Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Yang Wuni was really anxious, but she didn't dare to lose her temper.

He gritted his teeth and pretended to ask Sui Yumi in a friendly tone.

"Wu Ni, I remember when your family raised chestnut horses, you didn't feed them only when you needed to use them, right?"

One cannot be two-faced; treating someone else's livestock is different from treating one's own.

At the very least, you have to treat our donkey the way you treat your chestnut horse.

After circling around the corn for a while, he finally expressed his thoughts.

"Sister-in-law, if you had said this earlier, I would have understood."

Don't worry about me taking care of the livestock; I guarantee they'll be fat and strong.

A little while later, Zhang Changyao and I led the donkey home and put it with my father's.

I take care of both donkeys, and the fodder comes from our own farm.

Let me know whenever you want to see it, and I'll bring it back for you.

Yang Wuni pleaded with Sui Yumi for 3,600 yuan in order to get a donkey to plow the fields.

"This makes sense, let's farm together then!"

With Yumi finally getting her wish and getting the benefit, she smiled and agreed.

Zhang Changyao and Yang Wuni led Zhang Changguang's donkey home.

They tied the two donkeys together and began to serve them in a very proper manner.

Chopping hay, mixing feed, and providing hot water—it was all done with the same meticulous care as when I was tending to the chestnut horse.

Seeing that their donkey was being taken such good care of, Zhang Kaiju and Zhao Xiulan felt relieved and stopped interfering in its care.

Zhangzhuang's farmland consists mainly of barren mountain land, where drought is a constant threat when it doesn't rain.

The Zhang Kaiju family and the Zhang Changguang family, who had acquired donkeys, were to plant first.

Zhao Xiulan and Sui Yumi both found excuses not to go to the fields, but Yang Wuni dared not utter a word.

Following behind Zhang Kaiju and his two children, they dug holes and watered the plants with great effort.

"Wu Ni, you're pregnant, so work slowly and just follow behind me."

Zhang Changyao didn't dare to tell Yang Wuni not to work in the fields, since the other family had livestock, while his family could only provide manpower.

The only thing I can do is protect her while she's working, preventing her from charging forward like a tiger.

"Changyao, we'll finish planting tomorrow. Your sister-in-law said your family will have to take care of the donkeys for a while longer."

"Once the donkey is fattened up, we'll lead it back."

Seeing that he was about to finish tracing the last row, Zhang Changguang quickly conveyed the order to follow the corn.

"Brother, go home and tell my sister-in-law that your two families' donkeys are being kept at my house."

Whether they do any work or not, I can take good care of them.

In a few days, when the grass covers the ground, I will lead them to find grass to eat.

Changyao, go to your town tomorrow and buy some more bran.

Before autumn even arrives, I'll have both donkeys looking incredibly well-groomed.

Yang Wuni kept talking, trying not to offend Zhang Changguang and Zhang Kaiju.

Zhang Kaiju and Zhang Changguang nodded in agreement. It would be strange if they weren't happy to have someone help them take care of their livestock.

"Wu Ni, are you really willing to help take care of the donkey?"

After dinner that evening, Zhang Changyao put his arm around Yang Wuni and asked her a question.

"Zhang Changyao, how could I lie to 'livestock'?"

Even a mute animal is better than a human. If I give it food, it will even rub against me.

Unlike your father and brother, who never stop taking advantage of others and refuse to admit it.

Yang Wuni got angry when Zhang Changyao asked her that question.

He made a veiled insult and then removed his head from Zhang Changyao's arm.

She lay down on her own pillow, not wanting to pay any attention to Zhang Changyao.

"Wu Ni, don't keep getting upset about this."

I've made up my mind. Tomorrow I'll go to the grain depot to find Lin Qiu and ask her to help me find work.

Once we have money, we can buy a donkey ourselves.

No matter how well we take care of other people's livestock, it's not our own.

Zhang Changyao was also unhappy, so he turned over and picked up Yang Wuni's head, placing it on his arm.

"Zhang Changyao, didn't you say you were going to build a house after you finished planting the land?"

Now we need to buy a donkey, but we're not landlords, where are we going to get the money?

Yang Wuni was thinking about building a house; she didn't want to live a life of dependence on others anymore.

"Wu Ni, I'll go work at the grain depot. By autumn, I should be able to resolve both of these issues."

It means... you have to stay home and work with your older brother and father.

"I'm worried you won't be able to handle taking care of the child?" Zhang Changyao said with concern.

"Zhang Changyao, if you can guarantee that you can build a house and buy a donkey, I can tolerate it."

If you don't believe me, I swear a solemn oath.

Encouraged by Zhang Changyao's words, Yang Wuni sat up, raised one hand to the sky, and was about to swear an oath.

"Wu Ni, you silly woman, why do you have to make an oath? It's not like you're swearing an oath to someone else."

Zhang Changyao pulled Yang Wuni's hand down and placed it in his lap.

He kissed Yang Wuni's forehead tenderly again and again.

The next morning, Zhang Changyao walked to the grain depot to find Lin Qiu.

Lin Qiu was not surprised to see him; he acted as if he were someone she saw every day.

"Lin Qiu, I'd like to ask you to help me find some work."

My wife's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and we can't have a baby without money.

Another issue is that Wu Ni doesn't want to live in the same courtyard as the elderly, and the house we live in is low and small.

She wanted her own house and a donkey.

Zhang Changyao, no longer hesitant, calmly shared his thoughts with Lin Qiu.

"Zhang Changyao, how much money can you earn doing hard labor at the grain depot?"

"I have a great job here that pays well and doesn't require any hard labor."

Lin Qiu didn't look up, and spoke to Zhang Changyao while writing something on the paper.

"Lin Qiu, I'll do it. You ask him for me."

Zhang Changyao couldn't wait to do the job Lin Qiu had mentioned.

"Zhang Changyao, you know my husband is paralyzed, right?"

Lin Qiu did not answer Zhang Changyao's question, but instead asked him a question.

"Yes! I heard it from Uncle Lu."

Zhang Changyao didn't understand what he meant, but he still responded to Lin Qiu.

"My husband has no mother and is paralyzed. The old woman we hired got sick and went back to her hometown."

We're currently short of a nanny to take care of my husband.

The salary is thirty yuan a month, including room and board. You'll take care of everything for my man, from food and drink to toileting.

"If you're okay with it, come and start working tomorrow. If not, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Lin Qiu raised her head, her eyes revealing an undisguised anticipation and fervor.

"Lin Qiu, I can't do this job. I need to go home every day."

Wu Ni's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and she doesn't know when the baby will be born.

She can't sleep well at night without me by her side.

Zhang Changyao came up with an extremely clumsy excuse to fob off Lin Qiu.

"Zhang Changyao, are you afraid that if you stay at my house, I'll take advantage of your body?"

Is there something wrong with you that makes you unable to have sexual relations?

Lin Qiu stood up and looked around at Zhang Changyao, making him blush.

"Lin Qiu, that's not what I meant. I'm perfectly healthy."

If I were a useless person, how could my wife get pregnant?

I really can't leave home at night unless you let me go back to sleep there.

Zhang Changyao could only come up with a compromise to deal with Lin Qiu.

Zhang Changyao, if you're healthy, why did you refuse me time and time again when I offered myself to you?

Or maybe you hate me, or you find me physically repulsive.