Chapter 350: Endless Regret

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Endless Regret

With more and more vegetables coming in, the Hu family’s home was no longer big enough to hold them all.

Ji Huan’s place couldn’t be used for dehydrating vegetables because of the Spice Workshop, so after some discussion, everyone decided to set up the second worksite at West River Gully, at Ji Liansong’s home.

Although the house and yard there weren’t large, the surrounding area was sparsely populated, leaving plenty of open space.

Ji Liansong and Shi Yong freed up their time and found a few more men. They spent half a day weeding, leveling the ground, and building a fence to keep chickens and ducks from wandering in and ruining the vegetables. They also put up several sheds for protection on overcast or rainy days and built a few rows of earthen stoves.

As for items like iron woks, they would have to borrow them from the hired hands’ families.

Depending on how things went, if they still needed more room, Aunt Gao and Sixth Sister-in-law Feng both had spacious homes and said they could clear them out to serve as third and fourth worksites.

While their two-pronged effort was in full swing, the rest of Dafeng Village was also swept up into a flurry of activity.

The hiring process alone was a whirlwind that lasted three full days. Due to the tight schedule and strenuous nature of the work, the older women were politely turned away, leaving only the young, unmarried girls and married women.

Although those who were turned away felt disappointed, they couldn’t complain much if their daughter or daughter-in-law had been selected.

If a family was unlucky enough to have no one selected, no one would listen to their complaints. It was better for them to reflect on their own shortcomings.

The moment Tian Jiao entered the courtyard, she leaned against a wall and vomited violently.

Mrs. Mao heard the noise and rushed over. When she saw the mess on the ground, she stomped her foot in distress. "What a waste of all that chicken soup from lunch!"

Tian Jiao had no energy to argue with her. The moment she opened her mouth, she couldn’t stop throwing up. She only stopped after she felt like she had vomited up all her bile.

Jiang Wu walked over and helped support her. "You disappeared right after lunch. You didn’t even say where you were going. I just went to your mother’s place looking for you..."

Leaning against Jiang Wu, Tian Jiao waved a feeble hand, her eyes fixed on Mrs. Mao.

"Mother, Widow Xie is hiring. They’re paying wages, and lots of people are going. Why don’t you go and try?"

Mrs. Mao’s face fell. "I’m this old, and I can’t even finish all the chores at home. Now you want me to go out and work? You’re treating me like a beast of burden!"

In truth, Mrs. Mao had already gone on the first day, but her vegetable-chopping skills weren’t up to par, and she had been rejected. She was too embarrassed to admit it.

Jiang Wu quickly interjected, "Mother, no... that’s not what we meant. Jiaojiao was just joking."

Tian Jiao tugged on his arm. "Brother Wu, I’m serious. If Mother gets a job helping the Hu family, supplementing our income would be a side benefit. My main goal is for her to pay close attention and learn the most crucial step of the vegetable dehydration process. That way, our family will be the one making a fortune next year."

Jiang Wu couldn’t believe it. After that whole fiasco last year, she still hadn’t given up.

Tian Jiao tried to argue her case. "It wasn’t entirely my fault. Aunt Lu was so vague... Now, with such a good opportunity, if Mother can just get herself hired..."

Seizing the moral high ground, Mrs. Mao slammed the basin in her hands onto the ground with a loud CLANG.

"Easy for you to say! If you’re not to blame, then who is? I still haven’t settled the score with you for the money we lost, and now you want to stir up more trouble? You want *me* to go ’get hired’? Why don’t you go yourself?"

Tian Jiao deliberately cradled her belly. "I’d love to go, but I’m carrying the Jiang family’s child..."

Mrs. Mao was utterly exasperated to hear her use the pregnancy as an excuse again.

Ever since Tian Jiao became pregnant, she’d started acting like the queen of the household, lying on the kang all day and not lifting a finger.

She refused to set foot in the kitchen, claiming she’d throw up. If asked to sweep the yard, she’d take two steps with the broom before crying that she was dizzy. And forget about difficult, dirty chores like laundry or feeding the pigs.

And no one could say a thing about it. The moment they tried, she would clutch her stomach and start moaning.

’Just you wait. If what she pops out isn’t a boy, she’ll be the one crying then!’

