Chapter 35
Although Zhao Dahua complained that the things Tang Qingqing brought back were a little too little, the Tang family was still very happy to have gotten the things for free.
Especially since they had no expectations at first, thinking that Tang Qingqing would come back empty-handed just like last time.
I didn't expect that this time was different. I actually got something in return. I immediately felt like I got a good deal.
Old Lady Wu looked at the jar oil and praised Tang Qingqing with a smile:
"It seems that people still need to learn some skills. Look, even girls can win good things from the government."
Tang Qingqing felt uncomfortable when she heard these compliments.
"Qing girl, you have to promote your brothers more in the future. They are your backers."
Tang Qingqing suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, and ignored the words that were almost like wind passing through her ears, not taking them to heart.
Tang Xingwang had just snatched away the canned fruit and ate it all outside, leaving nothing for his family.
Tang Xingqiang only managed to snatch a little bit. If he hadn't been given candy later, he would still be crying and saying it was unfair.
Three brothers just had a fight outside on New Year's Day over a can of food and all their clothes were soiled.
The adults in the family did not teach Tang Xingwang the importance of being friendly and respectful to his brothers.
Old Mrs. Wu even said with a hint of praise: "He is a food snatcher. He will definitely not be able to eat at a loss in the future."
I didn't do much to comfort the two little ones, I just used candy to comfort whoever cried.
Tang Xingqiang was a crybaby, so he got the candy. Tang Xingsheng, who was hurt the most, was a quiet person, so he didn't cry or make a fuss, and ended up getting nothing.
Tang Xingqiang did not share the candies with his second brother who helped him. He stuffed all of them into his own pocket and even showed off in front of Tang Xingsheng.
"Brother, I have candy and you don't, I can go to school but you can't."
Tang Xingwang sneered: "You think going to school is a good thing? I'm too lazy to go even if you ask me to."
"If it's not good, why did the police let me in? Do you dare to say the police are stupid?"
Tang Xingwang was speechless and just snorted coldly, "Little brat."
Tang Xingqiang was a shrewd man, and he added: "Not wanting to go and not being able to go are two different things, right, big sister?"
Tang Qingqing saw that Tang Xingsheng's face had turned pale, and she felt a little sorry for her second younger brother.
In this family, she is definitely the least favored one, and she is not on the same level as her three younger brothers.
But fingers are of different lengths, and even if they are all boys, parents and elders will inevitably have their own preferences.
Old Mrs. Wu loved Tang Xingwang the most and considered him her eldest son and grandson.
Tang Jianjun and Zhao Dahua also respect Tang Xingwang, but they love their younger son more.
Tang Xingsheng was stuck in the middle, neither moving up nor down, which was quite awkward.
Plus, he is a quiet person, which makes it easier for him to be ignored.
But no matter how much you ignore it, the situation is much better than Tang Qingqing's, so it didn't show much before.
Tang Qingqing had never paid attention to these things before, after all, she was busy with her own affairs. Now that she has left this family, she has seen some things clearly.
Favoring sons over daughters can easily corrupt a boy. If there is also unfairness among boys, will there be problems as well?
At this time, Tang Xingsheng looked at Zhao Dahua and said, "Mom, I want to go to school, too."
Zhao Dahua didn't even look at him: "Study, what kind of books are you studying with your stupid head!"
"Why can the elder brother and younger brother go to school, why can't I go?"
"I think you shouldn't go!" Zhao Dahua was very impatient. "It's New Year's Day, are you saying this to upset others?"
Zhao Dahua couldn't understand why her mother-in-law always wanted to send the child to school, even though it was useless and cost money.
Tang Xingwang can't do anything now because he has damaged his brain due to studying too much.
Now the youngest one has to go to school. Zhao Dahua thinks it is just looking for trouble.
If it wasn't Chinese New Year, Zhao Dahua would have insisted on grabbing the child and giving him a beating. He was really talking out of nowhere.
Old Mrs. Wu was unhappy when she heard this and rubbed Tang Xingqiang's head.
"Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. You also want to live the life of your uncle, right? He is living the life he has today because he studied well."
