Chapter 111 Bragging is a hidden trick
"If I don't give it all at once, there won't even be enough to buy a house," Fan Xiaoxue said. "Shi Nan's wife is pregnant, and she doesn't want him to have too much involvement with us. After all, I'm a woman, a woman who once loved her man, so it's normal for her to care."
Fan Xiaoxue's tone was not very good. Her man was in jail, but Shi Nan was not in jail, and neither was Xie Shaojun.
"Xie Shaojun has had several girlfriends, changing one after another," Fan Xiaoxue said. "He's even more proficient in changing women than Shi Nan. Haha, having money is good. You can eat and drink the best. When you get out and hang out with them in the future, you can do the same."
"I didn't think that way." Shi Kaihua said, "I just want you and your child to live a good life. I..."
"Snakes and rats run together," Fan Xiaoxue said. "We'll talk about other things after you come out. It's almost time, you'll be out soon."
Fan Xiaoxue didn't want to talk about so many things with Shi Kaihua right now. Those things couldn't be discussed here. She'd considered divorce if all else failed, but until the very end, she hadn't considered divorce at all. If she divorced Shi Kaihua, the Shi family wouldn't let her take her son. The shop was also there, and if they attacked it, Fan Xiaoxue wouldn't be able to stop them.
The house Fan Xiaoxue bought was not in this area, but in another area. Fan Xiaoxue rented out the house first. She did not live there with her children, so renting out the house would help her make some money back.
"Think carefully for a while now," Fan Xiaoxue said. "What are you going to do in the future? It's only a few months away, and you'll be out soon. Don't think about anything else after you get out and just run off to find Shi Nan and Xie Shaojun."
Fan Xiaoxue thought that if Shi Nan and Xie Shaojun didn't want Shi Kaihua to go, those people would probably say it was her fault. Yes, she, Fan Xiaoxue, didn't want her man to have too much contact with Shi Nan and the others.
After the Lunar New Year, Sheng Jiahao still had to go to Jiang's mother's family with Jiang's mother and Zhao Guodong. The birthday party was held on the sixth day of the first lunar month. Sheng Jiahao would go there, eat the birthday party, and then come back.
The night before Sheng Jiahao passed away, Jiang Moli had a few words with Sheng Jiahao. They said it in the room, not in front of Jiang's parents.
"It will take you three or four days to come back this time." Jiang Moli said, "You don't meet your uncle and aunt that often, so just greet them. If someone asks you to borrow money, don't lend it to them."
Jiang Moli said it in advance so that Sheng Jiahao wouldn't have to think about lending money to those people. Those people were Jiang Moli's relatives, but Jiang Moli herself was not close to them.
"If it's the elders like my uncle, just lend them some money, and don't bother with others." Jiang Moli said, "Mom didn't say these words, and I guess she meant the same thing when the time comes. It's not that they will definitely ask you for money, but... when my sister-in-law came to the city, didn't many people ask her for money? The money in her hands was spent, and some were borrowed, and then they had to come to me to borrow money."
With such a large family, Jiang Moli couldn't guarantee that no one from the Lu family would ask Sheng Jiahao for money. Sheng Jiahao made a lot of money, but his family's money didn't just come from nowhere. Relatives rarely interacted with each other to begin with, and with the passing of Jiang's mother and the older generation, the frequency of interaction would be even lower. If a distant relative, with whom she had little contact, borrowed money, there was no guarantee they would pay it back in the future.
Jiang Moli didn't ask Sheng Jiahao to spend his money. Since they had agreed on it in advance, it wouldn't be difficult for Sheng Jiahao to do it.
"Mom, come with me. I'll ask you more." Sheng Jiahao said. He didn't mind lending some money, but it mainly depended on what Jiang's mother and Jiang Moli thought. "You have a performance tomorrow night. Mom said she will come to take care of the baby."
The "mother" in front refers to Jiang's mother, and the "mother" in the back refers to Teacher Lu.