"As if no one else has ever been pregnant! It took you over a year of marriage to lay this ’late egg,’ and there’s no guarantee it’ll even be a boy. Don’t you dare put on airs in front of me!"

The color drained further from Tian Jiao’s already pale face.

She turned to Jiang Wu, her eyes welling with tears. "Brother Wu, Mother is being so hurtful. If I weren’t carrying your child, I would have gone myself. I wouldn’t be here, humbling myself and begging..."

’Of course, she knew perfectly well that even if she weren’t pregnant, there was no way Ji Huan and Widow Xie would ever hire her.’

Mrs. Mao exploded with rage.

’This little hussy! Daring to turn my son against me right to my face. Is crying all she knows? Well, I can cry too!’

Mrs. Mao stomped out of the courtyard, plopped down on the ground, and began to wail at the top of her lungs, slapping her thighs for emphasis.

"Neighbors! Everyone, come and judge for yourselves! Look at the wonderful daughter-in-law my family has married! With these old bones, I work from dawn till dusk, managing the entire household, serving her food and drink. But that’s not enough! Now she wants to work me like an ox! You can’t even squeeze two taels of oil from this old body, I haven’t enjoyed a single day of peace because of her, and now she wants to drink my very blood!"

Mrs. Mao was born with a booming voice, and her wails quickly drew the attention of the neighbors on both sides.

Some gathered around to offer comfort, while others came to get the latest gossip.

Now with an audience, Mrs. Mao let all her grievances pour out. She completely disregarded the fact that the lazy, heartless, and pretentious daughter-in-law she was describing was standing just inside the doorway.

Tian Jiao seethed with hatred. She had been utterly humiliated. She finally strode out the door, gave everyone a nasty look, and stormed off.

Just as Jiang Wu was about to give chase, Mrs. Mao grabbed his leg to hold him back.

"Let her go! She runs back to her mother’s house over the slightest thing. If she’s got the guts, she can just stay there and never come back!"

Jiang Wu thought for a moment and, in the end, didn’t go after her.

’Tian Jiao’s temper was getting worse and worse, and her habit of constantly running back to her mother’s house was a real problem.’

As Tian Jiao walked out of the alley, she could faintly overhear snippets of conversation: "...so improper..." "...just wait till after the baby comes, then she’ll get what’s coming to her..." "...to think we all thought she was a nice girl..."

She sneered.

’The past? Back then, *she* thought the Jiang family was a good family, and that Jiang Wu was a good man! Who could have known she would end up with such a shameless, unreasonable mother-in-law?’

’Jiang Wu was a pushover. He was soft on her, but he was just as soft on his mother.’

’Whenever she argued with Mrs. Mao, he seemed to take her side, but he always subtly favored his mother in the end.’

’It’s only been a year since we married... Mother was right, men always prefer the new and discard the old.’

Fuming, Tian Jiao went back to her maternal home.

When Widow Tian heard her daughter’s plan—for her to get a job at the Hu family’s place and steal the secret to dehydrating vegetables—she immediately waved her hands in refusal.

The last time, when she’d tried to get in on the "Golden Partners" venture, she had stuck her neck out, only to end up in a shouting match with Xie Qiuming where she didn’t even come out on top.

’If I go again, won’t I just be serving myself up for another tongue-lashing?’

’You have to spend your energy wisely. There are far easier ways to make money. Only a fool would work themselves to the bone for someone else.’

’Her mother-in-law was useless, and so was her own mother.’

After leaving her maternal home, Tian Jiao found herself unconsciously wandering back toward the Hu family’s house.

Watching the lively scene of people coming and going at the Hu family’s gate, she dug her nails into her palms until they drew blood.

She glanced down at her belly but felt not an ounce of maternal affection—only endless regret. ’Why did I have to get pregnant *now* of all times?’

Other women went through their pregnancies with ease, remaining lively and energetic. She, on the other hand, was tormented daily to the point of misery.

This child was dragging her body down, leaving her unable to scheme or act. All she could do was watch helplessly as the whole village flocked to suck up to Ji Huan.

’It was obvious that after this deal, Ji Huan’s life would become even more prosperous...’

The fleeting moment of satisfaction she once felt knowing that Ji Huan had married an ugly man vanished without a trace.