Chapter 85 A Fight Breaks Out During New Year's Eve Dinner

Qin Yizhou spoke with his older brother at the intersection, not at Qin Yizhou's home.

"A family, all together in harmony," Brother Qin emphasized.

"You all reunite together," Qin Yizhou said. "We won't be going."

"Yizhou, are you still angry with us?" Brother Qin knew that his mother had asked Qin Yizhou to help him. He really wanted a promotion, but he wasn't completely clueless. His situation was complicated, and Qin Yizhou couldn't help him unless Brother Qin hadn't married Tian Keshu and had two children.

During certain periods of history, couples would often divorce to sever ties, only to remarry quickly. However, since their children were still alive, the relationship couldn't truly be severed, and it would inevitably have some impact.

If it were just ordinary people with bad backgrounds, that would be fine, but Tian Keshu's family had a spy, and that was a spy.

Brother Qin harbored deep resentment towards Tian Keshu. He believed the Tian family had received some good things, but they hadn't explained the situation, which led to his current predicament. At least Qin Yizhou knew about Song Fenglan's background when she married him. But Brother Qin himself was completely unaware of the Tian family's dealings; they had kept it from him.

"What's there to be angry about?" Qin Yizhou said. "We've all started our own families, each with our own children."

"Do you feel that your parents aren't good enough to Zihang, but not to me...?"

“Indeed, but that’s not important,” Qin Yizhou said. “Our Zihang isn’t without love. He has his maternal grandparents, uncles, and aunts, and they all love him very much. My wife and I love him too. He doesn’t need you to love him as well. There’s no need for that. Brother, your family reunion is enough.”

Qin Yizhou didn't want to force Song Fenglan and Qin Zihang to go. His wife and son couldn't go, and there was no need for him to go either. Qin Yizhou thought that if he went, his mother would definitely use the New Year's Eve dinner as an excuse to talk to him, just to get him to help the Qin family.

"You haven't eaten with your parents in a long time," Brother Qin said.

“When we first returned to the capital, we ate with them, but they clearly didn’t want to eat with us,” Qin Yizhou said. “We’re all grown up now, not children anymore. It won’t matter if we don’t have New Year’s Eve dinner together. Big brother, please don’t say anything more. You can have Second Sister’s family go over for dinner; we won’t go.”

Qin Yizhou remained resolute; he couldn't let his wife and son suffer there. If he forced them to go, he would be unmanly and wouldn't even know how to protect his wife.

"Really not going?" Brother Qin frowned.

"I'm not going!" Qin Yizhou wasn't afraid of his older brother. When they were kids, they used to fight, and Qin Yizhou didn't think he had to give in to his brother. Giving in, giving in, what's the point? It's all about personal ability.

"..." Brother Qin stared at Qin Yizhou.

"I have some things to take care of at home, so I'll head back now." Qin Yizhou turned and left.

Brother Qin watched Qin Yizhou leave, feeling that Qin Yizhou was too heartless. How had things turned out this way between the brothers? Brother Qin thought it was all Tian Keshu's fault; Tian Keshu had gone too far back then. Brother Qin shifted all the blame onto Tian Keshu, but in reality, he also bore some responsibility.

Back then, Tian Keshu's younger sister wanted to be with Song Erge, but he refused. Now, Tian Kexian also deeply resents Tian Keshu, believing that Tian Keshu ruined her happiness. If Tian Keshu had treated Song Fenglan better, Tian Kexian could have married Song Erge.

"Big sister, do you know about Song Fenglan's second brother starting a company?" Tian Kexian asked.

The two sisters returned to their parents' home to deliver New Year's gifts and happened to run into each other.

Tian Kexian felt uneasy. If she had married Song Erge, her family could have become wealthy as well. Such a good opportunity had been ruined by Tian Keshu.

"I heard that her second brother's company is doing very well," Tian Kexian said. "People who work for their company need to have a certain level of education, and the salary is high."

"Hmm." Tian Keshu nodded slightly. She understood what Tian Kexian meant. Her younger sister was blaming herself for not being able to marry Song Erge. "You don't need to think about it. Even if I hadn't treated his sister badly, you still couldn't marry him. The Song family has very high standards, and you are not well-educated enough, not cultured enough, not good-looking enough, and not elegant enough. He would never be interested in you."

