At the dinner table, Old Lady Xia put down her chopsticks and asked him, "What do you mean?"
Chen Xiangbei raged, "Yesterday I asked my sister to do me a favor and sew some clothes for me, but it was worse than if she hadn't helped me. Mom, look, what woman can't even mend clothes?"
When Yu Hongzhen heard this, he suddenly remembered Chen Xiangnan's behavior last night. He first refused Chen Xiangbei's request for his clothes, then pulled Tang Jiao behind him and gave him one last look.
Yu Hongzhen couldn't eat anymore. Was this combo just for him to see?
He knew what kind of person Chen Xiangbei was, so he didn't let Tang Jiao sympathize with him too much. And that look she gave him... was she looking down on him? Did she think that as Chen Xianghong's future husband, he couldn't even stop this kind of thing?
I was being ridiculed, Yu Hongzhen thought belatedly.
Chen Xianghong didn't feel anything special. She hadn't lived at home for very long since she came back from the countryside. She had heard Chen Xiangbei speak in this tone too many times since she was a child, but most of the time he had said it to her mother.
"Then take it off and I'll sew it for you again." Chen Xianghong put down his chopsticks, looking very positive as if he would die if he mended his clothes later.
Chen Xiangbei was still mumbling and complaining, "I ate so fast because I wanted to go out and play early. I already had an appointment with someone, and now this has happened. I might as well eat slower."
Chen Xianghong took out a needle and thread and comforted her, "It will be quick. It's just a little bit. It will be fine soon."
Chen Xiangbei: "Then you should be more careful this time. Check whether other places are secure. If I lose my balance after playing with it for a long time, I'll be laughed to death."
Chen Xianghong: "Okay, let me take a look."
He angrily asked Chen Xianghong to sew clothes for him, and then he sat down and picked up his chopsticks to eat more.
Old Chen, sitting next to Old Lady Xia, could already feel her trembling. He whispered, "It's New Year's Day, New Year's Day... Don't be angry. It's a matter of willingness. What are you angry about?"
Old Mrs. Xia: ...It’s Chinese New Year, she doesn’t want to curse because she hopes the new day will go smoothly and everyone will be successful.
But now it was different. She was so pissed off that if she didn't vent her anger today, she would be sulking for the whole new year. It would be better to vent it today and make her feel better. If she felt happy on the first day of the new year, she would feel happy for the rest of the year.
As for whether Chen Xiangbei would be beaten on the first day of the new year and would be beaten throughout the rest of the year, that was his business. Old Mrs. Xia didn't want to care whether he could have a smooth year or not. Even if he didn't, it was his own fault.
After she understood, she threw the chopsticks down.
As Chen Xiangbei went to pick up some food, he was so scared that he hugged his head reflexively. But then he thought, today is the first day of the new year, he just got his New Year's money, no parents would beat their children on the first day of the new year, so he was not afraid at all.
Besides, he didn't do anything bad today, so he has nothing to be afraid of.
Not only was he no longer afraid, he even yelled at Old Lady Xia, "Mom, what are you doing? You scared me, it's New Year's Day."
He raised his voice on the words "New Year's Day" in an effort to remind Old Lady Xia what day it was.
Old Lady Xia: "It's Chinese New Year, you know it's Chinese New Year. Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, and everyone is fine. Even Lingling, a child, eats cleanly without worrying others. But you, why are you so talkative?"
Chen Xiangbei yelled, "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me? I've been more obedient than anyone else lately. Why are you saying that to me?"
Old Lady Xia pointed at the sweater he was wearing and said, "This sweater belonged to the second son a few years ago. Where is the new sweater I made for you?"
Chen Xiangbei: "I just want to wear my second brother's sweater today, what's wrong?"
Mrs. Xia: "Let me ask you, where is the sweater?"
Chen Xiangbei felt guilty for a moment and resented Chen Xianghong even more. If she hadn't sewn it properly, he wouldn't have had to undress in front of his mother. If he hadn't undressed, his mother wouldn't have noticed the sweater on him. But he still had to answer Mrs. Xia's question. He said in a timid tone, "Why do you care where my clothes are? What on earth do you want to do?"
Old Lady Xia: "What should I do? I want to settle accounts with you!"
Chen Xiangbei: "Why are you settling accounts with me? I'm eating well, and you scold me. If you settle accounts with me, I will also settle accounts with you."
Old Lady Xia snatched the cotton-padded jacket that Chen Xianghong was about to sew and brought it to Chen Xiangbei. "This cotton-padded jacket is newly made, right? What did I tell you? Didn't I say that new clothes should only be worn during the New Year? Today is the first day of the New Year, and your clothes are in such a state?"
Chen Xiangbei: "Aren't clothes meant to be worn? If the clothes you made for me weren't of poor quality and fell apart after a few days, and couldn't be worn out after a long time, how could I wear new clothes in advance? Why are you blaming me?"
Old Chen winked at the side, telling the third son to stop talking. Old Lady Xia was just scolding him, and if he continued, Old Lady Xia would hit him. Old Chen was sitting behind Old Lady Xia and could clearly see that her fists were hard.
If Chen Xiangbei could understand the hint, he would not be Chen Xiangbei.
He started to argue with Old Lady Xia, and the more he talked, the more he felt that he was right. He just felt that his mother was biased. Other people's clothes were still in good condition after being worn for several years, so why were his clothes so torn?
It must be that his mother used poor quality cloth to make clothes for him. Because he was the youngest child, all the resources were taken away by the previous ones, so in the end he could only use poor quality cloth to make clothes.
So, he said in a loud voice, "You are biased. You use good cloth for them and bad cloth for me. Their clothes are all good, but mine is not. I don't accept it."
As soon as these words came out, everyone thought Chen Xiangbei was really mentally ill. Today, all of them, including Old Chen and Old Lady Xia, except for the two guests, Yu Hongzhen and Yu Qingqing, wore cotton-padded jackets made of the same material. Aside from the color of the fabric, the style and material were the same. If there was any difference, it was probably that Chen Lingling used a little less fabric.
Anyone who is not blind can see it, but Chen Xiangbei still confidently says that Old Lady Xia is biased. This is very unreasonable.
In order to avoid bleeding on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Old Chen knew what he should do.
He also stood up, no longer sitting there eating and watching the fun like a big shot. "Xiangbei, aren't you hurting your mother by saying this? The clothes are all the same. When they were made, the three of us put the men's clothes together. It was you who picked them first, and I picked the leftovers. Don't you know whether you were treated differently? You kid, apologize to your mother right away."
Chen Xiangbei: "I'm not. She's just biased. She said before that she wouldn't pay a cent for my future marriage, but you paid for my elder brother and second brother's first marriages, so why shouldn't you pay for mine? And you raised my elder brother and second brother's children, so I won't get the same treatment when I have my own children. Why? And now, my clothes are the most torn. It must be the same as these two things, targeting me."
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