"Mom, stop making a scene. It's already dark. Where are you going?" Zhang Xueshan took a few steps forward and pulled his mother back from leaving.

Liu Taohua said stubbornly, "It's none of your business. You never listen to me anyway. You wouldn't understand even if I'm doing it for your own good. I'm just going home so I won't get in your way."

"Mom, it's all my fault, please don't be angry,"

"Grandma, it's Yuanyuan's fault. Please don't be angry. It's dark now, and it's not safe outside."

Zhang Xuemei saw this scene as soon as she arrived at the door. Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, she figured it was Yuanyuan's matter that had made her mother angry.

So he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Mom, what happened?"

Upon hearing her youngest daughter's voice, Liu Taohua felt reassured and quickly grabbed her hand, asking:

"Xuemei, you've come at the right time. Do you think I was wrong? I asked them to send the child back to her grandmother, but they refused. They think I'm heartless, not even knowing that I'm doing it for their own good."

Zhang Xuemei smiled and comforted her, "Mom, how about this, you can sleep at my house tonight, and we can have a good talk. You can also let them calm down; they need some buffer time."

Liu Taohua didn't want to see her son who was causing her anger, so she turned her head and picked up her luggage to leave. Zhang Xuemei waved to her younger brother and quickly followed.

When Granny Liu saw her daughter-in-law return with her mother-in-law following behind, she immediately smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, you've finally arrived! Now I have someone to talk to. Stay a few more days and we can have a good chat."

"Oh, okay, I haven't seen Panpan and Linlin for quite a while now, and I miss them a lot."

"Right? They always talk about Grandma. Now that you're back, spend more time playing with them. By the way, you haven't eaten dinner yet, have you? I'll make you a bowl of noodles, it'll be quick." Grandma Liu finished speaking and went back into the kitchen without waiting for her reply.

Zhang Xuemei led her mother to the room specially prepared for them and said with a smile, "Mom, this room was specially prepared for you. The sheets and blankets are all new, so you can sleep peacefully."

Liu Taohua touched the brand-new quilt cover, looked up at the blindingly bright electric light above her head, and then looked at the rows of brand-new wardrobes next to the bed. She couldn't help but regret not coming to her daughter's house sooner. What a nice room! She felt that living in such a room in her life was worth it.

But he still insisted, "I'll only stay one night, and I'll take a bus home tomorrow."

"Mom, what are you saying? You've come all this way, you should stay until you're satisfied before going back. Besides, aren't you here to take care of Xiaorong? She's about to give birth, what, don't you want your grandson anymore?"

When Liu Taohua heard her daughter mention Le Rong, she became displeased and turned her head away.

"Let whoever wants to take care of him take care of him, I'm not coming. There's no reward for good intentions. I'm doing this all for his own good. You know, right now only Xue Shan is making money, and the baby in his belly hasn't even been born yet. Now we have to raise another one. Where will the money come from? In the end, won't the two of us old folks have to help out? He says it's so easy, that he doesn't need my help, but can I just stand by and watch?"

"Mom, look at what you're saying. Now that things have come to this, how can I, as his older sister, not help him?"

Besides, Yuanyuan really has nowhere else to go. Sending her back would be like sending her to her death.

I'll tell you this quietly, but don't tell Xiaorong. I heard from Xueshan that her mother-in-law openly said that if they send the child back, she'll give her away to a family in the mountains to be a child bride. Do you think they can send her back under these circumstances?

"Really? Is there such a heartless grandmother? I call her grandmother, after all..."

Liu Taohua was frightened by her daughter's words. Although she didn't want to raise an outsider, she also didn't want to harm the child.

“How can it not be true? You don’t know, Le Rong’s older brother is almost forty years old this year. He finally had his own child. What wouldn’t he do for this child? And the old woman is biased towards her son. Yuan Yuan has nowhere to go.”

"Then, does that mean we should leave this child here?"

"Mom, a young girl won't cost much. Besides, if you leave the child here, won't Xiaorong be even more determined to live with Xueshan?"

Zhang Xuemei knew that her mother was always worried that Le Rong would run away, and that Xue Shan would be without his wife.

Liu Taohua was somewhat troubled. "Keeping it is fine, but what about the household registration? The family planning policy is strict now, and only one of the two children can be registered. I can't let my own grandson suffer."

"Don't worry about that. Xue Shan bought the house next door a while ago. When he comes to pick you up, he should be transferring your household registration. Then, when Xiao Rong gives birth, we can register the two children."

"Did Yuanyuan's household registration also get transferred here?"

Zhang Xuemei shook her head. "No, we haven't registered the child before. This is convenient. We'll just find some connections and register him directly. We'll say that Xueshan and his family had the child when they were young, and they never registered him or anyone checked."

It's not like it will be in the future. There's no internet access nationwide yet, so nobody cares if someone has two household registrations. Let alone registering only one child's household registration.

"Fine, I only let that little girl stay because I felt sorry for her. But I've made it clear, I'll stay here for the next few days and won't go back to Xueshan's house, so I don't get angry. By the way, you just said Xueshan bought a house?"

As Liu Taohua was talking, she suddenly remembered that she had just heard something about buying a house, so she quickly asked.

"Yes, it's just a small bungalow. I bought it for 8,500 yuan. I can renovate it and move in. When I have more money in the future, I can demolish it and rebuild it. It's no worse than buying a commercial apartment."

Liu Taohua lost interest as soon as she heard about the small house, muttering, "With money, you might as well fix up your own house. Why come here to buy this shabby place? You have too much money to burn. Wait, where did Xue Shan get so much money? Did you give it to him?"

“Mom, this is for getting a household registration in Tianshui City, so it will be easier for the children to go to school in the future. The money was lent to Xueshan, and I promised to pay it back.” Although Zhang Xuemei knew that her mother would not rob her of the rich to help the poor, she still had to say it upfront.

“I knew it! Where would he get the money to buy a house? Even if he borrowed it, he works for you now, so just deduct it from his salary. Don’t be shy.” Truly, mother and daughter are alike; their thoughts are exactly the same.

"Mother-in-law, the noodles are ready, come out and eat," Granny Liu gently knocked on the door and called out.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

"Mom, let's eat noodles first. We can talk about it tomorrow." Zhang Xuemei knew she had gotten past her mother's hurdle, but Xueshan still needed to deal with her father himself.