Chapter 27: Chapter 027 Willingness_1
Words were whispered both in the open and behind closed doors that her younger brother was an idiot, and some even suggested he should have been drowned in the river at birth upon realizing his idiocy. Because of these words, her little brother did indeed end up drowned, the final straw that broke her parents’ backs.
Then, he too passed away.
“Little brother, it’s too hot in the sun. Let’s head to the shade under the tree,” Jiang Nanfei wiped at her tears with her sleeve, leading Jiang Yang to the shade of the pomegranate tree in the yard.
“You stay here first, I will fetch you a glass of water.”
The house was silent. Mom’s eyes were still unwell, Dad couldn’t work at the construction site anymore—he’s probably out tending the fields at this moment. After pouring water for Jiang Yang, Jiang Nanfei went to find Zhang Fengmei in the inner room.
“Mom, how are your eyes?”
“Nanfei is back!” With a bandage still over her eyes, Zhang Fengmei stretched out her hand in the direction of the voice. “Much better, come here!”
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Rural folks are typically reserved and even coy in expressing their emotions. Although her parents used to pamper her, they’ve never held her hand while talking to her.
Her mom’s calloused, rough hands pulled her closer, and Jiang Nanfei felt as if something was stuck in her heart. Her parents, with these very hands, had worked tirelessly to support them. They may lack higher education, grand dreams, or the ability to provide them with abundant resources.
But they remained the greatest parents.
Because they gave everything they could.
Such a fool she had been in her previous life, too selfish and contemptible to see her parents’ sacrifices. She discarded others’ sacrifices and hardships for mere, laughable love.
“Nanfei, I did wrong by you. I know you don’t like the Huo boy.” Zhang Fengmei’s voice was trembling, “If it wasn’t for my poor health, and if my eyes hadn’t been troublesome, I wouldn’t have forced you to marry so soon.”
“Mom, you’ve got it wrong. I chose to marry Huo Beijiang willingly.” After repeating it once before, it flowed easier from her lips this time. Even Nanfei herself began to think that marrying Huo Beijiang was the right decision.
His grandmother wouldn’t die from a fit of anger, and the pressing issues at home would be resolved.
As a man, Beijiang was beyond reproach. He was responsible, ambitious, and his family was among the most affluent in the town. He was also tall and handsome. Even after all these years since his graduation from high school, his pictures still proudly decorated the school’s honor board.
Jiang Nanfei told Zhang Fengmei everything; about how excellent Huo Beijiang was, and how kind the Huo family had been to her, making Zhang Fengmei break into a smile.
“It’s great that you think this way.”
“Mom, I understand! I’m not a fool.” Jiang Nanfei couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart, but seeing her mom smiling, she knew that whatever she had done was worth it.
“He went to your second uncle’s house to buy some soybeans. Now that your dad can’t work in the city, and we have too little land, he had to go back to his old trade.”
Jiang Dechun’s old trade entailed selling deep-fried dough twists and tofu. He used to deliver them from village to village on his bicycle, and the business was quite good in his younger days. At that time, the town’s farmer’s market hadn’t developed to the size it is now, not every household had a bicycle, so selling goods in the villages was profitable.
As the people started to flock to the marketplace, and the family didn’t have enough money to buy a stall in the farmers’ market, Dad had to go and work as a mason in the city during his free time.
“That won’t bring in much money, and the business won’t be good either!” Nanfei expressed her worries.