"Yesterday my father went to the old house to deliver meat to you. Did someone say something to him?"
Lin Daya said evasively, "She didn't say anything, but Grandma held onto Uncle and kept crying about how she had a fever when she was little. Uncle originally wanted to put down the meat and leave, but Grandma stopped him and said a lot of things. In the end, Uncle and Grandma hugged each other and started crying."
It seems that Grandma Shen has run out of toughness and is now trying a conciliatory approach, and it looks quite effective.
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Er Ya handed the sponge cake to Lin Daya: "Here you go. Next time something like this happens, just tell me. My family has lots of delicious food, and I'll let you eat it in different ways."
"Mmm-hmm-hmm," Lin Daya nodded as she ate the sponge cake in big bites. This stuff is so delicious, I really wish I could eat it every day.
Watching Er Ya walk away, Lin Daya finished the last bite of her sponge cake and spat in the direction Er Ya had gone: "What a piece of trash! All you have is a little money. Just wait and see, my family will be rich soon, and then I'll teach you a lesson."
It turned out that she hadn't finished speaking. The topic shifted back to yesterday evening when Lin Daya was feeding the pigs. Niu Shi had been upset outside and had nowhere to vent her anger at home, so she grabbed Lin Daya and pinched a piece of her tender flesh, twisting it hard, which made Lin Daya cry loudly in pain.
Niu said fiercely, "You're both girls, so how come Er Ya is so capable and can lead the whole family to make a fortune, while you just bury yourself in work all day and can't even be beaten to death?"
Lin Daya covered her ears and cried her heart out: "Mom, waaaah, stop hitting me, it hurts so much."
As soon as Old Mrs. Shen entered the courtyard, she heard Lin Daya's piercing cries. She grumbled, "What are you crying for? All you ever do is cry! You're a bad omen! You've cried away all the good fortune our family has!"
When Niu saw that Old Lady Shen had returned, she let go of her hand and said fiercely, "Hurry up and feed the pigs. I have to come and urge you every day."
He immediately put on a smiling face and said to Old Mrs. Shen, "Mother, did you hear something outside? You came back looking angry."
Grandma Shen said irritably, "It's all because of your aunt and the others. They know they don't get along with the second son's family, but they still say things like, 'Now that the second son has money, it's my turn to enjoy life.'"
Everyone in the village knew how bad things were between them, and usually no one would talk about the second son's family in front of her. But it was a few people who always got along with her who specifically brought up the matter of the second son's family buying a radio in front of her.
She also said that her son was so rich that he even brought Li Taohua along, so why was she, as his mother, still dressed in rags?
She's her own mother, after all. How could she drag an outsider into this instead of her own family? She must have done something wrong. Good heavens, she got really angry at that. If someone hadn't stopped her, she would have torn that person's mouth to shreds.
She had been upset all day, and when she got home, she heard Lin Daya crying, which made her even more upset. She scolded Daya before she felt a little better.
But Madam Niu wouldn't let her have some peace and quiet, and insisted on crying in front of Old Madam Shen: "Mother, we're all born of the same mother, so how come the second son's family is living so well, while our family has lost so much money and is drowning in debt?"
Last time I borrowed money from my family, and my sister-in-law doesn't like me anymore. Now I don't even have money for food. I'm too embarrassed to go back to my family to borrow money. You know, it's okay for adults to suffer a little, but look at your grandson, he's so thin from hunger. The last time I saw him, his face was noticeably thinner.
When her eldest grandson was mentioned, Grandma Shen looked distressed. Ever since she was frightened by Er Ya last time, she has been very nervous. She trembles whenever Er Ya is mentioned and doesn't dare to go out of the house for fear of being caught.
Having exhausted all other options, we sent him to his aunt's house, thinking that perhaps his ailment would resolve itself in a strange place.
“Speaking of which, Jinbao should be back by now. It’s not good for him to stay at his aunt’s place all the time. That kid eats so much. Even though your sister’s family lives in the market, they’re not rich. You should bring him back as soon as possible.”
Mrs. Niu complained, "I do want to bring him back, but look at the situation at home now. Can you bear to let Jinbao drink corn porridge with us every day? At least he can get a steamed bun to eat at his aunt's place."
Grandma Shen was in a dilemma. Her daughter's in-laws were not easy to get along with. Her son's schooling there had already caused her daughter a lot of scorn, and now with her eldest grandson on the list, she could imagine how her mother-in-law had scolded her daughter.
"Sigh, the second son is really heartless. I gave birth to him and raised him, but he forgot his mother after he got married. And yet he still got rich and powerful. Bah!"
At this moment, Lin Daya's eyes flickered. Perhaps her good days were coming. She put down her things and whispered something in Old Mrs. Shen's ear.
Just then, Lin Jianguo came over carrying pork. He gave a casual greeting, put down the meat, and was about to leave when Lin Daya tugged at Old Lady Shen's clothes. Old Lady Shen, who was originally unwilling, had no choice but to call out, "Hey, second son, don't go yet, I want to talk to you for a while."
"Mother, I have to go back for something."
"Stop! Don't you listen to your mother at all?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jianguo had no choice but to turn around helplessly, sit on a bench in the yard, and remain silent.
Seeing that she had at least managed to get him back, Old Mrs. Shen pinched her thigh hard, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. Then, sitting on the stool, she took Lin Jianguo's hand and began to play the victim:
"Son, it's been so long since I've had a proper look at you. I remember how well-behaved you were when you were little, always following me around all the time."
Another time, you had a fever, your head was burning up, and your mother called for a long time but couldn't wake your grandmother. I had no choice but to carry you to the doctor while I was pregnant with your sister. It was raining so hard, and it was pitch black; we couldn't see anything.
I carried you on my back, stumbling along the way, until we reached the doctor's house. He said it was lucky we got there early, otherwise you would have been driven crazy by the fever. Your mother held you and stayed by your side all night until your fever finally subsided.
This was the first time Lin Jianguo had heard his mother mention this. He realized that he had once been very important to his mother. Thinking of this, his eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing that Lin Jianguo was responding and no longer seemed resistant, Grandma Shen squeezed out her tears and said, "There was another time when you knocked over your grandma's bowl, and she punished you by making you kneel on the ground and not allowing you to eat."
To be continued!
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