Chapter 8. But since her son-in-law was coming, her mother wanted to give him the best...
Because Song Zhao was coming over for dinner that evening, Tang Guizhi pulled Nie Qingqing up from the recliner at four o'clock in the afternoon and told her to do some work.
"Go and slice the fish. I'll go to your Aunt Zhang's house to borrow some sauerkraut. The sauerkraut she made this year is better than ours."
Nie Qingqing didn't care about the quality of the pickled cabbage, as long as the fish tasted good, but since her son-in-law was coming, her mother wanted to give him the best.
"Mom, he's a factory manager outside, but he's your son-in-law at home. You don't need to fawn over him. He probably can't tell the difference between sauerkraut and other vegetables."
“The children can tell the difference from the food. You need to get up and get to work. You seem to be the one who's having the most fun every day. Don't get carried away.”
Yes, just a week ago, she was prepared for a chaotic second marriage, but she never expected Song Zhao to be such a good-tempered person.
She made up her mind to be a tolerant stepmother, but she didn't expect Xiaoyin to be the most reasonable child. She didn't try to please her stepmother, but she didn't go against her either.
And then there's Xiaoyuan, who's even more clingy than Tangyuan. Being her stepmother is so easy for her.
Nie Qingqing dawdled until her mother borrowed the sauerkraut, then quickly began washing the vegetables and chopping the ribs. The children liked to eat ribs with bones, and since Song Zhao had given them their allowance, her mother didn't hesitate to buy them, purchasing two jin (1 kg) at once, enough for the children to satisfy their cravings.
She prepared the food at home, and after the sun went down, she called her older brother back. Tanggao used her savings to buy Xiaoyuan a sponge cake, and waited for them to arrive.
The noodles were ready, the water was boiling, and my sister-in-law stood in front of the stove, ready to cook the noodles as soon as my brother-in-law brought the child home.
Tang Guizhi was getting impatient and looked out the door several times, so she asked Nie Qingqing to go check at the alley entrance.
Tangyuan wanted to go along, but Tanggao held his little hand and said, "Auntie is too slow, let's go first."
The two children ran outside hand in hand. Nie Qingqing hadn't even left the house yet when she heard Tang Gao calling Xiao Yuan, "Xiao Yuan, we bought you a sponge cake, come and eat!"
Xiao Yuan also shouted, "Sweet cakes, glutinous rice balls, I bought you candied hawthorns, they're so sweet!"
Nie Qingqing smiled and said, "Mom, they're here."
Tang Guizhi smiled broadly: "Then why don't you go pick it up? I'll make noodles with your sister-in-law."
...
Nie Qingqing came out to greet them, initially with a smile on her face. However, when she saw Song Zhao's mother accompanying them, Song Zhao's smile vanished, and his mother remained expressionless. The neighbors, seeing this, couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
She greeted them with a smile and jogged over, saying loudly, "Mom, you've finally arrived! My mom heard you were coming for dinner, so she went to Aunt Zhang's house to borrow some pickled cabbage. We'll have plenty of fish slices later."
Aunt Zhang ran out and saw that Tang Guizhi's in-laws had arrived. She suddenly realized, "I knew it! Guizhi's family was killing chickens, buying fish, and borrowing sauerkraut. It turns out it was her mother-in-law who had come."
Aunt Zhang greeted the guests in Huazhi Lane with a smile: "Sister-in-law He, you are so lucky to have raised such a good son. Your son treats Qingqing well, and Qingqing's family values you. This is a case of good deeds being rewarded."
He Suwen couldn't keep a straight face, so she forced a smile: "It's pretty good."
...
Nie Qingqing answered the neighbors' questions the whole way, but she could tell that Song Zhao and her mother-in-law had argued. Her mother-in-law's uninvited visit couldn't be good news.
She had seen this kind of thing many times since she was a child. Her mother suffered for more than 20 years at her grandmother's house. It was only when she and her brother grew up that things got a little better.
Nie Qingqing knew very well that she only stopped having to put up with her grandmother's temper after her father passed away.
