Chapter 138: Celebrating the New Year (Part 2)
"Pah pah pah."
Gao Cuifen held down Zhang Laosan and beat him up, making him cry for his parents, but it was of no use. After all, the one who beat him was his own mother. As for his own father, Old Zhang, he just watched Gao Cuifen with a sullen face, without any sign of sympathy for Zhang Laosan.
Seeing Gao Cuifen's ruthless and ruthless attack, Zhang Laosan's wife finally couldn't help but stand up.
She shouted with an uneasy look on her face, "Mom, that's enough. You've beaten and scolded him enough, now it's time to let the third child go, right?"
Hearing this, Gao Cuifen stopped what she was doing, but the look in her eyes when she looked at her daughter-in-law was not very happy.
No matter what, Zhang Laosan is still her son, the son born from her belly. She is here to teach her own son a lesson. What does it mean for her third daughter-in-law, an outsider, to interfere? Is she pretending to be a good person?
Gao Cuifen was glaring at Zhang Laosan's wife, feeling unhappy, when she heard Zhang Laosan's wife speak again.
"Besides, Mom, I don't think there's anything wrong with what the third brother said. Why are you making such a fuss about it?"
These words were like pouring a bucket of hot oil on Gao Cuifen's anger, making the anger that was already filling her heart burn even more fiercely.
Again, no matter what, Zhang Laosan was still Gao Cuifen's biological son. In Gao Cuifen's heart, he was one of her own, while Zhang Laosan's wife was an outsider. She was already upset enough when Zhang Laosan said that, but when Zhang Laosan's wife said that, she felt more than just upset.
Gao Cuifen was not someone who would endure her unhappiness, so she slapped him in the face immediately.
"What the hell has this got to do with you? I'm here to teach my own son a lesson. Do you, an outsider, have the right to talk?"
Zhang Laosan's wife was not someone to be trifled with. Even though Gao Cuifen was her mother-in-law, she showed no mercy and slapped Gao Cuifen in the face: "Outsider, what qualifications do you have to call me an outsider? Don't bother. Your Zhang Laosan is a son-in-law of my family. He married me, so he's a member of our family. What qualifications do you have to control him?"
Gao Cuifen was so angry that her whole body was shaking. She turned her head suddenly, looked at Zhang Laosan and asked, "Laosan, tell me, who is the outsider between us?"
Zhang Laosan covered his face which was red and swollen from being beaten by Gao Cuifen, looked at his wife on the left, then at his mother on the right, hesitating for a long time without saying a word.
Gao Cuifen was really disappointed now.
She pointed at the door angrily and said, "Get out! Get out! Get out of here, the whole family!"
Gao Cuifen was really heartbroken this time. Her eyes were red and tears were welling up in them, but she gritted her teeth and held back the tears.
Shi Qiushui, who was peeking through the window, whispered to his father, "No wonder Grandma Li said that Grandma Gao's son looks like barbecued pork."
No, Gao Cuifen’s sons are like barbecued pork, and she even praised them. Giving birth to them is worse than giving birth to barbecued pork!
Barbecued pork is so delicious, how can Zhang Laosan compare to it!
Thinking of this, the little girl swallowed her saliva and suddenly wanted to eat barbecued pork. Her father had taken her to a barbecued pork bun restaurant before, and it was super delicious!
Hearing the little girl swallowing her saliva, Shi Yue: ...
Why are you saying you're hungry?
Gao Cuifen was still slapping people and chasing them away. Before, when she drove Zhang Laosan and his family out of the house, Ma Yulan came up to stop her, but now Ma Yulan stood aside with her hands tucked in, with no intention of intervening at all.
Even if she were to say so, Zhang Laosan and his wife were a bit too much.
Of course, it’s not that not helping with cooking is too much. Although it’s inappropriate, what’s even more disheartening is the attitude of Zhang Laosan and his wife. They don’t regard Gao Cuifen as an elder or their own mother at all!
Looking at Zhang Laosan and his family who turned and left with obvious dissatisfaction on their faces, Ma Yulan sighed.
In fact, she knew why Zhang Laosan was making trouble this time.
It's not because it's unfair.
