Chapter 30: Don't be too reserved when exposing someone.

Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou. Since that incident where they were set up, there hadn't been any more intimate interactions between the couple. Before Song Fenglan came to join the army, she had mainly thought that Qin Yizhou would just provide financial support for the children.

She has a child, Qin Yizhou is paying for it, and Qin Yizhou is a soldier and doesn't have time to mess around outside, isn't that great?

It's not quite right to say they were just living together. They weren't even in the same place at that time, so it wasn't exactly living together; it was more like a partnership.

Song Fenglan brought her child along, partly to avoid getting involved in the so-called original story, and partly because she wanted Qin Yizhou to be a good father. Being a good husband wasn't important; Song Fenglan had a son, and she was content, not thinking about romantic relationships.

After arriving here, Song Fenglan had work again, and she talked to Qin Yizhou again, but their relationship remained rather bland. It was much better than before, but there was still a sense of distance. Song Fenglan couldn't control herself; she was a rather rational person and not very emotional.

“He’s my son. If I don’t protect him, who will?” Qin Yizhou felt a little embarrassed under Song Fenglan’s gaze. “I want to be a good father.”

Qin Yizhou wanted to be a part of his wife and son's lives, not just an observer; he wanted to be a member of the family.

"Keep it up," Song Fenglan said. "Zihang used to be so envious when he saw other children being held by their fathers. When I asked him if he missed his father, he would stubbornly say no."

Song Fenglan understands that while parents may seem to be absent from a child's life, they are actually indispensable. Even if the child doesn't say it, deep down they still crave their parents' presence.

"I can hold him." Qin Yizhou looked at his wife; he wanted to hold her even more.

That's exactly what happened in reality. Qin Yizhou hugged Song Fenglan tightly.

"Wrong, wrong, weren't you supposed to hug me?" Qin Zihang shouted. His father had made a mistake. "Dad, you hug me, and I'll hug Mom."

Qin Yizhou loosened his grip on his wife slightly. He looked at his son and thought, "See? My son always likes to say these things at times like this. Doesn't he know to let his parents stay a little longer?"

The moment Song Fenglan was embraced by Qin Yizhou, the masculine scent emanating from him filled her nostrils, leaving her somewhat bewildered. They, as a couple, rarely had close physical contact. With her hand still on Qin Yizhou's chest, Song Fenglan wondered whether she should speak, yet also didn't; this feeling was quite strange.

"Hold me!" Qin Zihang reached out.

"Okay, I'll hug you," Qin Yizhou said.

"Dad, did you secretly hug Mom?" Qin Zihang asked.

"What?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"You two were secretly hugging each other while I was asleep," Qin Zihang said.

"Haven't you finished eating yet?" Song Fenglan asked, hoping her son wouldn't say such things. She was a little speechless and embarrassed by his words. What did he mean by them cuddling while their son was asleep? They hadn't done that. "We haven't finished eating yet. Hurry up and go back to eat."

"Hmm, we haven't finished eating yet," Qin Yizhou said.

"I've finished eating," Qin Zihang said.

"After your father finishes eating, he'll give you a bath." Song Fenglan took her son from Qin Yizhou's arms. The son was a bit heavy; if he got any bigger, she wouldn't be able to carry him anymore.

"I need to take a bath every day," Qin Zihang remarked. "Even puppies don't get baths every day, so how can I skip one today?"

"No, it's too hot and sticky," Song Fenglan said.

"You don't have to wash. You can sleep alone without washing. It's fine with you," Qin Yizhou said.

"I'd better wash it." Qin Zihang buried his head in his mother's neck. "A dirty child will be abandoned by his parents."

“He’s gotten heavier.” Qin Yizhou didn’t think his son was that heavy; he was worried about whether his wife could handle the weight. “Let me carry him.”

"It's alright, go eat," Song Fenglan said.

Qin Yizhou looked at his son, then at Song Fenglan. After what happened with Xu Guangbo, his son would have to sleep alone again in a few days.

No, Qin Yizhou thought he still had to let his son sleep alone, at the latest when the child started kindergarten. After a while, kindergarten would start, and Qin Zihang would go to school; the kindergarten children would be too old for that.

After Madam Zhao left the Xu family, Staff Officer Xu was somewhat annoyed and very dissatisfied with his wife.

