Chapter 52: The truth is revealed. Whose daughter is Jiang Yuqin? ...
In the era before e-commerce, people basically bought things in person, and occasionally asked their neighbors to help bring some things with them when they went shopping.
Jiang Moli followed Sheng Jiahao. They picked out some things and then had to wait in line to check out. The line was incredibly long. Jiang Moli really didn't think it was a wise decision to go to this supermarket after dinner. The checkout line was so long, she might as well go home and sleep. Luckily, her boyfriend was right there, and she could see him and chat with him, so it wasn't too bad.
"Is there anything else you want to buy?" Sheng Jiahao asked, "I'm queuing here."
"No more." Jiang Moli shook her head. "Those people bought things like they were free and took a lot of things. We don't need to buy so much. My mom bought it a long time ago."
Jiang Moli didn't have to worry about New Year's shopping. She bought some things now to give to her grandparents later. After Jiang Moli started working and earned some money, she bought things for her grandparents. Since Jiang Moli was still single, Old Lady Jiang often told her not to buy those things, saying that Father and Mother Jiang could do the shopping.
"Okay." Sheng Jiahao said, "Let's wait together."
By the time Jiang Moli and the other girl paid, another ten minutes had passed. After they finished paying, they took the car back. Sheng Jiahao helped unload the items, and there were still some things he wanted to take back.
"Did you go to the mall?" Jiang's mother saw Sheng Jiahao and Jiang Moli brought back so many things.
"We went there after dinner. There were so many people in the mall, so many that we waited in line for a long time," said Jiang Moli.
"Of course there will be a lot of people if you go at this time," Jiang's mother said. "It's Chinese New Year, and everyone wants to buy more things. It's cheaper now. If you wait until the two days before Chinese New Year, things will be more expensive."
"After the New Year, aren't things cheaper?" Jiang Moli said, "Actually, you don't have to buy them before the New Year."
"When visiting relatives during the Lunar New Year, you have to give gifts, and some things are expensive," Jiang's mother said. "Anything we can think of, the merchants have also thought of. There are always ways to make money from us."
"Put the things here first, I'll go back first." Sheng Jiahao said goodbye to the Jiang family.
"You go back first and drive slowly," said Jiang's mother.
Jiang Moli went to see Sheng Jiahao off, and after Sheng Jiahao got in the car and drove away, Jiang Moli returned to the house.
"You've been shopping a lot lately," Jiang's mother asked. "How much did it cost?"
"Mom, didn't you also say that the New Year is coming soon?" Jiang Moli said, "During this period of the year, I have to spend more money. It's not that I have to buy, buy, buy, buy, buy, it's just the way it is during this period of time. What can I do? Can I say no, no, no, I won't celebrate the New Year, so I don't have to buy anything?"
Jiang Moli was still waving her hands over there pretending, "I won't buy it, I won't buy it, I can't spend your money, you celebrate the New Year, I won't, I won't."
"It's cramped." Jiang's mother glanced at Jiang Moli and smiled, "That's right, the New Year is all about spending money."
"I also bought something for Teacher Lu. It's not that I didn't buy anything. We can't let Jiahao keep spending money to buy things for us." Jiang Moli still knew some etiquette. It's just that her salary was not enough in front of Sheng Jiahao, and Jiang Moli couldn't spend all her salary.
"Just buy it," Jiang's mother said. "Relationships are mutual. You can't always think about what others have and not give anything to them. That won't work. You're dating Jiahao, and he's invested a lot of money and time."
"I've also invested my time, okay?" Jiang Moli said, "A woman's youth is very precious."
Jiang's mother put those things aside and waited for Jiang Moli to go to Old Lady Jiang's place the next day to send the things back.
The Chinese New Year was just two days away. At this moment, Aunt Jin confirmed from someone that Jiang Yuqin was her husband's biological daughter, and she turned the table over.
At first, Aunt Jin prepared a table full of food and asked her husband whose daughter Jiang Yuqin was. Uncle Jin said he didn't know. Aunt Jin saw that her husband was fine, so she couldn't help herself and overturned the table.
