Chapter 72 All avenues were blocked

“We didn’t mean to ruin your future, really,” Mrs. Tang said. “You’re part of this family, that’s why we thought of asking you for help. We’re all family, it’s just a matter of a few words.”

Tang's mother was worried that if Tang's father's salary was reduced, her own life would become difficult, so she called Tang Lu. Tang's mother thought that the rest of the Tang family were not very capable, so why didn't they think to give Tang Lu a proper talking-to?

Did they really think that Mr. Tang's demotion was a simple matter? His monthly salary would be significantly reduced. His future pension would also be reduced, less in this and less in that, resulting in a substantial loss.

“Your father is getting old, and since he was demoted, it’s basically impossible for him to get promoted,” Mrs. Tang said. “That’s a huge difference in money.”

“At least he still has a job,” Tang Lu said. “He can still get paid. Some people lose their jobs altogether and don’t get paid. Don’t bring this up with me again.”

"You'll have to come back when you're on vacation," Tang's mother said deliberately. "We've saved a room for you at home."

“That’s what you should have saved for me.” Tang Lu understood what her mother meant; her mother was trying to use this incident to threaten her, and she couldn’t possibly agree to it. Even if she couldn’t live at the Tang family’s house, she still had her own mother, so she would always have a place to stay and wouldn’t end up homeless.

Tang Lu thought she wasn't a three-year-old child; she knew what she was doing, what the way out was, and she would walk that path on her own.

"You..." Tang's mother saw that Tang Lu was unyielding, but she couldn't scold her, as Tang Lu wasn't her biological daughter. A stepdaughter is a stepdaughter after all, and a stepmother can't very well criticize her.

After hanging up the phone, Tang's mother looked at Tang's father. After Tang's father became the deputy factory director, a telephone was installed in their home.

Back then, Mr. Tang was very proud of himself. After divorcing Aunt Song, he married a younger woman and got a promotion. Mr. Tang felt like a winner in life and even dreamed of further promotions. After the Song family was exonerated, Mr. Tang was a little afraid that the Song family would target him. He only felt much more at ease when the Song family did not take any action.

The Song family had no intention of targeting Mr. Tang. They didn't know how many children Mr. Tang and Aunt Song had. If the Song family did target Mr. Tang, how would Aunt Song's children view the Song family and Aunt Song herself? For Aunt Song's sake, the Song family refrained from doing such things.

Anyway, the things the Tang family did were mainly to hurt Aunt Song. The Song family should just follow Aunt Song's lead.

“Your daughter is really something. I’ve talked to her so much, but she just won’t listen,” said Mrs. Tang. “You are her biological father, so what’s wrong with her helping you out? If it weren’t for this incident, we wouldn’t have asked her for help. She doesn’t listen to her older brother. I begged her, but she still acts like this.”

“She looks like her mother,” Mr. Tang remarked, noting that Tang Lu didn’t resemble her much.

“You dote on her so much, you spoil her so much, and this is how she treats you,” said Mrs. Tang.

After Tang's mother married Tang's father, she observed his attitude towards Tang Lu. Tang Lu was living a very comfortable life in the Tang family, receiving new clothes and pastries—a girl living the same life and being treated with the same importance as boys. Tang's mother suspected that Tang's father still harbored feelings for Aunt Song, but she didn't want to speak up directly.

"Never mind." Mr. Tang frowned. His feelings for Aunt Song were complicated. He did dislike how she suppressed him, but she had indeed borne him children. After his divorce, his attitude towards Tang Lu, who resembled Aunt Song, improved considerably.

Before Tang's father and Aunt Song divorced, Tang's father didn't like Tang Lu that much. Tang's father was good to Tang Lu, and he once said that Tang Lu resembled Aunt Song. Everyone thought that Tang's father had feelings for Aunt Song, but after what happened, there was really nothing he could do, so Tang's father doted on Tang Lu more.

To put it bluntly, it's a typical example of a man deliberately trying to save face, wanting both ways.

"Just like that?" Mrs. Tang said. "If there are things you can't say, she can say them much better than you. Her uncle and aunt are over there, why can't she say it? She said she'd wait for her uncle and aunt to come back, but who knows when they'll be back? By the time they get back, it'll be too late. Others will get promoted, but there won't be a place for you. You can't just demote someone else and then let you go up, can you?"

