The Excellent Son-in-Law

The weather was poor, looking as if it might rain.

After finishing her meal, Yao Zhizhi prepared to change rooms. The Yao family had many children, but they only owned a plot of land with a house consisting of three rooms. Since the main hall could not be used as a bedroom, they had to use wooden partitions to divide the east and west rooms into four smaller ones.

The east side was generally occupied by the parents, so the partitioned rooms were unevenly sized—a large one and a small one. The large south-facing room was used by Yao Erdan and Wang Fang, while the small north-facing room was for their two daughters. The west side was divided into two equal rooms: the south-facing one was for Yao Genbao, and the north-facing one, which was slightly larger than the one on the east, housed the three other daughters. As the youngest daughter, Yao Zhizhi naturally lived in the northwest room with her third and fourth sisters.

However, today Yao Genbao had gone to the commune guesthouse to accompany his "foster parents," leaving the southwest room vacant. Since it was there, she might as well use it, even if it was a bit filthy. Yao Zhizhi hurriedly tidied up, throwing the rest of Yao Genbao’s belongings out into the courtyard.

Her eldest uncle, Wang Aiming, hadn't left yet; he was in the front kitchen, persuading her parents not to argue with her. Every time Yao Zhizhi went out to toss something away, she could vaguely hear snippets of their conversation—something about an official, something about a man whose wife had died. *Tsk*, she wondered what sort of rotten scheme they were cooking up to climb the social ladder again.

Yao Zhizhi didn't want to get involved, so she continued cleaning. She couldn't understand why Yao Genbao’s room smelled so foul—a stench that was truly indescribable. Disgusted, she picked up a yellowing, blackened pillowcase with two fingers, seemingly finding the source of the odor. *Disgusting.* She threw it away immediately, rolling up his bedding and tossing that out as well.

With that done, she was left with nothing but a bare bed frame. She headed toward the kitchen, intending to ask Wang Fang for a reed mat.

In the kitchen, her sisters Yao Ningning and Yao Mengmeng had already finished dinner and were eating with their parents and Uncle Wang. Yao Erdan and Wang Fang were both furious; one wanted to take a whip to Yao Zhizhi, the other wanted to slap her.

Wang Aiming held them back, advising, "Why bother? It was your fault, Erdan, you spoke too harshly! Girls at that age have their pride. If someone called you a 'money-losing burden' or a 'cheap wretch,' wouldn't you be angry and upset too?"

"But she shouldn't have laid a hand on me! I'm her father!" Yao Erdan, his arm smeared with rat oil, winced in pain. He held his rice bowl, spitting as he spoke viciously, "That dead girl is acting too strange today! She must be possessed by a ghost! No, I’m going to find someone to perform an exorcism tomorrow."

"Don't do that, Erdan! If you get reported, it'll be the end of you." Wang Aiming, who was always calm, had watched the father-daughter confrontation that afternoon with cold indifference, helping neither side. He had his own plans; he needed to see which of the Yao girls could take charge and stand on her own. Now, he had his answer.

He urged them, "Just listen to my advice! Genbao has gone to town, and the Zhu couple will certainly arrange a job for him. But these days, jobs in the city aren't so easy to come by. Who knows, maybe the fifth one will come in handy."

Yao Erdan paused, his chopsticks mid-air, still chewing. In his youth, he had been handsome, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square face, attracting plenty of attention. Unfortunately, time had been unkind; his face had sagged, and the deep vertical lines between his brows were pronounced. He couldn't help it—with so many children, he was filled with worry. He stopped being stubborn; his brother-in-law made sense. Why else were so many educated youths sent to the countryside? Wasn't it because the cities lacked enough jobs? No wonder his own older brother only wanted to adopt a daughter. A daughter didn't need a job arranged; she just needed to get married and have children.

He chewed a few more times and realized, "Right, keep her! Out of the five girls, she is the prettiest. She’s bound to snag a good marriage. By then, Genbao’s job will be a piece of cake!"

