Jiang Si lives nearby, so there's no need to rush early.
After having breakfast, she packed her things and, together with Huo Tingzhou, each holding a little one's hand, slowly walked towards the courtyard house.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
"By the way, Yuanyuan," Lu's mother hesitated for a moment before asking at the dinner table, "We've been back in Beijing for so long now, should we tell your mother about your return?"
Lu's mother had known for a long time that her daughter-in-law had a bad relationship with her own family.
But this year is different; previously, their entire family lived in Xinjiang province.
Even if people live far apart and don't visit or contact each other during holidays, it's still understandable that people would talk about it.
But now that their whole family has moved back to Beijing, if they continue to hide and avoid contact, people who don't know the inside story will be in trouble.
They might even accuse the daughter-in-law of being ungrateful and unfilial!
However, these were ultimately matters concerning the daughter-in-law's family, and Lu's mother only offered a brief reminder.
As for what to do, ultimately it's up to the daughter-in-law to decide.
Mr. Lu thought so too, so when Mrs. Lu said those words, he didn't interrupt at all.
Huo Zhankai didn't say anything. Based on his understanding of his wife, he knew she would most likely do the same thing as last year and not go back.
Surprisingly, Meng Yuan looked over calmly after hearing this.
"Dad, Mom, I was just about to tell you that I'm going back to my parents' house this morning and won't be coming home for lunch."
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table was taken aback.
Huo Zhankai was the first to react, "I'll go with you after we eat."
He paused, then glanced at the two children again, "Bring Rui Rui and Yao Yao along too."
Meng Yuan shook her head. "No need, I can go back by myself."
This time, when she went back to her parents' home, she wasn't there to mend relations, but to confront them directly.
She can't not go back; her file is recorded at the educated youth office.
Her family back home never missed a call; they would call Xinjiang Province every three months.
The transfer to the Beijing Military Region was no secret; they could get the details with just a phone call to the unit.
"My third sister-in-law is right. It's not a good idea for me to keep hiding."
Rather than waiting for them to come knocking on her door and causing an awkward situation, she decided to strike first.
"Third sister-in-law?" Huo Zhankai raised an eyebrow slightly. He knew that the two of them had sat down and chatted for a while after dinner last night.
But he always thought that Meng Yuan had gone to thank her third brother and sister-in-law specifically for the courtyard house.
His guess was correct; Meng Yuan did indeed go to express her gratitude.
However, the majority of their mission was to learn from others' experiences.
In some ways, her family situation is very similar to Jiang Si's; both of them made a living from their stepparents.
However, she was not as brave and decisive as her third sister-in-law.
So much so that when they plotted against her back then, she didn't retaliate at all.
During her years in Xinjiang Province, Meng Yuan has grown a lot.
Now, she is no longer the girl who would find a place to silently shed tears when she was wronged.
Sensing the underlying meaning in her words, Huo Zhankai's eyes showed concern. "I'll go with you."
He was worried that his wife would suffer if she went back alone.
"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare."
No one understands them better than Meng Yuan. "They're trying to curry favor with us right now. Even if they had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on me."
If they really fight, the worst that can happen is that I'll get slapped.
Meng Yuan was eager to be slapped so that the matter would escalate and be put to a close.
Knowing he was worried about her, Meng Yuan said honestly, "If things really get out of hand, it won't do you any good."
Huo Zhankai was, after all, a soldier, and they were nominally his mother-in-law.
If a fight really breaks out, even if you're in the right, you'll become unreasonable.
Furthermore, Meng Yuan is also a person with her own pride and integrity.
She really didn't want Huo Zhankai to see the true colors of her family.
Having said that, Huo Zhankai didn't press her further. "Then I'll take you there. When we get to the door, I won't go in; I'll just wait for you outside."
Meng Yuan didn't object to this.
The main problem was that the items were quite heavy, and it was indeed difficult for her to carry them all by herself.
Seeing that the young couple had reached a consensus, Lu's mother didn't say anything.
While the two were eating, she quickly tidied up.
Although the gifts for Meng Yuan's family were not bought in advance, there were still many things at home because of the Lunar New Year.
So he quickly grabbed a cloth bag, filled it with half a pound of brown sugar, and then filled it with a few apples.
There's also a bottle of baijiu in the cabinet; take that too.
After thinking for a moment, he took a piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat from the snowdrift.
It's a four-piece set, quite presentable.
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