“Mom, you heard what they said. We still need you to take better care of things at home,” Staff Officer Xu said. “Guangbo is Chunhua and Xiahua’s younger brother. Please guide him more.”

“Guangbo he…”

Upon hearing Shi Guilan's voice, Staff Officer Xu interrupted her, "If you could manage things well, people wouldn't be coming to our door. Your son is still young; you can still teach him. But if he's like this when he grows up, his future will be ruined. Do you want to ruin your child's life?"

"I..." Shi Guilan vaguely recalled what she had said about Qin Zihang, that Song Fenglan had ruined Qin Zihang's life. And now, that boomerang had struck Shi Guilan herself. "They're making a mountain out of a molehill over something so trivial between children."

“Your attitude is wrong,” Staff Officer Xu said. “Do you really want to wait until it’s too late to regret it? That’s your own son. Do you treat him like your enemy? Are you only satisfied when you’ve ruined his life?”

“No, he is my biological son. I never intended to ruin him,” Shi Guilan said. “I really didn’t.”

“If not, then let Mom keep an eye on things,” Staff Officer Xu said. “Don’t let them come knocking on our door again. People will think our son is a bully. Such a young child, so fierce, smashing someone’s head like that. They only didn’t make a big deal out of respect for me.”

"You haven't taken this to heart yet?" Shi Guilan didn't think Zhang Chenghai and the others hadn't taken it to heart. If they hadn't, Madam Zhao wouldn't have come. "Song Fenglan..."

They never come over; they always send Political Commissar Zhao's wife instead.

Shi Guilan felt suffocated by Song Fenglan's oppression. In the past, when she competed with others, it was always a direct confrontation between the two of them, instead of having Madam Zhao intervene. Song Fenglan didn't play by the rules; she always went to Madam Zhao. Shi Guilan felt heartbroken just thinking about it.

That was Political Commissar Zhao's wife, and also the director of the Women's Federation. How could Shi Guilan not give Mrs. Zhao face? Even Staff Officer Xu blamed Shi Guilan for Mrs. Zhao's actions.

What a wicked heart!

Couldn't Song Fenglan just talk to her face to face?

Shi Guilan felt heartbroken. She had underestimated Song Fenglan, which led to her being constantly outmaneuvered by Song Fenglan. If she had known earlier that Song Fenglan was such a difficult person, she definitely wouldn't have done those things.

Fan Yani told Li Hui and her husband about her intention to marry Yue Hongwei. She did so at the dinner table, not knowing whether Li Hui and her husband could eat it or not, but she ate quite well.

“He went on a blind date with me,” Li Hui said.

"What's the big deal? He told me everything. He said it was a blind date, but we didn't even finish the meal," Fan Yani said. "Sister-in-law, you already have my brother. You can't be greedy. Yue Hongwei and you have never been together, let alone married. We're not even sisters. Don't worry, no one will say anything if I marry Yue Hongwei. Sister-in-law, you're not afraid people will say I'm taking what you didn't want, are you?"

"No." Li Hui looked embarrassed.

“That settles it,” Fan Yani said. “If others want to say something, let them say it. We can just close the door and live our own lives. There’s nothing to say. I think Comrade Yue Hongwei is a good person. He’s an orphan and doesn’t have any parents-in-law. If I marry him, I only need to consider our little family.”

Li Hui looked at Guo Peng; she was reluctant to let Fan Yani marry Yue Hongwei. Yue Hongwei was a company commander, no less, while Guo Peng was also a company commander, with no higher status. This meant Fan Yani was marrying someone of Guo Peng's equal status, which Li Hui found hard to accept.

"It would be good if you two got married." Guo Peng didn't say it was bad; he couldn't wait for Yue Hongwei to get married so that Li Hui wouldn't have to think about Yue Hongwei.

Yue Hongwei is quite familiar with Qin Yizhou. In terms of ambition and future prospects, Yue Hongwei may not be any worse than Guo Peng.

No man wants to be worse than his wife's blind date; everyone wants to be better.

“Yani has only been here a short time and has only met a few people so far. She can meet more people,” Li Hui said.

“No need. One suitable person is enough. Marriage is for two people to build a family; it can’t accommodate three,” Fan Yani said. “The sooner I get married and move out, the less I’ll bother you two, you’re newlyweds.”