The table at home is made of wood, not one of those heavy marble ones.
"Nonsense, you clearly know that Jiang Yuqin is your biological daughter. She is your daughter, and she is not anyone else's daughter at all." Aunt Jin's eyes were red.
Second Aunt Jin's son and daughter-in-law were still present. They had never thought that Second Aunt Jin would overturn the table. They did not know Jiang Yuqin's life experience. But in Second Aunt Jin's eyes, she thought that these people knew.
"Are you siding with your father? Did you know this a long time ago?" Aunt Jin questioned her son and daughter-in-law.
"We don't know." Aunt Jin's son and daughter-in-law really didn't know. They had never heard of such a thing. "We really don't know."
"Whose daughter is Jiang Yuqin?" Aunt Jin asked Uncle Jin again.
"Just once, just that once, none of us thought that your sister would be pregnant with Jiang Yuqin. At first, we all thought that Jiang Yuqin was a girl from the Jiang family." said Uncle Jin Er.
"Once? Then how did you know she was your daughter?" Aunt Jin said, "They say the child's biological father said it when he was drunk. You knew it a long time ago."
"She looks a bit like our relatives back home," said Uncle Jin Er. "That's how I noticed. When she was little, I wasn't so sure."
"You...how dare you, how dare you?" Aunt Jin staggered back two steps. She really didn't expect things to be like this. She asked her sister before, but her sister said she couldn't tell her. She shouldn't have believed her sister at that time.
"It was just once, really just once, a spur of the moment action," said Uncle Jin. "No one wants something like this to happen. Your family forced your sister to marry into the Jiang family, and your sister wanted revenge on the Jiang family, and also wanted revenge... revenge on you, and that's why she acted like that."
Uncle Jin Er was a man, and he didn't control himself at the time. This kind of thing doesn't hurt a man. Uncle Jin Er and Jin Manzhi didn't have sex again after that one time, and that was because he was considering Aunt Jin Er. Jin Manzhi didn't love Uncle Jin Er, and after that one impulse, it was impossible for her to do anything else.
"Don't be angry, don't get sick from it." Uncle Jin was worried that Aunt Jin would be upset and go crazy.
"You know, my sister knows, Jiang Yuqin knows too, right? Who else knows? Do my parents know too?" Aunt Jin sneered, "No wonder you gave Jiang Yuqin so many benefits. It's because she knows her own life story, and she knows that this matter must not be revealed."
"Speak a little more quietly." Uncle Jin Er was still asking Aunt Jin Er to speak a little more quietly.
"You did something like that, and you still told me to keep my voice down?" Aunt Jin said, "Why should I keep my voice down? It's not me who did something so dirty, it's you and Jin Manzhi who did it."
"Stop talking." Uncle Jin didn't want others to know about this. It sounded unpleasant.
Although Uncle Jin Er was a man and the damage he suffered was not serious, it would be bad if the matter got out. Uncle Jin Er still wanted to keep it secret and not let the neighbors know.
"Mom." Aunt Jin's son didn't really want others to know.
Aunt Jin's son and daughter-in-law were all shocked. They had never thought that such a thing would happen. They were stunned for a while, and when they came to their senses, they immediately thought that this matter should be kept secret.
Second Aunt Jin was in great pain, but her family didn't want her to tell anyone. Should they keep it a secret and let Jiang Yuqin keep asking Second Uncle Jin for money?
Yes, Second Aunt Jin already knew that Jiang Yuqin had asked Second Uncle Jin for money.
Aunt Jin locked herself in the room. She was in great pain, extremely painful.
After this happened, Second Uncle Jin could only inform Old Lady Jin and the others, and also informed Jin Manzhi. Second Uncle Jin still didn't know how his wife knew the truth, but since it had already happened, they had to find a way to solve it.
Old Mrs. Jin and Jin Manzhi arrived soon. Jin Manzhi stood at the door of the room and knocked gently.
"Sister, second sister," Jin Manzhi said, "Second sister, I kneel down in front of you. I was really hot-headed at the time, and I knew I was wrong at the time. All these years, I didn't dare tell you, thinking that Yuqin would be the daughter of the Jiang family. As long as Yuqin remained the daughter of the Jiang family for her whole life, everyone would be fine. Second sister, I really didn't mean to trick you."
