Gao Jiazhi had been tired all day and was really annoyed by Sun Yuhua’s fuss, "If you have something to say, just say it. Why throw a tantrum? How am I supposed to guess what’s bothering you?"
Sun Yuhua then burst into tears, "I just wanted to eat an egg, but your mother wouldn’t allow it. She complained to your father, who loudly said that next time, you should cook it for me, as if he was afraid I wouldn’t hear."
"Gao Jiazhi, did I marry you just to suffer this kind of humiliation? Your parents don’t like me at all. I’m carrying your child; do you think it’s easy for me?" Sun Yuhua continued crying.
Gao Jiazhi said, "My father is right; if you want to eat, just let me cook. Don’t ask my mom."
"What do you mean by that?" Sun Yuhua suddenly stood up, glaring at Gao Jiazhi.
"From now on, I’ll just stay at home and take care of you. Whatever you need, just tell me to do it," Gao Jiazhi replied. If Zheng Xianghong were his real mother, Gao Jiazhi might have felt it was only right, but Zheng Xianghong wasn’t his real mother, and she had no duty to wait on Sun Yuhua like that. Gao Jiazhi felt very guilty towards Zheng Xianghong.
"If you don’t work, what are we going to live on?" Sun Yuhua coldly asked.
"My mom also works and earns work points. You’re pregnant and important, but at home, my mom does everything too. You should also show some consideration for my mom," Gao Jiazhi sat down and said, "Eating an egg is no big deal. All the eggs at home are for you to eat. My mom doesn’t stop you."
Sun Yuhua pursed her lips and remained silent. Gao Jiazhi said, "Don’t think that just because my mom endures my grandma’s bullying, she’s weak. All of us siblings were raised by my mom. She’s tolerant, but she has her limits. She won’t indulge you when she shouldn’t."
"I haven’t bullied your mom," Sun Yuhua corrected.
"If my mom didn’t want to, you couldn’t bully her," Gao Jiazhi said.
Continuing, Gao Jiazhi added, "Now that you are pregnant, you are the most important person at home. Everyone makes way for you; they don’t let you do any work, and all the best food is saved for you. Look around, which other daughter-in-law has it as good as you?"
"Yang Hua doesn’t do anything either, and Dong Meihua just has bad luck not getting pregnant," Sun Yuhua compared herself to other educated youth, not to the village women.
"Do you want to have a good relationship with your mother-in-law, or do you want to have a bad one?" Gao Jiazhi then asked.
Sun Yuhua pouted, "All your mom cares about is Xia Xiao; no matter how much I try to please her, it’s pointless."
"But have you ever actually tried to please my mom?" Gao Jiazhi said.
"Why should I please your mom? Did I marry into this family to please your relatives? I married you, I married for you to be good to me," Sun Yuhua argued.
Gao Jiazhi felt deflated. He scratched his head in irritation, "When Jiazhi gets married, let’s move out."
"Why should WE move out?" Sun Yuhua protested.
"If you don’t want to please my family, and you can’t get along with my mom, and you feel you married me, not my family, then why should we stay here? We can just move out and live by ourselves, not bother my parents."
Sun Yuhua discontentedly said, "You are the eldest son; why should we make space for your younger brother?"
"Have you ever acted like an elder sister-in-law should, showing concern for my younger brother who lives away from home?" Gao Jiazhi’s frustrations had built up, constantly seeing Sun Yuhua demanding food and drink wasn’t the issue, but dealing with her unreasonable tantrums after a long day’s work left no peace at home.
"As an elder sister-in-law, how could I presume to inquire about my husband’s younger brother?" Sun Yuhua replied disdainfully, "You better go and wash up. Next time you come home from work, don’t enter the room without having a proper bath."
"I won’t go to work tomorrow. I’ll just stay home and take care of you," Gao Jiazhi said as he walked out.
Sun Yuhua frustratedly punched the pillow, seething inwardly, "Always saying nice things but never following through. When you were courting me, you treated me like a fairy. Now that we’re married, you just want to boss me around like a maid."
The next morning, Gao Jiazhi declared he wasn’t going to work and would stay home to take care of Sun Yuhua.
Gao Guoqiang said to Zheng Xianghong, "Let’s go."
Zheng Xianghong still couldn’t help but give Gao Jiazhi a few words of caution, and asked him to bear with it a bit more and not argue with Sun Yuhua before she left with Gao Guoqiang.
At home, Gao Jiazhi truly realized how difficult Zheng Xianghong’s life was, and Sun Yuhua, facing Gao Jiazhi, didn’t know how to restrain herself at all, bossing around with her pregnant belly.
"Jiazhi, you didn’t wash this clothing clean. Rinse it a few more times."
"Jiazhi, you didn’t wipe the dust off this table."
"Jiazhi, you haven’t swept the floor."
"Jiazhi, I want to eat eggs."
"Jiazhi, I want some fruit."
"Jiazhi, I want to drink water."
"Jiazhi, I’m hungry."
"Jiazhi, I want to eat eggs."
Honestly, all day long, Gao Jiazhi hadn’t stopped. Fortunately, Sun Yuhua wasn’t in the room anymore but was rather following him around like a supervisor, directing him.
Gao Jiazhi murmured silently, "When my mom was at home, you didn’t act , did you?"
"Jiazhi, we have flour and sugar at home. Make me some dough lumps."
"Didn’t you just finish eating eggs? Can you let me rest for a while? Besides, I don’t know how to make dough lumps."
"Your son is hungry. How can you blame me? Ever since getting pregnant, I’ve been uncontrollably craving. You think I want to be ?" Sun Yuhua added, "Once you’ve rested, make me dough lumps. They’re really easy to make. I’ve seen Xia Xiao do it, now you try."
So, the couple was fussing about in the kitchen again, with Sun Yuhua instructing Gao Jiazhi on how to make dough lumps, "Don’t make a mess everywhere, it’s filthy."
"Yes, that’s it, it should be fine now."
So, when it was ready, Sun Yuhua took a taste and spat it out, "It’s terribly tasteless, how did you make this? How can anyone swallow this?"
"If it’s tasteless, then don’t eat it." Gao Jiazhi was utterly furious. Even a patient man has his limits; he simply walked away.
"Gao Jiazhi, my stomach hurts," Sun Yuhua called out.
"You’re using that trick again." Gao Jiazhi ignored it.
With a loud wail, Sun Yuhua burst into tears in the kitchen, continually crying out in pain.
Outside, Gao Jiazhi didn’t come back to coax her anymore. At this moment, he was extremely depressed, not having expected Sun Yuhua to be so difficult to deal with after marriage.
All day long, Gao Jiazhi hadn’t stopped, and now, having done exactly as Sun Yuhua asked, but still receiving such complaints, he wasn’t pleased either.
By this time, almost everyone in the production team had gone to work, and no one knew about the couple’s issues, while Gao Jiazhi went straight to tend to the home’s small vegetable garden.
Then Sun Yuhua came out weakly saying to Gao Jiazhi, "My stomach really hurts, Jiazhi, I’m not lying to you."