Tang's mother believed that Tang Lu was just trying to stall for time. Since Aunt Song refused to help and Tang Lu refused to help either, what was the point of everyone else running around? The Tang family didn't have that many connections to begin with, but Tang's father still gained a lot of benefits through Aunt Song.

"..." Mr. Tang remained silent. Of course, he wanted to continue as deputy factory director. After being demoted, Mr. Tang took a few days off. He didn't want to go to work now, afraid of facing the ridicule of others.

When Tang's father returned, he was also thinking of finding someone to help, but who could he turn to?

The factory underwent a major purge of its top management, and Mr. Tang couldn't find anyone no matter how hard he looked.

Brother Song and his wife were in the capital. Brother Song was a teacher. Tang Shaotao went to see Brother Song, but Brother Song said he didn't understand those things.

Tang Shaotao found it laughable. Did he think that just because he opened his mouth, Brother Song would have to help him? The Song family did have some connections, but when the Song family faced a major disaster, they didn't ask those people for help. Tang's father was only demoted, and Tang Shaotao was already expecting Brother Song to ask for favors? What kind of logic was that?

Brother Song naturally refused outright; he would never help Tang's father. Tang's father was no longer his uncle-in-law, and Tang Shaotao was trying to use their supposed kinship to blackmail Brother Song, but Brother Song wouldn't fall for it.

"Think carefully, who else can we ask?" Mrs. Tang said. "As long as we can find someone, we'll go find them. Even if it costs a little more money, it doesn't matter, we'll see what happens later..."

“The deputy factory director isn’t an ordinary position; you can’t just buy your way into it.” Mr. Tang had gotten the job by spending money and pulling strings before. Now that they don’t want him to continue as deputy factory director, there’s nothing he can do. “Forget it, don’t bother trying.”

When Tang's father was the deputy factory director, he didn't embezzle much money. In those days, even a small amount of embezzlement was easily discovered. Even if it was a gift from someone, it depended on who gave it and what it was. If something bigger had happened, Tang's father wouldn't have just been demoted.

"You just know how to let it go, you just can't bear to make your children suffer. Am I a wicked stepmother, forcing them to do these things?" Mrs. Tang said, "Isn't it all for you, for our future? Do you expect them to give you a pension? Impossible, you're already being kind by not subsidizing them."

Mrs. Tang worried that without her own children, her life would be difficult in the future. She had hidden some money to prevent Mr. Tang from giving it all to his own children and neglecting her. Now, Mr. Tang's demotion was affecting Mrs. Tang's future, which was why she was so anxious.

If this matter doesn't affect Tang's mother's quality of life, she won't care about these things.

Jian Lili and Tang Lu shared a dormitory room. Tang Lu would go back to the dormitory to soak her feet.

Today, Jian Lili noticed that Tang Lu had answered more than one phone call, and couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen at home?"

"It's just a small matter," Tang Lu said.

"Are you going back?" Jane asked.

“No need to go back,” Tang Lu said. “My dad was just demoted, he didn’t lose his job.”

"Demotion?" Jian Lili didn't expect Tang Lu to say that.

“Yes,” Tang Lu said. “If you’re not good at your job, you’ll only get demoted, right? Being demoted is still considered good, since you don’t have to pay back your previous salary, so what else is there to say?”

"..." Jian Lili felt that Tang Lu was too calm. If she were in such a situation, she would definitely not be so calm.

"What?" Tang Lu asked when Jian Lili remained silent. "Do you think I'm cold-hearted?"

At this moment, Tang Lu's tone of voice was somewhat similar to Song Fenglan's.

“No,” Jian Lili shook her head. “I just think you are very composed. The instructors told us that those of us who fly fighter jets must have a strong mental fortitude, remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapses on our heads.”

Tang Lu hadn't expected Jian Lili to say that. It wasn't about composure or lack thereof; it was because ever since her biological mother returned to the capital, the Tang family had been intentionally or unintentionally trying to get Tang Lu to stay with her mother. Tang Lu knew perfectly well that those people just wanted to use her mother, not genuinely want them to mend their so-called family ties.

So many years have passed, and the damage has been done. Forget about family ties; we can't go back to the past.