Aunt Jin didn't want to come out. Her eyes were red from crying and she cried alone in the room.
"Second brother." Old Mrs. Jin knocked on the door. "Open the door and let me in. I'm going to tell you something. Second brother, don't do anything stupid. What do you want? Just tell me. Ask your sister to apologize to you. You can even hit her or scold her."
Old Mrs. Jin was the elder, so Second Aunt Jin showed some respect to her and let her in.
"Mom, didn't you guys know this a long time ago?" Aunt Jin asked, "You all conspired to deceive me!"
"We only found out a few months earlier than you did," said Old Lady Jin. "We found out too late. If we had known when your sister was pregnant, we would have had her abort the child and never let her give birth to it. The child is already born and grown up, and there's nothing we can do. Jiang Yuqin is already that old and married, and there's no way we can ask her to go away."
Mrs. Jin had thought about asking Jiang Yuqin to leave Nancheng. Is that possible? Impossible!
Jiang Yuqin's bad temper was caused by the Jin family. Jiang Yuqin must stay in Nancheng and let the Jin family help her.
"It wouldn't be nice if this got out," said Old Lady Jin. "People would laugh at us. Our children still have to get married and work. Can you bear to see them laughed at? It's already come to this, can't you suppress it as much as possible? Didn't you feel sorry for Yuqin before?"
"That's because I didn't know she was my man's daughter!" Aunt Jin was in great pain. Her beloved sister had a relationship with her man, and the two of them had a daughter. If Jiang Yuqin hadn't been there, it would have been fine, but Jiang Yuqin was there alive.
During this time, Second Aunt Jin still saw Jiang Yuqin and was worried that she wasn't doing well after she stopped working. She felt that her worries were in vain. After Jiang Yuqin learned about her life story, she kept it a secret. Second Aunt Jin felt heartbroken just thinking about it. It was so heartbreaking, very, very heartbreaking, not just a little bit of heartache.
"After you knew about it, couldn't you have told me earlier?" Aunt Jin said, "I won't go crazy. I won't go crazy that easily."
Second Aunt Jin knew that her mental state was not very good and she had been ill before, but she had been in good condition in recent years and had not had any major problems. Second Aunt Jin felt that she could still bear these things. The fact that she had not gone crazy yet was enough to prove the problem.
"Okay, you're not crazy. Your father and I were worried that you couldn't handle it, that you'd go crazy," Old Lady Jin said. "Back then, you were crazy, taking off your clothes in the street. At dinner time, you ate up the whole family's meal by yourself. We were really scared, afraid that you would become like that again, afraid that your husband would leave you, and afraid that your in-laws would kick you out."
"He is the one who wronged me, and he wants to drive me away?" Aunt Jin said in disbelief.
"Yes, he could really do that," said Old Lady Jin. "Don't think too highly of your man. How many of those men would truly treat a woman well for her entire life? Once anything happens to you, they'll just want to abandon you. When that happens, it won't matter who's right or wrong. Your sister is also involved in this, and they can still say it's your sister's fault, making us, the Jin family, lose face."
"Mom..." Aunt Jin was annoyed. According to what her mother said, should she pretend that she didn't know?
"From now on, if you don't want to have contact with your sister, then don't have any contact with her, and you don't have to be so nice to Jiang Yuqin." Old Lady Jin said, "But there is one thing, you can't tell anyone about this."
"Jiang Yuqin always asks my husband for money. How do I deal with this?" Aunt Jin heard from others that Jiang Yuqin had asked Uncle Jin for money several times, and Uncle Jin gave it to her every time.
It was by combining those things that Aunt Jin realized that Uncle Jin was Jiang Yuqin's biological father. If Uncle Jin was not Jiang Yuqin's biological father, he would not have to do those things.
"Why don't you just stop her from asking your husband for money and ask your husband not to give it to her?" said Old Mrs. Jin.
