Under the Same Roof E-Book

Luyan Wang

• Herausgeber: via tolino media
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Bende is a hard-working, frugal, yet stubborn rural woman. Her husband died when her children were young, and she raised them single-handedly and found a wife for them. This daughter-in-law is also hardworking and filial, and according to her husband's wishes, she prepares delicious meals for her mother-in-law every day. The mother-in-law thus believes that the daughter-in-law is a greedy and extravagant person, which leads to misunderstandings and deepens the conflicts, culminating in the climax of the book. After the son failed to mediate between the two parties, the daughter-in-law followed her husband to work elsewhere, and the story ended. The story is set in rural life in eastern Zhejiang. This book describes the misunderstandings between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law living under the same roof due to differences in living habits and concepts, which eventually escalate into conflicts.

Leseprobe

Under the Same Roof

Wang Luyan

Published by Great Wall Publishing, 2023.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.For permission requests, write to : [email protected]

UNDER THE SAME ROOF

First edition. September 21, 2023.

Copyright © 2023 Wang Luyan.

Written by Wang Luyan.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Under the same Roof

Further Reading: The Impoverished Couple

Under the same Roof

The words rushed up to her throat again, but she swallowed them with her lips quivers as usual.

She turned around and walked out of the kitchen.

“What expensive yellow croaker!” She Murmured the suppressed words. It’s

only early August, croaker and sweet osmanthus soup. It’s a luxury! Why don’t you buy salmon? It’s only two cents per jin, and one is enough for half a month! No death anniversary or treat! Pork for the day before yesterday, duck eggs for yesterday, yellow croaker for today! You don’t use soybean oil or raw oil, and instead you cook with lard. That would make our family poor! Hmph! How much does your husband earn? Twenty-five yuan a month, great! Naturally, he earns much more than your father-in-law used to! But in the old days, a coin could buy ten pieces of tofu. But now? a coin only for one piece! Everything is so expensive... I, like you at this time, with a bowl of pickles and a dish of salt, raised my son and redeemed the house. Well, if I hadn’t been frugal food, how could we have today! However, you are squandering our savings! One or two years later, with more kids, how you get by.

Bende thought and stepped into the room with a sigh. On her thin forehead the

wrinkles were clumped together. Her lower lip tightly covered her withered upper lip, stifling the anger that bubbled from her heart. A layer of blurry clouds covered his deeply sunken eyes. Her head, with sparse white hair, was adorned with a fake bun. Her back has bent forward. With bound feet, she shambled as she walked. She appeared to be in her sixties or seventies, but in reality, she was only fifty-four years old. While other women aged quickly due to giving birth too many times, she was a result of the toil. For more than twenty years before the age of forty-five, she seldom rested, and despite having bound feet, she could do the same work as men, like shouldering loads, hulling grains, threshing rice, grinding flour and planting vegetables. If she hadn’t suffered a serious illness three years ago, perhaps she would

still be a very strong female worker now. But now it’s all over. Her body suddenly

weakened unexpectedly, including her eyes, hands, and energy. And because of the lack of good care, her body condition was still deteriorating. According to Uncle Azhi, his mother could easily recover, as long as she saw the doctor more often and took more medicine. But Bende skimped on spending money. “I will get better on my own” she stubbornly said when she first fell ill. Even when her illness worsened, she was more unwilling to see a doctor. She said it was too late to be cured and there was no need to waste money. “People get sick in old ages just as a melon falls when it ripens.” She wanted to save the money she had accumulated over the years for more important uses. So she kept delaying seeing a doctor, sometimes as if she was completely cured, and sometimes it feels like she’s suffering from tuberculosis that she cann’t stand cold or heat, and was coughing, dizzy, backache, lumbago, sweating, and weakness. “Taking tonics would make you better” many people said. But she shook her head and said, “How horrible! We poor take tonics!” She used to endure her illness till recovered without taking medicine, let alone tonics. Once she had a fever and had to hull and pound rice. “But now, I no longer need to toil, nor to endure the beat from weather. Under this circumstance, if the illness doesn’t get better, it’s my fate, even though taking a thousand or ten thousand doses of tonics would be futile,” she said.

“Her days are numbered.” She realized and convinced it, so she urgently needed to find someone to inherit her career. Her son, Uncle Azhi was already twenty-five years old, diligent and frugal, working as a waiter on ships for the past few years, knowing to work hard for life. But he hadn’t gotten married yet, so he couldn’t be considered as having established a family and career. For that, in her mind her responsibilities were not yet finished, and her lifelong goal had not been achieved. Although she understood the principle that melons ripen and fall, people grow old and eventually die, there was one thing she couldn’t bear to accept that if she were to die

from a serious illness without her son having found a wife, she with eternal regret wouldn’t be able to rest in peace which means all her past efforts were in vain. Therefore, although she was in ill, she quickly sought a wife for Uncle Azhi.