Jiang's mother was going to the Lu family with Sheng Jiahao, while Jiang's father was at home. Teacher Lu and his wife planned to stay for a few days to keep an eye on the baby. Jiang's father was a man after all, and Teacher Lu was worried that he wouldn't be as attentive as Jiang's mother. Men are generally careless, so having Teacher Lu come over to take care of the child would give everyone a little more peace of mind.
"Don't worry too much about the child. Mom will take good care of the baby." Sheng Jiahao said, "We will be back as soon as possible."
"Yeah, okay." Jiang Moli nodded.
The next morning, Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother left. They drove there instead of taking the train. A driver driving was preferable; it would have been faster than the train. The journey was long, so they brought two drivers, in a larger car that could seat several people.
Jiang's mother brought a lot of things with her, all for the Lu family. Jiang's mother hadn't been there in years, and she had to visit some relatives. It wasn't good to go empty-handed when visiting a relative's home, so Zhao Guodong went with Sheng Jiahao and the others in a car.
Teacher Lu and his wife came over. When they arrived, Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother had already left.
"Mom." Jiang Moli walked to Teacher Lu's side. The baby was sitting in the stroller playing and walking around by himself.
"Have your mother and the others left?" asked Teacher Lu.
"Yes, we just set off." Jiang Moli said.
"You have a performance tonight, so go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of the baby." Teacher Lu sprayed herself with disinfectant before going to take care of the baby.
"I'll go to work in the afternoon." Jiang Moli said.
"You should get some rest then," Teacher Lu said. "You've been so busy these past few days that you haven't gotten enough rest. Jiahao and your mother are out again, so you should get some rest."
Teacher Lu looked around and asked, "Where's your dad?"
"Dad is in the backyard." Jiang Moli said.
"It's New Year's Day, and you're still tidying up the vegetable garden?" Teacher Lu was puzzled.
"No, I'm just sitting in the backyard to rest." Jiang Moli said, "My dad wanted to come and help take care of the baby, but I said I would take a look and he went to bask in the sun first."
"Okay." Teacher Lu nodded.
Since Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother were not at home, the baby would look for them. Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Lu, as well as Jiang's father, were there, so the baby stopped crying all the time.
On a new day, Sheng Jiahao and the others attended Uncle Lu's birthday party. They gave red envelopes according to the amount Jiang's mother had specified. Zhao Guodong asked his second aunt's children, and they all gave similar amounts. Sheng Jiahao and Zhao Guodong also gave red envelopes to the other uncles and second aunt. Whether anyone else gave red envelopes to Jiang's mother was irrelevant; Jiang's mother could still host birthday parties in the future.
The others were indeed not as generous as Sheng Jiahao and Zhao Guodong. They just gave Uncle Lu a red envelope.
Second Aunt Lu even pulled Jiang's mother aside and asked, "Is this how you give out red envelopes?"
"We rarely come here, as we're too far away from you," Jiang's mother said. "This is a token of our appreciation to the children before we replenish the bags. Take it."
"Didn't Jasmine come?" asked Aunt Lu.
"Moli has a performance today and can't come," Jiang's mother said. "Their company has been very busy lately. If she had asked for leave to come, it would have delayed things, so she didn't come."
"Your Jasmine is busy," said Aunt Lu. "She's also famous and has made a lot of money, right?"
"We don't make a lot of money. If we make a lot, we spend a lot too. Our household expenses are high," Jiang's mother said. "Last year, Guodong and his wife repaid the money they borrowed from Jasmine. Jasmine's father and I live with her, and Jasmine and her husband are responsible for our food, clothing, housing, and transportation, which also costs money."
"I'm not asking you to borrow money, I'm just asking." Aunt Lu said.
In the past, Aunt Lu thought Jiang Moli had no future in learning opera and that she should do something else. But now that Jiang Moli is so famous and even appeared on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, Aunt Lu and her friends' attitude towards Jiang Moli has changed. They all think Jiang Moli is very capable and good at making money.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that we really don't have much money." Jiang's mother said, "Moli used all her earnings to buy houses and other things."
"Don't they already have a house to live in?" asked Aunt Lu.
