Sitting on the living room sofa, teasing Tangtang, Huang Minghao glanced at Jiang Shuya on the balcony and frowned. In the past, when he saw her, he would hear her chattering away, unlike this time when she was so silent: "Did you have someone build the house next to Grandpa's?" Huang Minghao asked.
“Yes, I told you before. Because you weren’t here, the household registration has been changed to a separate household, and the head of household has been changed to my name. Grandpa made the decision to change it, and Dad agreed.” Jiang Shuya said as she took in the clothes drying on the balcony.
"The money for building the house came from my parents, which I've told you before."
Huang Minghao moved Tangtang further into the sofa and placed the rattle drum on the coffee table in front of her. Tangtang grabbed it, shook it, and hummed along to the rhythm.
Huang Minghao walked to the balcony, a disdainful smile on his face: "Let's not talk about the homeowner first, stop beating around the bush. What are your parents thinking? Why did they agree to lend you money so readily?"
Knowing that Huang Minghao's first stop upon returning home was his grandfather's house, and that he must have heard some of the details, she stopped keeping him in suspense and replied, "Yes, I promise that if the land is demolished in the future, I will sell a house to Shuhuai at the resettlement price. As for the money owed, I will pay it back after my parents agree to the demolition and I receive the compensation."
"Just as I expected, how could a miser like me be willing to pluck its feathers? Like father, like daughter. Why not take advantage of such a great deal?" Huang Minghao sneered.
"Don't be so harsh. I know my parents very well. I was the one who suggested this house-building plan, and they were indeed interested. Otherwise, where would the 100,000 yuan have come from? Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. Besides, they are my parents who raised me. They have no obligation to provide help for free. As their child, even if you are dissatisfied, you should not say hurtful things."
Jiang Shuya looked up at him and continued to refute: "Think about it, if we follow your mother's suggestion and sell that plot of land to your uncle's family for 10,000 yuan, it will only be worth 10,000 yuan when it is demolished in the future. If we build it ourselves, even if we get three houses, we can sell one to Shuhuai and still get two more. Not to mention there will be an additional compensation of several hundred thousand yuan. Please do the math and see which is more cost-effective."
Jiang Shuya knew that because of this homestead, she had completely offended her uncle's family. In addition, her aunt and the others were all people who tried to smooth things over. The one who understood the situation best was her grandfather. Thinking of this, she felt a little relieved. As long as her grandfather was around, no one else could cause any trouble.
Huang Minghao was surprised that Jiang Shuya, who was usually timid and hesitant, could explain the reason so clearly. Seeing her firm eyes, he swallowed back the words of rebuttal that were on the tip of his tongue.
Jiang Shuya turned her head away from his expression, continued to put away the clothes rack, and immediately grabbed the clothes and slipped past him into the bedroom. The next moment, Huang Minghao followed. Jiang Shuya, who was busy tidying up the clothes, was pulled into his arms, and his large hands began to rub her all over, completely forgetting about Tangtang sitting on the sofa outside the door.
"Take off your clothes, I want them now," Huang Minghao whispered in her ear.
Jiang Shuya instinctively pushed him away and whispered, "Where's Tangtang outside?"
"Take her to my mom." Huang Minghao pulled her up and reached his hand inside her clothes again.
Just then, Tangtang, who was on the sofa outside the door, saw that no one was paying attention to the rattle drum that had fallen to the ground and burst into tears. This immediately startled the two people in the bedroom. Jiang Shuya heard this and ran out, picked up the rattle drum, picked up Tangtang and patted her, then turned to look at Huang Minghao, who was standing at the bedroom door, and gave him an awkward smile.
I secretly gave Tangtang a thumbs up in my heart.
"You just got back, rest for a while. I'll carry Tangtang downstairs for a walk." Jiang Shuya said, then picked up Tangtang and went downstairs.
Seeing her come down, the old man went upstairs to see his son, whom he hadn't seen for six months. Later that evening, Huang Minghao casually threw on a short-sleeved T-shirt, stepped out of his house, and saw Jiang Shuya returning with Tangtang in her arms. They exchanged a brief glance, but without saying a word, he walked towards his grandfather's house.
She remained the same, without smiles, without concern, without heartfelt conversations, as if she were a stranger. This continued to make her feel depressed and resentful. Although she had never experienced any passionate love, she believed that a harmonious married life was definitely not like this.
Back home, she washed and dressed herself and Tangtang as usual, while Huang Minghao didn't come home all night. Just like in her previous life, during the month he returned, he slept at home during the day and went out to eat at night, staying up all night like a gentleman, playing cards. Today it was his uncle's house, tomorrow his third aunt's house, his eldest uncle's house, his eldest aunt's house, his classmate's house, his childhood friend's house, his uncle's house, his son-in-law's house, his fifth uncle's house... and so on. In her previous life, he arranged his time in this order. He used the daytime to recuperate and the evening to meet with his long-lost relatives, talking and chatting about everything under the sun.
He completely ignored his wife and children at home. This continued for the next day when Jiang Shuya received another order from Software Avenue: 230 boxes of grapes from Manager Wang.
It was a business deal introduced by C Gate last time. The grapes were of good quality and tasted good, and most importantly, the price was affordable, still 40 yuan a box. Jiang Shuya wasn't sure if Zhang Xiaohui had enough grapes, so she went to Grandma Sun's house to ask first. As soon as she entered, she saw Sun Qi wearing Grandma Sun's apron and sweeping the yard. Jiang Shuya felt a little embarrassed by Sun Qi's tall and thin figure and quickly took off her gloves, taking the initiative to greet her: "Sister-in-law, come in and talk. I heard that Brother Minghao is back, right!"
Jiang Shuya smiled and nodded, explaining her purpose directly. Upon learning that the quantity might not be enough, she went to Zhang Xiaohui's place again. They concluded that the two families could barely scrape together 230 boxes, and then arranged a time to harvest the grapes.
Looking at the time, Huang Minghao should be getting up soon. Just as she got home and saw him about to leave, Jiang Shuya stopped him: "I need to help deliver grapes tomorrow to Software Avenue. Could you help me out too?"
"I'm not going, I have something to do." After saying that, she left without looking back. She had seen this scene too many times, so she was not surprised at all, nor did she have any illusions anymore. The harmonious marriage she once longed for had never come true.
When I got upstairs, I rubbed my sore arms. Tangtang had gained a lot of weight recently and didn't want to sit in the stroller. She wanted to be carried all day, so my arms were numb and sore.
Looking at the mess on the bed, a bed that had been providing non-stop service 24/7, with someone covering it during the day and sleeping on it at night without a moment's rest, she grabbed the duvet cover, sheets, and pillowcases and stuffed them into the washing machine. She then found a clean four-piece bedding set in the closet and changed it. Her biggest wish now was to get rid of this person. Thinking that he would be leaving in less than a month, her uneasy feelings eased.
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