Sister-in-law, when I graduate, I will come back and marry you! When I was three years old, my parents unfortunately died in a shipwreck. My brother and I depend on each other for survival. Although life was hard, I had a happy childhood because of my brother's love and care. Unexpectedly, when I was twelve years old, a mining accident took away my only relative, and my brother also left me. At that time, my sister-in-law had just married into my family. Not long after, someone introduced a matchmaker to my sister-in-law. The man was a butcher whose wife had died. He came from a well-off family and was a strong man. My sister-in-law asked, "Is it okay to bring Kangming with you?" The matchmaker dressed in red and green never came to the door again. After that, several more families came to propose marriage, but my sister-in-law always had only one request: that she could marry Kang Ming with her, otherwise it would not work. My sister-in-law is the daughter of a wealthy family. When she married my eldest brother, her family strongly opposed it and even wanted to cut off ties with her. However, my sister-in-law still married him because she valued my eldest brother's character. After my eldest brother passed away, my sister-in-law was often ridiculed by her family, who forced her to remarry as soon as possible. Her overbearing brother even threatened to burn down our house. My sister-in-law still said the same thing, "You can remarry, but you must take Kangming with you." Although my sister-in-law is beautiful and virtuous, which family would be willing to let her marry with a burden? Her family was so angry that they stamped their feet and rarely contacted her anymore. My sister-in-law works in a towel factory and earns only more than 2,000 yuan a month. Sometimes the factory is inefficient and they use the accumulated low-quality towels as wages. At that time, I was in junior high school and needed at least three or four hundred yuan every month. My sister-in-law never waited for me to ask for money. She always asked me, "Mingming, you are out of money, right?" She stuffed money into my pockets and said, "Spend it sparingly, but don't be frugal when you need to spend. You are still growing, so eat more." I have a special notebook in which I record every time my sister-in-law gives me money, with the date and amount clearly stated. I thought that when I grow up and make money, I must repay my sister-in-law for raising me. Before the joint entrance examination, I said to my sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, I applied for a vocational school so that I can start working earlier." When my sister-in-law heard this, she looked at me angrily and said, "How can you do this? You are going to go to college in the future. No, you have to change it for me." The next day, my sister-in-law dragged me to see the teacher without any explanation and forced me to change my choice. I successfully passed the entrance exam and was admitted to Taipei's Jianzhong High School. When my sister-in-law heard the news, she prepared a sumptuous dinner to celebrate. "Mingming, study hard and make your sister-in-law proud." My sister-in-law said it lightly, but it sounded heavy to me. The next day, my sister-in-law came back with red and swollen eyes. I asked her what was wrong? My sister-in-law said hoarsely, "It's okay, some sand just hit my eyes." After saying that, he quickly went to get some water to wash his face. On the third day, her brother came to mock her and I learned that my sister-in-law had gone to borrow money from her parents' home to raise tuition for me, but was kicked out by them. Looking at my sister-in-law's still a little swollen eyes, I said, "Sister-in-law, I don't want to study anymore. Diplomas are not so important now. Many factories don't have any requirements for academic qualifications..." Before I finished speaking, my sister-in-law slapped me and said, "You have to study whether you want to or not. Are you going to dig coal like your brother?" My sister-in-law yelled at me. My sister-in-law has always been a gentle person, and that was the first time I saw her get angry. During that period, my sister-in-law always came back very late, and every time she came back, she was carrying a large woven bag and looked exhausted. I asked her what was in the bag, but my sister-in-law refused to show me. One night, when I went to a classmate's house to pick up a book, I saw a familiar figure squatting under a street light from afar. In front of him was a piece of white cloth, which was filled with shoes, socks, needles and thread and other things. It’s my sister-in-law. I didn't go over and "expose" my sister-in-law. I watched her from afar, sometimes bending over to bargain with others, and sometimes sorting out the change. Under the dim light, there was a glimmer of hope in my sister-in-law's eyes. It was half past eleven when my sister-in-law came back carrying a woven bag. She was breathing heavily, looking tired, but with a smile on her face. Seeing me sitting at the table reviewing my homework, she came over and touched my head, "Mingming, are you hungry? Sister-in-law will cook for you." I nodded with my back to her so that she wouldn't see the tears in my eyes. That night, my sister-in-law fainted in the kitchen. I heard a loud bang and rushed into the kitchen. She was lying on her side on the floor, her face pale. I quickly carried her to the hospital. The doctor said that my sister-in-law fainted because of anemia caused by malnutrition and overwork. I wanted to take care of her in the hospital, but my sister-in-law kicked me out, "Go home and review your lessons. School is about to start. The first year of high school is a crucial year." My sister-in-law went home after staying in the hospital for one day, her face still pale. But she went to work as usual and still carried the woven bag to set up her stall at night. I couldn't help it, so I ran over and snatched the woven bag. My sister-in-law seemed to know that I had discovered her secret, and said to me with a smile, "Mingming, you're still a little short, just earn a little more and it will be enough." After that, she gently took the woven bag from my hand, tilted her shoulder and walked into the night. The few dollars or dimes my sister-in-law earns every night is far from enough to pay the tuition. My sister-in-law begged the factory for an advance of three months' salary, but it was still not enough, so she went to the hospital to sell blood again. My sister-in-law was already suffering from anemia, and when the amount of blood drawn reached 300cc, the nurse couldn't bear it anymore and pulled out the needle on her own initiative. None of these sisters-in-law said anything. It was the nurse, my classmate’s sister, who said it later. My