With two new members joining the family, we need to move to a bigger house.

At the dinner table, Sun Lifang had tried to persuade her grandmother to live with her for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"You're all alone, and Xiaomi doesn't need you to lead it anymore. What are you doing all by yourself?"

"We have so many houses, three floors in total. Which room do you want to live in? We won't let you stay in it?"

And yet, he lives alone in a small suite, having to do everything himself, from cooking and cleaning to cleaning.

No matter how we try to persuade him, he won't listen. He's over sixty years old. To put it bluntly, if he falls in the house and dies, no one will even know.

Sun Lifang, as the granddaughter, wanted to fulfill her filial duty, but she couldn't persuade the old man. It was Sister Miao who pulled Sun Lifang aside.

"Madam, please don't be angry—"

There is still a gap in thinking between the two generations. Sister Miao said to Sun Lifang, "You are not our age yet. You will understand when you do."

It's not that I necessarily want to live alone, but I just want convenience and freedom.

“I’ve thought about it before. My nephews all want me to stay with them, but after thinking it over, I still prefer to build my own house and live there by myself.”

No matter how good the relationship is, if you live together, minor frictions are inevitable.

In addition to that, Sister Miao also mentioned something else—

“There is an elderly couple in our village with five sons. They worked hard all their lives, spending money to find wives for them and building houses for them. But in their old age, they still have to suffer.”

Of course, such grievances are not worth mentioning.

However, if this continues, the resentment will only deepen.

"What grievance do you have?" Sun Lifang asked.

Sister Miao patted Sun Lifang, signaling her to close the door. "That elderly couple are my relatives. They called a while ago to say—"

“I’ve been working hard to help my fifth son, who works away from home, take care of his children. It’s Chinese New Year, and all five sons have come back, but now my grandson still has to ask the old couple for money for his breakfast every day.”

It's not worth saying, but the old couple doesn't have much money to begin with. If their grandson asks them for money for food, can they refuse?

“Even though the couple had both returned, they still made their son ask his grandparents for money to buy breakfast and snacks.”

Who would feel good about this?

“Isn’t this just a matter of money?” Sun Lifang thought her family wouldn’t be like that, but then she heard Sister Miao say, “What’s even more outrageous is the housing situation.”

The elderly couple built houses for their five sons. When the sons weren't home, they would stay in the best room with their grandson.

When she returned for the Chinese New Year, her daughter-in-law wouldn't even let her stay in the room. "Although that was originally her daughter-in-law's new room, she's not home all year round and helps her take care of the children."

You can't just kick people out, can you?

It's true, both sides have their own version of events. The daughter-in-law complained to her husband, "Your mother is staying in my room, and she's dirtied the bedsheets. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

There was nothing he could do, so the son started scolding his mother.

Mom felt even more aggrieved, "All year round, I take care of your child so you two can earn money and not have to be apart."

In the end, they won't even let me stay in a room?

This kind of thing is hard to explain. You're talking about the blanket, but I paid for it for you.

Rural areas are poor; where would they find a complete set of bedding? Only one room in the house had electricity.

Besides, what about the blanket? Doesn't your son sleep in the bed? Can a child fall asleep without being coaxed?

He worked hard all his life, shamelessly running around trying to find wives for his sons, but in the end he didn't even have a place to live.

"So, ma'am, now you know why the old man wants his own house, right?"

We have nothing to do with you, so don't try to use filial piety to blackmail me.

What kind of family happiness is this? In the end, it's just taking care of your son and then your grandson, burning yourself out like a candle to light up others, and in the end, you don't even get a good word from them, and you get scolded by your daughter-in-law.

Well, Sun Lifang really didn't consider that.

"Even an old dog needs its own den." Sister Miao told her not to be angry with Grandma Sun anymore. "Be understanding. You'll understand when you get to our age."

Would you prefer to live alone, or with your son and daughter's family?

Grandma Sun had her own concerns, which the younger generation couldn't truly understand.

Back at the table, Sun Lifang served her grandmother a bowl of soup and apologized, "I was wrong just now; I didn't respect your wishes."

As people get older, they become more childlike. Now, Grandma Sun is like a little child, needing care rather than restraint.

I didn't even realize it in my moment of impulse.

At some point, Sun Lifang began to treat her grandmother like a "child," and couldn't help but want to discipline her and make decisions for her.

I felt that she didn't understand anything, while I understood everything, so I wanted to help her with everything.

This is why Grandma Sun felt she had no freedom and couldn't learn anything new.

"I'm only in my sixties, I have plenty of time ahead of me." Grandma Sun didn't take the argument to heart and changed the subject, praising, "The soup is really delicious today."

Meatball and wakame soup, which wasn't originally included.

Seeing this, Sun Lifang glanced thoughtfully at the man and smiled, "Your grandson-in-law's cooking is pretty good, isn't it?"

Grandma Sun had plenty to praise, and her compliments resolved the situation as if nothing had happened. No one mentioned it, and everyone was happy.

The meatballs were delicate and tender, with scallions inside. When poured over rice, they made Sun Lifang, who usually eats a light diet in the hospital, eat a big bowl of rice.

During postpartum confinement, women basically say goodbye to fish, shrimp, spicy chicken, and roast goose on the table.

There were also domesticated geese bought from who-knows-where. Grandma Sun encouraged Zhou Xinya to eat more, saying, "You've never eaten them before, have you?"

After marinating, it was stir-fried again, making it extremely salty. Zhou Xinya didn't touch it again.

Watching her mother drink soup, she imitated her, not touching a single bite of the salty vegetables—

It took three bowls of wine to get rid of the gamey and salty taste of the wild goose.

"Ew~" Just thinking about that smell made the little girl shudder. She looked at Grandma Sun with admiration and said, "You're amazing."

No one at the table touched that plate, except for Grandma Sun, who ate several pieces because she was afraid of wasting food.

However, it's still an age issue, Sun Lifang wondered, "Is it because older people's sense of taste deteriorates, so they prefer strong flavors?"

Sister Miao shares the same tastes as Grandma Sun; they get along well in both eating and chatting.

When the adults are eating, someone has to look after the children.

Sun Lifang used to breastfeed her children, but now the babies don't even need to open their eyes; they just start eating with their eyes closed, sucking on their little mouths. All they know is eating and sleeping.

After Zhou Xinya finished eating, she lay down on the bed, touched her round little belly, watched her mother breastfeed, and then looked around curiously, looking quite hesitant.

"Zhou Xinya, what are you trying to do?"

Judging from that look in his eyes, he wasn't a good guy, and sure enough—

Someone mustered up their courage and leaned closer, their round eyes filled with curiosity. "What does that milk taste like?"

She just wanted to drink; Zhou Xinya is a foodie.

"They seem to be enjoying their drink. Is it delicious?"

"I think I drank it when I was little, but I've forgotten what it tasted like, hehe—"

As she spoke, the little girl touched her head shyly and looked at her mother.

Why do you want everything? Sun Lifang cried out inwardly, and said to her daughter, "I'll leave a little in the bottle for you to taste after I finish expressing the milk later."

Don't even think about imitating my eating habits!