Chapter 88: Getting Angry Don’t they have their own son?
Teacher Li is a veteran of the company, having retired from her role as a key figure. Even when she was a key figure, ticket sales weren't particularly strong. She knows why ticket sales have been so high in recent years, especially in the last two.
In the second half of this year, Jiang Moli first went to film a movie and then got pregnant. Since Jiang Moli did not perform on stage, the number of tickets was naturally low.
Many people went there just for Jiang Moli, hoping to see the award-winning performer. If Jiang Moli didn't go, some people wouldn't bother going. Some bosses also bought more tickets just for Jiang Moli.
A famous and excellent opera actor can drive ticket sales.
Teacher Li spoke directly, unconcerned about the embarrassment. This was reality, and everyone had to acknowledge it. Jiang Moli had a scene with someone else, and if they were acting together, there would be more tickets. Without Jiang Moli, if someone else were to replace her, there would be fewer tickets. If Jiang Moli were to perform on her own, there would be fewer tickets, but not that much.
"Why not call the finance department over? They know the most." Teacher Li added.
When the leader heard this, he thought, "Well, what else is there to say? Let's adjourn the meeting. Let's not talk about it for now." He thought, "Just get through this period. Once Jiang Moli has the baby, she can go back on stage. That'll be fine." The leader was also a little worried about whether Jiang Moli would still have the same appeal after she had the baby.
Teacher Li wasn't worried that Jiang Moli didn't have the same appeal as before. The fact that Jiang Moli had been married for a long time was no secret. After getting married, it was natural for her to get pregnant and have children, and those who listened to opera wouldn't be too heartbroken. Opera was opera, and private life was private life. The two had to be clearly distinguished and couldn't be confused.
After returning from work, Teacher Li went to see Teacher Lu and told her about the meeting. It wasn't a secret; anyone with a discerning eye could see the problem. The company had indeed relied heavily on Jiang Moli in recent years. She performed very well, appearing in TV dramas and on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. She had also won major awards in opera. All parties were pushing her to the forefront, and she had become the face of their provincial Xiaobaihua.
This is what it means to be overly dependent on one person: if that person doesn't perform on stage, ticket sales will be affected.
"Everyone knows whether to hold a meeting or not," Teacher Li said. "Some people always think they can handle it even without the pillars. If they are asked to go, but they don't, they won't be able to hold on. If they don't have strong enough abilities, they simply don't have strong enough abilities. Everyone has seen Jasmine's hard work over the past few years. Jasmine has made great contributions to the unit, and she should be recognized."
After Teacher Li retired, she saw how strong Jiang Moli was. She envied Jiang Moli and was also jealous of her. Teacher Li could only tell herself that everyone has their own blooming period, and Teacher Li's blooming period had long passed.
"I said it directly to their faces," said Teacher Li.
"You really dare to say that." Teacher Lu said.
"Why shouldn't I be afraid to say it? I'm already at this age," Teacher Li said. "I've made significant contributions to the unit. It's just a few words, so you should just say it directly. If you don't, and everyone just sits there pretending to be dumb, what's the point? Speak up sooner and end the meeting sooner."
Teacher Li felt that it was Jiang Moli's strength that gave those people the illusion that they were good. There was one time when Jiang Moli didn't participate in a performance, and someone else did. The promotion still used Jiang Moli's name, but when the performance started, they said it wasn't Jiang Moli's performance, and the promotional posters hadn't been changed. After the performance started, the audience realized it wasn't Jiang Moli, and some even started making a scene, demanding a refund for their tickets. That was a really bad look.
This matter was not Jiang Moli's fault, and Jiang Moli didn't know that those people would do this.
Teacher Li can't stand such things. Things should be as they should be. How can you deceive the audience?
"It doesn't matter whether you say it or not," Teacher Lu said, "You don't have to take the initiative."
"Don't worry, it won't have a negative impact on me," Teacher Li said. "People at my level don't have to be afraid. But if it were those young people, they'd be hard to say and would have to be more cautious. They'd have to think twice before saying anything, fearing they might offend someone. I'm not afraid of offending anyone, so those people wouldn't dare to attack me."
