“Hahaha, that’s how it should be.”
Everyone in this group of people looked down on Li Gui, her rural status, as well as the fact that she was married twice. The thing they despised the most about her was how hard she worked every day, like an ox.
Anyway, they just looked down on her!
Li Gui had wanted to tell everyone that her daughter had married into a good family, but she could not say it now in this situation, so she spoke again.
“Sister Wang, I still want to apply for leave!”
Li Gui spoke again.
Seeing that everyone was almost done with the discussion, Wang Qiu said, “Alright, given that your daughter is pregnant, you should go back for a visit. Don’t forget to bring back some wedding candy for us.”
Li Gui nodded and turned to leave immediately.
Behind her, the voices saying those mocking words were still going on and on. “Her daughter has just gotten married and is already pregnant, yet she is only going for a visit now. It’s so rare to hear of something like that.”
“Maybe the daughter doesn’t acknowledge her as the biological mother at all?”
“I think so too. She didn’t even invite her mother for an occasion as important as her wedding. It must be because she resented her mother for not going back for so long. If it’s me, I won’t acknowledge such a mother too!”
Although Old Madam Li often came to get money and other things from her, Li Gui would never tell any outsider about it. After all, it was her daughter who wanted to snatch her grandmother’s food and caused her grandmother to become so pitiful.
Therefore, outsiders all thought that she had a heart of stone and did not care about her child.
Li Gui kept walking forward and soon could not hear anything behind her. Only then did she let out a long breath and walked towards the Zhang family house.
After she returned home, she washed all the dishes and cutlery used at lunch as well as the dirty clothes that had piled up. She then prepared dinner for her family.
Zhang Qian was the eldest son of the Zhang family and lived together with his parents and four children. The big basin was filled with used clothes on a daily basis.
After dinner, she cleaned up the table and then the house. After that, she continued doing other household chores and kept herself busy.
Just like that, she waited for everyone to rest before going to sleep.
Otherwise, she was bound to be picked on at home. She really did not want to hear those intolerable words.
…
The next day, Zhang Qian was still sleeping soundly when she woke up.
Li Gui did not wake him up. Instead, she got up quietly and hesitated for a moment. In the end, she did not tell her husband that she was going to see Qiao Mei.
She went to a cotton coat in the corner of the closet and used scissors to cut the thread at the cuffs. From inside the coat, she took out 17 dollars and put it in her pocket.
She had saved this money for Qiao Mei over the years.
It was for her dowry.
Initially, she had wanted to save up a little more so that Qiao Mei would have some standing in front of her husband’s family, and would not be looked down upon by them. However, over the years, she had expenses coming from everywhere, and her young children got sick from time to time and needed money for their medical fees.
Old Madam Li also came over from time to time to ask for money, so she did not manage to save much.
Li Gui looked at the 17 dollars in her hand and was silent for a while. She felt a little sad and could only sigh softly.
She had thought that she would have a few more years.
This is because every time Old Madam Li came over, she would tell stories about how Qiao Mei had eaten too much, who Qiao Mei had fought with again, and how Qiao Mei had broken other people’s things. Therefore, Li Gui thought that Qiao Mei’s path to getting married would not be smooth.
Given what she had heard, Qiao Mei definitely would not be able to get married too early.
At least… not this year.
However, Li Gui really did not expect Qiao Mei to get married so quickly and already be pregnant now. She even married a handsome soldier from the city. This was great news!
Her daughter was much luckier than her.
As she thought of this, Li Gui smiled happily. Under the morning sun, her smile actually looked very beautiful. Although her skin was aged, her facial features were quite faultless.
She must have been beautiful when she was younger.