"Having a house to live in is an investment, isn't it? Buy a few more houses and rent them out," Jiang's mother said. "Money depreciates if you keep it in your hands. It's better to buy something to preserve its value."
"That's because Jasmine is rich. We don't have that much money. We can spend whatever we have without having to think about it." Aunt Lu said, "Your Jasmine is more relaxed."
"How can it be easy?" Jiang's mother said, "It's not easy at all. She has a heavy burden on her shoulders. She has to go to performances right now and can't rest at home. She can't come to her uncle's birthday either."
"It's not her fault. It's just work." Aunt Lu said, "Isn't Jasmine's husband here?"
With Sheng Jiahao here, it's hard for those people to say why Jiang Moli didn't come. They all know that Jiang Moli has been busy lately, and Aunt Lu and the others are a bit more relaxed at this time. Uncle Lu can't just consider Jiang Moli's time when holding a birthday party, he still has to consider the time of others. If others can make time to come, then we can just arrange things. If someone doesn't come, there's nothing we can do about it.
Actually, Aunt Lu and her children hadn't come yet, as everyone had their own things to do. If they hadn't come, they'd have asked someone else to bring the red envelopes.
Uncle Lu held his birthday party at home, with five or six tables of banquets, and quite a lot of relatives came.
Sheng Jiahao and his friends arrived last night and stayed at a hotel instead of at Uncle Lu's and his friends' homes. It wasn't that their homes weren't good, but they were short on rooms. When Uncle Lu's children returned, they couldn't find a place to stay and had to sleep on the floor. Sheng Jiahao had money, and since he wasn't close to the others, he naturally wanted to stay out. He paid for the hotel and even let Zhao Guodong stay with them, not to mention Jiang's mother.
Jiang's mother also lives in the hotel, so she can talk to Uncle Lu and the others during the day, not necessarily at night.
During the banquet, several people asked Sheng Jiahao questions, and Sheng Jiahao answered them one by one.
Some relatives, not familiar with Sheng Jiahao's company, asked, "How much do you make a month? A few hundred yuan? Over a thousand? I heard some good companies can pay over a thousand yuan a month."
"The profit is okay." Sheng Jiahao said.
Sheng Jiahao didn't explain things too clearly to these people, and he just listened to their bragging.
Some relatives there talk about how much they earn in a month, saying that what they earn is not enough and they need to earn more.
"..." Zhao Guodong heard what those people said and looked at Sheng Jiahao. Zhao Guodong felt that Sheng Jiahao was really patient. Sheng Jiahao didn't even say that he earned more than just that money. Sheng Jiahao could still smile at those people and agree with them.
"I don't know how to spend all that money I made," one relative boasted. "I'm afraid thieves will steal it if I keep it at home, and I'm also a little worried about putting it in the bank."
"You guys are awesome. You're living a great life," said Sheng Jiahao.
"It's okay," the relative continued. "It's just average. I still need to earn more. I've replaced the TV at home from the black and white one to a vegetable one."
"Color TV is better, it looks better." Sheng Jiahao said.
"You can also play discs," the relative said. "You can rent discs and watch them at home. Renting discs costs money, and if you rent more, it's a little cheaper. But we don't have that much time to watch them. If we rent less, we have to pay more. There's nothing we can do about it."
"You don't have time to look at it, so renting less actually saves money," said Sheng Jiahao.
"..." After hearing this, the relative insisted, "This isn't about saving money, it's about spending more. Don't be like us. We earn more, otherwise, we wouldn't dare spend like this."
"Yes, we have to save some money because we have children at home," said Sheng Jiahao.
"Children, you have to let them study more." The relative continued, "We let them go out to take interest classes. By the way, is your child a boy or a girl? Regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, they have to learn more. If they don't learn more, they will not be able to compare with others and will lose at the starting line. You have to be willing to spend money on your children, don't be reluctant to spend money on them. We always give them the best. We also let our children learn piano and other things. Even if they don't like it, we don't force them and change them to other things to learn."