Teacher Li had been singing opera for many years, a pillar of the stage for so many years, and the leaders were always polite to her. Teacher Li was not afraid of being given a hard time, and she didn't give others a hard time, which was quite good.
"You're still the same," Teacher Lu said. "Jasmine isn't at work, so we can't stop those people from saying anything. Let them do whatever they want."
Teacher Lu sneered. If those people wanted to do something behind the scenes, it would depend on whether the audience would buy it.
Shi Nan and Pan Yun had been married for a while, but Pan Yun still hadn't gotten pregnant. Pan Yun wasn't worried; she ate and drank as she pleased, happy and content. Shi's mother would occasionally come over, but Pan Yun wouldn't treat her with a friendly face.
This time, Shi's mother made Pan Yun some chicken soup with herbs. She had been in a bad mood since she found out Jiang Moli was pregnant. Shi's mother sometimes dreamed about the baby boy, and she wanted Pan Yun to get pregnant soon.
"I don't want to drink it. You can drink it yourself if you want." Pan Yun took a look at the chicken soup with medicinal herbs. The chicken soup had a strong medicinal taste. Pan Yun didn't like this kind of chicken soup. It tasted bad, especially not tasty.
"This is very nutritious." Shi's mother said, "Just drink some."
Shi's mother filled the bowl with chicken soup and was about to hand it to Pan Yun.
"I don't want to drink." Pan Yun refused.
Shi's mother still wanted Pan Yun to drink it. After some refusal, the bowl of soup fell to the ground, and some chicken soup was stained on Pan Yun's clothes.
"I've already told you, I don't want to drink, I don't want to drink. Why do you force me to drink?" Pan Yun frowned.
"What happened?" When Mrs. Pan came over, she saw her daughter in a miserable state, and hurriedly walked to her daughter to check on her.
"It's my mother-in-law who insisted on making me drink chicken soup. I don't know how many low-quality and bad medicines she put in it, but she still wants me to drink it. She wants to drink me to death." Pan Yun said with disgust.
Madam Pan looked at Shi's mother coldly, "Mother-in-law, we've already told you not to come here unless it's necessary. And this chicken soup, drink it yourself, don't let our Yunyun eat it. Our Yunyun eats everything clean and carefully prepared. Even our dog wouldn't drink this chicken soup you made."
"This..." Shi's mother's face looked very ugly. She didn't expect Mrs. Pan to say such harsh words.
"Although your Shi Nan isn't marrying into the family, has he ever paid for this house?" Mrs. Pan asked. "If my daughter hadn't insisted on marrying your son, I wouldn't have let her. She would suffer if she married your son. You're a totally unqualified mother-in-law."
"How am I unqualified?" asked Shi's mother.
"You are not qualified in any way. You have no culture and only know some feudal dregs." Mrs. Pan said, "You have no ambition at all, and yet you think everything you do is right. If you continue like this, sooner or later you will harm Shi Nan. Shi Nan can't even take someone like you out to meet people."
“You…you…” Shi Mu was extremely angry.
"If you have nothing to do, go back early and take your chicken soup back with you. Drink it yourself and don't waste it." Mrs. Pan said disdainfully.
Shi's mother wanted to argue with Mrs. Pan, but she saw how strong Mrs. Pan was, so she could only return home dejectedly with the chicken soup. Should Shi's mother not go back and stay to clean up the broken soup bowls?
When she returned home, Shi's mother started to talk bad about Mrs. Pan and Pan Yun in front of Shi's father.
"Isn't it just to help Pan Yun strengthen her body so she can get pregnant sooner?" Shi's mother said, "But they didn't appreciate it at all. They even accused me of using inferior medicine to make chicken soup, as if I was trying to harm Pan Yun. Pan Yun has been married to our Shi Nan for a while, and she still hasn't gotten pregnant."
Shi's mother was anxious to have a grandson, and she wanted Pan Yun to get pregnant sooner so that she could feel at ease sooner. Unfortunately, Pan Yun was not pregnant yet.
