At a wonton shop near the family compound, Song Yinhua brought her three-year-old twin sons to eat wontons.
She owns this wonton shop.
In this city alone, she has already opened six wonton shops, and all of them are doing very well.
Several chain stores have also opened in other cities.
Many businessmen from other places came to seek franchise opportunities.
She now lives a rich and fulfilling life.
The phone in my bag suddenly rang.
"Big sister, Dad is dying." Song Baogen's voice came from the other end of the phone.
The next day, Song Yinhua and her family of four took a plane back to Songzhuang Village.
The plane landed at the provincial capital's airport, and they took a train to the town's train station that evening. As soon as they got off the train, they heard a familiar voice.
"Big sister, big brother-in-law!" Song Baogen went to greet them.
"How is Dad?" Song Yinhua asked.
"Dad's at the clinic." Song Baogen saw a pair of three-year-old twins. "My two little nephews are so big already!"
"Xiaoguo Xiaoyi, this is your uncle, quickly greet him."
"uncle!"
"uncle!"
A pair of twins shouted joyfully.
Song Baogen happily agreed and picked up the two children, one in each arm.
The siblings exchanged a few pleasantries at the station before leaving and boarding Song Baogen's delivery van.
After Song Yinhua joined the army, she opened her first wonton shop near the family compound. Later, she gradually expanded to open a second, third, and more shops. Song Baogen resigned and opened a pig farm to supply the freshest pork to Song Yinhua's wonton shop, and also supplied pork to several local supermarkets.
Now that life is better, he bought a delivery van and sent his two sons to the best school in the county. Qiao Guilan usually cooks for the two children in the county and takes care of their daily lives. Li Wenxiu stays in the village with him to manage the pig farm.
While driving, Song Baogen chatted with Song Yinhua.
“After Dad got sick, I hired two caregivers. Mom also takes care of him at the health center. Wenxiu takes care of the two children in the county town. Caixing and her husband also work at my pig farm... Oh, right, Caixing originally planned to get married to her boyfriend last month, but the wedding was canceled at the last minute because Dad was unwell.”
"Cai Xing is getting remarried?" Song Yinhua asked in surprise.
Guo Rui became addicted to heroin and frequently experienced hallucinations. Once, he used a knife to slash a child. Fortunately, the child's grandparents were home and discovered him in time. During the argument, Guo Rui fell and hit the back of his head on a nail on the wall, and that's how he died.
She had heard about this from her younger brother, Song Baogen, two years ago.
"Yes, after Guo Rui died, Cai Xing took her son back to Songzhuang Village. She usually lives at the pig farm, and her son studies in the county town. They usually eat and live with my two sons, and Mom takes care of them."
The van turned into the health center, and Song Erzhuang was overjoyed to see the young woman and her family of four return. He seemed to have suddenly recovered, eating and talking normally, and he held Song Yinhua's twin sons in his arms.
“Yinhua, back then we thought Jianguo was dead. We were worried that you'd be old and no one would take care of you. Dad went to the village office in Huojiabao Village to help you get a five-guarantee household status. The village head of Huojiabao said your household registration was in Songzhuang Village, so we had to go there to apply. Dad immediately went to the village office in Songzhuang Village to inquire about applying for five-guarantee household status for you. Dad was most worried about you. I never imagined that Jianguo was still alive, and that you even had two sons.” Song Erzhuang started talking non-stop as soon as he saw Song Yinhua. “You were thirty-five when you had children. People who get married early at that age are almost seeing their grandchildren. Dad thought you'd be old and no one would take care of you. Now Dad can finally rest easy…”
"Dad, don't talk so much, get some rest," Song Yinhua comforted him, not wanting her father to say these things in front of their two children.
Song Erzhuang held his two grandsons, saying, "When you two grow up, you must be good to your mother. She suffered so much in the past..."
“Dad, don’t say these things in front of the children.” Song Yinhua picked up the two children. “You must be tired too, go and rest first. We’ll go back now and come back tomorrow…”
"You're disgusted with your dad? You're leaving so soon after you arrived?" Song Erzhuang asked angrily.
Huo Jianguo then spoke up, "My wife didn't mean that. We rushed to catch a plane early this morning and then transferred to a train. We haven't eaten since this morning. We're just hungry and wanted to take the kids to get something to eat first."
"Why didn't you say so sooner! Hurry up and go!" Song Erzhuang grabbed his two grandsons' hands, "You two will have to grow up..."
"Dad, we're leaving now. We'll come see you again tomorrow." Song Yinhua led her two children away.
Qiao Guilan berated Song Erzhuang, making conversation out of nothing.
What do three-year-olds know? Don't talk nonsense in front of them.