Tian Keshu initially wanted to hold back, but seeing Tian Kexian's sarcastic expression, she decided against it. What did this have to do with her? It was clearly Tian Kexian's wishful thinking.

“You…elder sister, you’ve ruined your sister’s life’s happiness, and you still have the nerve to say that?” Tian Kexian said. “You’ve not only ruined me, but also Mom and Dad, and the whole family. It’s probably because you offended Song Fenglan and the Song family that they’ve been making things difficult for our family.”

"Don't talk nonsense," Tian Keshu said. "Look at yourself, no wonder they wouldn't even look at you..."

“Song Fenglan’s second sister-in-law is very ordinary-looking, not pretty at all, but Song’s second brother still fell for her, didn’t he?” When Tian Kexian saw Cao Fang, her heart ached as if it were being gnawed by a thousand ants. Tian Kexian thought Cao Fang was no better than her. Cao Fang wasn’t even from the capital. Why could Cao Fang marry Song’s second brother, but she couldn’t?

Tian Kexian's life isn't so good now. The so-called love between her and her man wasn't very deep at all. She couldn't find a better man, and it just so happened that her man was good to her at the time, so she accepted him. After Tian Kexian gave birth, she discovered that her man's words were not only deceitful, but his attitude was also very bad. Her man scolded her a lot, and almost hit her several times.

But Tian Kexian couldn't always tell outsiders about this; she couldn't let others know how unhappy she was. She wanted everyone to think she was very happy. But the facts were clear: people weren't blind or deaf, and the neighbors had already heard Tian Kexian arguing with her husband.

“Song Fenglan’s second sister-in-law came with her from the south of the city,” Tian Keshu said. “That’s the second sister-in-law she prepared for herself!”

Tian Keshu didn't know the full story, so she just said based on her own guess, "She wants to control her second brother and sister-in-law."

If Song Fenglan knew about Tian Keshu, she would definitely applaud Tian Keshu. It would be a waste of talent for someone like Tian Keshu not to write novels or screenplays.

"Do you think Song Fenglan would be willing to let you be her second sister-in-law?" Tian Keshu sneered. "You're already married, and you're still thinking about these things. Aren't you afraid your brother-in-law will be unhappy?"

"You, you divorced your first brother-in-law, and your current brother-in-law had a tubal ligation. You haven't had any more children, and your own children don't even want to call you 'Mom.' You..."

"Alright, stop arguing here." Mother Tian had a headache. She didn't want to listen to these people arguing at all. "If you want to argue, go outside and let everyone know what kind of people you are. Aren't you ashamed enough of our family? Song Fenglan is back, and she hasn't come to our door or said anything to you, yet you're arguing yourselves."

The relationship between sisters Tian Keshu and Tian Kexian had long since collapsed. When Tian Kexian learned that the man she had carefully chosen was actually Song Fenglan's brother, and that Song's second brother had even rejected her, she was devastated. Coupled with her current unhappiness in life, she blamed everything on Tian Keshu.

"Stop arguing, all you do is argue," said Mother Tian. "Put your things down and go back. Don't stand here waiting for others to say good things about you to make you happy."

"Mom, no, my older sister..."

"Go back, all of you go back." Mother Tian waved her hand. She didn't want to live such a miserable life at all, but she had no choice but to continue.

Tian's mother kicked Tian Keshu and her sister out and closed the door.

Tian Keshu and Tian Kexian stared at each other, gave each other a cold snort, and then turned their heads away. Once outside on the road, both of them still wore cold expressions, disliking each other and each wanting to make the other suffer.

"Who do you think you are?" Tian Keshu said. "It's clearly impossible, and you're blaming me? What right do you have to blame me? Why don't you blame your uncle?"

It was their uncle who became a spy. If it weren't for this incident, Tian Keshu wouldn't have gotten a divorce, and Tian Kexian wouldn't have gotten married so easily.

"Is he in front of me?" Tian Kexian asked. "How do you know I don't resent him?"

