At dinner time, Wei Zhu and Yue Ting came over together. As Song Xia had instructed, Yue Ting picked out two nice outfits and shoes for Wei Zhu.
"That's right." Song Xia nodded repeatedly. "You girls should dress up more while you're young. If you don't dress up now, you'll regret it when you get old."
Yue Ting casually picked up an orange, completely ignoring Wei Deng's resentful look: "Auntie, you have great skin and a great figure, you look good in anything."
Wei Zhu also noticed that from last year to this year, her mother's skin has become whiter day by day, and even the spots on her face have faded a lot.
Song Xia smiled and said, "Maybe once you figure things out, you'll have no more worries, and naturally your complexion will improve."
Wei Deng sat in the corner, watching his mother, sister, and sister's friends chatting and laughing. His face became more worried. Did his so-called understanding and lack of worries mean that he would stop indulging himself and start indulging his sister instead?
Now he doesn't quite understand how he suddenly came to understand such deeply ingrained ideas.
My sister is going to get married someday, right? Once she gets married, she'll belong to someone else's family, won't she? With Mom's current attitude, does she mean she doesn't plan to ask for a bride price when my sister gets married? If she doesn't ask for a bride price, how will I marry Mo Ru in the future?
During the meal, Song Xia seemed to know what he was thinking and said, "These days, marriage is something you either get married if you can or you don't. Many couples get divorced in a fit of anger over a small matter, which ultimately hurts both sets of parents. The two children's property is divided up, so how do you account for the property and effort that both families put into the marriage?"
“That’s right.” Yue Ting nodded in agreement. “People nowadays have gotten marriages a bit backward. Even though parents urge them to get married, ultimately, isn’t it in their own hands whether they get married or not? There are so many people complaining online, as if marriage is for their parents and having children is for their parents. The parents can’t even take a break, or they’ll be complained about.”
"However, some parents are indeed too domineering. They make a scene if their children don't get married and have children. But getting married and having children is a freedom granted by law. How can you force your children? This is a major life event. Deciding to get married and have children means taking responsibility. Some people are not prepared to take responsibility, but they are forced to get married, which ultimately harms themselves and others."
"I don't know what's wrong with this society. There are contradictions everywhere. I've cut off ties with my parents, but I'm not as miserable as they are."
"Not everyone is as brave and capable as you, Tingting. I really admire you."
Yue Ting smiled shyly: "Auntie, you flatter me. It's just that I suffered too much when I was young, and now that I'm grown up, I want to live for myself for once."
"So Auntie also learned some lessons from the complaints of these people online."
As Wei Deng listened, he felt another jolt in his heart.
As expected, Song Xia continued, "I will absolutely not urge Wei Zhu and Wei Deng to get married or have children in the future. They will make mature choices when they feel that they have the ability to take responsibility and the determination to raise a family. Otherwise, if I say too much and the outcome is not good, they will blame me."
"Mom, how could I blame you? You're overthinking it, it's just baseless!"
"Yes, Mom, you are an elder, so your advice is certainly important."
Both siblings looked at her, but one spoke earnestly while the other was uncertain.
Song Xia shook her head again: "Mom doesn't have much education, so I can't compare to you college students. Of course, your thinking is more in line with society, and it's your life, so you should be in charge."
Wei Deng asked in a panic, "Mom, are you planning to abandon me from now on?"
"Of course not, Mom is still your mom, but you have to learn to grow up on your own and take responsibility for yourselves."
Actually, she said those words today on purpose for Wei Deng to hear, to give him a heads-up that if he wanted to marry Mo Ru in the future, he would have to take on the responsibilities of a family himself, and no one would pay for his laziness and willfulness anymore.
Although the food was delicious, Wei Deng still couldn't eat much. When Song Xia prepared two dishes for him to take back to school, he was still somewhat absent-minded.
"Mom, did you say something to my younger brother this afternoon?" Wei Zhu whispered, watching her brother's departing figure.
"Well, I talked to him about the idea that having a boy or a girl is the same nowadays, and I guess he'll need some time to accept it."
Wei Zhu opened her mouth, not expecting her mother to be so quick. Did her mother really not plan to spoil her younger brother anymore?
“This child needs to be spoiled within limits. The more you spoil him, the less useful he will be. I’m doing this for his own good. If he doesn’t grow up on his own, who will take on the family responsibilities when he wants to get married and have children? Will his wife make the sacrifices? Won’t she run away? Will I, his mother, be his safety net? I’m getting old and I also want to live a peaceful life for a couple of days. It’s even more impossible for you to take on these responsibilities. You’re just his sister, and you have no responsibility towards him. So if you want him to have a good future, you have to correct his views now.”
Yue Ting enjoyed her meal immensely: "Auntie, you're so cool!"
She now genuinely envies Wei Zhu and sincerely admires Aunt Song. It's truly remarkable that Aunt Song, at her age, can still correct her own views.
Unfortunately, her parents didn't understand this, so she would never go back, and she would never hand over her money.
"Auntie, thank you for your praise. People should keep up with the times. You were probably too influenced by your environment before, after all, you grew up in that kind of family and were surrounded by people with gender prejudices. After coming to the provincial capital, you've met more people and naturally gained more insights. Look at Grandpa Zhao, how happy he is living with his daughter now? He even gave half of his family business to his daughter, and his son has no objections. The siblings have a harmonious relationship. It's clear that his kind of education is correct."
"What if Wei Deng doesn't improve in the future?"
"After all, I gave birth to him and spoiled him since he was a child. I didn't establish the right educational concepts, so I won't completely ignore him. If he really turns out to be a good person, I'll leave him enough money for basic living expenses, and nothing else."
Wei Zhu softened and said, "Mom, don't worry, I won't abandon my little brother in the future."
"Who told you to meddle with him? Just live your own life. You're interfering too much. Won't your future husband and children have any objections? That's not fair to them. Alright, it's too early to talk about these things now. Don't worry about it. As long as your mother is alive, you don't need to pay any attention to your brother."
Song Xia thought to herself that once she was too old to move, no matter how much trouble Wei Deng caused, he wouldn't be able to cause any more trouble and wouldn't be able to harm her daughter, Wei Zhu.
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