She and Song Zhao walked at the back, and she quietly asked, "Why is your mother here? Luckily, the dishes for dinner were prepared decently. Next time, you should tell me in advance."
Song Zhao felt a tightness in his chest. He shouldn't have let his mother come, but he didn't. This was extremely disrespectful to both his mother-in-law and Qingqing.
I was prepared to be scolded, and Qingqing's blame was only for not telling me in advance, which made me afraid that I wouldn't be able to entertain you properly.
It's so unfair to Qingqing that such a respectable and kind family has run into this scheming and backstabbing family.
“My mom is no pushover. She couldn’t win the argument, so she stopped arguing and said she wanted to come and see what your family usually feeds the children. She said she would suggest taking Xiaoyin and Xiaoyuan back home. If your family didn’t object, she would believe that you weren’t just leaving the children here for the money. Xiaoyin was persuaded. I thought I couldn’t let the children have any resentment, so I came over to explain things clearly. If she really wanted to take them, I would give her half the money and let her take them.”
...
This was just something said out of spite; Song Zhao's money was also Nie Qingqing's money.
He said his mother wasn't a kind person, and Nie Qingqing's anger subsided. Just because of that sentence, she was willing to understand Song Zhao.
It's easy to understand Song Zhao's difficulties. He was being harassed by his own mother, had to appease his mother-in-law's family, and could only prepare to send the child back. He must have been in a lot of pain.
Nie Qingqing said, "My mom is really prescient. She knew your mom would be unhappy, so she took the initiative to suggest that we let Xiaoyin choose. She can choose whichever side she wants to be on."
...
When Tang Guizhi saw that Song Zhao's mother had come uninvited, she knew what was going on. Regardless of what her future mother-in-law's intentions were, she had to treat her well once she entered the house.
There were two fragrant chicken legs stewing in the earthenware pot. One was given to He Suwen, and the other to Song Xiaoyin.
Looking at the chicken leg in her bowl, He Suwen felt embarrassed to bring up the matter of taking the child back to raise.
Tang Gao was craving chicken legs, but she wasn't going to have any today and urged the guests to eat quickly.
"Grandma He, please eat. The chicken legs are for the guests first, then for the family. Xiaoyin is older than me, so she gets to eat first today, and I'll have my turn next time. You all eat up, it smells so good."
He Suwen quickly praised, "Tang Gao is so thoughtful."
“It’s not that I’m being sensible, it’s just the rule my aunt set. It’s just the order of things, the older ones go first. Grandma He, hurry up and eat, it won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
He Suwen thought to herself, "This whole family, young and old, can pretend. No wonder Xiaoyin, who's so old, can still be fooled. My son is biased towards his mother-in-law; he's been tricked."
He Suwen hardened her heart. If she didn't bring it up today, her son wouldn't see things clearly. What sincerity could there be in a second marriage? Second marriages are all about interests!
"Mother-in-law, I've come today..."
“Mother-in-law, it’s such a good time for you to come today. I have something to discuss with you.”
Tang Guizhi quickly interrupted her, saying that the children's affairs should not be brought up by the mother-in-law, otherwise how would the two families save face?
Xiao Yuan and Tang Yuan are young and confused, but Xiao Yin understands everything and can't let the children be sad.
He Suwen's expression was indifferent. She knew what she was going to say but didn't want her to say it. Her son was about to see that his mother-in-law wasn't as good as he thought.
"Oh, what does my mother-in-law want to say to me?"
...
On the day Nie Qingqing and Song Zhao got married, Song Zhao's mother didn't attend. Tang Guizhi guessed that Song Zhao had upset his mother because the wedding didn't go according to her wishes, so she refused to come.
But Tang Guizhi wouldn't let the young couple argue over who would take care of the child.
She said, "Mother-in-law, I didn't think things through the other day. It's not necessary for us to take care of the child. You are the child's grandmother, so you will definitely be good to the child. It mainly depends on Xiaoyin and Xiaoyuan's opinions."