Song Erzhuang lost his temper, "You old hag, you think you can mistreat me just because I'm sick?"
“When did I ever mistreat you? Didn’t Baogen hire two caregivers to take care of you? If you keep causing trouble, I’ll have my son fire them and leave you to fend for yourself in the health center!”
"You dare!" Song Erzhuang grabbed the teacup from the bedside table and smashed it.
Song Baogen saw his sister's family off, and after walking a few steps, he heard the sound of things being smashed coming from the private hospital room.
“It’s alright, the patient is just being temperamental. Let’s go,” Song Baogen said. “Sister, I’ve booked a private room at a restaurant in town for lunch. Cai Xing and Lao Li have already gone there. I’ll take you there now.”
-
In the hotel lobby, Song Caixing was teaching Xiaoxiaohua.
"Your aunt is coming soon. Be sweet-talking and ask her to take you with her. If you go with your aunt, you'll be able to marry a rich man and won't have to suffer like Mom... Why are you making that face when I'm talking to you?"
Song Caixing impatiently snapped at her daughter.
She didn't know why she felt annoyed whenever she saw her daughter, and she disliked her very much.
This daughter isn't close to her either.
"I'm leaving after you've finished speaking..."
"Stop right there!" Song Caixing reached out and grabbed Xiao Xiaohua. "Did you hear what I just told you? Where are you going?"
"Go home!" Twelve-year-old Xiaohua already had her own ideas. "I'm not going with Auntie. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay in Huojiabao Village. When I grow up, I'll marry a man like your ex-husband..."
Snap!
Song Caixing raised her hand and slapped her daughter.
Little Flower glared resentfully at Song Caixing, then turned and ran away.
Song Caixing was so angry that she burst into tears.
Song Baogen led Song Yinhua and her family into the hotel lobby, where Song Caixing, who was waiting there, warmly greeted them.
Inside the private room were Li Wenxiu, several children, and Song Caixing's current boyfriend, Lao Li.
When Li Wenxiu saw Song Yinhua's family, she greeted them warmly.
Huo Jianguo brought toys for all the children, and the three boys happily played with their gifts.
The twins followed closely behind them.
The group of children quickly became friends.
Song Yinhua looked around. "Little Flower isn't here?"
“Big sister, Xiao Xiaohua is here. She’s been waiting for you for a long time. Her dad had something to do with her, so she went back.” Song Caixing pulled Song Yinhua to sit down. “Xiao Xiaohua keeps talking about you to me. She said that she wants to go with you this time, and that you will always be her mother.”
"I miss her very much. I wonder how she's been all these years?"
"Big sister, I've been so good to her all these years. I've fed her, provided for her lodging, and even paid for her schooling. But she's disobedient and rebellious, unlike my son who is filial, sensible, and knows how to care for me." Song Caixing spoke highly of her son.
Song Yinhua gleaned some clues from Song Caixing's words.
The restaurant staff began serving the dishes.
At this moment, Qiao Guilan and Xiao Xiaohua arrived.
"I ran into Xiao Xiaohua in the hotel lobby," Qiao Guilan said as she sat down.
Little Flower stood there without moving.
Song Yinhua beckoned, "Little Hua, come sit here."
The seat next to her was where her two sons used to sit, but now the children had all run off to play, and the seat was empty.
Little Flower sat down next to me.
Song Caixing kept winking at Xiao Xiaohua, urging her to please Song Yinhua so that Song Yinhua could take her with her.
Little Flower pretended not to see and ate her own food.
Normally, Song Caixing would have beaten her up long ago, but with so many people around today, she couldn't afford to lose her temper.
Song Yinhua noticed that Song Caixing was acting strangely. "Caixing, what happened to your eyes?"
"No... I just... I got some sand in my eyes." Song Caixing pretended to rub her eyes. "It's okay now."
Halfway through the meal, Song Caixing excused herself to go to the restroom and left.
A moment later, her boyfriend Lao Li's phone rang. He opened it and saw a text message from Song Caixing.
"Little Flower, your mom's in the bathroom. She wants you to bring her a pack of tissues." Old Li handed Little Flower a pack of tissues from the table.
Little Flower reluctantly took the tissue and went outside.
In the bathroom, Song Caixing gave Xiao Xiaohua a severe scolding. She only knew how to eat and didn't say anything nice to coax Song Yinhua to agree to take her with her at the dinner table.
The more Song Caixing acted this way, the more Xiao Xiaohua did the opposite.
The mother and daughter got into an argument at the health center. In her anger, Song Caixing said, "If I had known you were this stupid, I shouldn't have given birth to you in the first place."
