The next day, Lunar New Year's Eve
"Fifth Sister, what did Eldest Sister say to you last night?" Chen Baohua asked Chen Xihua with a smile as she entered the room early in the morning.
He looked impatient, and thinking about how his third and fourth sisters had been kicked out last night, he finally felt a sense of balance.
Before, he was the only one in the room and was often kicked out by his sisters. Now, the other sisters are treated the same.
"Xiao Liu, you're a man, stop being so gossipy. Hurry up and write your couplet, we'll be putting it up soon!" Chen Xihua raised an eyebrow, her expression indifferent.
"Oh, okay. Mother told me to write one more to take to the new house to put up. Fifth Sister, do you need to put up couplets in your two houses in Leiting Haoxuan?" Chen Baohua was just a little curious.
But he didn't necessarily need to know; whatever he needed to know, his fifth sister would let him know anyway.
"Then you can write them all down, and we can put them up together when we get there!" Chen Xihua said with a smile, her little temper just now wasn't directed at Xiao Liu.
Early this morning, Captain Zheng called the eldest sister to report his itinerary, saying that he had returned to the island and would be home in another hour.
At the end, he even pretended to greet her with a casual "Little Fifth Sister, you've worked hard!"
Her bed was next to her older sister's, and even though her sister spoke very softly, Chen Xihua could still faintly hear her.
Chen Xihua thought to herself: Hehe, thank you, Captain Zheng!
Meanwhile, on the opposite bed, the third and fourth sisters, who had already gotten up and were about to leave, deliberately paused, wanting to listen as well.
But when he realized that Xiao Wu didn't want to talk, he strode out. Today would be quite busy with all sorts of preparations for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Just now, they both noticed that after the older sister finished her phone call quietly, she hurriedly ran out and busied herself in the kitchen.
This is blatant self-deception!
Chen Chunhua was indeed a little guilty, because she was afraid that her younger sisters and Xiao Liu would keep asking her questions, and she would feel a little embarrassed.
The Chen family was busy all morning. After lunch, Chen Xihua and Chen Baohua went to the North New District of the county to put up couplets.
Starting this year, Chen Baohua has been handling both writing and posting couplets all by himself, without Chen Lao Er having to lift a finger.
In the past six months or so, Chen Baohua has grown taller rapidly, reaching about 1.65 meters.
As long as Xiao Liu doesn't talk to Chen Xihua or act coquettishly, he just watches quietly and already shows a lot of responsibility. He's also becoming more and more like Chen Lao Er, handsome and refined, not like a thirteen-year-old boy.
Chen Lao Er was overjoyed, finally able to sit like a lord, directing work and ordering his son around.
Unexpectedly, Grandma Chen came over and pulled him away, saying that his uncle's family had something to do and he needed to go help.
Around 3 p.m., Chen Xihua and Chen Baohua finished putting up the couplets and had just returned home when Chen Lao Er walked in with a displeased look on his face.
"Chen Penghua and his wife are really awful. They don't even come to your uncle's house for the New Year to have a reunion dinner together."
He even took it upon himself to separate his family of three, saying that from now on they would be two separate families, and that he would come to pay his respects again tomorrow, the first day of the Lunar New Year, to fulfill the proper etiquette.
Following his words, Chen Baohua asked, "Dad, why did Grandma ask you to come over?"
"Help your grandma put up couplets, move things around, and clean a room for your uncle to sleep in alone." Chen Lao Er shrugged his slightly sore shoulders; he hadn't done so much work even at his own home.
He felt a mix of sadness and regret, as well as a touch of pride. So what if his elder brother had two sons? They were both unfilial, unlike his family, which had five daughters and Xiao Bao, all of whom were good.
As for my eldest brother's family, my parents are two elderly people. It's a miracle they can eat and sleep well, let alone take care of anyone.
The eldest brother is lying down, disabled, while the sister-in-law, who rarely goes into the kitchen, has spent the entire day working there.
My elder brother's house looked deserted and there was no festive atmosphere at all. In contrast, my own house was full of joy and celebration, with my children laughing and joking.
Chen Lao Er looked smug!
In the evening, after having their New Year's Eve dinner, Chen Xihua and her family were sitting in front of the TV watching the Spring Festival Gala.
Around 8 o'clock, the eldest sister Chen Chunhua's phone rang.
She took the phone out of her pocket, glanced at everyone, her eyes flickered, and she didn't answer immediately. Then she stood up and quietly walked towards the door. "Hello, yes, it's me. Dinner's ready. What about you?..."
Less than five minutes later, the fourth sister Chen Xiuhua's phone rang. She didn't answer it immediately, but took the phone and went to the bathroom under the pretext of going to the bathroom.
"You're coming to Gaoyang County tomorrow? Aren't you staying in Beijing to spend the New Year with your grandparents? Then drive carefully, you're a new driver..."
Less than a minute later, Chen Xihua's phone rang.
She looked around. Chen Lao Er's brows were slightly furrowed, while Li Yu Mei seemed not to notice, but she turned slightly to the left and touched her hair with her hand, indicating that she also wanted to listen.
The third sister and the sixth sister showed curious expressions as soon as the eldest sister's phone rang, glancing at the door of the room from time to time. After the fourth sister went into the bathroom to answer the phone, the two of them turned to look at the bathroom again.
Chen Xihua found it amusing, so she sat in the living room and answered the phone casually, "Happy New Year, Sister Deng!..."
Over the next half hour, Chen Xihua received several phone calls from her five college roommates.
When she put down her phone, she found that her eldest and fourth sisters had not finished their calls.
Chen Lao Er couldn't hold back any longer, "Xiao Wu, is your eldest sister dating someone? And your fourth sister too?"
Li Yumei was just about to ask when her daughter was dating. She wouldn't object to it, but asking about the family situation wouldn't be too much to ask!
"Fourth sister is probably on the phone with a classmate. As for eldest sister, it seems she's dating someone."
However, Dad, if you don't agree, then let my eldest sister share the money with him.
I think that person's family isn't well-off. As a soldier, he probably only gets a couple of days off a year and can't spend time with his family.
Even if my older sister really gets together with him, he won't be able to come to our house to see you very often.
The main issue is that his family probably doesn't have much money. His family members are in the military, probably holding minor leadership positions or something, but they don't have much cash.
Chen Xihua spoke casually, as if she were even a little disgusted.
"What leader? What position?" Li Yumei asked excitedly. "Where are they from? Being in the army is good! Fifth Sister, stop talking about money all the time!"
"That's right, Xiao Wu, it would be great if your eldest sister could find a boyfriend who's in the military!" Chen Lao Er said, his tone disapproving but his eyes filled with excitement.
"Is being a soldier good? Not being a businessman or having money?" Chen Xihua asked, feigning ignorance. "Besides, when the time comes, our family will need to meet with him, but he probably won't have time."
"What do you know? Soldiers have missions in the army, they can't be as idle as other people."
Moreover, even if he were just a company commander or battalion commander, people would be incredibly envious. Li Yumei's lips curled up; she never expected that Chunhua would actually date a soldier.
"Wait, how does Chunhua know a soldier?"
“I met my older sister on the train when she went to university in Beijing,” Chen Xihua said casually.
She knew that Chen Lao Er and Li Yumei wouldn't ask any other questions.
As long as they know they're in the military and come from well-off families, it's enough for them to go out and show off.
Nowadays, many parents unconsciously treat those who have jobs or serve in the military better.
Her mission was complete; she would now wait until the next time she saw Captain Zheng to give him a hard time.
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