"If you don't give her money, she'll tell everyone about it. She's not afraid of getting her shoes wet." Aunt Jin had already figured it out: none of these people wanted to know, they were determined to keep it a secret. But Jiang Yuqin wasn't afraid of that; she was single.
When Aunt Jin thought she cared about Jiang Yuqin, did Jiang Yuqin think she was a fool?
"It's already like this, why are you still hiding it?" Aunt Jin said, "Didn't you say you were afraid I'd go crazy? I'm not crazy now, so why can't other people know? I think you're not afraid of me going crazy, you're afraid of not being able to get other benefits."
"That's because you all have children. Do your children want to get married?" Old Mrs. Jin said, "Do you think I want to encounter something like this? I'm already old, and I still have to worry about you. You don't let me rest assured at all. Second brother, this is it. You can beat your sister or scold her, so leave it at that tonight. Tomorrow morning, when you go out, you still have to be happy and act as if nothing happened."
Aunt Jin took a deep breath, then lay on the bed and cried again. Why was her life so miserable?
This is a huge scandal!
The Jin family likes to marry their daughters off to wealthy families and uses them to gain benefits, but their sons are not so bad. If this matter gets out, it will be easier for the sons to find a partner, but it will mainly affect the women.
Second Aunt Jin cried very sadly. She had already understood that these people were not really afraid that she would go crazy, but were afraid that the benefits they had not yet obtained would be lost. Second Aunt Jin thought about it and decided that she really couldn't tell anyone about this matter. She had a daughter and she had to consider her daughter.
It is simply impossible to not give Jiang Yuqin money.
As long as they wanted to keep this a secret, they had to give Jiang Yuqin some money. As long as Jiang Yuqin didn't ask for too much, they could still tolerate it. Unless Jiang Yuqin asked for too much, which made everyone unbearable.
Jiang Yuqin was stepping on their bottom line. The Jin family had told Jiang Yuqin this before, telling her not to be afraid of stepping on the Jiang family's bottom line, saying that the Jin family was behind it. The Jin family also said that they were biological father and daughter, and a father would definitely care about his daughter. After all, Jiang's father didn't abandon Jiang Yuqin when she was young, and he didn't treat her badly, which shows that Jiang's father is easy to deal with.
With such a serious incident, Jin Manzhi had to go to Jiang Yuqin. Old Lady Jin had originally wanted to ask Jin Manzhi to give Jiang Yuqin more money so she wouldn't have to ask her second uncle for money, but this was unlikely. The best approach was to have Jiang Yuqin get money from her second uncle through her second aunt. Jin Manzhi wasn't suitable for frequent contact with her second uncle. Furthermore, if Jiang Yuqin kept going to her second uncle, others would sooner or later suspect him of being Jiang Yuqin's biological father.
It was only after an evening that Jin Manzhi went to look for Jiang Yuqin. Jiang Yuqin happened to be at home and had not gone out.
"Second Aunt knows?" Jiang Yuqin was surprised.
"Keep your voice down." Jin Manyi looked at the door that had already been closed.
Jiang Yuqin and his wife rented a room with a road outside and other people passing by.
Jin Manzhi spoke much more quietly and pulled Jiang Yuqin inside to talk. She even glanced at the sleeping Ding Hongwang and asked Jiang Yuqin to leave him with a neighbor. But the neighbor was busy with work and couldn't help with the child right now. Jiang Yuqin had no choice but to let Ding Hongwang stay home. She had few friends, and Wang Chunfen lived some distance away.
"Don't ask your second uncle for money directly in the future." Jin Manzhi said, "Your second aunt will give you money, so don't ask for more."
"..." Jiang Yuqin hadn't expected that her second aunt already knew about it, and these people were still hiding it. That's right, Che Lijuan's in-laws definitely didn't want to know about those things, and her second aunt also had a daughter.
"Remember?" Jin Manzhi emphasized, "If you go to your second uncle and let others know, think about the consequences."
"Then I'll go find my second aunt." Jiang Yuqin said.
"One or two dollars is fine, but don't ask for more." Jin Manzhi said, "Your Second Aunt isn't crazy now. If she were to become crazy, you would lose everything and gain nothing."
