“Well, I do have some understanding. Why are you asking this?”
In her previous life, Wen Ying did not understand enough about her youngest sister, that is Deng Juan. Later, when she grew up, she always felt she had let down Deng Juan’s friendship.
Anyway, every time she went to Chen Li’s house, Deng Juan was there. Being young and ignorant of the impermanence of the world, Wen Ying thought Deng Juan would always be there. Later events proved Wen Ying was naively ridiculous. With Chen Li and Deng Shangwei’s divorce, Deng Juan the nanny also left, and Wen Ying thus lost a true friend.
In her previous life, every time she recalled her youthful days, Wen Ying would think of Deng Juan.
Deng Juan was short and plump.
Deng Juan was very hardworking.
Deng Juan came from the countryside to work in the city.
Deng Juan was a relative from Deng Shangwei’s hometown.
Wen Ying’s understanding of Deng Juan in her previous life was limited to this.
Living again to make up for regrets, Wen Ying dragged Deng Juan to study, planned life for Deng Juan, turned Deng Juan from a little nanny into a white-collar worker, and was willing to spend time understanding other things about Deng Juan. Wen Ying felt that now the two were more like friends.
Hearing Qin Jiao’s words, Wen Ying intuitively felt that Deng Juan had encountered trouble.
The fact was indeed so.
Qin Jiao said softly, “I heard Deng Juan sister answer the phone twice. It seemed to be from her family. I don’t know what was said, but Deng Juan sister answered the phone and cried behind people’s backs.”
Deng Juan’s personality was unwilling to trouble others. Qin Jiao wanted to help but could not, Deng Juan’s mouth was very tight.
Qin Jiao thought, Deng Juan did not tell her, perhaps she was willing to tell Wen Ying.
Wen Ying got angry upon hearing, “It might be her family asking for money again, or… forcing her to marry.”
When mentioning “marry”, Wen Ying narrowed her eyes.
Those familiar with Wen Ying should know that Lawyer Wen was not very happy now.
When working as a nanny at Chen Li’s house, Deng Juan would send her monthly salary back home. With a monthly salary of one thousand yuan, Deng Juan only kept 100 yuan. Anyway, Chen Li’s family provided food and lodging, Deng Juan did not spend money herself, and could even save the 100 yuan left each month.
When she stopped being a nanny and worked at Shrimp King, Deng Juan’s salary increased.
At this time, Wen Ying reminded Deng Juan not to send all her salary home anymore. Keeping only 100 yuan a month, what was that enough for? Working in the company, Deng Juan also wanted to enroll in adult self-examination to improve her education. Usually needing to buy clothes and socialise with colleagues, 100 yuan was far from enough!
Deng Juan was honest then, asked Wen Ying how much to send back. Wen Ying actually wanted Deng Juan not to send a single penny. From 15 to 20 years old, Deng Juan had been a nanny for five years and supported the family for five years. It was time to plan for herself.
But Wen Ying also knew Deng Juan would not agree to not send a single penny, because Deng Juan’s family not only had an alcoholic father, but also Deng Juan’s mother, an older sister above, and a younger brother below. In the city and some townships, family planning was implemented well, having only one child whether boy or girl. The village where Deng’s family was located was both poor and remote. To have a son, Deng Juan’s parents had two daughters in a row, and the third finally was a son.
The older sister was three years older than Deng Juan, the younger brother three years younger.
The two Deng Juan sisters dropped out of school one after another, but the little brother must study.
Deng Juan could ignore the alcoholic dad, but she could not bear to ignore her mom and little brother.
In 1999, Deng Juan was fifteen years old. The ghost dad wanted to use 30,000 yuan bride price to marry Deng Juan to an old man, just to use Deng Juan’s bride price money to build a house.
That year, Deng Juan’s older sister was only eighteen, had been married off by Deng Juan’s dad the previous year, with a bride price of 20,000 yuan.
In 1999, fifty or sixty thousand was enough to build a very beautiful building in the countryside.
In the countryside, only by building a house could one easily marry a wife for the son. At that time, Deng Juan’s younger brother was only 12 years old. Deng Juan’s parents were already planning for their overborn little son. The alcoholic dad’s eyes only had the son to carry on the family line, did not care what kind of man the daughter married, whether she would be happy in the future. Anyway, whoever gave a high bride price, marry the daughter to him!
Sichuan Province has never been a high bride price area. In 1999 in the countryside, being able to give 30,000 yuan as bride price, the male side must have major defects.
The alcoholic dad picked for Deng Juan an old man, older than the alcoholic dad himself. No matter how silly Deng Juan was, she would not be willing.