When Mr. Tang was demoted, Mr. Song told Song Fenglan, who felt he deserved it. The Song family didn't talk much about Mr. Tang, and Song Fenglan was too embarrassed to say anything more in front of her children.

When they went to their room to rest, Song Fenglan spoke to Qin Yizhou.

“Back then, I stayed in the city, while my parents and brother were sent to a farm. When I met the Tang family on the road, they acted as if they didn’t see me,” Song Fenglan said. “If someone nearby said anything bad about our family, they would even chime in. That shocked me.”

Song Fenglan had once thought her third aunt's husband was a very good person. Tang's father always behaved so well in front of the Song family, making it impossible to tell he was a bad person. The two families had a good relationship, and Tang's father would even give Song Fenglan and her siblings some food. Later, when the Song family encountered trouble, Tang's father was quick to sever ties with her third aunt. Seeing what the Tang family did afterward shocked Song Fenglan greatly.

Mr. Tang is such a good actor; he's like a man from a poor background who wants the benefits a woman brings, but can't stand her flaws.

“He abandoned my third aunt too quickly,” Song Fenglan said. “At the time, we all thought he would protect her. Even if they divorced, it would be out of necessity. But he didn’t seem to be out of necessity at all. He even kicked us hard. Why do I think my uncle-in-law is okay? Although I was mistreated while living in their house, he didn’t abandon my aunt. They let me stay with them.”

I'm already living under someone else's roof, so how can I expect others to treat me so well?

Song Fenglan had always understood this principle; she disliked Jiang Yufei and had told her family that she didn't like Jiang Yufei either. However, Song Fenglan's attitude towards Jiang's sister-in-law and her ilk was still quite good.

Looking at it from another perspective, if I were Sister-in-law Jiang, I might not be so kind to her cousin. Sister-in-law Jiang is just an ordinary person, and she has the attitude of an ordinary person.

“My uncle is a bit stingy, but he is still kind and righteous,” Song Fenglan said. “He is not a perfect person. My aunt’s status in my uncle’s family is also low, but it is still better than being sent to the farm. Of course, it is also because my aunt was born to my aunt’s mother. My aunt’s birth mother was a poor girl, and everyone thought that my aunt’s birth mother was persecuted.”

Actually, Aunt Yu's birth mother wasn't persecuted; she willingly stayed with Song Fenglan's maternal grandfather. The family was poor, and at that time, monogamy wasn't practiced; many men had concubines. Aunt Yu's birth mother wanted more, wanted Aunt Yu to be comparable to Song's mother, but Aunt Yu's birth mother's vision was limited; she couldn't compare.

“Aunt Yu wasn’t spared criticism, but the Jiang family still knew to protect her,” Song Fenglan said. “In this respect, there’s really nothing to say.”

"Yes." Qin Yizhou nodded. "Your aunt is indeed very good to you."

“My aunt… she’s just too soft-hearted,” Song Fenglan said. “There’s nothing we can do about it. Given her situation, she has a low status at home, so she has to bow her head whenever she can. She even bows her head in front of her daughter-in-law. I don’t know if my aunt’s situation is any better now. It’s her private matter, and we can’t interfere too much.”

It's a family matter between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and even an upright official can't settle it. Song Fenglan never spoke ill of Jiang's sister-in-law in front of her aunt. The things Jiang's sister-in-law bought weren't actually bought by Song Fenglan. It didn't matter if Jiang's sister-in-law ate the food secretly. Song Fenglan would also secretly give her son extra food and buy some for herself. She would eat outside before returning to the Jiang family home.

In other people's eyes, you might be a rare gem, so why bother saying so much?

"We don't need to concern ourselves with the Tang family's affairs, do we?" Qin Yizhou asked.

“No need. Didn’t Mom and Dad say that it’s the Tang family’s business and has nothing to do with us?” Song Fenglan said. “We’re in Nancheng, so it’s no use for them to look for us. They’ll go after Mom and Dad.”

"It wouldn't be bad for Mom and Dad to stay here a few more days," Qin Yizhou said. "Don't get involved in this mess."

“They went back and didn’t want to get involved in this mess,” Song Fenglan said. “The Tang family are all ungrateful people. Third Aunt did so much for them, and they just say they don’t want Third Aunt anymore.”