Jiang Yuqin didn't need Jin Manzhi to remind her, she knew what she had to do. She certainly didn't want to end up with nothing. Jiang Yuqin also wanted to get more money from these people. Only by getting money from them could she live a more comfortable life. No one would despise free money.
"Okay, I'll do as you say." Jiang Yuqin said, "You might as well just tell me how much money you want to give me each month. If Second Aunt didn't give me anything, then Second Aunt gave it to you, and you can give me the same amount."
Jiang Yuqin was a little afraid that she would appear in front of Aunt Jin all the time, and that Aunt Jin would go crazy. Jiang Yuqin was reluctant to give up the benefits she had obtained, she still wanted those things and didn't want to throw them away at all.
Jin Manzhi came and left in a hurry. Jiang Yuqin was easy to talk to as long as she had money, but not so easy to talk to without money.
On the way back, Jin Manzhi regretted it. She thought her parents also regretted that they shouldn't have taught Jiang Yuqin to mess with the Jiang family. Jiang Yuqin was now using those same tactics to deal with the Jin family, demanding money from them.
When Niu Cuihua went outside, she happened to see Jin Manzhi. Niu Cuihua was still thinking that Jin Manzhi was really good to Jiang Yuqin. This biological mother is still a biological mother after all. Niu Cuihua didn't know about the Jin family's tricks. If she knew, she wouldn't think so.
Niu Cuihua makes her own tofu. Back in the countryside, almost every household knew how to make it. During festivals, the family would make their own tofu instead of buying it. They'd make a sheet of tofu at home, deep-fry it for stuffed tofu, stir-fry it, or cook it with cabbage.
Jiang's mother didn't make tofu; she planned to buy ready-made. Before Niu Cuihua made the tofu, she told Jiang's mother to help take care of the children and take the tofu home so she wouldn't have to buy more, saving money. Jiang's mother and Jiang Moli had given Niu Cuihua's family so much; Niu Cuihua couldn't leave nothing for her in-laws.
"You made a good tofu." Jiang's mother looked at the tofu made by Niu Cuihua.
"It's okay." Niu Cuihua said, "Mom, do you think I can sell the tofu I make next year?"
"You try it." Jiang's mother said.
"I'm thinking about the many mouths to feed at home, and the little one will soon be going to kindergarten," Niu Cuihua said. "If I could make some money, we'd have more money. I heard some children are even learning piano and guzheng."
"You want Jiaojiao to study?" Jiang's mother looked at Niu Cuihua, "That will cost a lot of money."
"..." Niu Cuihua didn't want her daughter to learn piano. She wanted her son to learn piano. "It costs too much money. We don't have that much money. It's better not to learn. We are just an ordinary family. We don't have that level of skills."
"It's not that you can't learn, it just takes years. You can't learn it in just one or two years," Jiang's mother said. "Moli has been studying opera for many years. She has to study, learn opera, and participate in competitions. Moli has to practice her body shape from a very young age, not just wait until she grows up. There are many industries that require learning from a young age and can't give up halfway. Are you thinking of your son instead of Jiaojiao?"
"This... Isn't Jiaojiao going to get married in the future? We two still have to rely on our son." Niu Cuihua still had this thought and was still thinking about making more arrangements for her son.
"I'm unemployed, and I don't have much saved," Jiang's mother said. "It'll be a few years before I get my pension. If you're willing to let Jiaojiao go to school, you can pay half and I'll pay the other half."
"Mom, we'd better not let Jiaojiao learn anymore," Niu Cuihua said. "Her father and I aren't very smart, and we don't understand music. If Jiaojiao learns these things, she might not be able to learn them well. If she doesn't, wouldn't that be a waste of money?"
"You know you can't learn it before you even start?" Jiang's mother said, "If you really want her to learn, then let her. If not, just let her stay home. But it's good for her to learn a skill. It doesn't mean she has to go down the music path. She can do other things in the future."
Niu Cuihua had already placed the tofu on the shelf and pressed it down. She would open it when it reached a certain thickness.
