Zhang Chunxue's smile seemed to freeze for a moment, and her eyes were a little vague. She paused holding the spatula, then said unnaturally, "Oh, it's in town..."
She paused, as if she was organizing her words, or as if she was hiding something.
"When I was looking for a job for your second sister-in-law, I asked around in a few shops and happened to... happened to meet Clerk Song."
Her tone was a little vague, and she didn't dare to look directly into Xiaoxiao's inquiring eyes. She added hastily, "He also went to the town to do some business."
This was actually true, but because of Zhang Chunxue's change in mood, she felt inexplicably guilty when talking about Song Xingzhi. To Zhong Xiaoxiao, these words sounded like something she had made up on the spur of the moment.
Zhong Xiaoxiao's heart began to beat even louder. She was just about to ponder the deeper meaning behind this and ask, "What a coincidence, Mom?" But before she could finish her words -
"mom!"
Zhou Mingli burst into tears with a "wow" sound, and the vegetables in her hand fell to the ground, splashing a few mud stars.
She grabbed Zhang Chunxue's arm, her eyes red and her voice choked with sobs: "Mom, thank you so much! For my sake, you've been so worried and running around everywhere... I... I really don't know what to say!"
Seeing her crying, Zhang Chunxue quickly put down the spatula, patted the back of her hand, and sighed.
"Silly child, why are you crying?" Her voice was a little hoarse, and her eyes were filled with a hint of guilt and pity. She looked at Zhou Mingli as if she was looking at her own daughter who had been wronged. "In the final analysis, it is our Zhong family who has let you down."
Zhang Chunxue gently touched Zhou Mingli's head, her voice so gentle that it could squeeze water out of her: "He owes you, Mom knows. He treats you badly, so I have to be twice as good to you, so that Mom can feel at ease."
These words were simple and unpretentious, but they were like a key that suddenly opened the floodgates of Zhou Mingli's emotions and touched the softest part of her heart.
She was already very excited about her work, and now she was even more moved when she heard her mother-in-law's heartfelt words.
"Mom..." Zhou Mingli cried even harder, hugging Zhang Chunxue's arm and sobbing, "Don't say that... You've been good enough to me... I'm just unlucky... Wuuwuwu..."
For a moment, the only sounds in the kitchen were Zhou Mingli's suppressed crying and Zhang Chunxue's gentle comforting voice. The flames in the stove were jumping, reflecting the faces of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.
Zhong Xiaoxiao was watching from the side, originally with a lot of questions in her mind. She wanted to ask how her mother and Teacher Song "met by chance" and what the details of that "encounter" were. However, she was interrupted by this sudden warm scene.
She looked at her second sister-in-law who was crying bitterly, and then at her mother who was looking at her with a look of pity on her face. The words that were on the tip of her tongue seemed to be blocked by something, and she swallowed them back somehow.
When it was time for dinner in the evening, the food had just been served and the kitchen was still filled with the aroma of cabbage and tofu.
Zhong Chengfa's disappointing figure appeared at the kitchen door, holding a little kid in his hand, who was his son Zhong Hongqing.
The fire in the stove was dancing, reflecting the cabbage and tofu bubbling in the pot. It was a warm time for dinner.
But when she saw Zhong Chengfa and his son, the warmth on Zhang Chunxue's face disappeared in an instant, and it was so dark that water could drip out of it.
Zhong Xiaoxiao and Zhou Mingli also put down their chopsticks, and the atmosphere in the kitchen instantly froze.
Zhong Chengfa had a flattering smile on his face, and it was obvious that he had no good intentions.
He pushed Zhong Hongqing's small body.
"Hongqing, come on, call grandma, call grandma." He urged, with a hint of unnatural flattery in his voice.
Zhong Hongqing has been at his grandmother Li Hongjuan's house these days, and his ears have been filled with bad words about Zhang Chunxue. As a child, he doesn't know how to distinguish, and he just thinks that the grandmother in front of him is hateful.
He pouted, shook his head and turned to the side, refusing to say a word, and hid behind Zhong Chengfa.
Zhang Chunxue didn't say anything either, just stared at the father and son coldly, her eyes like icicles in December, which made Zhong Chengfa feel uneasy.
Zhong Chengfa couldn't hold back his anger anymore and got a little anxious. He raised his hand and slapped Zhong Hongqing's butt twice, neither too hard nor too light.
"Kid, how can you be so ignorant! Call grandma!" He lowered his voice and said threateningly.
Zhong Hongqing was already holding his anger, and after being beaten by his father, he felt even more aggrieved. He burst into tears with a sharp and piercing cry, breaking the temporary tranquility of the kitchen.
Zhang Chunxue sneered, her voice devoid of warmth: "Zhong Chengfa, you brought him here deliberately to disgust me, right?"
Her gaze cut across Zhong Chengfa's face like a knife.
"I asked you to divorce Li Hongjuan, but instead of getting a divorce, you brought her son back to me? What do you mean?"
Zhong Chengfa's face turned red and white, and he frantically defended himself: "Mom! This is also my son! He is your grandson!"
He tried to impress Zhang Chunxue with family affection, and his tone was full of grievance.
Zhang Chunxue didn't even bother to raise her eyelids. She said in a cold tone, "He won't even call me grandma. I won't acknowledge this grandson."
Zhong Hongqing continued crying, his little body twitching.
When Zhong Chengfa heard this, he became even more anxious. He felt that his mother was deliberately making things difficult for him, and that Zhong Hongqing was really ignorant. He raised his hand and hit Zhong Hongqing on the butt a few more times, with the blows being obviously heavier.
"Call me! You little bastard! Call me grandma!" he roared angrily.
Zhong Hongqing cried even louder, gasping for breath, his little face flushed red.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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