You have to know that Jiang Moli is pregnant, and Shi Nan is older than Jiang Moli, and Shi Nan is not yet a father. Shi's mother can't let Shi Nan fall behind others, can't let Shi Nan be laughed at, so she can only urge Pan Yun to get pregnant as soon as possible.
Pan Yun really liked Shi Nan, but she also loved to play. After Pan Yun and Shi Nan had been married for a while, she stopped clinging to Shi Nan. Shi Nan wanted to start a business and didn't have much time to spend with Pan Yun. When Pan Yun had money of her own, she would go shopping.
In order to appease Pan Yun, Shi Nan often brought her various gifts. Shi Nan hinted to Pan Yun several times that Pan Yun should take out the dowry money to start his business, but Pan Yun did not seem to understand. Shi Nan did not come out directly, and Pan Yun just did not understand.
Pan Yun had never been involved in those intrigues since she was a child. She was too naive, so she was easily taken advantage of by Shi Nan. Mrs. Pan was not as stupid as Pan Yun. She just asked Pan Yun to hold on to the money tightly and told her not to give it to Shi Nan. She said that Shi Nan was a grown man and that if Pan Yun gave money to Shi Nan, it would be an insult to him and would make him feel humiliated. So Pan Yun listened to Mrs. Pan because she didn't want Shi Nan to dislike her.
Shi Nan still wanted to maintain a certain image in front of Pan Yun, so he didn't say it directly, and that was the result.
Xie Shaojun wanted Shi Nan to go find Pan Yun. Pan Yun had a lot of money. As long as Shi Nan got that money, their business could expand and do better.
"I told her, if she doesn't give it to me," Shi Nan said as he sat in the office. "I won't look for her anymore."
"Isn't she stupid?" Xie Shaojun said directly, not afraid that Shi Nan would be unhappy. "Just tell her directly, she won't refuse, right?"
"I hinted to her, but she refused. It's no use telling her directly. My mother-in-law often visits her. If she finds out, she'll definitely make me give her all the money." Shi Nan said, "Don't forget, I'm divorced once."
In the past, Shi Nan would have thought that after a woman married a man, she would basically not dare to divorce. The surrounding environment was such that a divorced woman would be easily ridiculed. But Bo Meiqi divorced Shi Nan, so decisively. Shi Nan couldn't guarantee whether Pan Yun would divorce her, so he couldn't go too far.
As soon as Xie Shaojun heard this, he understood what Shi Nan meant.
"It's good enough to have connections with their family." Shi Nan said.
"That's it." Xie Shaojun didn't dare to continue. Now it was mainly Shi Nan who was in charge of the company's affairs. Shi Nan was leading him to make a lot of money. Xie Shaojun still had to listen to Shi Nan and couldn't let Shi Nan be unhappy.
Shi Nan did not return home. His mother called to tell him what Mrs. Pan had said. Shi Nan did not even finish listening to her words and she hung up. Shi Nan did not want to listen to those words. In his eyes, it must be his mother who went there to ask for a scolding. Shi Nan had told his mother not to go to Pan Yun, but she insisted on going. If something like this happened again, it would be his mother's fault and she could not blame anyone else.
When Teacher Lu went to see Jiang Moli, she mentioned what Teacher Li had said. Teacher Lu had been away from the Provincial Little Hundred Flowers for a long time, and she wasn't quite sure whether she was trying to take Jiang Moli's position. Teacher Lu knew that everyone had competitors; it was impossible not to have competitors. When Teacher Lu was still at the Provincial Little Hundred Flowers, she and Teacher Li were competitors.
When Jiang Moli heard what Teacher Lu said, she was not surprised.
"If they can hold on, they will do it." Jiang Moli said, "It's their ability."
Jiang Moli wasn't afraid of being replaced at all. A lot could happen in a year or so. But it was unlikely that Jiang Moli would disappear so quickly. Jiang Moli was pregnant, so she didn't want to fight with them for those things. Those people could do whatever they wanted, as long as they didn't make a scene in front of Jiang Moli.