Tian Kexian resented these people, wishing she weren't a member of the Tian family. But she was a member of the Tian family, and no one could change that fact. Thinking about some things from the past, Tian Kexian felt incredibly upset. Why did these people have the right to talk about her like that, making her seem so worthless?

"You and your brother-in-law don't have any children..."

"Shut up!" Tian Keshu tried to cover Tian Kexian's mouth to stop her from speaking.

Tian Kexian insisted on saying that the two sisters, at their age, were still pulling their hair, and if passersby and neighbors saw them, they would naturally talk about the two sisters.

When this news reached Song Fenglan's ears, she wasn't surprised. The Tian family was all the same; when there was profit to be made, they could be very united, but when there wasn't, of course they'd tear each other apart.

Tian Keshu was originally pampered by her family, but now their attitude towards her has completely changed. This is all because Tian Keshu divorced Brother Qin. Her current husband doesn't have the same abilities as Brother Qin, and Tian Keshu can no longer always bring things back to her family, which is why they look down on her.

Tian Keshu always says that how she treated her family in the past and how much she gave them are all useless. Those are things of the past. People don't care about the past; they only care about whether they have those things in the present.

"Mom, Mom, my aunt and uncle are arguing and even fighting," Qin Zihang gestured. "I'm outside, and my friends told me."

Qin Zihang's friends even acted out how the two people argued with him, complete with sounds, actions, and expressions—they were so lifelike they could form a mini-drama troupe.

“Pulling his hair, like this, like this.” Qin Zihang imitated him, “They were making a lot of noise.”

"You wish you could be there in person to see it," Song Fenglan said. "Didn't you tell them to stay away? Or they might get caught in the crossfire."

"It's alright, they're not fish in a pond, they're monkeys in a tree," Qin Zihang said. "They're watching from a distance, not in front of those people. It would be too embarrassing to stare at them face to face."

"Oh, so you know how to be shy now." Song Fenglan chuckled. "It's fine to look from afar, but not too close. You are like that, and so are your friends. You can't get too close."

"No, no." Qin Zihang waved his hand. "Mom, my eldest aunt's younger sister originally wanted to marry my second uncle and become my second aunt. Fortunately, my second uncle got married. If I had a second aunt like that, I wouldn't dare to go to my second uncle's house."

Qin Zihang disliked Tian Keshu and anyone related to her. He had suffered unfair treatment as a child, a memory he hadn't completely forgotten. He simply disliked the Qin family and didn't want to associate with Tian Keshu's children. Not only Tian Keshu's children, but even his second sister's children—Qin Zihang didn't particularly enjoy interacting with them.

“Your second aunt isn’t her, don’t worry,” Song Fenglan said. “Didn’t your second aunt buy you new clothes?”

"Yes, my second aunt bought it." Qin Zihang nodded.

Cao Fang became pregnant, making it inconvenient for her to continue protecting Song Fenglan; she was reassigned to other tasks. Cao Fang still cared for Qin Zihang; she had practically watched him grow up. Even before Cao Fang married Song's second brother, she doted on Qin Zihang.

After Cao Fang married Song Erge, Song Erge continued to treat Song Fenglan's family very well. He would buy things for Qin Zihang from time to time, and Cao Fang would even suggest what to buy.

Qin Zihang's two aunts were both very kind to him. Sister-in-law Song was grateful to Song Fenglan for helping them return to the city early. Cao Fang had been protecting Song Fenglan from the beginning; if Cao Fang hadn't protected Song Fenglan, she probably wouldn't have been able to come to the capital. Cao Fang wasn't benefiting from Brother Song's influence, but from Song Fenglan's.

As a result, the two aunts naturally treated Song Fenglan's family better. They knew how much the Song family cared for Song Fenglan and that Song Fenglan was very capable.

"My aunt bought some too," Qin Zihang said. "They bought me so many things."

"Did you say thank you?" Song Fenglan asked.

“I told you, I’m not an impolite child,” Qin Zihang said. “Mom, do you want to buy something for my older brother and sister?”

“We should buy them.” Song Fenglan reached out and gently pinched her son’s cheek. “We can’t keep receiving gifts from them while we don’t buy anything for them. That won’t do.”

