Song Caixing was the first to ask, "Mom, if you go to my eldest sister's place, who will take care of me and my second brother's children? My eldest sister and I are both your daughters, so why does my eldest sister get a share of the house while I don't? Aren't I your biological daughter?"
Li Wenxiu also felt angry with Qiao Guilan.
She and Song Baogen have to manage the pig farm, and their two sons are studying in the county town. Their mother-in-law has always been in charge of taking care of them. What will happen to the two children if she just leaves?
Qiao Guilan asked Song Yinhua, "Yinhua, after I help your brother raise his child, I'll be too old to move around anymore. Can you come and take me to live with you then?"
Song Yinhua felt a little disheartened, but still politely said, "Mom, I will hire a nanny to take care of you, so you don't need to worry."
"No, Mom wants to go to your house..."
Song Baogen interrupted, "Mom, I'm your own son. When you get old and can't move, I'll take care of you. My older sister and Caixing just need to come and visit you."
Qiao Guilan winked at Song Baogen; wasn't she just trying to help him lighten his burden?
Song Caixing said, "Xiaoxiaohua used to tell me that her grandmother was a dishonest person and that she didn't like her grandmother."
"What did I do wrong?" Qiao Guilan asked. "I suffered so much and worried so much to raise you sisters. Now that Mom is old, and I need you to take care of her in her old age, you all make excuses?"
Song Baogen couldn't stand it anymore. "Mom, we never said we wouldn't take care of you in your old age. It's rare for my eldest sister to come back today. Let's stop talking about these trivial things and eat first."
Huo Jianguo remained silent throughout the Song family's domestic affairs.
After finishing his meal, he booked a hotel next to the restaurant, and the family of four checked in.
“Wife, if you want your mother to stay with us, I can arrange it,” Huo Jianguo stated his position.
Song Yinhua looked at him and smiled: "I appreciate your kindness, but if I take Mom away, it will upset Wenxiu. Baogen and his wife are busy with the pig farm, and Caixing also has to work. Mom needs to help them take care of the children. Besides, even if I bring Mom to our house, given her personality, she will complain about wanting to come back after less than a week. She can't let go of Baogen."
Huo Jianguo nodded and didn't say anything more.
The two sons were running around and playing in the house. When Song Yinhua was giving them a bath, the cell phone on the cabinet suddenly rang.
Song Baogen called, "Big sister, come to the health center quickly."
Song Yinhua handed the two children to Huo Jianguo, changed her clothes, and hurriedly went to the health center.
Song Baogen had drunk too much last night, and his face was still flushed.
"Dad's condition is not good; the doctor just issued another critical condition notice."
Qiao Guilan muttered to herself, "When you came over tonight, the old man was still able to talk and eat, how come he's not feeling well again in such a short time!"
The medical staff in the ward came out at this moment and said, "Go in and see them one last time."
Song Erzhuang opened his eyes and looked at the people in the room. He weakly raised his finger and pointed at Song Yinhua.
Qiao Guilan asked, "Do you have something to say to Yinhua?"
Song Erzhuang nodded slowly, weakly calling out the names of Song Yinhua's two children.
Song Yinhua immediately called Huo Jianguo and sent the two children to the health center.
Song Caixing, Li Wenxiu, and several children also arrived at the health center one after another.
Song Erzhuang seemed to know he was dying, and began to make his final arrangements.
A person's words are good when they are about to die.
Song Erzhuang seemed to have suddenly come to his senses.
He told Song Baogen to take care of his mother in her old age, told Qiao Guilan not to cause trouble among her children, and told Song Yinhua and her two sisters not to quarrel.
He looked at Song Yinhua's two children and told everyone else to leave, leaving only Song Yinhua and her family of four.
“Yinhua, you are the eldest, and Dad loves you the most.” Song Erzhuang leaned against the headboard, holding the twins sitting on either side of him, and said to Huo Jianguo, “Jianguo, you have to take good care of Yinhua in the future, and you can’t quarrel with Yinhua.”
Huo Jianguo nodded silently.
He would comply with whatever Song Erzhuang told him to do.
Song Erzhuang looked at his two grandsons sitting beside him. The usually mischievous twins were now very well-behaved, their clear, innocent eyes looking at Song Erzhuang with curiosity.
"You must treat your mother well from now on, and be filial to her. Your mother passed away..."
Song Yinhua: "Dad, stop talking about this. You've talked too much tonight. Get some rest."
“Yinhua, your mother favors your brother, don’t take it to heart,” Song Erzhuang began again. “Dad knows you and Baogen are the closest, your mother…”
After talking for a while, Song Erzhuang asked Song Yinhua to take his two grandsons away and called Qiao Guilan in.
After Song Yinhua and her family of four came out, Qiao Guilan went into the ward.
Song Caixing pressed Song Yinhua, "What did Dad say to you?"
