Chapter 6. Which stepmother would willingly raise someone who isn't her...?
He Suwen's eldest son, Song Zhao, got married yesterday. She didn't attend the wedding banquet because her family situation is a bit special.
Before her husband was sent to the countryside, the two divorced. The house and the child belonged to her. At that time, Song Zhao was fifteen years old. Schools had stopped, so he had no school to attend and was too old to work. She asked Song Zhao to respond to the call and go to the countryside with the team to take care of his father.
After that departure, and with Song Zhao going to university, graduating, working, studying abroad, and then returning to become an engineer at the main factory, he only came back a few times, and the relationship faded away.
Not long ago, Song Zhao got divorced and was transferred back to his hometown to serve as the factory manager of a branch factory. She wanted to find a wife for her son to repair their relationship, but Song Zhao didn't want any of the women she introduced. He didn't ask for her opinion and instead found a divorced woman and got engaged. Since he didn't ask for her opinion, she didn't go.
She took her eldest granddaughter, Xiaoyin, in on her own initiative, hoping to improve her relationship with her eldest son through her granddaughter. However, she didn't expect that the older Xiaoyin got, the more she would go against her, which made her so angry that she started scolding her.
Song Xiaoyin covered her younger brother's ears and shouted back to her grandmother, "Don't scold Dad in front of my brother!"
How can you not scold your own son?
He Suwen had just seen off the gossiping neighbors and had finished her rant when her granddaughter provoked her, and she started cursing again: "Why don't you curse your father? He's heartless. He rejected the woman I introduced to him, but insisted on marrying a divorced woman with a child. How is she any better than the woman I introduced?"
He Xiaoting heard that her stepmother was beautiful. Wasn't that enough for her father to choose?
"She's prettier than the one you described!" Xiaoyin was still a child, and she didn't have many hidden thoughts; she said what she meant.
He Suwen tapped her head: "This family is full of fools. Is a pretty stepmother a good thing? I don't think your stepmother will treat you well in the future."
Xiaoyin knew that stepmothers weren't usually good; wasn't that just human nature? Why would someone treat another person's child better when they have their own?
The divorce was Mom's idea. Dad gave Mom money and repeatedly tried to persuade her not to separate the two children. Mom chose the younger brother and didn't want her. She also disagreed with giving the younger brother to Dad. Now, she says that the family is building a house and that she will send the younger brother over around the time of Dad's wedding. She thinks her mother is too conflicted and is doing it on purpose.
But her younger brother was her own brother, and she couldn't bear to see him being sent around so much; it was so pitiful.
Xiaoyin said, "Grandma, don't scare me. It's only natural for a stepmother to be mean. You're my dad's biological mother, and you treat him worse than a stepmother. Is there any difference?"
He Suwen was furious. She used to have a nanny, but she quit. She hadn't cooked much for several years. Now that the nanny was gone, she was in a panic and hadn't eaten yet.
“Your dad earns 180 a month and told me that after we got married, all that money would go to your stepmother. I can’t even afford a nanny, so it’s no wonder you’re starving!”
Song Xiaoyin rolled her eyes. She knew everything. Did her grandmother think she could fool her?
"Grandpa said he would pay for the nanny you hired, right? That's why my dad stopped hiring her. I know all that, so don't try to lie to me."
He Suwen was furious when she was exposed. She brought out the food and slammed it down loudly: "Why hasn't your dad come to pick you up yet? It must be your stepmother who won't let you. I don't care. Eat your food and go back to your own home. Don't stay here. If you want to stay, ask your dad for money."
Song Xiaoyin used to eat and stay at her grandmother's house quite often, but her father always paid for it.
Now that there's a stepmother, Dad won't pay Grandma and Grandma on either side anymore, but Grandma can't just stay for a while and expect to be paid, can she?
Xiaoyin understood everything: "This is my grandfather's house. You have a share, and so does my father. Why should I get out?"
...
He Suwen's youngest son also had a headache from the noise. When he saw the bland stir-fried cabbage and salted radish served out, the only meat dish was a bowl of steamed eggs, he didn't want to eat.