"Buy, buy, buy!" Qin Zihang exclaimed. "Mom, I'm so big now, why are you still pinching my cheeks..."

"Then we won't do it," Song Fenglan said.

"It's not that I can't do it, but I can do it at home, not outside." Qin Zihang said a little shyly, "Outside, I'm a little man, I can even help the teacher carry homework."

“Our Zihang has grown up,” Song Fenglan said.

“That’s right,” Qin Zihang said. “I’m this big, this big.”

Qin Zihang doesn't mention his age, because saying it would make him seem very young. He prefers to say that he's this old and this big.

Song Fenglan knew Qin Zihang's little secret, so she didn't mention her son's age. A few years ago, the child liked to talk about his age, but now that he's older, he doesn't like to anymore. Because Qin Zihang is younger than his classmates—he skipped a grade—most of his classmates are two or three years older than him.

On the night before New Year's Eve, Song Fenglan talked to Qin Yizhou about having New Year's Eve dinner. Song's mother suggested that Song Fenglan's family come over for dinner.

"What are you thinking?" Song Fenglan asked.

They didn't go to the Qin family's house for New Year's Eve dinner, and Song Fenglan was worried that Qin Yizhou would be unhappy. But Song Fenglan simply didn't plan to go to the Qin family's house for New Year's Eve dinner; she didn't want to bring her son there to suffer.

“Okay.” Qin Yizhou nodded. “Big brother, my eldest brother asked me to come over for New Year’s Eve dinner and invited my second sister as well, but I declined.”

“I didn’t hear you mention it before,” Song Fenglan said.

"You've been busy late these past few days and haven't told you to get some rest," Qin Yizhou said. "You know what my parents are like. If we go over for dinner, we might not be able to have a peaceful New Year's Eve dinner. There'll probably be a lot to talk about. It's better to go to your parents' place; at least we can have a harmonious meal there."

When Qin Yizhou was at the Qin family home, he felt that they were using him as a tool to help his elder brother's family. Qin Yizhou had his own family to think about, and he couldn't always be thinking about his elder brother's family.

“They must be unhappy,” Song Fenglan said.

“If they’re happy, we shouldn’t be. No, even if we go there, they won’t be happy,” Qin Yizhou said. “They might be a little happy if we act like wooden puppets and listen to them.”

"Look at what you're saying," Song Fenglan laughed. "You really know your family."

“How could I not understand?” Qin Yizhou said, “When I went to deliver the New Year’s gifts last time, they wanted me to help my older brother get promoted. They said my older brother was originally eligible for the promotion, but couldn’t because of the Tian family’s matter. What do they take me for? I didn’t help my older brother, and their attitude towards me immediately changed.”

“Actually, you can go. If you want to go, you can go by yourself. Zihang and I will go to my parents’ place for New Year’s Eve dinner,” Song Fenglan said.

"I'm not going," Qin Yizhou said. "I'll go with you all, as a family."

“Okay, let’s go to my parents’ house together then,” Song Fenglan said.

In Nancheng, Niu Cuihua and her husband were preparing New Year's Eve dinner, but because they lived in a rented apartment, which was quite small and had many family members, it was difficult to set up a table. Ultimately, they decided to have dinner at Fan Yani's place, as Fan Yani's house was larger. Meanwhile, Guo Peng and his wife didn't like people coming to their house, and Guo's mother and others didn't consider having New Year's Eve dinner at Guo Peng's house.

When Guo Peng's younger brother, Guo Yan, talked about Guo Peng in private with his wife, he always felt that his older brother was really incompetent.

“I used to think my older brother was a good person, but now… sigh, every family has its own problems,” Guo Yan sighed in his room.

“It doesn’t have to be at your older brother’s house. It’s a bit awkward to say it’s at Sister Yani’s house, since Sister Yani is an adopted daughter,” Niu Cuihua said. “Sister Yani has been quite good to us. She’s arranged everything perfectly for us. She hasn’t even sent that child to your older brother’s house yet.”

"How do you send it? You send it over, and then your older brother and sister-in-law take the child to Mom?" Guo Yan said. "When my older brother is on vacation, he goes to Mom's to see the child, but he doesn't look after him anymore. Also, my sister-in-law doesn't work; she only thinks about dancing."

