Chapter 19: Originally the Birth Mother
The Li Family’s farm fields were located a bit far away from the residence because the fields were formerly owned by Ciying’s grandmother’s family. Li Ciying was the only daughter, so they had added these fields as part of her dowry when she married over.
However, it had been detained and monopolized by Matriarch Wang all these years. She even changed the name of the title deed to put it under Patriarch Li’s name.
Ironically, these farm fields only had the Third Master looking after them.
It was a whole ten acres of farmland, a large plot of flat land all connected together. Few people in the village possess such a large area of farmland and good land by that, which had been kindly purchased by Grandma Ciying’s father back then.
In the end…
“Father!” Yuhang shouted loudly across the fields, excitedly waving to his father from a distance.
The Third Master looked up after hearing someone calling him and in the far distance, he saw a few figures walking his way, so he quickly walked over to meet them halfway.
When looking from a distance, she saw a simple tanned farmer looking towards her with a kind smile, giving off a loyal and honest aura that further boosted his masculine figure.
This type of person was too easy to take advantage of.
The farmland next to it was completely devoid of people because it was not the right season for harvest just yet. There was still a long time before the crops would be harvested for the fall season. The flimsy and delicate-looking corn stalks planted in the fields were currently only one meter high.
In this time of year, farmers would only be weeding the fields, because back then there was no pesticide, so the stubborn, nutrient-sucking weeds had to be personally pulled out by human hands.
Of course, other farmers were also currently weeding the fields, but other people didn’t have that much farmland, only a few plots. Besides, weeding the fields was a family effort and not to be done by only one person.
Only the Li Family, who owned more than ten acres of farmland, only relied on the people of the Third Branch to weed the fields.
Grandmother Ciying was currently too old to be hunching over and weeding out in the hot sun, Madam Zhao was heavily pregnant, and that only left the Third Master and the children. However, the children, elderly and pregnant had to also take care of the various household chores of the Li Family. As a result, only the robust and able-bodied Third Master worked in the fields.
That’s why, when one quickly glanced at the farmland, one could only see a couple of people.
The summer season was gradually transitioning into the autumn, the air slowly getting chillier, but the sun still beat down harshly on the farmers. The Third Master’s face and neck was drenched with sweat, beads of it running profusely down his face due to his exertion. Even if it was only him taking care of the fields, he was not a lazy person.
“Fifth, are you feeling better? Why are you all and Concubine Mother here? I can tend the fields by myself.” The Third Master frowned and gently looked at the center of Bailian’s eyebrows with a worried expression on his tanned, humble face.
“Father, we came to bring you food!” Bailian raised the basket in her hand and seriously said, “But there is one more thing I need to tell you!”
“What’s the matter?” The Third Master anxiously inquired, feeling a little worried seeing that it was the first time Bailian was so serious.
“It’s about Grandma.” Bailian set the basket onto the soil, and then linked her arm with Grandmother Ciying’s arm, beaming with a bright smile, “Grandma is a secondary equal wife and naturally has the same status as the one at home, so my Father must call her Mother from now on, not some Concubine Mother. Even my younger brothers want to call her Grandma!”
After hearing Bailian doing this for her, Grandmother Ciying felt extremely happy and content, as if the grievances she had suffered over the past few decades had finally come to light.
Her granddaughter had basically told everyone that she was not a slave who was abused at the will of others.
“But…” The Third Master looked at Bailian hesitantly, his head lowering in guilt, his eyes becoming misty, “Father is afraid that you will be beat by someone at home if I say that…”
The Third Master had long wanted to call his birth mother, Mother, just like the sons of the other branch.
However, years of suppressing and abuse had made him afraid to even give birth to those types of thoughts.
It wasn’t about whether he wanted to say it or how courageous he was, but he still had his children and wife to take care of. His mother was also getting older in age. How could she withstand the thrashing and hassling of Matriarch Wang?
After witnessing the beatings and scoldings his family received over the years, who wouldn’t be angry? But if he resisted against the Li Family, he was afraid that the rest of the Third Branch would be sold off!