Besides, Jiang Moli's main goal now is to take care of the baby. It is the others who are competing, not Jiang Moli. Jiang Moli sees it clearly and is not anxious to go back quickly. The baby in her belly is not so soon to be born, Jiang Moli has to wait.
"Just let it go." Teacher Lu was worried that Jiang Moli was upset. "How do you feel about not going on stage?"
"I'm a bit free." Jiang Moli said, "The days when I perform are better."
"Rest well. Once you have your baby, you'll be able to perform again soon." Teacher Lu said, "When I left Provincial Xiaobaihua to become a teacher, I was also a little uncomfortable, but I gradually got used to it."
"Mom, you are a very good teacher." Jiang Moli said, "Many of us like you very much."
"I'm just trying to do more," Teacher Lu said, "it's not a lot."
"That's enough." Jiang Moli said, "We've already done a lot. If it weren't for you, maybe we wouldn't be able to do so well."
"Are you hungry?" Teacher Lu asked, "Do you want to eat something?"
"I just ate something, I'm not going to eat anymore." Jiang Moli shook her head quickly, "I've been eating all the time at home lately. My mom always thinks I'm hungry and asks me to eat more. But actually, it's not that easy to get hungry. If I really am hungry, I will find something to eat myself. I won't go hungry."
In the eyes of Jiang's mother and others, Jiang Moli is now no different from a fragile glass doll. Jiang Moli feels that she is fine, in good health, and not that fragile.
"Eat when you're hungry," said Teacher Lu. "Don't eat raw or cold food, and don't eat raw meat."
"I don't eat raw meat or sashimi. I didn't eat them before I got pregnant." Jiang Moli can watch others eat sashimi, but she can't eat it herself.
Jiang Moli had never eaten sashimi in her past life. Her stomach was not that good, so she couldn't eat it. Jiang Moli couldn't just try it for the sake of trying something new. She had to eat meat well-cooked now. She wouldn't eat it if it was half-cooked.
Her body is her own, and her child is her own. Jiang Moli needs to be more careful and not wait until others tell her not to eat.
"That's right." Teacher Lu said, "Then don't eat it. You have to be careful when breastfeeding in the future. However, the baby can eat formula, not necessarily breast milk."
"Yeah." Jiang Moli said.
Jiang's mother was at Old Lady Wen's house next door, feeding the chicks.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck." Jiang's mother fed the chickens, asking them to eat more so they could grow faster. "The chickens here are still growing very fast."
"Feed them more." Mrs. Wen said, "Sometimes when I see them in the yard, I feed them some food and throw some on the ground for them to pick at. Feed them several times a day so they eat more and grow faster."
"That way, they'll have plenty of food," Jiang's mother said. "It would be a waste if we kept them around forever."
"It's not a waste." Mrs. Wen said, "Looking at these chickens makes me feel good."
Old Mrs. Wen wondered how big she could raise these chickens. Seeing how happy Jiang's mother was feeding the chickens, she felt compelled to do the same. She thought Jiang's mother's life was pretty good, but she didn't like gardening; her hands would easily get blisters and calluses from handling the hoe. Feeding the chickens was a little simpler; she could just toss the corn kernels and millet on the ground, and the chickens would eat them. It was much more convenient.
"That's right. Raise a few more chickens. Listening to their chirping will make you feel better." Jiang's mother said, "You still don't have enough chickens here. We have more chickens over there."
"You have a lot more chickens over there," Old Lady Wen asked. "Will there be any bacteria on those chickens? Is it okay for Jasmine to live there?"
"It'll be fine," Jiang's mother said. "These chickens are raised at home, not outside. If they were running around outside, we'd be worried."
When Jiang's mother came back from feeding the chickens, Teacher Lu was peeling an apple.
"Mother-in-law." Jiang's mother said with a smile, "Did you just get here?"
"I just got in. I'll talk to Jasmine for a while." Teacher Lu said.
"Okay, you guys talk and stay for dinner later." Jiang's mother said.
"Okay." Teacher Lu nodded.
During lunch, Jiang's father was not there, so Teacher Lu asked a question.
"He's out fishing," Jiang's mother said. "He brought some food with him and won't be back until evening. I think he probably won't catch any fish, so if he doesn't, he'll buy one on the way."