It’s not because piano lessons are expensive, it’s because the kids don’t like them.
That relative just wanted others to know that his family was rich, and that his family was really, really rich.
"If the child doesn't like it, you really can't force it." Sheng Jiahao said.
"We, as parents, are spoiling our children too much," the relative said. "You can't not spoil them. They're your own children. You must let them study more. It's okay if you can't compare to others, but you can't let your children fall behind."
When Sheng Jiahao came, Jiang's mother didn't let him dress too well. Even if Sheng Jiahao dressed a little better, others would think he was pretending.
The relative was wearing a gold necklace around his neck, and he patted it with his hands as if he was afraid that others wouldn't see it.
Zhao Guodong admired Sheng Jiahao very much. Sheng Jiahao actually talked so much to that relative. Sheng Jiahao didn't seem to be perfunctory. He would talk whenever someone talked to him.
Sheng Jiahao thought that they didn't know when they would come back, so there was no need to offend them. As for his own family, Sheng Jiahao didn't need to tell them much; he just knew what his family was like.
After the birthday party, everyone was chatting again, and Sheng Jiahao also stayed there. After chatting for a while, the three of them went to the hotel.
After Sheng Jiahao and his friends arrived at the hotel, the relative who had spoken to him said, "They're probably just pretending to be rich. I don't think they have much money. Look at how poor Guodong is. His sister didn't even come."
"His sister often performs." someone else said.
"Does the performance money belong to her? No, it belongs to the company," the relative said. "There are so many people to share the money, how can there be so much money? There were some successful opera troupes in the past, but how much did they make? We might as well start some small business and make a little more. I just asked Jasmine if her husband could do some small business with us, and he said no, he could just work for them. You have a narrow vision."
When Aunt Lu heard this, she was speechless. "He runs a company and does business on his own. Why would he need to do business with you?"
Second Aunt Lu didn't know much, but most of the Lu family knew about Sheng Jiahao's company. The relative was the son-in-law of Uncle Lu, who always liked to act like he was rich.
"That's in South City, a company in such a big place." Aunt Lu said.
“…” The relative was stunned. He thought Sheng Jiahao was not that powerful.
It's over, I've lost all my face.
But the relative didn't say that. "He said he was running a company, right? He might just be working as a driver for his boss, and yet he still said he was running a company."
"They came by car, bringing two drivers with them," said Aunt Lu.
"Maybe some friends are coming over to visit," the relative said. "You don't know who they are, Second Aunt. They live so far away from us, we don't know them at all."
The relative meant that Sheng Jiahao lived too far away from them, and Sheng Jiahao could say whatever he wanted. The relative didn't attend Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao's wedding banquet, so he didn't understand much.
"I talked to him so much, but he didn't mention anything about the company." The relative said, if Sheng Jiahao really made money, as a man, how could he not show off.
Aunt Lu stopped talking after hearing this. She didn't care what these people thought. Sheng Jiahao and his friends came over often enough. It was better for relatives to show off their wealth than for these people to ask Sheng Jiahao for money.
Jiang Moli went to a performance, and as soon as it was over, she hurried back home to be with her baby. Jiang Moli was worried that her mother was not at home, and that the baby would not be used to it. Jiang Moli's mother had always been at home taking care of the baby and was rarely away. Even with Teacher Lu around, Jiang Moli was still a little worried.
"The baby is quite well behaved," said Teacher Lu. "He just keeps asking to go out and play. Even when it's dark, he still wants to go out. So I take him for a walk in the yard, turn on the light, and let him play."
"He's just like that, always wanting to go outside." Jiang Moli said, "It's more fun outside."
"Little baby." Jiang Moli looked at her son who was sitting on the sofa and watching TV. Her son was indeed quite well behaved at this time.
"He took a nap in the afternoon, and then took another nap after dinner in the evening. I guess he won't go to bed so soon now." Teacher Lu said, "You can wash up and go to bed. I'll watch over him here."
"It's okay, there's no performance tomorrow." Jiang Moli said, "You don't have to go to work tomorrow morning."
