Chapter 5. Go pick up your daughter right now, right now...

Instead of answering his mother-in-law's question, Song Zhao handed her a spatula and said, "Mom, I'm going to get something. Could you please keep an eye on the stove?"

Tang Guizhi took it and stir-fried it a few times. She turned her head and saw that her son-in-law had already entered the room. She wondered what he was going to do.

Nie Qingqing rinsed the rice and put it on to steam. She leaned close to her mother and whispered, "Mom, what do you think he's up to?"

Tang Guizhi was unsure and felt uneasy: "What I'm worried about now is that my son-in-law is in debt. I'm not worried about anything else. Have you ever seen a son-in-law invite his wife's family to dinner and cook meat himself? This big pot of braised pork is proof that he values ​​you."

Nie Qingqing had never seen anyone in Huazhi Lane, not even an ordinary worker, go into the kitchen to cook for his wife and children.

...

Song Zhao returned, carrying a tin box of cookies. He opened the box and found a lot of money inside, including ten-yuan and five-yuan notes, as well as a note listing the wedding gifts from each family. The most eye-catching item was a bankbook.

Song Zhao explained, “Mom, I still have some savings. We have no debts. I didn’t have time to save the wedding gift money. It’s a total of over 800 yuan. The money for the wedding banquet was given by my dad. I said I didn’t want it, but he insisted on paying. I couldn’t refuse. After the wedding, Qingqing will be in charge of the household, so I’ll leave all of this to her to manage.”

Who lets a newlywed wife manage the family's belongings? Especially since this is a second marriage, Tang Guizhi was overjoyed that Song Zhao was willing to contribute his wealth.

She was momentarily at a loss, then beamed with joy: "I don't care about your marital affairs, discuss it with Qingqing."

Song Zhao handed the iron box to Nie Qingqing. Seeing her still bewildered face, he felt a surge of pride. His actions were better than her ex-husband's, weren't they? She would gradually realize that he wasn't pretending; he had always been like this, with both flaws and admirable qualities.

He smiled, placed his belongings in her hands, and said, "From now on, all of this is yours."

...

He was willing to hand over his salary, so what was there to complain about? It was her fault last night. Nie Qingqing was no longer angry. She quickly wiped her hands clean and held the box in her arms like a precious treasure.

Song Zhao's attitude towards life is impeccable!

She was anxious and, ignoring her mother's winks, wanted to see the amount on the bankbook right now. She counted the zeros in the last line of the balance and her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Song Zhao had actually saved 1,800 yuan. She quickly showed it to her mother, and it was indeed 1,800 yuan. She hadn't miscounted. The money in the bankbook was for wedding gifts, which would have to be returned in the future, but the money in the bankbook was the family's savings for emergencies.

Tang Guizhi closed the passbook and put it back in the tin box, asking uneasily, "Song Zhao, how come you have so much money? When you divorced, your youngest son was given to his mother, didn't you give them any money?"

Song Zhao felt a pang of sadness; it was his mother-in-law's kindness that had nurtured Qingqing's kindness.

He said, "When we divorced, the family's money was split in half. My ex-wife also had this much money, so Mom doesn't need to worry about me being mean."

He was so kind to his ex-wife during the divorce, so now that Nie Qingqing is his wife, he can't treat himself any worse.

Nie Qingqing moved closer to Song Zhao, pressing her body against his, feeling that this man was exceptionally reliable.

She happily closed the tin box, saying, "Then I'll keep it."

Song Zhao smiled and let her stay close to him; his second wife was too easy to please.

Thinking back, no matter what he did, he never received positive feedback from his ex-wife. It's inevitable for people to make comparisons. Song Zhao felt a pang of sadness. Forget it, he decided not to think about the past anymore.

...

The young couple seemed to have reconciled, but Tang Guizhi's doubts only deepened. No matter how she looked at it, her son-in-law seemed fine, but the core conflict hadn't been resolved.

