Zhan Jingchun, in a twist of fate, found herself fortunate in misfortune; the child she didn't want was gone.
She wasn't as heartbroken as Peng Fei, nor as furious as Peng's mother. Instead, in an instant, she even saw hope anew, finding the motivation to live well.
As long as she was here without ties, she would eventually find another chance to leave.
Dad, Mom, I'm still alive, I'm okay, you're still waiting for me, right?
A trip to the mountain yielded nothing, and his wife fell ill. She needed to rest and recuperate with nourishing food after her miscarriage.
Peng Fei was at a loss. He had no chicken left at home for her, so he had to borrow from a neighbor.
Peng Fei stayed home to care for her, and Peng's mother went to work alone, seething with anger.
When she returned and found him brewing chicken soup again, she lost her temper.
"This life is unbearable! Others marry wives, but you brought back a celestial being! Pampering her with delicacies every day, even a mountain of gold would be depleted! Let alone that we don't have a mountain of gold! Do you want to anger me to death? Will you only be at peace after I'm dead? Huh?"
"Since she arrived, you've stopped working and farming. She's just a hen that can't lay eggs, aren't you ashamed? You've completely disgraced the Peng family, don't you know!"
"Do you know what people outside are saying about you now? I'm too embarrassed to even learn from you! How could you disappoint me so much? What can I say about you!"
"Fei, open your eyes and listen to your mother's advice. Women aren't spoiled like this..."
She could scold him all she wanted; Peng Fei didn't retort.
Because he knew his mother had a point.
After the autumn harvest, they needed to plant next year's wheat. Without thoroughly tilling the land, the harvest would certainly be worse than in previous years.
He didn't know when the outstanding debts could be repaid, and Zhan Jingchun's health was poor, requiring regular nourishment. If next year's harvest was also poor, life would only get worse.
In truth, he was more anxious than his mother.
As the pillar of the family, who would want to see their household in such a state? He had been thinking of solutions recently.
Earlier, he had heard from his uncle that the Qili Village mine was still short of two workers. He had wanted to go then, but his uncle, fearing the danger, disagreed. Now, he couldn't afford to be so particular.
After silently finishing a meal, Peng Fei locked the door and went to his uncle's house.
His uncle still disagreed when he heard Peng Fei wanted to go to the mine.
Peng Fei insisted, "You know our family's conditions better than anyone. If you don't let me earn money, I'll never be able to repay your debt. My cousin is also about to get married... I'll just work for a few months, and I'll be back when it gets cold at the end of the year. We can't possibly have no money for the New Year, can we?"
As the saying goes, one can help in an emergency but not with perpetual poverty.
His family, being a widow and orphans, had received much help from his uncle before. Now that Peng Fei had grown up, it wasn't feasible for his uncle to keep supporting them.
He was already a man with a wife, and would soon be a father; he had to shoulder the responsibility sooner or later.
After much thought, his uncle reluctantly agreed.
"Then you must be careful. If something happens, this family will truly collapse. Your mother won't be able to live either."
Peng Fei understood that the reason the mine offered high wages was precisely because of the high risk. He was earning money with his life on the line.
He hadn't lived enough to die, so he definitely couldn't afford to have an accident.
That evening, upon returning home, Peng Fei told his mother about his intention to work at the mine. His mother reacted as strongly as his uncle.
"Do you feel uneasy if you don't anger me every day? You just said you weren't working hard, and now you want to go to the mine? What good will it do you to anger me to death?"
Peng Fei replied that he didn't mean to anger her.
"I'll just work for a few months, and I'll be back by the end of the year, won't that do? I'll be careful. If other people can do it, why can't I?"
"Others are others, and you are you!"
"But others are people too, they all have families, they have elders and children to support. If everyone thought like you, the mine wouldn't be able to operate. Alright, I've already decided to go. I've asked my uncle to make arrangements for me, so don't try to dissuade me. I will definitely come back safely."
Peng Fei's tone was firm as he settled the matter. After a pause, he softened his attitude.
"I've grown this old, and I haven't asked much of you, Mom. I'll be gone for several months this time, and I need to ask you for a favor."
Peng's mother knew what he was going to ask without him saying it.
It was probably about her not being able to rest assured about this woman, asking her to take good care of her.
It was almost laughable. She, a young woman, acted like a celestial being every day, expecting a middle-aged woman like herself to serve her.
It was truly infuriating.
"Don't worry, Mom isn't foolish. If she's gone, what good will it do me after spending so much money to buy her? I won't make things difficult for her, so don't you worry about it. Just take care of yourself."
That night, Peng Fei went to bid farewell to Zhan Jingchun again.
He told her he was going to work at the mine and might only be back once every ten days or half a month. He asked her to take good care of herself at home, and that once he earned money, the family would have a prosperous New Year.
Zhan Jingchun hadn't expected that after all her efforts, he was merely going to work in another village, and in a dangerous manual labor job at that.
Indeed, people with limited horizons and from different classes could not communicate.
She was too lazy to waste any more words. She had lived enough and wanted to find the most pathetic way to die. If he wanted to go, let him go.
That night, Peng Fei, filled with reluctance, lay beside her, holding her tightly.
All his unwillingness was conveyed through his touch.
Unfortunately, Zhan Jingchun didn't cherish it.
The next day, he had to set off. He got up early, packed his bags, ate breakfast, and embarked on his journey to work.
Zhan Jingchun slept until the sun was high. She went to the restroom, and her stomach growled. She wanted to eat, but she was too embarrassed to call for Peng's mother, so she endured the hunger.
But the hunger could be endured; the thirst couldn't.
By noon, Peng's mother hadn't greeted her proactively. She was so thirsty she couldn't stand it, so she had to knock on the door to call her.
After shouting for a long time, Peng's mother finally came to the door, asking coldly what she wanted. Zhan Jingchun said she wanted water.
Peng's mother handed her a dipper of cold water.
Zhan Jingchun had just lost her child and was still bleeding. The weather was getting colder, yet she was being offered cold water?
She knew Peng's mother disliked her, but surely not to this extent?
"You're a woman too, you should know I can't drink cold water at a time like this... I won't drink it. Give me hot water instead."
Peng's mother sneered, "Look at you, acting so high and mighty. My son gives you a little kindness, and you really think you're some young lady? You want me to change it to hot water for you? You should at least call me Mom! You've been here for so long, and you've never shown me any respect. Now I have to serve you? Did I owe you from a past life?"
Zhan Jingchun was angered by her words and no longer wanted the water, returning to lie in bed.
Both thirsty and hungry, she endured the entire day. It wasn't until Fang Fang came home from school in the evening that she was given a bowl of noodles.
Naturally, it only had a few pieces of greens and no flavor.
Zhan Jingchun hadn't expected that her life would become like this after only one day since Peng Fei left.
Fang Fang had no authority at home, so complaining to her was useless. She gritted her teeth and ate.
After the meal, Fang Fang saw that the basin from her restroom hadn't been emptied and offered to do it. Zhan Jingchun didn't refuse.
Because she had never emptied it herself and was accustomed to being served.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Fang Fang reached the doorway, she was severely scolded by her mother.