"Yuanyuan, take this with you."
"Mom, you don't need to bring all this." Seeing how much stuff Lu's mother had prepared, Meng Yuan couldn't help but speak the truth: "They don't deserve it!"
This isn't a question of whether they're a good match or not.
Lu's mother said, "It's not good to come empty-handed during the New Year; it'll give people something to say."
"Mother, I didn't come empty-handed, don't worry, I'm all ready."
As she said this, Meng Yuan grabbed a sack and went straight to the kitchen.
The remaining people, seeing this, also followed out of curiosity.
Then I saw Meng Yuan squatting in the corner, picking at the coal briquettes.
No, they're not coal briquettes, they're coal cakes.
The coal briquettes will be transported over, and there will be a lot of coal dust and slag underneath.
These were bought with money, so we can't waste them. We mix them with yellow soil, spread them into thin pancakes, stick them to the wall, and then scrape them off with a shovel after they dry.
This isn't as durable as coal, but it's passable for starting a fire in a stove.
Something is better than nothing.
In no time, Meng Yuan had filled half a sack with coal briquettes.
Mr. and Mrs. Lu were utterly stunned. "Yuanyuan, you...you're planning to take this with you?"
“Yes!” Meng Yuan gestured to Huo Zhan to tie the sack tightly with a rope before explaining.
Previously, when they called, they always complained about being poor, saying that they were so poor that they couldn't even afford to buy coal briquettes!
It's cold now, so this is the perfect gift.
Coal briquettes were cheap, costing 1.35 yuan per 100 jin (50 kg).
This half-sack, at most, is only worth two or three cents.
Seeing that it was almost time, Meng Yuan said, "Father, Mother, we'll be going now."
Lu's mother nodded, but her feelings were somewhat complicated.
The daughter-in-law is always thorough in her work, and this is the first time Lu's mother has seen her childlike side.
This shows how deeply her family hurt her.
Since that's the case, let her be happy.
I wonder what my in-laws will think when they see this huge bag of coal briquettes?
At this time, the Hao family.
Meng Yuan's mother, Qi Fang, and stepfather, Hao Chunlai, were completely unaware of Meng Yuan's arrival. At that moment, the couple were in the house, smashing pots and bowls and arguing fiercely.
That's the downside of tenement buildings; the soundproofing is practically nonexistent.
The couple had just started arguing when all the residents on the floor heard it.
The factory is not doing well this year and is in a state of partial shutdown. The younger generation has all gone to their parents' homes, leaving only the older generation at home.
Winter is already boring enough, so when something fun finally comes along, everyone is very enthusiastic.
So, a few elderly women, having nothing better to do, quickly ran to the house of Granny Li, which was diagonally opposite the Hao family's house.
"What's wrong with them today? It's only been two days since the Lunar New Year started, why are they arguing again?" As soon as they entered the door, the group couldn't wait to ask.
"Sigh, isn't that how it is for couples who get married later in life? There's always a distance between them!"
Aunt Li had obviously been listening for a while, and looked completely unfazed.
After gesturing for them to sit down, Aunt Li added quietly, "It sounds like they were arguing about holiday gifts."
The people living in the tenement building were all elderly people from the motor factory, and everyone knew the Meng family's situation very well.
When Qi Fang and Hao Chunlai got married, they each brought their children from previous marriages.
Qi Fang herself has two daughters and a son, and Meng Yuan is the eldest child in the family.
Hao Chunlai has two sons and one daughter.
For the first few years of their marriage, the two seemed to get along quite well, and no one noticed anything amiss.
But when the children actually grew up and were ready to start their own families, the conflicts between the two gradually became apparent.
First, Hao Chunlai schemed against Meng Yuan to raise money for his eldest son's betrothal gifts, forcing her to go to Xinjiang Province and even taking over her temporary job.
Later, when his second son got married, he schemed against Qi Fang's second daughter.
This time, no money was spent; the two families were exchanging brides.
It's like exchanging Qi Fang's second daughter for a wife for Hao's second son.
But when it came time for Qi Fang's youngest son to get married, Hao Chunlai did nothing but talk a good game and didn't contribute a single penny.
Even if Qi Fang is soft-hearted and muddle-headed, she has figured out something is off over the years.
Because of this, the couple has had many arguments over the past two years.
Just then, there was another loud crash from next door, sounding like an enamel basin falling to the ground, which startled several elderly women and made their hearts pound.
Fortunately, one of the elderly women, surnamed Fan, managed to stay calm.
While keeping her ears perked up, she also gave her fellow women a live simultaneous interpretation performance!
"Fangzi scolded Hao Chunlai for being a scoundrel and for his disgusting behavior!"
Hao Chunlai retorted, saying that she was being petty and that family members shouldn't be divided into "yours" and "mine."
"Fangzi was unhappy now. She said that if there was no distinction between 'yours' and 'mine,' then why did you give all the holiday gifts that your youngest daughter had sent over the years to Boss Hao without even asking her?"
"He also said, why didn't he contribute a single penny to his own youngest son's wedding!"
"What happened next? What did Hao Chunlai say?" The older women were all eagerly watching the drama unfold online.
Aunt Fan frowned and listened carefully, then shook her head. "Hao Chunlai was stammering; I couldn't hear him clearly."
The women exchanged glances, each giving a knowing look. "They're stammering; it's obvious they're guilty!"
"Here it comes, Hao Chunlai has spoken again. This time his voice was even louder than Fangzi's. He said that Fangzi is being unreasonable and always brings up old grievances whenever they argue."
"And they keep saying these are all old, trivial matters, is it really necessary to bring them up every day?"
Fangzi said, "Why shouldn't I speak up?"
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