Chapter 88 Tang Family, Tang Tang

After dinner, Shen Xuewei tidied up her usual room, and Chen Fangli brought over a quilt.

“Your aunt will sleep with you tonight. She’s a restless sleeper and will try to steal the blanket. So you two will each have your own blanket.”

Before Shen Xuewei could speak, Chen Fanglan, who was standing outside the door pulling Chu De'an to try on clothes, became unhappy.

"Second sister, who are you talking about? Who fights over the blankets at night? That's ancient history, don't accuse me wrongly!"

If she hadn't interrupted, things would have been fine, but judging from her tone, Shen Xuewei knew that her second aunt must be right.

Chu De'an hadn't seen Shen Xuewei for quite some time, and after trying on the new clothes, he lost interest.

I can't wear the new clothes right away; I have to wait until the New Year to wear them.

He would rather have fun with Shen Xuewei than wear clothes.

As soon as she changed her clothes, she would drag Shen Xuewei to the village to play with other children.

The sisters, Chen Fangli and Chen Fanglan, were about to have a private conversation when they saw them leaving. They didn't stop them, but simply told them to watch their step.

It's good that they're not bothering us.

Everyone in the village knows each other, so the two of them can't go very far. At most, they can go to the Tang family's house or the small shop.

Chen Fangli took a flashlight from a drawer and gave it to the two of them. "Go ahead, remember to stay in the village. Don't go anywhere else, understand?"

Shen Xuewei and her brother nodded at the same time and said in unison, "We understand."

"Go ahead. Weiwei, keep an eye on the time. You must be back to sleep before nine o'clock."

Chen Fangli knew that Shen Xuewei owned a watch.

"Okay, Weiwei, I'll remember. I'll definitely be back before nine o'clock."

Chu De'an, standing to the side, was already impatiently tugging at her clothes.

Shen Xuewei glared at him, and he awkwardly lowered his hand, but continued to urge Shen Xuewei on.

Shen Xuewei spoke to Chen Fanglan beside her, and then left with Chu De'an.

Chu De'an walked ahead with a flashlight, but seeing that Shen Xuewei was moving slowly, he stopped and waited for her.

The two first went to the village store, where Shen Xuewei bought him a bag of spicy strips and a bag of sunflower seeds, and then headed towards the Tang family's house with the items.

The Tang family's television was the largest in the entire village.

Every evening, the village children love to go to Tang's house to watch TV.

When Shen Xuewei and her companion arrived at the Tang family home, there were already seven or eight children sitting in the Tang family hall, watching television intently.

Chu De'an abandoned Shen Xuewei and ran off to join the group of children.

Shen Xuewei greeted the Tang family members with a smile.

"Aunt Hu, Uncle Tang, it's been a long time! How have you been lately?"

When Hu Lirong saw her, her previously cold expression softened into a forced smile.

"It's Weiwei. She's doing well, she's doing well."

Uncle Tang nodded, smoking a cigarette.

Shen Xuewei glanced behind the two of them and asked, "Is Xiaotang home? I haven't seen her for a while."

Hu Lirong raised her chin slightly. "She had an upset stomach earlier and is still in the toilet. You can watch TV for a while, she'll be out soon."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xuewei said "okay" and sat down quietly to watch TV.

A short while later, Tang Tang came out of the restroom and immediately saw Shen Xuewei smiling and waving at her.

Her eyes lit up, and she quietly pulled up a small stool and sat down next to Shen Xuewei. "Sister Weiwei, what brings you here?"

Shen Xuewei poked the dimple on her cheek and teased, "I missed you, so I came to see you. What, you don't like me coming to see you?"

Tang Tang quickly hugged her waist and said coquettishly, "No, it's not like that. I haven't seen you in so long, I miss you so much."

Shen Xuewei tapped her nose and placed a handful of candy she had brought into her arms.

"I brought these especially for you; I chose the nicest ones. Do you like them?"

Tang Tang nodded vigorously, "I like it, thank you, Sister Weiwei."

Tang Tang is seven years old this year. Many girls in her class love to collect candy wrappers, and she has started collecting them too.

Shen Xuewei had watched her grow from a tiny little girl to what she is today, and because she was beautiful and had a well-behaved personality, she had always liked her very much.

Of all the children in Fuxing Village, besides Chu De'an, she was the one with the best relationship.

Tang Tang carefully put the candy that Shen Xuewei brought into her pocket and snuggled up to her to watch TV.

While watching TV, Tang Tang would occasionally say something to Shen Xuewei.

Although Shen Xuewei didn't say much, she responded to every single one of her questions.

Hu Lirong caught a glimpse of this scene and felt even more favorably toward Shen Xuewei.

After the movie ended, Uncle Tang showed a group of children their favorite cartoon.

When the animated series "The Legend of Nezha" was released, a group of children cheered excitedly.

Tang Tang always goes to bed early, and by eight o'clock, her eyelids were drooping intermittently.

Seeing this, Shen Xuewei mouthed something to Hu Lirong.

Hu Lirong approached and gently advised Tang Tang to go back to her room and sleep.

Tang Tang rubbed her eyes and followed her back to her room to sleep.

Seeing that it was almost time, Shen Xuewei recalled the annoyed looks on the faces of the Tang couple she had just seen.

Not wanting to linger at the Tang family's house, they called Chu De'an and left.

Chu De'an reluctantly got up, turning back every few steps until he could no longer see the television screen, before finally following Shen Xuewei.

Back at the Chu family home, Chen Fangli glanced at the clock above and, seeing that the two had returned before nine o'clock, praised them and urged them to wash their feet and go to bed quickly.

After washing her feet, Shen Xuewei climbed into bed and lay down on the inside.

After applying makeup to her face, Chen Fanglan turned off the light and lay down on the bed.

Shen Xuewei was drifting off to sleep when Chen Fanglan suddenly asked:

"Weiwei, has your uncle been asking the family for money lately?"

Shen Xuewei's sleepiness dissipated considerably. She opened her eyes and turned to look at Chen Fanglan.

"I only go home on weekends, and my grandparents usually don't talk to me about things at home. Auntie, did my uncle ask you for money?"

In the darkness, Chen Fanglan sighed.

"That's right. Over the past few months, he's borrowed three or four thousand yuan from me on and off. I don't know what he's going to do with it, and I don't even know if he's borrowed it from your grandparents. Even if he says he's borrowing, I doubt he'll pay it back..."

Shen Xuewei's heart sank, and she vaguely guessed what had happened.

Her uncle must have gotten addicted to gambling around this time.

She pulled the blanket over her head and said in a muffled voice, "Auntie, don't lend him money again. You won't get it back if you do."

Chen Fanglan also had this premonition, after all these years, none of the things that ended up in Chen Fangqiu's hands had been returned to her.

Knowing Chen Fangqiu's character, she still lent him the money, firstly because she was Chen Fangqiu's sister, and secondly because Chen Fangqiu had stood up for her and helped her get a divorce as soon as possible.

She knew full well that what she was facing was a bottomless pit, and she couldn't keep throwing money into it.

From this point on, it's impossible to lend that kid any more money.

She haphazardly touched Shen Xuewei's face and urged, "Alright, it's so late, you can't talk anymore, go to sleep."

Shen Xuewei rolled her eyes, removed the hand that had almost poked her nose, and muttered:

"If you hadn't suddenly spoken to me just now, I would have fallen asleep long ago..."

Upon hearing her words, Chen Fanglan closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Shen Xuewei turned over, her body facing away from her.