Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 81: Aunt Isn’t Doing Well

Phoebe Thorne was tall and slender with delicate, pretty features. She resembled her father, Byron Thorne, but her temperament was all her mother, Raina—impetuous and always in a rush. When Tang Xiaonan and the others arrived, Phoebe was in the courtyard washing clothes despite her large, pregnant belly.

"What are you all doing here? And you brought Tang Xiaonan, too! Quick, come inside and have a seat."

Phoebe Thorne was overjoyed to see her family. Forgetting all about the laundry, she scooped up Tang Xiaonan with one arm and ushered everyone into the house.

"Auntie, I can walk myself."

Tang Xiaonan was too scared to move a muscle. Her aunt’s belly was pointed and prominent; she had to be at least four or five months along. ’I’m not light,’ she thought. ’What if she hurts herself holding me?’

"Look at you after the New Year, Tang Xiaonan. You’ve become such a big girl."

Phoebe Thorne gave her niece’s cheek a gentle pinch before setting her down. When she saw all the things Goldie Thorne and the others had brought, her eyes reddened. ’They always bring so much. Thank goodness my family helps me out, or life would be even harder.’

The villagers all envied her for marrying a man with a stable government job, but they didn’t know she was regretting it to death. Her husband’s job only sounded nice; his meager, fixed salary had to support a large family. What’s more, her in-laws were in poor health and couldn’t help at all, so she had to handle everything, inside the house and out, all on her own.

Moreover, her husband’s family had an urban household registration, which meant they had no fields or land. Phoebe Thorne couldn’t grow so much as a small vegetable patch and could only rely on that meager monthly salary to put food on the table. If her family didn’t send supplies from time to time, she and her children wouldn’t even have enough to eat.

"Don’t bring anything next time. Things aren’t exactly easy at home, and I’m doing fine here."

Phoebe Thorne pulled her younger brother, Goldie Thorne, aside and whispered her concerns.

She wasn’t worried about her parents or her brother, but she feared her two sisters-in-law would grow resentful. Putting herself in their shoes, she knew she would also feel uncomfortable if her parents-in-law were always helping out their married daughter.

"No matter how tight things are at home, we’re still better off than you are! It’s freezing out, and you’re not even boiling some hot water? Your hands are all red and raw! Is that Brian Chapman of yours useless or something?!"

Goldie Thorne was six years younger than his sister, and Phoebe had always looked after him when they were little. The two were very close. Seeing her, pregnant and all, washing a huge basin of clothes in cold water—her hands frozen red and raw—made his temper flare.

Brian Chapman was Phoebe Thorne’s husband. Goldie always referred to him by his full name behind his back, a clear sign he had little respect for his brother-in-law.

What angered him more was that Brian Chapman clearly didn’t care about his sister. The man was incompetent and couldn’t make money, and he didn’t even have the decency to be considerate to his wife. He treated his sister like a broodmare. They already had two kids, and now he wanted another. He never stopped to think if he could even afford to raise them on his pathetic salary. In the end, his sister would be the one to suffer.

"You already have a son and a daughter. Why on earth are you having another? Can he even afford to raise it?" Goldie Thorne said bitterly. "Sis, you can’t just listen to him all the time. We never let you suffer like this back home. If it gets too bad, just come home. It’s not like our family can’t support you."

A warmth spread through Phoebe’s heart. ’But a wife must follow her husband, for better or worse,’ she thought. ’How could I possibly go back to live with my family?’

"You don’t even have a prospective wife in sight. Why don’t you focus on sorting out your own life first?"

Phoebe chided. The mere mention of getting married made Goldie Thorne’s head ache, and he sullenly shut his mouth.

’One day,’ he thought, ’I’ll marry a beautiful and talented girl from the city. That’ll shock everyone.’

Tang Xiaonan was in the courtyard "playing" with her cousin, Amanda Chapman. To be more precise, she was watching her cousin do the laundry.

Her cousin, Amanda Chapman, was only two years older than her, but she washed clothes with a remarkable skill that made her seem like a miniature adult. She chatted idly with Tang Xiaonan as she scrubbed.