Chapter 6 006 Contradiction
"I'm in a good mood today, pour me a glass." Guan Canghai added, wanting a sip of wine himself, "Pour a glass for the fourth brother too. The second brother will be on his way back later, we'll drink next time."
Last year, he fell ill and the doctor advised him not to drink too much alcohol, so his wife locked up all the alcohol in the house.
Jiang Guiying, unusually, did not object, but only a shallow layer was poured out from the bottom of the bowl.
The fourth sister, Guan Yuehe, was the only one who felt she hadn't spoken up enough. Under Jiang Guiying's unquestionable gaze, she picked up her bowl, clinked it against her father's and eldest brother's bowls in turn, and downed it in one gulp.
"Ah!" Delicious!
Her drunken appearance made Guan Canghai burst into laughter. Of her five children, only the second and fourth had a decent alcohol tolerance. But he didn't know exactly how much they could drink, since the family couldn't afford to buy more.
The eldest brother, like him, gets drunk easily. But the eldest brother doesn't like it; only he, who can't drink, likes to take a sip or two.
Guan Yuehua looked down on everyone who drank alcohol, saying, "Isn't soda better than alcohol?!"
There was little conversation at the dinner table. Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying rarely talked during meals; everyone, young and old, just focused on eating.
A large bowl of pickled fish was emptied of all the broth in less than five minutes.
Weiwei was so full that he let out two burps, and quietly buried half of his head in the bowl.
Today's meal is almost like the New Year's Eve dinner.
After finishing the meal, there was no rush to clear the table.
Guan Canghai sipped his wine, his face now flushed, and leaned back on the sofa, starting to snore.
Jiang Guiying said, "The pickled cabbage is delicious. Make more this year."
"We've made too much and there's no room at home to store it all," Guan Aiguo said angrily. "The amount we put outside isn't even enough for those thieves from the Ding family!"
"Don't worry about it, there's always somewhere to put it."
Grandpa Ding's four grandsons, who were supposed to "bring glory to their ancestors," were all more annoying than the last. In the entire Ding family, he felt that only Brother Xuewen was a good person.
Who can argue with that? It wasn't just Jiang Guiying who was annoyed by the Ding family's kids; everyone in the entire No. 3 courtyard except the Ding family was annoyed, and even people from other courtyards in the alley often came to their door because of their kids stealing food.
There were also people they dared not offend, such as Old Man Li who lived in the gatehouse of the courtyard. The Ding family kids had been dealt with twice, and now they all avoided Old Man Li.
Jiang Guiying was thinking that when Yuehe moved, she would set up two or three tables in the next courtyard and invite the neighbors to a meal, so that the troublemakers in the next courtyard would think twice and know that her daughter was not someone to be trifled with!
Although there are often minor conflicts, they've never reached the point of a complete falling out. Conflicts within the compound are one thing, but outside the compound, everyone remains united against outsiders.
But since we haven't gotten the house yet, we should keep it from our families for now.
Before long, Lin Yufeng changed the subject to Guan Yuehua.
"Yuehua, why didn't you invite your boyfriend over for dinner today? It's rare to have the whole family here."
Guan Yuehua retorted, "I already said last night that I'd see how it goes before bringing someone back for dinner. Why are you in such a hurry, sister-in-law? Are you urging me to get married quickly so we can make room for the family?"
Lin Yufeng's face turned pale and then red. Guan Jianguo scolded, "Apologize to your sister-in-law! Is it wrong for your brother and sister-in-law to care about your dating life?"
"Whether my sister-in-law cares about me finding a partner or just wants me to get married soon, she knows the answer in her heart. I haven't even said anything to you! Aren't you also hoping I'll get married soon? My sister-in-law has already said everything, so you're the good older brother, huh?" Guan Yuehua rolled her eyes after saying that.
"Do you have any conscience saying that? When did we ever pressure you? Did we introduce you to someone or kick you out?" Guan Jianguo got angry, but Lin Yufeng tugged at his clothes. "Don't pull me away. I'm going to have to settle this with her today!"
Jiang Guiying spoke up, "Alright! Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others!"
They both scolded the siblings impartially. "Yuehua, you really need to change your temper. You get angry so easily. It's only because your family can tolerate you that you're like this after you marry into another family."
"We have a spacious house at home, and no one's pressuring you to get married. Forget your older brother and sister-in-law being concerned about your dating life; I'm even wondering what's going on with your boyfriend. You dare try dating someone like Xu Xiaomei, who's been sent to the countryside and is even sending her money and gifts...!"
Guan Yuehua retorted, "Xu Xiaomei has already started dating someone new. What you're saying is all ancient history."
Jiang Guiying slapped her twice on the back, saying, "Is that the point? I think you just need a good beating!"
After talking about her eldest daughter, she turned to scold Guan Jianguo, "Yuehua said last night that she would date for a while before bringing her back, so why do you keep asking all the time!"