“I didn’t beg you to give birth to me. You gave birth to me but then didn’t want me. You left me with my aunt. My aunt doesn’t have any children of her own. You were afraid that my aunt would be a burden to you when she got old and no one would take care of her, so you took me away from her. But you don’t take good care of me…”
Before Xiaoxiao could finish speaking, she was slapped across the face by Song Caixing.
"I'm your own mother, and this is how you talk to me?"
"What right do you have to be my mother?" Little Flower shouted hysterically, then turned and ran out.
Song Caixing went back into the private room and explained with a smile, "It's too late, and Xiaohua still has homework to do, so she went back first."
"It's so late, is it safe for her to go home alone?" Song Yinhua asked worriedly. "Did she just leave? I'll go and call her, and we'll go home together in a bit."
"No need, sister, our town is very safe." Song Caixing stopped Song Yinhua. "Just now in the bathroom, Xiaohua said that you have gained weight, are uglier than before, and look much older."
Li Wenxiu stared at Song Caixing in shock, then glanced at Song Yinhua's face, which looked even better than it had a few years ago. She knew that these words were not spoken by Xiao Xiaohua, but by Song Yinhua herself.
Song Yinhua smiled faintly, "I'm almost forty, how can I not be old!"
Song Baogen said to Song Caixing with dissatisfaction, "Caixing, how can you talk like that? You're starting to sound more and more like your mother when she was young."
Qiao Guilan didn't like hearing this. "Caixing doesn't talk like I did when I was young at all! Of all you sisters, you're the one who looks and has the most like Mom!"
Song Baogen rejected Qiao Guilan's words from the bottom of his heart, but he did not refute them.
“Mom is right, Second Brother, you are the most like Mom!” Song Caixing harbored resentment towards Qiao Guilan.
He resented Qiao Guilan's favoritism.
She resented Qiao Guilan for not caring about her.
Having weathered the trials of time, Song Caixing has come to realize that she is becoming more and more like her mother, Qiao Guilan.
"Mom is most biased towards you!" Song Caixing's tone was tinged with resentment. "The house and land were all left to you."
Li Wenxiu was displeased upon hearing Song Caixing's words.
In the village, every family leaves their house and land to their son, who is responsible for taking care of his parents in their old age. I've never seen a married daughter come back to fight with her brothers for the inheritance.
Just as Li Wenxiu was about to retort to Song Caixing, Qiao Guilan interrupted her, saying, "Caixing, you're wrong. I've always treated all of you sisters equally and never favored any of you! If I really had to say who I was biased towards, it would be your eldest sister, Yinhua!"
Song Baogen almost vomited up the wine he had just drunk.
Song Caixing felt even more disgusted with Qiao Guilan. Why didn't she dare to admit that she favored her second brother?
Qiao Guilan looked at Song Yinhua and said, "Yinhua, you are the eldest child. Baogen was born when you were five or six years old. Before that, you were the only child in the family, and your parents only loved you and were most biased towards you."
"You're biased towards my older sister, even making her drop out of school?" Song Caixing couldn't stand her own mother.
As a child, she lived a life of constant vigilance, always watching her parents' every move.
Now that she's grown up and her parents are getting old, she no longer has to worry about their moods or being scolded by Qiao Guilan.
“Mom didn’t let Yinhua drop out of school. It was your uncle and your aunt who spread rumors behind her back. Back then, Yinhua’s elementary school homeroom teacher was transferred to teach the first year of junior high school in town. Yinhua happened to be assigned to her class. She refused to accept Yinhua because she disliked Yinhua’s bad reputation. Your father and I begged her many times, but in the end, we had no choice but to let Yinhua drop out of school.”
Qiao Guilan recounted what happened back then.
In reality, her family couldn't afford to support so many children, and the school teachers disliked her, thinking she was a jinx, and refused to accept her, so she simply stopped attending school.
"Yinhua, you have to believe your mother. Of all you siblings, you are the one I love the most." Qiao Guilan looked at Song Yinhua. "The old house and land will all be left to you after your parents are gone. Don't even think about it, it's all for you."
Qiao Guilan's words displeased Li Wenxiu.
Song Yinhua: "Mom, I live so far away. I have to take a plane and then a train to come back. If you leave the house and land to me, it will just go to waste. I don't want it."
"Yinhua, you didn't want it yourself. When Mom gets old and needs someone to take care of her, don't blame Mom." Qiao Guilan looked at her children present. "Since all three of you are here tonight, Mom will say a few things first. Your father may not be able to hold on for much longer. After that, Mom will be all alone. According to our local custom, whoever gets the house and land will take care of their parents in their old age. Our house and land will all go to Yinhua. The responsibility of taking care of Mom in her old age will fall on Yinhua's shoulders. You all have no objections to this, right?"
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