“Back then, my sister-in-law only wanted to raise her own family’s child. She brought her family’s child over, and she’s still the same old girl,” Niu Cuihua said. “I guess her family probably knew what kind of person she was, but they still entrusted the child to her. They just thought it was a girl, nothing serious. A daughter isn’t a son, and it’s not like the son is suffering, so it doesn’t matter.”

Niu Cuihua thought that she should cherish her own child, and if she didn't cherish her child, she shouldn't expect others to cherish her child.

“They just happened to run into Sister Yani, and Sister Yani didn’t let Mom send the child over there,” Niu Cuihua said. “Dad is also living with Sister Yani now.”

Mr. Guo came to Nancheng for the Spring Festival. He plans to go back to farming after the holiday. Niu Cuihua and her husband haven't bought a house yet, and renting is difficult. Mr. Guo wants to minimize the trouble for his children.

Fan Yani suggested that Guo's father come to Nancheng as well. Niu Cuihua and her husband's shop was doing well, and Guo's father could help out. If they were to hire others to help, they would have to pay them. Wouldn't it be better to just give the money to Guo's father directly? Fan Yani said a few words, but Guo's father said he couldn't leave the farm work to him.

Actually, Mr. Guo just felt that his son might not be able to handle those things well, and that it would upset his younger son and daughter-in-law. If he really wanted to come, they would have to wait a while longer.

Wait a year or two, and when Niu Cuihua and her husband's shop business improves and they make some money, Guo's father will come over again.

Li Hui felt that Niu Cuihua and the others hadn't consulted her much before deciding to have New Year's Eve dinner at Fan Yani's place. Li Hui was very unhappy, but she didn't want to say anything, because if she did, would those people insist on having New Year's Eve dinner at her house?

That won't do. With so many children, they'll make a mess of the house, and how will I clean it up?

Li Hui is a typical example of someone who wants both. She wants the dignity of being the eldest sister-in-law, but she doesn't want those people coming to her house. Niu Cuihua never even considered going to Li Hui's house, even though Li Hui and her husband had spare rooms available.

If everyone is happy to spend more money on rent, there won't be so many problems.

Early in the morning, Fan Yani started killing chickens and ducks, Niu Cuihua came to help, and Li Hui arrived late.

“These duck feathers are hard to pluck, especially from this head, which is full of fine hairs,” Niu Cuihua said.

"The ducks are molting," Fan Yani said. "There's nothing we can do but use tweezers. If we can get the feathers out, we will; if not, we'll just eat them like this."

“Why not just peel off the skin and throw it away?” Li Hui said. “Aren’t you on good terms with Fatty’s family? You can throw the duck skin to their dog to eat.”

The dog originally belonged to Song Fenglan's family. They were going back to the capital, but transporting the dog was inconvenient. The train journey was too long, and they were worried about the dog's safety. They were also concerned about the dog's ability to adapt to air travel and potential stress reactions. Since Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang often raised dogs together, Song Fenglan's family gave the dog to Fatty's family.

Zhang Xiaohu felt very sorry for this dog; it was a dog he and his younger brother Zihang raised together.

Many people in the neighborhood knew that Song Fenglan's family had given their dog to Fatty's family. Li Hui didn't like Fatty, and she also felt that Fan Yani shouldn't be so close to her. Fan Yani didn't care what Li Hui thought; she thought Fatty was much more honest than Li Hui.

"A little bit of hair is still edible," Fan Yani said. Even she, a transmigrator, wasn't that particular, but Li Hui was quite particular.

After arriving in this era, Fan Yani knew how scarce food and clothing were, and she couldn't just throw away the duck skin. Even if she didn't eat it, the rest of her family could; she shouldn't just throw things away so easily.

“You guys eat, but I won’t,” Li Hui said.

“I didn’t ask you to eat it,” Fan Yani said. “If you don’t like it, when we’re stewing it later, I’ll put the duck head aside first, so it won’t be stewed together, and then it’ll be fine, right?”

