Chapter 4: Unquestioning Filial Piety 4
Author: 打字机N号
T /N: This is a MTL work. I tried to edit as best as I could, any mistake plz do put your comment and I will edit it ASAP. This is my first attempt on chinese novel so please cheer me up! I hope you will find this novel as interesting as I do.
“Liu-zi, you… Is that really what the doctor had said to you?”
This is a question about the dignity of a man. Everyone was so embarrassed to ask him too straightforwardly. But this news was too shocking that they can't help but asking him again to clarify it.
You must know that, since the ancient time, the matter of infertility had always been attributed to the women. The same situation also applied to the original body and Xu Xiuxiu who had been married for ten years yet there was still no children in sight. When others talked about it, they will only say that Xu Xiuxiu's body was not good. To them the problem was never originated from the original body's side.
“Yeah.”
Since his wife had already started cooking the big cock, Jiang Liu finally had the mood to come over and answer everyone's question.
He showed a bitter expression as he responded to the question from people around him. He continued rubbing his face with his hand before letting out a long sigh.
“The doctor told me that my essence [T/N should I put holy water? LOL] is not good. It was estimated that the nutrition that I had from young could not keep up with my body. In addition to that, I also had been working too hard all these years and according to my current physical condition, it was estimated that there will be no children in this life. The doctor told me that if I start nursing my body from now on and keep the much needed nutrition, there may be a glimmer of hope.”
The words of Jiang Liu were purely nonsense. How a hospital in their small county could possibly had any instrument to check the vitality of his sperm? When he visited the doctor that day, he just used the excuse of checking the condition of the wound on his head.
However, the original condition was true and he had not been able to bear a child till the end of his life. However it was not determine whether the flaw was from his body or Xu Xiuxiu.
Jiang Liu had thought about it. When their day finally settled, he should find a chance to take Xu Xiuxiu to the big hospital for an examination. This was not only to make up for the regret of the original body, but from the perspective of Jiang Liu himself, he also felt that if a family has children as a bond and lubricant, it will bring a lot more of happiness in their life.
“So after this…you can’t do heavy work no more…”
This topic was a bit heavy. Everyone present can understand the idea that Jiang Liu wish for a child of his own. Without a children, he had also been working hard. What is the use of earning so many work point? Isn't it too cheap for him to work for the sake of his brother and sister?
Jiang Liu had paid enough for Jiang family these past years. Jiang family current house, even when his younger brother and sister had been married off, he was the one who had supported them. In the eyes of others, he was too involved in other life which resulting in his physical weakness. The reason why he could not bear an heir perhaps also related to this matter.
Now he just wanted to live well for himself, and what is wrong with his meager wish to nurse his body?
However, this not the only things that made people feel bad for him. As a man, he can’t do heavy work in the future. This is really a fatal blow. Yet, he was lucky. He met a wife who never gave up on him. The couple had promised to work hard together. The days may not be too bad.
“In the future, you must treat your wife better. As a couple there is no hurdle that you can't overcome. That is it, don’t be too stupid in the future. Always listen to your wife. Speaking of it, you already helped your younger brother and sister for so long. They are already have their own small family, and yet you still need to look after them.”
The people who had good relationship with Jiang Liu are comforting and persuading him. On the other side, Miao Caifeng and Jiang Chuangen were also being advised by some elders on the team. Now if they were to force Jiang Liu to work, it was expected that they will be scolded.
Miao Caifeng wanted to ignore the people around her, however some of the people who talked to her were those who are older compared to her generation. She can acted arrogantly in front of her peers and juniors, but she can't play such way in front of these elders. Therefore, she could only smile and silently listened to their lectures while feeling aggrieved.
*******
After that, Jiang Liu refused to enter the main house. He took the big cock cooked by Xu Xiuxiu, the porridge of dried potato and the pot of soup to his compound. He did not leave a single bit for the main house.
“You eat this chicken's leg.”
Seeing that pot of hot chicken soup, Jiang Liu could not helped but swallowed his saliva.
After being hospitalized these days, he was afraid to eat much because of the limited food stamps in his hand. Moreover, the supplies in the hospital were scarce. The food provided by the hospital in other hand were mostly insipid broth; the types where the vegetables were rare and the meat was basically invisible.
