Chapter 48 Chapter 48 A world for two.
A mother knows her daughter best. Liu Suqin's decision to hire someone else when she couldn't use the child had given Qian Juxiang a hard time. She couldn't bring herself to criticize them for being so stubborn and insisting on bringing the child along. She quickly said, "Spending so much on a nanny? Are you really desperate? Besides, you never know if an outsider is reliable..."
Seeing her mother's growing anxiety, Liu Suqin threw up her hands and said, "We can't help it. This is the market situation out there. It's best if you're willing to go. We won't treat you unfairly. The salary will be based on market standards."
Seeing the topic was back on track, Lin Nanjiang quickly joined in, "Yeah, yeah, it's better to give it to you than to let others make money. It's called keeping the wealth within the family."
Qian Juxiang looked at him with complicated eyes, "You don't even know how to control her, and you even joined in the mischief."
She didn't want to say it at first, but it must have been her daughter who started the idea of asking her to go to the city to take care of the child. After all, if her son-in-law had this idea, wouldn't it be more convenient to find his own mother?
Not to mention that they are willing to pay 400 yuan a month. For a job like this, where you take care of your son and daughter-in-law or daughter and son-in-law's children, and provide food and accommodation, even if you only pay 100 or 200 yuan a month, there are still many people who would rush to do it.
This good thing bypassed the mother-in-law and fell directly on her, the mother-in-law. The son-in-law's position as the younger brother in the family was obvious at a glance.
If her son behaved like this, Qian Juxiang would have picked up a stick and started to educate him long ago, but as a mother-in-law, she chose to turn a blind eye unless she really couldn't help it.
Just like now, she really couldn't help but speak out, and her words were very subtle, so subtle that Lin Nanjiang didn't understand her deeper meaning at all, or rather, he didn't care at all. He was still scratching his head and grinning foolishly: "How can this be called nonsense? Everything Suqin does has a reason."
Qian Juxiang: ...
She didn't know why, but when it was time to start preparing lunch, she suddenly felt full.
But it must be said that Lin Nanjiang's formal statement was more effective than Liu Suqin's hundred or eighty words of advice.
In Qian Juxiang's heart, her daughter was busy giving birth and raising children, and doing business and buying houses were all thanks to her son-in-law. He earned the money and was willing to let her take advantage of it. Only then did she feel completely at ease.
She went to Shenzhen to take care of the children and cook, and was paid four to five thousand a year. It would be better for her to earn the money than for outsiders. After all, she is the child's grandmother. Even if she doesn't make money, she will not treat her granddaughter badly. If she has money, she will treat her little baby even more dearly. She will hold her in her hands for fear of dropping it, and hold it in her mouth for fear of melting it.
In short, Qian Juxiang is very confident in this regard. Apart from Fangfang's biological parents, she is the only one in the world who can take care of her grandson wholeheartedly. Even her son-in-law's biological mother is not as attentive as her.
She knew a little about the situation of her daughter's in-laws' family. It was a typical situation where too many children were worthless. The old couple raised four sons and three daughters. The two pairs of children got married early, and the average person in the family had two or three children. So, at about the same age, the grandchildren of the Lin family could only be counted on two hands, while her own family still had only a few kittens, so she was very fond of her new granddaughter.
Her mother-in-law has given birth to three daughters and several granddaughters. There is no shortage of girls in the family. If her own daughter had given birth to a boy, Qian Juxiang believed that her mother-in-law would be happy to take care of him wholeheartedly and without compromise. But if it was a girl, she might not be willing to spend so much effort.
Unlike her, who only had this one daughter in her life, this girl had been as well off as her brothers in terms of food, clothing and other necessities since she was a child. The betrothal gift and dowry when she got married were unique in the village. The only granddaughter she had now had a status in Qian Juxiang's heart that was almost the same as that of her own grandson.
Thinking of this, Qian Juxiang felt more and more justified. This job was indeed what she deserved.
Then she calculated in her mind that when parents help take care of their children, their task is usually not completed until the children go to school formally. So she can still work for six years, which adds up to 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.
Twenty or thirty thousand! She had never seen so much money in her life!
