After dinner, Ye Xiaoxiao and the Lihua and Xinghua sisters chatted while cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen, while Lao Wu saw Li Yanhong's family to the door.
"Sister-in-law, to be frank, Second Sister's eating manners are truly unsightly," Pear Blossom couldn't help but say.
Xinghua put down her bowl and whispered, "That's right, I don't even want to give her five yuan as New Year's money."
"You guys feel the same way?" Ye Xiaoxiao smiled. "I thought I was the only one who thought she went too far."
"How could that be?" Pear Blossom pouted. "When our children visit her for the New Year, she only gives them one yuan, saying that life is tough these days. But when her children come, we have to give them five or ten yuan."
Xinghua chimed in, "Exactly! Every year when our six children visit, she only gives them six yuan, saying it's one yuan per person. But look today, my sister-in-law gave each of her two children ten yuan, Mom also gave ten yuan, and we still have to give each of us five yuan. In the end, her two children only got a little over thirty yuan. But she's so generous; she just gives each family five yuan worth of things when she arrives, making it all her money back."
"Forget it," Ye Xiaoxiao sighed, "The children are innocent, let's not hold it against them. They're still our nephews."
Just then, the fifth brother returned, his face beaming with joy: "Eldest sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, I have something I'd like to tell you."
"What's wrong?" Ye Xiaoxiao put down her work.
"It's about... Xiaoling and me." The fifth brother was a little embarrassed. "Her family has agreed, so I don't need to marry into their family."
"That's great!" Ye Xiaoxiao said with a smile. "When are you planning to get married?"
"Well... Xiaoling said she wants to buy a house in the provincial capital." The fifth brother rubbed his hands together. "She said houses are cheap there now; you can buy a 70-square-meter apartment for just over 50,000 yuan."
Ye Xiaoxiao understood: "Does she want you to settle down in the provincial capital?"
"Yes, she said she works over there, and if I go to work in the county or city, it'll be troublesome to travel back and forth."
The fifth brother explained, "Besides, her family lives there too, so it will be convenient for her to take care of the elderly in the future."
"That's one possibility," Ye Xiaoxiao nodded. "What's your own thought?"
"I...I also want to move to the provincial capital. There are more opportunities there, and the salaries are higher. It's just the housing..."
Ye Xiaoxiao understood what he meant: "You want us to pay for your room?"
"Sister-in-law, that's not what I meant," the fifth brother quickly waved his hand. "I just wanted to ask for your opinions."
"You'll have to ask your parents about this," Ye Xiaoxiao said. "But I think going to the provincial capital is a good idea. Young people should try their luck. Don't worry about the house; your older brother and I will help if we can." Ye Xiaoxiao was willing to help her fifth brother. Don't underestimate a young man's potential; it's normal for recent graduates. Her fifth brother graduated from a prestigious university, so his future salary would definitely be high. His wife was a classmate, and with some hard work, they could buy a house in a few years. Ye Xiaoxiao had already bought three houses in the provincial capital. They cost a little over 20,000 yuan each, so she could let them live there first and pay off the debt slowly.
"Really?" The fifth brother's eyes lit up.
"Of course it's true," Ye Xiaoxiao said with a smile, "but I have to ask my parents if they agree first. After all, you're going to such a far place."
"Okay, I'll go tell Mom and Dad right away." The fifth brother ran off happily.
"That fifth brother certainly knows how to pick his timing," Xinghua said with a smile, "taking advantage of my sister-in-law's good mood today."
"That's right," Pear Blossom laughed, "but it's still my sister-in-law who cares most about her brothers. Look at Sister Yan Hong, she's the older sister, and instead of helping her brothers, she's always trying to get them to help her."
Ye Xiaoxiao waved her hand: "Alright, stop talking about her. If this deal with Lao Wu goes through, you'll have a place to stay when you take the kids to the provincial capital."
"That's true."
Just then, Li Chenyang came in: "Wife, Dad wants you to come over. He says it's about Fifth Brother buying a house in the provincial capital."
Ye Xiaoxiao nodded: "Okay, I'll go right now. Have Zhiqiang bring the car out; we'll take Mom and Dad to the provincial capital to look at houses later."
"You're going right now?" Li Chenyang was taken aback.
"Of course," Ye Xiaoxiao said as they walked, "Let's finalize things during these few days of the New Year holiday. The sooner we settle on the house, the more at ease we'll feel."
Watching Ye Xiaoxiao's retreating figure, Xinghua and Lihua exchanged a glance and smiled, "Sister-in-law is so thoughtful."
When Ye Xiaoxiao arrived at the main room, she saw Li Jianguo and Liu Juan sitting there, with Lao Wu standing to the side, seemingly having just finished speaking.
"Dad, Mom, what do you think about Fifth Brother going to the provincial capital?" Ye Xiaoxiao asked as she sat down.
"This child, is she going so far away?" Liu Juan said, feeling a little reluctant to let her go.
"Mom, there are more opportunities and higher salaries over there," the fifth son explained. "Besides, Xiaoling works there, and we can't live apart."
Li Jianguo hesitated for a moment: "Going is fine, but the house..."
“I have a friend, I didn’t even remember her if you hadn’t mentioned it. She said she has a house in the provincial capital and is planning to move south. She asked me to help her sell it. It’s a 90-square-meter house, and she only wants 40,000 yuan. We’ll help you pay 20,000 yuan upfront, so you and your husband can live there first. We’ll pay you back gradually as we make money, no interest. How does that sound?”
"Really? Sister-in-law!" The fifth brother was overjoyed. They had worked all year and only saved five thousand yuan. They came back to discuss this matter, hoping to borrow some money from their older brother to buy a house. They planned to pay it back slowly later.
"This...this is too much trouble." Liu Juan looked at her husband, feeling embarrassed that her eldest daughter-in-law had just given 20,000 yuan to build a house for the family, and now she had also taken care of the house for her fifth son. She felt ashamed, as if she, as the parents, couldn't do anything right.
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