If they treated Aunt Song so badly, they could treat the Song family even worse.

Song Fenglan never intended to repay evil with kindness; she let the Tang family do whatever they wanted. Even if Tang's father lost his job, it was his own fault.

“Back then, when your sister-in-law… the sister-in-law before her had a family emergency, didn’t she come to you for help?” Song Fenglan said. “Your family didn’t help at all.”

"Her family has spies involved, who would dare help her?" Qin Yizhou said. "The situation is different. Everyone's afraid of being labeled as spies, and then my brother won't be able to get promoted. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll probably be stuck in this position forever. Both of my brother's children are still related to the Tian family by blood, and his new sister-in-law's child..."

It has nothing to do with the Tian family, but so what?

At first, everyone said that Brother Qin made a good choice in marrying Tian Keshu; no one expected something like this to happen.

“That’s true,” Song Fenglan said. “Who cares about them? We’ll live our lives, and they’ll live theirs.”

Early in the morning, Qin Yizhou went to make breakfast. Song Fenglan got up a little later, so she took a steamed bun and an egg and went out.

"Aren't you going to sit down and eat?" Song's mother said.

"It's getting late," Song Fenglan said. "I still have a meeting to attend, it wouldn't be good to be late."

"Another meeting?" Song's mother asked.

"Yes." Song Fenglan was still a key figure and couldn't be late. Song Fenglan still had things to say, so she wanted to go early, finish the meeting early, and leave early.

Song Fenglan and her colleagues didn't spend all their time in meetings; that would be a waste of time. Their focus was on completing tasks on time and achieving the planned goals.

"Walk slowly on the road, don't choke." Song's mother chased after her for two steps.

"Okay." Song Fenglan waved and walked away with Cao Fang.

Cao Fang had already eaten and was waiting for Song Fenglan to come out. When Song Fenglan came out, Cao Fang even helped open the door.

Watching Song Fenglan's departing figure, Song's mother thought to herself, "My daughter has really grown up." She reminisced about the time before they were sent to the farm; her daughter was still quite young then, and now she was capable of handling things on her own.

"Grandma," Qin Zihang said, walking to Song's mother's side, "I'm going to school now."

"Okay, Grandma will take our Hangbao to school." Song's mother watched as Qin Zihang put on his schoolbag himself. Her daughter had loved reading when she was little, and as soon as she heard that she was going to school, she went.

Song's mother and father took Qin Zihang to school together. On the way, they encountered Grandma Fang, who still avoided them. Grandma Fang felt that the Song family's aura was quite different, and she was afraid of being tricked if she talked to them. Grandma Fang really had a vivid imagination; she was scaring herself.

The main reason is that Political Commissar Zhao visited the Fang family before, and later, Fang Xudong was demobilized.

Grandma Fang is now a little scared and guilty whenever she sees these people, because she was the one who spoke ill of others at home. Although it's unlikely that Gao Xiuxiu would tell anyone, walls have ears, and Grandma Fang is afraid that others might overhear.

Grandma Fang is the kind of person who's both naive and playful, not very bright, and always says those kinds of things, though she feels guilty afterward. Song Fenglan isn't Gao Xiuxiu, so Grandma Fang can't use her position as a mother-in-law to suppress Song Fenglan, nor can she suppress Qin Yizhou. Grandma Fang isn't afraid of Gao Xiuxiu, but she is still afraid of Qin Yizhou and his wife.

Song's mother didn't care why Grandma Fang was avoiding them; she knew Grandma Fang wasn't a good person, and that was enough.

At this time, Fan Yani had finished her postpartum confinement period and was well taken care of by Guo's mother.

Fan Yani asked Guo's mother to stay a little longer, and Guo's mother agreed. Fan Yani sent some money back to Guo's father to let the Guo family know her stance. Fan Yani did this to appease Guo's parents as their youngest daughter-in-law; if Guo's mother were back in their hometown, she could help her younger daughter-in-law with chores. Since Guo's mother was with Fan Yani, it wasn't as convenient for her to help her younger daughter-in-law.

Fan Yani understood this point well, so as not to cause conflict between Guo's mother and daughter-in-law.

“I sent money to Dad so he can buy some good food,” Fan Yani said. “You’ve been a huge help to me here.”