She asked, "Song Zhao, Mom is very direct. You have savings and a high salary. You don't need Qingqing to go out and work to earn a pittance. How can she take care of the family if she goes to work? Why do you want her to go to work?"

Song Zhao didn't have a chance to say it last night, and Nie Qingqing ran home this morning without waiting for his explanation.

He explained in his own way that since his mother-in-law and brother-in-law were both there, Qingqing shouldn't be in a hurry or get angry, and would listen to him finish speaking.

"Mom, have you ever had any regrets about staying at home to raise your children all these years? Or, to put it another way, what aspects of Dad are you dissatisfied with?"

Tang Guizhi couldn't understand why Song Zhao suddenly asked this question. Thinking that answering it might help her daughter and son-in-law reconcile, she smiled. She also wanted to find someone to confide in and was willing to talk.

“If you put it that way, then there’s a lot of dissatisfaction. Qingqing’s father is considered quite good in Huazhi Lane, but even so, I can still list a whole bunch of things I’m unhappy about. When Qingqing’s grandparents are sick, it’s always me, the daughter-in-law, who’s busy taking care of them. Whenever I say something to him, he says, ‘You’re such a freeloader, if you don’t go, who will?’ It makes me so angry.”

“Qingqing’s dad hands over his salary, but he always complains that I don’t know how to manage money. Honestly, all his salary goes to food, household expenses, the kids, and himself. His family has a lot of social obligations, and there’s money to be made everywhere. When you think about it, he spends the least on me, and he still blames me for spending too much. We always argue when we’re calculating the accounts.”

...

Nie Qingqing's father passed away a few years ago. She felt that after her father's death, her mother was much more comfortable than before. What her mother said was not an exaggeration at all, and was even more serious than she said.

As a daughter, Nie Qingqing naturally sided with her mother. She couldn't help but feel indignant: "My dad always says that my mom has no contribution to the family and is just waiting to enjoy her life. I don't know what kind of good fortune my mom has."

Song Zhao nodded: "You see, isn't that the problem? Mom, I let Qingqing go to work because I wanted her life to have a different outcome than yours."

Nie Qingqing pouted. "That sounds nice, but she goes to work, does housework, and takes care of the children. Is she an iron woman?"

Considering he just revealed his family's assets, let's not argue for now. Mom is the elder, so let Mom talk to him.

Tang Guizhi, who had endured hardships herself, was unwilling to let Nie Qingqing suffer the same way: "Song Zhao, your idea is good. Look, Mom doesn't work and does all the housework for the whole family. She's exhausted. How can Qingqing manage?"

Song Zhao nodded hurriedly. He spoke and acted in an orderly and unhurried manner.

“People have limited energy. Qingqing is at work, so she naturally doesn’t have time to do housework. I’ve made a plan in my mind to transfer Tangyuan to the daycare next to my daughter’s school. In the morning, Qingqing and I will take the children to school together. In the evening, I’ll trouble you to pick up the two children and bring them to your house for dinner. After Qingqing and I get off work, we’ll go to your house to pick them up.”

Tang Guizhi thought she could come up with a solution; with her son-in-law making such arrangements, she wouldn't have to put in much effort. However, she was really embarrassed to ask him for money when it came to feeding the two children.

While Tang Guizhi was thinking, Song Zhao, true to his character, calmly uttered the second half of his sentence.

"We are relieved that Mom helped us pick up the kids. We want to thank Mom. Please don't refuse to pay me. My ex-wife used to stay at the main factory for several months at a time, and the kids stayed at their grandparents' house. She only got 30 yuan a month for wages and 20 yuan for food. It's the same for Mom. This money will come from my salary. This will free up Qingqing's time to do her own things. She can keep her own salary and not spend it at home."

...

Nie Qingqing was stunned. Did he mean to call her to work? And he even arranged everything at home and outside.

If only you had told me earlier, I would have hugged him and given him a big kiss. A man like that is perfect, no matter how big his flaws are, I would still think he's good enough!