Song Baogen said to Song Caixing, "What Dad and my older sister said has nothing to do with us. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Song Yinhua: "Dad didn't say anything else, he just wanted our family to live a good life."
In the ward, Song Erzhuang repeatedly instructed Qiao Guilan, "Leave the house and land in the house to Yinhua. The house was built with Yinhua's salary. You should also return the money Yinhua gave us to Yinhua."
“What property is left to a girl?” Qiao Guilan said unhappily. “During your hospitalization, Baogen took care of you.”
“Baogen and his wife own a pig farm and have bought houses in both the town and the county. Yinhua has helped him a lot to get where he is today. Baogen and Yinhua have a good relationship, and he won’t take Yinhua’s houses or money.”
"If you leave your property to the girl, will Wenxiu agree?"
Song Erzhuang asked Qiao Guilan to bring Song Baogen and his wife in as well. He told Li Wenxiu personally that the two houses in their hometown were built with money earned by Yinhua, and most of their savings were given to them by Yinhua. After the two of them died, all of this would be returned to Yinhua, and she should not fight over it.
Song Baogen readily agreed.
Li Wenxiu was somewhat displeased, but she agreed verbally.
Qiao Guilan asked Song Erzhuang, "You gave all your property to Yinhua, what is Caixing supposed to think?"
“You can leave the portion of our savings that we’ve accumulated to Caixing.” He looked at Song Baogen and his wife, “Baogen, you two are well-off and earn a lot of money, but Caixing…”
Song Baogen nodded, "We won't compete."
Song Erzhuang looked at Qiao Guilan and forced her to agree that Song Yinhua's belongings would be left to Song Yinhua after her death, and that the money that the old couple had saved up would be left to Caixing.
Qiao Guilan had no choice but to agree.
Song Caixing was called in again, and Song Erzhuang told her that their money would be left to her after they died, not to her second brother.
After explaining everything, Song Erzhuang asked Song Qiuxue a question.
Qiao Guilan's expression was complicated. "Baogen sent a letter, but he didn't come."
Song Erzhuang passed away at around 2 a.m.
-
All the relatives came to the funeral.
Huo Jianguo was always surrounded by a group of people. Some offered him cigarettes, some struck up conversations with him, and others tried to curry favor with him.
Huo Jianguo was a man of few words, and his attitude was polite yet distant.
A group of children ran around and played, chasing each other in the crowd. Song Yinhua's eyes never left her two children for a moment.
Li Wenxiu's parents and her brother's family also came.
When Li's mother saw three extravagantly dressed women in the crowd attending the funeral, she whispered to Li Wenxiu, "Who are those three women? How come your husband's family has relatives like that?"
Li Wenxiu followed her mother's gaze and saw Song Erzhuang, her sister-in-law, and her brother's wife. "That's my uncle's daughter and wife."
Li's mother was surprised, "Why are they dressed like prostitutes? I thought they were in that line of work, and I was wondering how Baogen's family could have such relatives."
When Song Yinhua overheard the conversation between Li's mother and Li Wenxiu, she subconsciously glanced at Song Erniu and the others. Song Caixing, who was next to her, started gossiping with her.
Song Erniu and her husband Zhao Danian did not divorce.
Wang Yunyun lied about being pregnant in an attempt to climb the social ladder, and Zhao Danian also wanted to divorce his wife and marry Wang Yunyun. However, Song Erniu resolutely refused to divorce, and the two argued every day, almost tearing the whole family apart.
Later, it was discovered that Wang Yunyun had faked her pregnancy. Zhao Danian's parents intervened and disagreed with their son and daughter-in-law's divorce. Wang Yunyun then hooked up with a factory owner in his fifties, became pregnant with his grandson, and married his son. This angered her mother-in-law so much that she was hospitalized. However, she eventually married him despite her poverty and the fact that her son was wealthy. Only then did Zhao Danian give up on the idea of divorce, and the marriage did not go through.
Song Erniu and Zhao Danian's relationship had long been ruined by Wang Yunyun's interference.
Because of this incident, Song Erniu was traumatized and went to work as the boss's assistant at a private company in the town. She often accompanied her boss on business trips to meet clients and attend social events. Six months ago, she was diagnosed with venereal disease, stayed in the hospital for half a month, and even underwent surgery.
Song Hanwen's factory went bankrupt a few years ago due to poor performance.
After seeing Song Erniu go out to work, he and Song Xuewen's wife started wearing gold and silver and frequenting high-end entertainment venues. They also got into the company where Song Erniu worked through her connections and were responsible for accompanying and entertaining clients with Song Erniu.
“Eldest sister, back then, my great-uncle and aunt hired a fortune teller to slander our family, saying that you were destined to be a concubine and would be promiscuous. As a result, his own granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law became mistresses and promiscuous as well.” Song Caixing harbored resentment towards Old Man Tang’s family.
