Why are there so many books in Chapter 101?

“You think she won’t come just because you say so?” Gao Xiuxiu said. “You can tell her to live nearby; she can come over in just a few steps.”

“Mom is getting old. She lives nearby, so it’s convenient for us to go over if she needs anything,” Fang Xudong said. “If she lived too far away, we would have to go over there if she needed anything, which would be more inconvenient and waste time.”

"Wasting time?" Gao Xiuxiu scoffed. "I'm afraid she'll cause trouble here."

I've already told...

She told me not to use any folk remedies and not to do anything to the child. "Don't worry," Fang Xudong said, "I told you, she wouldn't dare do that again. You've already had surgery, she..."

“It’s her who’s preventing you from having a son,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “If it weren’t for those folk remedies, if she hadn’t made me drink the medicine, my body wouldn’t have become like this, and I would still be able to have children.”

“Yes, I know. It’s not that you didn’t want to have children, it’s that your mother made you like this,” Fang Xudong said. “Don’t get agitated, don’t get agitated, take a deep breath and calm down. You don’t need to worry about your mother. I will give her money every month. She lives her life, and you live yours.”

“That would be best,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “If she insists on taking the child, then let the second son go with her.”

“No need, the children are all with us,” Fang Xudong said. “With all the problems that Daniu has had, I don’t dare let her take care of the children. It’s better for us to take care of the children ourselves and keep them by our side.”

"Hehe, your mother only cares about the children because they are girls. She doesn't think about what's best for them. She only thinks that grandsons are the ones who carry on the family line," Gao Xiuxiu said. "Do you know what people outside are saying about me? They say you can divorce me and still have a son with another woman. Guo Peng got divorced, but his wife got pregnant, and he can have his own child."

"What does Guo Peng's matter have to do with us?" Fang Xudong frowned.

“You all came from the same military unit,” Gao Xiuxiu said.

“Guo Peng’s ex-wife wronged him. She went to find another man. You haven’t gone to find another man, so why should I divorce you?” Fang Xudong said. “I didn’t divorce you when you were in the surgery stage, so it’s even less likely that I will divorce you now. Don’t overthink it. Mom is just living next door. There’s no other meaning to it. I didn’t mean for Mom to move in.”

“You’ve said everything,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “I’ve told you so many times not to come, not to come, but she still comes. I think she was kicked out by your brother. How could your brother possibly take care of your mother in her old age? All he knows is money.”

“No, it’s just that life in the countryside is too difficult,” Fang Xudong said. “We can’t entirely blame them for this.”

Fang Xudong and Gao Xiuxiu were talking loudly, and even the fat woman could hear what they were saying. The fat woman thought Fang's mother was really terrible; after what happened to Gao Xiuxiu, Fang's mother still had the nerve to come back.

Her skin was thicker than a city wall; most people couldn't compare to her.

“Their family is going to be in trouble again,” said the plump woman. “It’s only been quiet for a short while, and Gao Xiuxiu’s mother-in-law is here again.”

“Fang Xudong has found a place for his mother outside,” Zhang Chenghai said.

"Are you really looking for a place?" the plump woman asked. "Is it just for show, or are you actually going to have someone come back?"

"No, I really did find a place, and I've already paid six months' rent," Zhang Chenghai said. "I heard from someone that if you pay for six months, you can live there for six months."

“That’s true, a lot can happen in half a year,” said the plump woman. “But Gao Xiuxiu’s health is already like that, it’s unlikely that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will reconcile.”

If Fatty's own body were in that condition, she would never be able to reconcile with her mother-in-law. Not only would reconciliation be impossible, Fatty would also cause trouble for her mother-in-law, making her afraid to stay here.

Ultimately, Gao Xiuxiu was someone who made a scene but didn't dare to go too far or act too aggressively. Such people are easily taken advantage of; others saw her as easy to bully, and that's exactly how Fang's mother bullied her. Caught in the middle, Fang Xudong could only find a house for his mother, which was also a way of giving his mother and wife some closure.

