At noon, after a meal of rice with braised chicken and cabbage, with a bit of vermicelli added, a large pot was prepared. When serving, Fan Zehao pressed down the rice in the bowl, added more, and then handed it to Granny Li.
"Thank you, thank you!" Granny Li said gratefully, repeatedly.
If only this son had been hers, she would have found it worthwhile to die of exhaustion and hardship. Alas, that was merely a wish for her.
Eating the soft rice, tears welled up in her eyes. Zhao Jiaqi put a piece of chicken leg meat into her bowl. She lowered her head and only nodded, her tears mingling with the rice as she ate.
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi exchanged a glance. They didn't offer words of comfort, but simply prolonged the mealtime, allowing her to gradually adapt.
After a brief rest following lunch, the two women chatted about everyday matters. Granny Li poured out her woes, and after all these years, finally, someone was truly listening to her.
"Granny Li, what's past is past. Don't dwell on it anymore. Life is about moving forward. Besides, your previous miscarriage wasn't entirely your fault. Being only two months pregnant and doing heavy labor would easily lead to a miscarriage. If your husband had cared for you, this wouldn't have happened!"
"Regarding who was right and who was wrong, you each bear half the blame!"
In fact, Zhao Jiaqi felt that Granny Li's ex-husband did not truly love her. If he had, would he have made his pregnant wife carry water in the dead of winter and do such dangerous tasks?
Either the man was careless, or he simply didn't care about the child, making it expendable.
But this was only possible if Granny Li's silver had already been coaxed away by him, otherwise, such a situation would not have arisen.
Granny Li's eyes were filled with sorrow. "When we first got married, he treated me very well. He wouldn't let me do anything, fearing I would get tired. Those more than six months were very happy for me, but alas, for the unborn child!"
Zhao Jiaqi squeezed her hand tightly. "Don't torment yourself over the past. Women are born with difficult fates. If we don't treat ourselves well, it's truly inexcusable!"
Women not only had to manage the household but also endure morning sickness. Then, carrying a child in their belly, weighing at least six or seven pounds, they worked with a bulging stomach day after day. Upon childbirth, they faced the brink of life and death.
They endured all sorts of pain. If they gave birth to a boy, it was slightly better. If it was a girl, they had to face the disapproval of their in-laws.
It was one thing for their own children to suffer.
Caring for children, working, tending to the fields; if they wanted to buy something, they had to beg from above. If the in-laws were willing to give, it was like a bestowed favor, accompanied by a torrent of nagging. If they were unwilling, a few sarcastic remarks would be the least of it. Those with bad tempers might resort to physical violence.
Granny Li understood her meaning. Reflecting on her life so far, she realized it had indeed been somewhat pathetic, and even a child saw it more clearly than she did.
"Don't worry, I will take good care of myself!"
While chatting in the room, Liu Qinshi arrived with her cousin to do some work. Zhao Jiaqi also learned from Granny Li, and sometimes, when she didn't understand something, she would proactively ask Granny Li.
Their relationship now was much better than it had been that morning.
In the latter half of the afternoon, after making over a dozen pouches, Zhao Jiaqi finally created one that everyone found satisfactory, and only then did she let herself rest.
She thought about embroidering some patterns, but men usually used motifs like pine or bamboo, which were too cliché. She pondered for a long time.
What kind of pattern would be good to embroider?
Seeing the couplets and pendants bought for the wall, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't given the gifts she intended for the aunties yet!
However, the monkey-shaped pendant reminded her that next year was the Year of the Monkey. So, she decided to embroider a mischievous monkey. She drew a modern, chibi-style monkey on paper and went to ask Granny Li for advice.
"Master, look at this design, how should I mix the colors?" Zhao Jiaqi paused. "The monkey's body is golden yellow, and it should gradually lighten from head to toe. Master, how should I do it? Teach me!"
Granny Li, who had been doing embroidery for most of her life, had never seen such a monkey before. If she hadn't said so, she would have thought it was a furry child!
"Your monkey... is too striking, it's quite beautiful!"
Since Granny Li said it was beautiful, the other two also came closer to take a look. Wang Zhangshi was a bit confused. "Is this a monkey? Why does this monkey look so mischievous?"
Liu Qinshi and Wang Zhangshi crowded over and saw that, just as she said, it was playful. This was the first time they had seen such an animal design!
"This monkey is truly beautiful. If the colors are applied well, and the embroidery skill is good, this will be a living monkey!"
Seeing the design, Wang Zhangshi couldn't help but urge her. "Madam Fan, draw me a couple of these pictures too. Later, I'll ask your uncle to make two such toys for my grandson to play with!"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and agreed. While speaking, she had already gotten off the kang. "I'll draw them right away, there are so many designs!"
Liu Qinshi also couldn't sit still and beckoned to Zhao Jiaqi. "Madam Fan, draw a few for me too, and draw one suitable for a girl!"
Zhao Jiaqi leaned over the table to draw. The three women on the bed grew restless. Wang Zhangshi tugged at Granny Li's sleeve next to her. "Sister, if these were made into children's bibs or clothes, do you think they would sell?"
Granny Li answered without hesitation. "They would definitely sell. We don't have anything like this in our town yet!"
"Then how about we partner up? We embroider and sell them together!" Liu Qinshi's mood immediately became excited at the thought of earning some small money.
However, she and her cousin Wang Zhangshi had no experience in business and had seen little of the world, so they were hesitant. They both looked towards Granny Li. Among them, she was the one who frequently interacted with the shops in town and knew something about the market!
Granny Li had no objections to this matter. Everyone was happy if there was money to be made. However, these drawings were thought up by Madam Fan, so they couldn't exclude her.
"Let's include Madam Fan. If we make money, she gets the bigger share, and we take the smaller share, how about it!"
Liu Qinshi and Wang Zhangshi nodded in agreement without discussion. "It's only right. She thought of this in the first place, so we have no objections to her taking more money!"
The three women finalized the plan while Zhao Jiaqi was drawing. When she excitedly handed them over a dozen or so patterns, they suddenly felt that Madam Fan taking the bigger share was still too little!
"Oh my, is this a snake? Why is it so beautiful? Cousin, look, this snake has a flower on its head, it's a female!"
Liu Qinshi held the uncolored drawing and was delighted, constantly showing it to the person beside her.
Wang Zhangshi's eyes couldn't keep up. She ignored Liu Qinshi and shoved the elephant she had chosen in front of her. "Look at mine! Its little nose is curled all the way to its back! Its eyes are so big, its little mouth is grinning, and its tongue is sticking out. How beautiful, so lively!"
Liu Qinshi glanced at the elephant and thought it was beautiful, but still not as pretty as the snake woman in her hand!