Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Zhang Qingshan's wife mustered up the courage to speak to Uncle Zhang and his wife, "Dad and Mom, what do you think I should do if I talk to Jiaojiao? It won't be convenient once they return to the capital."
Without waiting for his grandparents to reply, Zhang Mingjiang said, "Mom, you'd better not tell them. They'll be laughed at. They don't need money, so why would they sell the yard?"
"Why isn't he short of money? They don't have money for school and have to rely on their savings. I'm spending a hundred yuan, and he's not happy about it? If it weren't for his good feng shui, I wouldn't be willing to give it to him. Don't meddle in these things, kid."
Zhang Mingjiang rolled his eyes at her. "Do you know how much the watches on Uncle Xiaowu and Aunt Xiaowu's wrists are worth? You might not even be able to buy one for over 300 yuan. Two watches are at least 700 yuan. Ping'an was fiddling with his camera today, and Aunt Xiaowu let him do it without blinking an eye. Are they short of 100 yuan to sell the yard?"
Zhang Qingshan's wife opened her mouth and then closed it again.
Zhang Qingshan laughed and said, "I told you to give up on this idea a long time ago, but you refused to listen. Even a child can understand this, yet you still insist on asking your parents to help you."
Aunt Zhang sighed, "Let's not talk about this. I said that to Second Aunt last time, but she didn't respond. You should understand. Talking too much will make people annoyed."
"I just thought his yard was useless because it was empty. If I had known they were so wealthy, I wouldn't have mentioned it."
Uncle Zhang glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law, lowered his eyelids, and lowered his head to eat.
Zhang Qingshan shook his head. He'd told her so many times, but she wouldn't listen. He really wouldn't give up until he reached the Yellow River.
"Mom, do you think Xiaowu will help Juhua and her two sisters-in-law who were fired this time?"
"I don't know. Eat quickly and take a rest, so as not to be late for work." Aunt Zhang finished the last mouthful of sorghum rice, put down her bowl and chopsticks and went into the inner room.
She might as well lie down on the kang instead of chatting away. Young people just can't think straight. If she were like her, seeing the life her second brother and sister-in-law were living, she would go crazy.
Uncle Zhang finished his meal and stood up to leave. He said to Zhang Qingshan, "Your youngest and his wife are moving to the ancestral hall. After you finish eating, go to Xiaowu's place and lend a hand."
"Now?"
Uncle Zhang nodded and followed his wife back to the bedroom.
Zhang Qingshan looked at his back in confusion. Why did he feel that his father was unhappy?
"These young couple are so cruel. They chased me away right after I came back..."
Zhang Qingshan's face turned serious, his eyes fixed on his wife, "That's enough. If you tell Xiaowu about this and he slaps you in the face, don't blame me for not helping you. If you continue to cause trouble, the Zhang family won't let you stay."
His wife looked away guiltily and lowered her head to eat.
"It's okay for you to make a fuss at home. I can tolerate you. But if you still mess around outside and bring shame to my Zhang family, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Okay, I get it. I'm just talking at home."
Zhang Qingshan glanced at her, put down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up and left the yard.
Zhang Mingjiang looked at the unfinished sorghum rice in his father's bowl and glared at his mother angrily, "Are you happy now? My father is busy from morning till night, can you please stop for a bit?"
Daya then said, "Mom, if you want to go back to my grandma's house, just do it!"
Seeing that his mother was so angry that she was shaking and unable to speak, Zhang Minghu hurried forward and pulled his eldest brother and sister away. The remaining children saw this and ran after them, regardless of whether they had finished their food or not.
Zhang Qingshan's wife pounded her chest and said, "What sins did I commit in my past life? Why are all my children ungrateful?"
Uncle Zhang in the inner room seemed to knock on his pipe intentionally, and the banging sound immediately silenced her.
Aunt Zhang smiled and patted her husband, "If you are not stupid or deaf, you won't be a father-in-law."
Uncle Zhang listened to the sound of his daughter-in-law clearing away the dishes outside and sighed, "Now I understand why my second brother asked his three sons to clean up the house for him and his wife when they separated from the family."
Aunt Zhang said with a cheerful laugh, "How about we divide the family property again?"
"Even if we divide it up, we can't let it be like my second brother, who is coaxed and worshipped by his son like an ancestor."
Aunt Zhang laughed and scolded, "You old fool, you have a nice idea. Let's not compare ourselves with the second brother and his family, let's compare ourselves with the people in the village. Do you think this will make you feel better?"
Let’s not talk about the flirting between Uncle Zhang and the old man.
Zhang Qingshan left his home and came to the door of Zhang Guoqing's house. At this time, he found that only the eldest wife was in the yard with the door open. He glanced at her but did not go in. He went to the ancestral hall immediately.
The old captain and Zhang Guoqing were accompanying the youngest child in choosing a room. The canteen, which had been connected, remained the same, partly due to a shortage of materials and partly due to the need to gather together during the busy farming season to save time.
The two remaining warehouses were completely empty. Since the previous snowstorm had brought the clan members to the ancestral hall, the two large north-south kangs inside had remained in place. Now, he was asked to choose one.
Zhang Guoqing didn't really think there was much to choose from. But seeing the old man's hesitation, he couldn't say anything. The old man was getting old, and he had a tendency to act deliberately and unreasonably. Compared to his own west wing, this adobe house certainly couldn't compare. But it was still a hundred times better than their old house.
Zhang Guoqing remained silent, smiling. He knew the old captain's patience was running out. If they really angered him, even the ancestral hall might not allow them to stay.
Frankly, he was disappointed in Uncle Zhang. He'd originally offered them a place to stay, but now he was running away. If the old captain hadn't intervened, given the rations he held, the youngest and his men would have refused to leave. What would become of his family then? They'd had good intentions, and judging by the way they'd been acting at noon, they were planning to die in their own home. But what was their reason?
Zhang Guoqing never made malicious assumptions about others, especially the elderly, but he also hated those who pushed their boundaries. He would rather burn them than give in.
When Zhang Qingshan came over, the youngest man was still touching the kang, complaining about how big it was and how much firewood it was wasting. He knew at a glance that the other party was trying to take advantage of his age.
He feigned ignorance and stepped forward, smiling, "Third Grandpa, Xiaowu and I will go move the things over first. Let the youngest grandpa take his time choosing here. He can live in either of the two rooms, either side, as he pleases."
The old captain was already impatient and quickly replied, "Okay, go ahead. They only need two pieces of clothing to move Xiaowu's house. You two brothers can each carry them in one hand."
Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing pulled Zhang Qingshan away.
As for the big vat and stools the youngest husband mentioned, he wouldn't take them even if they were available. To move everything in one go and avoid any further hassle, Zhang Guoqing simply borrowed a cart and took them home. Regardless of the youngest wife's sullen expression, he gave her everything she said belonged to her.
After moving, he sighed inwardly as he looked at the empty west wing and the kitchen, which only had an iron pot and a cabinet. Fortunately, Zhou Jiao was pestering his mother, and Ping An was pestering his father, otherwise they would have fought! This was also good, as it would prevent his parents from easily agreeing to outsiders in the future.
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