Jiang's mother knew Jiang's father very well, and Jiang's father had always done this before.
Jiang's father said that they should go fishing in a cleaner river and not in a polluted river. Jiang's father said that some of the food in the river was delicious and some pregnant women were greedy and wanted to eat those small fish. Jiang's mother and Jiang Moli did not stop Jiang's father from going out fishing.
Before evening, Jiang's father came back with an empty bucket. He looked unhappy, and Jiang's mother wanted to ask a few questions.
"Let's go back to the house and talk." Father Jiang was afraid that Jiang Moli would hear it and scare her.
Father Jiang went to the bathroom to wash and change his clothes before going to the room.
"What's wrong?" Jiang's mother asked, "What happened that made you forget to buy the fish?"
"Today, we fished together and caught someone," said Jiang's father. "A dead man."
"A dead person?" Jiang's mother opened her eyes wide.
"Yes, it was a dead man." Jiang's father said, "We came back early and won't go fishing there next time."
Jiang's father hadn't expected something like that to happen. Luckily, he hadn't caught any fish there, and Jiang Moli hadn't eaten any. This wasn't the first time Jiang's father had gone fishing with his friends in that section of the river. They'd gone a few times, but Jiang's father always came up empty-handed, so he'd buy some fish. This time, seeing the situation, Jiang's father's face paled, and he spent a while on the road trying to calm down before returning.
When Jiang's father saw the body, he vomited a few times. The body had a slight odor. The angler went to call the police, who quickly arrived. Jiang's father and others explained the situation to the police before leaving.
Father Jiang didn't know how the body ended up there, nor did he know if it was murder or suicide. He decided not to bother with those matters and decided to return home early. When Father Jiang returned, the first thing he thought of was washing himself, fearing he might have brought germs with him.
"Wash the clothes first, and don't hang my clothes with Jasmine's clothes, not too close." Jiang's father said.
"Hey." Jiang's mother responded, "You shouldn't go fishing for a while."
"No," said Jiang's father. "I'll just take care of the vegetable garden."
Father Jiang understood what Mother Jiang meant. Mother Jiang was afraid that Father Jiang would come back from outside with something dirty on him. Pregnant women are most afraid of these invisible dirty things.
Later, Jiang Moli did not learn about the riverside incident from her father, but read it in the newspaper. When Jiang Moli was at home and not going to work, she would read the newspaper and read books, and that's when she learned about it.
"Dad, were you fishing over there before?" Jiang Moli asked.
"It's over there." Jiang's father said, "I'm not going there now."
Jiang Moli sat on the sofa, with her father and mother sitting next to her. Sheng Jiahao had gone out to work and would be back later.
"I told you that you didn't look very happy that day. I asked you what happened, but you didn't tell me." Jiang Moli said, "Are you afraid that I'll be scared?"
"It's better not to know about this kind of thing." Jiang's father said.
"Your father is right," Jiang's mother said. "Just read the newspaper and forget about it. You don't need to read any more."
"Yeah." Jiang Moli nodded.
At night, when Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao were lying on the bed together, Jiang Moli sighed, "I'm not that weak. I'm not afraid of anything. That's not our family's business, it's someone else's family's business. I won't be scared."
"Things like this aren't good after all, so my parents naturally won't say much." Sheng Jiahao said, "Whatever book you want to read, I'll buy it for you."
"Let's go to the bookstore someday," Jiang Moli said, "to see if there are any new books."
"Okay, let's go another day." Sheng Jiahao said, "Read less of those suspenseful murder novels."
"No, no," Jiang Moli said quickly, "I don't read sad novels either. They make me feel depressed."
Jiang Moli didn't want to read those novels and TV dramas that were just for the sake of being sad. That would make her feel very depressed, as if there was a big stone blocking her heart, and she couldn't push that big stone away. Jiang Moli wanted to read a lighter novel, so she went to the bookstore to read some.
"When the time comes, first read the finale and the table of contents." Jiang Moli said, "If it's not good, then don't read it."
