Chapter 54 Aunt Jiang Dehua
There are four siblings in the Jiang family. The eldest brother Jiang Dejun has not been heard from since he joined the army. The second brother Jiang Deshun, his younger brother Jiang Defu and his younger sister Jiang Dehua were raised by him.
The third son, Jiang Defu, got the chance and joined the army. He started as a soldier and worked his way up to become a leader. He was the most promising child in the Jiang family.
Jiang Dehua married a man from the same village. Her husband ran off with Jiang Defu to join the army and never came back again. Her in-laws couldn't find any trouble with Jiang Defu, so they took their anger out on Jiang Dehua.
Jiang Dehua was bullied by her in-laws for five years until her third sister-in-law became pregnant again and needed someone to take care of her. Then her third brother Jiang Defu remembered her and took her in as a nanny.
But she just went from one place to another and continued to work as a nanny. After taking care of her third brother's five children, she married Lao Ding and worked as a nanny for Lao Ding's family. When she got old, she had to return to her third brother's house and work as a nanny for him again.
The contributions she made throughout her life were not recognized by anyone, and after her death she was barely buried in a corner next to her third brother and sister-in-law's grave.
"Dehua, the Zhang family's boy is also going to join the army with your third brother. If he doesn't come back, their family will be extinct."
"If you're afraid of having no descendants, then don't go. Bullets don't have eyes on the battlefield."
Zhang Shan continued to wash her own clothes, while her second and third brothers' clothes were piled next to her.
"What you are saying is that your third brother is going to get married."
"What does that have to do with the Zhang family?"
"The Zhang family is also afraid that he won't be able to come back like your eldest brother, so..."
So I want to be like Jiang Defu and marry one at home. If I’m lucky, I can even have a child.
"Then marry her."
"You agree?"
"Why do they need my consent to marry a daughter-in-law?"
"The Zhang family wants to marry you. Your third brother has agreed. As long as you nod, they will come to propose marriage tomorrow."
"Whoever agrees can get married. Don't ask me. I won't get married." Zhang Shan wrung out the clothes, picked up Jiang Defu's clothes from the ground, shook them, and splashed the talkative woman's face.
"Hey, how come you are..."
Zhang Shan ignored her and went home. She hung her clothes on the bamboo pole and saw Jiang Defu coming in. "Oh, the general is back?"
"Dehua, why are you talking so sarcastic?"
"hehe!"
Jiang Dehua turned around and went into the house, not wanting to pay any attention to her third brother whose eyes were full of calculations.
As soon as the meal was cooked, my second brother and his wife came back.
During the meal, Jiang Defu shamelessly persuaded Zhang Shan to marry the boy surnamed Zhang. Zhang Shan put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, "Third brother, if you think so, then don't get married. Soldiers are great and should contribute their whole lives to the country. There are so many bachelors in the village. You haven't been home for ten years and you still occupy resources. This is a waste!"
The original owner and Jiang Defu had never gotten along since childhood, and she always spoke in sarcastic to him, which Zhang Shan was very satisfied with.
"Dehua, soldiers defend their country and devote themselves to it. How can you look at them like this!" Jiang Defu's stern face is indeed very intimidating, but Zhang Shan is not afraid of him.
"Then Third Brother, you should also devote yourself, don't sacrifice your sister."
Zhang Shan's face was full of sarcasm, which made Jiang Defu very angry. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and said, "Dehua, how do you talk to your third brother?"
"Don't you understand what I'm saying? Do you want to go to my mother's grave and ask her to teach you?"
Jiang Defu was angry and left. As soon as he left the house, the boy from the Zhang family came. Zhang Shan still looked at him sideways, "Jiang Defu is not here. If you want to say anything else, I will beat you out with the broom."
The Zhang family kid swallowed and left in a hurry.
Jiang Defu finally did not break off the engagement and married Zhang Guilan. Zhang Shan felt that she needed to make things difficult for An Jie, so she put fertility drugs in Zhang Guilan's food to ensure that Jiang Defu would have a big fat boy next year.
Jiang Defu joined the army not long after his marriage. Before leaving, the Jiang family split up and Zhang Guilan was separated from them to live on her own. A woman whose husband is not at home and who has been living in her uncle's house is likely to attract rumors.
Although Jiang Defu was dissatisfied, he believed that his second brother would not do such a thing, but who could guarantee that Zhang Guilan could endure the loneliness?