She was a woman of strong emotions and couldn't help but ask, "You pay my mother to do chores, while I go out and earn money for myself. So, did you marry a wife to do a good deed?"

Song Zhao couldn't help but laugh, and pulled her watch to explain clearly: "Since she's my own wife, I naturally have to think about her in every way and make her better. In a family, you are the most important. If you are well, then I and the children can be better off. Mom, don't you think that makes sense?"

Tang Guizhi's eyes welled up with tears of joy. Qingqing had met such a wonderful son-in-law; her future was bright.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly the point Song Zhao made!"

Nie Qingqing regretted that her bad temper had caused a misunderstanding, and felt quite embarrassed. When her temper softened, she was very gentle and could even be coquettish.

"Why didn't you say that last night? You made me act like a shrew, and I even ran back to my parents' house to complain. Look at this whole family of yours today, coming to confront you. How wronged I am!"

Song Zhao said helplessly, "I just went to the child's room to get a bottle of floral water, and you locked the door from the inside. There was nothing I could do."

It turned out that last night, he had only gone to get some floral water, not to sleep in a separate room from her. Nie Qingqing's knot in her heart was instantly untied, and the storm had passed, even her voice softened.

"Then you talk to my mom and brother, I'll go cook, and we'll be able to eat in a little while."

...

Tang Guizhi was about to talk to her daughter, but stayed in the kitchen, feeling overjoyed. She spoke up for Song Zhao, saying, "Qingqing, you were wrong this time. You didn't give her a chance to explain herself."

Nie Qingqing admitted her mistake, feeling sweet inside. With a smile on her face, she picked up a piece of braised pork and gave it to her mother to try: "Song Zhao was also wrong. Who told him to be so indecisive and not explain himself clearly? Mom, try this stewed pork. It's actually quite good."

Tang Guizhi took a bite and nodded repeatedly: "You know your dad, he's never set foot in the kitchen in his entire life. Logically speaking, a man as good as Song Zhao shouldn't be divorced. He may have some minor flaws, but you should be able to tolerate them. No one in this world is perfect. You have to see his good points and forgive his bad ones."

Nie Qingqing agreed with this statement and secretly glanced at Song Zhao, who was talking to his elder brother. He was quite capable of making his elder brother speechless.

The more she looked at Song Zhao, the more she felt that Song Zhao had no flaws, and that she had really struck gold.

...

After the meal, Song Zhao packed up the extra two pounds of meat, along with the rice and oil provided by his work unit, and gave them to his brother-in-law, telling his mother-in-law not to feel embarrassed.

“Mom, the company gives out supplies every now and then, so we don’t need anything. You can take some home to eat. When the neighbors in Huazhi Lane see this, they’ll think Qingqing is living a respectable life.”

These words made Tang Guizhi feel very happy. Before leaving, she held Nie Qingqing's hand and once again told her, "I'm telling you, you need to change your fiery temper."

Nie Qingqing agreed to everything: "I know, I won't argue with him anymore."

...

After seeing off his mother-in-law and brother and sister-in-law, Song Zhao, carrying Tangyuan, went home with Nie Qingqing.

As soon as they got home, Nie Qingqing hugged Song Zhao tightly, kissed his cheek, and praised him with a smile, "Director Song, I promise I won't lose my temper with you anymore!"

Song Zhao was stunned by the kiss, but she steadied herself and said, "The child is here."

"What's there to be afraid of? We need to let the children know that their parents love each other very much, right, Tangyuan?"

"Yes." Tangyuan stretched out her arms and hugged the two of them: "Dad, our family of three is so happy, oh no, it's a family of four, where's my sister? Don't I have a sister?"

Nie Qingqing suddenly remembered that she had forgotten about it because she was so happy.

She slapped her forehead and said, "Right, right! Go pick your daughter up right now, don't keep her waiting!"

A note from the author:

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