Zhao Jiaojiao didn't know what a piano or a guzheng was; she was still very young. She wasn't told to learn this or that; she just did whatever the adults told her to do.
Jiang's mother didn't say much to Niu Cuihua. The child's future still had to be considered by the child's parents. Jiang's mother was old and couldn't think too much.
"Mom, I just saw Jiang Yuqin's mother coming. She was holding something in her hands." Niu Cuihua said, "Her mother was pretty nice to her."
"That's right." Jiang's mother thought that Jiang Yuqin had those people in her control. Those people just needed some benefits from Jiang Yuqin. She didn't know when Second Aunt Jin would find out the truth.
In the evening, Jiang Moli came back late. She was performing tonight and Sheng Jiahao sent her back. Sheng Jiahao did not stay at Jiang's house. He said goodbye to Jiang Moli and went back.
It was too cold, so Jiang Moli didn't take a shower at night and planned to wait until tomorrow morning to take a shower. Jiang Moli just soaked her feet to warm them up. Jiang Moli took off two pairs of socks. She really wore two pairs of socks and was not afraid of being laughed at by others.
Women's limbs tend to feel cold more easily in winter and spring, and their blood circulation is not very good, so they need to pay more attention to keeping warm.
"How was the performance today? Did it go well?" asked Jiang's mother.
"It went pretty smoothly." Jiang Moli sat on the sofa and soaked her feet. Jiang's mother poured some boiling water into the basin, fearing that the water temperature was too low. "Mom, don't pour too much, it will be hot."
"The water in the kettle isn't very hot anymore," Jiang's mother said. She had just touched the water in the kettle. "I just boiled it this morning, and it's not very hot now. It's too cold."
"This temperature is enough." Jiang Moli said, "It's not like I'm being slaughtered. You don't need to make me lose a layer of skin. If the temperature is a little higher, I'll easily get low-temperature burns."
Some people think that a slightly higher water temperature is good for soaking their feet, but they don't realize that soaking for too long can burn their feet. Some people also sleep with a hot water bottle. The temperature of a hot water bottle will gradually cool down, but it takes a while to cool down. If the hot water bottle is placed directly against the skin for a long time, it can easily cause skin burns.
Jiang Moli thought that it was very easy for people to not understand these things. In her previous life, Jiang Moli didn't understand them at first. It was only after she graduated from university and several years later that she understood them bit by bit.
"It's too hot, just add some cold water." Jiang's mother said, "Are you hungry? I'll make you a bowl of noodles."
"No, I just had something to eat outside." Jiang Moli said, "I have to brush my teeth later."
"You know how to protect your teeth." Jiang's mother said.
"People in our line of work often have to show their teeth, so we have to take good care of them," Jiang Moli said. "Some people even get orthodontics if their teeth are crooked."
In her previous life, Jiang Moli read a post about a celebrity in the entertainment industry getting porcelain veneers. They had them done back in the early days, when porcelain veneers were still very expensive, costing millions. She'd gotten them done simply because a partner said the celebrity's teeth weren't pretty and stopped working with them. Other celebrities in the entertainment industry also get their teeth adjusted, with veneers and the like, just to look better on camera.
Many people have had braces done, and while their teeth look straighter and more polished, they can also look artificial. There are trade-offs, and it's sometimes hard to say whether braces are good or not. Jiang Moli feels that if her teeth are relatively straight, braces aren't necessary. Orthodontics, if not brushing properly, may whiten the teeth, but it will cause demineralization. Even if orthodontics are successful, you might still have to wear braces at night for the rest of your life. Braces have their pros and cons, depending on your individual needs.
Jiang Moli now cherishes her good teeth. She rinses her mouth after meals and snacks. She also flosses, but flossing can widen the gaps between teeth. If you don't clean the gaps carefully, food particles can easily get trapped there, which isn't good either. Jiang Moli spends a lot of time on her teeth every day. She doesn't like sweets or carbonated drinks, and she's very dedicated to protecting her teeth.
"Wash up early and go to bed early," Jiang's mother said. She suddenly thought of what happened during the day. "Jiang Yuqin's mother came to see her today with something in her hand. Something seemed off. Your sister-in-law said her mother cared about her, and I didn't say anything else."
