Chapter 146 When will the return come?

"Why can't love overcome everything?" Ding Qiutian said.

"Because men will change their hearts, because men will no longer love you." Jiang Yuqin said.

Jiang Yuqin married Ding Chao. She didn't think things through at first, and was always so nice to him. With just a glance from him, Jiang Yuqin knew what she had to do. She felt like a tool in Ding Chao's hands, simply too obedient.

"I was so disobedient back then. I insisted on marrying your father, even without a gift, that's why I ended up like this," Jiang Yuqin said. "Others bought houses long ago, but we did much later. We didn't encounter any demolition, didn't receive compensation, and our family wasn't as well off."

Jiang Yuqin truly regretted marrying someone else, someone with a house, rather than Ding Chao. It was Jiang Yuqin herself who hadn't thought it through. Even though Jiang's father and his men had tried to stop her, she still insisted on marrying Ding Chao.

Under such circumstances, Jiang Yuqin still felt resentful, resenting Jiang's father and his people for not doing enough. But Jiang's father was not Jiang Yuqin's biological father, so Jiang Yuqin could not go to Jiang's father to make a scene.

"Do you think life is easy?" Jiang Yuqin asked. "It's unbalanced to always see others having such a good life while you're living such a bad one."

Whenever Jiang Yuqin thought about Jiang Moli's good life, she wished she were her. She knew she lived in a huge house and had become a famous opera singer. Most people couldn't achieve what Jiang Moli had. She was jealous and wanted everything she had, but she couldn't.

"If you don't listen to the elders, you'll suffer the consequences." Jiang Yuqin said, "If you really marry like that, you'll regret it if something goes wrong in the future."

"Impossible, I won't regret it." Ding Qiutian said, "I definitely won't regret it. Even if I did, I wouldn't come to you."

"You won't look for us? When that time comes, do you really think you won't look for us?" Jiang Yuqin said, "The betrothal money cannot be less than a penny."

"Mom, you want so much betrothal money, but my boyfriend doesn't have that much money. Are you selling your daughter?" Ding Qiutian was anxious.

"Everyone around here wants those gifts," Jiang Yuqin said. "If you don't believe me, go ask others if they want those gifts. If you ask for too little, people will say you're useless. I don't ask you to ask for a lot of gifts, but you have to be about the same as everyone else."

"My boyfriend is not from South City, he..."

"He's not from Nancheng. I know you want to be with him, and I didn't stop you." Jiang Yuqin said, "As long as he can come up with the betrothal gifts, you can get married. If he can't come up with the betrothal gifts, forget it."

"Mom, why can't you understand me?" Ding Qiutian said, "You took all the money away, I..."

"It's not about taking it away, it's about spending money." Jiang Yuqin said, "You're that old now, we can't keep spending money to support you. You have to earn money to support yourself. That's it, talk to your boyfriend about it."

"He's been very good to me, I..."

"Don't say that. He treats you well because you haven't gotten married yet." Jiang Yuqin said, "Once you get married, it won't be like that anymore."

"I……"

"Think about it carefully," Jiang Yuqin said. "If you still insist on getting married and don't want a betrothal gift, then you shouldn't stay in our family."

Jiang Yuqin thought that she had already told her daughter this, and if her daughter refused to listen to her, there was nothing she could do. Jiang Yuqin thought about what happened that year. She just refused to listen to Jiang's father's words and felt that those people were trying to harm her, so she stole the household registration book to get a marriage certificate.

Jiang Yuqin was extremely happy after getting the marriage certificate. She felt that being with the person she loved was the happiest thing. Even if her family had no money, Jiang Yuqin could endure it. She went to her own family to ask for money and help Ding Chao so that Ding Hongwang could eat well and dress well.

In those days, Jiang Yuqin herself did not eat that well, nor did she dress that well.

Ever since Jiang Yuqin figured it out, she no longer put herself in such a difficult position.

Ding Qiutian looked at Jiang Yuqin's cold face and felt that it was Jiang Yuqin who was too cruel, not herself. If Jiang Yuqin could be nicer to her, she wouldn't have thought about holding on to her boyfriend. Ding Qiutian wanted to get away from this home. Only by getting away could she live a happy life.

"You didn't feel sorry for me in the first place." Ding Qiutian said.

"..." Jiang Yuqin glanced at Ding Qiutian and didn't say anything else.