Before Jiang Moli got pregnant, she would read more books of different genres, whether they were tragedies or comedies. After she got pregnant, she didn't want to read tragedies anymore, fearing that reading those books would make her feel bad and affect the baby in her belly. She still had to maintain a good attitude.
On a new day, Sheng Jiahao went to the bookstore with Jiang Moli. There were many people in the bookstore. Sheng Jiahao stood beside Jiang Moli, fearing that others would bump into her.
Jiang Moli saw some new books, some of which had been unpacked. Jiang Moli opened one of the books, took a quick look, and put it back in. Jiang Moli looked at the covers of the books. Some of the covers looked dark, so she decided to forget it.
Some covers are quite depressing, not healing, so Jiang Moli won't read them. Jiang Moli also doesn't want to read those redemption stories. What she wants is to be redeemed by others, not to redeem others herself.
Fortunately, there are still some light novels. Jiang Moli selected several novels, as well as some famous domestic and foreign classics.
Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao went to check out together. When Jiang Moli was paying, someone recognized her. Jiang Moli smiled at those people. She and Sheng Jiahao left quickly without staying in the bookstore for long. There were few chairs in the bookstore, so some people just squatted on the side to read. Jiang Moli naturally couldn't squat like that, so it was better to buy a book and read it at home.
Sheng Jiahao had set up a study for Jiang Moli, but Jiang Moli didn't dare stay there all the time. In her previous life, Jiang Moli had read news reports about the effects of ink on people. It would be fine if there were only a few books, but if there were a lot of books like in a study, the concentration of those elements in the air would be high, which could easily affect people.
Jiang Moli found that before she was pregnant, there were not so many things to pay attention to, but after she became pregnant, there were so many things to pay attention to.
After leaving the bookstore, Sheng Jiahao took Jiang Moli home and didn't let her hang out outside for too long. People tend to get leg pain if they hang out outside for too long.
Sheng Jiahao originally wanted to take Jiang Moli out for dinner, but before they left, Jiang's mother said she would cook for Jiang Moli, saying that the food outside was not so clean. Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao came back to eat, and Sheng Jiahao thought about it and decided that if Jiang Moli wanted to eat outside, they could ask the chef to come home and cook.
"You're not alone anymore, so you'd better be more careful," Jiang's mother said. "Don't think everything will be fine just because you're pregnant. Some people are hostile to pregnant women and will deliberately bump into you to make things difficult for you."
"Are there really such people?" Jiang Moli had seen them when she was watching short videos in her previous life.
"It's true," Jiang's mother said. "There are all kinds of people in this world. You're pregnant, so you should be more careful and avoid going to those places. Going to the hospital for a checkup is unavoidable; you have to go. As for other places, try not to go alone. You should go with your family. Do you understand?"
"I heard it, I heard it." Jiang Moli said quickly.
Jiang Moli now listens more to what her mother says. Fortunately, the yard at home is bigger and she can walk around in it more often.
When Zhou Yiran came to see Jiang Moli, she heard Jiang Moli talk about what Jiang's mother said, and she couldn't help but sigh, "When I was pregnant, my mother also nagged a lot. Fortunately, my mother didn't live with me, and my mother-in-law didn't nag too much."
"It's a very happy thing to have my mother nagging me." Jiang Moli said, "I'm very happy when my mother is around."
"That's right." Zhou Yiran nodded, "You can live with your mother."
Jiang Moli and Zhou Yiran sat in the yard. Fortunately, the wind was not strong. If the wind was a little stronger, Jiang's mother would come out and let Jiang Moli in. Jiang's mother would definitely say that Jiang Moli herself did not feel the strong wind, so why was she still staying outside.
"Do you know? He Jingxian is performing on stage." Zhou Yiran said.
"Are you on stage?" Jiang Moli said, "That's a good thing."
"It's a good thing. She gave birth to three children in a row, and now she's still performing, which is pretty good." Zhou Yiran said, "She must have figured it out herself. If she hasn't figured it out yet...it doesn't matter whether she figured it out or not. She broke down during her third child and can't get pregnant again. I don't know if it's lucky or unlucky for her. If it's unlucky, she's performing on stage. If it's lucky, she can't have more children."