Jiang's mother hadn't told Niu Cuihua who Jiang Yuqin's biological mother was, and Zhao Guodong didn't know the truth. It wasn't that Jiang's mother was afraid her son and daughter-in-law would let the cat out of the bag, but she felt there was no need to tell them, as it wasn't their own business.
"If my sister-in-law doesn't know, then there's no need to tell her." Jiang Moli said, "It's not that I look down on my sister-in-law, it's just that sometimes she has a big mouth and it's hard to control it. The less she knows, the less she has to worry about letting it slip."
"Today, your sister-in-law said that other children are learning piano and guzheng, and she wants the younger one to learn." Jiang's mother said, "She's not thinking about Jiaojiao learning. I said if they let Jiaojiao learn, I'll give half the money. I don't have to worry about the younger one; they can afford it themselves."
"It's a good idea for Jiaojiao to learn a musical instrument," Jiang Moli said. "She doesn't have to be particularly talented, just good enough is enough. When she grows up, if she can't find other things to do, she can open a training class and teach students, which can still make money. It can be considered a way out. However, learning a musical instrument is very hard work. If Jiaojiao doesn't want to be the best, then she doesn't need a lot of talent, just work hard to learn."
"We still have to see what your brother and sister-in-law think. If they don't want Jiaojiao to learn, there's nothing we can do." Jiang's mother said, "I can't force Jiaojiao to learn. I've already given my job to your brother, and I only have so little money. I can't pay for Jiaojiao's instrument lessons alone, let alone for you as her aunt."
Jiang's mother didn't think that Jiang Moli had to help Zhao Jiaojiao. How Zhao Jiaojiao would live in the future still depended on Zhao Guodong and his wife.
"That depends on what my brother and sister-in-law think." Jiang Moli said.
Niu Cuihua told Zhao Guodong what Jiang's mother had said. She was a little reluctant to pay, but Jiang's mother said she would pay half. If Jiang's mother paid half, her family would have to pay much less.
"Your sister has been studying opera for many years," Niu Cuihua said. "What Mom means is that if Jiaojiao wants to study, she'll have to study for many years, not just one or two. This means she'll have to pay for it later on, and she can't stop. If she does, all the money she saved up will go down the drain."
"If you want to learn, you have to keep learning." Zhao Guodong said, "If Jiaojiao doesn't want to learn, we can talk later."
"Do you really want her to study?" Niu Cuihua asked, "She's a girl..."
"Girls can learn too," Zhao Guodong said. "Mom is willing to pay half the price, so we can pay much less. We're getting a good deal. Mom's little savings will all be spent on us."
"This...ah, I just feel that if Jiaojiao learns this, she will..."
"Learning a skill will help you make a living in the future," Zhao Guodong said. "When Jasmine was very young, she insisted on learning opera, so her mother and uncle let her. At that time, Jiang Yuqin also insisted on learning, but she couldn't persist. Jiang Yuqin just saw something my younger sister had, and she insisted on it too."
With so little money at home and so many mouths to feed, Jiang's father ultimately didn't allow Jiang Yuqin to study anything else. To be precise, it wasn't that Jiang's father forbade it, but rather that Jiang Yuqin was always short-lived, learning this and that, and never sticking with anything.
Another reason was that Jiang Moli was studying opera, which older people considered a performance artist. Some people wouldn't let their children sing opera, so Jiang Yuqin didn't make a fuss about it. Jiang Yuqin had even said she couldn't let Jiang Moli study opera, saying she was bringing shame to the Jiang family. Jiang Moli didn't care what Jiang Yuqin said; she was determined to study.
"What Mom said is right," Zhao Guodong said. "It's all for the good of the children. Mom is willing to pay half the money because she values us. Didn't you always say that it was your family who helped us?"
"Your mother still helped us, as well as your sister. Your uncle didn't stop them, which was good." Niu Cuihua didn't dare to say that her in-laws treated them badly.