"Keep the money for yourself," Guo's mother said. "There's no need to send money."

Guo's mother was worried that Fan Yani's husband would be unhappy, since it's unacceptable for a married daughter to always take her husband's family's things back to her parents' home.

“Don’t worry, my husband, your son-in-law knows this. We discussed this a long time ago,” Fan Yani said. “He is an orphan. I have no parents-in-law, no one else to help us. We are counting on you. You are my mother, that’s true, but we can’t let you do this for nothing. We still have to be filial to you. Since you’re not in our hometown, your younger siblings have to work a little harder.”

"You're just too good at everything," Guo's mother remarked, noting that Fan Yani always did these things very well.

Guo's mother had initially worried that if Guo Peng didn't marry Fan Yani, their relationship would deteriorate. However, Fan Yani remained as kind to them as ever, unaffected by Guo Peng's actions.

“Even among relatives, there must be some decorum,” Fan Yani said. “There must be certain bottom lines that cannot be crossed.”

Fan Yani didn't know if Li Hui understood these things, but she needed to. Things that could be resolved with money weren't really problems.

Seeing Fan Yani like this, Guo's mother felt even more sorry that Guo Peng had married Li Hui instead of Fan Yani. However, it was better that Fan Yani had married someone else; Guo's mother thought Guo Peng wasn't a man she could really rely on.

Li Hui is indeed prettier than Fan Yani, and being a dancer, she has a better presence. However, Guo's mother thinks Li Hui is a bad person; she believes such a person is just a freeloader, and that men only care about a woman's appearance and never consider her inner qualities.

If Guo Peng had been forced to marry Fan Yani, Fan Yani might not have had such a good life.

Yue Hongwei is quite good, no worse than Guo Peng.

Guo's mother didn't believe that Fan Yani was only able to marry Yue Hongwei because of Guo Peng; she thought it was Guo Peng's fault and Fan Yani was innocent. Although the Guo family provided Fan Yani with food and shelter and raised her, the Guo family also had their own motives, and it was the Guo family who went back on their word first, so Fan Yani couldn't be blamed.

In the capital, Tang's father's son was busy, and Tang's mother was also busy. They both hoped that Tang's father could continue to serve as the deputy factory director.

Such a big thing spread very quickly.

When the news reached the Tian family, Tian Keshu felt it was truly unfair. Her father had been fired, while Tang's father was allowed to remain at the factory.

There was a spy in our family, but we can't blame our father. He had no idea what was going on.

"The Tang family is trying to pull some strings, but we don't know if they'll succeed." Tian Keshu returned to her parents' home.

"Do you think they can make it work?" Tian's mother asked.

"I don't know," Tian Keshu said. "They will definitely go to the Song family. I heard that Song Fenglan's parents went to Nancheng to see her and they are not home now."

Tian Keshu couldn't help but suspect that the Song family might have known something in advance, which was why they chose this time to visit Song Fenglan, thus avoiding the Tang family coming to their door.

“The Tang family is shameless,” Tian Keshu said.

“They have children together,” said Tian’s mother. “Of course we have to go find them. Have you gone to see your two children yet?”

"Look?" Tian Keshu got angry just thinking about it. "The children's aunt won't let me go over there, telling me to stay away from the children, saying I'll affect their future. The two children won't even talk to me when they see me. I used to be so good to them, and now..."

Tian Keshu had no idea how her two children had turned out this way. "It must be the Qin family who taught them this."

"Take a look whenever you have time," said Mother Tian. "If it really doesn't work out, try to have another child. That way, you'll have someone to take care of you when you get old."

“My husband has two sons, and he doesn’t want children,” Tian Keshu said. “He…he…”

"What's wrong with him?" Tian's mother asked.

“He got his tubal ligation.” Tian Keshu gritted her teeth. “He didn’t discuss it with me before getting it done. He said that having two sons was enough, and that the children’s maternal grandparents didn’t want him to have any more children. They said that two boys eat too much and the family couldn’t afford to feed more people.”

Tian Keshu's eyes reddened. Her brother Qin used to consult her before doing anything and listen to her opinions. But this man she had now did things without her consent; he would just do them directly. If it went well, he would let her know. If it didn't, he might not tell her at all.