"It doesn't matter what happens," Jiang Moli said. "No matter what happens, He Jingxian has to face it herself. No one else can help."
"She and I weren't close, and after a few words at work, she asked me if I thought she was stupid or ridiculous when I saw her like that," Zhou Yiran said. "How should I answer that? She chose to stay in our company by getting married. Some of the people who went to school with us didn't stay, and they're still doing well."
"Some of them are doing very well." Jiang Moli nodded. "I've heard that those people are doing very well."
It’s not that Jiang Moli hadn’t heard anything, but even if she had heard anything, it was just like that.
"We're all in different places, so it's not easy to get together." Zhou Yiran said, "If there were more people in South City, we could get together more often. But... forget about getting together with He Jingxian. I saw her at work, and I like her a little better now, more than when we were in school."
He Jingxian used to have a bad temper, but now it is much better, so Zhou Yiran naturally doesn’t think that He Jingxian is that bad.
"If she had known this earlier, it would have been so much better," Zhou Yiran said. "Sometimes I wonder if she hadn't ruined her health from having children, she would have continued having children until she had a son. After all, she's already given birth to three daughters. If she didn't continue having children, it would be like giving up halfway."
"Indeed." Jiang Moli said.
At this moment, Jiang's mother came out from the backyard and said, "I just made some steamed cakes. You all should go and try them."
"Okay." Jiang Moli nodded.
Zhou Yiran followed Jiang Moli back to the living room, and the two of them sat on the sofa and ate some steamed cake and milk.
"It tastes great," Zhou Yiran said, "not any worse than grilled ones."
"It's hotter when baked." Jiang Moli said, "My mom and the others were worried that I would get angry, so they steamed the cake for me. If you're craving it, just eat this. Don't even think about eating baked food."
Jiang Moli herself didn't eat secretly. She just had to endure it and wait until the baby was born.
Time quickly approached the end of the year. Jiang Moli was pregnant, so naturally, it was difficult for her to appear on the Spring Festival Gala. This time, she really didn't appear. People like Shi's mother no longer had to worry about seeing Jiang Moli on the gala, and Jiang Moli didn't expect to appear every year. On the provincial TV station, Jiang Moli appeared more often because she performed well, so they let her go.
Shi Nan did not take Pan Yun home for the New Year, but accompanied Pan Yun to the Pan family for the New Year. Pan's father asked the illegitimate son to go back and accompany him, and Mrs. Pan greeted him with a smile, as if Mrs. Pan had no opinion on those illegitimate children.
All the illegitimate children joined the company, but Pan Yun had no ability and only knew how to have affairs. All Mrs. Pan could do was to get more money from her husband. Mrs. Pan tried to get her husband to give Pan Yun some shares. Her husband couldn't give more, so even a little was good enough.
The illegitimate children naturally have to show off more in front of Father Pan. Each of them wants to show their filial piety so that Father Pan can give them more shares.
Pan Yun didn't like so many people getting together. She used to spend the Spring Festival with her parents, and last year she brought Shi Nan with her. But this year, some of her father's illegitimate children showed up, which made Pan Yun very upset.
"Mom, why are they here?" Pan Yun asked her mother. She originally thought that even if they came, there wouldn't be so many people.
"They're coming," Mrs. Pan said. "They're your father's biological sons. You're a daughter after all. Even if you try to recruit a son-in-law, it's useless. Your father already has biological sons, and he wants them to inherit the family fortune. As for you, don't make a fuss. Make your father happy, and you might even get something from him."
"Dad has gone too far. How could we let them come to our house?" Pan Yun was unhappy. "They are all evidence of Dad's betrayal."
"Don't talk about this, don't talk about this." Mrs. Pan patted Pan Yun's hand gently, "Tell Shi Nan not to say anything either. Let's spend New Year's Eve happily together. Look at those people, they are all very good at pretending, and they all know how to coax your father. You should also coax your father a little."
"Mom." Pan Yun has always been rather spoiled. She used to dare to lose her temper with her dad, but now, her mother asked her to coax her dad a little.