Her eyes were fixed on Guan Jianguo, not sparing Lin Yufeng a single glance. "There are only three rooms in the house. They were allocated to your father and me by the factory. We're not old yet; it's not time for you to be thinking about the inheritance."
Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng's eyes widened; those words were far too harsh. They had never really thought that way.
Jiang Guiying couldn't control what they thought.
It's not surprising that children come up with all sorts of ideas as they grow up; otherwise, how could there have been a situation three years ago where each family paid for their own meals?
To put it nicely, they're being open-minded as parents. But in reality, isn't it just that their child is growing up, has many ulterior motives, and can't work together towards the same goal?
The elderly couple had already discussed how to divide the house; it's far too early to do so now. If they really want a house, they should learn from Yuehe—if they work hard, they can get one themselves!
Huh... Where did Yuehe go? And Weiguo isn't here either?
Everyone in the room was lost in their own thoughts, and Guan Canghai's snoring grew even louder.
Jiang Guiying found it noisy, so she slapped her husband twice to vent her anger.
—
As soon as Guan Yuehua uttered her first retort, Guan Yuehe quietly slipped away with her second brother.
"Second brother, come with me to the factory first. Last month there was a batch of defective shoes, and I managed to snag a pair of men's shoes. You should be able to wear them. I was thinking you wouldn't come for another two months... Oh, don't frown. My older brother and sister are just like that, so annoying. Anyway, you don't have to live with them, so don't worry about it."
Guan Weiguo said sympathetically, "I'm sorry you had to go through this."
"Tch!" Guan Yuehe waved her hand dismissively, "I've already moved out, so it won't bother me. I won't live in the same room with them anymore."
She initially moved to the factory dormitory because she was a factory worker and the factory had heavy production tasks and a lot of overtime, so living at the factory was more convenient. Later, she also stayed in the factory dormitory because she was annoyed by the noise at home.
Weiwei has been very noisy since birth. Her loud voice caused complaints from the two neighboring courtyards. She couldn't sleep well at night and was in poor spirits when she went to work the next day. She almost pricked her finger on the sewing machine several times.
Her sister was annoying too. She was restless in her sleep, and she'd been kicked off the bed countless times. Sometimes she even thought her sister did it on purpose. Turns out, her sister was just a restless sleeper, because after being kicked off the bed, she'd also kick her sister, but she wouldn't wake her up.
It's even more annoying when her sister and sister-in-law get together! They're like sworn enemies from ten lifetimes ago; you never know what they might say that could ignite a firestorm.
The eldest sister-in-law disapproved of her eldest sister's extravagant spending and thought she was a wicked sister-in-law who complained to her mother-in-law. The eldest sister, in turn, thought her sister-in-law was outwardly virtuous but secretly gossiped about her and talked behind her back, making her a wicked sister-in-law as well. Extending this disapproval, the eldest sister also thought her brother was a wicked brother, since they shared the same bed.
The key issue is that not only do they argue, but they also try to get her to take sides. She doesn't want to take sides, so naturally she finds them both annoying.
You can have a huge argument with your roommates, but how can you argue with your family? You argue in the morning, then have dinner together in the afternoon, and then sit down calmly to discuss things in the evening.
Just thinking about it makes me feel so frustrated; even arguing with someone is unpleasant.
The brother and sister walked very fast, not giving the elderly people in the alley a chance to stop and ask them questions.
Once outside, Guan Yuehe told her second brother about her plan to move.
We were so focused on discussing how to decorate the house that we completely forgot about our own home.
When she arrived at the factory gate, she ran back to her dormitory to get her shoes, leaving her second brother to wait at the factory gate.
There are eight people living in the dormitory, including both permanent and temporary workers. At this moment, only Gao Xiaofang is there.
Seeing her return, she seemed to be in a hurry to leave again. Gao Xiaofang immediately put down her needlework. "Yuehe, I have something to ask you."
"Sister Xiaofang, you go ahead." Gao Xiaofang was her sister's high school classmate, who was promoted to a full-fledged student last year, and their relationship was considered pretty good among the dormitory students.
After hesitating for a while, Gao Xiaofang saw that Guan Yuehe was getting impatient, so she gritted her teeth and said, "I heard that He Shuangshuang has also been allocated a room."
"He Shuangshuang and I were promoted in the same batch, and she's been employed for three years now." It's normal for her to be allocated housing, what's the problem with that?
"So, did you know she was married?"
"Huh?" Guan Yuehe shook her head. "I don't know, I'm not familiar with her."
Although they were all promoted to permanent positions at the same time, she had worked as a temporary worker for half a year before becoming a permanent employee, while He Shuangshuang was a permanent employee from the start. It just so happened that they were promoted to permanent positions at the same time.
He Shuangshuang worked in the propaganda department when she first joined the factory. Later, she was selected to be a broadcaster. She was the announcer for all the factory's programs and was recognized as one of the factory's most beautiful girls.
She and He Shuangshuang didn't have much interaction at work; they barely exchanged a few words at the factory.
But then Gao Xiaofang suddenly asked her what she meant by this?
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