How could Tian Keshu bear this? You see, very few hospitals nowadays perform male sterilization. Her husband had just gotten a vasectomy, preventing her from getting pregnant.

“I told him a few days ago that I wanted to have a child, and that’s when he finally said it,” Tian Keshu said. “If I hadn’t said I wanted a child, I doubt he would have told me.”

Tian Keshu felt like a fool, that she had been tricked. But what could she do? She was unemployed and could only live off her husband's salary. Her husband felt that as the head of the household, he had no reason to tell Tian Keshu those things.

"How could this be?" Mother Tian asked in disbelief. "He didn't say anything like that when he came to our house to propose marriage."

Many men think about having multiple children and never consider not having children at all.

“You two don’t have any children, so he doesn’t treat you like family,” said Tian’s mother. “Won’t he be wary of you in the future?”

“Don’t even talk about the future, he’s already on guard now,” Tian Keshu said. “He has to write down everything we buy, how much it costs, in a notebook. He even has to calculate it, afraid that I’ve spent too much money. I joked that we’re all family, why do we have to be so meticulous? He said that he used to feel uneasy when I took things that I gave to my younger siblings back to my parents’ home. If he keeps track of everything, he won’t have any grudges, and it’s better for both of us.”

Tian Keshu listened

When she heard what her husband said, she found it utterly unbelievable—what did he mean by not having any lingering resentment? Tian Keshu didn't know if her husband had any resentment, but she certainly did.

"The incident caused such a huge uproar back then," Tian's mother sighed. Many people knew about Tian Keshu's outrageous actions, to the point that others were wary of her.

“When I go back to my parents’ home, he always checks if we’re missing anything,” Tian Keshu said. “He subtly tells me not to bring anything back with me. What’s the point of bringing back so little stuff?”

The Qin family has a lot of possessions, while the man Tian Keshu married is much poorer now.

Tian Keshu was dissatisfied with her current husband, but she had no choice. No other man wanted her, and she insisted on getting married, so she could only choose the best among the worst, marrying someone who was at least somewhat acceptable, so that she would at least have food and shelter. If Tian Keshu stayed at her parents' home, her family would kick her out.

"He is indeed stingy, nothing like the one before you," said Mother Tian.

When Tian Keshu accompanied Brother Qin, she brought a lot of things back home, and the Qin family didn't say much. Tian Keshu could speak a little louder at the Qin family home, unlike now, where she's constantly told what's wrong.

“There’s no comparison. A second marriage is a second marriage,” Tian Keshu said. “Back then, we had no choice but to get a divorce.”

When a man forces a woman to divorce, he has many methods at his disposal. Given the state of the Tian family, Tian Keshu couldn't afford to gamble and had no choice but to divorce Brother Qin.

"The Qin family isn't any good either, they're really awful." Tian Keshu thought of Aunt Qin, who always spoke ill of others after the fact, and who even introduced potential partners to her older brother.

Tian Keshu felt that Aunt Qin was interfering too much in her affairs, and she wondered what Qin's current wife would think.

You Yun didn't think Aunt Qin was any bad. Aunt Qin was just a fair-weather friend; she hadn't done anything particularly bad, nor had she interfered too much in the Qin family's affairs. You Yun could tolerate Aunt Qin because she felt that Aunt Qin knew how to avoid danger. Aunt Qin's words were usually directed at the two children left behind by Tian Keshu; as long as it didn't involve her own interests, it was fine.

Aunt Qin and Second Sister Qin both said that Qin's mother should teach the two children left behind by Tian Keshu more, but Qin's mother couldn't bear to be too strict with those two children.

Both children grew up with Qin's mother. Qin's mother could be cold to Qin Zihang, but she couldn't be cold to these two children.

Seeing that her mother still doted on the two children, Qin Erjie didn't say much. Anyway, the two children weren't her own, and once she moved out, they wouldn't affect her anymore.

Her biological father, grandfather, and grandmother didn't care, so what could she, as the aunt, say?

Sister Qin told her children not to associate too much with the two children left behind by Tian Keshu. Even if they lived under the same roof, they should play together less, lest they be led astray. Children are easily led astray, but it's difficult to bring them back to the right path.

