After seeing off her second sister Chen Jinhua, Chen Xihua and Chen Baohua returned to their private dining room.
At this point, the waiter prepares to serve some snacks and treats.
The Chen family has two children, Chen Tingting and Chen Junxin, who are both very young, only three or four years old.
Seeing the snacks and cookies on the table, they wanted to eat them, but they didn't dare to, and were timid and hesitant.
The waitress who just brought it over was even quite attentive, saying something very gentle:
"Kids, here come the candy and cookies! Do you like them?"
The siblings just watched longingly, without reaching out to take it, and then turned to look at the adults.
After being glared at by the adult, the two were immediately frightened and sat quietly in their chairs, motionless.
Grandma Chen said, "Junxin, it's time to eat soon. Save the cookies for later."
She was thinking that if her great-grandson ate cookies or something like that, he wouldn't be able to eat properly later.
Li Xiaoling also said, "Tingting, take the candy and cookies back with you and eat them later."
She thought that her second uncle's family probably wouldn't want candy, cookies, or other snacks, since they didn't have any children.
She packed everything into a bag and took it home to entertain Li's nephew when her relatives came.
Chen Xihua felt that Chen Junxin's timidity was understandable, given that his parents were not around.
Although she lives with her grandparents.
Logically speaking, the youngest son and eldest grandson are the old man's lifeblood, so Chen Junxin should be the most favored in Uncle Chen's family.
However, his father, Chen Jianhua, and mother, Wang Xiaoling, were both former convicts.
Moreover, only about half a year had passed since his parents were arrested, so Chen Junxin should have had some recollection of it by then.
Add to that the constant pointing and whispering from neighbors and outsiders, and children, who are naturally quite sensitive, can also sense the good and evil intentions of outsiders.
Strangely enough, Chen Penghua and Li Xiaoling, a married couple, have only one daughter, yet they've managed to raise Chen Tingting to be so petty and narrow-minded.
Is it also due to male chauvinism? It must be hereditary.
Chen Xihua didn't know that she had actually guessed almost correctly.
Chen Penghua grew up in an environment where his grandmother severely favored boys over girls and doted on her grandson.
He didn't pay much attention to his daughter either.
Li Xiaoling, on the other hand, treated her nephew from her maternal family better than her own daughter.
Initially, she was influenced by the words of her mother, Li, from her maternal family.
Li's mother said that she has no sons, and when she gets old, she can rely on her nephews to support her in her old age. So now, she should treat her nephews well.
Recently, Li Xiaoling and Chen Penghua, a married couple, were laid off and are now unemployed.
They are planning to have a second child secretly, and they are already two months pregnant.
She secretly consulted a doctor at an unlicensed clinic. The doctor casually took her pulse and said she was carrying a boy, which made Li Xiaoling very happy.
Naturally, he treated his daughter even worse.
Little Tingting is only four years old, but she has to help with housework at home.
Chen Xiuhua, who had just come out of the restroom, sat down on the other side of Chen Xihua.
She looked around and whispered to her second sister, Chen Jinhua, "Fifth Sister, is Second Sister on another mission?"
"Okay!" Chen Xihua nodded and took out her phone to check her text messages.
She just received it; Lu Zhengjing sent it to her.
The New Year's greeting was followed by a message saying that he's busy lately and can't contact me often, so I shouldn't worry about him.
Upon learning that her second sister would be going on a mission on New Year's Eve, Chen Xiuhua's good mood for the New Year reunion was slightly affected, mainly because she was worried about her second sister.
Soon, it was five o'clock, and the New Year's Eve dinner was about to begin. Waiters had already started serving the dishes.
Chen Lao Er and Li Yumei were both beaming with joy and greeted Grandpa Chen, Grandma Chen, Uncle Chen, and Aunt Wang Fen to take their seats.
Chen Xihua sat to the left and right of her fourth sister and sixth brother, the three siblings whispering amongst themselves.
He would also look up at his father and mother from time to time.
Look at them, boasting and showing off their daughter in front of Uncle Chen's family.
Mr. Chen, who was paralyzed on one side due to a car accident, also came to the hotel for dinner in a wheelchair.
The hotel where we ate this time was also near the North New District of the county, not far from the residential areas of both of us.
Because Uncle Chen spends all day in bed and doesn't go out to sunbathe, his skin looks much whiter, and because he can eat and drink a lot, he seems to have gained some weight.
Perhaps it's because that initial period has passed, and I've accepted that I'm disabled, so I've become more open-minded.
He seemed a little slow-witted, and didn't say a word, just staring at Chen Lao Er, who had a beaming face.
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, please have a seat!"
Chen Penghua did not immediately go to take care of his elderly parents.
Instead, he enthusiastically hovered around Chen Lao Er, acting like Chen Lao Er's son.
Although he was unable to borrow money from his second uncle's family a few days ago, Chen Penghua changed his strategy.
His second uncle's cousin was difficult to talk to, so he tried to please his second uncle, since they were uncle and niece.
Moreover, his second uncle was concerned about his reputation, so he could first try to curry favor with his second uncle and cater to his wishes.
Then, if he casually makes some reasonable requests for help, his second uncle might just agree without hesitation.
At the same time, he also had to play the victim.
It wasn't exactly playing the victim; Chen Penghua felt that he had indeed been having a tough time lately, especially compared to his second uncle's family.
Thinking about what my wife has been saying these past few days...
With a look of remorse and self-reproach, Chen Penghua walked around to the main seat, next to Grandpa and Grandma Chen.
He placed his hands on Grandma Chen's shoulders, gently squeezed them, and then lowered his head to coax her.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Xiaoling and I have discussed it and we want to move back to live with you in Jinjing Jiayuan."
Grandpa and Grandma are getting old, and as the eldest grandson, it is my duty to stay by your side and take care of you.
It was our fault for threatening to move out before.
And then there's Dad, he has difficulty moving around, so Mom is all alone. Every day she has to help Dad bathe and change his clothes, and she also has to go to work and take care of Junxin. It's so hard for her."
"Hmm, my eldest grandson is the most filial. I thought you didn't care about your grandparents and didn't want your parents anymore."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Chen felt much better and instantly became much happier.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and her youngest son invited her to a reunion dinner. However, neither she nor her husband were particularly happy.
The main reason is that those few good-for-nothing granddaughters, who have been home for several days during their vacation, have not brought any gifts to our home.
I heard they're very rich; the news has spread throughout Gaoyang County. Wu Yatou is the boss of a large corporation.
The old saying is true: young girls are always looking for someone else.
However, she then thought of the things she and her husband had been discussing these past few days, trying to get their second son's consent.
Grandma Chen barely managed to hold back her anger.
I looked at the three siblings; I greeted them when I came in, but I didn't speak to them again.
Hearing her eldest grandson Chen Penghua's kind and filial words, Grandma Chen perked up immediately.
A few years ago, she might have had some resentment towards her eldest grandson, but that's all in the past, and her second grandson is in jail.
The family is full of elderly, young, and disabled people. It's good that the eldest grandson came back, so there's a pillar of the family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com