Tang Xingqiang's eyes lit up, and he flattered her, "Grandma, I will study hard, and when I make a lot of money in the future, I will come back to honor you, even more than I honored my uncle."
Old Mrs. Wu became even happier after hearing this. She said hello several times and handed him a candy hidden in her pocket.
Tang Xingqiang's words became even sweeter, and Tang Xingwang rolled his eyes at him unhappily.
Mrs. Wu was very particular about fairness at this time, and she also gave a piece to Tang Xingwang, "and to my eldest grandson."
Tang Xingwang took the candy reluctantly, but his stern expression improved slightly.
Tang Xingsheng still had nothing, and felt so wronged that he couldn't help but ask:
"Grandma, why don't you let me study?"
Zhao Dahua looked at Old Lady Wu with a schadenfreude to see how she would answer this question.
"Xingsheng, how can you compete with your brother? Our children are not allowed to do that."
Tang Xingsheng's eyes immediately turned red.
I didn't want to get involved in this family's affairs, but seeing Tang Xingsheng's expression, I couldn't help but speak up:
"Just let Xingsheng go to school. We can't leave him out, right?"
Tang Qiaoqiao is also studying with Zhai Hongyi now. Her uncle and aunt know that she likes reading, and they plan to send her to school in two years.
I haven't been sent to school yet because Tang Qingqing said the teachers in grades one to three don't teach well and it would be useless if I went there.
Tang Xingsheng looked at Tang Qingqing with gratitude.
Among these three younger brothers, Tang Qingqing likes Tang Xingsheng the most.
Tang Xingwang was spoiled, and seeing that her family members treated her badly, she also treated him badly, often ordering him to do this and that like a maid, as if she owed him something.
He was also particularly irresponsible. Every time he did something wrong, he liked to blame it on her, which resulted in him getting beaten up.
In fact, he had a similar attitude towards his other two brothers, but he was even worse towards Tang Qingqing.
My little brother Tang Xingqiang is a naughty kid. He likes to talk a lot and what he says is often nonsense. He is really annoying.
Tang Xingsheng is a quiet person, but he will help.
Although Tang Qingqing had not been able to control him before, after all, the attitude of the parents and elders also affected the attitude of the children, and he was much better than his other two younger brothers.
Zhao Dahua glared at her unhappily: "Why are you involved in everything? You're not at home all day, and you don't go to work to earn points, but you talk so easily. I'm sending them to school, and you're paying for it?!"
Tang Qingqing: "Tang Xingsheng is not my son. If you don't like him, you shouldn't have given birth to him. Is he not a member of this family like me?"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Tang Qingqing, don't think I dare not slap you on New Year's Day!" Zhao Dahua raised his hand.
Tang Qingqing was not afraid of her: "Then why did you miss Tang Xingsheng? I am a girl so you don't like me, but Tang Xingsheng is a boy."
Tang Xingsheng's dark eyes just stared at Zhao Dahua without blinking, which made Zhao Dahua feel inexplicably guilty.
"Don't ask me, it wasn't me who asked you to go to school."
This problem was thrown onto Old Lady Wu's head again, making her so angry that she fell backwards.
Feeling the gaze of her second grandson, Old Lady Wu said with a wry smile: "Xingsheng, you are a good child. It doesn't matter whether you go to school or not."
"Grandma, that's not what you said before."
Old Mrs. Wu didn't understand why Tang Xingsheng was so stubborn today and insisted on getting an answer.
I couldn't help but blame my daughter-in-law in my heart. Tang Xingqiang would have to wait until this summer to go to school. Why did she bring it up so early? It was as if she was afraid that others would not know about it.
He also blamed Tang Qingqing for being nosy, as he had almost gotten away with it just now.
Tang Xingsheng asked again: "Grandma, why can't I go to school?"
"I'm useless. My family can only afford to send one child to school. I've always thought you were an obedient and sensible child. You definitely won't make things difficult for me, right?"
Tang Xingsheng pursed his lips.
"Besides, your brother is not as capable as you. Our family cannot do without you as a laborer. Your brother is so smart that he should go to school and let the teacher discipline him. You have done a good job and do not need the teacher to teach you."
