At the old village chief's house, Zhou Fumei returned home and kept cursing.
The old village chief was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) watching TV when he heard the sound and turned his head.
"You're putting on this show right after the New Year? You think the house is too peaceful!"
The old village chief was listless. He lost his official position a few years ago because of some things, and now he was so idle that he just lay at home farting. He and his wife always argued over trivial matters.
Based on past experience, Zhou Fumei, who is like a paper tiger, would stop when she heard the scolding.
This time was different. Zhou Fumei slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "You still have the mind to lie down! Zhou Liangyu is back!"
The old village chief squinted at the TV, not quite understanding: "So he's back, he's back. What kind of important person could Zhou Liangyu be... Zhou Liangyu!"
If Zhou Liangyu returns, does that mean that the incident from back then has no impact and he can be reinstated to his original position?
Zhou Fumei kept muttering, "Your cousin's wife is biased towards outsiders. That outsider Zhou Hongyu is closer to us than those of us who are related by blood. It's a pity your cousin died young, otherwise Zhou Hongyu wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy such a life..."
*
Zhou Hongyu's thoughts changed instantly when her second sister agreed to her going to Japan for a three-year exchange program.
Her well-kept secret might just be revealed someday...
Zhou Liangyu noticed that her younger sister seemed to be lost in thought and nudged her arm.
"Hongyu, your little thoughts are written all over your face!"
"Are you hiding something from Mom?" (whispering)
Zhou Hongyu looked up and saw that her mother was giving her a forced smile. Could it be that her mother already knew about her opening a shop and building a five-story villa?
Startled, Zhou Hongyu frantically stuffed food into her mouth.
She shouldn't think too much and should just maintain the status quo to avoid getting beaten up if things are exposed!
With elderly parents to care for and young children to raise, it would be difficult for her to break down if she were to be beaten again at this age.
That evening, Zhou Liangyu invited Zhou Hongyu and Shuying to sleep together. Before going to bed, she wanted to whisper something to Zhou Hongyu, and Tian Xiaoman had the same idea.
Tian Xiaoman thought her cousin from her maternal grandmother's house was so cute. She didn't need to guess what her cousin was saying; she could just tell from the expression on her face. She was completely different from her other relatives. Tian Xiaoman liked her very much.
So Zhou Hongyu moved back with her two children.
Zhou Hongyu slept with Zhou Liangyu, Tian Xiaoman slept with Chang Shuying, and as for the precocious Chang Meiying, because she had no playmates of the same age, she was eventually pitifully sent to Granny Zhou's room.
Granny Zhou got a great deal, and her sour face, which had been up ever since she learned that Zhou Liangyu was going to take her granddaughter to Japan, slowly returned to normal.
Tian Xiaoman and Chang Shuying were laughing and joking on the side, while Zhou Hongyu and Zhou Liangyu chatted and then returned to talking about the children.
Zhou Liangyu sighed under the covers: "I didn't initially plan to send Xiaoman abroad. I know Mom doesn't like foreign countries! Especially Japan. Sigh, things can't be helped..."
Zhou Hongyu asked with concern, "What's wrong with Second Sister?"
Zhou Liangyu turned to the side and complained, "Xiao Liang and his girlfriend are talking about marriage and will be getting married soon. I just said that if Xiao Man doesn't get into university, I'll send her to Beijing to retake the exam, and then I'll find a chance to go back to Beijing to work for a while. And then bad rumors started circulating over there..."
The woman felt that once married, one should prepare for pregnancy and have children. As the mother-in-law, Zhou Liangyu was already too busy with work to take care of the family, and she was very dissatisfied that she had extra energy to devote to her daughter.
"ah--"
In Zhou Hongyu's heart, her second sister held an extraordinary position. She was the vice dean of the college and a university professor. Each of them was dazzling on their own. Yet, she was just like an ordinary person like herself, suffering from the same troubles of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.
Seeing her younger sister's surprise, Zhou Liangyu laughed: "You're already trying to act like you're my ancestor before you've even married into the family? Bah! Our Zhou family girls aren't to be trifled with!"
Zhou Liangyu simply chose to go abroad and give birth; by then, she wouldn't even be able to find him!
Zhou Hongyu admired her second sister's courage. She felt that her past actions had been too conservative and ineffective.
The second sister, however, directly extinguished those people's hopes!
Zhou Liangyu, wrapped in the blanket, hummed, "Actually, I don't have much of an opinion about Xiao Liang's future wife. I can't control what her family thinks. I can make my own decisions! I belong to the Qi Tian family!"
"The Tian family is utterly shameless!"
“Although I’m usually busy with work, I still make time to check on the children’s studies. Logically, I should have noticed that something was wrong with Xiaoman long ago. The Tian family actually taught Xiaoman to lie and fool me!”
What hurt Zhou Liangyu the most was that the tricks used to deal with her came from her husband, who was the only one who understood her nature so well and easily deceived her, leading to a terrible mistake.
As a result, Xiaoman neglected her studies and will not be able to get into university this year!
Tian Xiaoman whispered to Chang Shuying, "Your grades aren't good either. If you don't get into university, come to Japan and find me! My sister-in-law was like that even before she married into the family. I'm staying in Japan and never coming back!"
Zhou Hongyu overheard this and tapped her on the head: "Tian Xiaoman, don't try to fool my daughter!"
Japan is too far away. We've all gone abroad, and it'll be hard to see each other again!
Zhou Liangyu chuckled: "Xiaoman, I know you like Shuying, but if you dare to trick Shuying into going to Japan, you see, your aunt won't let you off easy!"
Chang Shuying's voice was loud and clear: "I want to stay by my mother's side!"
Tian Xiaoman laughed and pounced on Chang Shuying, tickling her playfully, laughing and giggling together.
Zhou Hongyu stretched her hand out from under the covers and patted Zhou Liangyu's arm: "Second sister, you're taking Xiaoman to study abroad, but the Tian family isn't willing to pay. You should keep that 200,000 yuan..."
The last half of the sentence was so quiet that only two people could hear it.
Zhou Liangyu turned her head and shook her head: "Keep the money. We don't need to worry. The Japanese side has already paid 70% of the salary in advance. I'll give you 200,000, and there's still plenty left!"
"Wow--"
Zhou Hongyu was so envious she was practically drooling; a high level of education really does make money fast.
She runs five stores, and it was difficult for her to come up with 200,000 yuan, but her second sister achieved it all in one go.
Zhou Liangyu also assured, "I can't let these three years go to waste. Shuying's grades might not be good enough for university. I'll see if there's any chance to send Shuying to study in Europe. I'll pay for the tuition! Japan is nice, but I don't recommend Shuying go there because of her personality!"
Stop!
I have money!
Zhou Hongyu recounted how she opened five stores, saying, "Sister, my second brother and sister-in-law know a little about this. I'm only telling you about these family members; you're not allowed to tell Mom!"
Zhou Liangyu was startled and blinked: "No wonder I was going to Japan for an exchange program. Mom was so easy to talk to. It turns out the problem was with you. You think Mom didn't know? Mom was just too lazy to talk to you!"
Zhou Hongyu: It cracks open!
"Mom knows? I really thought Mom was still in the dark!"
"I know for sure!"
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