Wang Aiming nodded, agreeing. "That’s exactly what I mean. Be careful how you talk to her. She used to be too timid, which is why she was bullied. It’s normal for her temperament to change after barely surviving. That’s good—that’s the only way she’ll be able to stand her ground in the city! It just so happens that a high-ranking official in the government compound has lost his wife. We must find a way to get the fifth one married off to him; then our Genbao will have a patron."

Yao Erdan slapped his forehead. "Right! Why didn't I think of that? Brother-in-law, your mind is sharp! Fine! I'll listen to you!"

When Yao Zhizhi walked in, she heard exactly these two wicked men discussing how to use her as a "blood bag" to provide for Yao Genbao for the rest of her life. She couldn't be bothered to argue; why waste the energy on people who wouldn't listen? Finding a way to run away was the only thing that mattered.

She acted as if she hadn't heard anything and reached out to Wang Fang for the key. "Give me that reed mat in the cupboard."

Wang Fang was displeased. "You don't even greet your elders? And you haven't apologized for laying hands on your father and me today! If your uncle hadn't stopped us, your father would have killed you!"

"I'm right here now, so go ahead and kill me. Once you do, the militia will drag him off and execute him! The father and daughter can meet the King of Hell together!" Yao Zhizhi was blunt. For heaven's sake, she had done more than enough for them over the past half-month. Having just survived, she had to take care of the housework, and despite her dizzy spells, she hadn't slacked off. It wasn't her fault her cooking was a bit poor; she hadn't done it on purpose. Who would have thought that at the first sign of conflict, Yao Erdan would so thoughtlessly insult his own daughters? She couldn't tolerate it anymore. From now on, they wouldn't get a single pleasant look from her. And they still dared to threaten her? If they had the guts, they could kill her—she wasn't afraid of them!

Wang Fang was speechless, her face turning red with anger. She slammed down her chopsticks, fished the key from her pocket, and headed toward the east room. The extra reed mat in the cupboard was meant for her eldest daughter's dowry, but it hadn't been used. Over the years, the family had considered it "unlucky" but couldn't bear to throw it away, so it had sat there collecting dust.

She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Aren't you afraid of the bad luck that followed your eldest sister?"

"Aren't the five of us unlucky enough already?" Yao Zhizhi sneered. Having these two as parents was their greatest misfortune. Wang Fang understood, and the urge to strike her returned, but remembering the plan she and Yao Erdan had discussed, she held back. She threw the mat at Yao Zhizhi, locked the cabinet, and returned to the kitchen to finish her meal.

Yao Mengmeng, seeing her mother's anger, quickly tattled, "Mom, don't pay attention to the fifth sister! She instigated the third sister and the others to fight with our brother today—she has no shame! I think we shouldn't even bother marrying her off to some high-ranking official; we should just marry her to that old widower in the commune and get a dowry."

"Shut up!" Yao Erdan interrupted her. "Do you think I'm not angry? 'He who cannot bear small misfortunes will ruin great plans'—do you understand?"

Yao Mengmeng pursed her lips and threw her chopsticks down in anger. She didn't care; she absolutely wouldn't marry that old, ugly widower! At worst... at worst, she would spill the secret about Zhao Hesheng as a last resort. She was pregnant, after all—she'd have to be married off one way or another.

Her sulky expression wasn't lost on Wang Aiming, who assumed she was jealous of the fifth sister. He advised, "Mengmeng, you're old enough now to be sensible. Your brother needs to establish himself in the city, and the only way is to marry two of you sisters off to the city. The fifth one is the prettiest, followed by Taozi and Yingzi; those three are the family’s only hope. Just bear with it."

Yao Mengmeng was furious. "I'm not as pretty as her, so I have to take her abuse?"

"What do you have to complain about? She laid hands on your parents today! Didn't they tolerate it? Once she becomes the wife of a high-ranking official and the family starts living the good life, you'll understand your uncle’s good intentions." Wang Aiming persisted patiently. He had no choice; his own daughters weren't obedient, so he had to rely on his sister's.