Qian Juxiang couldn't imagine how proud she would be when she came back with such a huge sum of money in the future. Her youngest son would definitely have no trouble finding a wife, and with the rest of the money, she might be able to renovate the old house and start living comfortably in her old age with her child's father.
Indeed, fifty is the age of adventure. Qian Juxiang has already made up her mind to take the job, but she doesn't say it directly. Instead, she starts to drive people away impatiently, "Alright, I'll think about this matter again. I still have to discuss it with your father tonight. You guys should leave after dinner. Don't stand in the kitchen and make trouble for me."
Lin Nanjiang was unsure of his mother-in-law's thoughts for a moment, and he couldn't help but glance at his wife. When he got her affirmative look, he realized that half of the matter was already settled. He immediately smiled happily, "Okay, Mom, you take your time to think about it. What are we having for lunch? Do you want me to help wash and cut the vegetables?"
Qian Juxiang waved her hand and said, "The eldest brother's wife and the others will come to help soon. We don't need you."
The Liu family is not large in number, so while the three of them were back for a short stay, Qian Juxiang simply informed the eldest and second sons that their families would have dinner at the old house for the next two days, making the whole family lively and cheerful.
Liu Suqin's two sisters-in-law would come over to help their mother-in-law when it was time to cook.
Liu Suqin also had the awareness of being a distinguished guest at her mother's house. She would be polite and put on an act at the Lin family, but she stopped pretending in front of her mother. She put her hands in her pockets and turned around casually. Before leaving, she even ordered a meal, "Mom, I want to eat the sweet potato noodle meatballs you made."
"You look like a sweet potato flour meatball to me. Don't you realize how much trouble that thing is?"
Lin Nanjiang, who had wanted to stay and exchange a few pleasantries, was so frightened by his mother-in-law's attitude that he quickly followed his wife out. After they were far away from the yard, he pulled her aside and whispered, "You want to eat this dish? Why don't you let my mom make it when you're at home? She can also make meatballs. If it really doesn't work, let's wait until we get back to Shenzhen and then slowly figure it out ourselves."
"But my mom is the best at making this. The meatballs she cooks are just the right amount of soft and firm, and they're chewy. No one else can learn that."
Lin Nanjiang was still worried, "But my mother-in-law doesn't want to cook, no matter how delicious it is."
"It's okay, I'll just give it a try. What if it works?" Liu Suqin said calmly, "Someone happened to go to the market today and should have bought some fresh meat. We have all the ingredients we need. If we miss this opportunity, we'll miss this shop."
When Lin Nanjiang heard that the food was readily available at home, he felt relieved, thinking that his mother-in-law might actually fulfill his daughter-in-law's wish, given her sharp tongue but kind heart. He then pulled her towards the village entrance and said, "It's not too soon for lunch yet. Let's go for a walk up ahead and see what everyone is talking about."
The villagers were chatting animatedly at the entrance of the village, with saliva flying everywhere. Little Fangfang, who was sitting on her grandfather's lap, was listening attentively. Her big eyes like black grapes darted around following the sounds, and she was so busy that she didn't even notice her parents approaching.
Suddenly, the little guy was picked up by a pair of strong arms. He was not afraid. He turned his eyes to the face of the person who came, then grinned and waved enthusiastically to his mother next to him, as if to say hello.
Liu Suqin was very considerate and shook the little hand, then touched her daughter's warm little face. Knowing that she was in just the right condition, neither cold nor hot, she withdrew her hand with confidence and watched with a smile as the father and daughter began their never-boring game of lifting each other up high.
The couple was not able to spend too much time with their daughter. They were soon pestered by the enthusiastic villagers, who kept asking them questions. Lin Nanjiang couldn't do two things at once, so he had to hold his daughter tightly and talk and give advice to everyone.
Little Fangfang, who couldn't fly, began to feel bored. She stretched out her little hand to her grandfather, sat back on his lap, and continued to eat the watermelon attentively.
That night, the little guy continued to sleep with his grandparents. When he was taken away from his parents, he didn't even look back, and his back looked very handsome.
The old father and mother looked at their daughter with a look of reluctance and attachment. After closing the door, they immediately entered their own world without being disturbed by any other children and had a very satisfying bedtime exercise.
