Yan Erqiang glanced at them, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating. Cai Minniang was a little angry and said, "Erqiang, you haven't given me my pension money this month yet. When are you going to give it to me?"
While eating, Yan Erqiang said, "Oh, retirement money, has your youngest daughter given it to you yet? I'll give it to you whenever they give it to me."
Cai Minniang choked for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "How much do they earn in a month? It's not even enough for themselves, how can they give it to us?"
Yan Erqiang took a bite of rice, picked up a piece of vegetables, chewed twice, and said, "Alright, let Cai Min go to her workplace tomorrow to submit her resignation letter and tell her to quit. We'll earn even less money then, and we'll bring the two kids over for meals every day."
Cai Minniang was speechless for a moment. Old Man Cai coughed and said, "Erqiang, back then I introduced you to work as a temporary worker and even married my daughter to you, and this is how you treat us?"
After finishing the last bite of his rice and the last sip of his soup, Yan Erqiang put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and looked at Old Man Cai, saying, "Father-in-law, you introduced me to a temporary job, I gave you more than ten years' worth of retirement money, you married your daughter to me, and she emptied my house. I haven't given my own mother a single penny in more than ten years. As for your Cai family, I have paid off my debts."
Then he said to Cai Min, "Starting today, you're not allowed to go back to my place. Whichever foot you step through the door, I'll break that foot. I'm busy at work these days, so we'll go get a divorce next Monday."
Cai Min was stunned. Looking at Yan Erqiang who had already left, she was truly frightened. She knew that Yan Erqiang was definitely going to divorce her this time. What should she do?
Suddenly, Cai Min rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the rice, oil, and other vegetables and meat she had brought, and ran out of her parents' house to chase after Yan Erqiang.
Cai Min's mother never expected that her eldest daughter would turn into a bandit and ransack her kitchen. She was so enraged that she grabbed a broom and was about to chase after her when Cai's father stopped her.
Old Man Cai said wearily to Cai Jie, "Starting tomorrow, don't come over for meals anymore. We can't afford to support you anymore. Also, don't take anything from my house. And my wife, let me tell you, if I find out you're secretly supporting them, you can go with them too."
Cai Minniang never expected that Yan Erqiang, whom she had always bullied, would turn against her. She was also shocked that the old man who had always ignored her would say such heartless words. Overwhelmed with grief, she ran into her room and burst into tears, leaving Cai Jie no choice but to drag her husband home.
Yan Erqiang didn't walk fast. He was giving Cai Min one last chance. After all, they still had two children at home. How could they just get a divorce like that? Hearing the heavy footsteps behind him, the corners of Yan Erqiang's mouth curled up slightly.
Sure enough, Cai Min caught up, panting, and gave half of what she was carrying to Yan Erqiang, saying, "Erqiang, I was wrong. I will never take anything back to my parents' home again. Please give me one last chance. I can't carry it anymore, can you help me carry it?"
Seeing Cai Min panting heavily from running too fast, Yan Erqiang disdainfully took the rice and oil and strode towards home. Cai Min was stunned for a moment, then felt relieved and quickly followed, secretly reminding herself that it was more important to take good care of her own family in the future.
Yan Erqiang carefully observed Cai Min for more than half a year and found that the woman had changed a lot. Not only did she keep the house clean and tidy, but she also paid more attention to the children's meals. Most importantly, she no longer took things to her parents' house without permission. However, Yan Erqiang was still worried and told himself that he could not give Cai Min any money while her parents were still alive.
Yan Erqiang sends his retirement money to his mother every month without fail, and sometimes he also sends some local specialties from Kunming. He always thought that he had changed, and that his mother and brother would think more highly of him, or at least come to pick him up at the station. This time, he sent his letter back early in the morning, so there was no way he hadn't received it.
Since no one came to pick him up, he had no choice but to go back on his own. He looked around but there wasn't a single oxcart or donkey cart nearby. He wondered what was going on this year, but no one could answer his questions. So he picked up his luggage and headed home with his son.
The journey was cold and hungry, and the youngest son, Yan Zheng, couldn't take it anymore and started crying. But the weather was too cold, and his tears froze in no time. The pain made Yan Zheng dare not cry anymore. Yan Erqiang also felt sorry for his youngest son, so he tied the luggage to his back, picked up Yan Zheng, and sped up.
Cai Min was wearing cotton shoes this time, so she could still walk briskly. She dragged Yan Ge's arm and followed closely behind. The two of them gritted their teeth and persevered. Finally, after seeing the familiar house, they collapsed to the ground, not wanting to get up.
After the village chief finished speaking with Yan Daqiang, he was about to leave when he ran into Yan Erqiang, who was about to raise his hand to knock on the door. Yan Xiaoqiang, who was seeing the village chief out, saw Yan Erqiang and remembered that it was the day his second brother was coming home. He smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Second brother is back. Come in quickly, it's cold outside."
Grandma Yan only remembered that today was the day her second son was coming home after hearing her youngest son's words. Seeing that no one was around, she quickly told Yan Xiaonan to put away her things on the kang (a heated brick bed) so that her troublesome second daughter-in-law wouldn't see them.
Yan Xiaonan closed her eyes and put everything away. The kang (a heated brick bed) was spotless, even Grandma's teacup was put away. Yan Xiaonan opened her eyes and was startled. She quickly closed her eyes again. The teacup was gone. There was another teacup on the table. Grandma Yan touched her heart and said, "Please don't scare people like that again."
Yan Xiaoqiang told Cuihua and Xuemei to go out and help Cai Min and the child up. It was not good for them to sit on the ground in the cold weather. Cuihua quickly ran out and helped Cai Min up. Cai Min was exhausted, so Cuihua and Xuemei helped her into the main room.
The warmth in the main room brought the four of them back to life. Yan Xiaoqiang personally went to the kitchen and poured a few cups of hot water. Upon seeing the hot water, the group drank it all in one gulp, as if they hadn't had water for days. It warmed their throats and stomachs, and they began to relax.
When Cuihua saw that the two boys' faces were covered in clam oil, she quickly went to the kitchen to get hot water and towels. She carefully wiped their faces clean, applied clam oil, and then Yan Zheng, stroking his own fragrant face, looked at Cuihua and said, "Auntie is so kind."
After catching his breath, Yan Erqiang rushed to Grandma Yan's side: "Mom, did you receive my letter?"
Grandma Yan raised her eyelids and said, "I received it, but I can't read." Yan Erqiang opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, the door to the southeast room opened, and Yan Daqiang came out.
Yan Erqiang felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Yan Daqiang. He stood up tremblingly and whispered, "Big brother, you're back."
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