There was no point in saying anything. Jiang Yuqin had been through it all, and she understood it all too well. Ding Qiutian simply loved that man. He didn't actually have much talent, he just knew how to work. Many people knew how to work, but it all depended on how much they were paid.

In the evening, Jiang Yuqin told Ding Chao about Ding Qiutian's affairs, but Ding Chao didn't care much.

The money Ding Qiutian gave his family was something his family couldn't possibly spend. Ding Chao didn't have that kind of money; if his family had any, it would have gone into paying off the mortgage. Ding Chao didn't get a promotion, and while he got a small raise, his overall salary wasn't high. At his age, leaving was impossible; he had no choice but to keep working.

Ding Chao only thought that as long as the factory didn't close down, he could continue working there. If the factory closed down, Ding Chao would be unable to continue working there, and he would have to find a job, which would be difficult. Ding Chao himself didn't want to work too hard, so continuing to work in the factory was the best option.

"Let her be." Ding Chao said.

"Let her do what she wants?" Jiang Yuqin said, "She's our biological daughter. Can you bear to see her jump into the fire?"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a fire pit." Ding Chao said.

"How can it not be a fire pit?" Jiang Yuqin said, "A fire pit is a fire pit. I jumped into your fire pit, and I can't let our daughter jump into the fire pit too."

"How do you know she jumped into the fire pit?" Ding Chao was displeased.

The couple started arguing over there. Ding Qiutian heard them, but she didn't leave the room. She was packing her things, thinking about moving out. She wanted to tell her boyfriend that they were getting married. She couldn't ask for a betrothal gift, and even if she did, she couldn't give it to her family.

The next morning, Jiang Yuqin found that Ding Qiutian had left with his things. There was no one in the room and his things were missing.

This made Jiang Yuqin furious. She had said those things to her daughter for her own good. She hadn't listened to her and insisted on being with that man. Jiang Yuqin herself regretted being with Ding Chao, and she didn't want her daughter to regret it too. Given the current situation, Jiang Yuqin just hoped Ding Qiutian's boyfriend would be a reliable man.

The story of Jiang Yuqin's daughter reached Jiang's mother's ears. When Jiang's mother told Jiang Moli about it, Jiang's mother thought that Jiang Yuqin's daughter was just following the example of her parents.

"Jiang Yuqin's mother eloped with someone, and Jiang Yuqin herself stole the household registration book to marry someone else. Now, her daughter is also abandoning her family for so-called love." Jiang's mother lamented, "Such young people don't think twice."

"What are they thinking? They are all the same." Jiang Moli said, "They only think about their current feelings and think that others are blocking their happiness. The more they try to stop it, the more useless it is. Didn't Dad want Jiang Yuqin to marry Ding Chao in the first place? She wanted to marry anyway, and she still thinks it's Dad's fault."

"Ah." Jiang's mother said, "It's really the same."

"Jiang Yuqin isn't good to her daughter, and neither is her husband. He's not very good to her daughter," Jiang Moli said. "If their daughter finds a man who treats her a little better, won't she want to marry him?"

Jiang Moli felt that if Ding Qiutian did that, it would depend on whether the man was good or not. If the man was good, then it would be fine. But if the man was not good enough, Ding Qiutian would have to suffer in the future.

"Mom, you still know about Jiang Yuqin." Jiang Moli said.

"I heard it from others," Jiang's mother said. "Your sister-in-law and her people know a lot."

Jiang's mother rarely visits Niu Cuihua and her husband these days. She has to take a car to get there, and her health isn't as good as it used to be, so she doesn't take the car much more often. Zhao Jiaojiao and her friends will come to visit Jiang's mother on their own, so Jiang's mother just stays at home.

Even though Jiang's father is old, he still wants to grow something in the backyard. This year, he planted a lot of sweet potatoes, and they are growing well.

"Sister-in-law and the others do know a lot." Jiang Moli said, "If you feel bored, you can ask sister-in-law to come and keep you company."

"No need," Jiang's mother said, "If I'm bored, I can go out and play by myself. There's a park nearby, and it's always full of people."

Sometimes Jiang's mother would walk to the park by herself, and sometimes she would take the bus. There weren't a lot of people in the park, but there were still some people. Sometimes Jiang's mother would chat with them. If she saw others dancing, she would stop and just take a walk.

Jiang's mother is getting older and is taking calcium supplements, but even with the supplements, osteoporosis still exists. Jiang's mother needs to be more careful and not fall down accidentally.