"Wash up first. You need to accompany him. Come back to accompany him later." Teacher Lu said.
The little baby stared at the TV and didn't even look at Jiang Moli. He kept laughing while watching.
Jiang Moli looked at the TV. The content on TV was not funny at all, but the baby was laughing over there. Children's thoughts are different from adults. Jiang Moli thought that as long as the baby was happy, that's all.
After Jiang Moli finished cleaning up, she went downstairs to see the baby and play with him for a while.
The phone at home rang. Jiang Moli went to answer it. It was Sheng Jiahao calling.
"We will go back tomorrow and may arrive home late." Sheng Jiahao said.
"Okay." Jiang Moli nodded. "Be careful on the road. Ask the driver to drive more steadily. Don't come back too quickly."
"Haven't you rested yet?" Sheng Jiahao asked.
"The baby hasn't slept yet. Stay with him for a while." Jiang Moli said, "I'll go to rest soon."
"Then you should go to bed early." Sheng Jiahao said.
"Mom is next to you. Do you want to talk to her?" Jiang Moli asked.
"No need, I'll be home tomorrow." Sheng Jiahao said, "Let Mom rest early too."
"Okay." Jiang Moli nodded.
Sheng Jiahao quickly hung up the phone, and the two of them didn't talk much. It was late, and Sheng Jiahao should go to bed and come back tomorrow.
"Is it a call from Jiahao?" asked Teacher Lu.
"Yes, he said he would be home tomorrow, so I won't say much." Jiang Moli said, and she yawned.
"He's right. It's so late. There's no need to talk so much on the phone. Go to bed early. You'll be back tomorrow." Teacher Lu said, "Moli, you go and rest first. I'll look after the baby. The baby still needs to sleep."
"Okay." Jiang Moli nodded.
Jiang Moli went back upstairs to rest while Teacher Lu was taking care of the children.
When Jiang's mother was at home, Teacher Lu came over. Sometimes the two of them didn't have time to take care of the child at the same time. When one of Jiang's mother and Teacher Lu was there, the child would be more well-behaved and calmer. When Jiang Moli went upstairs, she took another look at the child.
He Jingxian still didn't go to see the child, not even once. Qi Shixin didn't take the child to He Jingxian's place. He Jingxian went out these days, and she would go sit outside for a while.
When the neighbor saw He Jingxian, he asked, "Have you been to see your children?"
"The child is not at home." He Jingxian said.
"Some other day, some other day." The neighbors just thought that He Jingxian went to see the child, but the child was not at home.
He Jingxian didn't go there at all. She said these things in front of the neighbors just to make them think that she had gone. He Jingxian didn't want the neighbors to think that she didn't care about the child. If people didn't ask, He Jingxian wouldn't say anything. If people asked, He Jingxian would say things that would cause misunderstanding.
This year, Pan Yun and Shi Nan did not go to the Shi family's house at this time. Pan Yun was pregnant and had not given birth yet, but she was about to give birth. Mrs. Pan asked Shi Nan not to go to the Shi family's house at this time, saying that the feng shui of the Shi family was not good and that Shi Nan's visit at this time would affect Pan Yun's childbirth.
"It's not that I'm forcing you to go, it's the fortune teller who said so," Mrs. Pan said. "Don't go there and get involved with unclean things. Your mother is the same way, she's committed too many bad things through her words. The fortune teller said your mother always likes to gossip about others and has offended many people. Whether those people are still alive or not, your mother has committed sins."
Shi Nan didn't know whether the fortune teller had said this. He knew that Mrs. Pan didn't want him to go there, and he didn't want to go to the Shi family either.
"I'll stay at home more often to accompany Pan Yun." Shi Nan said.
"We need to be home without someone. You've been out working lately, but remember to come back early," Mrs. Pan said. "Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell. I only have one daughter, so you have to take care of her. The baby in her belly is yours."
"It's my duty." Shi Nan said.
"Don't learn from your father-in-law and mess around outside." Mrs. Pan reminded Shi Nan.
