Lin Duo'er disagreed when her elder sister suggested matchmaking her with someone from the Niu family.
"Big sister, I'm only twenty. I want to wait a few more years," she said.
"Wait a few years?" Lin Hua'er's voice rose. "Will good men wait for you? If you want to marry someone from outside Kushan Village, or if you want to build your own home in the new village, I won't interfere. Otherwise, you're on your own."
"But you can't pick someone like that for me!"
Lin Duo'er's words angered Lin Hua'er. "Fine! If you think I picked badly for you, you can pick for yourself from now on!"
With that, she hung up and called Lin Guangde, informing him that Duo'er had refused and that he shouldn't mention it to Fourth Aunt anymore.
Lin Guangde comforted his grand-niece, telling her not to be angry, to take care of herself, and that everyone had their own destiny.
As soon as he hung up, his phone rang again. Seeing the number, he picked up and blurted out, "Your elder sister, heavily pregnant, came to me about this. Who was she doing it for?"
Lin Duo'er explained, "Uncle, I don't want to get married yet."
"Ever since Lin Wan ran away, my heart has been restless. I want to go out and see the world too."
"No, my heart is unsettled. Marriage won't necessarily bring peace."
Lin Guangde sighed. "It's better outside than at home. Home is the safest place."
"Think about it, after your elder sister got married, did she smile more than when she was at your place?"
"No matter how good you are at your uncle's house, it's still not your own home."
"The security you seek isn't outside, nor in your own hands. It's in the hands of your future husband."
"The Niu family is tolerant and better than the Chen family."
"Setting aside the fact that the Niu brothers are older and have children, their personalities and the personalities of the three elders in the Niu family are truly beyond reproach."
"Right now, they are the ones choosing, not the other way around. Do you understand?"
"No matter how much others admire girls from Kushan Village, your father affects your marriage prospects."
"Even if he doesn't need you to support him in old age, others won't look favorably on your lack of backing."
"Those who do look favorably on you are precisely those who see your lack of backing as a contribution to their family."
"Think about it carefully."
Lin Hua'er said she would consider her future, but not the Niu family. After hanging up, Lin Duo'er called her elder sister again.
She explained her mindset to her elder sister. "...I've heard Aunt Niu mention her daughter-in-law many times. She just feels that her daughter-in-law was too young and unstable."
"Big sister, I understand you're planning for me, but have you considered the consequences if it doesn't work out? Can I still work with her at the nursery?"
"You might think there's an eighty percent chance of success, but what happens after? Once you become mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, everything changes."
"When others look at us, they will always consider our father alongside us."
Tears glistened in Lin Duo'er's eyes.
Seeing Yu Ziyu, she understood that only a girl like her deserved a son from the Li family.
She also began to resent her own father and hate her mother.
With Lin Wan gone, her restlessness intensified. Even though Uncle Li mentioned the salary comparison, she still wanted to find an opportunity to see the outside world. She wanted to know what attractions it held.
Yesterday, Captain Tian said he would find a suitable time to arrange for the female employees of the nursery to go out and see.
She wanted to wait until after this outing before making future plans.
Lin Hua'er sighed deeply. "Duo'er, you must remember the lesson of our mother."
"If she had stayed with Dad, she could have enjoyed the good life in Kushan Village."
"Think about Captain Tian's status and her background, yet she still lives in Kushan Village."
"She said she would let her female subordinates know what the world is for women."
"Actually, I don't need to go out to see. I already know that a woman's world is her husband and children."
"Even strong women ultimately have to start families, unless they intend to live alone forever."
"Look at our father, and you'll see the consequence of living alone forever."
"Big sister, I understand," Lin Duo'er said, comprehending her elder sister's good intentions. "I really just want to see. I won't quit my job at the nursery."
Lin Hua'er was relieved. "Then, after you've seen the outside world, come back, reflect, and then consider marriage."
Lin Duo'er thanked her elder sister for her understanding and for planning for her.
