Chapter 38

38.

“It’s…it’s Ling Jun back,” Wen Lin spoke first, and the frozen scene slowly began to move.

The eldest brother-in-law immediately threw the wooden stick aside, shook off his eldest sister who was clinging to him, wiped his hands, and put on a smile, saying, "Isn't this my third brother? You're finally home."

The others also gathered around. Cheng Lingjun looked down at the child in her arms. Sure enough, it was her eldest sister's first child, named Cheng Xin. She had just turned three years old, but she was very mischievous. However, she did not expect that Xiao Nian would also be restless. Judging from this, she must have caused trouble, which was why her parents were in such a state.

Cheng Xin was still sobbing, her tears and snot smeared all over Cheng Lingjun. Cheng Lingjun was actually a bit of a clean person, but since the snot was already there, there was nothing he could do. Could he really scold his nephew the moment they met? So he naturally asked, "Xiao Xin, what's wrong?"

The brother-in-law immediately glared at her and scolded, "She just spilled the food I made! We're almost eating, and she's always causing me trouble! Cheng Xin, I think you're deliberately trying to make my life miserable!"

As the brother-in-law continued his rant, he also started complaining, "Cheng Guanjun, you're useless too! I asked you to watch over her, but you didn't. You dawdle when you get something. You can't do anything right..."

Cheng Lingjun's eldest sister is named Cheng Guanjun, and her second sister is named Cheng Yajun. Naturally, Cheng Xiu hoped that they would both pass the imperial examination and be nominated. Of course, a family cannot have two dominant sisters. Ideally, the eldest sister should be first and the second sister second, emphasizing the order of seniority... Of course, these were all beautiful fantasies when she had two older sisters, but in reality, none of them came true.

The eldest sister is soft-hearted and listens to her brother-in-law or her mother in everything. If the two agree, it's fine, but if they disagree, she becomes the sandwich filling and gets scolded by both sides.

Now that she has two children, she has to take care of both the younger and the older one. Without Wen Lin's help, she would be overwhelmed.

Luo Yunsheng, the eldest brother-in-law, has two daughters, so his status in the family has risen accordingly. He is now the most prominent man in the family, and even the head of the family, Cheng Xiu, has to give way to him. Luo Yunsheng has a fiery temper, and apart from his second sister, Cheng Yajun, who has to avoid him, anyone who offends him will get a scolding.

Cheng Lingjun doesn't go home often. Luo Yun is quite polite to him, but that was before when he was still with the Li family. It's hard to say whether it was because of the Li family or something else. Now he doesn't dare to offend his brother-in-law.

She could only listen to her brother-in-law's rant, and after he finished venting, he said, "Xiaoxin didn't do it on purpose. She was probably just hungry. It was just one dish. We can make another one."

Wen Lin also said, "Yes, yes, it's the New Year, why argue with a child? She's just greedy, if it weren't for..."

Wen Lin didn't dare to continue. Actually, Cheng Xin didn't break the dish. It was just that Cheng Xin wanted to sneak a few bites, so her eldest son-in-law tried to hit her hand. However, he missed and hit the dish instead. He was furious and wanted to teach Cheng Xin a lesson. Cheng Xin had no choice but to run away, which is how she bumped into Cheng Lingjun.

Luo Yun was already furious, and when he heard the two defending Cheng Xin, he said sarcastically, "I've been preparing since lunch. I've been working on it for so long, and it's finally done, and then I just ruined it. I can't do it anymore. Whoever can do it can do it. I also want to enjoy myself during this New Year's holiday."

After saying that, he took off his coat and sat down in the chair with a leisurely air.

Wen Lin and Cheng Lingjun exchanged glances, then looked at their second sister who was fanning the fire. The second sister shrugged and said in a low voice, "It's no use looking at me. I can't cook either."

Wen Lin chuckled awkwardly, "I'll do it, I'll do it. If you're tired, sit down for a while."

Actually, the whole family helped with the cooking. Except for Cheng Xiu, who didn't do much work, Wen Lin did the grocery shopping and washing, Cheng Ya Jun did the chopping of firewood and starting the fire, and Cheng Guan Jun was also running around taking care of the two children without rest. She was being bossed around by her brother-in-law who was in charge of cooking. Now that the head chef is gone, Wen Lin, the only one who can cook, has to take over.

Cheng Lingjun sighed inwardly, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "Father, I'll come too."

Wen Lin: "No need, no need. You rarely come back, so it's just a few dishes. It will be ready soon."

"Yes, yes, there are only a few dishes left, because I cooked most of them..." Luo Yun continued to say.

The older sister quickly said from the side, "Alright, alright, it's rare for your little brother to come home, so you... you should rest for a while."

The eldest sister didn't dare to add fuel to the fire, so she ran to Cheng Lingjun's side and whispered, "Lingjun, don't take it to heart. He's just in a bad mood. It's not your fault. It's Cheng Xin who doesn't know her own words. Don't take what she said to heart. Just ignore her."

Even when she spoke these few words, the eldest sister had to speak very softly, while secretly glancing at her brother-in-law's expression, afraid that he would hear her even a little bit. Luo Yun probably knew what she was saying, and he had a mocking smile on his face, but fortunately he didn't say anything more hurtful.