Shi Nan himself didn't have much money. If his daughter hadn't been with Shi Nan, Shi Nan wouldn't be able to do such a good business now. No matter how good Shi Nan's business was, it was still not as good as the Pan family's. Mrs. Pan scolded Shi Nan. If the Pan family wanted to deal with Shi Nan, it would be a matter of minutes.
"No." Shi Nan said, at least he doesn't have any illegitimate children now.
Shi Nan's father-in-law had many illegitimate children, and the illegitimate daughters were married and received some dowry. Those illegitimate children entered the company to fight. The Pan family had three illegitimate sons, two older illegitimate sons entered the company, and another illegitimate son was in his teens. They also had two illegitimate daughters, one of whom was already married and the other was still unmarried.
Boss Pan is really good at hiding these children. The number of illegitimate children isn't actually that high, considering some couples have five or six. Boss Pan's illegitimate children were born to two mistresses. The second and youngest illegitimate children have one mother, while the older one has another.
At that time, Boss Pan didn't dare to have more than one mistress. He was very shrewd and well-hidden for having these two mistresses. There was no family planning at the time, so if he had more children, no one would say anything. They would be registered normally, and there would be people to cover up for them, so naturally there would be no trouble.
You have to know that hooliganism was a serious crime at the time, and Boss Pan must have had some talent back then, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten other men to cover up for him. The main issue was that people from different places didn't share marriage information, so Boss Pan allowed men from other places to get marriage certificates with their mistresses. Those men could go back home and still have wives and children, and still get paid every month. How wonderful!
Some people suffered during special times, while others hid themselves well and lived well.
Mrs. Pan looked at Shi Nan. Shi Nan didn't dare to look for other women yet, but she didn't know what would happen in the future. Mrs. Pan had once thought her husband didn't dare look for other women, but he did, which gave her a headache. Her husband had also been with a married woman, but that was after the reform and opening up, and Mrs. Pan caught him red-handed. Mrs. Pan naturally didn't say much, at most asking Boss Pan to pay a small price and give her more things.
Mrs. Pan knew that Pan Yun liked Shi Nan very much. The more she liked someone, the more she cared about those things. Mrs. Pan couldn't let her daughter be betrayed during her pregnancy and childbirth. She had to ask Shi Nan to pay more attention and treat Pan Yun better.
As a mother-in-law, Mrs. Pan was worried that Shi Nan would be unhappy with what she said, but so what. All men are the same, and Shi Nan was not with Pan Yun out of love. In other words, Pan Yun foolishly thought that Shi Nan liked her, but Mrs. Pan didn't believe it at all.
"Tell your mother not to come over these days," Madam Pan said. "She always likes to make trouble. If she makes a good child suffer... You know what your mother is like. It's not my place to say this. Your mother doesn't look like someone who would be nice to other girls. Yunyun married you as your wife, but your mother has always treated her like an outsider."
"Don't let her come over." Shi Nan said.
Shi's mother really wanted to go to Shi Nan's place. She thought Pan Yun was about to give birth, and she thought she should go over to take care of the baby. Shi's mother also wondered what she should bring with her when she went, and whether she should stay at Shi Nan's house for a while. She knew how to take care of a child better, something Pan Yun didn't know. Mrs. Pan hired someone to take care of Pan Yun's child, but she didn't trust those people as much as her own family.
"These things need to be cleaned up, don't wait until it's too late to clean them up." Shi's mother went back and forth between the living room and the room.
"No need to clean up." said Shi's father.
"You don't have to clean up. You won't be able to do anything there. I can help them with more things if I go there," said Shi's mother. "They have never raised a child and don't know how to take care of a child. I can help them more if I go there."
"They won't let you through." Shi's father said bluntly.
"How is that possible?" Shi's mother said, "Pan Yun's mother doesn't seem like someone who would take care of someone during confinement. If I don't go..."
"They will hire someone." Shi's father said.
"How can the people we invite be useful?" asked Shi's mother.
