Zhou Xiang and Ling Ran nodded in unison.

Zhou Xiang said, "It sounds good. We need to find someone to draw up a design and see how it works. The two families above and below must agree to it in person. Otherwise, the family above will splash water on the family below every day, which will be very troublesome. Similarly, they are not allowed to splash water and throw things at the family behind. If they hit people or cars, it will be very troublesome. Alas, I am the mother of these people."

Professor Chu laughed. "If you want to build the town into a beautiful one, the quality of the townspeople must be improved. There are fewer people smoking and littering these days. However, I do have some objections to the town's five yuan monthly garbage disposal fee."

"Humph! They have to pay five dollars for just one or two packs of cigarettes, which might not even be enough for a day's smoking. Five dollars a month is still too much? Then he should stop throwing away garbage. The stores on the first and second streets will soon be charged sewage discharge fees."

"I heard those people complaining that it would be better not to install running water! They charge for both water supply and drainage, which is too shady."

"That's the water company's business, not mine. The government's fees are just to stop people from wasting water."

At this time, people at the dinner table had already started calling for dinner, and the discussion between the three of them ended there.

Dong Yunyue, who was taken back to the county town by her eldest son to celebrate the New Year, was being served by her eldest son and daughter-in-law like an ancestor.

Serve tea and water, serve rice and dishes.

This was the scene Dong Yunyue had been looking forward to the most since she gave birth to her first son. At this moment, she did not feel a single bit moved.

"Chun Jiang, although I am old, I am not blind. If you can serve me so attentively once, you can serve me like this twice. If you do it ten times at most, you will be back to your original form.

In the beginning, in order to buy that house, I was also courting others in this way. I borrowed money from more than one person, dozens of people, and I begged for it in this way with a thick skin.

Lu Chunjiang's face flushed, "Mom, I really don't have anything to ask you, isn't it Chinese New Year?

We have been living alone for more than half a year and we have come to realize how difficult it is to run a family. The monthly rent and daily necessities are overwhelming us.

After paying the water and electricity bills, we could barely afford to buy laundry detergent and toilet paper. There were only two of us, and you were responsible for the lives of eight people in the family.

It's Chinese New Year, and we're afraid you'll be reminded of your past at your aunt's place, so we'll bring you here to celebrate the New Year. The second son will come back to pick you up on the second day, and the third son will come back on the third day. After we've visited three houses, we'll send you back to the market town."

Dong Yunyue shook her head, "No, I will go to your uncle's house on the second day of the New Year, and then go back to the town with your aunt in the afternoon.

"Over the past six months, I've been the happiest and most comfortable person I've ever been. If I hadn't been worried that Ling Ran would beat you up if I refused, I definitely wouldn't have come. What's wrong with spending the New Year at your aunt's house? The New Year is all about having fun. Why would I have to deal with you, these awful things?"

Lu Chunjiang nodded. "Okay, okay, I won't take the job next year. Can you ask your cousin to let us go see you? This time, I went anyway."

Dong Yunyue nodded, "Okay, come and see me once a quarter. Just make sure I'm still alive. If I die, you'll naturally have to burn paper and kowtow and smash the old pot."

"Mom, eat this dish. I cooked it. When I was little, I always followed you around to ask for food, and I would watch you cook. Now, when I want to eat mom's dishes, I learn from memory." Lu Chunjiang changed the subject.

Dong Yunyue glanced at her eldest son and said, "It's useless to play the emotional card. A broken heart is like a mirror. Even if it is put back together, there will still be cracks."

After saying that, regardless of his eldest son's expression, he picked it up and tasted it, "Hmm! It's a bit similar, but still a little off."

"What's wrong? This is the dish I saw the most when I was a kid."

"It's all about love. Back then, our family wasn't well off, so I prepared every dish with great care, wanting you to enjoy the meal and be able to taste the meat even without it."

"Mom!" Lu Chunjiang burst into tears. "Mom, I know we were bastards. Now I regret the most that I didn't set a good example for my two younger brothers. We don't ask for your forgiveness, but only ask that you give us a few glances occasionally.

It is true that mom is always at home. The three of us are living our own lives as we wished. But the mom who has always been there to protect us from the wind and rain has been driven away by us.

We have to face not only various living expenses, but also unexpected events that we don’t know how to deal with, and various social expenses that we don’t know how to communicate with.

These are all common sense things you've talked about, but we haven't paid much attention to. Mom, we'll occasionally talk to you about how to deal with some things. You want to live a happy and free life, and we understand because we once longed for freedom, but we didn't know that our peaceful life was carried by someone else.

Tears streamed down Dong Yunyue's eyes. She put down the bowl and said, "Chunjiang, I still say what I said just now. We can't go back to the past. I will talk to Ling Ran. If you want to come and chat with me, you can. It will still be once a quarter. If there is any emergency, you can call Ling Ran.

After we broke up, my days were happy and yours were miserable, so you regretted it. But what if it were the other way around? What if I told you that I regretted it?

There are ten cubs in the mother's belly, but there is not a single mother in the cubs' belly. I have forgiven you countless times, but all I get is more and more dissatisfaction.

Chunjiang, let me finally chat with you about family matters. I don't need you to support me in my old age. But your father is the burden to you three after he is released from prison. He has been fired from all his public posts.

You still have a chance to step into the town, but your father, don't even think about setting foot there. When he instigated the three of you, didn't he want to leave me behind and rely on you three for his retirement?

This is a responsibility you can't evade, so don't even think about opening a loophole on my side. I have no responsibility for him. If you piss me off, I'll file for divorce and see who's embarrassed."

Wiping away her tears, Dong Yunyue returned to another room in the broken yard.

This is near my eldest daughter-in-law's parents' home. With the construction of the county town, many people have moved to the suburbs to rent houses, and the rent in the suburbs has also increased.

This yard is so shabby, it’s not as comfortable as living in the single dormitory!

Alas~ Because she thought her eldest son could still pick her up for the New Year, and because she didn't want to make things difficult for Ling Ran, she went with her eldest son. At this moment, she really regretted it. If her eldest son really lived a happy and comfortable life, how could he think of her?

In the afternoon, it snowed heavily outside. Zhou wanted to ask Ling Ran to call his aunt.

"Have you asked Auntie if she's seen her son's face? It's snowing so hard, and the conditions in the suburbs are terrible. Why would she go through that?"

Ling Ran was not very happy, "She wanted to do it herself, no one forced her."

"Hurry up, do you want to kneel on the washboard?" Zhou Xiang pretended to threaten.

Ling Ran picked up his phone and reluctantly called Lu Chunjiang, "Ask my aunt to answer the phone."

Lu Chunjiang agreed, "Wait, I'll go call my mom."

The door was not locked, so Lu Chunjiang pushed it open. Seeing the person sleeping on the bed, he gently pushed it.

"Mom, my cousin called."

Dong Yunyue took great effort to open her eyes, "Chunjiang, I might have caught a cold. I feel uncomfortable all over."