"Grandma, my sister doesn't get out of class until eight o'clock, and it's only six twenty now. How about I take you home first, and I'll come over and wait for my sister?" Wang Baomin said helplessly.
“That won’t do. I’ve already promised your mom I’d stay with Chunni. What if I go back halfway and your mom doesn’t give me new clothes?” Zhou Daya was still very principled.
"Grandma, my mom doesn't know how," Wang Baomin said with a smile.
“Your mother is so mean, she just bullies this old lady. Luckily, I don’t need your mother to support me in my old age, otherwise I would suffer a lot when I get old,” Zhou Daya whispered to Wang Baomin.
"Grandma, I'll take care of you in your old age." Wang Baomin didn't take it to heart.
“Why would I need you to support me in my old age? I have sons too.” Zhou Daya had no intention of relying on her grandson.
"My dad is gone, I'll take care of you in your old age in his place." Wang Baomin truly meant it.
The elderly are not a burden, but a responsibility. We cannot shirk this responsibility just because our father has passed away.
"You're kidding me. Your dad wasn't raised by me. He was practically an adopted son-in-law. I never gave your mother a single thing. On the contrary, your dad always secretly bought me things. Otherwise, how could our family have survived those years of famine?"
Zhou Daya didn't want to be a burden on her eldest son's family.
If the eldest son's wife gives it to me, I'll accept it. If she doesn't give it to me, I can't ask for it. She doesn't owe me anything.
"Grandma, we can't be so particular about family members," Wang Baomin said softly.
“We need to be clear-headed as family. This is not something to be confused about. There has to be give and take. If you become confused in the future, your family will definitely not have a good time,” Zhou Daya said sternly to Wang Baomin.
“Your dad is just like your grandfather. Look at Wang Baojun, if your dad hadn’t passed away and your mom hadn’t come back, your family would be in chaos by now. You can’t just try to smooth things over.” Zhou Daya sighed.
"If you don't understand, learn more from your mother. Don't learn from the Wang family's ways; they're disgusting to look at." Zhou Daya didn't forget to criticize the Wang family.
"Grandma, did you have a bad life when you were young?" Wang Baomin asked tentatively.
"Who wants to dwell on the past? Only people who are having a hard time think about the past. People who are doing well think about what they will do in the future." Zhou Daya didn't want to think about those unpleasant things.
Wang Baomin “…”
"Have you had enough of your good life?" Zhou Daya's voice came softly from the side.
"Grandma, I was wrong." Wang Baomin quickly admitted his mistake.
“Children are all a curse. Now that times are better, a family only needs to raise one curse.” Zhou Daya sighed.
Wang Baomin dared not speak, fearing that he would be beaten up by Nai Bao for being such a scoundrel.
"Why aren't you saying anything? You're a grown man, be more outgoing and confident. Don't be like your grandfather, you can't get a word out of him even if you hit him three times." Zhou Daya waited for a while and when she saw that Wang Baomin still didn't say anything, she got a little unhappy.
“I told you, your Wang family is no good; there’s no one like you.” Before Wang Baomin could speak, Zhou Daya spoke again.
"Grandma, leave me a way to speak." Wang Baomin couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"It's a piece of junk, it's nothing," Zhou Daya said with utter disdain.
Wang Baomin “…”
When Wang Chunni walked out of the classroom with a smug look on her face, she saw Wang Baomin sitting there looking utterly dejected and pitiful.
"Grandma, Baomin, Baomin, what's wrong? Your clothes are nice." Wang Chunni noticed Wang Baomin's clothes and asked in surprise.
"Comrade, where did you buy these clothes?" Before Wang Baomin could speak, a rather energetic-looking man walked over and asked.
Everyone's eyes were glued to Wang Baomin's jacket.
"I bought this at a clothing store called Qianse near the state-run store." Wang Baomin hadn't forgotten his mission.
"When did the shop open over there?" another classmate asked.
"It's not open yet. There aren't many new clothes. I heard they were all brought back from Shanghai," Wang Baomin explained.
"We're going home now. You can come and see for yourselves when you have time. We'll open the day after tomorrow." Wang Baomin pushed his bicycle and helped Zhou Daya walk back.
"Why are you leaving? There are still many people who haven't come out yet," Zhou Daya said anxiously.
"Grandma, my mom said I shouldn't seem too eager. Are you hungry? My mom's making dumplings at home," Wang Baomin said softly.
When I took Grandpa home, Chun Tao was chopping meat.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let your grandpa eat it all in a bit." Zhou Daya quickly got on her bicycle.
Wang Baomin “…”
When the three of them arrived home, they saw Grandpa Wang showing off his new clothes in the yard.
"What's wrong? Are you planning to beg for food tomorrow, or go to have your fortune told?" Zhou Daya said sarcastically, looking at the sunglasses on Old Master Wang's eyes.
"Old woman, you're back? Your daughter-in-law made dumplings for you and prepared new clothes for you. They look so nice. Change into them after dinner." When Grandpa Wang heard Zhou Daya's words, he was startled and looked at her with a big smile.
"The children have worked hard all day, and you're running around in your new clothes?" Zhou Daya would never admit that she was jealous.
It's just that the old man is bad; he's quite old, but he doesn't know how to care for people at all.
"I've worked all day," Old Master Wang said, his defenses crumbling.
"Mom, Dad helped me organize my clothes all day. He didn't even rest at noon, and when he came back in the evening, he was still kneading dough. He also made the dumpling wrappers. He said that you love dumplings with thin wrappers and lots of filling, and he doesn't trust anyone else to make the wrappers." Tao Ying brought out the dumplings and explained with a smile.
And he gave the old man, who was frantically giving him meaningful glances, a reassuring smile.
The moment Tao Ying finished speaking, Old Master Wang closed his eyes, his heart sinking.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, don't try to make excuses for your dad. He's shameless and can eat without doing any work. I'm not like him. I've protected my eldest granddaughter very well." Zhou Daya rolled her eyes, washed her hands, and went inside.
"Dad, what's going on?" Tao Ying looked at Grandpa Wang with a completely bewildered expression.
He didn't tell a single lie, did he? The old man did work all day, and when he came back in the evening, he was still kneading dough and making dumpling wrappers.
"Our family has never eaten white flour dumplings; we only mix cornmeal in them for the New Year," Grandpa Wang said, gritting his back teeth.
"Dad, that's your fault. Mom has lived with you her whole life, and she hasn't had a good life." Tao Ying blinked, absolutely refusing to admit that she had meant well but did something wrong.
Old Master Wang…
The younger children obediently took bowls and served soup.
During the meal, Grandpa Wang diligently served Zhou Daya dumplings.
"Don't you have any manners? Don't you know you shouldn't use used chopsticks to serve food to others?" Zhou Daya glanced at Grandpa Wang with disdain and quickly ate her dumplings.
Grandpa Wang: "..." Then why don't you give the dumplings back to me?
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