"The person you hired doesn't have to be so talkative. If you pay, you have to take good care of them." Shi's father said, "Don't go there. If you go, will they let you stay there? I'm afraid they won't even let you in!"
What Shi's father said was very likely. Shi's mother knew the Pan family's attitude towards her, and she didn't need Shi's father to say too much. But Shi's mother still had fantasies about Shi Nan. Shi Nan was on the side of those people, so it was impossible for Shi Nan to think too much about Shi's mother.
"..." Mother Shi felt unhappy when she heard this, "That's our son's home!"
"My son's house is useless." Shi's father said, "It's not the house our family bought, it's the house the girl's family bought."
"Let Shi Nan buy another house with the money he earned," said Shi's mother.
"Shi Nan can only make that much money thanks to his father-in-law's family," Shi's father said. "We can't help him."
So no matter whether Shi Nan buys another house or not, Shi's father and mother should not go there too often, because Shi Nan's attitude towards them will not be good.
Mother Shi felt sad. She sat on the sofa and said, "I really want to help them take care of the child. Look at Jiang Moli, she just keeps her biological parents by her side and lets them live with her. What about Shi Nan? How could he not let us go over there?"
"Didn't you think Jiang Moli was not good at first?" Shi's father said, "If you let Shi Nan be with Jiang Moli, you could still get through."
"We can't let Shi Nan be with Jiang Moli. Jiang Moli always thinks about her parents' home and gives her things from her husband's family to her parents' home." Shi's mother said, "We can't afford someone like that."
"Can you afford someone like Pan Yun?" Shi's father asked.
"..." Shi's mother didn't say anything. She hoped that her son could be with someone richer and that her daughter-in-law would have a diploma. But someone like Pan Yun who had not even graduated from junior high school was still far behind. Pan Yun just had a good family background.
In the evening, Sheng Jiahao and others returned home. The driver first sent Zhao Guodong back, and finally sent Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother back home.
When Jiang Moli saw Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother coming back, she quickly said, "You haven't had dinner yet, right? Go have dinner first."
"We didn't have dinner here," Jiang's mother said. "We wanted to eat on the way, but after thinking about it, we decided it would be better to eat when we get back so as not to waste time. We had lunch and breakfast, but we haven't had dinner yet."
"Hurry up, go eat." Jiang Moli said, she looked at Sheng Jiahao, "Eat quickly, we have already eaten."
Jiang Moli and the others didn't know when Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother would be back, so of course they had to eat first. They couldn't wait for Jiang's mother and the others to come back hungry. Teacher Lu took the child to the backyard. There was no other way, the child just wanted to go out and play. Teacher Lu and his wife had no choice but to accompany the child to play. Jiang's father was in the backyard tidying up the vegetable garden. Several people were in the backyard, except Jiang Moli.
Jiang Moli was originally preparing to go to the backyard. When she heard the noise, she wondered if Sheng Jiahao and Jiang's mother had returned.
"Your uncle asked us to stay there for two more days, but we didn't play there." Jiang's mother said, "He also said that Jiahao and Guodong should come back first, but I didn't agree. It's better for us to come back together."
Jiang's mother didn't want to stay there any longer. At her age, staying a few more days would be just that. Returning by herself would be inconvenient. It would be better to return directly with Sheng Jiahao and Zhao Guodong. Jiang's mother was also worried about the baby, so it was better to return early.
"If you want to play for a few more days, that's fine." Jiang Moli said.
"There's nothing much to talk about. If we need to talk, we've already talked," Jiang's mother said. "Everyone has their own lives now. In the end, we're just talking about family matters. It's nothing serious, so there's no need to stay there."
"It's better to come back soon." Jiang Moli said, "Are uncle and the others all okay?"
"Okay, everything is fine." Jiang's mother said.
After dinner, Sheng Jiahao took a short break and went upstairs to change his clothes. After a short while, it was already very late.
In the bedroom, Jiang Moli asked Sheng Jiahao if anything happened at their uncle's house.
"They're doing pretty well. They're running a business and making a lot of money," Sheng Jiahao said. "They also told us to let our children study more and not let them lose at the starting line."