Hearing this, Li Hui felt no joy, as if she couldn't tolerate Fan Yani. Fan Yani always liked to say these things with a smile, as if she wasn't criticizing anyone, but Li Hui only found these words grating. However, Li Hui couldn't say anything negative about Fan Yani; if she did, Fan Yani would definitely say she didn't mean it that way.

After Qin Yizhou finished bathing and washing Qin Zihang's clothes, Qin Yizhou took out bamboo needles. He wanted to knit, starting with rolling wool yarn.

"You went out to buy yarn?" Song Fenglan asked in surprise, as this yarn was not the one she had bought before.

"I had someone buy it for me," Qin Yizhou said. "What do you think of these wool yarns?"

"Not bad." Song Fenglan touched the wool yarn and accidentally bumped into Qin Yizhou's hand. Qin Yizhou then grabbed Song Fenglan's hand in return.

Their eyes met, but before they could even look at each other for a moment, Qin Zihang peeked out again.

"I'll do it, I'll roll it up." Qin Zihang stretched out his hands.

Qin Zihang rolled up the wool yarn; he knew to reach out his hand.

Aunt Yu was winding wool yarn with her child and asked Qin Zihang for help, which would also make it easier for her to look after him. Aunt Yu had a lot to do by herself, and since Qin Zihang wasn't asleep, she had to keep an eye on him and prevent him from running around. So, she decided to let the child help with some tasks.

If Qin Zihang fell asleep, Aunt Yu would take a stool, turn it upside down, put the wool yarn on the stool leg, and then slowly roll the wool yarn into a ball.

"My great-aunt asked me to help her," Qin Zihang said. "I can do it."

“Okay, you help your dad with it.” Song Fenglan withdrew her hand.

Qin Yizhou tried to grab his wife's hand, but she pulled it back, and he missed. He then looked at his son, who was truly a huge third wheel.

"Come, come, come," Qin Zihang said.

Qin Yizhou placed the yarn in Qin Zihang's hand and began to wind it, while Qin Zihang continued to turn his hands around. Then, Qin Zihang turned his little head, his movements quite adorable.

Seeing this scene, Song Fenglan chuckled; it was quite a heartwarming sight.

The next morning, Jiang Yufei went to Aunt Yu's place again. She hadn't managed to borrow money from Song's mother, so she wondered if she could get some from her own mother. Last night, Jiang Yufei tossed and turned at home, wondering what her aunt had given her mother. She thought that the things her grandmother and the others hadn't said much about Song Fenglan must have been valuable.

"Mom, lend me twenty yuan, just twenty, not much. I won't lend you a hundred or two hundred," Jiang Yufei said.

"No." How much money could Aunt Yu have? She didn't have a job, and most of the money the Song family had given her was in her husband's and mother-in-law's hands. Aunt Yu had to keep a ledger for every grocery purchase and reconcile the accounts with her mother-in-law so that her mother-in-law wouldn't think she had overspent. If Grandma Jiang didn't keep the accounts right, she would scold Aunt Yu.

Having a low social status in the family means you have to be careful in everything you do.

"Didn't your aunt give you any money?" Jiang Yufei asked, her eyes wide.

“You’ve come to our house several times these past few days. Your aunt gave us some money, but we need it at home,” Aunt Yu said. “It’s in your dad’s and your older brother’s hands.”

The money didn't even stay in Aunt Yu's hands before being taken by her husband and son. Aunt Yu was already used to this kind of situation; as long as it was spent on her own family, there wasn't much of a problem.

"Mom, haven't you saved any money?" Jiang Yufei asked.

"Where would we get the money to save?" Aunt Yu said. "There are so many mouths to feed in this family. We need to spend money as soon as we open our eyes. We don't have any money."

Jiang Yufei was unwilling to give up. Just as her mother said, she had visited her parents' home several times, but her own mother still wouldn't budge. Was this really her own mother?

Jiang Yufei felt that her mother looked down on her because she believed that once a daughter is married, she is no longer like water spilled from a cup.

"You say the same thing every time I ask you," Jiang Yufei pouted, "as if you're afraid to lend me a single penny."

“You’re married now, and you’re in charge of the household, so you know how difficult it is,” Aunt Yu said.

