When I arrived at Chen Wanglong's house, all the younger generations were already there. Chen Jianguo's son hadn't returned, saying he was busy with business outside. This child had been missing for years since he married that woman.
People say that when a man marries a wife, he forgets his mother. This is absolutely true. My son is like a live-in son-in-law. He stays at his mother-in-law's house all day long and doesn't even go home during the New Year or other holidays. He really has forgotten his roots!
Although Chen Jianguo and his wife kept praising their son for his success, they were actually feeling uncomfortable and aggrieved. It was just that family disgrace should not be made public.
Liu Ruonan had met Chen Jun from Chen Jianguang's family before, when they were still young, but she hadn't seen him much since then. When she saw him now, he looked very different from when she had met him before.
Chen Jun is about the same age as Liu Ruonan, and will also be nineteen this Chinese New Year. He is a rather impressive-looking boy, tall and thin, with a manly demeanor.
But this child was rather taciturn and didn't like to talk much. He just smiled and greeted everyone, then hid in a corner and kept silent. In Liu Ying's words, this child was not a man who stood out.
Zhuang Sheng and Liu Ruonan were married for the first year, as were Chen Lei and Xiaofang. As elderly couples, Chen Wanglong and his wife were supposed to give their children red envelopes. With little financial resources and limited funds, they gave Liu Ruonan and Xiaofang five yuan each.
In fact, five yuan was considered a lot in the countryside. Children of this era only received a few cents for their New Year's gift money, and those who received it in large amounts were considered to be from better-off families.
After paying New Year’s greetings to the elderly, it is time to visit the homes of the elders.
On the way to pay New Year's greetings, they met Zhuang Qiang and Chen Guihua. Zhaodi and Laidi chased them and ran away, very happy.
When Lai Di saw Zhuang Sheng, he felt very friendly. He ran over, took his hand and called him "Big Brother".
Chen Guihua looked at him and felt very uncomfortable. She quickly stepped forward and pulled her younger brother back, saying angrily, "How dare you call someone that? Who is your eldest brother? He doesn't even want his family anymore, so how can he be your eldest brother?"
This was ridiculous. Did Zhuang Sheng no longer want his family? Or did they no longer want him? In such a short time, had Chen Guihua forgotten how she had kicked Zhuang Sheng out in the first place?
Zhuang Sheng actually felt uncomfortable. After all, he was not in a good position. In the past, he always followed Zhuang Qiang and Chen Guihua to pay New Year's greetings, but now, they seemed like strangers.
Unexpectedly, Lai Di broke free from Chen Guihua's restraints and ran to Zhuang Sheng again.
It was obvious that the child liked Zhuang Sheng. In the past, he had been a little timid when he saw Zhuang Sheng. Why was he so shy? Perhaps it was because of something Chen Guihua had said to him. But since the last time he saw Zhuang Sheng at the wedding, his attitude had changed dramatically.
Zhuang Sheng squatted down and looked at Lai Di. The corners of his mouth raised slightly, revealing a shallow but gentle smile. He said softly to Lai Di, "Laidi, Happy New Year!"
"Brother, Happy New Year."
"Lai Di, you are still young, but you must remember that you must never lose your conscience!"
Lai Di looked at Zhuang Sheng as if he understood something and nodded.
How could Chen Guihua not understand? These words were actually meant for her to hear. She felt even more discouraged and went forward to pull Lai Di away.
Zhuang Qiang followed closely behind. Meeting under such circumstances was a bit awkward. He had never imagined that his least favorite son would be so successful.
If he had known this at the beginning, he would not have followed Chen Guihua's wishes and kicked Zhuang Sheng out of the house.
I heard before the Chinese New Year that when Zhuang Sheng came back, he brought a TV to Chen Jianmin's house. In their village, there are not many families with TVs!
If he hadn't kicked Zhuang Sheng out, would the TV have been his? But what was the point in saying this now? Zhuang Sheng had already been removed from his household registration, and the two of them had completely drawn a line in the sand, severing their father-son relationship.
Even if he had extorted money from Zhuang Sheng at the time, what could he do now? He still couldn't even afford a TV.
People! Perhaps your fate has already been determined.
But he just wouldn't give up! This was his own son! Why should all the money he earned go to Chen Jianmin and his wife? This was so unfair!
Thinking of this, Zhuang Qiang was furious, but he didn't dare say anything in front of Chen Guihua. He knew how much Chen Guihua didn't want to raise Zhuang Sheng as her son, otherwise she wouldn't have been so decisive in the first place.
Zhuang Sheng said, "One must not lose one's conscience." This seemed to be addressed to Chen Guihua, but how could it not be addressed to Zhuang Qiang? But in Zhuang Qiang's heart, he didn't care about this.
How much is conscience worth? Can it buy him a good life? These are not the things he values most.
After walking a few steps, I saw Xiang Tingting again. She was greeting the elders in her family. She had changed her clothes today, still wearing a very slim-fitting coat and high leather boots. She still had that arrogant and domineering look on her face.
Liu Ruonan and Xiang Tingting met, and Zhuang Sheng took Liu Ruonan away. It was New Year's Day, so there was no need to get entangled with such a person. In the end, it would only make you unhappy.
By the time everyone was greeting each other, it was almost noon. Since it was the first year of my marriage, the closest relatives had all given me red envelopes. While they weren't big, they were a token of my appreciation.
Liu Ruonan was hungry, so Zhuang Sheng took her home. He still had some dumplings from New Year's Eve, so he cooked some for her and made some scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
After Liu Ruonan finished her meal, she went back to her room to sleep.
I have been feeling very tired recently. After walking for this morning, my legs feel like they don't belong to me anymore. They are swollen and distended, not to mention my waist.
Liu Ruonan had just fallen asleep when she heard Zhuang Sheng's voice.
Because it was the first day of the Lunar New Year and no one was working, Chen Jianmin's family went out to visit every household to wish them a happy new year. They basically did not stay home all day, and Gao Shanshan also played with her friends.
The voice speaking to Zhuang Sheng seemed to be that of an old man, and one could tell there was a sense of vigor in the voice.
Liu Ruonan opened her eyes drowsily and looked out through the window.
Liu Ruonan's expression froze instantly. She had never thought that the person who came was Liu Kaixu, her master in her previous life.
Liu Ruonan stood up and staggered into the yard. At this moment, Liu Kaixu and Zhuang Sheng were standing at the door talking about something.
Why was the master here during Chinese New Year? Was he looking for her? If so, how did he know she lived here? So many questions lingered in Liu Ruonan's mind.
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