When Father Zhang came back from the village, he went to look for his wife as soon as he entered the yard.

Mother Zhang was holding her little grandson and silently calculating something in her mind. When she heard the noise, she looked up and found it was her old man. She didn't care and continued thinking.

"What's wrong? Why are you frowning? The child is old enough to go to the nursery. You've told me so many times, why don't you just send him there? He cried so much the past few nights that I didn't sleep well."

Zhang's mother, distracted by him, forgot about the account she had forgotten and said with a cheerful laugh, "This child isn't as easy to take care of as ours. You couldn't tell in the first few months, but now that he's grown up, you can see his temper. He's a hot-tempered child."

Father Zhang glanced at his grandson, shook his head, and smiled. This kid, thanks to his uncle's blessing, had plenty of food and supplies. He really knew how to choose the right time to reincarnate.

"Meihao's mother-in-law came over at noon and specially gave us two fish. She said Xiaowu sent something to his second sister again. Dad, I estimated that Xiaowu's monthly salary is not enough to cover his expenses. Write to him and ask him to save some money and stop sending so many things back."

Father Zhang always felt like he had forgotten something to tell his wife. After a long while, he slapped his forehead and said, "I remember now. Didn't his father-in-law ask someone to buy a lot of seafood before the New Year? He asked someone to bring two large baskets of yellow croaker and prawns to Xiaowu. Xiaowu asked me not to tell anyone and make things difficult for Uncle Chen."

Mother Zhang shook her head. "No. That's not what I meant. Forget it, I'll figure it out myself. Why did you come back so early today? Is everything okay in the village?"

Father Zhang took his grandson, laid him on the kang, and said with a smile, "My eldest brother said that the weather has been good since the beginning of spring, and life won't be difficult this year. I think it will be fine. Every family has their own private plot of land, so we can finally get through it."

"That's good. Xiaowu's Aunt Ye met me while buying groceries and told me that many children were suffering from diseases caused by lack of food."

Father Zhang quickly said, "It's okay to say these things in private, don't shout them out."

"I'm with you every day, how could I not know?"

After hearing this, Father Zhang didn't say anything else and turned to talk about the news he heard today.

"I heard a big news in the village today. The eldest daughter-in-law of the old Zhou family died and was secretly buried in the ancestral tomb by her family. Everyone with the last name Zhou in Zhoujia Village was furious when they heard about it. They said the old Zhou family did things too badly and didn't even consult with the clan members. It's a good thing that there is a change of dynasty now. If it were in the past, she would have been expelled from the clan."

Zhang's mother widened her eyes when she heard this.

"It's nothing strange. That woman did all sorts of bad things, but surprisingly, her son is still quite filial to her. It's worth it for her to fight so hard for her children."

Zhang's mother nodded. After a moment's thought, she said, "Send a letter to Xiaowu about the Zhou family's matter. Don't just ignore it because the two families are no longer related. I heard from the second son that they seem to want to move back again. It's a mess."

"Okay, I'll write it tonight."

Mother Zhang looked at the sky, stood up and said, "Please help me look after my grandson first. I'm going to Meili's house. You weren't home today, and Ziwen came over and said that his grandmother seemed unwell last night. Don't leave like Old Lady Zhou."

"Go ahead, walk slowly and don't fall."

Mother Zhang glanced at her husband and asked, "Am I a child?"

Father Zhang watched his wife rush out the door, smiled and shook his head. She really was a stubborn person.

Zhang's mother left the yard in a hurry and began to walk steadily. She was still wondering where she had just been. When she got to Zhang Meili's house, she gathered her thoughts and pushed open the gate.

Accountant Zhang was tending to the seeds in the yard. When he saw her come in, he smiled and said, "Why are you here? Where's your grandson?"

"The child's father is home, I came to see my sister-in-law. Ziwen said she wasn't feeling well. Is she feeling better now?"

Accountant Zhang put down his work and said, "The mother of the child is fine, you guys can chat. I'm going to talk to the second brother. I don't know what's going on in the team."

Mother Zhang said with a cheerful smile, "Go ahead. You two old brothers are just the right companions."

After watching her in-laws leave, Zhang's mother walked into the room while shouting happily.

"Come on... sit down..." Accountant Zhang's wife Liu waved to her.

"You're becoming more and more articulate now. I think it won't be long before you recover. God bless you. You won't have to suffer anymore."

Liu smiled and nodded, "It's...a small loss...five."

Mother Zhang helped her off the kang. "What's the relationship between our two families? There's no need to be polite. Don't go back home now. Look how well you've taken care of yourself this winter. We're old now, and we should take care of ourselves. We also have to look after Ziwen and his children and find wives for your grandchildren. Isn't that right?"

There is a reason why Zhang's mother said this.

Every winter, Zhang Chunming and Zhang Meili would take Liu back to the county town. Back in the village, they had to economize on firewood, often huddling with the grandchildren of their parents for warmth. Liu had no chance of rest.

For this reason, Zhang Chunming, despite his father's objections, resolutely took the elderly couple back to the county town for the winter. He was also moved by the filial piety of his wife and brothers. He couldn't afford to provide for the elderly like his brother-in-law, but he could squeeze out some food, work more overtime, and plant more sweet potatoes in the yard to provide for his parents.

Zhang's mother strongly supports her son-in-law's actions and offers support through practical means. She's not one to lecture him, but she believes he's done nothing wrong. It's natural for children to honor their parents.

She knew that her eldest daughter and her husband were too shy to accept help from their in-laws, but she always remembered how much help her eldest daughter and her husband had given to the family in the early years.

The couple was offered a subsidy, but they refused. So Zhang's mother changed her approach and asked her three grandchildren to go home with Xizi and his family to do their homework every day, and then let them go after dinner.

Therefore, Zhang Chunming's family did not become financially strapped because of his parents' arrival. Instead, with a series of promotions for Zhang Chunming and his wife, the family's life became better and better.

Liu happily said yes.

Last night, her daughter-in-law had also persuaded her to stay home and help take care of the children when she felt better. She knew the children were very filial. The grandchildren were old enough, and their grandmother lived next door. They didn't need someone like her who couldn't work.

It was almost time to get off work, so Zhang Chunming rode his bike in a hurry. As soon as he got home, he heard his mother-in-law's voice and ran happily to his parents' room.

"Mom, Meili has been transferred to the union. She won't be working in the workshop anymore."

Mother Zhang was overjoyed and clapped her hands. "Isn't that your Aunt Zuo's job? That's great! You don't have to work so hard. What about you? Are you still working overtime every day?"

"I just got promoted not long ago. I have to work hard to keep it under control. It will be easy after a while." Zhang Chunming hurriedly comforted his two mothers.

Zhang Chunming never said he worked overtime primarily to earn more money. Over the years, his seniority and performance had boosted his salary from 36 yuan to 52 yuan, but he still felt it wasn't enough. With three sons, a daughter, and his parents, the pressure on him was immense.

Over the past few years, my family has relied on my brother-in-law to get through one difficult time after another. But no matter how good a relative is, you can't just take without giving back. Xiaowu is a good man, but I can't always rely on him for support.