Fan Yani was too lazy to argue with Li Hui. If she said too much, Li Hui would think that she was deliberately making her eat those duck feathers. Fan Yani didn't mean that; she just felt it was unnecessary to throw away the duck skin with a few feathers. She plucked out all the tiny, tender feathers that could be removed.

"Sister-in-law, could you help me pluck some duck feathers?" Niu Cuihua said.

“You guys pull them out, I just got my nails done.” Li Hui held out her hand; her nails were quite long and beautiful. “Look, this cost a lot of money. It’s Chinese New Year, so I have to look pretty.”

"..." Niu Cuihua's lips twitched slightly. Li Hui really knew how to choose her timing. They shouldn't have expected Li Hui to help with the work; Li Hui had no intention of helping at all.

In the capital, Qin Erjie's family actually came to the Qin family home for the New Year, and being able to enjoy a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was quite nice. It was something they were entitled to enjoy anyway. Qin Erjie thought that since she hadn't received a dowry when she got married, and her family hadn't given her any property, she should eat as much as she could.

While Qin Erjie and You Yun were preparing ingredients, Qin's mother's beloved eldest grandson returned crying. It turned out that the child had gone out to play and thrown firecrackers at someone's feet. When the person saw it was him, they rushed up and hit him.

Qin's mother's eldest grandson is not young, around ten years old, and he is still very mischievous. Even though his birth mother Tian Keshu's family affairs have had some impact on him, Qin's mother and her family spoil him, so he still has a bad temper.

Knowing that Qin Li'an was practically crippled and that his older brother had other sons, no one was going to give the Qin family any face. They immediately beat him up. After that, they went home.

Qin Li'an was crying terribly over there; he hadn't expected someone to hit him.

Qin's mother immediately took her beloved grandson to find the person who hit him. The person admitted that he was the one who hit Qin Li'an. The person who hit Qin Li'an was a young man of about 20 years old.

"Your precious grandson blew a hole in my shoes, these are my new shoes. You've come at the right time, pay up." The man wasn't afraid of Qin's mother at all.

“You hit him,” Qin’s mother said.

“If you don’t discipline this unruly kid, someone else will. A few slaps, it’s not like you’re going to kill him,” the man said. “Want to call the police? Go ahead, go now.”

Upon hearing that the police were called, Qin's mother immediately backed down. Given her eldest grandson's background, she figured it was better not to cause trouble at the police station. In the end, Qin's mother paid compensation; otherwise, the other neighbors would all criticize her.

Qin's mother rushed over, angrily demanding an explanation, but in the end, she returned dejectedly.

"Did they find someone to settle accounts with?" Qin Erjie could tell something was wrong just by looking at her mother's expression.

"We've already paid them compensation," Qin's mother said through gritted teeth.

"I knew it," said Sister Qin. "Who would bother your precious grandson during the New Year?"

"I..." Qin's mother had a headache just thinking about it. She looked at her eldest grandson, who still looked very aggrieved. But she really had no choice, afraid that those people would talk about her eldest grandson's biological mother again.

At the time, Qin's mother was not very willing to pay compensation, and some neighbors saw this and started talking about it.

"Isn't that the child of a spy?"

"You become like any other mother you have."

"They've become addicted to taking advantage of others, and they just want to make things difficult for people."

...

Hearing those words, Qin's mother turned even paler. She dared not stay there, fearing further trouble. She could only try to pay the compensation quickly and bring her beloved grandson back as soon as possible. Qin's eldest son doted on his younger son more than his eldest, while Qin's mother doted on her grandson all day, afraid he might suffer any hardship.

As Qin's mother recalled those words, she felt a little flustered.

“You shouldn’t have let him play with firecrackers,” said Sister Qin. “Not everyone can play with firecrackers properly without causing trouble.”

Qin's second sister glanced at her eldest nephew, who always acted like he owned the place. He would take out his frustrations at school on his family at home, and even had Qin's mother back him up. You Yun didn't interfere much with her stepson and stepdaughter; as long as they didn't make things difficult for each other, that was enough.

"It's just kids playing around, it's not that serious," Qin's mother said. "They're just..."

"No, that's fine. If it weren't that serious, would anyone have hit him? Would you have paid compensation?" Sister Qin said. "It's just that the child did something wrong, and you have no choice but to apologize."