Grandmother Ciying’s heart shook as she thought of the vicious Matriarch Wang. The light that had just emerged in heart was quickly smothered when she thought to this point.
“It’s okay, Father, Uncle is supposed to walk towards the path of officialdom, and he may have many political enemies in the future. If this family is still unfair and Grandma is still…then there will definitely be a way out.” Bailain patted Grandmother Ciying’s wrinkled hands, “There’s a lot of villagers who know of our situation, so the Li Family can’t be too harsh on us, otherwise…Uncle’s future career will be at stake!”
Bailian wasn’t originally a person of this era and as such, she didn’t care of obedience and filial piety to the family. When others treated her well, she would naturally repay their kindness in full and treat them equally well.
She would never be polite or kind to people who had bad moral character, greedy to the point of ruin like the Li Family.
Although she wasn’t clear what the laws and legal code of this era were, she had still watched some historical dramas. Secondary Equal Wife naturally had the same status as the Official Wife, so Grandmother Ciying’s position was the same as Matriarch Wang.
Otherwise, why would Grandmother Ciying’s father go so far as to include family property and farmland deeds in her dowry?
Wasn’t it because he was afraid that his only daughter would suffer?
Unfortunately, even with his diligent preparations for her dowry, Grandmother Ciying’s father had vastly underestimated Matriarch Wang’s shamelessness and overestimated Patriarch Li’s morality.
“That…” The Third Master hesitated.
“Don’t be afraid, if we keep showing weakness, they will only treat us worse in the future! Father, don’t you know that the official wife of a great family has the right to beat and scold concubines? If my brothers and I were to be driven and sold out by Matriarch Wang, some people who don’t know of our situation won’t say anything! It is only when we respect ourselves that others can begin to respect us.” Bailian earnestly advised her Father and looked at the people around her.
After contemplating for some time on how to tell her family about the Fourth Master’s sinister plan, she only hinted at it but didn’t mention that he planned to sell her and her unborn sibling off.
One, they wouldn’t believe it and two, if the Fourth Master caught wind of them learning of his plan, he may act out even more unscrupulously. In terms of force and strength, only the Third Master could go head to head with him in the entire Third Branch.
“Okay!” When the Third Master heard that the Li Family might sell off his children, he felt very flustered and panicked.
This simple and honest man loves his children very much.
After seeing the wrinkles in his Mother’s face and the gray strands of hair now more abundant in her hair more than ever, he felt as if his heart had been pricked by a needle, so he didn’t even object to Bailian’s words.
“Then can we call Grandma now?” Yuhang was full of smiles and held onto Grandmother Ciying’s arms, swinging it with his and playfully yelling, “Grandma, Grandma, Grandma!”
“En~” Grandmother Ciying’s turbid tears trickled down her wizened face and she felt deeply emotional at hearing that “Grandma” coming out of Yuhang’s mouth.
She was undoubtedly the grandmother of her grandchildren, but they could only call her “Concubine Grandmother”, as if that was her true identity. No one knew how she spent these long thirty years after she married into the Li Family.
“Mother!” The Third Master’s expression crumpled as he saw the pained expression on Ciying’s face, feeling deeply saddened.
From childhood to know, he always called the one at home Mother but had never regarded himself as the biological son of Matriarch Wang. He could only continue to call his true mother, “Concubine Mother”.
At that time, he didn’t have a single friend because everyone in the village looked down on him for being “concubine-born”. The children didn’t even understand what it meant themselves, but nevertheless, they excluded him because of it.
Thanks to the attitude of the Li Family, the children all believed that a “concubine-born” child meant that one could hit or scold them and that everyone else was at a higher level than him…
“Mother, from now on I will call you Mother, as you are my true birth mother after all!” After seeing Grandmother Ciying’s expression, the Third Master steeled his heart and determinedly stated, “You will also be called Grandma from now on!”
“Good!” Bailian beamed at the scene.
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