"Well... Sister-in-law, you decide what to do." Lin Xue was an honest person, and knowing that Song Lili had already made up her mind, she didn't say anything else.
She was used to Song Lili making the decisions, and Song Lili would always ask for her opinion, so she didn't feel uncomfortable.
Song Lili is a very good sister-in-law; the couple trusts and believes in her completely.
The two women's mood instantly changed after agreeing to go shopping tomorrow; they were all excited and eagerly awaiting the day.
However, just as they were having a good time, Zhang Aiai took her daughter Xiaotao with her in the afternoon.
Zhang Aiai's husband is Fang Yaoqing, who is also from a nearby village. He married Zhang Qingguo a year after Zhang Qingguo, and they had a daughter, Xiaotao, two years ago.
It seems I'm going back to my parents' home today.
"Ai'ai's here?" Lin Xue quickly greeted Zhang Ai'ai as she entered, and Song Lili greeted her with a smile.
"Sister-in-law, brother, are you all here?" Zhang Aiai greeted everyone.
"Come and do it quickly, are you tired? You've been carrying a child and walking for a long time, have some water first."
Song Lili pulled Zhang Aiai to sit down, poured her a bowl of water, and then went to look at the little girl in her arms.
However, upon seeing the little girl, she frowned and asked, "Why is this child so thin?"
The two-year-old child had no baby fat at all; instead, he was skin and bones. His face was so thin that there wasn't a bit of flesh on it, except for a pair of big, round eyes. Because he was so thin, he looked rather frightening.
"Yes, children at this age shouldn't be like this." Lin Xue was also shocked. This child, this...
Song Lili had an idea in her mind; this was probably another family matter.
Does Fang Yaoqing's family favor sons over daughters? But when I went to see her at the full moon celebration, that wasn't the case.
Is it because you have two different faces, one in public and one in private?
Zhang Aiai felt a little embarrassed, tightened her arms around the child, and then awkwardly replied, "I was sick a few days ago, that's why I'm so thin."
"Really?" Song Lili looked at Zhang Aiai's unnatural expression, seemingly lost in thought.
Is he really sick?
If the child is truly ill, then it makes sense that the child has lost weight.
"Oh, the child can't get sick. If he gets sick, it's a big deal. Xiao Zhe was sick last year, and when he recovered, his face was so thin and bony. It broke my heart," Lin Xue said, feeling deeply for him.
"Why are you here now?" Song Lili asked with a smile when she saw that Zhang Aiai was unwilling to continue the topic.
Zhang Aiai usually comes home very early in the morning, but today it was almost noon.
Unexpectedly, this made Zhang Aiai even more uncomfortable.
She glanced at Song Lili and Lin Xue, then at Zhang Qinghua, but said nothing.
With Zhang Qingguo and Zhang Shengtian not around, she hugged the child even tighter.
"Loosen your grip a bit, the baby is hurting from being squeezed," Song Lili had to say, reminding him that if this continued, the child would start crying soon.
"I...I..." Zhang Aiai's face flushed red, and she was somewhat incoherent.
"Alright, sit for a while. Your second sister-in-law and I will go cook. You must be hungry too." After saying that, Song Lili pulled Lin Xue out.
Judging from Zhang Aiai's expression, it's probably inconvenient for her to say it in front of the two of them. She shouldn't stand there any longer; she should just leave so that it's easier for the siblings to talk.
"Excuse me, I feel like something's wrong with Ai Ai. She doesn't look too well, and she seems to have suffered more than last time."
In the kitchen, Lin Xue said somewhat uncertainly.
"Really?" Song Lili didn't realize that she had been paying all her attention to the child and had overlooked Zhang Aiai.
Lin Xue nodded, "Yes, it's much worse than when we visited her after she finished her postpartum period."
Song Lili fell silent, harboring the worst suspicions in her mind, but it wasn't the right time to voice them.
"Let's not talk about this now, let's hurry up and cook. The kids are probably hungry too. We can talk about these things later."
Even if it really is what she thinks, they can't do anything about it if Zhang Aiai doesn't say anything, right?
"Okay," Lin Xue agreed and then fell silent, assisting Song Lili.
In the main room, Zhang Qinghua looked at his younger sister and noticed that she seemed to have lost weight and gotten much darker.
"Ai'ai, you... have something to do with me?" The question she was about to ask was quickly changed to a different topic.
Let's talk about it later.
"Brother, I...I came here to borrow grain." Zhang Aiai was very uncomfortable, her face full of shame. Finally, she gritted her teeth and revealed the purpose of her visit.
Then, her face flushed red rapidly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Zhang Qinghua.
"Is it because of the child? Are you still sick?" Zhang Qinghua asked with concern.
Zhang Aiai felt even more distressed. "Yes..."
What could she say? Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, and she didn't want her own brother to worry.
"Ai'ai, tell the truth, tell your older brother, what happened?"
Zhang Qinghua originally wanted to wait, but seeing Zhang Aiai's sorrowful appearance, he couldn't help but ask.
"I... I didn't..."
“Aiai, I’m your older brother. Can’t you even tell me? Even if you’re being bullied, you should tell me. I’ll stand up for you.” Zhang Qinghua said with a mix of heartache and exasperation.
With several men in the family, shouldn't she feel secure?
"I... my older brother, sob sob sob..."
Finally, under Zhang Qinghua's persistent questioning, Zhang Aiai burst into tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Song Lili and Lin Xue, who were in the kitchen, heard this and rushed over. They saw Zhang Aiai sitting there crying loudly, and the little girl was crying too, but her voice was like a kitten's, without any strength.
Song Lili quickly snatched the little girl away and handed her to Lin Xue, saying, "You hold her for now." Then she looked at Zhang Qinghua and said, "Let's talk things out."
Song Lili quickly went out of the main room; there was still rice in the pot, so she hurried to check it out.
Lin Xue also came out carrying the child. "It seems she's been wronged."
"Let's ask later, let's eat first." Song Lili really didn't know what to say.
The crying continued in the main room. Even after Song Lili finished making lunch, Zhang Aiai hadn't stopped, though her sobs had subsided considerably.
"Alright, let's eat first." Song Lili pulled Zhang Qinghua and told him to wash his hands before looking at Zhang Aiai. "Don't cry, you go wash up too. We can talk about it after we eat."
"You have your father, your eldest brother, and your second brother at home. What can't be solved? Stop crying."
Just as the brother and sister went out, Zhang Qingguo and Zhang Shengtian returned, and they were very happy to see Zhang Aiai back.
The lunch was rather dull, and both Zhang Shengtian and Zhang Qingguo could tell that something was wrong with Zhang Aiai.
Song Lili quickly fed the child before eating her own meal.
After finishing their meal, she and Lin Xue tidied up and took the three children to their room to put them to sleep.
As for the main room, it was given to the father and sons so they could talk.
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