The sisters exchanged a few more heartfelt words before hanging up.
...
Tian Jing was using her supernatural abilities to help the newly planted vegetable seedlings develop their roots and anchor themselves.
Sister-in-law Niu came to find her stealthily.
After listening, Tian Jing shook her head at Sister-in-law Niu. "You only heard bits and pieces. You said she refused. Don't bring it up again."
"The matchmaker came. What are your plans?"
"No plans," Sister-in-law Niu shook her head. "It's their own business. They didn't listen to me before, and I don't want to interfere now."
"I'll just keep an eye on my four grandchildren to make sure they aren't abused by their stepmother."
"Honestly, if those two were sensible and wanted to see the world, I wouldn't mind spending the money."
"For a family, it's best when the husband and wife are original partners. There won't be all sorts of selfish calculations, only a focus on the couple's shared children."
"Before, I always prevented my daughters-in-law from going out, fearing they'd see the glamorous world and become disloyal."
"Now, I have to worry about the new daughter-in-law abusing my grandchildren. It's truly exhausting."
"If they had been more sensible and hadn't associated with Lin Wan, I wouldn't have told my son to divorce them."
"My biggest fear is that they would go out and become mistresses, then come back and act as if nothing happened as my family's daughters-in-law. That would be truly disgusting."
Sister-in-law Niu had been frightened by a few young wives from her village who went out to work.
Those young wives had gone to work in factories in the south.
Initially, things were fine. They would come back during holidays.
Later, they stopped coming back for holidays, only returning for Lunar New Year. Not only had their appearance changed significantly, but they had also bought mobile phones costing one to two thousand yuan.
Their families thought they had gone bad outside and forbade them from leaving.
However, they kept receiving phone calls and text messages. When they answered their phones, they did so secretly.
The husbands felt something was wrong. After a beating, they forced their wives to dial the numbers on their phones. When the person on the other end answered, they were called "my dear" and "my love" endlessly, which was extremely disgusting.
Angrily, the husbands prepared to beat their wives again, but the wives fiercely resisted.
The women blamed their husbands for being incompetent, not earning money, and spending the money their wives had saved from working hard outside, yet complaining that the money sent back was decreasing.
Didn't they need to eat and wear clothes outside? If they didn't treat themselves well, how could they endure long hours of overtime?
But their families not only didn't understand them, but also accused them of spending money carelessly outside.
More money sent back?
Then they would find a different job.
After they served the big bosses, didn't their in-laws and husbands happily spend the money they sent back? Weren't they even preparing to build a new house?
Build it! After serving for a few more years, not only would the money for the house be saved, but the money for their children's college education would also be saved.
The men were so shamed by their wives' scolding that they couldn't look anyone in the eye, but they couldn't keep such wives.
After the divorces, the young wives continued to go out, earning more money for their birth families and building houses for them.
Their birth families not only didn't scorn them but also went out and bragged about it.
The men were not only laughed at for wearing cuckold's hats but also called fools.
They were already serving big bosses, so why not continue? Why be difficult about money? It wouldn't be too late to divorce after the house was built?
Tian Jing patted Sister-in-law Niu's shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. After those two went out, they joined up with Lin Wan's mother."
"Ah?" Sister-in-law Niu exclaimed in surprise. "They were really lured out by Lin Wan?"
Tian Jing nodded. "To be precise, they were lured out by Lin Wan's mother."
"Among the wives in Kushan Village, Lin Wan didn't approach anyone else but your two daughters-in-law for a reason."
Sister-in-law Niu pressed for the reason.
Tian Jing told her, "The main reason is laziness, and secondly, their looks are still good, and they've maintained themselves well."
Sister-in-law Niu understood, and her face turned grim. What would happen to her four grandchildren when things exploded in the future?
Tian Jing asked Sister-in-law Niu if she wanted help to stop those two fools.
Sister-in-law Niu shook her head. "Their own families don't care. Why should I? Let them do as they please."