"That's right." Jiang Moli nodded. "We can't let our children lose at the starting line. We need them to study more. Is there anything else?"
"Nothing." Sheng Jiahao said, "Nothing happened. Those people were quite welcoming and warm to us."
"That's good." Jiang Moli said, "As long as nothing happens."
Zhao Guodong told Niu Cuihua about his time at his uncle's house. He mentioned Sheng Jiahao's performance, and how much he admired him. While others were bragging, Sheng Jiahao would nod and praise them. No wonder Sheng Jiahao was able to become a big boss. Zhao Guodong thought he couldn't do that. He wanted to expose others, but how could he do that? Maybe others really made that much money, and it was Zhao Guodong himself who didn't.
"Brother-in-law really talked to those people." Zhao Guodong gave a thumbs up.
"What else could my brother-in-law say after hearing what they said? He couldn't just say he made more money." Niu Cuihua said, "Your sister and brother-in-law have always been relatively low-key. They didn't go out of their way to tell others about anything that happened at home. You were just there for your uncle's birthday party, so just say a few words."
"I wanted to say something at the time, but I didn't dare to say it," Zhao Guodong said. "If my brother-in-law didn't say anything, what could I say?"
"You don't need to say anything, just listen." Niu Cuihua said, "If it doesn't work, just ask someone if they can lend you some money."
“…” Zhao Guodong couldn’t possibly say such a thing.
"It really takes a long time for you to go there once. It takes too much time." Niu Cuihua said, "No wonder Mom rarely goes there and doesn't take you there more often."
"In the past, we were all very poor," Zhao Guodong said. "The travel expenses were too high and we couldn't afford them."
After Zhao's father passed away, Jiang's mother didn't think about taking Zhao Guodong back to her parents' home. Jiang's mother had a job in South City, and she couldn't give up her job to take Zhao Guodong back to her parents' home. After returning to her parents' home, Jiang's mother would be without a job, so how would she support Zhao Guodong? If Jiang's mother stayed in South City, she could still support Zhao Guodong with her salary.
"When I was very young, I didn't have much memory of my uncles," Zhao Guodong said. "They lived far away and rarely came over. My mother would sometimes talk about them, but it was rare."
If the distance were closer, my uncle and his people could also help Jiang's mother, but unfortunately the distance is too far. It would be good if everyone could live their own lives well.
"Some people like to brag a little, but fortunately, no one asked us to borrow money. When we went there, they just asked how we were doing and if we were doing well," Zhao Guodong said. "On the way, my mother told us not to borrow money from others, and if others asked us to borrow money, we shouldn't borrow it. The distance between the two places is too far. It might be fine for our generation, but the next generation might not recognize those relatives anymore."
Jiang's mother was right. It wasn't just her opinion; Aunt Lu and the others all thought so. It was better to avoid financial involvement, unless there was absolutely no other way and you had to borrow money from someone.
"Mom is right." Niu Cuihua said, "Not to mention you, even if we come to the city, I don't want to bother with some relatives. The main reason is that they always ask me to borrow money, and I can't lend them money."
At Miao Guifeng's home, Daya still had to continue rinsing sweet potatoes. During Chinese New Year, Miao Guifeng didn't buy new clothes for her three daughters. Instead, she used other people's hand-me-downs for them and bought clothes for her son. She also said that her son's hand-me-downs could also be worn by the daughters, and since her son was the oldest, he should be the first to wear new clothes.
Daya was not dissatisfied, Erya felt uncomfortable and said a few words, but Sanya knew nothing and just followed the adults' arrangements.
Before the Lantern Festival, Miao's mother came from the countryside to visit Miao Guifeng. She hadn't come last year, but she came this year to visit. Miao's mother knew about Erya's runaway and had wanted to come for a long time, but had been putting it off until this moment.
"Da Ya is quite capable," Miao's mother said. "When I arrived, she poured me some water and even moved a chair for me. Where's Er Ya? Where did Er Ya go?"
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