“Renting a place costs money,” said the plump woman. “Cooking for one person also costs a lot. This means Gao Xiuxiu’s husband will have to spend a lot more each month.”

“No matter how much more money they want to spend, it’s their money,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Just listen to it, don’t go over there.”

“I’m not going there. Gao Xiuxiu is good to our next-door neighbor, not to me.” The plump woman pointed in the direction of Song Fenglan’s former house. “They’re very close.”

“They’re on good terms, so let them go,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Say as little as possible.”

"Hmm," said the plump woman. "Gao Xiuxiu looked so weak, I didn't dare to say much, for fear that her health might not be good."

When the fat woman saw Gao Xiuxiu cough lightly, she immediately kept her distance, fearing something was wrong with Gao Xiuxiu. Gao Xiuxiu's health was clearly much worse than before. If Gao Xiuxiu hadn't taken those folk remedies, perhaps she would already be pregnant and have given birth, maybe even a son.

This is fate. Heaven didn't allow Gao Xiuxiu to have any more children, and that's why this happened to her.

With the start of the junior high school term fast approaching, Tang Shaotao was still not informed by his aunt, Song San, and he was very anxious. If Song San didn't come up with a solution soon, Tang Shaotao would have no choice but to attend an ordinary junior high school.

So Tang Shaotao went to intercept Song Sangugu again, but coincidentally, Song Fenglan came with Song Sangugu, while Qin Zihang was at the Song family home and did not come.

When Tang Shaotao saw Song Fenglan, he felt a sense of fear. He knew that after he called Song Fenglan, his wife went to see her, and eventually relevant departments had spoken to them. Tang Shaotao didn't want to be contacted by these departments, and he was even more afraid of them going to his workplace, fearing he would lose his job.

"What's the matter?" Aunt Song asked deliberately.

Song Fenglan held Song Sangu's hand, and Song Sangu made a point of holding Song Fenglan's hand tightly.

“Fenglan is not an outsider, so speak your mind,” said Aunt Song.

"Mom, have you contacted anyone about Qiming School?" Tang Shaotao took a deep breath, his voice becoming much gentler and less hurried than before.

“No,” Aunt Song said. “Tang Qiming’s surname is Tang, and he is a child of your Tang family. By the way, you don’t need to change his surname. Even if he were to take the surname Song, I wouldn’t care. He is a child of your Tang family for a day, and he will be a child of your Tang family for a lifetime.”

"Mom, school's about to start, can't you do something about it?" Tang Shaotao looked at Song Fenglan, "Cousin, your son's going to school too, right?"

"School's about to start, and your child will be attending the junior high school affiliated with our workplace. What, do you want your child to go there?" Song Fenglan raised an eyebrow.

“No…” Tang Shaotao’s heart trembled. How could he dare to let his child study at the same school as Song Fenglan’s child? He was afraid that his child would encounter some trouble.

“Then forget it,” Song Fenglan said. “Our unit’s junior high school admissions are very strict, and your son won’t be able to get in.”

"..." Tang Shaotao thought to himself that Song Fenglan was truly heartless; he had never had any expectations of her in the first place. Tang Shaotao then looked at Song's third aunt, hoping to soften her heart, but she didn't. Tang Shaotao had originally thought that Song Fenglan also had a child, and perhaps she could persuade her third aunt, but Song Fenglan did not.

"Didn't I already tell you? I can't help you," Aunt Song said. "It's no use who comes; that's just reality. Don't waste your time here. If you're really capable, find a good school for your child yourselves. You can't do it yourselves, yet you come to me. Ha! That's your greatest ability. Foolish!"

Aunt Song was not polite to Tang Shaotao at all; she pulled Song Fenglan into the house.

Song Fenglan ignored Tang Shaotao and went inside with her third aunt. Tang Shaotao tried to follow, but was stopped.

Tang Shaotao saw the people protecting Song Fenglan, and his heart sank. He dared not linger there and rushed back. He feared he would lose his job if he hesitated even a moment longer. Song Fenglan was a tough nut to crack, and crucially, even though she herself hadn't shown up, the relevant departments would intervene on her behalf.

