Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 268

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jinxi quickly retorted, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? My family doesn't have any extra rooms for Jinxiao. As you know, my eldest son is getting married soon, and we don't have enough rooms to go around. We only have two rooms. I don't even know how my two daughters will sleep after my son gets married and my daughter-in-law moves in. I haven't even figured that out yet, so there won't be any room for Jinxiao if she comes over."

Cheng Jinxi didn't want Cheng Jinxiao to live in her house. There wasn't enough space in her house. She had no objection to bringing Cheng Jinxiao back, but he couldn't live in her house.

Moreover, even though they are sisters, in rural customs, divorced women are considered unlucky. And especially...sigh...especially my own sister...let's not even talk about it. Anyway, if her son isn't married, it's fine for her to stay at our house, but if her son is getting married after the New Year, then according to the customs, it's absolutely forbidden. It's such a taboo...

Zhu Yufeng had a problem with this. After all that, it turned out that Cheng Jinxi was just talking and didn't put any real effort into it. She said nice things about bringing her sister back and not wanting Cheng Jinxiao to suffer outside, but she didn't want Cheng Jinxiao to live in her house. She even said that her house didn't have enough space to go around. Did she think that her house had enough space to go around?

Cheng Jinxi continued, "Sister-in-law, you have room, why don't you let Mom and Jinxiao squeeze in? We can talk about dividing the rooms when your son gets married. Besides, there's still time. We can always build another room."

Zhu Yufeng was furious at Cheng Jinxi's remarks. What kind of talk was this? What did she mean by "just build another house"? Building a house costs money! Getting a wife for her son also costs money! Where would her family get so much money to squander? Spending it on her mother-in-law was one thing, since she had to be filial, but spending it on a married sister-in-law? She wasn't stupid. This wasn't her daughter or her own sister. Why should she waste money like this?

But she couldn't say it too harshly on the surface, so Zhu Yufeng toned it down a bit. "Jinxi, it's not that I don't want to help, you're thinking too simply. Building a new house and getting a wife, both of these things cost a lot of money. Besides, our mother has been paralyzed for years, and I, as her daughter-in-law, have been responsible for all her needs, from eating and drinking to toileting. I also have to worry about my son's marriage. I don't have much time to spare to take care of Jinxiao. I think Jinxiao shouldn't get a divorce. It's perfectly normal to suffer grievances in her husband's family."

“Maybe they’ll make up in a few days, so we shouldn’t get involved or go to bring Jinxiao back. Besides, her husband owns a chicken farm and is probably very wealthy. Why would they get a divorce? Are they going to come to our village to live a hard life? Don’t you think what I’m saying is right?”

Cheng Jinxiang's face was not good. She did not agree with Zhu Yufeng's words. She and Zhao Tiesheng were in the same situation. If they hadn't handed over their wages to their parents-in-law, their family might have become the first family in the village to earn 10,000 yuan. But now they were still living a hard life. It was all because her husband was useless and weak. If she could, Cheng Jinxiang would like to get the money back now and get a divorce quickly so she could live her own life. She could take care of her two daughters on her own.

“Sister-in-law, you can’t say that. If life were good, would Jinxiao want to get a divorce and come back? The only reason someone would want a divorce is because they’re not doing well and are being bullied by their husband’s family,” Cheng Jinxiang said.

Zhu Yufeng now thinks Cheng Jinxiang is being unreasonable. She's just talking without understanding the situation, only good at saying nice things. Once Cheng Jinxiao is brought back, she'll be responsible for everything. Zhu Yufeng dares to say that after bringing Cheng Jinxiao back, she'll most likely live in her house again, which won't do.

It's one thing for Cheng Jinxiang to stay at the Cheng family's house, since it's only for a short period and she'll eventually return to the Zhao family's. But if Cheng Jinxiao moves in, where will a divorced woman go in the future? She'll have to eat at her own house and occupy her own room. How can Zhu Yufeng possibly stand that?

Zhou Chunwen, who was listening in, was frightened. She couldn't help but think about her own family's situation. Her family only had two rooms. Her older brother would definitely need one room for his wedding, and her parents would have another room. She and her younger sister couldn't possibly sleep in their room.

Where will my sister and I sleep then? And if I get married in the future, and I suffer grievances in my husband's family, will I be disliked by my future sister-in-law when I go back to my parents' home, just like I am now?

