On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, at 6 p.m., Chen Lao Er and his wife returned to the county. The next day was New Year's Eve.

"Father, Mother, you're back. Go take a bath and warm up." Chen Chunhua opened the door to welcome Chen Lao Er and his wife in.

About an hour later, Chen Lao Er was already sitting leisurely in the living room.

Before Chen Xihua and her siblings could even ask him anything, he started recounting what had happened in Shanghe Village over the past few days, and at the end, he even tried to ingratiate himself with Chen Xihua.

"Xiao Wu, aren't I amazing? I didn't cause any trouble for the family, but I still agreed to give 300 yuan a year for their retirement. I guess I'm a good son-in-law who respects his parents, right?"

Besides, Xiao Wu, you said it yourself: anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem.

He seemed to be speaking specifically to Chen Xihua, and Chen Lao Er's eyes even showed a hint of smugness, meaning that he hadn't made a mistake.

"Dad, are you saying those three brothers have been playing games these past few days?"

Before Chen Xihua could respond to Chen Lao Er, Chen Baohua preemptively asked. He simply couldn't wait any longer.

He listened intently, but was utterly bewildered. Wasn't Granny Li their own grandmother? Hadn't she just passed away? And yet the three brothers were hiding in a corner of the mourning hall playing games. This... this... I really don't understand, how could there be such people?

"Yes, many elders and uncles saw it and kindly offered some advice, but they still wouldn't listen, so no one wanted to make trouble for them anymore."

Chen Lao Er's face showed disdain and disgust. Mentioning those three Li family grandsons was a waste of his breath.

"Fifth sister, is there really such a person?" Chen Baohua looked around at her other sisters, whose faces all showed expressions of disbelief.

Fifth Sister, however, remained indifferent, seemingly unconcerned.

"Xiao Liu, why do you think they acted this way?" Chen Xihua asked instead of answering, a scene from a TV series she had watched in her previous life flashing through her mind:

A father was in critical condition in the emergency room, while his seventeen or eighteen-year-old son was engrossed in playing mobile games, busy ranking up.

A nurse nearby couldn't stand it anymore and pulled him away, telling him to stop playing games and that his father was still being resuscitated.

The son replied irritably, "Isn't he being resuscitated?"

Less than half a minute later, the father died despite all efforts to save him.

The son's emotional detachment from his family, stemming from internet and gaming addiction, may also be a result of his family's indulgence.

"...Well, I think it's wrong that they lack filial piety." Chen Baohua thought for half a minute, and only then did he think of this. He hesitated before speaking, worried that he might be wrong.

"Xiao Liu, you're great. You're right about most of them. They lack filial piety and are emotionally cold."

Moreover, it was mainly their parents who indulged them, neither stopping them nor teaching them. This is a bad habit formed from childhood, and their parents didn't tell them that doing this was wrong." As Chen Xihua said this, her eyes swept over Chen Lao Er.

Chen Lao Er touched the back of his neck, his eyes darting around, his mouth gaping open as he smiled to cover it up, and he moved his head from side to side.

The three older sisters beside her were also listening attentively, seemingly lost in thought. Chen Xihua paused for a moment, then continued.

"Actually, there's another reason: they're addicted to games and find it hard to put them down. If they're not allowed to play, they feel like ants are crawling all over them, which is very uncomfortable."

Xiao Liu, you can only play games for an hour on weekends.

I'm afraid you'll get addicted, but I won't stop you from playing. I hope you can experience all sorts of new things and learn to control yourself.

I hope you won't be defeated by games and other fun things; you must overcome them, and ultimately, you must overcome yourself.

You may encounter more games or things that attract you in the future. Fifth Sister hopes you remember this incident as a warning, and don't become someone everyone dislikes.

Sixth Sister, you can do it, right? I can do everything Fifth Sister promised you. You have to do what you promised me too, otherwise… Sixth Sister, you shouldn't let me down.”

It had been a long time since Chen Xihua had spoken to Chen Xiaoliu in such a lecturing tone, with such earnestness.

He will be starting junior high school next September, a rebellious phase for teenagers. Chen Xihua had never encountered a similar situation before, so she could only take preventative measures and offer reminders.

She felt great sympathy for the four older sisters of the Chen family, who suffered tragic fates like those depicted in the book.

However, after she transmigrated, many plot points in the original book changed, and those things probably won't happen anymore.

Therefore, Chen Xihua always showed some favoritism towards Chen Xiaoliu, and it wasn't just lip service.

When she returned to the Chen family, Chen Xiaoliu was just a little over three years old, a child who knew nothing and had clear eyes. He stayed with her from then on, and she taught him almost everything herself.

Although at the beginning, Chen Xihua would occasionally compare him to the character in the original book who had everything from eating and drinking to gambling, and was sometimes too harsh on him.

But Xiao Liu is no longer the same person who used to suck up the blood and sweat of her older sisters like a leech.

"Fifth sister, I know, I can control myself. But, fifth sister, if one day I really become addicted to something, you have to scold me to wake me up, you can hit me, but you can't ignore me."

Chen Baohua listened attentively to his fifth sister's words, but when he heard the last sentence, "otherwise," he suddenly felt a chill. He had a feeling that his fifth sister hadn't fully revealed her true meaning.

"Hmm, if you're not afraid I'll hit you, then go ahead and cause trouble!" Chen Xihua was no longer as serious as before, but she still pretended to be fierce.

“I won’t,” Chen Baohua said firmly.

Before going to bed that night, perhaps because of what Chen Xihua had said that night, or for some other reason, Chen Baohua became even more clingy to her, tugging at her left arm.

"Fifth Sister, Second Sister isn't home. Can I go to your room tonight and sleep in Second Sister's bed?" he asked ingratiatingly to Chen Xihua.

"What do you think?!" Chen Xihua suddenly became very serious, her voice drawn out, but upon closer inspection, one could see a faint smile on her lips.

Just as Chen Baohua was about to be disappointed, she chuckled softly and teased, "Well, even people who work all year round need a break. You, the 'department head,' will have a day off today."

When she was a working professional, she didn't work 007 all year round, hahaha.

"Then I'll go out... on holiday? Are you kicking me out? Hehe... I'll go get my bedding and pillow right now." Chen Xiaoliu was just saying he was leaving when he realized that his fifth sister meant holiday. He grinned foolishly and then ran out to get his things.

"Big sister, look at Chen Xiaoliu's silly face." Chen Meihua scoffed and quickly got into bed; it was really cold outside.

Chen Chunhua heard footsteps at the door and frowned slightly: "Xiao Bao is happy, don't laugh at him, he just came in."