The next day, Liu Suqin stayed in bed until nearly ten o'clock, then got up slowly and washed up.
The effect of exercise was immediate. Her face, which had just been washed with clean water, became rosy and shiny, and she looked indescribably radiant. Liu Suqin herself didn't notice it, but the eyes of other people in the family followed her involuntarily.
It was a cloudy day, and going outside to bask in the sun would only make it colder. Except for the children who insisted on playing with firecrackers outside in the cold wind, most adults stayed at home and warmed themselves by the fire.
After washing up, Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang found a stool and joined the group, eating by the fire. Today's breakfast was also simple, just roasted sweet potatoes buried in the brazier.
Little Brother Liu kindly asked them if they wanted to eat roasted glutinous rice cakes.
Find a bamboo stick to string the glutinous rice cakes together, put them on the brazier, and they will be roasted quickly. Dip them in some sugar. In Liu Xiaodi's mind, this is much more delicious than the sweet potatoes he eats every day.
Unfortunately, the couple rejected it in unison.
They don't often eat sweet potatoes when they are outside, so eating roasted sweet potatoes occasionally has a unique flavor.
Liu Suqin also refused their offer to help peel the sweet potato. She picked a sweet potato that was not very hot, slowly peeled a hole in it, ate it in one bite, and continued peeling.
After eating half a sweet potato, her mouth was already dry. Qian Juxiang brought over two bowls of honey water, the water temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, just right for drinking. Liu Suqin drank it all in one gulp. When she returned the empty bowl to her mother, she saw a flash of golden light on her body and immediately teased, "Mom, didn't you say that this gold chain is too bright and too ostentatious, and you want to save it for the New Year?"
Before Qian Juxiang could say anything, her cousin, who had come to visit, had already answered with a smile, "My neighbor's brother Hongxing is getting married today. My aunt introduced the bride to him. She has to go to the wedding banquet today to accept toasts from the bride and groom. She might even say a few words. Of course, she has to wear her new clothes and the gold jewelry you gave her."
Liu Suqin had a vague impression of the wedding she was talking about, so she turned to her mother and asked, "Is the bride a girl from my uncle's village?"
Qian Juxiang couldn't stop smiling when she mentioned the good thing she had facilitated. "Yes, the bride, Xiaoying, is senior and calls me cousin. She's a quiet and kind girl, and Hongxing is a down-to-earth and capable young man. I tried to match them up, and I didn't expect it to work out so quickly. I've been so busy these past two days that I almost forgot about it. It was Hongxing's mom who came over early this morning to tell us all to come to the banquet. You two should also clean up after dinner."
Before she could finish her words, Qian Juxiang subconsciously reached out to touch the gold chain, then came to her senses and touched her hair twice to cover it up, and hurriedly asked her daughter if her outfit was inappropriate.
Liu Suqin nodded affirmatively, "She looks very energetic. Her newly cut shoulder-length hair is also good, neat and tidy. She looks ten years younger."
This sentence successfully coaxed her mother into a smile, and Liu Suqin began to joke, "As the matchmaker, you must be an important guest today. Do you want me to put on some makeup and dress you up? I just happened to learn this skill outside."
Qian Juxiang didn't know what makeup was and wasn't interested in it, but she heard the sarcasm in her tone, rolled her eyes at her, and walked away without looking back.
On the other hand, my cousin Liu Xiangxiang's eyes lit up and she came over with curiosity, "Sister, you can also put on makeup, can you let me try it?"
Liu Suqin: "Okay."
She has no sisters from the same father and mother. As a child, she loved to follow her second cousin Zhang Xiaoqing from her aunt's family. They were as close as sisters. She also followed this cousin to Shenzhen to work. This time when she returned to her hometown, Liu Suqin brought a gift for Zhang Xiaoqing, in addition to her brothers and sisters on both sides. It was a very smooth and plump pearl necklace. She also had a similar one.
However, Liu Xiangxiang also grew up with her and they had a good relationship. Liu Suqin was naturally willing to meet her cousin's small request. After eating the remaining half of the sweet potato, she washed her hands and then went back to the room with her little tail to mess around.
