After a few laughs and jokes, Jiang Jianguo and Jiang Jun took the bus back. Zheng Yang rode a tricycle carrying Jiang Ruyu, Kong Xuefang and her son, along with a load of luggage. The vehicle simply couldn't carry so many people.
When they arrived in the alley, Jiang Jun and his group had already arrived a step ahead of them.
Jiang Ruyu helped her second sister-in-law down, and the neighbors in the alley looked at Kong Xuefang with suspicion.
"Ruyu, who is this?"
"This is my second sister-in-law, my brother Jiang Jun's wife, and this is my nephew." Jiang Ruyu also introduced everyone to her second sister-in-law.
Kong Xuefang greeted people with a smile and a nod.
"Oh, this is Jun's wife. She's really beautiful, and her child is already so big. That's wonderful."
"Yes, Jiang Jun has always been a steady kid. Now he's a father. Time really flies."
Jiang Jun came out to greet his wife and children, and saw them chatting and laughing with their neighbors in the alley.
They chatted in the alley for a while before returning to the courtyard.
The neighbors in the alley were still gossiping about why Jiang Jun had returned at this time.
"I heard that Wang Shuhua gave the job to her second son's wife."
"Oh, with her temperament, how could she bear to part with it? Why didn't she give it to her son, but instead gave it to her daughter-in-law?"
"Her boyfriend, Ruyun, is very capable. He found Jiang Jun a job, but I don't know what it is."
"Wow, the Jiang family is really getting more and more capable. Even those who went to the countryside can come back."
"What are you saying? The eldest son of the Sun family has been back for several years now."
"Tch, why do you need to explain how he got back? His wife doesn't even have a job yet. The Sun family is heartless; they haven't cared about her at all these past few years."
"That's right. What do you think Li Xiuying is thinking? None of her three children are around. Her second and third sons have been sent to the countryside for several years now and haven't come back."
"Shh, don't say anything, Sooyoung is back."
Li Xiuying wasn't deaf; she could hear the loud gossip. She went home with a bad expression and didn't even greet them. Sun Datou could tell from his wife's bad expression that she must have heard something unpleasant again.
“Sigh, let’s call our second son back. We’ve saved up quite a bit of money in the last two years. If we call him back to take over my job, we can close the door and live a quiet life.”
Li Xiuying sighed, "The second son hasn't come back for years, the eldest son is still like that, and then there's our daughter. Sigh, old man, what sins have we committed to deserve all three of our children being like this?"
"Don't think too much about it. Our children and grandchildren will have their own lives. We just need to take care of ourselves."
Three days after Jiang Jun returned, his brother-in-law took him to complete the handover procedures, and he officially took office. Kong Xuefang was also taken by her mother-in-law to the factory to complete the handover. Everyone was quite happy, except for Fang Meili.
She was still seething with anger. Although her father-in-law had promised to find her a job, there was still no word from him. Even if he did find her a job, she would still be at a disadvantage if it turned out to be a temporary one.
She had been married into the Jiang family for five or six years and had two children. She considered herself to have more say than the second son's wife. However, the second son's wife had a formal job as soon as she came back, while she didn't even know what kind of job she would get. This made her feel inferior to Kong Xuefang.
Especially after seeing that her second son and his wife both went to work, leaving their child with their mother-in-law, and that her mother-in-law always favored the second son's child, she felt furious.
"It's clear that distance makes things better and proximity makes things worse. My Yangyang and Lele have been with Mom for several years and I've never seen you like them this much. Haohao from your second son's family has only been back for a short time, and you want to hold him in your arms every day. It's true that comparisons are odious."
Fang Meili has been filled with resentment lately, giving everyone the cold shoulder and speaking in a sarcastic and veiled manner, making everyone uncomfortable.
Wang Shuhua wasn't exactly known for her good temper either. After being teased by her eldest daughter-in-law for several days in a row, she was already furious. She coaxed her grandson, "Haohao, don't be afraid. Go play with your grandma next door."
Although she disliked the old woman, the old woman had no ill intentions towards her great-grandson. After watching the old woman lead her great-grandson into the house, Wang Shuhua turned to look at Fang Meili.
"Have you made enough trouble? If you're smart, you should know when to stop. I'm still willing to find you a job, but if you keep causing trouble, you're fired. You've spoiled yourself rotten."
Fang Meili's face flushed red. She couldn't believe that her mother-in-law, who had been silent for two years, had suddenly become assertive again: "Hehe, so it seems that the second son's family is back. You don't need to rely on Jiang Kai anymore, right? Now you want to kick us out. You really are someone who uses people when you need them and doesn't use them when you don't."
“I’m telling you, eldest son, everyone starts as a daughter-in-law. I know what you’re thinking, but let me tell you, I’m not a son. I can’t give everything to the eldest son. You and Jiang Kai have taken advantage of the family all these years. What, you can’t stand it when the second son’s family comes back and scolds you? Your father is still the head of the family now. Remember that.”
Wang Shuhua is a cunning woman. Isn't Fang Meili's current mentality exactly the same as hers back then? It's really ugly to think about it now. Maybe this is just human nature. We can be righteous when we talk about others, but when it comes to ourselves, we just can't understand it at all.
“What advantage did we gain? Didn’t you send money and tickets to Jiang Jun? You can take care of the second son, so why isn’t the eldest son your child?” Fang Meili didn’t think they gained anything; she hadn’t asked her in-laws for any money.
"I've never sent Jiang Jun any money, but I've spent a lot of money on your family. During your pregnancy, postpartum period, and childbirth, I took care of all the household chores, the kids' snacks, medical expenses, the red envelopes I gave you during holidays, and the clothes I bought for you. You say you haven't taken advantage of me? Aren't you ashamed?"
Fang Meili stared at her mother-in-law with her neck stiff, never expecting that her mother-in-law could say such embarrassing things: "Every family lives like this. If you have money, who else do you want to give it to if not your children and grandchildren?"
"What a joke! Go ask around and see if any family's son doesn't give them living expenses after getting married, relying entirely on his parents to support his entire family. Or go home and ask your mother if your older brothers give them living expenses." Wang Shuhua was too lazy to argue with her. "Besides, you said it yourself, what elderly person doesn't give money to their children and grandchildren? My second son's family is also my children and grandchildren. I'm giving my own work to my children and grandchildren, so why are you having so many opinions?"
Fang Meili was speechless because of her mother-in-law's words, and she was also embarrassed by the onlookers: "These are your children and grandchildren, so you can raise them. Since you don't like me so much, I'll just leave."
Fang Meili pushed her daughter next to Wang Shuhua and turned to leave.
Wang Shuhua reminded her, "Running away from home once is enough. If you run away again, no one will be willing to invite you back again and again. Don't blame me if you end up being looked down upon by your sister-in-law for eating at your parents' house."
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