Tang Xingsheng still remained silent. Although he was young, he was not a fool.
Old Mrs. Wu often talked about the benefits of studying. Every time my second brother didn't want to go to school, she would coax and deceive him.
She was sad for a long time when Tang Xingwang decided not to go to school and worked as a shepherd.
Now it's him, but he has a different story.
Old Mrs. Wu saw that she couldn't fool her grandson, and she didn't want to be the bad person and get blamed, so she covered her forehead and started to cry out in discomfort.
This time, Zhao Dahua did not go against Old Lady Wu. She sent the children out to play and told them not to stay in the house.
Tang Qingqing grabbed a handful of melon seeds and left, preparing to go to her uncle's house.
Although the family did not split up, each of them had his own house.
Uncle comes to the main house less and less now, and prefers to stay in his own little house.
My aunt and Tang Qiaoqiao rarely go to the main house. They only come here when they need to work or eat. They don't usually sit there and do nothing.
When Tang Qingqing left the main room, she found Tang Xingsheng following her.
"Why are you following me?"
Tang Xingsheng didn't say anything, just followed her silently, all the way to her uncle's room.
Normally, the three brothers seldom came to their uncle's room, because their uncle's legs and feet were different from those of ordinary people. When Zhao Dahua was disciplining his children, he liked to say that if they were not obedient, their legs and feet would be like their uncle's.
The children in the village also joked that they had an uncle with scary legs.
Besides, their uncle had a strange temper and was rarely heard speaking. He always seemed gloomy, so they had kept their distance from him since they were young.
Uncle and aunt were very surprised to see Tang Xingsheng.
The elder aunt quickly greeted him: "Xingsheng, why are you here? Is there anything wrong?"
Tang Xingsheng shook his head and followed behind Tang Qingqing without saying a word.
The aunt looked at Tang Qingqing, who shrugged and did not mention what had just happened.
The aunt didn't ask much, but just asked Tang Xingsheng to sit down and took out the canned food that Tang Qingqing had just brought.
"Come on, Xingsheng, have a canned food. It's sweet and delicious."
The can had been opened because Tang Qingqing opened it as soon as she took it. Otherwise, they didn't know how long they could have waited.
If it turns out to be snatched away by Zhao Dahahua again, that would be unfair.
Tang Qingqing watched them each eat a piece before leaving.
There is only a little less food in the can now than when Tang Qingqing left. I guess she gave another piece to Tang Qiaoqiao later.
Tang Qingqing was not surprised by her aunt's generosity; that was just her personality.
Tang Qiaoqiao had obviously gotten used to it, and although she felt distressed, she did not show any dissatisfaction.
This is also related to the fact that Tang Xingsheng would not steal her things. If it was Tang Xingwang or Tang Xingqiang, she still would not say anything but would feel very aggrieved.
Tang Xingsheng looked at Tang Qingqing, but Tang Qingqing didn't say anything.
He finally shook his head and said, "This is given to you by my elder sister."
The aunt looked at Tang Qingqing, and Tang Qingqing said, "Xingsheng is right, aunt, don't share it. Eat it yourselves. In previous years, it was not your turn even if there was food at home. This year, you have to taste it more anyway."
"How much can Qiaoqiao eat by himself?"
"Not only Qiaoqiao can eat it, you and uncle should also eat it. By the way, my eldest sister will go back to her parents' home tomorrow, right? Let her have a taste of it too."
Tang Qingqing thought that if her eldest cousin came back tomorrow, she would secretly give her a can.
Although this eldest cousin is not a member of the Tang family, she took good care of her when she was a child after she followed her aunt to marry into the family.
She was a messy child before, and no one taught her how to clean herself up.
It was all taught to her by her eldest cousin. After she got married, she still gave money to her parents' home from time to time, and some of the money also went into her stomach.
I didn't have the ability before, and even if I saved money, it would be difficult to give it directly because my eldest cousin would definitely not accept it.
Now it's different, she has a reason to give gifts to express her gratitude.
The uncle could hardly say anything: "Take it."
The aunt then didn't force Tang Xingsheng to eat the canned food, but she still took out some candy.
In contrast, candy is more common.