Of course, this may be because they had no money in their hands, and Xu Xiuxiu simply do not dare to buy the expensive stuff.
Anyway, since Jiang Liu started being independent, he had always had a meal with meat, therefore, the food of this era really made him suffer. Even when he was at the bottom of his life when he was young, the food that he had was even better than this.
Therefore, for this meal, Jiang Liu had been waiting for a long time. Now, he simply unable to withstand its temptation.
He tore a chicken thigh for Xu Xiuxiu, and then gave himself a chicken wings and bit into it.
This big cock reared by the old lady Miao was meant to be exchange for money at the acquisition station at the end of the year. Therefore, she had been raising the chicken very meticulously. The chickens in the farmhouse could be considered as a free-range quality. The chicken flesh are not only glutinous, the incense was also very incomparable. It simply could not be compared with the chicken of the later generations. These lack of hormone-cooked chicken was simply the best chicken ever.
There was also a pot of chicken soup. Even though it contained no spices but simply by adding some salt, onion and ginger to stew the chicken, the fresh taste made people simply can't wait to swallow the tongue.
Jiang Liu can’t tell whether it was because the original body had never eaten these good things before or whether it was because the chicken soup in front of him was indeed so delicious.
“Are we not going to leave anything for your parents at all?”
Xu Xiuxiu swallowed and watched the chicken in front of her. She still did not dare to move her chopsticks.
When Jiang Liu had been observing his filial piety, she had felt that her days were too bitter. But now when Jiang Liu decided to abandon his blind worship, she had an unreal feeling.
“Leave? In the past few years, whenever they killed the pigs or slaughtered the chickens at home did any of them left anything for us? Xiu Xiu, I really wanted to have a children. Now I just killed an old cock. I don't know how much nutrition my body had lost all these years. Even if I can make it back, there are still you. You have been suffering with me all these years, and your body is definitely also not good. The trick is to be selfish; at least they have to wait until we have a child.”
Jiang Liu looked down after saying that and Xu Xiuxiu realized that she had poked at her husband's sadness and suddenly dared not to say anything again.
“Isn’t it just a chicken? Let’s raise a few more. After eating an egg every day, your body will be better. We will have children.”
Xu Xiuxiu quickly ate the chicken given to her by Jiang Liu. As she bit the big chicken leg, the mouthful of chicken's scent burst into her mouth, giving her an urge to cry.
Even after she become this big, she had only two chicken stews in her life. The first time was when she was very young. At that time her mother was still alive, she took care of her grandmother and secretly gave her a piece of chicken skin from the pot. She had been chewing the chicken skin for so long. And because she felt that it was too delicious she had been reluctant to swallow it.
The second time was the day when she got married. Although she was only given the chicken neck and chicken head leftover from the wedding banquet, Xu Xiuxiu still devoutly licked them. Even the chicken bones were chewed until it was gone.
This time, it was the first time she actually tasted the meat.
In addition to the feeling of deliciousness, she also felt moved.
*******
“Grandma, I also want to eat chicken.”
In the Jiangjia's main hall, the family silently sat around the dinner table. Wang Xuemei, Jiang Jun's wife quickly stretched her leg and kicked his eldest son Jiang Jianjun.
Jiang Jianjun also gave his mother a face, and immediately knocked on the bowl, showing his protest and wish to eat chicken for dinner.
Seeing Jiang Jianjun acted as such, his younger brother, Jiang Jiandang also followed suit.
“Whoever teaches you to knock on the bowl? Do you want to be a beggar? Just eat your rice with the egg. If you do not want it, then don't eat it."
Miao Caifeng was angry. Even her grandchildren dared to use her like a punching bag.
“Jianjun, mother will give you an egg to eat.”
When Wang Xuemei saw the situation, she quickly moved the table and split half of the egg and put it on the bowls of her two sons. As for the remaining half, it belonged to Jiang old man.
However, Wang Xuemei did not have the same calmness as portrayed on her face. After all, it was a big cock. Even during the New Year, it was not necessarily for them to have anything good to eat. Yet, all of this was ruined by big brother.