“Aunt, how many times has he come?” Song Fenglan asked. “You went to my place before to avoid him.”

“He’s come many times, every few days. He comes whenever he has free time,” said Aunt Song. “I told him to get lost, but he still comes. He can’t understand human language. If it were anyone else, they might think they really know they’re wrong. Let me tell you, they can’t possibly know they’re wrong. They’ll never admit they’re wrong in their entire lives. They’ll just say it’s a problem of the times, not their problem. They’ll only give me a second glance if they clear themselves of all the problems.”

Aunt Song wouldn't be fooled by the Tang family. "We were all in the same special era. Your aunt took you in. Your family gave your aunt's family things, but did I not give the Tang family anything? They are so heartless. Now that I'm back, all they do is come to me for favors, treating me like a lapdog. They give me a little kindness, and I fawn over them."

"Ignore them. If they come any closer..."

"You can continue like this," Song Fenglan said. "But Aunt, you won't really interfere with junior high school, will you?"

"I don't care!" Aunt Song said. "If I do, they'll try to climb the social ladder. I can't give them even the slightest chance. To prevent them from inheriting my property, I've already written a will."

"Awesome." Song Fenglan gave a thumbs up.

“This is what it means for children and grandchildren to be unfilial,” Aunt Song said. “Leaving them things would make me seem useless and stupid. We women carry a child for ten months and give birth to a child. The child stays in our womb for a long time, so we have an unbreakable bond with the child and find it hard to forget. That’s how they think. Indeed, many women are like that. But I am not like them, and I can never forgive them.”

Aunt Song found it laughable when others advised her to forgive Tang Shaotao and his associates. The same things hadn't happened to them, so of course they would say that. Some people had experienced similar things, yet they still chose to forgive them and even acknowledged their children and grandchildren.

“If you… no, you won’t encounter such a thing,” Aunt Song said. “Your in-laws are no good people, so you should have less contact with them. They like to use morality to suppress family ties. I’m an elder, so it’s okay, but you are a junior… but you have the relevant departments backing you up, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

“Aunt, don’t worry about me. Look, when have I ever given those people a nice look?” Song Fenglan said. “If they don’t give me a nice look, I won’t give them a nice look either.”

When Tang's wife saw Tang Shaotao return, she immediately went up to him.

"How is she? Is Mom...?"

“She didn’t even try to find a solution,” Tang Shaotao said through gritted teeth. “When she was with Song Fenglan, I didn’t dare to say a word.”

Song Fenglan glanced at him sideways, her icy gaze making Tang Shaotao feel like he was about to freeze.

“Song Fenglan is accompanied by people,” Tang Shaotao said. “They are people from relevant departments, there to protect her.”

"So... that's it?" Sister-in-law Tang asked.

"Do you dare go over there at this time?" Tang Shaotao said. "Mom is Song Fenglan's aunt. Do you think she would abandon her? Song Fenglan deliberately sent Mom back so that we could see it."

"No way?" Sister-in-law Tang exclaimed in surprise. "This is a family matter, why is Song Fenglan interfering?"

“Her own aunt, do you think she won’t interfere?” Tang Shaotao said. “It seems Mom has made up her mind not to help Qiming.”

“If Mom doesn’t care, what can we do? We haven’t been able to find a good school for Qiming, so he can only attend a very bad junior high school,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “These days, so many people want to go to a good junior high school, because later they have to take the high school entrance exam, then the high school entrance exam, and then the university entrance exam. Are we really going to let Qiming…”

“Do you think I don’t want to get involved? Mom won’t help, what can I do?” Tang Shaotao said. “We’ve tried everything.”

Tang Shaotao didn't dare use the names of other members of the Song family, so he used the name of Song's third aunt, intending to get Tang Qiming into a good school. However, these people were shrewd; they knew that Tang Shaotao and Song's third aunt didn't get along, so they didn't give Tang Shaotao any face and directly said that if Tang Shaotao's biological mother came, they would accept Tang Qiming as a student.

