Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

However, this time Zhao Yunxia refused to agree no matter what, because she knew that this matter was no small thing. Originally, she thought that if that person made paper exactly the same as the paper mill's, as long as her Zhao family didn't say anything, the paper mill wouldn't know who sold the formula.

But if she dares to go back now, Ji Mantun will find out that she sold the caustic soda and paper medicine. He'll beat her to death, let alone cover up her mistakes.

Seeing that Zhao Yunxia refused to go back no matter what, Old Lady Zhao had no other choice but to cry and make a scene, saying that if Zhao Yunxia did not go back to ask Ji Mantun for help, she would hang herself in front of Zhao Yunxia.

Faced with the pressure from Zhao's mother, Zhao Yunxia felt more flustered and lost than ever before.

Although she pressed her fingerprint on the document, all the money went to building a house and buying things for her family! She didn't even get a single penny for herself! Who was she doing all this for, and what was she after? What did she get in return for all she did for her family? Did she only get pressure from her mother?

Seeing that Zhao Yunxia still refused to give in, Old Lady Zhao became increasingly agitated, crying and making a scene. She even pulled out a rope and was about to hang herself from the roof beam.

Looking at her mother like this, Zhao Yunxia felt both familiar and unfamiliar, and she inexplicably felt very tired.

She said, "Mother, let's have someone tear down all the bricks, tiles, and beams on our house to pay off the debt. We can pay off as much as we can. You can borrow some more for the rest, and that should be enough! I'm not going back to ask Mantun for help! I can't go back, if I go back... I'm afraid I'll either be beaten to death or divorced!"

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Zhao cried even harder, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, saying, "Listen to what you're saying! Do you want to watch our Zhao family fall apart? You make it sound so easy, telling people to tear down the bricks and tiles? You're trying to kill your father and me!"

"You're a woman from our Zhao family. If you're truly sincere, go back and beg Man Tun again. Even if he scolds or beats you, just endure it! He definitely won't divorce you, much less do anything to you! You have three children to rely on. If he dares to divorce you, those three children certainly won't recognize him as their father!"

Zhao Yunxia was even more disappointed. She shook her head: "Mother, you don't know, Mantun usually doesn't hold grudges against me for small things, which is why I've been able to manipulate him time and time again. But this time... it's different from before. He definitely won't let me off easily when he finds out! The Ji family members are all quick to condemn evil!"

Seeing this, Old Lady Zhao collapsed to the ground with a thud, pounding her fists and shouting, "Anyway, this house can't be demolished! If you really don't go back, and the debt collectors come again, I'll tell them to sue you at the county office. You'll be the one kidnapped then, and don't blame your mother. It's your fingerprint on this contract, so just consider it a day in jail for the sake of our Zhao family, for your father, and for your brothers!"

"Mother?" Zhao Yunxia looked at her mother in disbelief, as if she really didn't recognize the heartless woman in front of her. Was this really her mother? For the Zhao family, for her father and her brothers, hadn't she done enough? How could her mother be so cruel as to want her to go to jail?

"No, Mother! All this money was spent on the Zhao family. I didn't spend a single penny. Even if we go to the county government, the magistrate will definitely order the Zhao family to pay for it!" Zhao Yunxia took a deep breath, her mind clearer than ever before.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaodi also came over and knelt down on the ground with a thud, saying, "Big sister, our father has been waiting for this house for so many years, he's even shed tears of longing, we really can't just take it! As your brother, I don't want you to go to jail, I can't bear it! So, for the sake of this family, for your own sake, please go back and beg my brother-in-law! As long as you lower your head and say some soft words, my brother-in-law will definitely soften his heart!"

"you--"

Zhao Yunxia looked at her crying mother, her kneeling brother, and her silent father, and closed her eyes helplessly. Her heart was colder than an ice cave in the dead of winter!

What has she received from her family all these years? Have her parents ever truly treated her as their daughter? Or, in their eyes, is she merely a hardworking, devoted ox for the Zhao family? When they need her, she is the Zhao family's daughter; when they don't, she is just another member of the Ji family!

Zhao Yunxia couldn't help but smile bitterly. How foolish she had been to take so many years to realize that her parents never loved her! Even if she gave everything, she couldn't earn a single bit of warmth from them. In this family, only her younger brother was a true member of the Zhao family; even his newlywed wife was more important than her.

As a daughter of the Zhao family who has married out, she can be sacrificed, abandoned, or even have to give up her surname Zhao at crucial moments.

As evening fell, Zhao Yunxia was still forced onto a cart by her mother and younger brother and taken back to Niujiazhuang.

The sun was setting, and twilight was falling.

Zhao Yunxia stood in the afterglow of the twilight, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair, carrying a hint of warmth. She slowly turned her head, glancing one last time at the retreating figures of her mother and brother who had abandoned her and run away, a slight smile playing on her lips. That smile held neither resentment nor sorrow, as if she had let go of everything.

Zhao Yunxia took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. The clouds on the horizon were dyed golden-red by the setting sun, like burning flames, or like the last bit of obsession in her heart, slowly dissipating.

She turned around and quietly looked in the direction of her family's courtyard in Niujiazhuang.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the wheat fields by the roadside were bathed in a dreamy yellow hue. The wheat ears swayed gently in the breeze, and in the distance, groups of children chased and played, their clear, melodious laughter drifting on the wind. Not far from Manchuan's oil mill, long willow branches drooped down by the pond, where some people were washing clothes, while others chatted leisurely about everyday matters.

Zhao Yunxia stood at the intersection, her steps seemingly frozen, hesitant to cross the road.

What a peaceful and serene Niujiazhuang is! Everything is so familiar, yet it feels like a lifetime ago. Even though she left not long ago, it feels like she hasn't been back for ages.

Her shadow, stretched long by the setting sun, slanted across the dirt road, making her appear lonely and desolate. A strange emotion welled up inside her, like a mix of trepidation at returning home and fear of facing something.

The wind brushed her cheeks. She took a deep breath and finally took her first step. She knew that no matter how long she was away, this was her home, and she wanted to be buried on this land someday.

"Yongfei's mother's back? You've been staying at your parents' house for way too long this time! Don't you miss being inside?" Someone saw Zhao Yunxia and greeted her with a smile. They didn't know about the previous turmoil in the Ji family; they just assumed Zhao Yunxia had gone back to her parents' home.