"Oh dear, we still haven't finished eating that little bit of food. Let my mom quickly take it out and cook it for you."

Food will spoil and lose its nutritional value if left out for too long, so I'll buy some fresh food this weekend.

Tell my mom that if she doesn't finish it, I'll throw it away when I get home. She's wasting good food.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Hong was still fuming. Honestly, she disapproved of her mother's lifestyle the most.

To put it nicely, they're good at managing their finances, but little do they know, the more they save, the bigger the hole will be waiting for them!

The seafood and beef she brought back are best eaten while they're fresh—delicious and healthy.

They wouldn't eat it until it spoiled and tasted bad. By then, it wouldn't have any nutritional value left. You'd be lucky if it didn't give you diarrhea.

On Friday, Chen Hong picked up her child from school and drove straight back to her parents' home.

Chen Hong's mother was especially happy today; her daughter gave her a big surprise as soon as she walked in the door.

The large gold bracelet and gold earrings were packaged in bright red brocade boxes, which were then covered with small silk bags.

The exquisite packaging alone is already very eye-catching. Both pieces of jewelry are made of solid gold, and they feel heavy in your hand, which makes you feel very reassured. My spouse said they are worth ten or twenty thousand yuan.

The old lady complained that her daughter was wasting money again, buying useless things that were neither edible nor drinkable, yet so expensive, what a waste.

But she put it on the very next day and wandered around the village several times. You could hear her scolding her granddaughter from a great distance:

"You silly child, you always love to snatch those shiny gold earrings. Your aunt just bought them for Grandma, don't you dare break them."

The pair of earrings your second aunt bought me were broken by you. I don't know what's wrong with you.

"Ouch, don't bite it! This is a solid gold bracelet, you'll break your teeth!"

She had been wandering around the village for several days in a row, annoying the old ladies and young wives to the point that they were chasing her away: "Chen Hong's mother, don't you have to do laundry every morning? Why aren't you home yet?"

"You just hang around in the village all the time, don't you ever cook or do housework?"

Chen Hong's mother, Versailles: "The food is easy to cook. My eldest daughter braised a lot of beef ribs, and the refrigerator is full of seafood."

Just reheat it when you get home, steam it, and it's ready to eat. Our family's meals are very simple.

I washed the clothes before I left home, and they dried quickly after I shook them out and hung them to dry when I got back.

My daughter just bought me a fully automatic washing machine. You put the clothes and detergent in, turn on the water, press the start button, and then you don't have to worry about it.

You know what, it's all the same; expensive things have their advantages, and money is never wasted.

Now I don't have to stand by while I do laundry. I just wash one side, spin it out the other, and then wash the other side again, back and forth.

No wonder it's called fully automatic, it really saves so much trouble! I'm so carefree now, Old Chen helps me wipe the table and sweep the floor at home.

I mainly take care of the kids, cook, visit friends and relatives, and watch TV.

I've figured it out now: having more kids is better; if one door closes, another opens.

"If this won't do, that will. There are several siblings; as long as one is doing well, they can help out the others."

The old lady was very proud and ostentatiously showed off for a few days, without Chen Hong and her father knowing anything about it.

The old lady was so low-key in her past life, never standing out. Who would have thought she'd become so flamboyant and showy now!

Chen Hong gave her father a new cell phone, which the old man liked very much. He kept saying that she was wasting money, but he couldn't put it down.

Her father put on his reading glasses, and without asking Chen Hong how to use them, he took the instruction manual and read it carefully, sentence by sentence.

While he was reading, Chen Hong fiddled with the various functions of his phone. Seeing how much effort he was putting in, she took the phone and wanted to teach him how to use it.

The old man immediately became unhappy, snatched it back, and muttered, "Don't you know that the songs you teach can't be sung?"

You're talking too fast for me to remember. Go on with your work! There's an instruction manual; I'll study it myself.

Once I've figured it out and gotten the hang of it, I'll be able to use it. If you're free, go to the kitchen and teach your mom how to steam the fish.

Then teach her how to make some dipping sauce; those shrimp and crabs need a good dipping sauce too, even when steamed!

Chen Hong felt slighted, but seeing that he was in high spirits, she touched her nose and went into the kitchen.

"You and Dad are both so hypocritical. You say you won't let me buy this or that, but once you actually bring them home, aren't you both quite happy using them?"

Her mother laughed: "We're just worried you'll spend money, aren't we? By the way, Xiaohong, did you tell Zhouyi when you bought things for the family?"

Don't do anything behind his back. You have a man now, so you need to discuss things with him.

When will Zhou Yi take you guys to Beijing?

"Once you go to Beijing, you'll be closer to Xiaoyun, and the two of you sisters can take care of each other. Your father and I will feel more at ease."

Chen Hong thought, "This old lady seems happy; she's speaking so kindly today."

"I haven't heard from him for a long time, he's probably on another mission. As his children, just accept whatever you need, don't ask any questions."

We're all grown up now, and we know our own lives. If we can afford it, we'll buy it for you; if not, please don't force us.

I might not be able to go to Beijing until summer vacation. Zhou Yi is very busy. The house has been approved, but he doesn't have time to take care of it now.

What's wrong? You want us to go to Beijing too? Are you worried about your little daughter?

"What nonsense are you talking about? What parent wants their child to live far away? I'm only doing this for your own good."

I've heard that it's hard to get a Beijing hukou (household registration), and that having one can reduce your child's score on college entrance exams.

Besides, once you're married, of course you should be a family together.

You're already thirty-five this year. While you're still young, hurry up and have another child for Zhouyi.

For second marriages, having a child together is key. Zhou Yi is two years older than you!

"She's almost forty and doesn't even have a son or daughter. Isn't she worried?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!