This left Tang Shaotao feeling helpless. The other people were completely unyielding; even if they offered them gifts, they wouldn't accept them. They were afraid of offending the wrong people, and seeing that the Tang family was not what it used to be, they had no intention of giving the Tang family any face.

This is the capital city, full of powerful people. The Tang family is nothing in the capital, just as the Qin family is a very insignificant existence. They only think they are very powerful and capable of doing many things on their own.

Actually, that's not the case. People might give them face for small things, but why would they give them face for big things?

"But……"

“Let Qiming go to that junior high school,” Tang Shaotao said.

“But I told people that our child won’t go to that junior high school, and that Qiming can go to a better school.” Aunt Tang thought that Aunt Song would definitely agree. “Maybe Mom has already made arrangements. Let’s wait until Qiming starts school and see if Mom will send someone over.”

Aunt Tang was unwilling to give up. She had already boasted about it outside, and although she hadn't directly told the school leaders, she was afraid someone else would tell the teachers, and the school leaders would find out. Aunt Tang worried that if her son continued to attend that junior high school, he would be targeted and discriminated against.

“We’ll go over there in a bit,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “Qiming is your mother’s grandson. She wouldn’t want to see him being bullied at school, would she? Let’s go and beg her, please beg her again.”

"She'll just say it's our son's fault." Tang Shaotao was a little reluctant to go to Aunt Song's place. But Tang Shaotao decided he still had to try, just in case.

Song Fenglan was having dinner at her third aunt's house when Tang Shaotao and his wife brought Tang Qiming to the door.

"Mom, can you bear to see Qiming being bullied at school?"

“That school is really bad. If it were a good school, we wouldn’t have come to you.”

"Mom, we're begging you this once, just this once, please..."

...

Then, Sister-in-law Tang was given a cold shower by Song Fenglan. Song Fenglan just wanted to take action; she was too unhappy working all day.

"You..." When Sister-in-law Tang saw that the person who had splashed cold water on her was Song Fenglan, her body trembled slightly. "Fenglan... how could it be you?"

Sister-in-law Tang's voice was much lower and less energetic than before. She was afraid that Song Fenglan would send her to the relevant authorities, and she didn't want to go there at all.

“Your aunt has already made things very clear to you, so please don’t say these things to her anymore,” Song Fenglan said. “Your aunt directly rejected you and didn’t give you any hope. You can go and find a good school for your child. The fact that you haven’t found a good school for your child after so long shows that you are not capable enough.”

“We…we had no other choice, that’s why we thought of asking your aunt for help,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “Fenglan, you are also a mother, you are also…”

"Stop, I can't empathize with you," Song Fenglan said. "Right now, I just want to throw more cold water on your feelings, okay?"

Sister-in-law Tang instinctively stepped back, while Tang Qiming had already run far away.

Tang Qiming felt incredibly ashamed. He was fine with any school, he just didn't want to lose face here, but his parents insisted on coming and humiliating him. If Tang Qiming stayed far away, he wouldn't get splashed with cold water.

“Look where your son is,” Song Fenglan said.

Sister-in-law Tang looked around, but she couldn't see her son. Then she looked again and saw that her son had already run far away.

"Qiming!" Sister-in-law Tang never expected her youngest son to always be so unreliable.

“You are all of the same lineage,” Song Fenglan said. “You abandoned your aunt, and now your sons will avoid even the slightest bit of cold water. They don’t want to be splashed with cold water like you did.”

"The child is just concerned about saving face," said Sister-in-law Tang.

"Really? Tang Shaotao?" Song Fenglan looked at Tang Shaotao.

"We're going back." Tang Shaotao pulled his wife along. He had said that Song Fenglan might still be here, but his wife didn't believe him and insisted on coming back again.

Sister-in-law Tang didn't want to leave, but she was also afraid of Song Fenglan, so she had no choice but to go with Tang Shaotao.

