I sat idly at Zhang Xiaohui's house for a while, thinking I should take Tangtang home for a nap. But then I remembered that the person in bed hadn't gotten up yet, so I gave up on the idea. In the end, Tangtang still fell asleep, so I had to take her home. I tidied up the room next to the stairwell. This room had an old-fashioned solid wood bed that was 1.5 meters wide, with a thick cotton quilt that was only used in winter on it.
I tidied up the things on the bed, put the unused quilts into the hidden compartment on the third floor of the stairs, wiped the dust off the bed, put the small quilt on it from the stroller, and gently picked up the sleeping Tangtang and placed her on the bed.
Passing by the bedroom on the balcony, a strong smell of alcohol wafted out from the half-open door. I quietly went inside and found Tangtang's little pillow. The person on the bed was snoring loudly, the smell of alcohol emanating from their nose. I pinched my nose and walked out of the room in annoyance.
Walking into the bathroom, I saw Huang Minghao's clothes that he had changed out of that morning, which were haphazardly thrown on the floor. I picked them up and threw them into the washing machine. After tidying up the small room, I suddenly felt very tired, so I leaned against Tangtang and fell asleep.
The September afternoon was still scorching hot. There was no air conditioning in the small room, and the two of them were soon woken up by the heat. Tangtang's head and face were covered in sweat, and her face was flushed. She started to whine and fuss. We picked her up and took her to the balcony to get some fresh air. We fed her milk and gave her a hot bath. Only then did the heat gradually dissipate.
That evening, the mother-in-law surprisingly cooked dinner, preparing three dishes and a fish soup. The father-in-law picked up his chopsticks, served Jiang Shuya a bowl, and called her to eat with him. He then glared at his mother-in-law and said, "Are you bored out of your mind? The old man won't let you go to the market or the mahjong parlor anymore, but you still go there every day, courting death."
The mother-in-law pointed at him indignantly: "That's your father, he has no right to interfere with me. Do you think I'll beat someone as big as you? I'm just killing time, so what! You're allowed to have this hobby, but others aren't?"
While the two were still arguing, Huang Minghao came downstairs. His mother immediately went over, took his arm, pointed at the two of them with one hand, and cried as if to express her heartfelt feelings: "Son! Look at these kids, eating my food, controlling my affairs, threatening me. Even your mother can't play cards in peace. I'm living such a miserable life."
Listening to her mother-in-law's feigned crying, Jiang Shuya was preparing rice cereal and feeding Tangtang spoonful by spoonful, remaining silent.
“Dad, Mom’s just playing cards for fun, like she said, to pass the time. Why are you criticizing her? You should take care of yourself first and not make my grandpa worry about you,” Huang Minghao said to the old man who was eating.
The old man glanced at his mother-in-law but remained silent. Huang Minghao looked at Jiang Shuya and continued, "I won't give you the thousand yuan every month anymore. I'll give it directly to my mother. She has no income right now, and the family expenses are high. You should wean Tangtang as soon as possible, find a job, and let my mother take care of Tangtang. You'll be responsible for earning money to support Tangtang. Be nicer to my mother."
Jiang Shuya pursed her lips, not wanting to even glance at it, and forced back her anger: "Fine, I won't take a single penny from you from now on."
Perhaps sensing her displeasure, Huang Minghao took a card out of his pocket, handed it to his mother-in-law, and told her that there was three thousand yuan in it, the PIN was on the back of the card, and that she should use it for living expenses. At this moment, his mother-in-law stood up happily: "Son, I was just worried that I wouldn't have any money to give when I went to your aunt's house tomorrow. This is just in time."
After feeding Tangtang the last bite of rice cereal, Jiang Shuya instantly realized that she hadn't received any money from Huang Minghao for Tangtang's formula for three months. Meeting his gaze again, she understood immediately.
I took Tangtang's bowl to the kitchen to wash it, and then poured myself a bowl of fish soup. I thought to myself, "I can't let anyone go hungry." Just as I was about to sit down to eat, I heard someone say, "Come upstairs after you finish eating. I have something to tell you."
"Let's talk here, I can hear you, and your parents are here too." Jiang Shuya said nonchalantly. She no longer wanted to be ordered around by him, to obey his every command, or to act subservient. Why should she pour out her heart to someone who didn't care about her?
Huang Minghao looked at Jiang Shuya, who was eating, with some annoyance. His expression changed slightly. After pausing for a moment and seeing that she did not respond, he strode out.
Sitting in the stroller, Tangtang kicked her legs happily. The old man glanced at her, sighed, and muttered, "What kind of child is this? She only comes home once every six months. She doesn't even know how to hold the baby or go out for a walk."
Jiang Shuya scoffed, thinking to herself, "Even the old man can't stand it anymore."
At this moment, the mother-in-law spoke up: "Haohao doesn't have any new clothes. Go and buy him a couple of outfits tomorrow. Otherwise, what will people think when we go to your aunt's house for the housewarming party?"
“Okay, I’ll go tomorrow. I don’t have any clothes to wear anyway, so you can bring Tangtang tomorrow.” Jiang Shuya readily agreed.
Holding Tangtang from morning till night every day left her physically and mentally exhausted. She also wanted to get some fresh air and clear her head, so she agreed without hesitation. She also took the opportunity to talk to Wang Tingting about her work at the mall.
After finishing her meal, she handed Tangtang over to her mother-in-law and went to Grandma Wang's house. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she was surprised to find Huang Minghao standing there, chatting and laughing with Wang's son. The two of them were surrounded by smoke, each with half a cigarette in their mouths, chatting about some interesting things in a relaxed and pleasant manner. When Jiang Shuya came in, Wang Hongjuan quickly brought a low stool and placed it behind her, gesturing for her to sit down for a while.
Wang Hongjuan was cutting the loose bunches of grapes, peeling them, and making wine. Jiang Shuya sat down to help, and took the opportunity to start a conversation: "What's it like working in a shopping mall? Are there any requirements?"
Wang Hongjuan scoffed: "You want to work in a shopping mall? The most basic job of a sales assistant is to serve customers, promote products, organize the counters, and take inventory of the store. As for the requirements, with your looks, it's no problem at all."
"Then which type of sales do you think I'm better suited to?" Jiang Shuya asked.
At this moment, Huang Minghao, who was standing at the door, heard this and interjected, "Sister-in-law, do you know if there are any suitable jobs at your mall? Help her find one, and I'll treat you and your husband to dinner later."
“Great! I’ll contact the mall manager when I get to work tomorrow, and I’ll also ask around at the counter next door. They were hiring a few days ago, I wonder if they’ve found anyone yet. Let me know and I’ll let you know for an interview as soon as possible.” Wang Hongjuan readily agreed with a smile.
In fact, Jiang Shuya knew that Huang Minghao wouldn't take her matter to heart. She had come today intending to find out indirectly which brands were best-selling in the mall, where the goods came from, and whether they were directly operated or distributed. Before she could ask, someone beat her to it. Huang Minghao would definitely think that she had listened to his request and that she had compromised with him.
At that moment, I felt there was no need to stay there. I turned back to ask Wang Tingting, said goodbye, and went home.
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