Tang Xingsheng looked at Tang Qingqing again. Tang Qingqing responded this time and took one and handed it to him.
Tang Xingsheng's expression suddenly changed. He was no longer so droopy and his body moved closer to Tang Qingqing.
Tang Qiaoqiao frowned when she saw this and squeezed towards Tang Qingqing, as if she was afraid that she would be snatched away.
"Sister, tell us what happened when you went to the commune this time."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked over, even the uncle glanced over.
The commune called Tang Qingqing over during the New Year's Day. Without asking, you knew it must be a troublesome matter, otherwise they wouldn't have done it.
The team leader did not hide the truth from everyone and said that a supply and marketing cooperative in the commune had been robbed.
When Tang Qingqing came over before, she simply said that the thief had been caught, but she didn't have time to explain what happened, how he was caught, or who the thief was.
When it comes to this case, Tang Qingqing has a lot to say.
She tidied her words and began to tell the whole story in the tone of the comic strip.
He did not forget to keep people in suspense during the performance, deliberately leading everyone to think that Zhang Guangyi was a bad person. Especially when they heard the plot of scheming Meng Danniu to marry him, the atmosphere in the room became much more solemn.
My uncle couldn't help but curse, "Bullshit." This is probably the reaction of parents who have daughters and love them.
The eldest aunt held Tang Qiaoqiao's hand with worry in her eyes.
What would I do if my daughter was tricked into marrying such a man?
But after hearing the last part, the room was silent for a long time.
My aunt sighed: "The old policeman is right. Children must be taught well."
Tang Qiaoqiao expressed deep regret, "Zhang Guangyi is a good man. It's such a pity that he was arrested."
Tang Qingqing: "He is indeed good to his wife and children, but if he did something wrong, it is wrong, and he must be responsible for his actions."
“But he was also forced.”
"He didn't have a knife at his neck, so he could have refused. No matter what he thought in his heart, he had done it."
Tang Qingqing couldn't understand it at first. It was Zhai Hongyi who said these words to her.
The eldest aunt also said seriously: "So, no matter what happens, you can't do the wrong thing."
Tang Qiaoqiao then stopped worrying about it.
Tang Xingsheng just listened silently without saying anything, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Early the next morning, Yang Zhaodi took her husband and children back to her parents' home, carrying a lot of things in her hands.
A bag of noodles, a piece of meat, a basket of eggs, and a large bag of homemade sweet potato noodles.
When Old Mrs. Wu saw this, she couldn't help but smile at this granddaughter who was not related to her by blood.
Old Mrs. Wu favors boys over girls and is not kind to Tang Qingqing and Tang Qiaoqiao, let alone this granddaughter.
The uncle, who had been silent all the time and seemed like an invisible man, confronted Old Lady Wu for the first time because of Yang Zhaodi.
When Yang Zhaodi reached marriageable age, Old Lady Wu wanted to marry her to a widower with three children because he offered a large dowry.
She felt that she had raised the child for so many years in vain and she had to give some back.
My uncle refused to agree at all and did not let my aunt intervene. He just said that Yang Zhaodi's marriage had nothing to do with the Tang family and that Old Lady Wu could not interfere.
At that time, Mrs. Wu was almost mad to death, and she kept cursing him for being ungrateful.
In the countryside, it is difficult for healthy children to survive, let alone a disabled person like my uncle.
If she hadn't taken good care of him back then, and if Tang Jianshe hadn't fallen ill relatively late, the grass on his grave would now be taller than a person.
In the past, my uncle would have just swallowed his anger, thinking that his situation was a burden to the family and not daring to make any demands.
All kinds of unpleasant words were said at that time. Hearing her aunt crying, Yang Zhaodi wanted to give up.
Those words were so heartbreaking that even outsiders would feel uncomfortable listening to them, let alone the person involved who has been troubled by disability.
But this time, the uncle was tough and did not waver no matter how Mrs. Wu scolded him.
He had the rare opportunity to go out for Yang Zhaodi's marriage.
Yang Zhaodi's current husband was introduced by her uncle.
Yang Zhaodi's husband is Zhu Yushan. He looks very ordinary, but he is a very honest and loyal person.
