Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
The Counterattack of the Son-in-Law
墨書 Inktalez
In the spring of 2017, I boarded a train from Hengyang, Hunan, to Shunde, Guangdong. The train was packed with workers like me.
"I need to earn more money..." I murmured to myself while holding a photograph. My three younger sisters were waiting for me, their older brother, to send money for their tuition fees, and my parents were getting too old to do heavy labor.
After arriving in Shunde, I managed to find a large furniture factory in Longjiang Town. On the day of the interview, the factory manager took one look at me and nodded, "Young man, you look spirited. You can start working tomorrow."
I felt overjoyed; I naively thought that just looking good could help me find a job. Life in the factory was tough, with over ten hours of physical labor each day, and my hands developed thick calluses. The dormitory was cramped with twelve people, filled with snoring and unpleasant odors.
I gritted my teeth and persevered because the salary was more than double what I could earn back home. Three months later, I met A Mei. She was a quality inspector in the workshop, two years older than me and a local from Shunde.
To be honest, she wasn't particularly attractive; one could even say she was somewhat plain. She was short, had some acne scars on her face, and her small eyes nearly disappeared when she smiled. But she treated me exceptionally well, often bringing me local snacks made by her mother.
"Master Zhu, have you eaten yet? My mom made fish cakes; give them a try," she said with a bright smile as she handed me the food. I politely accepted her kindness because it wasn't easy to find someone who cared about you in a foreign place.
The guys in the factory started teasing me: "Handsome guy, someone’s got a crush on you! Have you thought about it?" I hesitated. A Mei wasn't my type, but she was indeed very considerate. Plus, I heard her family was doing well locally and owned their own house. Meanwhile, I was just a poor worker.
After hesitating for a few months, A Mei had a bit to drink and directly confessed to me, "Master Zhu, I like you. Will you be my boyfriend?"
The colleagues around us were watching, teasing us incessantly.
My face instantly turned red, and I didn’t know how to respond.
A Mei was quite wealthy, after all.
Yes! She’s from a prominent family; marrying her would mean a life of comfort. The teasing continued around us.
In that moment, I wavered. I recalled how just a few days ago my mother had asked me to send back ten thousand yuan for medical treatment. After scraping together what I could, it was only thanks to my supervisor advancing my salary that I managed to gather enough.
"Sure, let’s give it a try," I heard myself say.
And just like that, we began our relationship.
Three months later, A Mei took me home to meet her parents.
I was so nervous that my palms were sweating, but to my surprise, her parents were exceptionally warm towards me.
A Mei's home was a three-story building in Dongtou Village, Longjiang Town, Shunde, beautifully decorated and with a lovely little garden.
Compared to my family's drafty mud-brick house, it felt like paradise.
At the dinner table, A Mei's father suddenly said, "Xiao Zhu, we have four daughters and no sons. If you’re willing, come and be our son-in-law. This house will be yours in the future too."
I was taken aback.
A son-in-law?
In our hometown in Hunan, this was almost synonymous with shame. A man who became a son-in-law would be laughed at by the entire village.
But... with my sick parents, my sister who needed to study, and the desire for a stable life…
"Dad, don’t scare him," A Mei said playfully from the side.
I fell silent for a moment before raising my glass: "Uncle and Auntie, I’m willing. As long as A Mei doesn’t mind me being an outsider."
At the dining table, everyone laughed.
I laughed too, but my heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Perhaps it's true that poverty limits ambition.
And so, I, Zhu Quan, became the son-in-law of Dongtou Village in Longjiang Town, Shunde.
Comment 0 Comment Count