"Listen to mom, I won't harm you." Mrs. Pan said.
When Mrs. Pan and Pan Yun went to the living room, Shi Nan was chatting and laughing with those people. Pan Yun's face was not very good. She walked to Shi Nan's side and pinched him hard.
"them……"
"They are all Yunyun's brothers." Madam Pan interrupted Pan Yun, "Shi Nan, please don't bully Yunyun. Yunyun also has her family to rely on."
Mrs. Pan glared at Pan Yun. She had just said so much to her daughter, how could she have forgotten it? Mrs. Pan walked to Pan Yun's side and dragged her away.
Shi Nan knew Pan Yun was a bit angry, but that was all. It all depended on Pan's father's attitude. Shi Nan had assumed Pan Yun was Pan's father's only daughter, figuring he could marry into his family and have two more children, one with the surname Pan and one with the surname Shi. He was wrong; Pan's father had other illegitimate children. So Shi Nan had to change his mindset. He tried to make Pan's father value him more, to broaden his horizons, and to make more use of his connections.
"Mom, why are you pulling me?" Pan Yun followed Mrs. Pan to the corner. "I just went there."
Pan Yun was extremely dissatisfied. Before she could finish her words, her mother interrupted her and dragged her away. Pan Yun felt extremely wronged. It was too painful to hold those words in her heart.
"I'm afraid you might say the wrong thing," Mrs. Pan said. "Your father is old, and he only cares about his sons, not you. You're a daughter once married, and it's already a great honor for your father to give you those things. Do you think your father will give them all to you? As for you, if you behave better, you can get more money."
Mrs. Pan was so disappointed that Shi Nan knew how to build good relationships with those people, but Pan Yun was still trying to argue with them. How could a woman compete with those men? There was no way she could win. Pan's father was a very old-fashioned man. He just wanted his son to inherit the family property.
All the other illegitimate sons and daughters knew how to appease their father Pan, but Pan Yun didn't.
Mrs. Pan thought that it was okay for Pan Yun to behave a little differently, but if she did it too much, Pan's father would be unhappy. Mrs. Pan thought that she would eventually get old, and the best she could do was to help Pan Yun get more.
"Mom, you weren't like this before," Pan Yun said. Her mother had told her not to care too much about those people and to let her be more unrestrained. But now, her mother wanted her to restrain herself and bow her head, which made Pan Yun a little unacceptable.
"Before, it was because you didn't know about your father's affairs, so Mom wanted you to live a happier life and didn't tell you those things." Mrs. Pan said, "Your father and I are legally married, there's nothing wrong with that. But your father's children are his biological children."
To put it bluntly, even if some of the children are not his biological children, Pan's father doesn't know.
Mrs. Pan didn't want Pan Yun to offend Pan's father at this time, because others might want Pan Yun to offend Pan's father. Pan Yun grew up by Pan's father's side, and Pan Yun received more fatherly love, but this did not mean that Pan's father would always stand by Pan Yun.
If Mrs. Pan was still young, she would still want to give birth to a son for Pan's father. But Mrs. Pan is already this old, she can no longer give birth to a son for Pan's father. Even if Mrs. Pan can give birth to another son for Pan's father, this son is so young that he can't compete with those illegitimate children.
"If you were a man, you wouldn't be able to win over them, let alone a woman," said Mrs. Pan. "Stop joking and smile."
Pan Yun couldn't laugh. It was good enough that she didn't say anything to those people. How could she laugh more? Mrs. Pan didn't force Pan Yun to laugh. As long as Pan Yun didn't overturn the table, that was enough.
At the Shi family, Shi's mother was upset. Shi Nan didn't celebrate Chinese New Year at home last year, and she didn't celebrate Chinese New Year at home this year either. Everyone said that Shi Nan wasn't a son-in-law, but Shi Nan didn't celebrate Chinese New Year at home for two consecutive years, but went to the Pan family instead.
"Is the Pan family really that good?" Shi's mother asked, "Does my son have to go there to celebrate the New Year? Don't they have any sons? There are so many illegitimate children!"
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