Chapter 2: Mother and Wife

Tang Jiancheng walked home happily, clutching the eggs. He had long since separated from his parents, yet his house stood just opposite theirs, less than ten meters away. Two mud-brick rooms, with a kitchen and pigsty behind them.

Covered in heavy snow, Tang Jiancheng gazed at his old, worn-down home and unexpectedly found a tranquil pastoral beauty in it, like an ink wash painting. But in truth, living in such a house was far from comfortable. The cramped space and dim lighting were one thing; in harsh snowy weather like this, the house could easily collapse!

He resolved that after the New Year, he must rebuild a new house as soon as possible.

“What’s the use of doing a ‘postpartum bath’? It’s just another burden!”

Just as he reached the doorstep, a harsh voice came from inside the house, sharp and unyielding. “You’ve already had eight daughters, all ‘burdens’ as it is, and now another one. You really have a knack for giving birth! Today, I’m making the call—no postpartum bath for this ninth burden.”

“Mom, this is a village custom...” came a timid voice in reply.

“Customs be damned! None of it’s true! Listen, you don’t have any eggs at home anyway, so don’t expect me to go find some for you. I’ve already been generous enough not to throw this ninth burden out. So don’t bother preparing a postpartum bath for her.”

“She’s still a piece of my flesh, no matter what you say.”

“Are you going to argue with me? You’ve been unable to bear a son all these years—that’s your own fault! If you can’t be ruthless, then I’ll be the villain!”

Suddenly, the wailing of a baby echoed through the cold air.

Tang Jiancheng saw his mother stepping out, holding a newborn wrapped in only a thin cloth, the child’s little face nearly frozen blue. Behind her, his wife, Liu Fangfang, wore a thick scarf and looked pale, tears glistening in her eyes as she hurried after them. “Mom, you can’t do this! The baby will freeze!”

“Mom? What are you doing?” Tang Jiancheng stepped forward and stopped his mother, Yuan Yuezhu, gently taking the crying infant from her arms. He rushed inside and wrapped the baby in a thick quilt.

Yuan Yuezhu and Liu Fangfang both froze, surprised by Tang Jiancheng’s actions.

“Jiancheng, you’re home. Fangfang wanted to give the baby a postpartum bath, but since there are no eggs left at home, I thought, since this one’s a burden anyway, it’s better to give her away. You already have eight daughters; one more won’t make a difference.”

Despite the harsh words, Yuan Yuezhu’s tone softened when speaking to her son.

“Give her away? Why would I give her away? She’s my daughter!”

Tang Jiancheng’s heart burned with frustration. No wonder the ninth child in his previous life fell ill with a high fever after not having a postpartum bath—his mother’s unilateral decision had left the baby freezing in the cold.

Still, Yuan Yuezhu was his mother, always kind to him, though her preference for sons was deeply ingrained. He couldn’t bring himself to lose his temper with her.

“Fangfang, is the hot water ready?”

Tang Jiancheng quickly shifted the topic to keep his anger in check.

Liu Fangfang snapped back to reality and nodded. “It’s ready, and I’ve added mugwort, but there are no eggs at home.”

Carefully, Tang Jiancheng pulled two eggs from his pocket and handed them to Liu Fangfang. “I borrowed these from my sister-in-law. Boil them quickly. I’ll hold the baby to warm her—this cold is too harsh. Don’t want her to get sick.”

“Okay, okay.”

Liu Fangfang took the eggs in a daze and went to the kitchen to boil them.

“Jiancheng, listen to your mother. You have too many burdens already. This one is—”

Before Yuan Yuezhu could finish, Tang Jiancheng gently pushed her aside. “Mom, go make dinner. It’s getting late, and Dad and sixth brother will be back from the brick factory soon.”

“Jiancheng...”

Yuan Yuezhu wanted to say more, but he ignored her and went to fetch a thick coat. He wrapped the baby, Xiao Jiu, in it and held her close to his chest, hoping his body heat would warm her.

Sure enough, after a while, the baby’s face regained color, her cries softened, and she eventually fell asleep in Tang Jiancheng’s arms.

Looking at Xiao Jiu’s rosy cheeks, Tang Jiancheng’s heart melted. Only now did he realize just how precious and adorable his little daughter was. Unable to resist, he puckered his lips and kissed her gently.

“Xiao Jiu, rest easy. This time, Father will never let you die young again.”

He vowed silently.

“Jiancheng, haven’t you always hated having daughters? What’s gotten into you today? Listen, eight burdens have already made you a laughingstock. If you raise one more, how will you ever stand in this village? Everyone will mock you to death! Better to give her away now while she’s still small. Then you and Fangfang can keep trying for a son.”

Before he realized it, Yuan Yuezhu had returned to his side.

Tang Jiancheng’s face darkened. “Mom, don’t ever call my daughters burdens again! They are treasures in my palm!”

“Uh? You...” Yuan Yuezhu was stunned.

Treasures in his palm?

Suddenly, a wild idea struck her. She whispered to Tang Jiancheng, “Jiancheng, have you found someone to buy your daughter? I heard some city folks prefer daughters. But you must get a good price, or you’ll lose out!”

Tang Jiancheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Mom? What are you talking about? Who told you I’m selling my daughter?”

Just then, Liu Fangfang returned with the boiled eggs and mugwort water.

Hearing this, she slammed the wooden bath basin down on the table and hurried over to take Xiao Jiu from Tang Jiancheng. Perhaps startled by the sudden movement, the baby woke up and began wailing again.

Liu Fangfang rocked her gently but glared fiercely at Tang Jiancheng. “Jiancheng, are you still human? This is your own flesh and blood. How could you think of selling her?”

“I...” Tang Jiancheng tried to explain, but Liu Fangfang went on without waiting.

“I know you’ve looked down on me and my daughters all these years because I couldn’t give you a son. But you don’t have to sell your daughter, do you? If you’re going to sell anyone, sell us all. I’ve suffered enough in your house!”

“Liu Fangfang, what are you saying? Who made you suffer? Explain yourself!”

Yuan Yuezhu, who had been silent, suddenly became fierce. She spoke sharply to her daughter-in-law, losing her usual gentleness.

“You’re the one who can’t have sons. Who else can you blame? Look at the others in the village—who else has had nine children, all daughters? Guo Qiang’s wife at the east end had three daughters at first, but she kept trying and then gave birth to four sons! Look at you—what right do you have to feel wronged?”

“If anyone’s wronged, it’s my Jiancheng.”

“Marrying you, he’s endured so much scorn and contempt. Now no one in the village will even look him in the eye! Everyone calls him Yang Bailao—no one will even cry at his grave!”