However, needless to say, Qin Erjie's children preferred to play with the girl brought by You Yun who had no blood relation to the Qin family, rather than with the two children left behind by Tian Keshu.

Qin's mother could be cold to Qin Zihang, and she could be cold to Qin Erjie's children as well. Qin's mother didn't particularly like Qin Erjie and had a problem with her daughter, so naturally she wouldn't be very nice to her grandchildren.

"They're from the countryside after all; they've never seen the world."

"There's some food, it's not like we haven't given you anything to eat."

"Don't you know how to be careful? You're about to hit someone."

...

Qin Erjie's children and Tian Keshu's children had some minor conflicts, and Qin's mother always sided with her own grandchildren. Instead of asking who was at fault, Qin's mother always blamed Qin Erjie's children.

Qin Erjie witnessed this twice, yet Qin's mother still didn't stop. Seeing this, Qin Erjie understood how Qin's mother treated Qin Zihang; no wonder Song Fenglan and the others disliked her. It was all Qin's mother's own doing; she had no one else to blame.

Qin's mother always says it's Tian Keshu's fault, but doesn't she have any faults?

These past two days, Aunt Song hasn't stayed home all the time; she's gone out. In her view, she's happy that the Tang family is in trouble, as it also lets others know that the Tang family has no connection with the Song family, and that the Tang family shouldn't try to take advantage of the Song family's relationship at this time.

When Aunt Song was chatting with people, she always said that the Tang family was ungrateful.

"In the early years, my brother helped him so much, how did he treat us?"

“When Fenglan was in the capital, he wouldn’t let the children have any contact with her, saying that the Song family was the Song family and the Tang family was the Tang family.”

"That's right. The Song family is the Song family, and the Tang family is the Tang family. That was true before, and it is true now."

"Demotion? He deserves it, he has no one to blame but himself. He simply doesn't have the ability. Demotion is good, at least he can retire peacefully."

"If he hadn't been demoted, he probably would have ruined his reputation in his later years. It's a good thing he was demoted now."

...

When the Tang family learned of Aunt Song's actions, they were furious. They had thought that it was one thing for Aunt Song not to help, and that nothing serious would happen since she stayed at home, but then she went out and said these things.

The Tang family secretly wanted people to think they had restored their relationship with the Song family, assuming the Song family wouldn't speak out. The Tang family was wrong. Aunt Song knew what kind of people the Tang family were; she wouldn't allow them to exploit their connection with the Song family.

Since Mr. Tang has already been demoted, he should be kept in check; there's no need for him to be promoted. A promotion for Mr. Tang would only cause distress, which is undesirable. This distress should be left to the Tang family.

Since Tang's father didn't want to go to Aunt Song's place, Tang's mother went to Aunt Song's place instead.

"Oh, your man didn't come, but you did." Aunt Song met Tang's mother at the door. "That's right, he hasn't devoured you to the bone yet."

“Eldest sister,” said Mrs. Tang.

“Who’s your older sister?” Aunt Song said. “I don’t have a younger sister like you.”

"Sister, can we have a proper talk for a while?" Tang's mother said.

"No." Aunt Song refused to speak further to Mother Tang. "You're a member of the Tang family. Don't expect me to sacrifice myself for your man; that's impossible. For the sake of everyone's reputation, I advise you not to come to me. You should think about your future. Do you think he'll appreciate all this for you?"

After Aunt Song entered the courtyard, she closed the gate and did not let Mother Tang in.

When Mrs. Tang was turned away, she turned around and saw Mr. Tang.

"Go back." Mr. Tang said coldly.

Mr. Tang's plan was good. If Mrs. Tang succeeded, he would not show up. If Mrs. Tang failed, he would show up with a cold face to let others know that he had not intended to ask Aunt Song for help.

Aunt Song did not open the door to go out and see what was going on. She heard Tang's father's voice, but did not stop and continued walking home.

In the evening, Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu walked home from school together, taking their time. Song Erge also walked slowly, not hurrying.

"Second Uncle, our teacher taught us to fold paper cranes," Qin Zihang said. "I already knew how to do it. My mom folded them before, and I folded them with her. She also knows how to fold paper boats."

"Then you'll fold it up very quickly," said Brother Song.

“Zihang was the fastest to fold it,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “And it looked really good. The teacher even praised Zihang.”

