Now that the Tian family and Su Xiao have recognized each other, Su Xiao is no longer just Tian Shuang's friend, but a relative of the family.
Tian Rongyao snapped out of his daze and quickly asked his eldest son, Tian Zhiwei, to call his uncles over. They had found Nizi's descendants; such a joyous occasion deserved everyone's happiness.
So Tian Zhiwei immediately went out to call for help.
The brothers weren't far away either. Soon, the Tian brothers arrived with their wives and children, making a large room full of people. Su Xiaomian could barely recognize a few familiar faces.
The second son, Tian Ronghao, has a wife, Wu Laidi, and they have a son, Tian Zhiqiang, and a daughter, Tian Yu.
The third son, Tian Rongchang, had a wife named Wang Li and two sons, Tian Zhigang and Tian Zhiyong.
The third son, Tian Rongguang, had a wife, Tan Tong, and a daughter, Tian Lu.
The brothers all knew about what happened to Tian Ni back then, especially Tian Rongguang, who had always felt guilty and resentful that his sister had been given grain for his sake. Now that he learned that his sister had passed away, he burst into tears.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy again.
Su Xiao had no choice but to repeat the same words she had used to comfort Tian Rongyao. Several of her aunts also helped to calm him down, and it took a while to quell the situation.
When Tian Rongguang learned that Su Xiao was studying at a university in Kyoto, he was immediately relieved and delighted. "Medical university? Studying medicine is great, saving lives and healing the wounded. I originally wanted to go to medical school too, but unfortunately, my grades weren't good enough."
As he said this, a hint of regret inevitably appeared on his face.
Upon hearing this, Su Xiao asked curiously, "Is Fourth Uncle also in college?"
Tian Rongguang smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Yes, your fourth aunt and I were both sent-down youth. When we heard that the college entrance examination was reinstated in 1977, we were overjoyed. We studied day and night and finally seized the opportunity to get into university. However, we had neglected our studies for many years and our grades were average. I was admitted to Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and your fourth aunt was admitted to a normal university."
"That's really good." Su Xiao was genuinely praising him. Just like Tian Rongguang himself said, he had neglected his studies for many years, but with just a month or two of review, he was able to successfully get into university. These people are truly talented.
Su Xiao's gaze was sincere and earnest. Tan Tong, with her gentle nature, felt a little embarrassed by his gaze. "We're just average. Xiao Xiao, you're the really amazing one. You're so young and have such excellent grades. You're sure to achieve great things in the future."
"Oh, don't be modest. If you're not that good, how can my husband and I live with ourselves?"
It was Aunt Wang Li, the third aunt, who interrupted abruptly, her words dripping with bitterness.
Both being women in their early thirties, Wang Li and Tan Tong were worlds apart.
Tan Tong is an intellectual beauty with gentle and graceful manners.
Wang Li is a typical country woman.
That is indeed true.
My third uncle, Tian Rongchang, was also a sent-down youth. After many years of no hope of returning to the city, he married Wang Li, the daughter of the local village head.
The couple naturally didn't have the ability to go to university. They only returned to the city this year because the policies had become more relaxed. They relied on their eldest son and his wife to pull some strings and managed to get Tian Rongchang a temporary job, which allowed them to bring him back.
Nowadays, the Tian Rongchang and Tian Rongguang families live in the old Tian family house, cramped together, which inevitably leads to conflicts. In particular, Wang Li is unemployed, while Tian Rongguang and his wife are both college graduates, and the comparison between the two inevitably leads to feelings of imbalance.
Fortunately, Wang Li has given birth to two sons, which is her source of confidence. She may not be as good as Tan Tong in other areas, but she is far superior in this aspect.
She often used the topic of having children, specifically boys or girls, to ridicule Tan Tong, who only had one daughter.
Tan Tong ignored Wang Li's provocations; in her heart, she disdained to lower herself to the level of such a lowly shrew.
Moreover, she knew that someone would step in, and she wouldn't need to do it herself.
"Third sister-in-law, why are you being sarcastic again? Don't you know what day it is? Can't you just shut up for once?"
The speaker was Aunt Wu Laidi, who was also a country woman, but a local. She was straightforward and efficient and couldn't stand people like Wang Li. She believed that Wang Li only brought shame to the rural people and was truly a rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel.
"Second Sister-in-law, what are you saying? People have mouths to speak, right? Besides, I didn't say anything. I was just praising Fourth Brother and his wife for being smart. How come you took it so wrong?" Wang Li retorted immediately. Just because someone is a little older or a bit more senior doesn't mean they can lecture her.
All she wanted to say was, "Heh..."
"Third sister-in-law, so you only have a mouth to talk? Are you a chatterbox? Don't you even need to eat?" Wu Laidi asked three questions in a row, which annoyed Wang Li.
"Second sister-in-law, what are you saying? Have I offended you in any way? Tell me, and I will definitely reflect on it..." Wang Li also disliked Wu Laidi. They were both from the countryside, so what was there for Wu Laidi to be proud of? And she looked down on her. What a joke.
Seeing that the argument was about to go on and on, Song Jinhua spoke up at the right moment, "Alright, let's all keep quiet and eat."
As soon as Song Jinhua opened her mouth, Wu Laidi, who had originally intended to continue her tirade, immediately fell silent.
Wu Laidi was still very respectful to her sister-in-law. After all, she and her husband Tian Songhao got their jobs through Song Jinhua's connections. Now, her son had graduated from high school but failed to get into university and was staying at home idle. She was just about to ask for help from her sister-in-law.
“Sister-in-law is right,” Wu Laidi immediately responded, diligently helping to serve the dishes and set the table.
When Wang Li saw this, she rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. She really wanted to say something sarcastic, but she didn't dare in front of Song Jinhua. After all, she was also at home waiting for Song Jinhua to arrange her work.
However, finding a job these days is no easy task. As for these unambitious relatives, Song Jinhua can only let it go for Tian Rongyao's sake.
The Tian family is large, so they were divided into two tables, and everyone quickly found their seats.
Su Xiao was originally pulled by Tian Shuang to sit at the children's table, but was pulled back by Song Jinhua halfway through.
And so, I sat down with several of my uncles and aunts.
"Xiaoxiao, hurry up, Dongpo pork, try it, is this the taste?" As soon as the dish was served, Tian Rongyao picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks and gave it to Su Xiao so she could taste it.
All eyes were on her, waiting for her to finish. Su Xiao had no choice but to bite into it and nod in praise, "Mmm, delicious. Everyone, eat up! Second cousin's cooking is amazing!"
With Su Xiao's invitation, everyone finally started eating. Su Xiao felt much less pressure and breathed a sigh of relief, savoring the delicious food in her mouth.
Although there was an element of acting involved, her statement that Dongpo pork was delicious was absolutely true.
"Zhibing's skills are truly amazing. It's a waste of his talents for him to work in a hotel. Why don't he open his own shop and be his own boss? He'd definitely make a fortune..."
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