Qin's mother glanced sideways at Qin's second sister; this daughter always said such hurtful things.

You Yun didn't say much. Qin Li'an wasn't her biological son, and if she said anything, Qin Li'an would think that his stepmother had a problem with her. Ever since You Yun gave birth to a son for Qin Li'an's older brother, Qin Li'an's attitude towards her hadn't been as good as before. Perhaps Qin Li'an felt that he had been deprived of his favor. Qin Li'an's attitude towards You Yun wasn't bad; it was even worse towards his own younger brother.

You Yun dared not let Qin Li'an be alone with her biological son, fearing that Qin Li'an would pinch the child. If Qin Li'an really dared to do such a thing, it wasn't like he hadn't pinched the child before. After seeing this, You Yun pulled Qin Li'an away and showed the pinch marks to Qin's mother. Qin's mother said the child had bumped into something.

This gave You Yun a deeper understanding of Qin's mother. She couldn't rely on the Qin family to speak ill of Qin Li'an, so she could only protect her child herself. When You Yun wasn't watching the child, she would have her daughter look after him.

"No wonder my younger brothers didn't want to come over for New Year's Eve dinner," said Sister Qin. "How could they eat? If Zihang came, he'd be the one getting bullied."

Second Sister Qin knew that Qin Zihang had been treated unfairly when he first came to the country at a very young age. Children may forget things quickly, but not everyone can bully a child. Looking at Qin Li'an's personality, Second Sister Qin felt that Qin's mother was going to spoil him even more. And looking at You Yun, this new sister-in-law clearly didn't intend to interfere much.

"Don't talk nonsense. How could Li'an possibly bully his cousin?" Qin's mother said.

"I'm not talking nonsense, you know the truth in your heart," said Sister Qin.

"Second sister, come and help me." You Yun said, afraid that her second sister Qin would quarrel with their mother. It was the New Year, so it was better to keep things calm and not cause any trouble.

Qin Erjie understood You Yun's meaning and quickly went over to help her.

In the Song family, Song Fenglan didn't need to do much work; her mother and others did it all. Even Cao Fang went to the kitchen. Cao Fang was pregnant, so she also helped out with some tasks.

Cao Fang deeply respected Sister-in-law Song. She didn't disrespect Sister-in-law Song just because she was from the countryside. Cao Fang's own family background wasn't particularly good either; it was just that she had served in the army and now worked in a relevant department, which made her seem a little better off.

During that special era, Sister-in-law Song was willing to marry Brother Song and take care of the Song family's household affairs, which earned her the respect of everyone in the Song family.

The Song family members didn't argue, nor did they complain about who hadn't done their work. They all had their own plans and were quite happy.

Qin Zihang and his cousin haven't been playing soccer or badminton lately, for fear of accidentally bumping into Cao Fang, who is pregnant. They sat on a blanket playing with toys, building blocks, seeing who could build the most stable and beautiful structure.

"Oh dear, it's going to fall over, it's going to fall over!" Qin Zihang saw that the blocks his cousin had built were about to collapse. He tried to reach out and steady them, but he couldn't, and the blocks fell to the ground. "It's okay, we can continue."

“Continue.” Song Heng nodded. Of course they had to continue; they could play together.

Song Heng's younger sister sat watching TV and eating, glancing at her brother and cousin every now and then.

“If you keep building like this, it’ll collapse again very soon,” Song Zi said.

“Then you give it a try,” Song Heng said.

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Song Zi clapped her hands lightly. She had just been eating peanuts, and her hands still had red peanut skins on them.

Song Zi also sat on the blanket, and she quickly built a very tall tower of blocks, taller than her brother's.

"See? It didn't collapse so quickly, did it?" Song Zi raised an eyebrow.

Song Heng's eyes darted around, and he blew air into the building blocks. If one breath wasn't enough, he blew several more.

When Song Zi saw her brother like this, she was speechless. She simply reached out and knocked over the blocks.

"Why use your mouth when you can use your hands?" Song Zi said.

"Sister is awesome!" Qin Zihang stretched out both hands and gave a thumbs up.