He reached out for money: "Mom, give me a few dollars, I need to go find my girlfriend. Oh, and call the housekeeper back this afternoon, I'm bringing my girlfriend home for dinner tonight."
"Changed your partner again?" He Suwen tapped him on the head.
"Hehe, this time I'm serious." Her youngest son covered his head, took the five yuan, and quickly ran away.
Song Xiaoyin rolled her eyes again: "They're both sons, Grandma. You give all your love to Uncle. No wonder my dad isn't close to you."
"Your uncle is much more filial than your father. If your father were to be this filial to me, how could I not treat him well?"
Song Xiaoyin didn't even want to talk anymore: "Your uncle only knows how to say nice things. Does he give you money? My dad doesn't know how to coax people. Has he given you less than you need? And you say he's unfilial. If I were my dad, I wouldn't be close to you either."
Unable to win the argument with her granddaughter, He Suwen was very dissatisfied: "Don't make me angry, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I'll take you back. I can't take your brother, so let your stepmother take him!"
Song Xiaoyin felt sad. How could her stepmother possibly want her younger brother? She would definitely argue with her father. Her father would be in the wrong, so he would have no choice but to leave her brother with her grandmother. Her grandmother wasn't good to her father, so she certainly wouldn't be good to her brother.
She held her younger brother in her arms, blew on the steamed eggs to cool them down, and fed them to him bite by bite.
The little girl clung to her older sister's clothes, crying softly, "Sister, let's not fight."
"Quiet down, quiet down, let's eat quickly."
"Sister, you can eat too." The child pushed the egg spoon towards his sister's mouth.
Song Xiaoyin took a bite and then continued feeding him. Actually, her younger brother could eat by himself, but she wanted to feed him anyway, because after today, she and her brother would be separated again.
If only her younger brother had half her temper, but his personality was neither like her mother's nor her father's; instead, it resembled that of her grandfather, who always swallowed his anger.
She's only eleven and there are many things she can't do. She's a little resentful of her biological mother for taking in her younger brother but not being able to take good care of him. Why didn't she give him to her father from the beginning? If her father had two children before remarrying, her stepmother would have been more accepting, right?
For her younger brother's sake, she discussed with her grandmother: "Grandma, let my dad talk to my stepmother and ask her to bring my brother home as well. I'll take care of him; my stepmother doesn't need to look after him."
He Suwen scolded her for being unrealistic. In a remarried family, each person should take one child, which is fair and just. This was agreed upon before the marriage. If the man suddenly brings another child, which stepmother would be willing? It's no wonder they argued.
He Suwen said, "What stepmother would want to raise another child who isn't her own? No way."
...
Nie Qingqing and Song Zhao, carrying Tangyuan, went to pick up their eldest daughter.
She smoothed the ends of her hair, tucked the stray strands behind her ear, and asked Song Zhao, a little nervously, "Do I look alright? Will I make a good impression on the child?"
Tangyuan imitated her mother, patted her little clothes, and said, "Daddy, is it okay for me to go see my sister like this?"
Song Zhao should have been smiling happily, but he was preoccupied: "Qingqing, even if you don't have a good impression, it has nothing to do with you. My mother said to Xiaoyin that stepmothers are never good people. The child may be resistant for a while, so be prepared."
Nie Qingqing had already come to this realization long ago.
“It’s not easy being a biological mother, let alone a stepmother. I know that. If you’re good to Tangyuan, I’ll be good to your daughter.”
...
She and Song Zhao entered her mother-in-law's house, where the leftover food on the table had not yet been cleaned up.
She saw Song Zhao's eldest daughter, a beautiful girl of about ten years old. In the girl's arms was a baby a size smaller than Tangyuan, who looked exactly like Song Zhao. Good heavens, she was so lucky today that she even saw his youngest son.
She immediately smiled even more warmly, leaving a good impression on the two children.
Xiaoyin stared blankly at her stepmother, who was as beautiful as an unmarried aunt. She opened her mouth but couldn't bring herself to call out. She should try to get along with her stepmother, but her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
With such a beautiful stepmother, the father will definitely listen to her completely. How can she possibly have a good life?
