Chapter 760 - 759: The Cave
For many years, the parents had only one precious son, who was so cherished as if they feared he might melt in their mouths or fly away from their hands.
Treasured to their very bones.
The several daughters born before him, when added together, didn’t amount to a single strand of their brother’s hair.
The birth mother of Yang Zaizhao had frequently birthed and conceived in these years, all for the sake of having a son, and her body had long since broken down, incapable of work or tilling the fields.
The family relied solely on Yang Zaizhao’s birth father, but how could one man provide for eight mouths?
Luckily, the daughters had grown up, especially the eldest daughter, already a young woman in her teens, and all the household chores fell to the sisters – cooking, washing clothes, caring for the children, as well as looking after their sick mother.
They managed everything in an orderly way, not causing anyone worry.
Seeing how hardworking and capable the daughters were, once Yang Pandi reached a marriageable age, matchmakers practically broke the threshold of the Yang Family’s door with their visits.
The dowries offered were competitive, presenting Yang Pandi’s parents with a potential path to wealth.
They betrothed Yang Pandi to the family that offered the most generous betrothal gift, whose son was a half-wit. The family intended to bring in a diligent daughter-in-law who could one day take care of their simple son when they were gone.
Yang Pandi herself was considered a village beauty, pretty and diligent, the girl of many young men’s dreams, yet she ended up married to such a half-witted man.