Zheng Fanghui was a very simple-minded person, and she said honestly, "Auntie, it doesn't matter where the child is, our family has no objection."
But Nie Weibin had a problem with it. It was only natural for his brother-in-law's child to go to his grandmother's house, but Tangyuan had to stay here. He didn't care about the money, but Tangyuan was not going to someone else's house. Nie Weibin made up his mind.
He Suwen was caught off guard. What happened? Now her son must hate her to death and be extremely grateful to his mother-in-law.
She felt remorseful. If she had known this would happen, she would have told Xiaoyin beforehand at home. Now it was not good to be too direct, but she hoped her granddaughter could understand what she meant.
"Xiaoyin, your dad earns such a high salary, he can eat chicken legs anytime. You should think it over carefully. Nothing is better than home."
...
These words made Nie Qingqing uncomfortable. The family she and Song Zhao formed was Xiaoyin's new home. How could her mother-in-law sow discord and put pressure on the child?
Now that you've said that, how is Xiaoyin supposed to choose?
She secretly complained, "Mom, Xiaoyin's guardian is her father. You also think it's better for the child to stay with us. You and my mom are the same; you both think about the child. Xiaoyin is so lucky."
Song Zhao encouraged the child: "Xiaoyin, don't worry about what the adults think. You've been given the opportunity, so you can choose according to your own wishes."
Can she choose? When her parents divorced, neither she nor her brother had a choice, but her father said that she can choose now.
Xiaoyin looked at everyone and felt a great sense of responsibility.
Xiaoyin said, "Grandma, if it were just me, I would be fine with either side, but my little brother likes to play with the sugar cakes and glutinous rice balls. He is very happy here, so I'd rather stay here."
This ungrateful brat actually chose a stepmother! He Suwen felt a huge sense of disappointment, but couldn't find a reason to get angry. She forced a smile and scoffed twice.
"Suit yourself. I wasn't in it for the money. You can do whatever you want."
...
Song Zhao first took his mother home. The children played outside, while Nie Qingqing and her mother washed dishes in the kitchen, speaking almost whispered in each other's ears to avoid being overheard.
Her mother said, "See, I guessed right. Xiaoyin is a kind-hearted child. She knows who treats her well. We didn't spoil her for nothing."
Nie Qingqing was unfazed: "I'm not worried about the child. At worst, I won't care about the child's money. I'm happy that Song Zhao treats me well."
She was happy just thinking about it: "Mom, Song Zhao said that his mother is not a kind person. When I heard this, all my grievances disappeared. I didn't want him to be caught in the middle and feel sad, so I spoke to my mother-in-law nicely. Otherwise, I would have really flipped the table today."
"Did he really say that?"
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be in such a good mood today."
Tang Guizhi was truly happy for her daughter. Some mothers-in-law are good, others are difficult. Song Zhao was able to speak up for his daughter-in-law and understood her grievances; even if she had a difficult mother-in-law, she wouldn't feel so aggrieved.
Tang Guizhi, who has been through similar experiences, said, "In the past, whenever your father had anything to do with your grandmother, he would tell us to be patient and he even hit us. Now that Song Zhao is on your side, you should also side with him. He knows that you care about him."
That's right. Her father used to promote a certain idea to the whole family:
"She's my mother, can't you just give in to her?"
"She's getting old, what's wrong with her nagging a bit?"
He kept saying these things, and even hit her and her brother with a broom, which made her very angry.
So when Song Zhao said her mother was difficult to deal with, Nie Qingqing felt like she had found gold and was willing to consider his feelings and try not to argue.
As husband and wife, you should cherish each other, and that's how you get along better and better. If Song Zhao hadn't sided with her today, she wouldn't have been so understanding.
She said, "Actually, Song Zhao's mother is quite capable of handling things. If she comes to our house and throws a tantrum, then no one will be able to back down today. I'll fight her until both sides lose face in front of our relatives and neighbors."
Tang Guizhi quickly covered her mouth: "You've only had a few days of good life? Change your temper. Okay, Song Zhao will be back soon. Go back and live a good life."
A note from the author:
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