The Journey Of The Peasant Mother-in-Law

Chapter 71: Protective Armor

Zhulan truly pitied Zhao shi. With her outstanding appearance and no background protection, it was a disaster. And when it comes to natural disasters and famine, you see the lowest point of humanity. She must have not only guarded against outsiders but also against her own family. Zhao shi’s appearance was a curse. In the end, she was likely to be sold to a brothel, so she had to disguise herself. Crying was a good protective armor, as nobody likes a mournful face in times of natural and man-made disasters. Zhao shi had protected herself, but now this armor had already penetrated her bone marrow.

Zhulan recalled squinting her eyes. The person in the whole Zhou family who was most shrewd was her second son. She was deceived not only by Zhao shi, but also by her second son. Yeah, it was so true that when a son married a wife, he forgot his mother!

After hearing what his wife said, Second Zhou knew their ruse was exposed and so hurried to the main room. He stood at the door and looked inside. His mother’s face changed again and again, and his heart thumped. He knelt down all of a sudden, “Mother, your son has something to confess.”

Zhulan, ” … …”

Second Zhou was indeed the smartest person in the family. He rushed in to confess the moment he knew that she has discovered Zhao’s appearance.

Seeing his mother’s expressionless face, Second Zhou was very scared, “Mother, I had no choice. Zhao Shi’s appearance is too exceptional. Her marriage to our family has brought calamity. If her secret is exposed and we fail to protect her, it will bring disaster to our household as well.”

He indirectly explained why Zhao shi cried every now and then.

Zhulan recalled Zhao shi’s appearance, she had a toothache and thought of her eldest granddaughter again. Oh boy, Zhou Shuren must be urged to make progress, not only to become an official but also a high-ranking official. Otherwise just being a minor official will still not be able to protect the child.

Second Zhou felt uneasy in his heart. He was the first person to notice Qiu Niang’s (1) beauty, but he never intended to bring trouble upon himself by marrying her. He merely observed from a distance, unable to control his feelings. Dealing with such a beauty was not easy for him, as he was just an ordinary person. However, deep down, he had a conscience and didn’t want to cause trouble for his family, so he refrained from acting on his thoughts. Surprisingly, it was Qiu Niang who eventually discovered his interest and directly approached him.

On the surface, he was the most honest person in the family, but in his heart, he was the most rebellious and had the most ideas. Especially after meeting his dasao (2), he just wanted to find a smart wife for himself. It is often said that a beautiful woman lack intelligence, but he changed his perspective when he discovered that Zhao shi’s crying was a disguise. As he got to know her better, he was drawn to her intelligence. Eventually, he used food as a means to exchange for a wife. (3)

Later on, their mother, despite not being fond of the idea, reluctantly agreed. However, it became clear to both him and Zhao shi that she couldn’t stay indoors all the time. The more secluded they were, the more curiosity it would attract, especially considering that he had exchanged food for a wife. People would naturally wonder what was worth such a trade. They had no choice but to venture outside, and Zhao shi had to accompany their mother because few dared to approach her due to her martial prowess.

As for the later mistreatment of the daughter-in-law and their mother becoming a cruel mother-in-law, neither he nor Zhao shi anticipated that their mother would shoulder the blame. Initially, they only believed that the weeping and timid young bride will be disliked by others in the village and thus ignored. Who could have imagined that the malicious older women would be so envious of their mother?

The more Second Zhou thought about it, the more guilty he felt, and he could only kneel in front of his mother without saying anything.

Zhulan thought that if the original body was alive, she would definitely die of anger. She was not angry with Zhao shi, but she was angry with her son’s distrust. Now that it was her, she felt that Second Zhou should be punished and should kneel. She said, “Kneel down. Don’t get up until half an hour. And when kneeling, think about what you did wrong.”

It was common for children to need education and guidance, especially when they lacked a sense of belonging and self-worth from a young age. It’s not entirely Second Zhou’s fault, as the original couple had their own issues. Fortunately, it was not too late, and currently, he showed a considerable amount of concern for the Zhou family.

Zhulan leaned against the wall and closed her eyes to recuperate. She was also estimating the time in her heart. She didn’t see her son get up for about half an hour. When she opened her eyes, her son didn’t look very good. His kneeling legs couldn’t take it anymore. She nodded in her heart, knowing that he was wrong, he wanted to kneel down and make atonement.

There was a smile in Zhulan’s eyes, her and Zhou Shuren’s hard work were not in vain, “Get up!”

After half an hour of reflection, Second Zhou recalled many things. People often fear magnifying their own flaws. Since he started to identify with his parents, he began considering things from their perspective. With a lowered head filled with guilt, he said, “Mother, I have been unfilial. In the past, I only felt that you and Father didn’t care for me, but I never looked for faults within myself. You and Father have never mistreated me or Zhao shi, yet I have never truly cared for you both. Instead, I mistrusted you and even took advantage of you. I am unfilial and deeply apologize to you both.”

Zhulan’s smile became stronger, “Get up, Mother is not angry, Mother was also wrong. I had children one after another during the war years. After all, I ignored you, your mother apologizes to you, so don’t blame your mother.”

Second Zhou’s eyes were red. He realized that during the years of war and hardship, while he never went hungry, he was well aware of the struggles his mother endured to provide for them. She never showed favoritism or withheld food from him. The realization weighed heavily on his heart. “Mother, I have been wrong.”

Zhulan’s body stiffened as her “adopted” (4) son cried on her lap. Even though she was playing a role and not the original person, she still found it challenging to adapt. Seeing her “adopted” son in tears, emotions overwhelmed her. She gently stroked his hair and couldn’t help but curl her lips. In reality, it wasn’t just the children of the Zhou family who were changing. She and Zhou Shuren were also undergoing transformations. She realized that she had developed a maternal feeling and was no longer merely playing a role.

1. This is the name of second daughter-in-law of the family i.e. Zhou shi.
2. Wife of elder brother. Here this is Li shi.
3. This is an important point. A wife is married after giving betrothal gifts, exchanging astrological charts, and other ceremonies. When someone marries this way, it is more like buying a wife. Such a wife didn’t have prestige in the in-law’s family because she was, in some ways, a slave. This point will come up later so keep this information in mind.
4. Adopted in the sense that they were not the original parents.