Jiang Yufei knew perfectly well how low Aunt Yu's status was in this family, yet she still liked to target her. Jiang Yufei didn't bother her father or her brother; all she knew how to do was make things difficult for Aunt Yu.

Aunt Yu couldn't very well complain to Song's mother. She had been married for many years and was already a grandmother; she felt she had to resolve this herself and couldn't let Song's mother intervene. Aunt Yu was also embarrassed to ask Song's mother to do so. Jiang Yufei was Aunt Yu's daughter, not Song's mother's.

In the evening, Song Fenglan returned home and called her mother, which gave Qin Zihang a chance to have a proper conversation with her. Having a phone at home was convenient; they didn't need to go outside to make calls.

"Grandma, it's Hangbao!" Qin Zihang said, clutching the phone holder. "Did you miss me?"

"We miss you, we miss you so much," Song's mother said quickly. "Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle, we all miss Hangbao."

"I miss you all too." Qin Zihang said sweetly. He hadn't met them yet, but just from their voices, he knew he had to coax them.

"Grandma sent you some things, they should arrive in a few days," said Song's mother. "You can open them, there are clothes and food."

When Song's parents were at the farm, they couldn't send Qin Zihang many things; they were too busy taking care of themselves to have the energy. Now, however, Song's parents want to treat Song Fenglan and her son better, to make up for past regrets.

"Grandma, do you have any money?" Qin Zihang asked.

"Yes," said Song's mother.

“If you don’t have money, Grandma, I do,” Qin Zihang said. “I can give it to you.”

"No need to give it to Grandma, give it to your mom," Song's mother said with a smile. "Isn't our Hangbao about to start kindergarten?"

"It'll be almost time!" Qin Zihang said happily. "There will be many children in kindergarten. When I go to kindergarten, I can learn more words and understand a lot more."

"Our Hangbao will definitely be the smartest little baby," Song's mother praised.

"I think so too." Qin Zihang was not modest at all. "To be a smart little baby, I also help my dad wind yarn. Dad is so clumsy, he even makes a ball of yarn fall out when he winds it. If we had a cat, the cat would have taken the ball of yarn."

"How about we get a kitten?" Song's mother asked.

"I have a puppy at home, it's very cute, its name is Fu Wangwang, woof, woof, woof." Qin Zihang talked a lot with Song's mother, telling her about some of the things he had done, and even saying that he would do it quietly, not...

It's so cute to be told like that.

Song Fenglan didn't say she wanted to hang up the phone immediately. The child was just making a phone call at home. If the police station thought the phone bill was too high, the family could just pay for it themselves.

Once, Song Fenglan saw a news report about a scientist who forbade his children from making phone calls, saying that the family phone belonged to the state and the state paid for the calls, so his children couldn't use it freely and had to pay to use it.

Different parents have different attitudes toward their children, so that scientist must have had other considerations.

Song Fenglan didn't spend much time with her son; she wanted him to have a better life and be happy. She wasn't afraid of spending more money, but she was afraid her son would be unhappy and lonely.

After talking for a while, Qin Zihang took a sip of water and continued. After hanging up, he told Song Fenglan, "Mom, Grandma listened to what I said, she likes me a lot. Grandpa and Uncle also spoke, oh, and Auntie, and Brother..."

Qin Zihang was counting on his fingers, trying to remember who had just spoken.

"So many people!" Qin Zihang said. "Why do they all like me so much?"

"Because our Hangbao is cute," Song Fenglan said.

“No, because I am Mom’s baby,” Qin Zihang said. “Mom is Grandma’s baby, and I am Mom’s baby.”

At the Song family home, Song's mother was reluctant to hang up, but since the phone call from her daughter was a government-run one, she decided to stop short of saying more. If only her daughter and grandson were here with her; Song's mother longed to see them in person. She hadn't seen either of them for many years.

"You made the phone call, why are your eyes still red?" Mr. Song asked.

"My eyes are red, aren't yours?" Song's mother looked at Song's father, whose eyes were also a little red.

"I wonder if Hangbao is suffering there," said Song's father.

“Fenglan had no choice. If she didn’t take Hangbao with her, would she leave him here to suffer?” Song’s mother said. “Not to mention my younger sister’s family, do you think the Qin family would let my younger sister take care of their grandson by herself? It’s okay if Fenglan is in the capital, but if she’s not, the Qin family would never let my younger sister take care of the child alone.”

