Free Web NovelChapter 108: Chapter 108: Miscarriage
Su Xing had come, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to ask for the money Miao Fenghua wanted.
Su Li didn’t need her to say a word; she already knew what was going on.
"I figured as much," Su Li said calmly, before asking a question in return.
"Sis, how long are you going to keep living like this, dragging down your husband and your family? Do you plan to go on like this forever?"
’In Miao Fenghua’s heart, only Su Dan was her true child; the two daughters she bore were nothing but slaves.’ Su Li had seen through her long ago, so she had long since treated her mother and brother as if they didn’t exist.
If Su Xing continued to be blindly filial, she would only repeat the tragedy of her past life.
In her last life, Miao Fenghua had exploited Su Xing for half a lifetime. Her life was a complete mess, causing her husband and child to suffer terribly, and she had completely ruined her own health.
She only came to her senses and stood up for herself later in life, but by then it was too late. Her child was filial, so her later years could be considered happy, but she still suffered greatly due to her poor health.
Regardless of why Su Xing had eventually disowned her, Su Li always remembered her sister’s kindness and the life-saving grace she had shown her.
She hoped Su Xing would come to her senses sooner and climb out of the bottomless pit of mud that was Miao Fenghua.
’Miao Fenghua had Su Dan, was in good health, and never had to worry about food or clothing. She was living a good life, yet she still insisted on exploiting her two daughters to support her son. Why should they play along?’
After hearing Su Li’s words, Su Xing’s eyes began to well with tears again. "I can’t help it... She’s our mom..."
Su Li fell silent. "Go home and think carefully about what I’ve told you. In any case, they won’t be getting a single penny from me."
Su Xing stayed for an hour, then left in a hurry.
Two days later, Brother-in-law Su came to find Su Li, his face dark and pained. He told her that Su Xing had miscarried—Miao Fenghua had pushed her.
Su Li went with Brother-in-law Su to his home to visit Su Xing.
But when Su Li saw Su Xing again just three days later, she almost didn’t recognize her.
Su Xing had always been thin, but now she was practically skin and bones, her entire spirit seemingly gone.
"Sis..." Su Li began, and tears immediately started streaming down Su Xing’s face.
"I was wrong. I should have listened to you. Sister, I was so wrong... my baby..."
Su Xing had been married for almost three years and had never been able to conceive. She had finally, after so much difficulty, gotten pregnant, only to have it all snatched away by Miao Fenghua in an instant.
The last time Su Xing returned from Su Li’s home, Miao Fenghua saw she was empty-handed and immediately threw a tantrum. That was when Su Xing miscarried, an ordeal that nearly cost her her life.
When Miao Fenghua realized what had happened, she ran off immediately. It was only then that Su Xing finally saw her mother’s true colors. She was dying of regret, but all the tears in the world couldn’t bring her child back.
Su Xing was devastated, both physically and emotionally. Brother-in-law Su, seeing no other way, went to find Su Li to see if she could comfort her sister.
It was the weekend, so Su Li stayed at Su Xing’s house for two days. Only then did Su Xing’s mood slowly begin to improve.
"I’ve let your brother-in-law down," Su Xing said to Su Li. "Once my postpartum confinement is over, I’ll go with him to chop and sell firewood. I can’t let him work so hard all by himself."
"You need to rest and let your body heal properly," Su Li said, frowning.
"It’s nothing. I’m used to hardship," Su Xing said, reassuring Su Li. "As long as I stop foolishly subsidizing Mom’s family, our lives will get better. Everything will be fine once we pay off the debt."
The debt Su Xing mentioned wasn’t one they had incurred themselves, but one left to them by her parents-in-law.
Brother-in-law Su was one of eight children. He was the third of four sons. His parents didn’t live with him, so when the family divided its assets, he received nothing but a six-hundred-yuan debt.
The family property had been divided last year. Since then, they had worked themselves to the bone just to build a two-room house and acquire some basic necessities, but the debt remained completely untouched.
