Chapter 35: The Children of the Family
Poor children grow up fast. In the countryside, it was customary for older sisters and brothers to look after their younger siblings. Zhu Yanli was now ten years old, considered quite grown-up by rural standards, so helping out with Zhu Nanhong posed no problem at all.
Gan Juhua glanced at Zhang Qiaolian. "Nanhong is still asleep, isn't she? I'll keep an eye on her. You go fetch the water. It's just one load."
Comparatively speaking, Gan Juhua treated Zhang Qiaolian with absolute favor. This was primarily because Zhang Qiaolian was more educated, having graduated from high school, and secondly, between their two sons, both Zhu Guifu and Gan Juhua favored the younger son, Zhu Xiangyao.
In a way, this reflected a common phenomenon in rural areas at the time. If a son joined the army, the family became military dependents, and the honor he brought naturally inclined the family to favor him. Moreover, there was the saying that "distance breeds affection, while proximity breeds contempt." Thus, it was understandable that Zhu Guifu and Gan Juhua would show favoritism. However, no family's bias seemed as pronounced as theirs. According to traditional rural values, parents should value their eldest son more, as he was responsible for supporting them in their old age. Yet this family seemed to think otherwise. To them, the eldest son appeared expendable—scolded when they felt like it, beaten when they pleased—and by extension, they showed little affection for his wife and children either.
Although Gan Juhua was biased, she couldn't afford the reputation of a mother-in-law forcing a pregnant daughter-in-law to carry water. So, she didn't make Xie Xinlian fetch the water, leaving that task to Zhang Qiaolian. Seeing that her excuses were useless, Zhang Qiaolian had no choice but to accept her bad luck and go fetch the water.
No matter how reluctant Zhang Qiaolian was, she had to do it herself at this point. She kept her mouth shut, but her heart was far from pleased. She planned to write a letter to her husband that night to vent her grievances. Of course, this had to be done in secret; if her mother-in-law found out, she would be in trouble. Even if Gan Juhua doted on her, it was only in comparison to the other daughter-in-law. If Zhang Qiaolian threatened her mother-in-law's interests, she would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.
No one cared about Zhang Qiaolian's thoughts; fetching water was simply her job.
"A-Lian, go prepare the dishes," Gan Juhua continued her orders. The kitchen work could still be assigned to Xie Xinlian, though this likely meant Xie Xinlian wouldn't get a seat at the table.
"Yes," Xie Xinlian replied. She knew better than to argue with her mother-in-law, so she agreed without hesitation.
Xie Xinlian worked quickly. The Zhu family prepared six cold dishes and six hot dishes, which was considered a very decent meal for the era.
The Zhu family's two married daughters arrived with their husbands and children. The eldest daughter, Zhu Jinguì, had married into Gan Village, where Gan Juhua's natal family resided. Her husband, Yao Jinsheng, was a stonemason. Skilled tradesmen earned money quickly, so Zhu Jinguì returned to her娘家 with great pride, boasting about her successful husband. They had one son and one daughter. Their son, Yao Hongqi, was the same age as Zhu Yanli, while their daughter, Yao Yayun, was two years older than Zhu Yanyi.
The second daughter, Zhu Yinguì, had only married earlier this year, so she had no children yet. Her husband, Shi Hongjun, was a genuine farmer, but reportedly, his family was well-off, owning a large three-room flat house. Although Shi Hongjun's parents had three children, he was the only son; his two sisters were already married. Therefore, under current circumstances, all of the Shi family's assets would eventually belong to Shi Hongjun.