"It's good that there are people around." Jiang Moli said, "If you want to play over there, go ahead. If you don't want to play over there, come back."

"I know." Jiang's mother patted Jiang Moli's hand.

Ding Qiutian and her boyfriend rented a house together. As a couple, they lived in the same room. However, their roommates apparently didn't think it was a good idea and asked them to pay more for water and electricity. Ding Qiutian and her boyfriend paid the extra money.

Ding Qiutian and her boyfriend rented the apartment from a sub-landlord, who was also their roommate. When the landlord learned that Ding Qiutian and her boyfriend were living there, he came over to talk to her.

"You can live here, but you can't give birth to a child here. If you get pregnant, you have to move out and rent someone else's house," said the landlord.

"We didn't talk about this when we rented the house," Ding Qiutian said.

"You're renting with someone, not directly from me. This house is mine," the landlord said. "I said you can't have children in this house, and you can't have children here. If you do have a child here, you have to pay a penalty, and even if you pay the penalty, you still have to move out."

"We've already paid, and we still have to move out?" Ding Qiutian asked.

"Yes." The landlord said with a cold and serious expression, "We don't rent our house to people who want to have children."

"If you're pregnant, you can't rent a house. Are you going to let a pregnant woman live under a bridge outside?" Ding Qiutian was a little angry.

"You can spend more money to rent another house. I can't do that here, but maybe others can," the landlord said. "Girl, please respect each other. From your accent, I can tell you're from South City, so you should know the rules here. We don't rent to the elderly, nor to those who are about to have children."

Firstly, people are worried that the pregnant woman might accidentally fall in the house, and secondly, they think the newborn takes away the blessings of the house. People in some places think that newborns can live in the house, while people in other places think that newborns cannot live in the house. It all depends on the individual situation.

This house does not belong to Ding Qiutian and her boyfriend, so they naturally have to abide by this rule.

"I'm telling you this first, so you don't end up saying you didn't know and then have to come back to me later," the landlord said. "This is my house, and you should follow my instructions. If you don't, find another place soon."

“…” Ding Qiutian didn’t dare to argue with the landlord. If she did, she would be kicked out directly. “Got it.”

"That's good to know." said the landlord.

Jiang Yuqin didn't keep an eye on Ding Qiutian. Ding Qiutian moved out, so Jiang Yuqin thought she couldn't control too much. Ding Chao said it didn't matter, so there was no point in her, as a mother, interfering too much. Jiang Yuqin thought, if she was too involved, then she would be the bad person.

This reminded Jiang Yuqin of the past. She also thought that something her mother had said to her father had led to his disapproval of her marriage to Ding Chao. Now, Jiang Yuqin understood that it wasn't something her mother had said to her father, but that his father had genuinely been thinking about her. It was just that Jiang Yuqin only cared about Ding Chao and hadn't considered the hardships they would face after getting married. Jiang Yuqin still felt that a little hardship didn't matter; love was there, and that was more important than anything else.

Marriage itself is not easy. Love is like an anesthetic that can temporarily numb people. After the anesthetic effect wears off, people will still feel pain and feel that life is not as good as it used to be.

Jiang Yuqin was like this. She no longer believed in love and didn't love Ding Chao. She felt that life was hard now. Every day was about food, clothing, housing, and mortgage. They couldn't rest well.

Jiang Yuqin and his wife's house wasn't in Niu Cuihua's neighborhood, but it wasn't too far away. Niu Cuihua could hear about things going on in Jiang Yuqin's neighborhood, as there were always people gossiping about her.

After Niu Cuihua's son got married, she continued to sell tofu in the community, earning every penny she could.

Others suggested that Niu Cuihua should stop making and selling tofu, saying she should take it easy and enjoy life more. But she didn't do that. Everyone wants to make more money, and no one despises those with less. Niu Cuihua, on the other hand, thought it would be better to earn more for herself and leave more for her descendants. She just made tofu and didn't do much else.

"Not many people buy tofu." Niu Cuihua came home from selling tofu and saw Zhao Guodong. "There's a shopping mall and supermarket nearby, so some people buy it there."

"If it doesn't sell well, I won't do it." Zhao Guodong said.

"We still have to do it, because people still buy it," Niu Cuihua said. "It's not that no one is buying it. It just feels a lot quieter than it used to be. Even neighbors have to walk downstairs to see more people. In the past, you could see a lot of people just by walking out the door."

