The second update, asking for recommendations.

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After listening to Da Liangzi’s wife talk about Yingzi’s family affairs for a while, Lian Manman pulled Zhang Caiyun out of the study. They didn’t return to the front hall to keep the guests company but instead walked to the backyard. Each grabbed a small stool, sat down in the midst of the flowers and plants in the yard, and basked in the sun.

In early summer weather, the sunlight wasn’t harsh, and a gentle breeze blew against their skin, making it very comfortable.

"Ah..." Lian Manman sighed softly.

"Ah..." Zhang Caiyun followed with a sigh as well.

The two young girls exchanged a glance and then both burst into laughter.

Zhang Caiyun, being straightforward by nature, spoke first.

"My grandma and mother at home always say that Zhizhi’s older sister is lucky... She suffered hardships as a child, carrying the burden of her lifetime’s difficulties ahead of time, and from now on, everything will surely go smoothly for her."

When Zhang Caiyun suddenly brought up how fortunate Lian Zhizhi was, Lian Manman began to understand what she was thinking. It must have been the family affairs of Yingzi’s family overheard in the kitchen earlier that stirred these emotions in Zhang Caiyun, probably evoking thoughts about her own future as well.

Even someone as carefree and bold as Zhang Caiyun likely carried some uncertainty and anxiety about her future—marriage, family, the unknown. And at this moment, Lian Manman also had many thoughts swirling in her mind.

Being a woman, especially in this era, was truly difficult. Just look at Yingzi’s mother, enduring a lifetime of beatings and scoldings from her husband. In front of her man, her status seemed no different than that of a domesticated dog. The timid expression, the hunched back—all of it spoke volumes about her suffering. And when faced with the man who abused her, her demeanor was also like a dog’s. There didn’t seem to be resentment, only fear and submission.

When Yingzi’s mother was overwhelmed during the scuffle between Yingzi’s father and Lian Huahua, she bumped into Lian Huahua. When Yingzi’s father kicked her down on the official road, she silently got up and continued following him.

Thinking of her own family’s two small puppies, Lian Manman felt that comparing Yingzi’s mother to a dog wasn’t exactly fair. At least in their home, no one would ever kick or hit those two little pups. Those little creatures were, in fact, very much adored.

Growing up in such a family environment, it was no wonder that Yingzi developed what others might call a shameless character.

From Yingzi’s mother, Lian Manman’s thoughts wandered to Lady Zhang and Lady Zhao. One of the reasons the Lian Family had a reputation as an honest and kind family within the ten-mile radius was that the men of the Lian Family never beat their wives. Take Old Master Lian, for instance. Even when Lady Zhou angered him to the point of almost coughing up blood, he had never laid a finger on her.

Though Lady Zhou scolded her daughters-in-law and treated them harshly in life, she had never raised a hand against them.

Lian Shouxin was filial. Even when he saw Lady Zhang being wronged, he wouldn’t dare defend her openly in front of Lady Zhou. But in private, Lian Shouxin would lower himself, coaxing and comforting Lady Zhang. The couple was deeply affectionate. As for Lady Zhao, she also endured mistreatment from Lady Zhou. But even though she hadn’t borne a son, Lian Shouli never blamed Lady Zhao for it, and the two of them lived harmoniously as well.

In families like Zhang Qingshan’s, where Lady Li was a good-natured mother-in-law who never deliberately made things difficult for her daughters-in-law, there weren’t many households like that. Families as harmonious as theirs were rare, and the Lian Family was even considered a paragon of "good families" in the eyes of the villagers.

If it hadn’t been for Lian Shouren trying to sell her off as a sacrificial bride, Lady Zhang being pushed by Lian Xiuxiu to the point of nearly losing two lives in one fall, and all the efforts she herself had put in to achieve the family split, then in the lifetimes of Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou, the Lian Family would never have separated. Lady Zhang, Lady Zhao, and their children would still be living in the oppressive shadow of Lady Zhou, slaving away for Lian Shouren’s family without any autonomy, dignity, and only apathy and misery.

The saddest part about living such a pitiable life was being completely oblivious to how pitiful it was, even feeling a sense of happiness or belonging amidst it all, and remaining endlessly loyal to the very person who brought about their misery and suffering.

For example, Yingzi’s mother—or the earlier versions of Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang.

Now, sitting in her own courtyard, surrounded by blooming flowers and basking comfortably in the sunlight, Lian Manman couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down her spine at the mere thought of such a future.

However, did this mean that women were doomed to misfortune under such societal conditions? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Not necessarily.

"It depends on the individual, Sister Caiyun. No matter the situation, it’s always up to the person," Lian Manman said slowly. "Take this for example—having no sons. Look at my third aunt. Isn’t her life pretty stifling? Even Yeye has been like some little ball of frustration... But these past couple of years, as Yeye grew older, things have improved a bit. Take Old Wang’s Large Cart Inn in Taicang—my Brother Sanlang married into that family. That family is quite different... They live with clarity in their hearts, knowing how to plan for themselves. No sons? So what? They don’t see that as making them inferior to others. They’ve even raised their daughters as sons, and now they’ve brought in my Brother Sanlang as a live-in son-in-law. In the future, whether it’s for caring for them in their old age or performing ancestral rites, they won’t be any worse off than families with sons."