I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Zheng Fenglin had a lot to say to Qiaoqiao, but just as he entered the house, Qiaoqiao's grandfather arrived: "Yang Zheng, Aunt Fang's son has come to pick you up."

"Alright, sir, I'll be right back."

Feng Lin ultimately said nothing, but took out a pair of small cotton shoes from the wardrobe: "Qiaoqiao, these are for Xiaowei. Don't mind them, they're not pretty, but they're very warm."

Qiaoqiao happily flipped through the pages: "You can even make cotton shoes? They're really pretty. They're made with this year's new cotton, so they're soft and won't hurt your feet. I love them."

He added, "Fenglin, Jintao has gone to school. Don't spoil his mother. She's always so sarcastic. If you keep giving in, she'll only take advantage of you."

Feng Lin nodded: "I know, she can't bully me, but I'm not going to bother with her."

"If you have any grievances, write to me. I'm moving after I get back, and I'll write to you when I have a new address."

"Okay, Qiaoqiao, I'm sorry to offend you, there's nothing good to eat."

"Why are we still saying these things? I'm full, and your cooking is delicious."

Zheng Fenglin smiled; this was the first time Qiaoqiao had visited her since she got married.

It would take several more hours to get to the city, so the group said goodbye, and Zhao Jintao saw them off.

Zheng Fenglin had been busy all morning without eating a single bite. When she went inside to clear the dishes, she saw her mother-in-law eating the leftover meat on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Look at you, you barely get to eat meat once a year, but when they come, you want to bring out all the good dishes. In your heart, Qiaoqiao is dear, her family is dear, and we in-laws deserve to eat only cabbage. Qiaoqiao married into the city, she'll have plenty of meat to eat, why do you need to fawn over them?"

Jin Tao's mother grabbed a handful of braised pig ears in displeasure, stuffed them into her mouth, and chewed them with a crunching sound.

"Mom, Qiaoqiao took a chicken, a duck, and a pound of sugar. Why didn't you say anything?"

Zheng Fenglin was so angry that his face turned red. The three bowls of meat and vegetable dishes were barely touched; they knew how hard life was for farmers and only ate the side dishes.

"Did they take the chickens and ducks? They were given to us by the commune secretary. He embezzled and took bribes, and then gave them to us. It's become a favor for them," Jin Tao's mother said disdainfully.

Zheng Fenglin stamped his foot and said, "Your son studied at someone else's place for over a month, and they paid for all his food and drink. If it weren't for Qiaoqiao's family having so many study materials, would Jintao have been able to pass the exam?"

"They have a big house, and they use government meal tickets for meals. My son has helped the Yang family so much; what's wrong with him eating for a month?"

"You, you're being unreasonable and selfish."

"I'm selfish? If I were selfish, I would have Jin Tao divorce you and go find a girl in the city."

"Go ahead and tell Zhao Jintao to divorce me. I'll go home right away."

Zheng Fenglin's eyes reddened, and without clearing away the dishes, he turned and went inside.

We've been married for six months. Fenglin is in charge of everything at home and outside. She always saves the best food for Jintao. She only hosted one dinner party, and even then, she was ridiculed by her mother-in-law. Thinking about it makes me feel so sad.

When Zhao Jintao returned from seeing off his guests, he saw his mother sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) eating meat. He turned and went into the room, where Fenglin was sitting on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face. Instantly, he understood.

Zhao Jintao poured all the remaining meat into a bowl, which was still more than half full. He carried it into the room, placed it on the desk, and said, "Fenglin, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go get you some rice."

"Zhao Jintao, what are you doing? I still want to eat! You little rascal, you've forgotten your mother now that you have a wife!" Jintao's mother sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and threw a tantrum.

Zhao Jintao came out and roared, "Zhang Cuilian, if you bully Fenglin again, once I've settled things in the city, I'll take Fenglin there and never let her come back."

"You, you unfilial son, is it your place to call Zhang Cuilian?"