The Zhang family has four children, all of whom are boys. When the eldest and second child were born, they were quite rare. But when the third child was born and it turned out to be a boy, it was not so rare anymore. That is because Zhang Laosan has been sweet-mouthed since he was a child and knows how to snatch things from his two older brothers, so this unfairness is not particularly obvious. But when the four children of the Zhang family grew up and graduated, the contradictions that had not been exposed before were exposed. At that time, Zhang Laoda first took over the job of old man Zhang, and emptied the family to pay the betrothal gift to get married. Later, Zhang Laoer took over Gao Cuifen's job and asked Gao Cuifen and her husband to borrow money for him to get married. When it was Zhang Laosan's turn, there was no job in the family for him to take over, and there was no money for him to prepare for marriage.
Plus, as luck would have it, it was the time when the educated youth returned to the city. Zhang Laosan had been looking for a job for half a year but couldn't find any job openings. He was about to become a second-rate person at home when his current wife came up to him and asked him to be her son-in-law. She asked her father to find a job for him. Zhang Laosan agreed without a second thought.
However, being a son-in-law is not easy, especially for someone like Zhang Laosan, whose father-in-law found him his job. So every time Zhang Laosan came home for the New Year or other holidays, he would say something sarcastic when he saw his two brothers. This was something everyone in their courtyard knew. But this year, the incident was particularly serious.
When Zhang Laosan and his family left, Gao Cuifen was the one who was hit the hardest.
Ma Yulan could guess why Zhang Laosan was making a fuss. As a mother, she certainly knew what Zhang Laosan was thinking.
In fact, she knew that her third son was resentful for so many years, but she could do nothing about it.
When Zhang Laosan couldn't find a job, she was worried, but the situation simply didn't allow it. With so many people returning to the city, and the city itself lacking jobs, finding a job wasn't easy. She and her husband had no money or connections, so buying a job wasn't an option.
Later, when her third son married into another family, although she looked angry, she felt guilty in her heart.
This is also the reason why Zhang Laosan has been sarcastic at home for so many years, but she has never lost her temper.
Today I was also angry...
Gao Cuifen's shoulders slumped, and she looked towards the gate. She felt a little regretful at this moment. It seemed that she had been too harsh on her third child just now...
Noticing Gao Cuifen's expression, Li Xiuying curled her lips.
She thought Gao Cuifen had finally grown up over the years and stopped spoiling her children, so her feelings were all in vain.
She said the Zhang children were spoiled by Gao Cuifen. Having many children in a family often leads to uneven distribution of wealth, and Gao Cuifen was a doting parent. She gave the job to the eldest child, letting him pay her salary so he could save for his own wedding. Not only did the couple spoil their children, not only did they let them take their own salary, but they also emptied the family savings to pay for their children's weddings. If the eldest child behaved like this, and the second child behaved like this, wouldn't they be able to afford the third child's money?
It's okay to say that he can't afford it. After all, the family conditions are there, and Gao Cuifen and her husband have done their best. If Zhang Laosan has any grievances, then so be it. But Gao Cuifen, who dotes on her child, feels sorry for Zhang Laosan. Over the years, she has secretly given all the money she had to Zhang Laosan, which has only pampered Zhang Laosan's appetite.
Li Xiuying shook her head. It was Gao Cuifen's fault that things had developed to this point!
She was too lazy to pay attention to Gao Cuifen, the fool, and turned her head away and went home. She still had meat stewing at home!
Seeing Li Xiuying go back, Ma Yulan opened her mouth and said, "Well, Lao Gao, I'll go back first too. I still have work to do at home."
Gao Cuifen waved her hand in the room and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go home. I'm going home too. Big brother, second brother, go home and cook. Third brother, you can go if you want to. The rest of us still have to eat New Year's Eve dinner and cook."
As they left, the yard, which had been noisy just now, became quiet in an instant.
Shi Yue, who had seen enough of the excitement, patted Shi Qiushui on the head and said, "Okay, let's continue cooking at home."
"Yeah, yeah!" Shi Qiu Shui nodded vigorously.
She followed Shi Yue back to the kitchen. At this time, the braised pork belly that Shi Yue had put in the pot was almost done. The unique meaty aroma of the braised pork and the steam filled the whole room.
