out.

Zhao's mother said, "I raised you all, only to have you come here to make me so angry? Tiezhu, I've already apologized to you, won't you agree to your mother's request? I'm in the propaganda team, and because of this, I can't hold my head up high. People are always pointing fingers at me. Are you even my own son?"

Zhao Tiezhu had initially felt sorry for his mother, but after hearing her words, his heart sank. It turned out that his wife's staying at her parents' house had embarrassed his mother, and that this matter was hindering her progress. He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. He knew he deserved to suffer before, because she was his mother who had raised him. But what about his wife? After all these years of marriage, she had endured hardship and toil without receiving any reward. Finally, they separated from the family, and his life improved; he felt he had hope for the future, and then this happened.

Zhao Tiezhu tightened the rope carrying the big flower basket on his back, turned around and secured the gate to the fenced yard, then walked into the grove without saying a word.

When Zhao's mother saw that her youngest son was ignoring her, she felt a little resentful that she hadn't controlled her anger. She had originally planned to coax her youngest son to bring his wife back first, and then deal with the rest later. But because she got angry, her youngest son was ignoring her, and she would have to go back and think of another way.