Liu Suqin didn't bring many skin care products and cosmetics home, and it wasn't appropriate to dress too elaborately in the countryside, so she only applied a light layer of foundation on her cousin, slightly deepened the contours of her side face, eye sockets, nose, and other areas, trimmed her eyebrows, and lightly applied eye shadow, blush, and lipstick to improve her complexion.
The girl, who is not even 20 years old, is in the prime of her life, with her face full of collagen. With just a little touch-up, her slightly yellowish skin tone becomes a shade whiter, and she immediately looks like a different person. The youthful aura is overwhelming, and the whole person seems to be glowing.
Liu Suqin was very satisfied with her results and took a few steps back to admire them carefully.
Liu Xiangxiang held the mirror in both hands, unwilling to look away. "Sister, is this makeup? It's amazing! I feel like a completely different person! And I've seen some people put on makeup after work before, but it's different from you. Their eyelids are shiny and their lips are very red. They stand out in the crowd, but when you look closely, it doesn't seem as good as this light makeup. Why is that?"
Liu Suqin said: "You have good facial features, and simple modification can highlight your beauty."
She thought to herself: Of course, I have received professional training and my makeup is definitely effective.
The more Liu Xiangxiang took the photo, the more she liked it. She stared at it for a long time without blinking, then reluctantly put the mirror down and stood up. "No, I look so beautiful today, how can I wear old clothes? Sister, wait a minute, I'll go change into the new clothes I bought for the New Year and show you later!"
Liu Suqin hadn't expected this girl to be so outgoing. Before she was reborn, her cousin had met the wrong man. Her husband cheated on her and was abusive, and they couldn't divorce. She lived a muddled life, with a faint sense of death all over her body. She looked old and depressed. Compared to her current sunny and cheerful self, she was truly a different person.
Thinking of all the hardships, her tone couldn't help but be a little indulgent. "That's fine. Change your clothes and come over early. I'll braid your hair into a nice and stylish style."
"Okay, okay." Hearing her cousin's promise, Liu Xiangxiang almost ran away, almost bumping into Qian Juxiang at the door. Liu Suqin heard her voice gradually drifting away, "Sorry, Second Aunt, I have to hurry back to change into new clothes."
Qian Juxiang only had time to remind her to watch where she was walking before her niece disappeared. Shaking her head, she stepped into the room and asked, "Is this the skill you learned outside? Putting rouge and powder on people's faces?"
Liu Suqin also became interested at this time. She picked up the bottles and jars lined up on the table and applied them to her face. Without turning around, she told her mother, "You may not know this back home, but makeup is very common in big cities. Some jobs like company receptionists, salespeople in shopping malls, and white-collar office workers are required by their bosses to wear makeup to work. Makeup artists are becoming more and more popular."
Qian Juxiang was skeptical. "Really? Doing makeup for people is a serious job and you can make money?"
"Don't worry, it's a very serious job. Television stations, large photo studios, wedding companies, performance companies and other places all need makeup artists, and the salary and benefits are no worse than other employees in the company." In fact, my mother's worries were not groundless. There are some unserious occasions in this industry.
Ahui took a private job a few years ago. It was a colleague who had a good relationship with her and was too busy to handle it. Seeing that she was hardworking, motivated and courageous, he temporarily pulled her over to help out and asked her to do makeup and hair for the girls in a nightclub. The fee was calculated per person.
Ah Hui met up with her colleagues around six o'clock that evening and began to prepare for work. She was busy for only two or three hours and earned several hundred yuan that night. Her three views were shattered, and at the same time, the door to a new world was opened.
I didn’t know I could make this money before, but now I know. There are so many nightclubs in Shenzhen, so Hui naturally doesn’t want to miss out.
However, even though she was brave, she knew that the place was full of people of all kinds, so she didn't dare to go in alone. She needed to at least bring a few people with her to give her courage. She would rather make less money than not to lose money. Unfortunately, men in this industry were rare, and Ah Hui couldn't find a male partner. When recruiting women to join, of course, she preferred those with good relationships and good character.
Liu Suqin is on this first choice list.