Niu Cuihua has lived in this community for several years, and she still prefers her old yard. But demolition is still a good thing. After all, there's so much money left, and having a lot of money is what matters most. Without it, life wouldn't be this comfortable.

After the relationship between Niu Cuihua and her brother became strained, her brother basically stopped looking for Niu Cuihua, and Niu's elder brother and his wife refused to lend money to Niu Jingshan and his wife. Niu Jingshan and his wife had a hard time in the countryside, and could only hope that their children would grow up and go out to work.

It's okay for children to work outside, but they may be dissatisfied if they see their mother giving all the good things in the house to their uncle.

Niu Jingshan and his wife's child started arguing with them. The child took his ID card and went out to work, not staying home. The child also refused to contact Niu Jingshan and his wife, fearing they would ask him for money. His mother gave the money to his uncle. He didn't have any money at home, yet he was still asking for money from his uncle. This was unacceptable.

Niu Jingshan and his wife initially wanted Niu Da Ge and his wife to take care of the child, but Niu Da Ge and his wife were unwilling. Before Niu Jingshan and his wife could tell the child, the child ran away.

This made Niu Jingshan and his wife feel that it was all caused by Niu Cuihua and others who were unwilling to help. If Niu Cuihua and others were willing to help more, their son could get a good job and their son would not have to go out and find a job by himself.

"My nephew, Niu Jingshan's son, has disappeared and no one knows where he is now," Niu Cuihua said. "No one has said anything."

"He can go find work on his own," Zhao Guodong said. "There are many factories out there where he can find work. He doesn't have to come to South City."

"Yes, that's right." Niu Cuihua nodded. "Why come to South City? Their son probably knows that we don't welcome him that much."

It's not that Niu Cuihua dislikes her nephew, but with the way Niu Jingshan and his wife are, how can she treat him well? If Niu Cuihua treats her nephew well, Niu Jingshan and his wife will come over to her, and that's not okay. Niu Cuihua can't let her younger brothers and sisters come over to her. He Zhaodi is so old, but she still thinks about her parents' home all day long and doesn't think about her own son.

"Go somewhere else, preferably somewhere his parents can't find them." Niu Cuihua said, "He can just go back during the Chinese New Year. If he has money, give his parents some. If not, forget it. Even if you give them so much money, they won't necessarily treat him well. His mother only treats his uncle well, and all the good things go to his uncle's house."

Niu Cuihua had a lot of complaints about her younger siblings, not just a little bit. Zhao Guodong didn't say much, as long as Niu Jingshan and his wife didn't come.

Miao Guifeng didn't like his granddaughter. Yang Tianlang didn't let her have much contact with the child, but she still wanted to have some contact. Yang Tianlang kept a close eye on Miao Guifeng. He took the child out to buy groceries, took the child for a walk, and took the child with him himself, but he never left the child with Miao Guifeng.

"You're working so hard to take care of the child. If I help you, won't it be easier for you?" Miao Guifeng met Yang Tianlang who was buying groceries outside. Yang Tianlang was carrying a child on his back.

"Taking care of the kids isn't hard." Yang Tianlang said, "I just buy groceries at the supermarket downstairs. It's not like I have to go far to buy groceries."

Yang Tianlang thought the vegetables at the supermarket were good, so he bought them there. Supermarket vegetables are a bit more expensive than those at the wet market, but the supermarket is just downstairs, so it's very convenient. Yang Tianlang has to take care of the children, so it's not convenient to go too far. He bought some spare ribs, intending to stew them until they're tender. Children will appreciate them, and spare ribs provide calcium, so eating them is good for them.

In order to take good care of the child, Yang Tianlang also has to reasonably match the child's food. He doesn't need to let others worry about the child's affairs, and he can pay more attention to it himself.

"It's troublesome to buy groceries downstairs." Miao Guifeng said, "Why don't you let your dad and I take care of the child?"

"No need." Yang Tianlang refused.

This kind of conversation often occurs between Miao Guifeng and Yang Tianlang. Miao Guifeng always wonders if Yang Tianlang can let her take care of the child, even if it is a granddaughter. Miao Guifeng thinks that she has already compromised and is willing to take care of her granddaughter. What else do these people want from her?

At the end of the year, Erya returned to Nancheng. She opened a clothing store in Nancheng. After all, Nancheng was where Erya grew up. She really didn't want to have much contact with people like Miao Guifeng, but Nancheng was a good place.

