In this era, a woman who cannot bear sons is essentially considered barren, and the reason "no sons" can be grounds for a man to divorce her.
Yang Dongshi had given birth to two daughters and had no more children afterward, thus feeling inferior to others, she always accepted her lot with resignation. At least previously, with the head wife's existence, the family treated her relatively well. But after the division of the family, all the disdain that had been aimed at the head wife fell on her.
Yang Baifu grew increasingly disgusted with his wife, and if he hadn't failed to find pleasure outside, he wouldn't have touched Dongshi at all, so constrained he was by his desires.
Dongshi suffered silently; she lived with a man yet lived like a widow—a hardship indeed.
Yang Dongshi's maternal home was in the Dong Family Village, which was just seven or eight li from Budong Village.
Due to the limited flat land in the mountains, the few villages around were all close to each other.