"Little Tiger Brother is also good. He wasn't slow, and his paper cranes look nice too." Qin Zihang praised generously. "The teacher also told us to take the paper cranes home to show our parents."

Qin Zihang took out the paper crane and handed it to Song Erge, "Second Uncle, you saw it before my parents did!"

"It's not bad." Second Brother Song picked up the paper crane, and he thought of things from his childhood.

When Song Erge was little, he was a bit naughty. He would throw the paper cranes his sister folded out of the air and say that he wanted the paper cranes to fly. His sister would stomp her feet and call out to her parents: "Dad, Mom, look at Erge."

Paper cranes have wings, but unlike paper airplanes, they can't fly. Paper cranes easily fall to the ground.

At that time, Song Fenglan was folding paper cranes while her second brother was throwing them away, to the point that Song Fenglan chased after him, trying to get him to put down the paper cranes she had folded. Then, their mother would tell her second brother to be more considerate of his sister and not to cause trouble. But the second brother still liked to tease his sister; she was cute and funny.

"We can fold a few more when we get home," said Brother Song.

"Does Second Uncle want to make a wish?" Qin Zihang asked. "Wishes made on paper cranes won't come true."

"Did you make that promise?" Second Brother Song asked.

“Paper cranes have no magic, and there is no magic in this world, only hardworking people,” Qin Zihang said. “These are all just for fooling children, just psychological comfort.”

"Did your mother tell you this?" Song Erge asked in confusion. How could a child as young as Qin Zihang know these things?

“My mother said it, and I know it,” Qin Zihang said. “Only a three-year-old would believe such things.”

“Your mother still believed in these things when she was eight years old,” said Song Erge. “She even wanted to be a fairy in heaven and wanted to fly up to the sky.”

Song Fenglan was really cute when she was a child.

Out of love, Song's mother also made beautiful clothes for Song Fenglan. Little Song Fenglan looked very delicate and cute, much prettier than the dolls in the shop window.

Song Erge's friends also really liked Song Fenglan. They told their parents they wanted a younger sister like Song Fenglan, even though some of them already had younger sisters. Some siblings even got into a fight over this, with the younger sister saying she didn't want a brother like hers, she wanted a sister like Song Fenglan.

Yes, that's right. The sisters of Song Erge's friends don't say they want brothers like Song Erge, they say they want sisters like Song Fenglan. This shows that everyone's aesthetic is relatively consistent.

“Mom built an airplane, and if you sit in it, you can fly into the sky,” Qin Zihang said. “Mom believed it when she was eight years old, but now she knows she can’t believe it, so she doesn’t try to make me believe it anymore.”

“I don’t believe it either,” Zhang Xiaohu quickly said. “I’ll be seven years old soon, and I still won’t believe it.”

Zhang Xiaohu said he wanted to be like Qin Zihang; if his younger brother Zihang didn't believe it, he couldn't believe it either. Following Zihang's lead would definitely be the right thing to do.

As the fat woman listened to what Zhang Xiaohu said, she looked at her eldest son, who remained quiet.

"We're not children anymore," Qin Zihang concluded.

“Yes, yes, you’re not little kids, you’re big kids,” said Brother Song.

"Second Uncle, what you said sounds just like what Mom said," Qin Zihang said.

“Your mother and I are siblings, so naturally we look alike,” said Song Erge. “Come on, we’re almost home.”

The school is indeed very close to Song Fenglan's home; it's only a few minutes' walk away.

Some families didn't pick up their children, letting them go home on their own. They didn't think anything could happen on that short walk; there were many people on the road, and most of them knew each other.

"Brother Xiaohu, let's play together tonight." Qin Zihang waved to Zhang Xiaohu.

"I'll come find you to play after I finish eating," Zhang Xiaohu replied.

The two children agreed to play together before going home separately.

"Be careful." Seeing Zhang Xiaohu trying to take big steps with his crutches, the fat woman quickly said, "Don't fall again. If you fall again, you'll have to crawl to school."

“I’m not that unlucky,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

Meanwhile, Guo Peng returned home, where Li Hui cooked noodles and made fried eggs, sharing a bowl between the two of them.

"When is your mother going back?" Li Hui asked. "If she goes back, we can go see her off and take her to the station."