Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Chen Hu was about to faint from the heat. When he heard Chen Ji mention the medical fees, he immediately became alert. He would rather be roasted for another night than share the medical fees.
However, seeing Chen Ji’s unfriendly expression, he didn’t dare to say it directly. He could only find an excuse to say, “Brother, you know the situation at home. Chen Liang is in his first year of middle school while Chen Hao is in his fifth year. The monthly tuition, food, and books cost quite a bit. After Mom went blind, we couldn’t care less about the business at the convenience store. After opening the store for three years, we didn’t earn any money and even lost quite a bit. Now, I can only take out a few hundred at most. Look…”
Zhao Jinli chimed in, “I even saved up 200 dollars in private. Together with the 500 dollars that your elder brother has, it’s a total of 700 dollars. I’ll give it all to Mom. Will that do?”
The couple took turns to convince Chen Ji, appearing both pitiful and sincere. Actually, they still had at least 3000 dollars on their bankbook, but how could they take it all out?
Although Chen Ji wasn’t someone to be trifled with, he couldn’t take other people’s bankbook. 700 dollars wasn’t a lot, but it wasn’t a small amount either. When the time came, no one could say that the eldest family didn’t pay.
Compared to taking out 700 dollars, Zhao Jinli was more concerned about her mother-in-law recovering her vision. Her mother-in-law was only 50 years old and strong. She could have continued to help the their family but she was pushed to Chen Ji and Chu Wei. If she had known that this would happen, she would not have treated her mother-in-law that way back then. Just thinking about it made her regretful.
…
It was a long night. While the eldest couple was being roasted, Chu Wei’s household was full of joy and happiness. They ate a belly full of snacks. Chen Yan and Chen Ying were sleeping under the peach tree. Chu Wei carried them back, leaving Chen Liang and Chen Hao alone. They were still chewing on their candy. The sound of their chewing echoed in the night sky.
Chu Wei squatted in front of the stove and stewed the black chicken. The aroma of the chicken mixed with the smell of ginseng filled the air, making people drool. Her mother-in-law could not stay idle either. She roasted a few potatoes and eggs and left them for the children to eat in the morning. Then she washed a bunch of cucumbers and prepared to marinate them into salted vegetables.
Looking at her mother-in-law’s skilled hands, Chu Wei revealed a beautiful smile. In her eyes, her mother-in-law was a role model that she looked up to. Not only was she good at cooking, but she was also especially good at housework, planting flowers, farming, repairing furniture, embroidery, tailor-made clothes, cotton flowers, sewing bedding, and everything else. She was always able to surprise people in life.
She raised her head and looked at the sky. It was late at night, but Chen Ji was still in the main house.
After the pickled vegetables were marinated, her mother-in-law sat in the kitchen and picked up the soles of her shoes. Making cloth shoes was her specialty. Although she had always lived with the eldest family, she had often secretly made cloth shoes for the Chu Wei’s family. At least, her two granddaughters never had to buy embroidered shoes.
“Actually, you don’t have to be afraid that Chen Ji will get angry and hit you. It’s because when he was young, he always saw his father drinking too much and fighting with me. That’s why he hates men who hit women very much. Although he has a bad temper and likes to fight, he will never lay a finger on you. This is also the reason why I dared to swear to your mother that a man who doesn’t hit his wife will not be too bad,” said the mother-in-law as she guided the needle.
Chu Wei nodded. “Yes, I know.”
She had been engaged to Chen Ji since she was young, so she naturally observed him more. There was once when Chen Ji went into the mountains to hunt for wild animals. He could have caught a fat chick’s pheasant, but because it was a hen, Chen Ji let it go. Later on, she even asked Chen Ji. Chen Ji told her that he was a man and didn’t hit women, including animals.
She knew him very well. Hence, no matter how the townspeople maliciously slander Chen Ji, no matter how much her sister-in-law tried to scare her, she didn’t believe that Chen Ji would ever hit her.
After busying herself for a long time, her mother-in-law returned to the house. Seeing that Chen Yan was sleeping soundly, she reached out to touch her little face. She then rubbed the jade pendant and stuffed it into Chen Yan’s pocket.
Regardless of whether the eldest couple had harmed her or not, in her opinion, it was all because of the jade pendant. Therefore, she could not keep this jade pendant any longer. While she was still of a sound mind, she wanted to give the jade pendant to Chen Yan. Chu Wei saw everything and kept silent.
“Lass, it’s been hard on you for the past six years. Now that my eyes have recovered, you can rest assured. Pack up your things and follow Chen Ji to the capital as soon as possible. It should be your turn to enjoy life.” Mrs. Chen took off her outerwear and said earnestly.
Glancing at her, Chu Wei said, “To be honest, I want to bring you and my mother to the capital. This way, Chen Ji and I can be at ease. As long as we have food to eat, we let you starve. How about that?”
In her eyes, her mother-in-law had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although she was abrasive, she was actually a warm person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have worked hard for the eldest couple all these years without any complaints. They just did not appreciate it and it was useless to regret now..