Song's mother's idea of ​​her daughter taking Qin Zihang with her to join the army was the right thing to do. Qin Zihang was a boy, and many families valued boys more. The Qin family was all in the capital, and they couldn't very well let their child stay with someone else's family indefinitely.

"Hangbao is obedient and sensible, it's good to have her," said Song's mother. "We all still rely on our daughter, if it weren't for her..."

Mr. Song understood that if it weren't for his daughter's influence, they wouldn't have been able to return to the city so quickly.

“The Qin family, their eldest son and daughter-in-law live very close to them,” said Song’s mother.

Living so close together, we can still help each other out.

Song's mother didn't forbid them from helping each other; she just had a thought. A woman who has married into a family is still a woman who has married into a family, and those people still think more about their own biological sons.

The Qin family said that Qin's sister-in-law had made some mistakes, and that since the children were all grown up, the sons should move out. It's inevitable that parents and sons will have some conflicts when living together. Many families also have their sons move out when they get married.

Given the Qin family's status and position, those people initially said a few things about Qin's sister-in-law, but later they stopped saying anything negative about her. They were all worried that if those words reached Qin's sister-in-law's ears, and she whispered in Qin's brother's ear, what would they do?

“They…” Song’s father didn’t even want to talk about the Qin family. He used to think that it was good for his daughter to marry Qin Yizhou. Now, he still thinks Qin Yizhou is okay, but the rest of the Qin family is too terrible.

"Fortunately, Fenglan doesn't have to live with them," said Song's mother. "It's because Fenglan went to join the army, otherwise, I would have gone over to talk to them and not let them bully my daughter like that."

For now, the Qin and Song families are in this state. Apart from Dr. Lin coming to see the Song family, the two sides have not had a formal meeting.

On a new day, Song Fenglan started cooking mung bean soup early. She was on holiday, and Zhang Xiaohu had said he wanted to eat these things, so she made some. The baked flatbread was too hot, and if Zhang Xiaohu wanted to eat it, she couldn't let him eat too much. She could make some crystal layered cake instead.

Song Fenglan didn't ask her aunt for help; with Qin Yizhou and Qin Zihang helping out, the three of them were happy together.

"Layer upon layer!" Qin Zihang's eyes sparkled as he looked at the layered cake on the plate.

It's called a thousand-layer cake, but it actually only has nine layers. Once one layer is cooked, another is added, and so on, layer by layer.

“Go and call your little tiger brother over to eat,” Song Fenglan said, “as well as his father, mother, and brother.”

"I'll go, I'll go," Qin Zihang said, trying to run out.

Song Fenglan glanced at Qin Yizhou, and Qin Yizhou quickly followed.

Besides Zhang Chenghai's family, Professor Su and his wife also needed to be called. As for the others, Song Fenglan didn't plan to call them, and Qin Yizhou didn't call any of his other comrades.

Qin Yizhou has many comrades-in-arms, and a few he's close to. But those guys are all big eaters, and the pastries they make might not be enough. So he simply decided not to call them anymore; it's too much trouble to keep calling them.

Professor Su didn't go to the research institute; he wanted to, but his body couldn't handle it, so he decided to rest at home. Even while resting, Professor Su was still thinking about work-related issues.

"Uncle, Aunt." Qin Zihang came over with Qin Yizhou. "Come to my house and eat crystal cake. My mom makes it. It's delicious. Hurry up, hurry up. Hangbao's mouth is watering. Hangbao hasn't even eaten yet."

"I'll go right away," Mrs. Su said with a smile, taking the book from Professor Su's hand. "Hurry up, our Hangbao is really craving it."

Professor Su looked at Qin Zihang and said, "Alright, they should hurry up and go over there."

By the time Professor Su and his group arrived, Zhang Xiaohu's family had already passed by.

It was still a bit warm outside, so everyone ate pastries in the living room. The pastries, plate after plate, were all very exquisite. In addition to crystal cake, there were red date rice cake, millet and osmanthus cake, baked cakes, and other items, all laid out on the table.

"Uncle, Aunt, please sit down and eat." Song Fenglan went to fetch some mung bean soup, one bowl for each of them.

