The messages were sent before my rebirth. When I looked at those cheesy words, I couldn't stay calm. Was this really me?
Are they really that close at this point?
I stared in disbelief at those frivolous messages:
"Honey, I miss you... Do you miss me too? Honey, I love you... Where are you, honey... When will you be back, honey... Tsk tsk..."
Unable to bear it any longer, I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them again. The other person's replies were almost pre-programmed, all perfunctory: "Um... um... um, take good care of Tangbao... don't think too much..."
Jiang Shuya felt a wave of mockery at her own previous enthusiasm. Looking at the frivolous words she had posted, she found them incomprehensible and utterly unbelievable.
About half an hour later, amidst the laughter, I gently patted Tang Bao'er in my arms until she fell into a deep sleep. In the middle of the night, my phone received a text message: "Here".
It was a single word sent by Huang Minghao from across the ocean, drifting on the vast and magnificent sea, which obviously did not disturb Jiang Shuya's sleep.
The next day, Bao'er woke up at dawn, unusually in sync with Jiang Shuya. She instinctively snuggled into Jiang Shuya's arms. Seeing the little one beside her wanting to nurse, Jiang Shuya smiled knowingly.
After feeding the baby, I took the baby downstairs but didn't see my mother-in-law. When I went to the kitchen, I found there was no breakfast, so I put the baby in the stroller and went to the market to buy two steamed buns.
Today I'm going to check on that plot of land in Dageng. The vegetables planted there need to be cleared away in advance. I need to let Grandpa know first, since the bricks and gravel will be brought to the door tomorrow.
About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Grandpa's house. There was a large pile of vegetables, green onions, water spinach, and the like at the entrance. Grandpa must have cleared it in advance. Walking into the plot of land, Jiang Shuya saw that it was fairly flat. She went to Grandpa's house, got a shovel, and leveled the stones in the ground.
When Grandpa saw Jiang Shuya arrive, he said:
“I heard the day before yesterday that the stone bricks will be delivered tomorrow. I’ve already prepared the vegetables. You can take some home to eat later. I’ve fixed the uneven parts, so you don’t have to bother. When laying the foundation, keep it one meter away from your uncle’s wall to avoid trouble when taking measurements later.”
As he spoke, he gestured the size to Jiang Shuya.
Jiang Shuya understood what her grandfather meant and calmly nodded.
As they were talking, a slightly plump woman came over from the large fishpond. Shu Ya recognized her; she was Huang Minghao's cousin-in-law.
I don't usually keep in touch with "Liu Zi," but I always show up when there's something going on at home. She's been married into this family for several years now, and I've only met her twice before.
Jiang Shuya greeted Tang Bao with a smile after each wedding and Tang Bao's one-month celebration.
Liu Zi, with a delighted smile, teased Tang Bao, then casually scooped her up in his arms, pinched her rosy cheeks, and said to Shu Ya:
“You built this house for nothing. There’s still time. Don’t waste your money. I heard that the demolition in Jiangdao is based on the number of people. Every family has a homestead certificate. As long as you have land and household registration, that’s enough. Don’t bother with so much trouble. It’s unnecessary. If the government doesn’t recognize the demolition, you’ll have wasted your time. Wouldn’t it be better to save that money?”
He had said these words to Jiang Shuya in his previous life, and the naive girl believed them. At that time, she had no confidence, so she had no choice but to believe them.
My sister-in-law works as a clerk in the township government. She considers herself to be more educated and has more information from the township government, so she believes it in her past life. However, it was just one of several options in the demolition policy, and the one that was ultimately implemented might not be this one.
Jiang Shuya said tactfully:
“Sister-in-law, your family also has some private land, right? You should build some too! It would be best to make it a separate household. No matter what the demolition and relocation plan is, having a house in hand will definitely keep you from panicking. A house is a house, it's real estate, and it can appreciate in value and be exchanged for money in the future. We can't afford to buy a house in the city, so getting an extra house in the demolition relocation is always a good thing. It's definitely not a loss.”
He then patted her shoulder carefully and said, "After all, once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever."
The words were quite frank. Thinking back to her sister-in-law's equally unhappy marriage in her previous life, she and her eldest cousin now seem to be getting along well. People at the door praise her for being capable, managing her previously unreliable cousin to be both obedient and diligent.
However, not long after the demolition, my older cousin revealed his true colors. He found a woman outside the marriage and even had a child with her. This was illegal; he committed bigamy, which is a crime punishable by imprisonment.
Strangely, they never divorced, and the older cousin continued to live with another woman.
My cousin's father passed away early, but he left behind a property certificate. Fortunately, when a property is demolished, the demolition compensation is based on the property certificate. Their family also had one. In their previous life, their family did not build a house. When the demolition compensation was carried out, they were given two houses. One was rented out, and the other was where my sister-in-law lived with her son and mother-in-law.
The eldest sister-in-law continued to live with this unhappy marriage.
This was clearly inconsistent with her strong appearance, and Jiang Shuya admired her patience.
Jiang Shuya wanted to say a few more words of advice, but her sister-in-law responded dismissively:
"Don't try to persuade me. I'm not going to split up my household or build a house. What's the point of having so many houses? Enough is enough. It's not easy to make money these days. I'm saving money for my son's future wedding."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuya was speechless... Uh... Even being reborn doesn't change other people's fate.
After playing with her for a while, the older sister-in-law took Tangbao home to care for her for a bit. Tangbao didn't cry at all. Does she know everyone?
They waved their little hands happily.
Jiang Shuya didn't go home at noon; instead, she sat at the door of her grandfather's house and helped him prepare vegetables.
My grandmother, with her full head of white hair, sat in a wheelchair beside me. Her face was somewhat swollen and flushed. She had been suffering from cerebral hemorrhage for more than ten years, and her body was partially paralyzed due to a stroke. My grandfather had been taking care of her for more than ten years.
Grandma also had a clear understanding and nodded at Shuya.
He mumbled something under his breath and asked tremblingly:
"Your dad... didn't come home last night..." Shuya was a little surprised, shook her head, and looked at her grandfather.
Grandpa looked at Grandma angrily:
"Why are you bringing up this wretched creature? Why are you bringing up this shameless person? This beast, worse than a pig or a dog, why are you bringing it up?"
Jiang Shuya hesitated for a moment, then realized, was this an insult directed at the old man? Could it be that the old man didn't come home last night?
A quick thought flashed through my mind—this old problem has relapsed!
Thinking about what my mother-in-law did last night, I guess... she went gambling again. Everyone at the mahjong parlor knows her, I wonder who tipped off my grandfather. Sigh! I'm so tired!
An old man in his seventies has to take care of an old man in his fifties.
No wonder Grandpa was both concerned about his reputation and worried about his eldest son.
I remember my father-in-law, who was addicted to gambling. Not long after the demolition, he squandered all the compensation money he received.
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