As Ma Xiaolan and Yang Shuying were chatting, Sun Juxiang and Zhang Guiying returned with their grandson Tian Wenbo.

Last night, Zhang Guiying received a message from her eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Maihong, saying that her son, Sun Hu, wanted to eat the buckwheat pancakes she made. Zhang Guiying almost couldn't wait until dawn.

I got up at four in the morning to make pancakes for my beloved grandson, and delivered them to them with Sun Juxiang as soon as it was light.

As a result, Sun Hu ate very little, but his son Sun Jianguo and daughter-in-law Liu Maihong each ate several large pieces.

After they finished eating, the couple went to work, while Zhang Guiying helped them tidy up the house, clean, do laundry, and take care of Liu Hu and Tian Wenbo. She was busy until the afternoon, and was so tired that she felt dizzy.

After Liu Maihong got off work, Zhang Guiying originally wanted to come back, but Liu Maihong wanted to eat her corn dumplings and sour dumpling soup, so she cooked dinner for the family again, served them until they finished eating and drinking, and only came back after washing the pots.

Upon seeing Ma Xiaolan's hair, Zhang Guiying's face immediately darkened. Ignoring the presence of outsiders, she pointed at Ma Xiaolan and scolded, "Look at yourself! Don't you have any sense of how to live a decent life?"

Ma Xiaolan blushed and asked, "What's wrong, Mom?"

"Is this how you squander your money? You even got a perm. Don't you know how old you are? You're still thinking about seducing random men."

Sun Juxiang snorted and went inside.

Tian Wenbo stuck his tongue out at Ma Xiaolan and went inside.

Ma Xiaolan's face turned from red to pale. She didn't even call her "Mom," and her voice turned several degrees colder, "How can you talk like that?"

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? I was wondering why Jianjun was suddenly not receiving his salary. Turns out he was thinking about dressing himself up."

Zhang Guiying sneered, "Are you planning to find someone else behind my son's back? Why don't you take a good look at yourself? Do you really think any random man would be interested in you?"

Ma Xiaolan was so angry that her vision went black and she staggered a few steps.

Yang Shuying couldn't stand it any longer. She stood up and said, "Xiaolan, weren't you going to buy groceries? Go ahead and go."

After Ma Xiaolan left, Yang Shuying smiled and said to Zhang Guiying, "Sister, we're all family, let's talk nicely, why hurt our harmony?"

A few days ago, when Yang Shuying came over, Zhang Guiying wasn't there. She looked at Yang Shuying and asked, "Who are you?"

“I am Jiang Xuan’s aunt from her maternal family. I’ve come to visit her.”

Upon hearing that she was from the Jiang family, Zhang Guiying didn't say anything nice. "I'm a straightforward person, so please don't mind me. The reason my daughter-in-law has become like this is all because of your niece's teaching. Sigh, it's too much for my heart to bear."

Zhang Guiying took a few deep breaths. "You mean she was so close to the door? How could she do something like this?"

"Big sister, what did our HyunHyun do?"

“My daughter-in-law used to be quite family-oriented and did her job well. She always gave her salary to my son to manage. My son went to high school and is very smart. He has no problem keeping accounts.”

“But ever since your niece and her husband moved in, they’ve been inseparable. She’s stopped contributing her salary and neglecting the household. She’s always dressing herself up in a flashy, seductive way. Look, she got her hair permed again today. Tell me, how can I not be angry?”

"Big sister, don't be angry. Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart," Yang Shuying said in a low voice. "My niece has a hard life. She has no parents."

“I took the child home because I felt sorry for him. I know in my heart that the child needs to be disciplined, but as you know, it’s not my own child, so it’s too difficult to find the right balance when disciplining him.”

Yang Shuying sighed, "If our own children make mistakes, we can hit them or scold them if we want, and they won't hold a grudge. But it's different with other people's children."

"Sister, don't you think that makes sense?"

Zhang Guiying nodded.

“I suffer from being illiterate, but my younger brother is a college student. He always tells me about the importance of education, so he has been working hard to support Jiang Xuan’s education, hoping that the child can get into a good university, secure a job in the country, and never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life. That way, I, as his aunt, can rest assured.”

"But who knew, she didn't pass the exam. It's not a big deal that she didn't pass. I was thinking of having her repeat a year, but she absolutely refused to go and came directly to Ningzhou instead."

“Sigh, her uncle and I are so worried about this that we can’t eat or sleep.”

Zhang Guiying asked in surprise, "Wasn't this marriage between her and the Lu family arranged by you?"

"Sigh, her grandfather and the old man of the Lu family are on good terms, and the two of them secretly arranged a marriage between their children. This Lu family kid is quite handsome, but I didn't expect that he was a divorcee."

Yang Shuying sighed repeatedly, "Xuanxuan is not even 20 years old yet, how could she become a stepmother to such grown children? And two children at that. It's all our fault for not finding out beforehand. If I had known about this, I would never have agreed to their marriage, even if you killed me."

Zhang Guiying patted Yang Shuying's hand and said, "Sister, you are a very honest person, but as the old saying goes, 'You can make enemies in your own rice bowl.' Your niece is more cunning than a sieve, and I don't think she will remember your kindness."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuying felt as if she had found a kindred spirit. She lifted her clothes and wiped her eyes, saying, "Sister, to be honest, I don't expect the child to remember my kindness. As long as she lives a good life, I will be at peace for the rest of my life."

"But the thought of her becoming a stepmother makes my heart feel like it's being stabbed with an awl."

Yang Shuying clutched her chest and choked up.

“Back when she was in school, everyone thought she and a young man from the next village would get together because they were exchanging glances.”

Zhang Guiying thought to herself: No wonder she likes to dress up so much; it turns out she's never been a proper person.

"Girl, don't be sad. Fate is predetermined. There's no use in overthinking. You have to live your own life."

Zhang Guiying leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "But sister, don't be so honest. As far as I know, the Lu family is quite well-off and has connections. You could try to find a way to benefit your children. What do your children do?"

“My son works in a machinery factory in our small county town and is not married yet. My eldest daughter is married to someone from the next village. My youngest daughter is more promising; she got into Ningzhou University.”

“Both of your daughters are good. Why don’t you ask them to help you transfer your son’s job? My son is a technician at a state-owned machinery factory.” Zhang Guiying pointed outside, “It’s not far from this yard. I heard that some people get into their factory through connections.”

Yang Shuying was intrigued. "You can get transferred into such a big factory?"

“It’s difficult for ordinary people, but the Lu family has connections, right? You can go and say a word and there won’t be any problems. When your son is transferred to Ningzhou, the factory might even provide housing. Then you and your husband can live in Ningzhou too.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Jiang Xuan and Lu Shengye returned with Dian Dian and Fan Xing.