Cheng Lingjun couldn't say anything. On the other side, Wen Lin had already rolled up his sleeves and started working in Luo Yun's place. He wanted to go up and help, but Wen Lin waved him away. His second sister smiled at him, pointed to where their mother was, and continued to tend the fire.

The Cheng family's kitchen was a separate thatched hut. For the festival, the large table inside the house had been moved outside, with some cooked food and miscellaneous items on it. It was clear that the food was almost ready. Next to the large table was a small table with some tea sets on it. Cheng Xiu, the head of the Cheng family, sat calmly as a statue... Of course, now Luo Yun was also there, drinking tea with them.

After he returned, Cheng Xiu glanced at him once, but then barely looked at him, only drinking tea. When Luo Yun saw him coming over, he also made him a cup of tea, and the three of them fell silent for a moment.

Cheng Lingjun coughed lightly and led Li Guang, saying, "Xiao Guang, quickly call for help."

"Oh, oh," Li Guang was distracted by what had happened earlier, and only then did he have time to call out to the people. Although he rarely returned to the Cheng family, he still recognized these people. Without Cheng Lingjun's reminder, he accurately called out to everyone without making a mistake.

Cheng Xin had already been pulled into the room by her eldest sister and was not allowed to come out. Cheng Xiu's expression softened a little at this point. She nodded and waited for Cheng Lingjun and Li Guang to sit down before asking, "How was it outside?"

Cheng Lingjun considered for a moment and said, "I wasn't used to it at first, but I'm much better now. I'm sorry to have worried my parents."

Luo Yun's cold expression vanished, replaced by a smile. "Ling Jun and Xiao Guang must have suffered a lot outside. They've finally come back, and they both look thinner."

Cheng Lingjun felt that she shouldn't have lost weight, and Li Guang shouldn't have made her lose weight either. However, since they were exchanging the same pleasantries, she didn't refute them. She simply said, "I've probably lost some weight. It was hot a few days ago, so I ate less. I'm feeling better now."

It was hot a few days ago, but that was months ago. The weather has cooled down a lot since then. But that was just an excuse to make conversation. Luo Yun went along with it and said, "You should eat more. Look at Xiao Guang's rosy little face. It won't look good if he gets thin."

Cheng Lingjun smiled and was about to respond to Luo Yun's teasing when Cheng Xiu, who had been silent all along, put her cup on the table with a deliberate sound, causing the two people who had been talking to turn their attention to her.

Cheng Xiu, with a stern face, said, "Isn't it all because you insisted on taking Li Guang outside? How could Li Guang suffer with you? Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about the child. He's only a few years old. What kind of father are you..."

Cheng Xiu's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Cheng Lingjun like a thunderbolt. He felt his head go numb. Luo Yun, sitting next to him, held her breath, glanced at him and Cheng Xiu, then forced a smile and said, "Little brother definitely knows he was wrong, Mother, please calm down. Lingjun is young and doesn't know any better..."

Cheng Xiu snorted, "How old is he? He's still young and immature. When I was his age, I didn't need my parents to worry about me anymore. Unlike him..."

Cheng Lingjun had heard these words a thousand times before, and now it was just another one. He used to silently endure them, but when he saw Li Guang being so cautious on the side, he felt he could no longer tolerate it.

Cheng Lingjun raised her head and asked, "Mother, do you know how old Li Guang is?"

"Him?" Cheng Xiu couldn't answer for a moment, and could only vaguely say, "He's probably only four or five years old."

“He is five years old this year,” Cheng Lingjun said. Cheng Xiu was still muttering that she was not wrong when Cheng Lingjun interrupted her, “If Mother had not met Li Guang, she probably would have forgotten how old he is. I gave birth to him, I raised him little by little, and I brought him out of the Li family. Anyone in the world may be bad to Li Guang, but I will never be. No one cares about Li Guang more than me.”

"You...you," Cheng Xiu had never been contradicted by her son before. In her memory, her son had always been obedient and compliant, unlike now, which made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

Luo Yun was also somewhat stunned. This younger brother-in-law used to be gentle and quiet. She never expected that he would be so desperate. No wonder he was the kind of man who would take the initiative to divorce and raise the child alone.

Before Cheng Xiu could say anything, Wen Lin had already taken off his sleeves and brought over the dishes, smiling, "You can eat now, everyone, let's eat first."

The meal was finally ready, and Cheng Lingjun breathed a sigh of relief. It was still a bit stressful to clash with her mother, who had always been so domineering. It was best to avoid further conflict, since it was a rare opportunity to come home, and it wouldn't be good to start an argument.

Cheng Lingjun got up to help her father carry the plates and bowls, and Li Guang also obediently helped carry the bowls and spoons. Cheng Xiu was interrupted when she wanted to scold her son, so she could only suppress her anger and sit down at the big table.

Cheng Lingjun took out the sweets and pastries she had bought, and Cheng Xin was also allowed to leave. She dared not cause any more trouble and snuggled up to Cheng Lingjun to eat the pastries. Luo Yun scolded her again, saying that it was time to eat dinner and why was she eating pastries? She should eat dinner first and then eat pastries, and so on.

Even the babies who couldn't walk yet were nestled in their cribs, being pushed out to watch the adults eat. A large group of people sat together, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.