"Mom, let's go quickly, don't stay here," Tang Qiming said. "You've begged her so much, but she still won't agree. She doesn't treat Dad like a son, nor does she treat me like her grandson. I will never be able to be filial to her in the future, she can forget about it..."

Sister-in-law Tang quickly covered Tang Qiming's mouth, as her youngest son's voice was so loud that Song Fenglan would hear it.

Song Fenglan did hear Tang Qiming's words. She knew that Tang Qiming had deliberately spoken so loudly, and he had even provoked her with his eyes. Tang Qiming was young and didn't understand the importance of connections or money. Aunt Song had a lot of money; otherwise, the Tang family wouldn't have set their sights on her.

"Let's go, don't talk nonsense," Aunt Tang said softly. "That's your grandmother, think about your grandmother's big house."

"Mom," Tang Qiming said, still unhappy after his sister-in-law let go of his hand, "it's not like we don't have a place to live."

“You’re just stupid,” said Sister-in-law Tang.

Song Fenglan went back to the restaurant to have dinner with her third aunt. "Aunt, they always come over and make a scene like this. If you're upset about it..."

"No, I'm very happy," said Aunt Song. "Seeing them making such a fuss, I know they regret it and are just watching a show. Now that you're here, you've seen it, so you can watch the show too. If you're unhappy, just step on their feet a couple of times, and they'll have to put up with it."

"..." Song Fenglan realized she had underestimated her aunt. "If it were me, I would just want to avoid seeing her and getting annoyed."

“When you get to my age, you’ll also want to let them make a fuss,” Aunt Song said. “You see, they’re so careful, they don’t dare to make things too big, they have to restrain themselves. They also secretly want to make things bigger, they want me to give in, but they don’t dare. This kind of dilemma is unbearable.”

“…” Song Fenglan remained silent.

“You have to go to work, so you don’t have much time to watch them like this,” Aunt Song said. “I don’t have a job, so I just watch them; it’s quite interesting.”

"I'm glad you find it interesting," Song Fenglan said.

“I want to film it all, like making a movie, and then invite others to see it,” said Aunt Song.

“Yes, that’s possible,” Song Fenglan said.

"Let me think about it, and it's a really good idea," said Aunt Song. "Let others watch for free, without needing tickets."

“Okay.” Song Fenglan didn’t say that her third aunt was wrong. As for things like portrait rights, what are those? There’s no need to be so particular when dealing with the Tang family. Being too reasonable will only make your life more difficult. “Would you like some better equipment? Let my second brother get you a set.”

“Okay,” said Aunt Song. “I’ll learn how to take better photos.”

“Okay.” Song Fenglan nodded.

After dinner, Song Fenglan went home. Qin Yizhou had just played ping-pong with Qin Zihang. Qin Zihang thought his father was too mean, as his father had hit several balls that were close to the line.

"Mom, Dad is bullying me," Qin Zihang complained to Song Fenglan.

"Oh? How did your father bully you?" Song Fenglan asked.

“He doesn’t play properly when he plays with me,” Qin Zihang said. “He always plays close to the line.”

"This is to let you know the dangers of the world," Qin Yizhou said. "This is within the rules, and you haven't broken any rules. As long as you can play, you can play. But if you don't touch the table, then it's not allowed."

"Are you teaching him to walk the line between the law and reality?" Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou. "Are you letting him keep jumping around like that?"

"No, no," Qin Yizhou quickly replied.

“That’s right, that’s right, that’s exactly how Dad is,” Qin Zihang said. “Dad is immoral.”

“Your father is indeed quite immoral.” Song Fenglan glared at Qin Yizhou.

Originally, her son was the cannon fodder control group in the original story, and Qin Yizhou even told his son this. Song Fenglan was worried that her son might accidentally become a cannon fodder villain and level up. This was not a good thing, and she still needed to make her son more sensible and not break the law.

"This is reality," Qin Yizhou said. "I'm not telling you to skirt the edges, but to tell you not to underestimate the dangers of the world."