Erya had a household registration in Nancheng and had no plans to move it elsewhere. She came back with her husband, who had a different job, and they bought a house in Nancheng, which was registered under Erya's name.

When Daya went out to buy clothes, she saw Erya and was quite shocked.

"Erya, Erya, is that you?" Daya looked at Erya.

Erya saw Daya and said, "Big sister."

Erya didn't ask these people not to call her Erya. Let them call her, it's just a name, Erya doesn't care much about it. Erya is living a good life now, so she doesn't always think about those difficult things.

"I'm here." Daya said, "Are you going back to South City?"

"Yeah." Erya nodded, "We have to go back to South City. South City has good educational resources."

If Erya had always lived in another city, it would have been difficult to obtain a household registration there. She already had a household registration in Nancheng, so why bother? If they came to Nancheng, the child would be registered there and able to go to school there, and perhaps her academic performance would improve.

At first, Erya's academic performance was indeed not very good, but there is a big difference between being forced to drop out of school and not wanting to study. Whenever Erya thought about being forced to drop out of school, she felt very uncomfortable. Her mother was too biased towards boys.

"It's good to go back to Nancheng, it's good to go back to Nancheng." Daya said, "You...are you married?"

"Yes, we are married." Erya said.

"When will the wedding be held?" Daya asked, "We don't know yet..."

"He's having a wedding in his hometown," Erya said. "We won't have one here. There's nothing much to do. Big sister, someone wants to see some clothes. I'm going over there now."

Erya still has to act as a shopping guide and can’t just stand there.

Daya watched Erya introduce clothes to others and remembered that she was here to buy clothes too. Daya didn't know that the shop belonged to Erya, she just thought that Erya worked there. Daya didn't want to bother Erya, so she looked at the clothes herself. If they were suitable, she would buy two sets of clothes. Daya had money, and the Mao family treated her very well.

Erya introduced the clothes to others. She was not the only one in the store. She asked someone to check out and she walked over to Daya.

"Do you want to buy clothes?" Erya asked.

"Yes, I want to buy clothes." Daya said.

"I own this shop. If you want to buy something from it, I'll give you the cost price," Erya said.

"You opened a shop?" Daya was shocked.

"Yes." Erya said, "I've worked for so many years and at least I've earned some money. Coming to South City, I have to find a job to support my family. Working in a factory means working for others. Opening my own store is better."

Erya is very hardworking. She worked as a shopping guide in other cities and earned a lot of commission. She saved her money and didn't spend it carelessly. The man she found was also a hardworking and diligent earner. She didn't want to find someone who was only good-looking and fancy. Erya didn't find a demolition household, because there are not so many demolition households in the world.

"The clothes in our store are all very good." Erya said, "You can take a look. There are also clothes sold online now. The styles look similar, but the quality is different."

"Selling clothes online?" Daya was surprised.

"Yes." Erya said, "There are clothes sold online. The place where I used to work sold them online."

The clothes sold online are not as good as those sold offline. People online want cheap things, but where can you find cheap and good things?

Online shopping has not yet developed very well. Some online stores still require buyers to pay for postage when selling things, and there is no free shipping.

"It's better to buy clothes offline so you can try them on," Erya said. "If you see something good, buy it. If you don't like something, don't buy it."

"When did you come here to open the shop?" Daya asked, "Is your husband here too?"

"No, he does other work." Arya said, "This shop is just me and the other employees. You can try them on, but you don't have to buy them."

Erya didn't think about making money from Daya. She was not Miao Guifeng and didn't think about exploiting her relatives.

In the end, Daya still bought two sets of clothes. Erya calculated the cost price for Daya and didn't charge her any more. Erya treated Daya like this because of how hard Daya had worked. After all, if Daya hadn't done those chores, Miao Guifeng would have forced Erya to do them.

Erya didn't blame Daya for not going to court with her. Daya was not herself. Daya had been oppressed from childhood to adulthood and didn't know how to resist. Erya lived in the south city. She wasn't afraid that Miao Guifeng and his wife would come to her side. She had already given them so many years of pension in one lump sum. No matter how much Miao Guifeng and his wife made trouble, they shouldn't come to Erya's side. When the court made the ruling, it also took into account that Miao Guifeng and his wife might need medical expenses in their old age, and awarded them more money.

When Mao's mother saw that Daya bought two sets of clothes at once, she was not unhappy.

"Are you willing to buy more clothes for yourself?" said Mao's mother.