Three months after Jiang Defu left, Zhang Guilan became pregnant. The second brother was very happy and asked someone to write a letter to Jiang Defu, but the reply he received was that Jiang Defu had separated from the boy from the Zhang family. The Zhang family went to the Jiang family and asked them to give an explanation.
"What explanation do you have? Here, this is my third brother's address, go ask him for it."
The Zhang family came to make trouble several times, but Zhang Shan beat them out every time. She also asked someone to write a letter to curse Jiang Defu.
Zhang Shan found a job in the town's supply and marketing cooperative and began to become popular in the marriage market. Matchmakers came to the Jiang family's door every day, but none of them found someone Zhang Shan liked.
Zhang Shan discovered that in recent years, many people have moved from the city to the countryside. Suddenly one day, a handsome young man came to Zhang Shan and asked her if she wanted to date him.
Zhang Shan: ???
The man's name is Zhou Jin. Three generations of his family have served in the army. He passed by the supply and marketing cooperative and fell in love with Zhang Shan at first sight.
Tired of the ugly guys in the village, Zhang Shan did not hesitate. No matter what his purpose was or whether it was love at first sight, she did not want to mistreat her eyes.
The two got their marriage certificate the next day, and held their wedding on the third day. Zhou Jin's family was present. On the third day after the marriage, Zhou Jin and his father returned to the army.
Grandpa Zhou retired from his job and wanted to find a place to spend his retirement away from trouble, so he took Grandma Zhou and stayed in the town.
In 1955, Zhang Shan had given birth to two sons, and the youngest son was just one month old. Jiang Defu, who had not been seen for eight years, came back. The reason was that Zhang Guilan was caught having an affair, so Jiang Defu came back and divorced her.
Although Jiang Defu was divorced, he left his child in his hometown to be raised by his second brother and his wife. He gave the child a few yuan in child support every month and then left.
The next time I heard from Jiang Defu was two years later. Jiang Defu married An Jie and had a son. Now An Jie was pregnant again and wanted someone from her hometown to take care of her.
The call came to Zhang Shan, "Dehua, quit your job and come to help me. I will give you money..."
"Jiang Defu, who did you learn this capitalist style from? You asked me to quit my job and work as a servant for your family, but you didn't even look in the mirror. Do you deserve it?"
After saying that, he hung up the phone. In the end, he was still angry. Sending Zhang Guilan's son to Jiang Defu, isn't that like finding someone to take care of your youngest son?
Let your seven-year-old son take care of it!
An Jie was jealous of Zhang Guilan. Now that she had an adopted son, her life was in chaos. Even though An Xin came to help her with the confinement after the baby was born, she was still in a bad mood.
Jiang Defu did call and scold his second brother, but his second brother had no choice but to listen to Zhang Shan.
Angie gave birth to five children in succession. Since there was no one to help take care of the children, she did not go out to work. She had not touched coffee or read books for a long time. Even so, her life was still a mess.
How can a capitalist lady who is used to being served by others and has never done housework, take care of others?
The couple quarreled over trivial matters every other day. In such a family atmosphere, the five children lost their obedient and sensible nature as in their previous life and became very irritable and rebellious.
After Lao Ding's wife died, he sent his four children to the countryside. He was picky and choose when to remarry. But the one he liked didn't like him, and even if someone liked him, he was never satisfied.
The four children of Ding Dayang had no parents to take care of them in the countryside and were often bullied. They either struggled and resisted or remained cowardly until Old Ding retired and took them in to live with him, but the children had already been raised astray.
Jiang Defu's six children are not much different from other children, but they are far from their achievements in the previous life.
But the most useless ones were Lao Ding's four sons. None of them was successful and they got into trouble every day. Lao Ding was eventually angered to death by them.
After Lao Ding died, Ding Dayang and his three friends were forced to return to their hometown. His wife ran away with someone else, and he didn't have any children. He lived a mediocre life. Before he died, he recovered his memories of his previous life and died without even taking a breath.
Zhang Shan didn’t know whether it was resentment or regret.
Zhang Shan gave birth to two sons and two daughters in her lifetime. She originally wanted to compete with An Jie, but she didn't expect that Jiang Defu's children were not strong enough. After giving birth to the fourth child, Zhang Shan gave up this plan.
Jiang Defu never knew what kind of family Zhang Shan married into. He always thought that the Zhou family was a peasant family and looked down on them. But it was not until Zhang Shan returned to the capital with her children that he learned about the Zhou family's background.
If he had known that there was this level of relationship, he might have gone a step further, but in the end he could only slap his thigh and sigh.