Zhou Chunwen felt increasingly uneasy. She felt that this was clearly her own home, so why couldn't she come back if she was bullied in her husband's family in the future? Once her older brother got married, her home would become her brother's home again. If she got married, she would have no place in the family at all.

Thinking about this made Zhou Chunwen feel a little sad, and her vision blurred. When she touched it, she found that tears were welling up in her eyes.

Zhao Da'e noticed that Zhou Chunwen was acting strangely. She tugged at Zhou Chunwen's clothes and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, cousin?"

Zhou Chunwen quickly wiped away her tears and shook her head, "It's nothing."

She dared not let anyone see her secretly shedding tears, nor did she dare let her mother find out.

Faced with Zhao Da'e's concern, Zhou Chunwen smiled wryly at her, "Da'e, sometimes I envy you. There are no boys in your family, only you and your sister. In the future, if you are bullied by your husband's family, you will definitely have a place to stay when you return to your parents' home."

Zhao Da'e could more or less guess why Zhou Chunwen was crying. He felt terrible seeing her like this, but he didn't know how to comfort her. He could only secretly vow that he would work hard to earn money and build a new house so that he would have a room and let his cousin move in.

The whole family was arguing fiercely over Cheng Jinxiao's return. Wang Shi was so angry that she slammed her weak body on the table. But when she did, she tasted blood in her throat. Wang Shi felt terrible. She knew that her body was too weak and it was hard to say whether she could make it through the New Year.

When Wang slammed her hand on the table, everyone's eyes turned to her.

Cheng Jinxiang was the first to notice the blood on Wang's lips. She quickly took out a tissue to wipe it off for Wang, saying, "Mom, what are you doing? You're not feeling well, don't get so agitated."

Wang looked around at the people around her, and finally her gaze fell on her eldest son, who had always been taciturn. Wang snorted coldly and said, "Rongguo, you tell me, should Jinxiao be brought back or not?"

Cheng Rongguo, whose name was called, hesitated for a moment. Zhu Yufeng, who was next to him, nudged Cheng Rongguo and gave him a look that prompted him to answer.

Cheng Rongguo hesitated. On one hand, as the eldest brother, he felt he should take his younger sister back after she had been bullied. On the other hand, for the sake of the children, his younger sister really couldn't stay at home for long, especially since she was getting a divorce.

Finally, Cheng Rongguo clenched his fist, raised his head and said, "Mom, I think Yu Feng is right. My little sister doesn't need to get a divorce."

Seeing Cheng Rongguo say the same thing, Wang was so angry that she trembled all over. She said loudly, "How can you be so heartless? Jinxiao is your little sister. Just because of this little problem, you don't want to bring her back. Are you trying to make me angry to death?!"

Zhu Yufeng was reluctant to admit what Wang Shi had said. She explained, "Mom, it's not that we don't want to bring Jinxiao back, it's just that we don't want Jinxiao to suffer back here. Look at our village, it's so remote, there's nowhere better for Jinxiao to stay."

Wang snorted coldly and said, "If we don't let Jinxiao come back to suffer, does that mean she's enjoying a good life in Qiqihar? I know Jinxiao. If life were good, she would never get a divorce. In the letters she sent back, she mentioned many times how her husband bullied and beat her. She's being bullied in another place, and we, as her family, not only can't help her, but we also have to resist her coming back."

At this point, Wang was trembling with anger. Her health was already poor, and her face was pale and bloodless.

Despite her weak left hand, Wang still managed to raise her finger and point at Cheng Rongguo, Zhu Yufeng, and Cheng Jinxi. She yelled, "Jinxiao is your sister! You grew up together, you're not strangers, you're family! If I die and Jinxiao wants to come back, will you even bother with her?"

Wang's words made everyone lose face. Zhu Yufeng muttered under her breath, "It's okay to come back, but you can't stay at the Cheng family's house. If you want to stay, stay at Jinxi's house."

Zhu Yufeng didn't want to get into such trouble. Cheng Jinxi also heard this and quickly said, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? This Cheng family used to be Jinxiao's home. What's wrong with her coming back to stay? Besides, we don't have any rooms available for Jinxiao to stay in. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Seeing that both of them were making excuses, Wang felt utterly exhausted. She had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed; she needed help with everything, from eating and drinking to using the toilet. There was only so much she could do; her strength was limited to talking and lifting her weak hands. If she were healthy, she would have insisted on bringing Jinxiao back, even if it meant taking care of her own daughter.

