Chapter 226 - 225 Knowing Reflection_1
"Mother, why did you come all the way here to wait? Look at you, so anxious," Zhao Fuquan said as he saw his elderly parents approaching. He quickly stopped the ox cart, feeling somewhat helpless. Elderly folks are just like that, unable to let go of even the smallest concerns, not waiting at home but running out to the village entrance.
"Fuquan, where are Dalang and Erhu? Why didn’t they come back with you, did something happen to them? They haven’t been mistreated by Erhu’s new bride, have they?"
"Mother, don’t say things you don’t know about. Erhu’s wife is very good to Dalang and Erhu; they’ve grown taller and stronger, and now they’ve even started learning to read and write. They say by next year they will go to school, and they will certainly make something of themselves in the future," Zhao Fuquan said with an honest smile, happy about this in his heart. To them, the farmers who face the soil and the sky every day, being able to read and write was an incredible thing. Zhao Fuquan himself did not have the means; he could barely provide for his family and was not able to send his sons to school.
"Really?! That’s wonderful! My poor daughter passed away so young, leaving behind these two boys. I, this old bag of bones, have no other hopes but for Dalang and Erhu to succeed in life, to marry and have children, to live good lives. Then I could close my eyes in death contented," said Zhao Fuquan’s mother, Liu, as she wiped the corner of her eye, unable to stop feeling sorrowful every time she mentioned her late daughter. Beside her, Zhao Fuquan’s father, Zhao Sangen, was also moved, silently puffing on his tobacco pipe.
"Mother, what are you talking about? You’re still strong and healthy, you and father are sure to live a long life. Don’t talk about such inauspicious things anymore. Dalang and Erhu are doing very well now. Erhu’s new bride is more than kind; she treats Dalang and the others as if they were her own children. You don’t need to worry about them anymore. Just set your mind at ease and live your life well," he said.
"You’re not lying to me, are you? Stepmothers can’t possibly be that nice. It would be good enough if they could tolerate Dalang and Erhu, let alone treat them like their own children. Surely you’re just trying to soothe me," Liu expressed, still finding it hard to believe how her eldest son praised Erhu’s new bride.
"Mother, why would I lie to you? Dalang and Erhu are also my sister’s sons, my own nephews. How could I not care for them deeply? Dalang and Erhu will come to visit you in a few days. What I’ve said is true. You haven’t met Erhu’s new bride and don’t know her; she is good-looking and amiable. When I visited, she was very courteous, offered the best she had to entertain me. She’s just a bit young and naive, treating everyone well without a hint of suspicion. I’ve already warned Erhu to guide his wife more, so that she won’t be deceived by others," he explained.
"Listening to you talk about it, how come Erhu’s wife seems like a naïve young girl?" Zhao’s elderly parents began to truly believe after their son’s description. Described by their simple eldest son as foolish—she must be really simple-hearted indeed.
"Exactly, look, when she saw that I was visiting, she specifically had me take a lot of things back with me, saying that she and Erhu wanted to show respect to you two with these gifts, which filled up half the cart. I said there was no need, but she insisted I take them with me, grateful for how you’ve looked after Dalang and Erhu over the years," he responded.