sister-in-law personally sent me to school, handled the admission procedures, and then went to the dormitory to make my bed and fold my quilt, running around everywhere. After she left, a classmate said, "Your mother is so good to you!" A trace of sadness welled up in my heart, "That's not my mother, she's my sister-in-law." The classmates sighed and someone whispered, "Such an old sister-in-law?" I glared at him fiercely. My home is far from school and I only go back once a month. Every time I go back, my sister-in-law prepares a sumptuous meal to treat me. Before I left, he prepared a lot of dishes, put them in transparent glass bottles, and told me which ones to eat first and which ones I could eat later. Every time, my sister-in-law would stop waving her hand only after she watched the bus go away. And every time I went home, I found that my sister-in-law looked much older than last time. I was in my second year of high school when I discovered that she had white hair. In order to support my schooling, my sister-in-law not only set up a stall outside, but also contacted a cardboard factory to get the paper box pasting business. After closing the stall or when it rained and she couldn't go out to set up the stall, she would sit under the lamp and paste the paper boxes. It costs 40 cents to paste a paper box, and the materials are provided by the paper box factory. When I went home that time, I saw her pasting the paper meticulously under the light, and I said, "Sister-in-law, let me help you!" My sister-in-law raised her head and looked at me. The wrinkles on her forehead were like the bark of an old tree in winter, one wrinkle after another. There were a few strands of silver hair interspersed among the dull black hair. They were so eye-catching, like a few sharp knives, piercing my heart sharply. My sister-in-law smiled and said, "No need. Go review your lessons. You'll be a senior next year. Work hard and do your best to prove yourself to me." I nodded vigorously, turned around, and tears surged like the tide. Sister-in-law, you are only twenty-six years old! I remember when my sister-in-law first married my eldest brother, she was so young, with a smooth face that was white and rosy, and her black hair was tied up, just like the stars on TV and calendars. I ran into the house, laid on the table and let my tears fall. After crying, I read books and solved problems desperately. I told myself that even if not for myself, I should study hard for my sister-in-law. I was admitted to National Taiwan University with the highest score in liberal arts. On the day I received the admission letter, my sister-in-law bought a big roll of firecrackers and spread it on the ground in a long line, like a red fire dragon. My sister-in-law lit a stick of incense and handed it to me, "Mingming, go light the firecrackers!" I took the incense, as if I was taking over all the expectations and blessings from my sister-in-law. The crackling sound of firecrackers attracted the neighbors. That day, my sister-in-law's parents and younger brother also came and stood in the crowd. When my sister-in-law saw them, she walked over, threw herself on her mother's shoulders, and burst into tears. In the evening, five people ate around a table. Her brother patted my shoulder and said, "Kangming, you really should study hard." I toasted my sister-in-law's family one by one and sincerely thanked them for giving me a good sister-in-law. The last person to toast was my sister-in-law. She stood up and said with a smile, "Mingming, we are family, so don't be polite to me!" Life and study in college are much easier than in high school, and every year I receive scholarships from the school with excellent grades. Moreover, I have a lot of spare time to work part-time while studying, so I basically don’t need any money from my family. But my sister-in-law still sends me money every month, asking me to eat well, dress warmly and take care of my health. One day, when I was looking at the notebook that recorded every time my sister-in-law gave me money, I suddenly hated myself. What my sister-in-law gave me cannot be recorded in a notebook. I slapped myself hard and tore the notebook to pieces. Before I finished my junior year, I was specially recruited by an IT company in Taipei. When I wired my sister-in-law the news, she was so excited that she choked up on the other end of the phone, "That's good, that's good, sister-in-law doesn't have to worry about you anymore. Kang Ying can rest in peace." I suddenly blurted out, "Sister-in-law, when I graduate, I will come back to marry you!" After hearing this, my sister-in-law burst out laughing, "Mingming, what nonsense are you talking about! Work hard in the future and try to find a beautiful sister-in-law for me." I said stubbornly, "No, I want to marry you." My sister-in-law hung up the phone. Finally I graduated, and when I returned home happily with the salary advance paid by the company, my sister-in-law had already prepared dinner and was waiting for me to come back. Sitting at the dinner table was a man in his forties. Seeing me come back, my sister-in-law said, "Kangming, go call Brother Zhang. I will go with him from now on." The man stood up, shook hands with me, and said with admiration, "It's amazing, you're a college student!" I shook hands with him for only two seconds and then ran into the room. I didn't eat that night. Lying in bed, I asked myself over and over again, "Sister-in-law, why, why don't you give me a chance to take care of you?" Not long after, my sister-in-law married the man named Zhang. I went and drank a lot of wine. My sister-in-law also drank quite a bit. I vaguely heard her say to others, "Look, this is my brother Kang Ming, a college student at National Taiwan University! He works in Taipei City." Her words were full of pride. Later, due to my busy work, I couldn't go home often, so I sent most of my monthly salary to my sister-in-law, but she returned it in full every time. She said, "Mingming, sister-in-law is old and doesn't spend much, it's you who should make some money and start a family." She also sent me local specialties from her hometown from time to time, saying, "Mingming, work hard and start a family early. When sister-in-law is old, I will live with you for a while and visit Greater Taipei. Don't forget to recognize your old sister-in-law by then!" 1# aa33881 Very good!! Thank you for sharing the excellent article selflessly Thank you for sharing. I will reply to good posts to support them. I love them. I’m touched! I cry! But it doesn't mean I'm a sissy~~~~~ Thank you for sharing this great post. I will reply and support you. It is right to come to Czech Republic every day. I will continue to dig for treasures. Thank you for your enthusiastic sharing. It is very good!! 3Q |