Yao Mengmeng fell silent, angry, wronged, and unwilling to accept it. But her uncle was right—she and Ningning were indeed not as pretty as the other three. Especially Yao Zhizhi—she was an anomaly. While the four of them had fair skin, they would inevitably tan in the summer. Yao Zhizhi was different; her skin was impossibly white, smooth, and delicate, without a single blemish. And no matter how much sun she got, she never tanned. It was infuriating.

Yao Mengmeng slammed the table and walked out. There was no point in arguing when she couldn't win, and staying there only added to her frustration. Yao Ningning followed her out, unable to stand the smell of her uncle’s cigarette.

The sisters went to the back room on the west side and found that Yao Zhizhi had already taken the south-facing room. Yao Mengmeng panicked and shouted, "Dad, Mom! The fifth sister took the south-facing room on the west side! She threw all of Genbao’s things out!"

Wang Fang was anxious when she heard this. She had thought Yao Zhizhi was being kind by cleaning the room for Genbao's return. Who would have thought the girl would be so overbearing? She slammed the table and stood up immediately.

Wang Aiming quickly stopped her. "Fangfang! Didn't you understand what I said? That high-ranking official has good conditions, but he’s old—nearly fifty—and has several children. If you don't coddle the fifth one, do you think she'll be willing?"

Wang Fang fell silent and retreated. "So we're just going to let her run wild?"

"It's just a broken room. Genbao won't want to live there anyway. If the fifth one wants it, let her have it! Besides, what if something happens to Jingjing..." Wang Aiming paused, lowering his voice, "At least the fifth one will remember your kindness... right?"

There were some things Wang Aiming couldn't say too explicitly, but Wang Fang understood. She sat down, frowning, and sighed silently. "I know, brother. From now on, I'll treat her like an ancestor."

Wang Aiming was satisfied. "That’s right. In any case, coddling her will be beneficial later on. By the way, there hasn't been any contact with that side recently, right?"

"No, I told Jingjing to keep contact to a minimum." Wang Fang looked visibly guilty, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Xiao Tao saw a letter from that side recently and almost opened it. I had to lie and tell her it was a letter introducing a match for Jingjing."

"Did she believe it?" Wang Aiming remained calm.

Wang Fang nodded. "I explained it in the letter later. It won't be exposed."

Wang Aiming was relieved. "Then keep the contact to a minimum. Her conditions are good; she'll at least marry an officer above the rank of battalion commander. Once she's married, you'll have a life of luxury."

Wang Fang understood, but she was still worried. "But brother, the old patriarch is nearing the end. If they come back for the funeral..."

"Don't be afraid. They are very busy people; otherwise, they wouldn't have stayed away for over a decade. They might not even be able to get time off. Maybe they'll just send one of the children back. If you're worried, just send her away when the time comes. Her health is poor, so the excuse is ready-made. Others will just think you're being a doting mother—how perfect." Wang Aiming’s mind worked fast; he already had a counter-plan.

Wang Fang thought about it and smiled. "Then we should hurry and get her married off. If she’s pregnant by then, I won't even need an excuse; her husband won't let her come back."

"Fine, I'll handle it. Do you have a photo of her at home?" Wang Aiming checked the time; it was getting late, and he prepared to leave. Wang Fang said yes and hurried to the east room to retrieve it.

When she returned to the kitchen, Liu Yue had arrived. She was there to act as a matchmaker, and Wang Fang beamed with joy—she didn't know what kind of auspicious day it was. It was as if someone had handed her a pillow just as she was feeling sleepy. She couldn't believe it. "Really? The director of the food processing factory is divorced? And he's only twenty-seven?"

"Yes, but he has three children," Liu Yue sighed, wishing he hadn't.

"What's there to be afraid of! This is a step up for our daughter! Perfect, I have a photo right here! I'll leave this to you, sister-in-law!" Wang Fang was already dreaming of a future with endless rice, flour, and oil. It was truly beneficial to have daughters!

Liu Yue was also happy. If these two matches worked out, Genbao’s job would be secured. Once Liu Yue and Wang Aiming left, Wang Fang hurried to tidy up and prepare to work on her daughters' minds.