Shi Qiushui took a deep breath of the fragrance in the air, and eagerly leaned over to the gas stove and said, "Dad, is the braised pork almost done? I can smell it!"
Shi Yue: "It should be almost done, let me take a look."
It smelled like it was almost done, but to be on the safe side, he decided to open the steamer and take a look.
Shi Yue lifted the lid of the steamer, and the moment the white steam dissipated, the richer aroma of braised pork hit him in the face.
"My daughter, please move aside and be careful not to get burned by the steam." Shi Yue warned her worriedly.
Shi Qiu Shui nodded obediently and hid to the side.
Shi Yue grabbed a pair of chopsticks, poked the slices of meat in the bowl, and said, "Well, it's almost done. I'll take the pot down, and we can start cooking."
Shi Qiushui: "Great, great."
After cooking, you can eat!
Shi Yue carefully took the steamer off the gas stove and put it aside where Shi Qiu Shui couldn't reach it. Then he took out a wok, lit the gas and prepared to cook.
"Sizzle—"
Soon, smoke began to waft out of the windows of Yue's house.
However, smoke was also coming out of the windows of almost all the other houses in the yard, and it was almost time for dinner.
"It's time to eat—" "My son, come home for dinner—" "The meal is ready, grandson, come back for dinner—"
After a while, the voices of families in the yard calling their children to come home for dinner rang out one after another.
Shi Yue brought the steamed fish to the table, put his hands on his hips and called out, "Xiao Qiu, have you washed your hands? It's time to eat!"
"Okay, okay!" Shi Qiushui ran over with her hands raised. She said, "Dad, look, I'm clean."
Shi Yue: "Well, let's eat after washing. I've got the bowls and chopsticks out."
Shi Qiushui plopped down at the table, picked up her chopsticks and was about to move towards the delicious food, when she suddenly realized that Shi Yue hadn't sat down yet. She looked up and said, "Dad, why don't you come over to eat?"
Shi Yue: "Oh, I'll go into the house and get a bottle of wine."
Today is Chinese New Year, so he wants to have a drink to celebrate.
"Yes, Dad, you reminded me!" As he said that, Shi Qiu Shui put down his chopsticks and slid down from the stool.
Shi Yue: "Wow, what, you want to drink some too?"
"Yeah!" Shi Qiu Shui trotted into the kitchen, rummaged around in it for a while, and came out holding a large bottle of drink.
She said, “I almost forgot about that!”
She had to persuade her father to buy her this drink!
Looking at the drinks that Shi Qiu Shui took out, Shi Yue didn't say anything. Although he felt that drinks were not a good thing, it was New Year's Day and it was rare for the child to drink, so he didn't stop him.
He casually brought a cup to Shi Qiushui and placed it on the table, saying, "Drink less and save some room for food. These dishes today were made with great effort by your father."
"Yeah!" Shi Qiu Shui nodded.
She would eat more even without her dad telling her!
After all, today’s table of food is really rich!
Shi Yue: "Alright, let's get started!"
As soon as Shi Yue finished speaking, Shi Qiu Shui picked up his chopsticks and headed towards the braised pork that had been tempting him for a long time. The pork belly was fried first and then steamed, and the excess fat was squeezed out, making it fat but not greasy, soft, glutinous, salty and fragrant, and delicious.
Shi Qiu Shui took a bite of the braised pork with chopsticks, and little stars began to appear in his eyes with happiness.
Shi Yue took a sip of white wine and hadn't eaten the food yet, but he did pick up a meatball with his chopsticks for Shi Qiu Shui first.
"Xiao Qiu, eat these meatballs first. They are the best when they are freshly fried. They won't be as delicious as they are now when they get cold."
"Hmm, hmm, hmm!" Shi Qiu Shui had food in his mouth and could only nod in response to Shi Yue's words.
She picked up the meatball that Shi Yue had passed to her and stuffed it into her mouth. The meatball, which had been fried twice at high temperature, was crispy on the outside. As soon as Shi Qiu Shui bit into it, there was a "click" sound.
Shi Qiushui: "Mmm, so soft and nice!"
