"Mom, you didn't go to the stall today?" Wei Deng came over on Sunday afternoon. In the past, he wouldn't come even if Song Xia asked him to. He probably couldn't resist the two meals he had during the New Year.

"It's raining outside, can't you see? Are you trying to kill your mother with exhaustion?!"

Wei Deng gave an awkward smile: "What about my sister?"

"Your sister went out shopping."

"Didn't you tell her to study at home? Why did she have to go shopping out of the blue? Shopping costs money, where did she get the money?"

"You can spend money but your sister can't?" Song Xia retorted. "Why do you have such a big problem with your sister?"

Wei Deng's eyes widened. Did his mother really say that? Wasn't it his mother who used to have the biggest complaints about his sister?

“Isn’t Sister Ke currently unemployed? Even if she’s not working, she still has to spend money. Our family isn’t very wealthy, so my living expenses have been reduced.”

"What, didn't your sister earn money during those few months of work? She can spend her money on you, but not on herself?"

"Mom, you didn't say that before, so why are you blaming me?"

"Mom is asking you, do you have a girlfriend?"

Wei Deng was baffled: "Weren't we talking about how much money you spent shopping? Why are you bringing up whether I have a girlfriend or not?"

"Just answer honestly, did you pay it or not? If you don't answer honestly, Mom won't cook for you to take to school anymore."

Weiden could only nod: "I've paid it. Is there a problem?"

“That’s right.” Song Xia said seriously, “You have a girlfriend, so you have to spend money on her. Where does your money come from? Isn’t it the allowance I give you? Your girlfriend, an outsider, can spend our family’s money, so why can’t your sister spend it? Your sister is, after all, a piece of flesh from Mom’s body.”

Wei Deng pondered his mother's words repeatedly. They seemed to make sense, but didn't his mother used to despise his sister for being a money-loser?

"What kind of look is that?" Song Xia glared at him. "You look down on your sister because she's a girl? Mom is a woman too. Are you going to look down on Mom as well?"

"Mom, that's not what I meant. This isn't how you used to be..."

"Mom was wrong before. Your sister was born to me, how could she be less than a stranger?"

“Mo Ru is not an outsider. After we graduate and get married, she will be your daughter-in-law and give you grandchildren to take care of you.”

Song Xia waved her hand: "Let's not talk about whether we can get married or not. Even if she becomes my daughter-in-law, which daughter-in-law is filial to her mother-in-law these days? It's always the mother-in-law who spends money and effort, and then gets criticized and scolded online. Besides, your future daughter-in-law has no obligation to be filial to me. If you're going to rely on her to be filial, you might as well rely on you and your sister."

As she spoke, Song Xia's expression softened considerably: "Look at your sister, she's been obedient and sensible since she was little. After she grew up, she transferred most of her salary to me. Isn't she more reliable than a future daughter-in-law? So Mom has to be nicer to your sister now. When your sister passes the civil service exam, she'll have more holidays. Even if Mom gets sick or something, your sister will have time to take care of her."

Hearing this, Wei Deng panicked. If his mother started to value his older sister, what about him?

"Mom, my sister will eventually get married, and her future will definitely revolve around her husband's family, her husband, and her children. How can she possibly take care of you?"

"You can afford to worry about that?"

"Of course I can take care of that. You'll definitely be relying on me to take care of you in your old age!"

"You were so busy with your stall yesterday, why didn't you come over when I asked you to?"

Wei Deng stammered, "I'm here to study, aren't I? Your business is so-so, and you still have your sister. Wouldn't it be a burden for you if I came over?"

Song Xia snorted: "You always have so many excuses when it comes to doing chores. If I wait for you to be filial, your mother will probably die before you ever see it."

"So you don't want me to give our Wei family a grandson?" Wei Deng used his most common trick, not believing that his mother would still favor his sister with this trick.

"Have a grandson? You want to have one, but does your future daughter-in-law want to? You don't have the right to have children. If the first child is a daughter, the second one might not be a son. Can you afford to raise two or three children? Mom doesn't want to gamble on the probability of having a son on the first try. Besides, the child will take your father's surname, not mine. Why should I care so much?"

Wei Deng's eyes widened again. When did Mom change her mind? If she stopped favoring boys over girls, would he still have any advantage in this family?

Song Xia sighed, "After coming to the big city, Mom has come to terms with it. It seems like having a son or a daughter is pretty much the same. Mom sets up a stall next to the hospital, and every day it's daughters who come to take care of the elderly and buy breakfast. I've never seen many sons patiently serving her. Coming once every three or five days is considered filial piety. So what's the use of having a son? Even if one or two generations are sons, can you guarantee that every generation will be sons? It's not like there's a throne to inherit in the family. Even emperors in history didn't all have sons. They had so many concubines!"

Wei Deng was speechless, feeling extremely agitated and panicked. He repeatedly assured her, "Mom, I'm definitely different from those people. You've loved me so much since I was little, how could I not be filial to you?"

“You’re so filial to me, but when you got your first paycheck, you didn’t even mention buying anything for Mom.”

Wei Deng fell silent again. Judging from his mother's expression, she seemed to have serious doubts about his filial piety. How could this be allowed? If she started to favor his sister in the future, he wouldn't even be able to get the monthly allowance of a little over a thousand yuan.

"How about I come and help you set up your stall every weekend from now on?"

"No need, Mom was just saying, how could I really let you come?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Deng breathed a sigh of relief; his mother still loved him after all.

"Just focus on your studies now, and find a good job after graduation. Don't let setting up a stall now hold you back. If you can't afford the rent later, your mom will have to help you out."

Wei Deng's heart, which had been at ease, became anxious again, and he was still somewhat at a loss. Judging from his mother's words, she didn't plan to take care of him after graduation.

"By the way, what do you want to eat for dinner?"

Weiden stopped making demands and instead smiled broadly, saying, "Mom, I love everything you make."

"Okay, go grocery shopping with Mom. Mom's arms and shoulders have been hurting from running the stall lately. You can carry it for me. I'll cook a couple more dishes for you to take to school. Don't just think about your girlfriend, share some with your roommates too."

"Mmm." Wei Deng nodded repeatedly. He would agree to anything as long as his mother agreed to cook for him to take to school.

When they arrived at the market, Song Xia, as expected, didn't spoil him. She not only bought vegetables for Wei Deng to carry, but also bought some heavy seasonings and fruits, handing them all over to him, while she herself went empty-handed.

Wei Deng walked behind with a mournful look on his face. If it were in the past, his mother would never have been willing to tire herself out like this. When he was a child, he could just eat snacks while shopping without having to do anything. Was it because his mother had been setting up a stall next to the hospital for too long and had become accustomed to the real scenes at the hospital?

And those men, they can't even pretend to be nice? They're even dragging themselves down so that they might no longer be valued by their mothers.