The in-laws actually contributed money, and when the family needed help, they would lend a hand. As long as Niu Cuihua didn't act up and didn't think about those messy things, Jiang's mother and Jiang Moli wouldn't treat Niu Cuihua too badly.
On New Year's Eve, Jiang's mother asked Niu Cuihua and her husband to eat at home with their children so that they wouldn't have to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner separately. Niu Cuihua and her husband went to Jiang's house early with their children, and they helped with some things.
"Isn't Jasmine at home?" Niu Cuihua was puzzled. She was afraid that others would misunderstand her, so she quickly said, "Mom, I'm not thinking about Jasmine doing something, but I'm thinking that it's almost ten o'clock, and I wonder if she's hungry."
"Jasmine went out early in the morning." Jiang's mother said.
"I saw that the door was not locked, so I thought she was at home," said Niu Cuihua.
"They have a performance tonight." Jiang's mother said.
"Jasmine is not going to have New Year's Eve dinner with us?" Niu Cuihua was surprised.
"Well, we won't be having New Year's Eve dinner together this year," Jiang's mother said. "Logically, since it's your first year back, Jasmine should be here too. But there's no other way. Her company has a performance scheduled for tonight, so she has to go first. She'll be back later this evening."
"She has a very hard time," Niu Cuihua said with emotion. "She still has to perform on New Year's Eve."
"They're having New Year's Eve dinner at work, eating early before going to the performance," Jiang's mother said. "There aren't any performances scheduled for the day. Everyone's basically been at home preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner and haven't had time to go out. Many people are going out after dinner, and the children are changing into new clothes."
Sheng Jiahao was having New Year's Eve dinner at home. He knew Jiang Moli was going to perform tonight, so he planned to wait for Jiang Moli after dinner. After Jiang Moli finished her performance, Sheng Jiahao could send her home so that they could meet and chat.
Jiang Yuqin, Ding Chao, and their children went to the Ding family's New Year's Eve dinner. The Ding family still didn't like Ding Hongwang. Ding Chao's other brothers were wondering if they should give Ding Hongwang a red envelope. Since Ding Chao and his wife had already prepared red envelopes for their other children, it was difficult for Ding Chao's brothers to refuse to give Ding Hongwang one.
As soon as Jiang Yuqin arrived at the Ding family's house, she started working, busying herself with things. The Ding family didn't ask Jiang Yuqin to rest; instead, they told her to do this and that. If Jiang's mother had asked her to do those things, she would have thrown the dishes and chopsticks long ago. In front of the Ding family, Jiang Yuqin tried to behave better, doing more to satisfy them. She couldn't be inferior to the other sisters-in-law, and she couldn't bring shame to her husband.
Jiang Yuqin was willing to do a lot for Ding Chao. She also told herself that she and her husband didn't come to the Ding family often, so when they did, she should do more to show her filial piety to her parents-in-law. Ding Chao didn't need to tell Jiang Yuqin; Jiang Yuqin knew that she was coaxing him into doing things for the Ding family.
Most people who are in love are like Jiang Yuqin. She is arrogant in her natal family, but she keeps bowing her head in her husband's family, and she keeps making excuses for herself. The other sisters-in-law in her husband's family are also like this. Her parents-in-law have no other intentions. Her parents-in-law are old and their thinking is different from that of young people like them...
This kind of thinking is really scary, not just a little bit scary.
"Cut these vegetables for me," Jiang Yuqin's sister-in-law said. "Cut them into smaller pieces. Don't cut them too big. Dad and Mom's teeth aren't very good, so they can't chew big pieces."
"No problem." Jiang Yuqin said, "I'll cut it into smaller pieces."
Jiang Yuqin didn't dare to say it was a trouble. She was patient when facing her husband's family.
While Jiang Yuqin was doing something, Ding Hongwang started crying. Ding Hongwang was fighting with the other children in the Ding family for a pack of biscuits. There were other biscuits available, but they insisted on taking that pack instead of the others.
"Why are you crying?" Jiang Yuqin hurried out to check on the child.
"He hit me." Ding Hongwang pointed at a child from the Ding family. He wasn't very fluent in speaking, but he said this sentence very fluently. "It hurts."
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