Her cheeks were stuffed with food, her mouth was oozing with oil, and she blushed as she gave Shi Yue a thumbs up and said, "Dad, the dishes you made today are all delicious!"
Shi Yue chuckled and said, "Alright, you've flattered me. Come on, eat quickly. After dinner, we'll make dumplings."
"good!"
Shi Qiu Shui lowered his head and started eating with big mouthfuls of food.
The meal lasted an hour. By the end, Shi Qiushui could no longer eat. She slumped in the chair, holding her round belly, burped slightly and said, "Dad, I'm full."
"belch--"
Shi Yue was also full today. He leaned back in his chair and said, "Take a break. If you're full, take a break."
It’s still early anyway, so there’s still time to clean up later.
The father and son leaned on the chairs at the dining table for a while, and quickly moved to the sofa in front of the TV. There was no interesting program on TV at the moment, it was a replay of last year's Spring Festival Gala, but when they saw the skits by Zhu Shimao and Chen Peisi, Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui were still amused.
"Shi Yue, Shi Yue!"
Shi Yue and Shi Qiushui were watching happily when they heard someone shouting outside. Shi Yue recognized Yang Zhiqiang's voice and shouted outside, "The door is not closed, come in."
The door was pushed open, and the person who came in was indeed Yang Zhiqiang. He glanced around the room and said, "Have you two finished your meal?"
Shi Yue: "Well, we've finished eating, but we haven't cleaned up yet. Let's take a break first. Come in and sit down."
He patted the empty sofa and asked Yang Zhiqiang to sit over.
Yang Zhiqiang didn't bother to be polite with Shi Yue and sat down on the sofa.
Shi Yue: "Oh, by the way, why are you here at this time? Have you finished your meal?"
"We've finished eating. My family just finished eating too." Yang Zhiqiang answered Shi Yue's second question, but did not mention the first question.
Shi Yue: ???
He frowned and asked, "What's wrong? What's the matter? Just tell me directly. What's the problem? Are you having problems? Are there any problems with your business?"
It shouldn't be like that. A few days ago, he heard Yang Zhiqiang mention that business was good at the end of this year and they were planning to open a new branch next year.
Yang Zhiqiang waved his hand: "Oh, no, you think too much."
He said helplessly: "I just came here to hide for a while. When I stayed at home, my mother kept talking to me about blind dates."
Shi Yue: ...
He rolled his eyes and said, "I thought something had happened to you."
Yang Zhiqiang: "I would rather something happen, so that my mother won't urge me to get married."
Shi Yue: "Pooh, pooh, pooh, hurry up, pooh, pooh, pooh, what are you talking about on New Year's Day!"
Yang Zhiqiang cooperated and said "Pooh".
Shi Qiushui's attention shifted from the TV to Yang Zhiqiang. She blinked her big, watery eyes and asked, "Uncle Yang, don't you really want to get married?"
Yang Zhiqiang was stunned for a moment. Facing Shi Qiushui's bright eyes, he felt embarrassed to laugh it off. He straightened himself and said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't want to get married. I just want to find someone I like to marry. If I can't meet someone I like, then marrying someone casually and living together would be better than me being single like I am now."
Shi Qiushui: "Well, Uncle Yang, don't you have someone you like now?"
Yang Zhiqiang shrugged and said, "Yes, your Uncle Yang, I don't have anyone I like right now."
Shi Qiushui asked curiously, "What about before, Uncle Yang, have you ever liked anyone?"
Under Shi Qiushui's curious gaze, Yang Zhiqiang blurted out, "Of course I did. She liked me a lot when I was in junior high..."
Halfway through his words, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He slammed on the brakes and looked at Shi Qiushui suspiciously: "Huh? Xiaoqiu, why are you asking so many questions?"
Shi Qiushui said innocently: "No, I'm just asking casually."
Her dark eyes rolled around, and it was obvious that things were not as simple as she said.
Yang Zhiqiang pinched Shi Qiushui's round little face and said, "Xiaoqiu, tell me the truth, or I'll tickle you!"
He raised his other hand in a threatening manner.
"No, I was just asking casually!"
After Shi Qiu Shui finished speaking, she twisted her body and tried to escape, but how could Yang Zhiqiang let her go? In the end, Shi Qiu Shui still couldn't escape Yang Zhiqiang's big hand.