Only ghost will believe that this old lady was not bias with her son. If she really felt distressed for her grandsons, why won't she go and ask the elder brother for a bowl of chicken soup and give it to them as meal?
Wang Xuemei was getting miffed by second. She felt that her in-laws are playing favoritism. The reason why they had been good to them was probably because she gave Jiang family two grandchildren unlike their eldest son.
However, when big brother has a child, the attitude of this old couple may not be the same as now.
But, how could Miao Caifeng did not see the dissatisfaction on her daughter-in-laws' face? But, at this time, if she were to go and ask for the chicken, she afraid that the elders in the village might come and give her some talk instead. So she had no choice but to swallow it all down.
*******
"You tell me, how many people have you offended with your mouth? Now our old son probably going to moved out from our family."
That night, Jiang Chuangen suddenly made such talk while the two of them in bed.
“What have I done? I am not in the wrong!”
Miao Caifeng started to get angry when she heard the accusation from her husband and quickly sat up.
“You told me, if I did not make any trouble on the day of our old son's accident, do you think the team will going to take any initiative to reimburse half of his medical expense? That is still my dear son. I would never bear to hurt him. If it wasn't for our good daughter-in-law who do not know how to look at the situation, I would be able to get Big Guan to pay more for him."
Miao Caifeng was breathing heavily.
“If you want to be a good person, why didn't you make your stand that day? Instead you cooperate with me and make me looked even worse than other's stepmother. If I do not take care of our family property do you think that we will be able to be well off? I still even need to wreck my brain to help him settle the medical expense."
It was true that Miao Caifeng was a bias old lady, but to say that she had no feelings for the eldest son was absolutely impossible. But this world was too difficult. With the way of her eldest son, the whole family may ended up got dragged down. She can only use the ignorance of a village's woman and try reducing the burden on the whole family.
“Then why won't you give him egg when he wanted to have it? You even wanted to make him word on the first day of his discharge.”
After listening to his wife’s words, Jiang Chuangen was silent for a moment. Indeed before he sent his son to the hospital, no one knows how much it will cost them to see a doctor. It might be one hundred coins, or it might be five hundred coins, or even more. Maybe they will not even be able to earn that much of a money for a lifetime.
Even so, after the son came back, he still had to take care of him for a bit.
“Where am I wrong in that? The doctor had let him go from the hospital. Doesn’t it mean that his body is all right? He owes the hospital a debt. And yet he doesn’t want to make money as early as possible to pay it off. Do you think it is easy to make that kind of money?"
Miao Caifeng still felt that she was in the right.
"But because of that, he had been ill-treated and could possibly become infertile. Yet we put so much responsibility on him.”
Jiang Chuangen once again gave a long sigh.
“If this is how it's going to be, what use of saying anything now? Even though we might have treated him badly, it is not like we wanted to do it like that."
In fact, Miao Caifeng had more than three children. After giving birth to her eldest son, she was pregnant once again. It was a son and after that it was a twin. However when the children were young, the famine hit the village for nearly 3 years. At that time, it was really difficult, that even the field nearly turned bald from all the digging.
The Jiang family also lacked food. The second son at that time had been starved to death. What's more, since he was still small during the time of his death, his name could not even entered the household register.
There was no other way to keep all children alive was what the old lady had said at that time. Since the eldest son was someone who will inherit the family, the mother-in-law had insisted on providing more food to Jiang Liu at that time. Of course, the old lady also could not hold herself up. Since they did not want to become the burden to the family, almost all older people left their hope of life to the younger generation.
This incident was still buried inside Miao Caifeng's heart. So all these years, she had always felt that the eldest son had taken the life of her second son.
Due to that, she had always felt that her eldest son had to pay more to make up for the deficit.
His wife had raised this matter and Jiang Chuangen could not helped but turned silent.
“Forget it, if he wanted to separate, then just separate. If he wanted to eat eggs or chicken, then let him be. We do not have to control him. Let him go through his own little days. We have our second child to rely on.”
Miao Caifeng snorted and then quickly lay back on the bed before wrapping herself tightly with the quilt.
"To separate, to separate."
Jiang Chuangen repeated these two words with a complicated mood before letting out another long sigh.