Mao's mother felt that Daya just needed someone to talk to her. If no one told Daya to buy more clothes, Daya would not dare to buy them.

"I bought it in Erya's shop and gave it to me at cost price." Daya was afraid that Mao's mother would be unhappy.

"Erya is back?" Mao's mother was surprised.

"Yes, she's back. She and her husband came back to South City. They said that South City has good educational resources and good conditions in all aspects." Daya said, "She had to come back."

"That's right." Mao's mother nodded. "Our Nancheng's conditions are indeed very good in all aspects. They made the right choice to come to Nancheng. They already have a Nancheng household registration, so they don't have to go through any other trouble. Without a Nancheng household registration, it would be difficult to handle it."

When Miao Guifeng learned that Erya had returned to Nancheng, she went to Erya's store. She didn't go in, but just watched from a distance. Damn Erya, Miao Guifeng thought about the demolition money that Erya had taken away.

Miao Guifeng did not walk up to Erya. Erya had a bad temper and Miao Guifeng didn't want to be bothered by her.

Miao Guifeng looked for a while and then went back. Erya saw Miao Guifeng, but she did not go to her, let alone say that she wanted to give Miao Guifeng clothes. Erya did not even give Daya clothes, let alone give Miao Guifeng clothes.

"Erya is back." Miao Guifeng said to Yang Bingrong while holding a bowl.

The three of them were eating. Sanya ate silently. She wasn't married yet, but she was working. She had only just started working and didn't have much money, so she had to stay home for the time being. She had a separate room at home, and at least she could eat.

Sanya would sometimes do some housework, but not much. After all, Sanya graduated from a junior college, which was the highest degree in the family, so Miao Guifeng and his wife didn't make things too difficult for Sanya.

"You're back." Yang Bingrong said.

"I'm back." Miao Guifeng looked at Sanya, "Sanyah, did your second sister tell you?"

"No, no." San Ya said, "I didn't even know Second Sister was back."

"That's right, South City is quite big." Miao Guifeng said, "Others said Erya was back, so I went to take a look and found out that she was back. Erya actually had the nerve to come back, why didn't she just die outside?"

Sanya thought that Erya could definitely come back. Erya had a Nancheng hukou, so she wouldn't have to look at Miao Guifeng and his wife's expressions when she came back. Sanya thought that she sometimes envied Erya. Erya worked hard to make money and opened a shop. Sanya's monthly salary was not particularly high, but she worked in an office, so she didn't have to work too hard.

"San Ya, go back and ask your second sister what she wants to do?" Miao Guifeng said, "We have already given her her share of the money."

Miao Guifeng was worried that Erya would want to cause trouble again and they had nothing to give her.

"Okay." San Ya said.

San Ya quickly went to Er Ya's shop and told her what Miao Guifeng had said truthfully.

"Haha." Erya sneered, "She's still the same as before, always thinking that we're trying to take away her things, her son's things. I came back to live, not to take away their things. If they treat me badly, I'll naturally treat them badly too."

"Second sister, do you... do you want to go over? Go to see our parents?" San Ya asked.

"No," Erya said, "Our lawsuit has already come to such a state, there's no way we're going there again. You're not thinking about me giving them New Year's gifts, are you?"

"No, no." San Ya said.

"It's better not to." Arya said, "Tell them that as long as they don't provoke me, I won't provoke them. I am a man of my word."

As the Chinese New Year was approaching, Aunt Lu called Jiang's mother and said that she was not feeling well, but her children did not take her to the hospital.

Second Aunt Lu's heart condition had always been bad, and after a visit to the hospital, it was confirmed that the problem was just that. Mother Jiang was in her seventies, and Second Aunt Lu was even older than her.

"That's what happens when you get old. Our children just don't care about us anymore," said Aunt Lu. "When we ask them to do something, they just say they don't have time and can't do it."

"They might be really busy," Jiang's mother said. "It's not easy working."

"It's impossible for them to be busy every day. They just don't want to come to my place." Aunt Lu said, "Ever since their father passed away, they care even less about me. They hired a nanny to take care of me, and they come over less often each month. They said it takes turns, and it's fine as long as someone comes."

“…” Jiang’s mother didn’t think those people did anything wrong. Second Aunt Lu’s children had children, and some even had grandchildren.

People who had children early in the past naturally had children and grandchildren.

"I'm old now, a burden to them. I can't even say a few words," said Aunt Lu. "If I say a few words, they tell me to stop. There's nothing to say. They also say times have changed and ask me not to say those things. If I say a few words when the nanny isn't doing her job well, they also tell me to stop."