I made quite a bit of mung bean soup; eating pastries makes you thirsty. In hot weather, everyone likes to drink some soup or broth.

Zhang Chenghai was a little reserved when he met Professor Su. He looked at Zhang Xiaohu and said, "Xiaohu, sit still."

Zhang Xiaohu's older brother, Zhang Wen, is doing quite well, while Zhang Chenghai is looking after his son.

"It's alright, children like to move around." Mrs. Su said with a kind and gentle expression.

Professor Su picked up the mung bean soup, took a sip, and found it quite delicious, sweet but not cloying. He then glanced at the other pastries on the table, picking up a piece of crystal cake. It was soft, smooth, and not sticky at all.

“I’ve made quite a lot, please feel free to eat,” Song Fenglan said.

"These pastries are so exquisite," the plump woman exclaimed, adding that her own pastries were neither as beautiful nor as delicious.

"Well done, but do less," Professor Su said.

Mrs. Su tugged at Professor Su's clothes, wondering what her husband was saying.

"Take more rest. You work so hard at the office, so make sure you get some rest." After Professor Su finished speaking, she added, "What kind of pastries would you like to eat? Have your husband buy them for you."

Pastries and such can be bought outside, but it's not good to always buy them outside, so you still have to do your own research.

Upon hearing Professor Su's words, Song Fenglan understood what he meant: "Working at the office is too mentally taxing, so during breaks, you should do things that don't require much mental effort."

"That works too." Professor Su had no further objections.

The fat couple were a little nervous when they heard Professor Su's words. They thought Professor Su might have some objection. It turned out that Professor Su was worried that Song Fenglan was tired.

"Is it good?" Qin Zihang looked at Zhang Xiaohu, who was holding a piece of pastry in one hand. He also held a piece of pastry in one hand, biting into the left one and then the right one.

"Delicious, delicious." Zhang Xiaohu nodded. "It's so delicious, I want to be hit by it again next time."

The plump woman almost choked on her mung bean soup. What was Zhang Xiaohu saying? The plump woman glared at her son, but Zhang Xiaohu didn't pay attention to her.

"I can protect your little brother Zihang, but don't let him fall and hurt himself," said the plump woman. "You're not allowed to cheat for food."

Sister-in-law Pang had no doubt that her son could do such a thing; Zhang Xiaohu was truly a tiger.

Song Fenglan took a bamboo basket and filled it with various pastries, so that Professor Su and his wife could take some back with them. Professor Su liked the sauerkraut baked cakes; they were fresh, fragrant, and crispy, and he wanted to eat more.

When they were together, Mrs. Su slapped his hand away.

"The flatbread is hot, eat less. There's so much food, eat something else," said Madam Su.

“There is mung bean soup,” Professor Su replied.

"Grandpa, the flatbread is delicious, so delicious! I love flatbread the most!" Zhang Xiaohu said, sounding very empathetic. "I hurt my head, and Mom won't let me eat much, only one piece."

“Look at him, even Little Tiger can control himself to eat only one piece, and you still want to eat more,” said Madam Su.

"Eat one now, and another one tonight," Zhang Xiaohu said, "that'll make two pieces."

"I'll eat two pieces now, but not tonight," Professor Su said.

"Old man, you're like a child." In the end, Mrs. Su did not stop Professor Su's hand. Eating two pieces was fine. This pancake was not particularly big, only about the size of the palm of your hand.

As Professor Su and his wife got up to leave, Song Fenglan came over with a bamboo basket filled with pastries.

"Uncle, Aunt, please take this back to eat," Song Fenglan said.

"How could I possibly accept this?" said Madam Su.

"You're helping to take care of Zihang, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm not being polite with you, so you don't need to be polite with me either," Song Fenglan said.

“Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony.” Madam Su took the bamboo basket and joked, “With all this food, we don’t need to cook.”

“You can still cook,” Song Fenglan said. “Some pastries are easy to digest.”

"Let's go back first," said Madam Su.

Song Fenglan watched Madam Su and Professor Su leave before returning herself.

"Fenglan, you eat too." The plump woman waved to Song Fenglan.

"I ate it," Song Fenglan said. "I ate it first to see if it tasted good. If it didn't taste good, I didn't dare to serve it."

