"Taking the test," Zheng Cuicui replied during a breach, "it’s not hard, access is convenient too. You might not see many people on the streets right now and the buses aren’t great, but mark my words, the situation will be different in a few years."
Lin Xiaoguai quite agreed. From her past life, she knew exactly this scenario. What irritated her more was when she had specifically gone to get her driver’s license and even bought a Buick, only to find out it wasn’t much better than the buses, with frequent traffic jams not to mention. To avoid getting tickets, every outing to find a parking spot was a tiresome affair. Eventually, she simply started walking or renting bicycles, using the car in the garage only when she went on road trips with friends.
But things were different now; she wouldn’t experience the future inconveniences. Why not enjoy the smooth rides while she could?
Prompted by this thought, Lin Xiaoguai turned to Han Shouzhen and said, "Sister, would you go with me to take the test?"
Han Shouzhen hesitated then shook her head, "No, not until Ping’an is healthy again, I need to save all the money at home." Finding a volunteer for a heart transplant cost a fortune.
That’s when Lin Xiaoguai realized why her sister, despite clearly having a comfortable family situation, always dressed simply and had no costly furniture or appliances at home.
She felt somewhat disappointed, but quickly let it go.
Arriving at the prison, Lin Xiaoguai noticed it wasn’t like what she had imagined. It was much simpler than what was shown in the news from her future memories but wasn’t gloomy. She glanced at Han Shouzhen, who seemed visibly relieved—perhaps the prison too was influenced by the era.
Since they had notified in advance, as soon as they arrived, someone led them to the visiting room.
"Zhang Jian?" Han Shouzhen was surprised to see a docile rural youth behind the bars.
"You, hello," the person seemed startled, quickly standing up to bow nervously.
Lin Xiaoguai and the others exchanged glances. Could this youth be much different from the vicious murderer they had pictured?
"Please sit," Han Shouzhen, thrown off by his meekness, gathered her words, "You probably guess who we are?"
Zhang Jian nodded, "You must be that rich young master Xu Ji’s family."
"I am his mother, and these are his two aunts," Han Shouzhen introduced.
"Hello," this time Zhang Jian was not stammering, but still kept his head bowed, not daring to look up.
"I heard that you agree to your heart on the condition that my son marries your sister," Han Shouzhen said, feeling incredibly awkward—it was like she was bullying him while he looked too easy to push around.
Zhang Jian nodded vigorously, saying eagerly, "My sister is very obedient, can do any work, and she resembles our mother. She will surely grow up to be beautiful, please don’t look down on her."
Somewhat speechless, Han Shouzhen reconsidered her approach; she wasn’t fond of indirect talks, and stated bluntly, "If I am not wrong, your main concern is having someone to take care of your sister. Could we possibly alter the condition and adopt her as our daughter instead?"
For her son’s sake, she wouldn’t mind raising another daughter.
However, Zhang Jian shook his head, "No, I only want him to marry my sister."
Lin Xiaoguai frowned, "May I ask why you insist on this condition?"
Unlike Han Shouzhen’s subtly dominant tone, her voice was tender, making Zhang Jian look up at her briefly before blushing and responding, "You all look like wealthy people who live well, able to eat meat and wear new clothes; I want my sister to have such a good life."
"If I were to adopt your sister, she would also have a good life," Han Shouzhen quickly said.
Zhang Jian stubbornly shook his head, "It’s not the same, a daughter belongs to someone else’s family, a wife is your own. Even if you didn’t treat my sister well at first, once she becomes your daughter-in-law and bears your grandchildren, she would have hope."
Lin Xiaoguai and Zheng Cuicui exchanged looks; the youth didn’t appear as foolish as he seemed.
Yet, they were also perplexed, clearly, the young man harbored the typical rural patriarchal mindset, insisting on a peculiar point despite appearing reasonable.
"Who says so?" Han Shouzhen refused to give up, "If your sister becomes my daughter, I will surely find her a good husband. If her in-laws ever mistreat her, I can be her support. But if she were my daughter-in-law, I would undoubtedly be critical of her, considering she’s from the countryside. My son has met her; given his standards, could he really fancy your sister? It’s conceivable he might seek other women."
She portrayed herself as a harsh mother-in-law, and her son, a fickle cheater.
"It doesn’t matter, rural mothers-in-law are supposed to train their daughters-in-law. It’s also fine if your son finds women outside; my sister would still be his only wife," Zhang Jian was not fooled.
Han Shouzhen and Zheng Cuicui were somewhat speechless, not understanding how his logic worked.
However, Lin Xiaoguai, having grown up in the countryside, understood his perspective. Honestly, in the rural areas, daughters-in-law are indeed expected to serve their mothers-in-law. If the mother-in-law was displeased, the daughter-in-law would indeed suffer. Like her own mom, who was never favored by her grandmother, had endured many hardships. However, harsh treatment from mothers-in-law was common in the countryside, though extreme cases were less. For the rural folks, fearing a strict mother-in-law was bearable; what was really fearful was a biased one. Otherwise, let the training be; it’s all by merit, and no matter the strictness, a mother-in-law would always prioritize her son, so there was no need for pettiness.
As for men cheating... in rural women’s eyes, as long as they don’t squander money on their affairs or father children that the family must rear, conflict wouldn’t erupt, at most a few reprimands.
Make no mistake; this wasn’t about compromising. In their view, there wasn’t a discourse of romantic love, just practical matters. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)