Second Aunt Lu felt abandoned by her family. They didn't take care of her themselves, but instead had a nanny take care of her. She longed to have family around, but they didn't live with her, instead letting her live with the nanny. Her children said hiring a nanny would be better than having her live in a nursing home.

But Aunt Lu didn't feel that way. She felt lonely and isolated staying at home alone without her children visiting. She also didn't want to go to a nursing home, as there were many people there and not everyone would sleep in a room.

"Then just say less." Jiang's mother said.

"What about you?" Aunt Lu said.

"Me?" Jiang's mother said, "I'm fine."

"Did Jasmine and the others ask you to speak less?" asked Aunt Lu.

"No," Jiang's mother said, "Those servants are doing a good job. We don't need to say anything. Those who don't do a good job are fired. This is also a common thing."

Jiang Moli and her husband spent so much money hiring people to do things, and if those people didn't do their job well, it was natural for Jiang Moli to continue to employ them. Good servants are basically not on the market. They can keep working and the master won't ask them to leave. The servants in Jiang Moli's house are all pretty good. They all do their job well and don't think of being lazy or cunning.

Jiang's mother lives a good life here. The servants don't mind her raising chickens and ducks. There are servants who help her take care of the chickens and ducks, and also take care of the fields.

If you pay someone to do something and they don't do it well, you can certainly criticize them. But if you criticize someone who has already done a great job, they won't be able to handle it.

"Your family has changed nannies several times, right?" Jiang's mother said. Aunt Lu had called her several times.

Aunt Lu always complained about the nanny's poor performance, saying that the nanny didn't clean the floor properly or that the nanny didn't cook to her taste. Aunt Lu was very talkative, sometimes she told the nanny to get out, and sometimes it was the nanny who didn't do the work herself.

The nanny said that they were also human beings, they were working, not here to kneel down.

"It's just a few times." Aunt Lu said, "It's not changed every day. Those people don't do a good job, so they have to be changed. If they don't change, the nanny will bully them."

When Aunt Lu went out to play, people would say that the nanny would steal things from the house and that she would do this and that. Aunt Lu felt that she had to be on guard against the nanny and not let her take more things from the house.

A nanny is a nanny. If a nanny uses the employer's things, it depends on what they use.

The nanny is forbidden from using any slightly more expensive items. Even with meals, Aunt Lu has to see what the nanny eats. She thinks she can eat meat, but the nanny can't, because the meat is paid for by the family. If the nanny buys meat with her own money, Aunt Lu will grumble, wondering if she's using the family's money instead of her own.

This means that no matter what the nanny does, no matter how well she does it, Aunt Lu will always have something to say. How can the nanny tolerate this? Even Aunt Lu's own children can't stand it. Those children just want to find someone to take care of Aunt Lu, and that's it.

Uncle Lu passed away a few years ago. He could have held on for a few more years, but his former son-in-law cheated everyone out of so much money. Uncle Lu was hit hard and didn't last many years. When Uncle Lu was alive, he felt guilty, thinking that if he hadn't said those things to his relatives, they wouldn't have been cheated out of so much money.

Second Aunt Lu couldn't say those words to Uncle Lu, and she didn't want to say them to her brother, so she told Mother Jiang. Second Aunt Lu thought that Mother Jiang had several servants at home, so would Mother Jiang say a few more words?

In reality, Jiang's mother didn't say much to the servants, nor did she pay much attention to them. These matters didn't require Jiang's mother's concern. If the servants didn't want to lose their high-paying jobs, they would work hard on their own.

Aunt Lu's children didn't pay much money for the nanny, and Aunt Lu herself was still complaining about it. If the nanny couldn't continue the job, she would naturally leave.

"They won't necessarily bully people," Jiang's mother said. "If that doesn't work, put up a camera for surveillance."

"I've already been bullied, what's the point of watching the surveillance?" Aunt Lu said, "It's useless. I told them that the nanny was bad, but they just said I had a weird temper. They said I'm getting weirder as I get older. Is my temper really that bad? Just because they sent someone to take care of me, does that mean I can't say anything?"

Second Aunt Lu was very dissatisfied. It would have been fine if her children hadn't come to see her often, but they acted like they had done a lot for her. It was just that she was too demanding. Second Aunt Lu didn't think she was being demanding; she even thought she had a good temper.