Seeing that Yang Zhiqiang was about to tickle her, Shi Qiushui could only admit defeat. She screamed, "I'm telling you, Uncle Yang, please don't tickle me!"
She said, "Grandma Yang asked me to find out."
Yang Zhiqiang: "My mother?"
Shi Yue: "Aunt Yang?"
Yang Zhiqiang and Shi Yue were both confused.
Shi Yue: "Girl, when did your grandmother Yang ask you to find out?"
Shi Qiushui: "Just today, in the morning, we were playing outside, and Grandma Yang and Grandma Yao came out to use the bathroom, and then I heard them saying that Uncle Yang hadn't found a partner for so long, and from time to time he had someone he liked..."
Shi Yue: "Hmm? And then? Why would your Grandma Yang let a little brat like you inquire about this?"
Yang Zhiqiang: "Yes, why did my mother ask you to inquire about this matter?"
Shi Qiushui tugged at the corner of her clothes and said, "Grandma Yang said that she couldn't ask Uncle Yang about this matter, so she wanted to find someone else to ask..."
Shi Yue poked the little girl's head and said, "So you volunteered?"
Shi Qiushui: "Hmm...about the same."
Shi Yue: "Tell me, what benefits did your grandmother Yang promise to give you?"
Shi Qiushui whispered, "Grandma Yang said she'd treat me to some snacks."
Yang Zhiqiang: "My mom bribed you with just a snack?! Xiaoqiu, I've treated you to snacks so many times, and you actually betrayed me for my mom's snacks!"
Shi Qiushui lowered his head guiltily, tugged at Yang Zhiqiang's sleeve and said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Yang... I shouldn't have given in to the temptation of Grandma Yang's snacks..."
Yang Zhiqiang wasn't really angry to begin with. He only acted angry to tease Shi Qiushui. Now, seeing Shi Qiushui sincerely apologize to him, he chuckled and said, "Alright, since you've sincerely admitted your mistake, Xiaoqiu, I'll forgive you. But besides apologizing, shouldn't you express your gratitude from time to time?"
It was so fun to tease children that Yang Zhiqiang couldn't help but tease Shi Qiu Shui.
After hearing what Yang Zhiqiang said, Shi Qiu Shui frowned and thought for a while, then jumped off the sofa and trotted into her room. After a while, she ran out of the room with two large bags of snacks.
She piled the snacks in front of Yang Zhiqiang and said, "Uncle Yang, these, these are all for you!"
Yang Zhiqiang: "Is this your compensation to me?"
Shi Qiushui nodded seriously: "Yes!"
Shi Qiu Shui brought over quite a lot of snacks, two big bags full of snow cakes, chocolates, lollipops, instant noodles, and everything else. They all looked like children's favorites.
Yang Zhiqiang: "Would you be willing to give me both of these two bags?"
“I’m willing to give it up!”
Shi Qiu Shui answered very readily, but his expression clearly showed some pain.
After all, these are her favorite snacks.
Yang Zhiqiang reached out, took the two bags of snacks and said, "Then I'll take them."
Shi Qiushui closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and said, "Take it away!"
Yang Zhiqiang: "Did I really take it?"
Shi Qiushui: "Yeah!"
"Haha, I'm just kidding. Uncle Yang, I don't like snacks. Xiaoqiu, you should take these back."
Yang Zhiqiang is an adult, and he would never snatch snacks from a child like Shi Qiu Shui. He stuffed the snacks back into Shi Qiu Shui's arms.
Shi Qiushui was stunned for a moment, then tore open the packaging of the top bag of snow cakes, took one out and gave it to Yang Zhiqiang, saying, "Uncle Yang, have some!"
She also took out a piece of snow cake and said, "Let's eat together!"
Shi Yue: "...Dear girl, weren't you feeling full just now? Can you still eat now?"
Shi Qiushui: "Yeah, a little full, but I can still eat."
Shi Yue: “…”
Yang Zhiqiang: “…”
Yang Zhiqiang laughed and patted Shi Yue on the shoulder, saying, "Shi Yue, your daughter is really interesting!"
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