They love their own daughter dearly. Her siblings are all married and have established their own careers, so they have many concerns and don't want to take on this troublesome matter.

Wang felt a pang of sadness. How good the relationship between the brothers and sisters was when they were young, but what about now?

“I’m getting old and can’t call you all anymore. Now you all have your own ideas. While I’m here, you can still get together. But after I’m gone, will you even want to get together anymore?” Wang said wearily.

Cheng Jinxi quickly spat a few times, "Mom, don't talk nonsense. It's the New Year, so let's say some auspicious words. Mom, you'll definitely live to be a hundred years old."

Wang shook her head weakly, "Alright, stop saying nice things. I know my own body. I don't even know if I can make it to next year. Anyway, I have only one request: you must bring Jinxiao back. Let her live with me for now. I know my days are numbered, and I want to bring Jinxiao back so I can see her a few more times. This year, let's have a big family gathering for the New Year. Don't wait until I'm gone and you brothers and sisters can never get together again."

Wang's words made Cheng Rongguo feel ashamed. As the eldest brother, he had the obligation to take care of his younger sisters, but he only knew how to shirk his responsibilities.

Cheng Rongguo said, "Mom, stop talking. I will bring Jinxiao back and let her live in the Cheng family. She is my sister, and I will never let her live on the streets."

Zhu Yufeng was furious after hearing this. She shoved Cheng Rongguo and shouted, "Cheng Rongguo, what are we going to do with our child? How will we divide this room when he gets married in the future?"

At this moment, Cheng Jinxi had a sudden inspiration. "I know! Jinxiao can remarry. That way, she won't have to live in the Cheng family anymore. Jinxiao is unhappy in Qiqihar, so we can bring her back and let her live in the Cheng family. Then I will ask the matchmaker to see which family still wants Jinxiao."

Zhu Yufeng thought Cheng Jinxi's suggestion was excellent. "Jinxi makes a good point. Divorced women can remarry. Otherwise, what will they do when they get old? They'll need a companion to support each other."

As long as Cheng Jinxiang doesn't live in the Cheng family home permanently, Zhu Yufeng will have no problems.

Wang said wearily, "I can't control what you think now. I only have one request: Jin Xiao must be brought back so she can celebrate the New Year with us. As for the future... I can't control what happens in the future. In any case, Jin Xiao is capable and won't starve. Like you said, it would be a good thing for her to find someone else to marry."

Wang knew her days were numbered, and she couldn't care less about anything else. In the end, all she wanted was for her family to get together, have a good New Year, and then see her youngest daughter whom she hadn't seen for several years. That was Wang's current thought.

Zhu Yufeng said, "Mom, I have to take care of you. Rongguo still has farm work to do. Jinxiao will also be living at the Cheng family's house in the future. I think we should leave the task of picking up Jinxiao to Jinxi."

After all, she would have to put in a lot of effort in the future, and Cheng Jinxiang was still living in the Cheng family. With so many sisters-in-law living in her house, she would also have to be busy. She didn't have that much energy. Besides, Cheng Jinxi, as Cheng Jinxiao's older sister, would also have to do her part.

Cheng Rongguo agreed after hearing this. He felt that he couldn't trouble his family with everything. He said to Cheng Jinxi, "Jinxi, your sister-in-law is right. She has to take care of our mother, and I have to do farm work. You should arrange the pick-up of Jinxiao."

Cheng Jinxi was speechless. Her elder brother and sister-in-law simply didn't want to do anything and were pushing the burden onto her. However, Jinxiao would be staying at the Cheng family home in the future, and it would be her elder brother and sister-in-law who would be inconvenienced, so she felt embarrassed to refuse. Therefore, Cheng Jinxi said, "Okay, I'll have my son Tianfu pick up Jinxiao. Let the young people handle this. I've been busy with Tianfu's dowry money these past few days, and my husband also has some farm work to do, so having Tianfu go is the best option."

Zhou Tianfu had no objections. He patted his chest and assured her, "Don't worry, Mom. Leave it to me to pick up Auntie. I will definitely bring her back safely."

Zhao Da'e stood on tiptoe, raised his hand, and shouted, "Uncle, Aunt, Auntie, I want to go pick up Auntie too!"

As soon as he said that, everyone's eyes were drawn to Zhao Da'e.