In the countryside, marriage was indeed early. Some people had not reached the legal marriage age, generally would hold the banquet first and get the certificate after two years.
But fifteen was too early!
Deng Juan’s older sister at least waited until seventeen to marry. To collect bride price by marrying off a fifteen-year-old daughter, even in the village it would be despised. Precisely because the villagers could not stand it, when Deng Shangwei returned home, someone revealed Deng Juan’s plight to Deng Shangwei.
Deng Shangwei was moved with compassion, and Deng Juan became the nanny for Deng Shangwei’s family.
Even so, Deng Juan’s dad was still very dissatisfied, muttering that marrying off the daughter could receive 30,000 bride price at once. Going to the city to work could easily result in losing both money and daughter.
It made Deng Shangwei dizzy with anger at the time. “Deng Juan’s wages can always add up to 30,000. If she does not earn that much, I will make up for it!”
At that time, Deng Shangwei was doing business in Rongcheng and had not been supported by Qin Xianming yet. The business scale was far smaller than now, not considered a big shot.
Even so, in Deng Shangwei’s rural hometown, someone like him who could hire a nanny was already a solid big boss.
Big boss Deng’s words were still quite effective. Deng Juan’s alcoholic dad grumbled and accepted the matter.
Anyway, the son was only 12, still many years from marriage. Building the house a few years later was fine.
These years, first let Deng Juan go to the city to work and earn money. The money earned these years all sent home. Around 20 years old, call Deng Juan back home to marry off, and receive another bride price!
The alcoholic dad’s little abacus was quite shrewd.
Deng Juan worked as a nanny at Chen Li’s house for several years. Chen Li often brainwashed Deng Juan, telling Deng Juan that now marriage is autonomous, who to marry should be decided by Deng Juan herself, not parents receiving bride price and casually arranging a man to marry off to.
Deng Juan was only in her teens then, her worldview not fully formed. Chen Li’s brainwashing was very successful.
Moreover, Deng Juan’s older sister listened to parents’ arrangement to marry, received 20,000 high bride price, and was domestically abused by the man three months after marriage.
Deng Juan’s older sister did not want to continue, the male family spread their hands, fine, but first return the 20,000 bride price.
Deng Juan’s older sister naturally could not produce this money, gritted her teeth and continued living.
The second year, Deng Juan’s older sister gave birth to a child. Life was still bumpy, the couple quarreled and fought from time to time. But with a child, Deng Juan’s older sister could not leave that in-law’s family even more. She became a mother, bound by the child.
In the countryside, situations like Deng Juan’s older sister were many. Some people quarreled noisily for decades and were still husband and wife. There would be experienced people advising young wives: Men, they make trouble when young, when old and cannot make trouble, they know to be good to the wife.
Life is several decades, cannot make every matter a big deal, endure a bit and it passes.
Deng Juan previously did not think there was anything wrong with these words. She grew up in such an environment, the alcoholic dad when drunk would also hit Deng Juan’s mom.
But the employers Deng Juan met were Chen Li and Deng Shangwei.
At home, Chen Li had absolute say.
Deng Shangwei was a big boss outside, at home never raised his voice to his wife just because he could earn money.
Deng Juan secretly asked Chen Li why Deng Shangwei was so good to Chen Li. Chen Li told Deng Juan, “Because we had a free love marriage, and more because your big brother has character. Girls should not fear marrying men without money, must not marry men with bad character.”
Then how to see character?
This is simply metaphysics!
Chen Li told Deng Juan not to rush, select slowly. Whether a person has big flaws will be exposed in the process of getting along. Marrying after meeting a few times is definitely not okay.
Chen Li’s words, Deng Juan still took to heart.
Not returning home to marry was Deng Juan’s bottom line. This choice went against Deng Juan’s dad’s wishes. The alcoholic dad could not call her back, often cursed Deng Juan as unfilial in the village, and had the eldest daughter and little son take turns calling Deng Juan.
Deng Juan held the bottom line of not marrying casually. Facing the alcoholic dad’s demand for wages, Deng Juan did not achieve not giving a single penny.
Wen Ying had no way. Since Deng Juan could not do not giving, then giving less was always okay?
This suggestion, Deng Juan adopted.
So after going to “Shrimp King” with increased salary, the money Deng Juan sent home decreased instead, only sending 500 yuan each month.
After going to the capital to work, Deng Juan’s salary was even higher.
Now it seems, the Deng family was very dissatisfied with Deng Juan giving only 500 yuan each month!
