When I got home in the evening, I saw a little face that was red from the cold, like a red apple, peeking out from the doorway of the side house in the front yard. Tangtang was blinking her big eyes and looking around.
When Jiang Shuya saw Tangtang appear, she immediately cheered and happily picked her up, kissing her little face. The little face was cool from the wind. Tangtang was over a year old and could walk properly. Since she could walk, she didn't like being carried and was full of curiosity about the ground and her surroundings. Suddenly being held in Jiang Shuya's arms, her little hands and head kept reaching down to the ground, and she kept humming and humming, saying indistinctly, "Down, down."
Jiang Shuya cooperated by putting her on the ground and looked at her with a doting expression. Looking at Tangtang's expression and eyes, which were exactly the same as Huang Minghao's, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart. At this moment, she suddenly vaguely heard her mother-in-law and the old man talking in the house.
The door was half-open, and Jiang Shuya was standing outside it.
The old man was complaining to his mother-in-law that he had been locked out of the house by his daughter-in-law all night and almost froze to death. He expressed his dissatisfaction with his daughter-in-law and said that his son had married a woman who was all show and no substance and did not know how to be considerate or respectful to her elders.
To everyone's surprise, the mother-in-law chimed in, "These young women are no good. They're like vampires, sponging off their parents. They're not very capable, yet they're always bossing people around, always with a stern face, arrogant and disrespectful."
The old man was completely bewildered by her words: "I'm talking about our daughter-in-law, which one are you referring to?"
The mother-in-law scoffed, "At first, I thought Zhang Qing was a good person. The old lady praised her all the time, saying that she was filial, sensible, thoughtful and considerate, a hundred times better than Xiao Ya. She would tell everyone that Zhang Qing was her most satisfactory granddaughter-in-law, and she also flattered my sister, treating her better than her own daughter."
Jiang Shuya, who was standing outside watching Tangtang, heard her mother-in-law speak highly of Zhang Qing, but this time she was not satisfied. She listened carefully as her mother-in-law said, "A few days ago, Liu Lei gave birth to a son in the hospital. She wanted to register the child's household registration in Jiangdao under her own name, but my sister refused, saying that Zhang Qing would not allow it."
The old man was surprised to hear this: "What right does Zhang Qing have to refuse to register the child's birth? Liu Lei is Liu Kai's sister. Liu Lei's birth is at home. Why can't she register the child? The police station asked the matchmaker, but they won't let her register the child's birth. Although this place on Zhou Island will be demolished in the future, there are no restrictions on births, marriages, or household registration."
The mother-in-law slammed her hand on the table and said, "Who says otherwise? My brother has already inquired for Liu Lei. The police station said that newborns are allowed to be registered under their mothers' names, with no limit on the number. As long as the guardian's household registration is in Jiangdao, they can be registered."
The old man gritted his teeth and said, "I told you that Zhang Qing was no good, but you didn't believe me. Now you see! His ugly face has been revealed. What does it matter to her if her sister-in-law takes her son to register his household? It's not like she gets an extra share. She's born to take advantage of the Communist Party."
The mother-in-law smiled bitterly: "It's because Zhang Qing can't register her household registration that she had such evil intentions. She even forced Liu Lei to move her own household registration away, saying that since Liu Lei has married into Jiangning, her household registration shouldn't stay at home."
The old man asked in confusion, "Didn't Zhang Qing's household registration get transferred here?"
The mother-in-law said, "Liu Kai's father is from Taizhou, not Jiangdao. He registered his household in Jiangdao with the signature of Hao Hao's maternal grandfather. The village committee did not allow him to obtain a homestead certificate. Starting from August 10th this year, a law was issued that a homestead certificate is required for household registration transfer due to marriage. Xiao Liu is neither the head of household nor has property ownership certificate, so Zhang Qing's household registration cannot be transferred. Hao Hao's maternal grandfather is a generation younger, so it is even more impossible for him."
The old man asked in bewilderment, "Then why can children do it?"
The mother-in-law shook her head: "There's no reason. Once a newborn is born, as long as there's a guardian present, there's no reason not to allow it."
The old man sighed, indignantly saying, "If Liu Lei could bring that child to Jiang Island, she would have another house and more compensation for the demolition. That Zhang Qing is a real scoundrel. Why shouldn't she let her go? Your sister just gave in like that. Liu Lei is her own daughter!"
The mother-in-law hung her head, clapped her hands, and said helplessly, "My sister, I don't know how, has been manipulated by Zhang Qing. Not only does she not support Liu Lei registering her household, but she also persuades her to move her household registration to Jiangning. Do you think she's been coerced by Zhang Qing and has become obsessed? Liu Lei is now resentful towards her. Tell me, what kind of mother would push her daughter away? Only my sister could do that."
The old man chuckled twice, shook his head, and said, "Well, that's it. They didn't get their daughter, and they've lost one of their sons. These parents are truly rare." He paused for a moment and then asked, "What did the old lady say? Hao Hao's maternal grandmother is extremely satisfied with Zhang Qing. She lives next door. What's her opinion?"
Grandma sighed helplessly, looked around, and said mysteriously, "Grandma Hao is very angry now, but what kind of person is Zhang Qing? She always finds reasons to make her happy, buys her clothes and skincare products, and cares for her. At first, I also thought she was very good. But through this incident, I realized that Grandma Hao isn't completely senile. She told us about Zhang Qing taking money from her to open a restaurant. It turns out that the old lady gave Zhang Qing 80,000 yuan to open a restaurant. Half a year ago, she said it was a loan. After the restaurant opened for a few months, we didn't know about the things she bought for the old lady every time we went home. We always thought it was Zhang Qing's filial piety. Who knew that she took so much money from the old lady and then never mentioned paying it back? The old lady doesn't have an IOU, and she doesn't acknowledge it at all. The old lady is holding her anger in. She only told me that day. My sister knows in her heart, but she doesn't dare to say it, for fear of upsetting her other siblings and grandchildren."
The old man opened his eyes wide and pointed at his mother-in-law: "You idiot, I'm asking you, where has all the money the old lady has spent over the years gone? Hao Hao's maternal grandfather is a retired veteran of the Korean War, with an annual pension of over 100,000 yuan. Where has all the money gone? It's all been used to support your sister's family. Last time I wanted to build a house in the front yard, you absolutely refused to go to the old lady to borrow money. You're practically a dead person."
Upon hearing this, his mother-in-law rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you think I can borrow it just by going to ask? What kind of good person do you think you are? The old lady gets angry just looking at you. What good impression can she have of you? You're always at the mahjong parlor and never home. The house we live in now was built when Hao Hao was ten years old. You took money from Hao Hao's maternal grandfather. Have you paid it back yet? How can you be so shameless?"
Jiang Shuya, standing outside the door, found it amusing. The two of them had started badmouthing each other in the end. Hearing the constant noise inside, she picked up Tangtang and spun her around, her giggles echoing in the quiet courtyard.
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