Otherwise, Yang Zhaodi would not be able to run back to support her parents' home from time to time, and it was all tacitly approved by her husband.
Yang Zhaodi and Zhu Yushan have two children, a boy and a girl.
The boy is named Zhu Jingqi, and he is six years old this year. The girl is named Zhu Maisui, and she is just two years old this year.
When the family of four entered the house, Zhu Maisui was riding on Zhu Yushan's shoulders, which made Tang Xingqiang's eyes drool.
Tang Jianjun never let children ride on his shoulders, and never played with them, because he thought they would get his clothes dirty and wrinkled. No matter how Tang Xingwang or Tang Xingqiang made trouble when they were children, it was all in vain.
When Yang Zhaodi saw Tang Qingqing, she was a little reluctant to recognize her.
"Is this Qingqing?"
Every time she came back, she was in a hurry and never ran into Tang Qingqing, so they hadn't seen each other for several months.
Tang Qingqing held her arm affectionately: "Big sister."
"Oh my, girls really change a lot when they grow up. It hasn't been long and she has grown so tall and beautiful! If I hadn't met her at home, I wouldn't have recognized her."
Yang Zhaodi couldn't believe it and surrounded Tang Qingqing in amazement.
She had always thought that Tang Qingqing was a beauty, and now it seemed that she was right.
She's looking so good now, who knows how beautiful she'll be when she grows up.
The eldest aunt also laughed and said, "That's right, don't say you think she has changed a lot because you haven't seen her for so long, we all think so after watching her every day."
Tang Qiaoqiao was also honored and was as happy as the one who praised herself.
Zhu Maisui is a little rascal. As soon as he entered the door, he set his eyes on Tang Qingqing and took the initiative to open his arms to ask Tang Qingqing to hug him.
Yang Zhaodi couldn't help but laugh and said, "This child usually rides on his father's shoulders and refuses to get off. Once he sees a good-looking person, he will take the initiative to hug him."
"How can you let a girl ride on your shoulders like this? You are spoiling her too much."
The aunt was very happy in her heart, but she couldn't help but say it.
In the countryside, children who receive this treatment are basically boys.
Zhu Yushan smiled and said, "Mom, Mai Sui is my daughter, so of course I have to pamper her."
The aunt was very happy to hear this, and felt even more that the son-in-law her husband had chosen was a great one.
After saying hello to Old Lady Wu in the main house, the family went into my uncle's room to talk.
When we got to the house, my aunt couldn't help but complain:
"Why did you bring back so many things? Forget about the other things, but you even brought meat."
That piece of meat weighed at least three or four pounds, and it made my aunt's eyelids twitch.
But Grandma Wu and the others had already seen it, and there was no way they could take it back.
"Mom, our brigade had a good harvest this year, and the pig we raised was particularly fat, so we got more meat."
"You can't take all of it. It would be better to leave it for the children." The aunt looked at Zhu Yushan, "Why don't you talk to Zhaodi? Why let her do whatever she wants?"
Zhu Yushan smiled and said, "Mom, these are all my parents asked me to bring."
When my aunt heard this, she finally felt relieved.
What she fears most is to upset her daughter's parents-in-law, which would make her life very miserable.
The eldest aunt took out the canned food hidden in the cupboard and called her two grandchildren:
"Come, come and eat what grandma has here."
Zhu Jingxuan and Zhu Maisui both widened their eyes, especially Zhu Jingxuan, who was older so it was not his first time to come to grandma's house.
He always knew that his grandmother's house was not very good. Every time he came there, there was nothing good to eat, and he had to be careful about the uncles who might snatch food from him.
I didn't expect that canned fruit would be such a rare item this year. It's really surprising.
He had only seen other people eating canned food, but he had never tasted it. He couldn't help swallowing his saliva, but didn't go forward to take it. He was still holding back his sister who was eager to take it.
Yang Zhaodi was also surprised: "Mom, where did you get the canned food?"
"It's all Qingqing's fault!" The aunt recounted the story of Tang Qingqing solving a case before.
Yang Zhaodi and Zhu Yushan were fine, as they had heard about Tang Qingqing's prowess before.