"Hehehe." Qin Zihang stuck his tongue out at Qin Yizhou. "I'm not stupid. I don't think everyone in the world is good-looking. Dad, do you still think I'm three years old?"

Qin Zihang thought his father was too naive. He already knew those principles. The world isn't black and white; all sorts of things happen every day. He understood many things, so there was no need for these people to say such things to him.

"It's all my dad's fault. He tricked me and made me lose the game," Qin Zihang said. "I didn't even try to get away with anything."

“You can hit it, but be ethical. Hit fewer targets, or you might accidentally hit the table and lose,” Qin Yizhou said.

"You two can fight it out slowly." Song Fenglan felt a headache coming on just listening to their words, and rubbed her temples.

Song Fenglan wasn't good at table tennis or badminton; she often missed the shuttlecock. The ball would fly right past her racket, and she'd stand there dumbfounded, thinking how difficult it was to catch it. Meanwhile, others caught the ball easily. All Song Fenglan could think was: "You dead legs, move already!"

Song Fenglan has no talent in sports, but fortunately Qin Zihang is like Qin Yizhou in this aspect.

"Is everything alright with your aunt?" Qin Yizhou asked.

“It’s nothing,” Song Fenglan said. “My aunt said she won’t be going out for the next few days. She’s waiting for the middle school to start and for my second brother to deliver the equipment.”

"What equipment?" Qin Yizhou asked, puzzled.

“A camera,” Song Fenglan said. “My aunt said she wanted to film all the scenes of the Tang family in the past, so that they could be shown to others later.”

"Was this your aunt's idea, or yours?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"Do you think I would come up with such an idea?" Song Fenglan said. Tang Shaotao and the others were related to Song Sangu by blood, so how could Song Fenglan give advice casually? She was afraid that she might accidentally hurt Song Sangu. "It was Aunt's own decision, so I said that Second Brother could get her a set of equipment."

“It’s definitely easier to get equipment from my second brother’s side. A set of equipment must cost a lot of money,” Qin Yizhou said.

“Money is not a problem, the important thing is that Auntie is happy,” Song Fenglan said. “As long as Auntie is happy, anything is fine.”

“That makes sense,” Qin Yizhou said.

"Is Auntie going to make a movie?" Qin Zihang asked.

“I guess so,” Song Fenglan said.

"May I watch?" Qin Zihang asked. "I'll support my aunt."

"You still love gossip so much." Song Fenglan's lips twitched slightly.

“There’s no rule that only women can gossip; men can gossip too,” Qin Zihang said. “We men also need to know a lot of information; we need to be observant and attentive to all sides.”

“Go ahead and gossip, do you think I can stop you from gossiping?” Song Fenglan said.

Tang Shaotao and his wife reluctantly took Tang Qiming back home. Tang's mother had cooked mung bean soup, and when she saw Tang Shaotao and his wife return, she specially greeted them, "Come, come, have some mung bean soup, it's freshly made. On such a hot day, drink some mung bean soup to clear away the heat and detoxify."

Tang's mother originally thought of trying to calm down, but seeing that Tang Shaotao and the others were all very unhappy, she decided against it.

"Drink it," Tang Shaotao said weakly.

"I'll serve you some," said Mrs. Tang.

Seeing Tang Shaotao and the others like this, Tang's mother knew that Aunt Song still hadn't agreed. Tang's mother thought they should hold out until the very last moment and see if Aunt Song would relent at the last minute.

Time flew by, and the day for Qin Zihang to register for junior high school arrived quickly. He successfully registered.

Tang Shaotao and his wife waited from day to night, but they still didn't take their child to register. They thought it wouldn't matter if they registered their child a day later, and they assumed that Aunt Song would come, but Aunt Song didn't.

Aunt Song is a woman of her word. She said she wouldn't help Tang Qiming find a school, and she didn't. If Aunt Song were going to help Tang Qiming find a school, she definitely wouldn't wait until the last minute.

Then, Tang Shaotao and his wife could only register their child after other children had already registered and started classes.

"Isn't your child going to attend another school?" the teacher asked them deliberately.