"It's just so-so," Song Zi said. "Zihang is great too."

"..." Song Heng stared at the building blocks, pondering why he couldn't build them higher and more steadily. His sister could build them quickly, steadily, and very high.

“Brother, you have your strengths,” Qin Zihang said. “I have mine too, so let’s not compare ourselves to sister.”

"No comparison, no comparison," Song Heng said. That was his own sister, and there was really no comparison between him and his sister.

Seeing the children having so much fun made Song Fenglan feel good too.

While Fan Yani was having New Year's Eve dinner with the Guo family, Guo Peng and his wife still didn't mention taking the child back, and Fan Yani and her husband didn't bring it up either. The child was growing up and understood what the adults were saying, and Fan Yani didn't want the child to feel like she was superfluous.

The original owner was given away by her biological parents. She knew at a young age that she was not the biological child of the Guo family. Even though the Guo family treated her well, she subconsciously thought about eating less and doing more work.

Fan Yani didn't want this child to suffer the same fate as the original owner of this body. As for whether the child would turn out to be ungrateful, Fan Yani didn't care. Fan Yani didn't expect the child to repay her in the future; she did good deeds not for any reward.

Seeing that Fan Yani hadn't mentioned the child, Niu Cuihua didn't bring it up either. The child wasn't in their own home; they didn't need to contribute money or effort, so why should she say anything?

Li Hui sat at the dining table and picked up a chicken leg for herself, without thinking of picking one for Guo's parents.

Seeing this, Fan Yani gave the other chicken leg to Guo's mother, and a duck leg to Guo's father. She gave the remaining duck leg to her eldest son. As for the other children, Fan Yani simply took the chicken and duck wings to save Li Hui from having to take them later.

Although the possibility is very low, everyone should still be careful when dealing with Li Hui.

Guo's mother originally wanted to say no and give the food to the child, but when she met Fan Yani's eyes, she didn't say anything.

"Eat, eat everything," Fan Yani said. Her daughter was still young; one chicken wing was enough for her. She would let her daughter eat something else. Fan Yani fed her daughter herself. Her older son was older and didn't need much attention. A boy shouldn't expect others to coax him if he didn't know how to eat more on his own.

Fan Yani prefers to coax her daughter and often makes things that her daughter can eat.

“Yes, eat it all, eat it all,” Niu Cuihua said, having no objection to Fan Yani’s actions.

Niu Cuihua was speechless at Li Hui's actions.

Guo Peng didn't feel much about it. When he celebrated the New Year with his wife, she would always just put a chicken leg on his plate. In Guo Peng's view, it was just a chicken leg. Everyone's lives are much better now than before, so why argue over a chicken leg?

Li Hui felt that Fan Yani was deliberately targeting her. She had only picked up one chicken leg; it wasn't like she had taken all the chicken and duck legs.

“We only have two mouths to feed, while you have so many mouths to feed. If we pay the same amount, we’re the ones who are losing out,” Li Hui said directly.

"Yes, you really are at a disadvantage. You don't have to cook or light a fire, and the leftovers can be eaten by our family." Fan Yani sneered. With so many people eating together, how much food could possibly be left?

Processing and seasoning—don't you charge for those?

Guo's father and mother are Guo Peng's biological parents, and Li Hui's parents-in-law. They have two mouths to feed, so Li Hui overlooked her adopted daughter!

Fan Yani didn't mention Li Hui's adopted daughter; they both knew perfectly well how long Li Hui would remember the child.

“If there’s a next time, I won’t ask you to pay. My family can still afford the meal,” Fan Yani said.

“Sister Yani, our family will go out together with yours,” Niu Cuihua said. “Our family has a lot of mouths to feed.”

"You might as well just tell us not to come over for New Year's Eve dinner anymore!" Li Hui rolled her eyes. "I only ate one chicken leg, and you've pulled all these stunts and made so many fuss. People from the countryside are just like that—petty and stingy. We paid for our meal, why are you acting like this? You…"

Mr. Guo couldn't take it anymore. His face was cold, and he gripped his chopsticks tightly. "Eating is just one New Year's Eve dinner a year. Why are you making such a fuss?"