“These pastries you made taste so good. Didn’t you see how much Xiaohu and his brother ate? Xiaohu just said he wanted to sit down and rest for a while, but he could still eat more,” said the plump woman. “Who eats like that in someone else’s house?”

“Take some back with you when you go back. I don’t have any bamboo baskets left, so you’ll have to bring your own lunchboxes to pack them,” Song Fenglan said. “We made so much, if you don’t take it with you, we won’t be able to finish it and it will go bad.”

"Did you hear that?" Fatty Sister looked at Zhang Xiaohu. "Your aunt is so good to you."

"Thank you, Auntie, thank you, Auntie." Zhang Xiaohu was overjoyed. So many delicious pastries! "My mother has never made so many delicious pastries, and I've never eaten them before."

Aunt Pang rarely makes these pastries herself, and she rarely buys them from outside; she's reluctant to spend the money.

“Your mother is thrifty and hardworking,” Song Fenglan said.

"Mom, are you also thrifty and good at managing the household?" Qin Zihang tilted his head and asked his mother, blinking his little eyes, wanting an answer.

"Let's forget about it," Song Fenglan said. "Would you like some more mung bean soup?"

Let's not keep talking about being thrifty and managing a household well; children don't understand these things.

Zhang Xiaohu dragged his brother next door to get a lunchbox; they needed to pack some pastries to take back. Zhang Wen followed his brother, saying, "Slow down, don't run."

Those things won't suddenly disappear.

Zhang Wen saw it all; there were so many pastries. They ate some, and there were still quite a few left. Zhang Wen also envied Qin Zihang for having such a skilled pastry-making mother, but unlike Zhang Xiaohu, he wasn't shouting that he wanted Zihang's mother to be his mother.

"Faster, faster!" Zhang Xiaohu pretended not to hear his brother's words.

Zhang Xiaohu accidentally broke a bowl, leaving Zhang Wen speechless.

"Be careful." The fat woman followed behind. She knew Zhang Xiaohu was impulsive. Sure enough, Zhang Xiaohu smashed the bowl. "I'll take it. Don't move. Mom will clean it up."

The plump woman couldn't let the two children clean up the broken pieces, so she took out a lunchbox and had the children take it. She then swept up the broken bowls to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping on them later.

Zhang Xiaohu looked at his mother cautiously, and seeing that she didn't say anything bad about him, he quickly took his lunchbox and went next door.

When Zhang Xiaohu arrived at Song Fenglan's house, he looked at the pastries and hesitated about which one to use; they all looked delicious.

"Pack some of everything back with you." Song Fenglan saw the lunchbox in Zhang Xiaohu's hand. "You can pack some over there at once and then come back to fill it up."

"Wouldn't that be a bad idea?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.

"No, that won't happen," Song Fenglan said. "Didn't we say that if we don't finish it today, it will go sour tomorrow and we won't be able to eat it? In order not to waste food, you should eat more."

"Little Tiger, eat more," Qin Zihang said. "My mom makes food for me at home."

I can eat this all the time, but it's different for my brother, Little Tiger.

Qin Zihang was proud; these were pastries made by his own mother.

Fat Sister-in-law returned quickly. She thought she didn't need to pack so much, but Song Fenglan said the two families should share it and not give any to others. Fat Sister-in-law listened to Song Fenglan and packed a little more, mainly because Zhang Xiaohu loved to eat it, and Zhang Wen loved it too, but her eldest son didn't say much.

A little while later, Aunt Qin went to the Qin family to find Qin's father.

“My neighbor’s daughter works as a nurse at the hospital. She heard it with her own ears and said it was fake. Your eldest son’s daughter is not pregnant at all,” Aunt Qin said.

These past few days, Aunt Qin has heard rumors that her sister-in-law is pregnant, and she thinks the timing is too coincidental. Why would her sister-in-law get pregnant now? She initially thought it wasn't really her business and decided not to mention it. But today, while chatting with someone, they said that her sister-in-law isn't pregnant at all, and that someone else is faking it.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Hospitals are full of people and gossip. Even if Sister-in-law Qin asked someone to keep it a secret, others might still find out.

When Sister-in-law Qin was having someone fabricate something, it happened to be overheard. Everyone loves gossip, and not everyone who hears such things will keep it to themselves.