If it weren't for Old Man Tang's family framing her family back then, inciting her third aunt to cause trouble at Xie Daguang's house, which led to Xie Daguang's mother opposing her marriage to Xie Daguang, she wouldn't have been tricked by Song Qiuxue into marrying a drug addict, and her own daughter wouldn't have been separated from her after birth.
"Big sister, there's something else you probably don't know," Song Caixing whispered to Song Yinhua. "To get revenge on Sixth Aunt's family, Aunt Qiaoyun switched Sixth Aunt's newborn grandson and abandoned the child at the doorstep of a drunkard who likes to beat his wife. I heard that drunkard beats his wife whenever he drinks, causing her to miscarry several times. After taking in Wang Xiaowei's youngest son, he beats the child whenever he's drunk, crippling him. When Sixth Aunt and her family found the child and saw his condition, they didn't want to acknowledge him. But the child and his drunkard adoptive father frequently came to harass them, demanding child support. Because of this, Sixth Aunt's family had a falling out with Uncle Youliang's family and stopped having any contact with them."
Song Caixing felt extremely pleased.
Song Yinhua kept her eyes on her two children, and Song Baogen and Song Caixing's children were playing with them.
Several children ran into the house together.
Song Yinhua's gaze followed them, and inadvertently met that of Song Erniu and the others.
When Song Erniu saw her, she gave her a disapproving look and then, along with her sister-in-law and brother's wife, pulled Song Caixing away to chat, deliberately trying to isolate Song Yinhua.
When Song Yinhua had a moment to spare, she quickly went inside to check on her two children.
Song Caixing tried to follow, but was surrounded by Song Erniu and the other two.
“Cai Xing, your husband is dead, it’s all Yin Hua’s fault! What’s so great about marrying a soldier and going to his home!” Song Erniu said, fiddling with the newly bought ring on her hand. “The fortune teller said she’s a jinx, destined to be a concubine, a vixen who likes to seduce other women’s husbands!”
Song Caixing said with a forced smile, "My little Hua said that when she was little, she lived with my older sister, and men would often knock on the door in the middle of the night."
These words immediately energized Song Erniu and the other two.
Song Xuewen's wife deliberately asked Song Caixing, "Is it true that your eldest sister Yinhua is a vixen who can contract venereal diseases, is promiscuous, and has a chaotic lifestyle?"
Just as Song Caixing was about to speak, she heard Li Wenxiu sneer, "Isn't it Erniu who has genital disease? It was so serious that she had to be hospitalized and have surgery. Everyone knows that!"
Li Wenxiu's voice wasn't loud, but everyone around could hear it.
Song Caixing saw Li Wenxiu and asked, "Second Sister-in-law, when did you start standing here?"
"Oh, they've been standing here ever since they dressed up like prostitutes and started slandering me, saying I have questionable morals." Li Wenxiu was very clear-headed. Song Yinhua, who owned a pig farm and a chain of wonton shops, was her biggest customer. She was too busy trying to please her to be stupid enough to slander her behind her back.
Song Erniu and her sister-in-law glanced at the people around them, then said to Li Wenxiu with dissatisfaction, "Who are you calling dressed like a streetwalker? Who are you calling an idiot?"
"The three of you often go on business trips alone with your boss, drinking with clients everywhere, and you've all gotten sexually transmitted diseases from drinking. Who doesn't know that? Your faces are made up like monkey butts, a bunch of vulgar women. If you didn't know better, you'd all look like prostitutes!"
"Li Wenxiu, watch your mouth!" Song Erniu shouted, pointing at Li Wenxiu.
"Who's using foul language? I'm just telling the truth, why are you all getting so worked up? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
In an attempt to curry favor with her second brother's family, Third Aunt Song Hongyan said to Song Erniu, "Erniu, now that you've been diagnosed with that disease, all the relatives know. So, keep your mouth shut!"
Song Erniu was embarrassed.
Li Wenxiu glanced at Song Caixing as she left.
There was disdain in his eyes.
Song Caixing knew she had been looked down upon by her second sister-in-law, so she explained, "The story about someone knocking on my eldest sister's door in the middle of the night was told by my little flower."
Li Wenxiu looked down on Song Caixing even more.
Suddenly, the sound of a child crying came from inside the house.
Ding Xiaofen recognized her second daughter's voice and rushed into the house.
When Song Hanwen's second daughter saw her mother, aunt, and other relatives enter, she pointed at Song Yinhua with a pitiful expression and said, "She bullied me."
Ding Xiaofen hugged her second daughter tightly with heartache, and looked at Song Yinhua with displeasure, "This is an adult matter, don't make things difficult for the child."
Song Yinhua threw the pencil sharpener in front of Ding Xiaofen, saying, "Your daughter was slashing other children with the knife, so I took it from her. If it had been any later, we would have had to call an ambulance today!"
“My daughter is very well-behaved and wouldn’t do such a thing. You’re an adult, don’t slander a child.” Ding Xiaofen knew very well that her daughter had been wronged today.
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