"No, no," said Sister Tang. "The child will still study at our school; our school is good."

"Is our school good? Or is it really that bad?" the teacher said. "And our students are quite aggressive; they even fight."

"No, no, nothing like that." Aunt Tang knew that her teacher had heard what she had said.

“Your own children, you should pay more attention to them,” the teacher said. “With so many children in a class, we teachers can’t supervise them every single moment.”

"Of course, of course," Sister-in-law Tang could only offer the teacher a forced smile.

Sister-in-law Tang dared not lose her temper in front of the teacher, as her child was to be studied under him. She was afraid that if she displeased the teacher, the teacher would target her child, which would be terrible.

Tang Qiming was the last student in the class to register, which made him stand out. Some students, knowing he was so late, even asked him questions. Some of his acquaintances asked, "Qiming, didn't you go to another school?"

"No." Tang Qiming felt bad. It was all his parents' fault. He had said long ago that he didn't care where he studied, but his parents insisted on making things difficult for him.

Now, many people know they want to study at other schools.

“But everyone’s saying it,” the acquaintance said.

"No, that's not true. I didn't want to go. I wanted to be in the same school as you, where I know people and can hang out with you," Tang Qiming explained. "My parents had something to do yesterday, so I only came to register today."

"Is something really wrong? Are your grandparents also in trouble?" the acquaintance asked again.

"Something's wrong, they're all in trouble." Tang Qiming didn't want to say any more.

Seeing Tang Qiming's impatient look, an acquaintance couldn't help but ask, "Is it because good schools don't want you?"

“Good schools wouldn’t want you,” Tang Qiming said.

On the first day of school, Tang Qiming got into a fight with a classmate, and then his parents were called in.

The teacher scolded Mrs. Tang, saying that she didn't know how to properly manage her child, that the child was so irritable, and that if Mrs. Tang didn't want her child to study at this school, then she shouldn't have come.

Sister-in-law Tang looked extremely upset, but she could only endure it. Only after she brought Tang Qiming home did she finally vent her anger on her husband.

“Tang Shaotao, it’s all your mother’s fault. If your mother had found a good school for Qiming, how could Qiming have ended up like this?” Aunt Tang said. “Do you know how people laugh at Qiming? They say that other good schools didn’t want Qiming, so Qiming came to this school. They say we treat the school like a garbage dump.”

Not to mention Tang Qiming, even Tang's sister-in-law, an adult, would be very angry to hear this.

“Mom won’t help, so I can’t do anything about it,” Tang Shaotao said. “You saw it yourself, Mom even went with Song Fenglan. She wanted us to know that she couldn’t possibly arrange a school for Qiming. If we had gone to register Qiming yesterday, maybe things would have been fine.”

“It’s no use registering yesterday. Everyone knows Qiming was originally going to a good school.” Sister-in-law Tang said, feeling heartbroken.

Aunt Song had no idea how upset the Tang family was. She had deliberately stayed home these past few days, not going out, just to avoid hearing what Aunt Tang and her family were saying. After all, watching the same play repeatedly gets boring; there needs to be something fresh.

When Song Fenglan learned that Tang Qiming had gotten into a fight at school, she was speechless. It was her third aunt who called to tell her, hoping to make Song Fenglan laugh too.

“I told them long ago that I couldn’t find a school for their son, but they insisted on waiting. Who can they blame?” Aunt Song said. “It’s something that has no future, yet they’re still saying those things as if their son can get into a better school. They made their promises early on, so they have to bear the consequences.”

Song Fenglan was certain that her third aunt was not truly sad, and she said, "One should not speak too definitively."

“That’s how the Tang family is. They say what they want and expect others to do it for them,” Aunt Song said. “I’ve experienced that with Tang Shaotao’s biological father. Back when I was in the Tang family, I went through something similar.”

Mr. Tang would say a few words, and since Aunt Song and Mr. Tang were still husband and wife, Aunt Song wouldn't want Mr. Tang to lose face. Then, Aunt Song would handle things perfectly, and Mr. Tang would feel proud.