And so, after many twists and turns, Aunt Qin found out.

Aunt Qin is no longer on Qin's sister-in-law's side. She thinks Qin's sister-in-law is too wicked and greedy. Aunt Qin thinks Qin's sister-in-law's character is too bad and that Qin's brother shouldn't have married her.

"Not pregnant?" Qin's mother was surprised. "That's impossible. We have the test results; she's pregnant."

“It’s all fake, it’s all fake,” Aunt Qin said.

"Fake?" Mr. Qin's face was stern; he clearly hadn't expected his sister-in-law to be lying.

Qin's father did not allow Qin's sister-in-law to return, regardless of whether she was pregnant or not.

"Yes, it's fake. Someone saw your eldest daughter's family having someone else falsify the results," Aunt Qin said. "She's not pregnant; she used someone else's test results because she wants to move back."

The news of Qin's sister-in-law's pregnancy spread a few days ago, and some people even asked when Qin's mother would let Qin's sister-in-law and her family come back to live with them. Some people, not wanting to miss a chance to stir things up, were all talking about it. Qin didn't even need to say much; she just had to say that she was pregnant and that she couldn't take care of several children, and others would say those things for her.

"If you really let her move back, she might use the excuse of having a miscarriage and needing to recover, so you still can't let her move out," Aunt Qin said. "How could your eldest son be so heartless?"

Qin's father had a gloomy face, and his mood was even worse.

"Could there be some misunderstanding here?" Qin's mother was unwilling to believe that her eldest daughter-in-law was lying to her.

"How could there be a misunderstanding?" Aunt Qin said. "If your eldest daughter-in-law is really pregnant, I'll twist my head off and use it as a stool for you. They've all moved out, don't let them move back. They should live separately, it'll be easier for everyone. Is she going to keep this up? In the end, will she choose to have an abortion, or will she bring in a child from outside to pretend it's our Qin family's child?"

"It's not that bad..."

"Absolutely not, that's too much." Aunt Qin thought Qin's mother was too soft-hearted. "You can't be too biased. You're biased towards the eldest son's family. What are the younger ones supposed to think? If you make a mistake, you have to bear the consequences. How can you still lie and cheat?"

Now, Aunt Qin appears completely impartial and selfless, showing no trace of the person who once opposed Qin Yizhou's relationship with Song Fenglan. She simply values ​​whoever has a better family background; she's that simple.

"It's good that you didn't make them move back," Aunt Qin said. "If you had made them move back, and then found out that your eldest son's wife wasn't pregnant, what would you have done? Would you have made them move out again? You wouldn't have felt embarrassed, but I would have felt embarrassed."

Sister-in-law Qin had previously wanted to ask Aunt Qin to help mediate, as Aunt Qin had treated Sister-in-law Qin quite well in the past, not now.

"By the way, aren't you going to visit the Song family?" Aunt Qin said. "You are, after all, the groom's parents, you should take the initiative to go and see them. I see that the Song family is not what it used to be, so many people have gone there, and even leaders have gone to visit the Song family to express their condolences."

Aunt Qin also heard this. Those were leaders, after all. The fact that those people went to see the Song family meant that the Song family really had no problems. The Song family didn't have any political agenda; they were involved in scientific research and the like. There was no need to worry about them choosing the wrong side at this time.

So Aunt Qin urged Qin's parents to go to the Song family to at least appease them; they couldn't just wait for the Song family to come. Of course, the Song family wouldn't come; they couldn't possibly be unaware of the grievances Song Fenglan had suffered. When Qin's sister-in-law's family was kicked out, the Qin family leaked the news, saying it was Qin's sister-in-law's fault. That wasn't a big deal.

Regarding the usefulness of this, the Qin family still needs to have a stance; they can't just simply kick out Qin's eldest sister-in-law's family.

Don't think the Qin family suffered any loss. The Qin family didn't suffer any loss at all. The Song family is much better off than Qin's sister-in-law's family. The Qin family still made a profit.

"As the groom's parents, you shouldn't be so reserved," Aunt Qin said. "Back when Yizhou got married, you didn't agree to their marriage and didn't give any betrothal gifts. It was only after they got married that you gave a little bit. Back then, you wanted others to see your attitude; now, shouldn't you show others your attitude?"