NOVPUB
Chapter 411: Chapter 401 Shen Yunxiu Laments Her Grievances
Shen Yunxiu complained about the hard times she had lived through at the Fang Family over the past two years.
It took a while for Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen to understand that their daughter’s house was not occupied by just her family of three, but shared by eleven members of the Fang Family.
Aunt Shen looked at the only bed in the room with disbelief, "How do all of you sleep at night?" she asked. "You can’t possibly be piling on top of one another."
"My in-laws stay out here with my eldest uncle’s eldest son, while our family of three and my eldest uncle’s family of three live in the back," Yunxiu pouted as she spoke.
Accustomed to her daily life, Yunxiu grew petulant again at the arrival of her parents. She thought to herself that she had done well to endure such difficult conditions for so long, and now things were finally looking up. With her parents here, she wouldn’t have to squeeze into this tiny, shabby house anymore.
Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen were unaware of the full situation within the house. To garner more sympathy for herself, Yunxiu led them to see where they stayed in the back.
It was actually just a large room. Behind the big bed, there was a partition, and glancing behind the curtain one could see it was only about one and a half meters wide. A bunk bed had been custom-made—although calling it custom-made was an exaggeration. It was essentially just two thick planks of wood stacked on top of each other with mattresses to serve as a bed.
Fortunately, there were curtains hanging at the head of the bed, providing at least a bit of privacy for the upper and lower bunks.
"Mother, look, our family of three sleeps up here," Yunxiu said with grievance.
Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen looked upset.
"This is actually not too bad. Before my sister-in-law got married, I had to squeeze in the upper bunk with her, and Chengjian had to squeeze with his parents on the big bed outside," Yunxiu recalled. When she had first arrived, her sister-in-law was not yet married, and there was simply no spare space in the house for her family of three. So, she had to cram in with her child and sister-in-law. She had been disliked by her sister-in-law, and the times her child was hit or she received disdainful looks were tearful memories.
Uncle Shen took one look and walked out, while Aunt Shen broke down in tears with her daughter, continually lamenting, "Oh, my poor girl."
Uncle Shen, possibly annoyed by his wife’s crying, called out, "Stop crying, it’s useless. If there’s no place for my daughter here, then you two pack up and come home with me. Even if the Shen Family is poor, we have a place for you to live."
He seemed to be taking his frustration out on his son-in-law, prepared to take back his daughter and grandson, but not his son-in-law.
Fang Chengjian listened without any expression, for he knew that he didn’t need to say anything; Yunxiu would handle it.
As expected, Yunxiu immediately said she would not go back. "Dad, what are you talking about? I’ve already come to the Capital, how could I go back with you now? Besides, if I were to go back now with my child, the village folk would drown me in their spit," she said. When she had first arrived, she had thought of retreating, but the thought of the gossip and disdain she would face if she shamefully returned made her hold back.
Since she had left, she had no intention of going back now, and she no longer believed that she, Shen Yunxiu, with all her capabilities, wouldn’t have better days ahead.
"Exactly, what are you going to do after you send the girl back with the child?" Shen’s mother also disagreed, giving Fang Chengjian a glance, "You old man better not spout nonsense."
Shen’s father felt like he was in the wrong no matter what he said, so he stopped talking. They could do whatever they liked.
"However, Yunxiu, what your father said isn’t without reason. How long are you and Chengjian going to keep on like this?" Shen’s mother also worried for her daughter.
"Wu wu wu, Mother, you don’t know, Chengjian has been working so hard. Ever since the national college entrance exam was reinstated last year, he even quit his job, focusing entirely on getting into university. He wanted to graduate so he could give me and the child a better life, but he didn’t get in because our house is too small and there’s no quiet place for him to study. Tell me, if it goes on like this, what hope does our family have?" Shen Yunxiu didn’t mention that Fang Chengjian had taken the unified exam twice in one year, once in October of ’77 and again in July of ’78, failing both times. She had gone from anticipation to loss of direction and truly didn’t know how to carry on.
"That’s terrible, why didn’t you try to find a solution? If he gets into university, you’ll have nothing but good days ahead." Shen’s mother felt sorry for her daughter; she hadn’t previously realized that her son-in-law, who had been sent to the countryside as an educated youth, had been a high school student.
"I did try to think of a solution, but I’m a stranger here, what can I do? Chengjian’s parents are busy with his elder brother, treating us as if we’re children of a stepmother." Weeping, Shen Yunxiu looked for her own parents’ reaction.
"Oh, you foolish child, crying won’t help. You came to the Fang Family once before, why didn’t you mention it was like this when you got back? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you come back no matter what. We have plenty of space at our house. Could Chengjian not study as he wishes? How could he not get into university?" Shen’s mother regretted it deeply. The last time her daughter had come back from her in-laws, she had boasted about how wonderful the Capital was. She had taken it for granted without giving it much thought, never suspecting that it was all deceptive—no, not exactly deceptive since the Capital truly was great, but the Fang Family wasn’t as grand.
"Mother, let’s not talk about that anymore. There’s no use discussing it now. Now that Chengjian and I have come back, we definitely can’t go back to my parents’ place." Shen Yunxiu didn’t like hearing this.
"Then just rent a place outside, the three of you go live on your own. It won’t be for long. Once Chengjian gets into university, you and the child will have something to look forward to." Shen’s father spoke again, hitting the nail on the head.
"Father, it’s not as easy as you say. Not to mention that it’s hard to find a place to rent right now, even if we found one, we don’t have the money for it. Chengjian quit his job last October, and for over a year we’ve been living at his parents’ house. I can’t count how many fights we’ve had with my eldest uncle’s wife over money. Where would I get the money to rent a place now?" She knew all too well how much money was in her pocket. If she had money, of course, she wouldn’t put up with the misery at the Fang Family. The main issue was she didn’t have any, right?
It was true that after Chengjian quit his job and returned to the city, the little money he gave her each month was quickly spent on food and clothing. She hadn’t saved any of it.
When Fang Chengjian quit his job to prepare for university, she had optimistic thoughts. Without a salary, so be it—they were living at the Fang’s after all and didn’t have to spend their own money. But when they truly had no income, conflicts at home immediately emerged.
After all, who would want to support their family of three for nothing?
"That’s right, didn’t I always tell you when you were at home not to be so spendthrift? When you have money, save it up—you never know when you’ll need it. You never listen to me. You’ve made your own bed; now lie in it. It’s all your father’s spoiling." Upon hearing her daughter had no money, Shen’s mother grew furious. She could guess that her son-in-law’s salary had likely been squandered by her daughter.
