A New Beginning
551 Words
"Here comes the new bride!" My mother-in-law stood at the door, sizing me up. Her gaze lingered a few extra seconds on my face. "You're quite pretty."
I lowered my head, carrying the woven bag as I followed her into the main room. The shabby mud walls were decorated with a few yellowing Spring Festival couplets, and in the corner, there were several bags of fertilizer stacked up.
"A Fu, what are you standing there for? Take your wife to the room."
A Fu awkwardly rubbed his hands together. "Oh." He really was clumsy.
The new room had been converted from the pigsty at the south side. Although it had been lime-washed, I could still faintly smell a hint of it. A half-new, half-old wooden bed, a wardrobe—this was all their household had.
"You... you rest first, I'll go help Mom feed the pigs," A Fu said before rushing off.
In the evening, my mother-in-law brought me a bowl of noodles. "Can you handle hardship? Our family is poor, but life must go on."
I nodded. "I can."
From the next day, I started learning to take care of the household chores with my mother-in-law. Feeding the pigs, watering the vegetables, cooking—it was all on me. A Fu worked in the fields, leaving early and coming back late. He talked a little more than when I first arrived, but it was just "Have you eaten?" and "Are you thirsty?"
"You're thin, but you have strength," my mother-in-law remarked when she saw me carrying water to fill the large vat. It was the first compliment I had received from her.
Life went on like this—neither warm nor too hard. At least, I had enough food to eat.
One morning, I suddenly felt nauseous.
"You're pregnant," my mother-in-law said, touching my hand. Her eyes lit up.
A Fu, upon hearing the news, unexpectedly smiled. "I... I'll go to the town and buy you eggs."
"Don't waste money!" my mother-in-law called out behind him, but she was grinning.
That night, A Fu actually brought back an old hen. "A little supplement," he said, smiling foolishly.
As I watched the chicken soup bubbling in the pot, tears unknowingly began to fall.
"Why are you crying? Just take care of the baby," my mother-in-law said, handing me a bowl. "Now you're part of our family."
I gently stroked my slightly rounded belly and suddenly felt a warmth inside. Maybe this was my fate. In this broken-down village, with this clumsy man, I would slowly live my life.
When the wrinkled little life cried out loudly, I seemed to see a new hope.
"It's a boy!" The midwife’s voice was full of joy.
A Fu stood awkwardly to the side, stuttering, "He... he looks just like you."
Holding my son in my arms, I suddenly felt that this family wasn’t so bad after all. At least, they treated me with sincerity.
My mother-in-law had been making chicken soup for three days straight. With simple homemade dishes, I ate with great relish.
The days ahead would be long, I thought.
This translation adapts the original text into an English online novel style, capturing the protagonist's gradual adjustment to her new life and the subtle warmth that develops in her humble new family.
- Writer