When they were still husband and wife, Aunt Song could still think of husband and wife as one; if Mr. Tang recovered, it meant she recovered too. But Mr. Tang became Aunt Song's ex-husband, and they became two separate families.

“A leopard can’t change its spots. The whole family is like that, acting first and asking questions later, forcing others to agree,” Aunt Song said. “They still think of me as the same person they used to be. They only need to say a few words, and I’ll get things done for them. They still don’t know me well enough.”

“They have so many tricks up their sleeves,” Song Fenglan said.

In comparison, the Qin family had fewer tricks up their sleeves, and Song Fenglan didn't give them any more opportunities to use their methods. Song Fenglan simply chose not to go to the Qin family or confront any of their members.

"This is nothing compared to what they've come up with," said Aunt Song. "Sometimes, the most shameless method is the best method. The reason the Tang family always comes to my place is because they want to play dirty tricks. When they have no other way, they use this method."

“Yes, that’s right,” Song Fenglan said.

"I can't talk to you anymore, I still need to talk to your mother," said Aunt Song. "I'll hang up now."

“Okay,” Song Fenglan said.

Aunt Song was very excited and called her mother again, telling her about the Tang family. Aunt Song wasn't afraid of being accused of not caring for her grandson, or of being heartless; she just wanted to laugh, and wanted others to laugh with her. Perhaps some might find her actions pathetic; she knew she was happy, and that was enough, she didn't need others to know.

Qin Yizhou sat next to him and vaguely heard a few words.

"Was that a call from your aunt?" Qin Yizhou asked.

“Yes, Tang Qiming is still going to his old school. He got into a fight,” Song Fenglan said. “He registered a day late, and people who knew him thought he was going to a better school. The kid was too embarrassed to admit it and felt like he was being mocked, so he started a fight.”

It's just a fight between ordinary kids, so it's nothing serious.

“Auntie thinks Tang Qiming deserves it; it’s Tang Qiming’s parents’ fault that he’s going through all this,” Song Fenglan said. “I don’t think Tang Qiming only resents his parents; he probably also resents Auntie. Tang Qiming never liked Auntie, and Auntie didn’t like him either, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Song Fenglan felt that her third aunt was in good spirits, not getting caught up in internal conflicts, and making herself happy. Song Fenglan thought that if she were in her third aunt's situation, she probably wouldn't be able to do the same.

“Auntie is fine as she is,” Qin Yizhou said. “As long as she doesn’t feel sad or upset, it’s all good.”

“That’s exactly right,” Song Fenglan said. “Auntie lives alone, and Mom and Dad tell us to visit her when we have time. Auntie also comes to our place, to Mom and Dad’s place, and to my second brother’s place. Auntie isn’t a caged bird; she’s spreading her wings and flying high.”

“Auntie can contact us anytime if she needs anything,” Qin Yizhou said.

"That's what I told her too," Song Fenglan said. "If there's a problem, we'll solve it. With so many of us, can't we handle a small issue?"

“Yes, absolutely.” Qin Zihang suddenly chimed in.

"When did you come downstairs?" Song Fenglan asked Qin Zihang beside her.

"I've been downstairs the whole time, playing in the yard." Qin Zihang blinked. "Mom, Auntie is so amazing, so great. I want to be like Mom and Auntie when I grow up."

Qin Zihang was thinking about what he wanted to look like and what kind of mindset he wanted to have. He wanted to look like his father, be academically like his mother, and have the same mental state as his great-aunt—perfect!

“It looks like it, it looks like it, it looks like it,” Song Fenglan said.

On the other hand, Zhang Xiaohu felt that there were too many textbooks for junior high school. There weren't even this many textbooks for elementary school. How could there be so many for junior high school?

“Your brother had just as many books when he was in junior high,” said the plump woman. “Be careful not to fail your tests right away. That’s what happened to your brother. He wasn’t used to junior high when he first started, and he failed a few tests. He celebrated starting junior high with a bowl of bamboo shoots and pork.”