Chapter 33: The Black Rock Field at the East End of the Village

Chapter 33: A Couple’s Night Talk (Part 2)

“Will your mother help out?” Xie Xinlian didn’t believe for a second that her mother-in-law was the type to lend a hand. Although the woman was capable and efficient, that efficiency was never extended to their household.

Zhu Shun’ao replied calmly, “If she doesn’t help, we’ll ask Aunt Qiao to assist us.”

Xie Xinlian didn’t refuse, but let out a scoff. “I’m actually quite skeptical. Honestly, I sometimes think you aren’t even your parents’ son. You get no chance at schooling, no good job prospects, no share of the family’s resources, and they treat you with less affection than they do a neighbor.”

Her words were sharp, but Zhu Shun’ao didn’t take offense. He knew his wife was straightforward, with a tongue like a knife but a heart of tofu. Moreover, Xie Xinlian was smart and saw things clearly; it was just that her lack of education made her speech a bit blunt. “I’ve suspected it too,” Zhu Shun’ao said with a grin. “I wondered if they weren’t my biological parents. But look at me and my father—we’re not identical, but we share at least fifty to sixty percent resemblance. Can you really say I’m not his son?”

Xie Xinlian sighed. “I’m just saying. Honestly, I’d rather you weren’t their son.” If that were the case, Zhu Shun’ao wouldn’t be so exhausted. At the end of the day, it was all because she felt heartache for her husband.

“I know.” Zhu Shun’ao patted Xie Xinlian’s back. He felt guilty toward his wife as well. His parents were indeed extreme in their behavior. As the eldest son, he was overlooked, but what could he say? They were his parents, and that bond was undeniable. “I know you’ve been wronged.”

Xie Xinlian glanced at Zhu Shun’ao. “Forget it. It’s not your fault. We just need to live our own lives well.”

“Exactly.” Zhu Shun’ao rubbed Xie Xinlian’s belly. “A’nan is steady, and A’ni is smart and clever. I wonder what the third one’s personality will be like.”

“Shun’ao, what if we have another daughter?” Xie Xinlian was actually a bit worried.

“A daughter is still my flesh and blood. It’s fine.” Zhu Shun’ao smiled, unconcerned. “Although I do hope for a son, if it’s a daughter, then it must be my fate to have no sons. Besides, raising a daughter well is no bad thing. Look at the play Five Daughters Paying New Year’s Calls—aren’t those daughters wonderful?”

“Yang Shuangtao wasn’t wonderful.” Hearing her husband’s considerate words, Xie Xinlian’s mood improved significantly. A pregnant woman’s emotions were volatile, shifting quickly from joy to sorrow and back again.

“The other four were wonderful. Besides, that was because they didn’t raise their daughters properly. We’re different. Our daughter will surely be the most filial and the best,” Zhu Shun’ao stated directly. When it came to daughters, he only ever had praise and love for them.

“You and you,” Xie Xinlian muttered. She didn’t know that in later generations, a term existed to describe men like Zhu Shun’ao: “daughter-obsessed.”

“By the way,” Zhu Shun’ao said, remembering something. “It’s almost the end of the year, and the soy sauce factory is hiring for the fermentation season. Tomorrow, when you take A’ni to Grandpa’s, ask A’Sheng if he wants to go. If he does, I’ll help him sign up. It’s only temporary work, but it’s different from ordinary temp jobs. The pay is calculated monthly, and there will be some goods distributed at the end of the year. They let people go when the workload is light, but call them back when it gets busy. However, my point is, getting into the soy sauce factory is what matters. After all, the boss of the soy sauce factory and the food factory is the same person. I can arrange things so that when the soy sauce factory isn’t busy, he can work as a temp at the food factory. That way, he won’t have to worry about work for the whole year, and he’ll still earn around thirty yuan a month.”