It was the first time that Zhu Qian heard this. He was so shocked that he forgot to close his mouth and even forgot about the canned fruit.
Seeing that Zhu Maisui was drooling, Tang Qingqing smiled and picked up the can to give a piece to each child, even Tang Xingsheng.
When Tang Xingsheng got it, he was stunned. He didn't expect that he would have a share.
The children all smiled when they ate the canned fruit.
There were only a few pieces left at this time. Tang Qingqing wanted to share some with Yang Zhaodi and the others, but they refused to take any, saying that these were for the children to eat and they didn't like them.
It's not that I don't like it, I just want to leave all the good things for my children.
Tang Qingqing didn't force it and distributed all the fruit pulp in the can to the children.
Seeing that she kept giving the food to others but didn't take any herself, Yang Zhaodi quickly stopped her from doing so:
"Eat it yourself, don't always share it with them."
Tang Qingqing smiled and said, "I won't treat myself badly. Don't worry, I've eaten it."
As he was speaking, a small hand came over with a broken and dirty orange.
"Ah, Auntie, eat."
Tang Qingqing looked down and saw that it was Zhu Maisui.
Looking at the orange that was obviously taken out of the mouth, Tang Qingqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Auntie doesn't want to eat it, Mai Sui will eat it by himself."
Zhu Maisui insisted on feeding the baby, and acted as if he would not let go of the baby unless the baby ate it, which made Tang Qingqing ask Yang Zhaodi for help.
Yang Zhaodi smiled and handed the remaining piece of fruit pulp in the can to Tang Qingqing, "Mai Sui, auntie has some, you can eat your own."
Zhu Maisui still stared at Tang Qingqing until Tang Qingqing ate the piece of fruit flesh. Then Zhu Maisui happily ate the fruit flesh in his hand with a look of satisfaction on his face.
Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw this, and my uncle also smiled, which was a rare occurrence.
The eldest aunt hugged Zhu Maisui and kissed her fiercely: "My eldest granddaughter is so adorable."
Zhu Maisui giggled non-stop.
Zhu Yushan was very proud: "If you say my daughter is a caring little cotton-padded jacket, then my son Jingjing is also a good kid, but when it comes to caring, Wheat Ear is the best."
Tang Jianshe's house was full of joy, but Old Lady Wu's house was very deserted.
The children all went out to play, Zhao Dahua went back to her parents' home, and no one knew where Tang Jianjun had gone.
Old Mrs. Wu's room was empty, with no one to talk to.
She was too embarrassed to invite her eldest brother's family to her main house. It was quite unpleasant because of Yang Zhaodi's marriage.
Although Yang Zhaodi would greet her every time she came back and was polite on the surface, there was still a layer of distance between them.
Old Mrs. Wu didn't care about it before because the child was not of the Tang family and was a girl.
But today is New Year's Day, and I hear the laughter and joy over there, while it's so desolate here. The contrast makes me inevitably have some thoughts, and I feel that this family is really ignorant.
Old Mrs. Wu looked outside the door from time to time. This year was the second day of the Lunar New Year. According to local customs, married daughters usually returned to their parents' home on this day.
But at this point, there was no sign of the two daughters.
Forget about the eldest daughter. She married far away and it is not convenient for her to come back. She has only come back a few times in all these years.
The younger daughter shouldn't be like this. She's been married for a long time and visits her parents frequently. According to previous years, she should have been home long ago. But it's almost noon now, why hasn't she appeared yet?
Old Mrs. Wu was very satisfied with her youngest daughter's marriage, because she married into the town and her son-in-law was a public servant, which made her very proud for a while.
The reason why the younger daughter Tang Guizhi was able to marry such a good man was also due to Tang Jianguo, otherwise she would not have been favored.
When Tang Jianguo returned home, the Tang family enjoyed a period of prosperity.
Everyone knows that although Tang Jianguo was adopted and no longer ranked high in the family, he still cares about his family.
Just as she was thinking about whether to ask Wang Simei to go to the village entrance to take a look, Old Lady Wu saw Tang Guizhi running into the yard with her face covered.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
