A hint of embarrassment appeared on Dong Xiulan's face; she had indeed forgotten to tell Lin Changyuan and Wang Sufeng about buying a house.

She quickly explained, "Qingqing hadn't found a suitable one before! I was thinking of telling you when I found one, but I got so busy that I forgot."

After Dong Xiulan finished speaking, seeing that everyone's eyes were still on her, she paused for a moment and continued, "You all used to send money to Mom every month, right? Mom doesn't spend that much, so I saved it up for you. A while ago, Qingqing and Yunfeng were thinking of buying houses, and I thought that since you would definitely come to Beijing in the future, I asked Qingqing to keep an eye out for you and bought a house for each of you. This two-courtyard house was chosen by your younger sister. The two-courtyard house next door belongs to your eldest brother."

"Mom, look at you! We gave you and Dad money so you could live a good life! How could you..."

Lin Changyuan's eyes reddened as he spoke. He and his elder brother served their country outside and rarely returned home, so they were unable to fulfill their filial duties to their parents.

All he could do was send some money home every month, but only now did he realize that even that tiny contribution he made each month was not received by his parents.

"What are you saying, child? Your dad has a salary, and you don't need your dad and me to subsidize you. Your dad's salary is enough for your dad and me to live on, and we still can't spend it all! Alright, take Sufen and the children back to wash up and go to bed! Look, the children are all sleepy."

Seeing that her second son's eyes were red, Dong Xiulan couldn't help but comfort him.

Actually, Dong Xiulan was right. The children in the family were either in the army or sent to the countryside. Her husband's salary was enough for just the two of them, and there was even some left over! The money sent back by the children was naturally saved up.

Wang Sufeng tugged at her husband's arm. She knew he had always felt guilty towards his family, and seeing his mother-in-law do this must be hard for him.

Not to mention her husband's distress, she, as the daughter-in-law, was also quite touched. She never expected that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law would always keep their family in their hearts.

He turned his head and looked at the neat and spacious courtyard house, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart.

"From now on, we'll stay in Beijing and take good care of our parents!"

Lin Changyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He gently squeezed his wife's hand back and nodded heavily.

After Dong Xiulan and the others left, Lin Changyuan and Wang Sufeng made sure the children were settled and then went back to rest.

Wang Sufeng lay on her brand-new bed, smelling the sunshine on the quilt. She was exhausted after sitting on the train for several days. She thought she would fall asleep as soon as she lay down, but she just couldn't fall asleep.

"Changyuan, are you asleep?"

Wang Sufeng looked at her husband's broad shoulders and spoke softly.

Lin Changyuan, who was also tossing and turning and unable to sleep, turned over gently after hearing his wife's words. He hugged his wife and sighed heavily.

"Go to sleep! We'll be nicer to our parents from now on."

Wang Sufeng nodded upon hearing this, and all her previous unease finally came to a head.

Wang Sufeng was unfortunate before, but she was fortunate to meet the kind Uncle Liu family. Although Uncle Liu family did not give her much love, they raised her carefully and did not wrong her. Isn't that another kind of love? It's just not the parental love she longed for.

Her greatest fortune was marrying her husband, and judging from what happened today, her parents-in-law are also very good people, as are her brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

In her sleep, Wang Sufeng couldn't help but smile.

...

The next day was Saturday. After breakfast, Lin Qing and Gu Nanxun drove to Houhai.

"Knock knock knock..."

Lin Qing knocked directly on her second brother's door.

"They're here..."

"Qingqing..."

Wang Sufeng opened the door and, upon seeing Lin Qing, immediately exclaimed with delight.

"Second sister-in-law, I've come to bring you some vegetables, the ones Mom planted before."

Lin Qing pointed to the bag of groceries that Gu Nanxun was carrying, and then went inside with Wang Sufeng.

"I was just wondering where to buy groceries! And here you are, delivering them to me."

Upon seeing this, Wang Sufeng immediately said happily.

They woke up late last night and stayed up until morning before going out to buy breakfast.

"That's what I was thinking too, that's why I sent it over to you directly!"

Lin Qing said with a smile.

In fact, Wang Sufeng lacked nothing. Ever since she received the letter from her second brother asking for her return, Dong Xiulan had been coming here every two or three days.

Dong Xiulan added all the daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt little by little, so apart from the vegetables, there really wasn't a lack of anything else here.

Lin Qing and Wang Sufeng put the dishes in the kitchen together.

This reminded Wang Sufeng of the scene she saw when she walked into the kitchen that morning.

She casually glanced into the kitchen in the morning, but to her surprise, she found that the flour and rice containers were all full.

Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and all kinds of seasonings for cooking are neatly arranged on the stove.

Everything from rice and noodles to a pair of chopsticks and a soup spoon is readily available.

Even coal briquettes and firewood were piled up in the woodshed.

Actually, she noticed it yesterday: there were four brand new towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap on the bathroom sink.

This has kept Wang Sufeng's heart warm since yesterday.

"Second sister-in-law, is there anything else you need to buy? If so, I'll take you shopping!"

Lin Qing's words interrupted Wang Sufeng's recollection.

Wang Sufeng smiled upon hearing this, "I have everything I need, Mom has prepared everything perfectly."

Seeing this, Lin Qing nodded, "Mom was so happy to hear you were coming back. She keeps coming here. All these things were added by Mom little by little."

Upon hearing this, Wang Sufeng's smile widened even more. "Yes, Mom is so wonderful!"

"By the way, sister-in-law, besides delivering groceries, I also wanted to tell you that we're not living here right now!"

"What do you mean by not living here?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Sufeng asked in confusion.

“My third brother and sister-in-law and I are currently students at Peking University. I have a courtyard house near Peking University, and my third brother also bought one there. So we are living there now and will only come back here during the holidays.”

Lin Qing explained with a smile.

Wang Sufeng was taken aback when she heard this. "She only knew that her sister-in-law had married well and that her husband's family was well-off, but she didn't expect that her brother-in-law was also so rich. Thinking that her mother-in-law had subsidized her house, Wang Sufeng couldn't help but feel ashamed."

Seeing Wang Sufeng's expression, Lin Qing had a guess in her mind, but she didn't explain. She just continued chatting, "Second sister-in-law, do you have any work arrangements this time you're back?"