The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Before anyone could react, a small head popped out from behind the woman.

"Auntie, that's my dad."

As he spoke, he pointed at Wang Xiao with his chubby little finger, then at Jiang Tao, and said:

"Uncle Jiang is Jiang Boyang's father."

Bao Ya looked at the fierce-looking Wang Xiao, then at the chubby little dumpling in front of her, and they really didn't look alike.

"I'm sorry, sister-in-law, I've mistaken you for someone else."

Bao Ya quickly apologized to the woman, then reached out and pulled the chubby man over, asking him:

"Who are you? I've never seen you before."

The little dumpling tilted its head, blinked its big eyes, thought for a moment, and said:

"I am Wang Muchen. I've never seen you before."

"We've met today, so we'll know each other from now on, right? Hello, little Wang Muchen."

"Hello, beautiful auntie."

Wow, this little mouth is so sweet, he doesn't look like Wang Xiao's son at all.

Bao Ya took two pieces of milk candy out of her pocket and put them in Xiao Tuanzi's hand. After that, Xiao Tuanzi kept following Bao Ya around until his mother pulled him away.

Jiang Tao's home

Xu Wanyun slowly got up, supporting her waist with her hand, and occasionally looked out the window.

"Mom, I'm not at ease. It's Jiang Tao's mother's first time here, and she doesn't know anyone here. Wouldn't it be bad if I didn't show up?"

Lu Xuefen lifted her eyelids to look at her good-for-nothing daughter. So easily flustered! A country woman like her, did she really need to make such a fuss?

"What's wrong with that? Didn't we send someone to pick you up? The train station is so crowded, pushing and shoving. What if you get bumped into again? You're almost full-term. If something happens to you, who will I cry to?"

"Exactly!"

A voice of agreement came from the side, and Qi Jiaojiao, who was taking a big bite of an apple, immediately chimed in.

"Cousin, listen to my aunt! The train station is a mess. Not only are there pickpockets, but horse-drawn carriages also run over people. The other day, an old lady got jostled and fell!"

Qi Jiaojiao has a sweet tongue and knows how to make Lu Xuefen happy. Her words were half true and half false, but they hit Lu Xuefen's heart with every word.

Lu Xuefen immediately nodded and slapped her thigh in agreement: "Did you hear that? You're such a simpleton! Your mother-in-law is here to enjoy life, not to suffer. Just prepare a few more dishes to entertain her. They're country folk who've never seen anything good before."

Xu Wanyun bit her lip, her hand unconsciously resting on her stomach, a troubled expression on her face. Her mother-in-law was visiting for the first time; if she, as the daughter-in-law, didn't go to greet her, wouldn't people say she didn't know proper etiquette?

"But……"

"But what but! Just stay home and relax. You're so far along in your pregnancy. If she criticizes you, it's because she's being unreasonable."

Seeing that Lu Xuefen had the upper hand, Qi Jiaojiao immediately leaned close to Xu Wanyun's ear and whispered, "Cousin, just listen to my aunt. When Grandma comes, bring her a bowl of hot sweet soup, and she'll definitely praise you for being so thoughtful!"

Looking at her mother's tense face, then at Qi Jiaojiao, and then down at her own warm belly, Xu Wanyun's resolve slowly softened.

After having lunch at the hospital cafeteria and talking with Jiang Tao for a while, the three of them were taken to Jiang Tao's house by the guard Xiao Gao.

"My dear mother-in-law, you must be tired from your journey. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."

Jiang Yuan and Ge Chunhua put down the bags they had brought for them and quickly went to take the teacups.

Lu Xuefen smiled and handed the teacup back to Ge Chunhua. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were furrowed. Her gaze fell on the canvas bag at their feet. The bag was bulging, which made her feel a little better. She thought to herself that Ge Chunhua was still a polite person.

"It's not hard work. I just sit in the car and do nothing. It's very easy."

Ge Chunhua took the teacup and quickly took a sip. Knowing that her in-laws were officials, she felt inferior in their presence, so she spoke and acted somewhat timidly.

While they were talking, Bao Ya secretly observed Xu Wanyun and her family.

Xu Wanyun had willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes with slightly drooping corners. She always had a faint smile when she looked at people, but when she looked at them, that smile carried a hint of embarrassment. She would occasionally touch her prominently protruding belly.

Qi Jiaojiao was eighteen or nineteen years old. She had an oval face with a perfectly pointed chin, which gave her a charming and delicate look. However, her slightly downturned mouth made her look a bit mean.

She wore a yellow floral dress that reached her calves, and black leather shoes that, although polished to a shine, had severely worn heels.

Lu Xuefen, on the other hand, had the image of a high-ranking cadre, with her hair styled in a cadre-like manner, her back straight when she spoke, and a condescending tone.

After a few words, Ge Chunhua was already struggling to keep up. Her words implied that Jiang Tao's family of origin had not helped their small family, and that Liao Chunhua, as a mother-in-law, was incompetent.

Jiang Yuan and Bao Ya both frowned upon hearing this.

Jiang Yuan clenched his fists, wanting to argue with her. It was clearly their sister-in-law who was unwilling to have contact with her husband's family in the countryside, and the brothers had seen much less interaction over the years.

"Mother-in-law, Wanyun is heavily pregnant and cannot pick you up at the station. I hope you don't mind."

"We don't mind, of course we don't mind. My brother is injured and lying in the hospital, and my sister-in-law is heavily pregnant. There's no reliable person to help her. How can we find fault with her?"

"Auntie, don't worry, my mother isn't the kind of person who doesn't know her place. She knows very well what to say and what not to say."

Before Liao Chunhua could respond, Bao Ya took over the conversation. She had been fed up with it for a long time; it was ridiculous to let her ramble on for so long while she just drank a cup of tea.

Jiang Tao comes from a rural background. Didn't Xu Wanyun know that when she married him? Now she's looking down on him because his family isn't supportive. Who would choose a rural family if they had supportive relatives?

In the seven or eight years they spent together, Xu Wanyun only went back once, and they barely kept in touch afterward. Jiang Tao only returned home for the second time last month. Although Ge Chunhua was unhappy, she never disturbed their lives. What more could she want?

Lu Xuefen was speechless after Bao Ya's retort, and her expression immediately fell. What did she mean? What did she mean by saying there were no reliable people? Who was she talking about?

There was a moment of silence in the room. Xu Wanyun belatedly realized that she was a little embarrassed and wanted to smooth things over, but her brain and mouth were not very cooperative.

"You're the country girl Jiang Yuan married for two hundred yuan, right?"

Seeing her aunt get the short end of the stick, Qi Jiaojiao immediately became unhappy and glared at Bao Ya, wanting to get revenge for her aunt. As she spoke, her eyes kept glancing at Jiang Yuan.

She noticed Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan the moment they entered. She had assumed Bao Ya was her cousin's sister-in-law, but it turned out she was Jiang Yuan's new wife.

"It's not two hundred, it's five hundred. You're so out of touch. You're not exactly young anymore. How much dowry did your in-laws give you? It couldn't be less than what I, a country girl, received, could it?"

Bao Ya didn't care what others said about her high dowry. She had been in this world for a year, and although money was hard to earn, she still had a kind of illusion about numbers.