She finally understood why her grandmother had chosen an ugly and clumsy wife for her father: if her father didn't like his wife, he would be closer to his family.
He Suwen doesn't like her new daughter-in-law. She's too beautiful. Her son's relationship with her is already strained. If another beautiful daughter-in-law comes along, won't everyone listen to her?
Actually, the reason why Song Zhao and she didn't get along was largely due to her. She could have just said "take the child away" and that would have been the end of it, but she insisted on scolding Song Zhao, smashing bowls and chopsticks.
"Why are you only arriving now? Your brother is bringing his girlfriend home tonight, and I really can't cook for so many people. You should take Xiaoyin and Xiaoyuan home with you."
...
Song Zhao looked at his youngest son, who had been sent back without his knowledge, and who was so timid that he didn't even dare to call him "Dad." His heart ached with both sorrow and pain.
When he was working at the main factory, his wife and two children lived in their hometown. They would go there to reunite for a few months each year, but they never brought the children with them. They would either leave the children at the wife's parents' house or leave them with the husband's family. He would give forty yuan a month to whoever helped take care of the children, and he would pay them extra for their food.
After the divorce, he stopped giving money to the children, so his ex-wife sent her youngest son to her ex-mother-in-law's house.
This is understandable, but it's only the second day of the wedding. Even if Qingqing is very easygoing, she'll still be angry, right?
He longed to hug his sensitive and timid son, but fearing that Qingqing might be jealous, he hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty, and turned to see her attitude.
...
Nie Qingqing was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful child who looked exactly like Song Zhao. Song Zhao looked at her, wondering why. Was he afraid she would be angry?
She wasn't an unreasonable person, and said with a smile, "I know, this is your youngest son. Today is a good day, you've met both of your children."
She ran to the two children. The little girl was nervous and aggrieved. She was almost crying while hugging her younger brother. The little boy in her arms, who was smaller than Tangyuan, was holding back his tears and dared not move.
She wondered how Song Zhao, with such a high salary, could raise two children with such a lack of confidence.
She said to the girl, "Hello, you're Xiaoyin, right? Don't be afraid of me. I'm just like you. We both spend your dad's money. The one you're holding is your little brother, right? Grandma just said she can't take him. That's perfect. Let's go home together, get to know each other, and strengthen our relationship."
Song Xiaoyin was stunned, and blurted out: "You're willing to bring my brother back to live with us?"
Nie Qingqing was also stunned. Shouldn't it be like this?
She laughed and said, "Otherwise what? Our family of four loves each other dearly at home. It would be so pitiful to leave your little brother alone at Grandma's house! Your mother must have had something to do, so she had no choice but to send your brother here. It's okay, he can stay as long as he wants."
...
Seeing her genuine smile, which didn't seem fake, Song Xiaoyin looked up and asked her father, whose eyes were already red and swollen with emotion, "Dad, where did you pick up this silly wife?"
Song Zhao was deeply moved. Qingqing's kindness overshadowed all her shortcomings. Fearing that his eldest daughter might upset Qingqing, he sternly reprimanded her, "Don't talk nonsense."
Nie Qingqing laughed heartily, stood up by supporting herself on her legs, ruffled the little girl's hair, and said, "You have a good personality, you're a straightforward child. We're both straightforward people, we'll definitely get along well."
Tangyuan, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise, seized the opportunity and handed the candy she'd brought to her older sister and younger brother.
"Hello, sister! Hello, brother! My name is Jiang Chengzong, also known as Tangyuan. I have an older sister named Tanggao. My sister is so pretty! My brother is so pretty too! My mom and dad are both beautiful. Tangyuan is so lucky!"
Song Xiaoyin swallowed, thinking that if her stepmother could give birth to such a stupid younger brother, she probably wasn't very smart either. Maybe life under her wouldn't have been so difficult.
She asked her dad, "Dad, can I bring my little brother home with me?"
Song Zhao's heart softened. He picked up his son; how could he not love his own son? He couldn't show favoritism, so he picked up Tangyuan, one in each arm, and said, "If your Aunt Qingqing is willing, how could Daddy not be? Let's go home."
A note from the author:
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