He looked at me with hatred, and the pastries he held were crushed, ultimately ending up in a dog’s stomach. This formed a grudge between us, leading to estrangement. I had a few romantic encounters afterward, but they all ended poorly. Eventually, I remained unmarried until eighteen, when he proposed.
Chapter Four: A Harmonious Household
After An Jin became a deputy minister, the An family stayed in their ancestral mansion, adjacent to mine. My father-in-law encouraged visits home, while my mother-in-law was indifferent. An Jin, after our last conversation, was absent for several days. With this situation, I continued to return to my parents’ home happily.
Mother was not at the gambling house but sitting in the courtyard under the crabapple tree, doing needlework.
Since my elder brother was imprisoned, she had reduced her gambling house visits from daily to once every three days, staying only an hour and never carrying more than five taels of silver, which relieved both my brother and me. When I arrived with packages of snacks and gifts, she put down her work and came to me, taking the items and saying with slight reproach, “Why did you bring so much back?”
I was surprised. Previously, she would be overjoyed and hint at the family’s financial difficulties. This time, she seemed to care about my well-being, which was unusual.
I examined her carefully. “Are you really my mother?”
She put the items down and knocked me on the head. “Silly girl! Can’t you recognize your own mother?!”
Relieved, I handed her a bank note. “This is for my brother’s marriage and my younger sister’s dowry. Please keep it safe and don’t go to the gambling house anymore.”
She hesitated, seemingly engaged in internal struggle. After a moment, she pushed the note back into my hand. “Yao’er, you don’t need to bring money home anymore. Your parents will handle your brother and sister’s matters. You should focus on your husband.”
I sensed something. Could my mother have always believed these items and money came from the An family? In fact, the An family’s economic power was in my mother-in-law’s hands, and I didn’t have the courage to ask her for money, let alone request it from An Jin. So, I pushed the banknote back. “Mother, this is what I earned myself.”