"I did yell, so what? Feng Lin fed the pigs and cooked the vegetables, and you were eating while cursing her. You're just being disrespectful to your elders."

"What does 'disrespectful to elders' mean?" Jin Tao's mother asked, confused.

"Disrespecting elders is like a crooked beam above and a crooked beam below. If you treat Fenglin badly, I'll treat you badly too. When you get old and can't climb up anymore, I'll make you poop and pee on the kang (heated brick bed) and I won't wash you. It'll stink to death."

"You little brat, you're bullying your mother! Father, control your son!"

Jin Tao's father and younger sister stayed huddled in the kitchen by the fire, neither able to win an argument with their mother nor getting involved in the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battle.

Zhao Jintao went to the kitchen, filled a bowl with rice, and went into the bedroom.

"How many times have I told you? If my mother scolds you, you scold her back. Before you got married, you were so fierce, how come you're like a timid wife now? Come on, have some food."

Fenglin awkwardly accepted the food and said, "They say harmony in the family brings prosperity. Your mother is confused, and so am I. I wonder what the neighbors will think of us."

"It's a joke, I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of? My mother is a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. You fight with her a few times, and she won't dare to do it again. Come on, eat the meat, eat it all, don't give any to them." Zhao Jintao held up the meat, smiling ingratiatingly.

"There's no way we could eat so much. Dad and my little sister didn't eat any either, so we're saving it for them."

"Look at you, you always think of others and suffer in silence."

Zhao Jintao snatched the chopsticks, picked up a large piece, and stuffed it into Feng Lin's mouth: "Eat, your cooking is really delicious."

Fenglin took a bite of the meat; it was juicy and delicious.

"Have Qiaoqiao and the others returned?"

"Yes, I've seen them off. Fenglin, I'm sorry you've suffered because of me," Zhao Jintao said sincerely and gently.

Feng Lin's eyes reddened for no reason: "I'm not afraid of suffering, but it's Mother who hurts people with her words and keeps trying to find you city girls."

Zhao Jintao put down half a bowl of meat, grabbed Feng Lin's hand, and said, "Feng Lin, do you think Guo Baohua and I are cut from the same cloth?"

"Of course not."

"Fenglin, all I want is to study hard, learn a skill, and then return to my hometown so that the villagers can grow wheat that yields a thousand catties per mu, make rabbits grow long and silky fur, and make every household in our Dashui Village live in a red brick house. With you, I won't look at any other woman."

These words made Zheng Fenglin lower his head and laugh: "I know you're not that kind of person, Jin Tao. Let me ask you, are you holding a grudge against Zhou Wenhui?"

"No, it's clearly a competition with Yang Zheng. He insists that I develop in the industrial sector, but I'm optimistic about agriculture."

"Yang Zheng is really amazing. He can make Zhou Wenhui a fully functional prosthesis himself."

"Of course, otherwise why would I have gone to Shanghai for the exam? I can't even leave the province."

"It's good to be in the provincial capital, it's easy to go home. But if I go to Shanghai, I can only come back during holidays."

"My dear Fenglin, you're so good at comforting people. Even if I get into Liushan Commune, you'll still think it's great, right?"

"Yeah, being the team leader at home is pretty good too."

Zhao Jintao laughed heartily and kissed Feng Lin on the forehead.

"Um, Fenglin, go and clear the dishes..." The sweet atmosphere was broken by Jin Tao's mother.

"Mom, you're sneaking around like that, trying to scare me to death!" Zhao Jintao said angrily.

"Oh well, do whatever you want, I'm going to Aunt Mao's house to warm myself by the fire." Jin Tao's mother stomped her foot and left.

Zhao Jintao continued, holding a bowl of meat: "Eat, you eat, I'll go clear the dishes."

"How can I ask you to clean up the dishes? I'll clean up after I've finished eating."

"Gender equality, don't give me that patriarchal nonsense. I'll stay home and do more cooking; you'll have to work harder when I go to school."

"As long as you treat me well, I'm willing to work hard no matter how tired I am," Zheng Fenglin said with a sweet smile.