“My burden is off,” she said with great satisfaction. If she regains her health, it was a blessing of her, and if she could have grandson before her death, it would be an immeasurable joy. As for what actions the subsequent burden-bearer will take, she could only let it go. She had already handed over the reins, entrusting all matters to her son and her daughter-in-law. Her body is so bad that she stays at home as a guest.

“If she does anything wrong, just scold her.” Uncle Azhi had said to his mother before going out to work.

This is very reasonable, son always care his mother. Young people should listen to the admonitions of their elders, but she would never want to scold her daughter-in-law, because although the daughter-in-law was not born by herself, after all she is her son’s wife.

“Although I don’t know how many days I have left, I’m content enough with a ready meal.”

“You don’t have to labor anymore, but she’s starting to take charge the household, new to the family, and still young.

“No worries, she is kind-hearted and not foolish, so there won’t be any problems!” Bende looked at her daughter-in-law’s lowered blushing face next to her, which comforted her in despondent feelings of parting then she unconsciously smiled.

Indeed, as Uncle Azhi said, Bende, despite being old and ill, still needed to guide Aunt Azhi, Uncle Azhi’s wife, constantly because of her young age, lack of experience. Keeping house was like steering a ship - one had to be shrewd, familiar with the ways of the world, hard-working and keeping up appearances. Otherwise, a moment of carelessness may lead to hitting a reef, resulting in the calamity that shatters the family. Now that Bende had handed over the rudder of the family to Aunt Azhi, she still had to keep a watchful eye, gauge the depths of the water, and offer the best and most experienced advice in storms. Sometimes, she even had to help her control the family ship. Bende understood all of these. She hoped that the family she had worked hard to build for decades would continue to be better day by day. So, her thoughts of letting go gradually faded away. She needed more rest in sick, but she still struggled to participate in the household by observing and guiding. She shared everything she was capable of with Aunt Azhi.

Before dawn, Bende sat up on the bed as usual, silently contemplating various things in the day. As the first dim morning light filtered through the window, she coughed and opened the window and door. “You may get up”, she called to Aunt Azhi, while went to get the broom.

“I’ll sweep it. You should rest a bit longer, it’s still early.”

I’m used to getting up early, so I can’t sleep well in the morning, and can’t stand idleness. You go cook, and I’ll sweep... The plan for the day lies in the morning.

After sweeping the floor, Bende walked to the kitchen and tidied up the utensils, assisting Aunt A Zhi in washing, covering and taking out dishes. After eating, she went to sort out the clothes and shoes in the trunk, guiding Aunt Azhi in cutting and patching the old ones.

There was always something need to doing from morning till night. After finishing one chore, Bende would find another. She always stumbled around with her skinny legs dragging her bounded feet. She said that Aunt Azhi was managing affairs, but in reality, it’s no different from her own being in charge.

This put Aunt Azhi in a difficult position. Although Bende couldn’t compare to her own mother, after all she was her husband’s mother，and she was in such bad health now, how could Aunt Azhi have the heart to see her suffer? If anything were to happen to Bende, how could she face her husband? Since she was now in charge of the household, she should make meals. “Aaah, with such a bad body, you’re still doing housework. Isn’t your daughter-in-law not at home?” Neighbors had said such several times, which made Aunt Azhi feel more unbearable than being scolded face to face. With a young and strong daughter-in-law around, leaving the old women in toil，others surely speculate that she was lazy or couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law. Aunt Azhi had tried her best to follow Bende instructions and work tirelessly day and night. She thought that once she did all works, there would be nothing left for Bende to do. But little did she know that Bende, like an inventor, could always find something to do. After finishing mending winter clothes, she would mend summer clothes. After fixing one pair of shoes, she would mix glue for making shoes and cut shoe uppers. After cleaning the windows, she would grab a bucket of water to mop the floor. There were only them two at home, but it seemed like Bende was busy in a family of ten. Aunt Azhi wasn’t even pregnant yet, but Bende had already cut rags and old clothes to make her grandson’s clothes, and taught her how to piece an sew them together. This outfit was for her grandson at one year old, that one for three years old, and another one can be kept until twelve years old, and then them can be passed down to the second child, the third child. She often sighed and said that she wouldn’t live long, but her plans seemed to span several decades at least. Aunt Azhi could do nothing other than tried to give her some mental comfort in the end.

“What dish do you want eat, mum?” Aunt Azhi asked Bende almost every day.

“It’s up to you, I am easy.” came the same response every time.

Aunt A Zhi thought to herself that there’s no need to put too much effort into eating. She already knew Bende’s preferences and she had been instructed by Uncle A Zhi, “Since her bad health, have more fresh vegetables for her. Even if she hates to eat them, persuade her to.” So Aunt Azhi started making her own decisions, no longer asking Bende.

However, that made Bende feel a bit aloof, as it seemed to carry a hint of contempt in her perception. As every time Aunt Azhi bought some expensive food, she grudged the money. She had become accustomed to frugality, saving every penny she could.

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---