Jin Jinxiu laughed and said, "I don't have my mother's skills. My mother is a gentleman who uses words but not fists. I'm not like that. I'm a young woman who specializes in using my hands and feet, and I beat those old women so badly that they run all over the streets."
Upon hearing Jin Jinxiu's words, Yuanfang couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Grandma Jin sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), sighing inwardly. Listening to her daughter-in-law's cheerful laughter outside, a sense of helplessness welled up within her. Years ago, she had decided to send her son to the south to make a living because the family's financial situation was truly dire. Every year, after paying the grain tax, the harvest they painstakingly grew could barely sustain the family.
Fortunately, ever since the wealthy man and his two brothers went south, they have been sending back a considerable sum of money every month. Yuanfang is responsible for collecting this money. Yuanfang is not a stingy person; every time she receives the money, she always gives a portion to her two daughters-in-law as pocket money, and she also buys her grandchildren some treats and toys from time to time. Therefore, her two granddaughters-in-law don't have many complaints about her.
Jinxiu was speechless. Although she went to Pengcheng for the Spring Festival last year, she took a lot of things from Yuanbao Village before leaving, which made the villagers extremely envious. However, no one dared to go to Beian Village to say anything sour or gossip, after all, her son-in-law was still the village chief, a cadre in a way.
This year, Qian Mao didn't come home for the Spring Festival. To be honest, she felt a little disappointed. After all, as Qian Mao's grandmother, she also hoped to spend the holiday with her grandson, especially after learning that he had appeared on television and become the focus of attention. She was filled with pride and anticipation. How proud she would be if her grandson could come home for the New Year! Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; her grandson chose to spend the holiday at his in-laws' house instead of returning to Yuanbao Village. Even so, Grandma Jin was still somewhat disappointed, but she understood that since his parents hadn't complained, why should she say anything?
In fact, Old Lady Jin had considered having Jinxiu call her grandson and persuade him to come back and visit his family. However, a series of events that followed made her abandon this idea. It turned out that some villagers from Yuanbao Village came to her house, asking her to intercede with the Qian family and help them go to other places to earn money. Even the families of her two granddaughters-in-law joined in this farce.
Faced with this situation, Grandma Jin felt utterly helpless. But what she found most unbearable was the rumor that Qian Mao was going to become a live-in son-in-law. This was an insult to her son! So, Grandma Jin decided to stop tolerating it; she wanted to show those with ill intentions that they weren't easy to bully. And so, Grandma Jin successfully created her own memorable scene.
This year's Spring Festival was exceptionally lively for the Qian family, with villagers, both familiar and unfamiliar, coming to offer their New Year's greetings. Qian Sheng greeted each visitor with a beaming smile, but to those who subtly inquired about his children's situation, he simply replied, "We old folks don't really know much about the children's affairs."
When asked if he wanted to see his children, Qian Sheng explained that they were all out playing in their wedding attire. After all, there are only a few days a year when they can reunite at home, so of course he wants to spend quality time with his wife and children! He also revealed that he had heard there were some exciting events in Harbin, so the whole family decided to go there for a few days before returning.
Qian Shengcai didn't care what others said; all he cared about was making money and putting it in his own pocket.
He wouldn't care about other people's feelings; they're not his children, why should he cater to their emotions? Besides, since the autumn of 1984, various places have started handling household registration, saying that identity documents are required. This has significantly diminished his standing as the village head in the eyes of the villagers.
He used to have the power to issue letters of introduction, and the villagers treated him with utmost respect, calling him "the one who issues letters of introduction." But now, they only call him "Village Chief." However, Qian Shengcai also understood that this change in attitude was only natural. The more contempt they had shown him before, the more sincere their smiles would be now.
Qian Sheng started as a team leader in the production team at the age of 22, then rose through the ranks to become the brigade leader, and now the village head. The villagers are a diverse bunch, but none of them are fools. If someone wants to go out and make their way in the world, let them go, just don't drag him along. Among this group, there are always a few troublemakers who take all the benefits but shirk responsibility when problems arise. Humph, he won't help any of those people!
Time flies, and it was already the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. That morning, Qian Rao took Wen Yugui, the children, and Wen Yuzhu to visit Aunt Wen in the county to offer New Year's greetings.
As soon as they entered, Uncle Wen warmly greeted them, and was overjoyed to see Qian Rao. He quickly invited everyone to sit down and asked Aunt Wen to prepare some delicious food to treat Qian Rao's family.
During their casual conversation, Uncle Wen learned that Wen Yuzhu's work was going well and that he had found a girlfriend, who turned out to be his classmate. The two were very much in love and their relationship was stable. Hearing this, Aunt Wen was overjoyed, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
Aunt Wen has always held a deep affection for her former sister-in-law's two children. Although she was limited in her abilities and could only take one child with her at the time, seeing the two children supporting each other and having a close relationship fills her with immense joy. This kinship and care can be seen as a comfort to the children's mother in heaven.
She could tell that the siblings didn't seem willing to mention their shameless brother. Although she herself felt that Wen Dashan's life was destined to be this way, she still felt a chill in her heart. After all, no parent is inherently wrong, and compared to them, her other nephew, Wen Yuqiao, was worlds apart. Expecting him to support her in her old age was simply too much to ask! Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh.
Wen Yuzhu was a sensitive person. When he was first taken out by his aunt and stayed here, his aunt's two children ostracized him. This was the last thing he had to do, so he had to go to boarding school. But boarding school also cost money. Fortunately, his older sister came to work in Shangzhi and earned money to support his boarding expenses. Later, he worked odd jobs in the tofu shop in Beian Village and slowly paid back his aunt the initial boarding fees, so he no longer owed her anything.
After being admitted to university, I moved my household registration out of Aunt Wen's house. During my university years, I lived a very frugal life every day, and I saved some money to send to Aunt Wen to express my gratitude to her for bringing me out of university.
All of this was done in front of Aunt Wen's husband, because he didn't want to put Aunt Wen in a difficult position.
Now that I am about to start my own family, I talked to Aunt Wen about my life and also mentioned that I might only visit her during the Chinese New Year, but I will do my best to be filial to her in her old age.
When Uncle Wen heard this, his eyes darkened. This kid still remembered what happened back then. He was young then, and they were young too. How could they have seen his current achievements? Sigh, he wanted to make up for it, but this kid was as slippery as an eel. Oh well, as long as his wife is alive, this bond will never break.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