"It’s a six-hundred-yuan debt. Your brother-in-law and I can pay it off if we work hard for a couple of years. I mean, I toiled alone for four or five years before and got through it, right?"
As she spoke, Su Xing’s gaze fell upon the only bright, new-looking items in the house—a sewing machine, a wardrobe with a mirror, and a combination cabinet.
These three items... were Su Xing’s dowry.
This dowry hadn’t come from the Su Family; Su Xing had earned it herself.
Mr. Su’s health hadn’t been good in his later years, and Miao Fenghua had never cared for her daughters. Getting a dowry from them would have been a fantasy.
Like many others, Su Xing and Brother-in-law Su were engaged at fifteen or sixteen, with the wedding to follow later.
After the engagement, Su Xing began to slowly save up for her own dowry. A dowry was a woman’s source of confidence upon marrying into a new family; she couldn’t arrive empty-handed.
She chopped firewood and, on market days, carried it on her back to sell in town. It was a four-hour trek on mountain roads, a journey that would wear through three or four pairs of straw sandals.
Each time, Su Xing would carry spare straw sandals on her back, along with either firewood or potatoes, to sell. She’d make one-and-a-half to two yuan per trip.
She toiled like this for four or five years, saving up money little by little to buy her own dowry.
Back then, Mr. Su was still alive, so Miao Fenghua hadn’t been able to pocket the dowry for herself.
This was the kind of person Su Xing was—someone who had known hardship and been hardworking her entire life.
In her previous life, Su Li had been too young to understand all this. But now, in her second chance at life, watching Su Xing gaze at her dowry filled her with a myriad of emotions. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"This kind of back-breaking work isn’t a sustainable solution," Su Li advised. "Your body can’t take it. It would be better to do something else to earn money."
Su Xing shook her head. "Your brother-in-law and I have thought about it, but we just can’t think of anything."
She took Su Li’s hand. "Your brother-in-law and I are barely literate and don’t have any real skills. But you, sister, you’re the capable one. You should focus on your teaching."
"Let me think of something for you," Su Li said.
In the end, Su Li found her inspiration in the piece of yarn Su Xing was using to tie her hair. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Sis, what if I taught you how to knit sweaters to sell?" Su Li thought it was an excellent idea. "And not just sweaters. You could knit scarves, gloves, hats... all of it can be sold for money. When winter comes, people in the city will be eager to buy them."
"Sweaters?" Su Xing was taken aback. "You’ll teach me?"
"Yes. It’s not complicated, and it’s light work. You can do it while you let your body recover."
’Su Li had knitted sweaters before and had already considered that selling them could be a way to make money. She simply didn’t have the time to devote to such a painstaking business for what would be, for her, a small profit.’
Selling knitted sweaters might not be a good fit for Su Li, but it was perfect for Su Xing.
’Su Xing could knit and sell them herself, or she could just sell them to me.’
’Once her business expanded, her ready-to-wear line would include sweaters. At this time, machine-knit sweaters were rare; almost everything was hand-knit. It would be great if Su Xing could knit them.’
"Once your confinement period is over, you can come find me in Xinghua Village, or I’ll come find you, and I’ll teach you how to knit. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to knit one piece a day, maybe even three pieces every two days for some items. The money you’ll earn won’t be bad at all."
Hearing Su Li’s plan, Su Xing was both excited and anxious. "Will people really buy them?"
"Don’t worry. Discuss it with your husband when he gets back."
And so, for the time being, the matter was settled.
「One month later.」
After delivering the junior high and elementary school uniforms for Fengcheng County, Pinjun Clothing had thoroughly made a name for itself.
Su Li used her weekends to deliver the orders on schedule as per the contracts, and she also began to take on new ones. In addition to school uniforms, she landed an order for a factory’s work uniforms. The business was now officially up and running, and it was starting to boom.