When they got their hair done together a few years ago, Ahui invited Liu Suqin and also urged Amin. She really wanted her good sister to learn makeup as soon as possible so that they could all make a fortune together.
Liu Suqin was a little tempted by her friend's invitation, but not much. While earning a few hundred bucks a night would have been nice, her family wasn't short of money, so she didn't see the point in risking her life. She'd only considered it, figuring it would be a fallback if she couldn't find a job she liked.
Now, facing her mother's suspicious eyes, Liu Suqin made a decision. She would return to Shenzhen to decline her friends' kindness and find a serious job.
However, if Ah Hui really can't find a partner, she can introduce Li Hong to her. This business makes money quickly, and it's not a bad idea to make some money in the short term and then open a store or buy a house.
After making sure that she would not get involved in entertainment venues, Liu Suqin became more confident and introduced the development prospects of this industry to her mother. Qian Juxiang was confused and seemed to understand it. In the end, she only remembered the key words such as being a makeup artist is not short of money, the more you work, the more you earn, and if you work for a few years to accumulate experience, earning over a thousand yuan a month is not a dream.
Qian Juxiang rubbed her temples. "You really talk better than you sing. You even want to earn over a thousand a month. If the salary was really that high, wouldn't everyone be scrambling to get the job? Forget it. You're married and have children. I can't control you. It's up to you and your son-in-law to decide."
In reality, she didn't understand and had no idea about big cities. She was afraid that if she meddled, it would delay her daughter's ability to make money, so she had to change the subject. "As for the matter you two mentioned yesterday, I've discussed it with your dad. He told me to go over there and try it out first to see if I can adapt to life there and whether I can really help you. If he's sure it's a help and not a nuisance, then after your brother gets his diploma next year, your dad will come over to work with him."
Liu Suqin never expected that this was a buy-one-get-one-free deal, and blurted out, "How did you tell my dad that he actually got convinced?"
"Your dad is not stupid. If he can find a job at his age, why not go?"
Liu Suqin: ...
She is stereotyped.
After the banquet and watching the wedding night scene for a while, Liu Suqin returned to her room and told Lin Nanjiang the good news, "Are you surprised? Are you surprised? Your father-in-law is really impressed by your cakes."
Lin Nanjiang smiled and pulled her close to him, his tone very generous, "My father-in-law and mother-in-law are willing to follow us. I couldn't be happier. Not to mention that they used to work, even if they didn't do anything, it wouldn't matter. At least you have your parents by your side, daughter-in-law, and Fangfang now has grandparents who love her dearly."
Liu Suqin stood on tiptoe, hooked her hands around Lin Nanjiang's neck and looked him in the eye. "Husband, you are so good at speaking and doing things now. You really act like a big boss."
Lin Nanjiang has been really high-spirited lately, and his tone is as bold as it can be. "I can't say I'm a big boss, but with our current situation, we can at least help out a little at home."
Liu Suqin also followed up on this topic, "But if my parents go to Shenzhen, outsiders won't know they are going there to work. They might think we made money and only took the children's grandparents to enjoy life, leaving our grandparents aside."
"My parents were not very happy to live with us. Even if they are impressed by the salary, it's too late now. We can't have so many people living in our house." Lin Nanjiang said calmly. Even if he didn't know the difference between grandparents and grandparents before, he saw it in the past few days after he came back. It was also the first time for him to see the children. The sweaters, socks and bibs Fangfang was wearing were all knitted by her grandmother, and there was only a red envelope from her grandmother.
The performances of grandpa and grandpa-in-law are very different. Grandpa-in-law doesn't talk much, but he will take Fangfang out for a walk when he has nothing to do. It is still unknown whether grandpa-in-law has seen his granddaughter's appearance clearly.
If he still chooses to spend money to ask the grandparents to take care of the child, wouldn't he be the one being taken advantage of?
Lin Nanjiang felt that it didn't matter if he was ignored, but it didn't matter if his daughter was ignored. His daughter deserved the best in the world.
Liu Suqin thought that Lin Nanjiang's words yesterday about asking her parents to go to Shenzhen to work were just a momentary impulse. Now, looking at his expression, she realized that he might see things more clearly and think more deeply than she did.
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