Today is New Year's Eve, but Chen Qiuyu is not happy about the New Year at all. She just cooked two dishes for her and her mother to eat. Then Chen Qiuyu lay on the bed thinking about her worries. Even the dishes were washed by her son Ren Zhongyuan.
It was Ren Dahai's son, Ren Zhongyuan, who opened the door for Zhao Yunxiang. Ren Zhongyuan's face lit up with surprise when he saw Zhao Yunxiang. Chen Qiuyu had been feeling down for days, and even Ren Zhongyuan's top score in the final exam hadn't managed to bring a smile to her face. Ren Zhongyuan was deeply worried, but he didn't know what to do to cheer his mother up.
"Xiaoyuan, I haven't seen you for a year. You've grown taller and stronger." Zhao Yunxiang was very happy when she saw Ren Zhongyuan had grown taller.
When Zhao Yunxiang and her family first came to Kyoto, Ren Zhongyuan and Zhou Jiasheng had the best relationship among the children in the family compound.
In elementary school, Ren Zhongyuan and Zhou Jiasheng sat at the same desk for another year. They were practically inseparable. After school, the two children would gather together to do homework, either at Zhao Yunxiang's or Chen Qiuyu's. After Zhou Jiasheng skipped a grade, he and Ren Zhongyuan were no longer in the same class, but their friendship remained unaffected. Over the years, whenever they had free time, they would often hang out together.
Ren Dahai was a burly man, with a broad build and a full 5'80" (180 cm) tall. Ren Zhongyuan, like his mother, was a bit thin, now only about 5'72" (172 cm), and looked frail and delicate. Zhao Yunxiang knew that Ren Zhongyuan had a weak stomach as a child, vomiting after eating too much. At nine, he was no more robust than a seven-year-old. It was only after Chen Qiuyu enlisted the help of Zhao Qingshan that Ren Zhongyuan's stomach was finally healed.
Seeing that the sickly Ren Zhongyuan had grown up to be healthy, Zhao Yunxiang was happy for him and also proud of her father's medical skills.
"Hello, Aunt Zhao." When Ren Zhongyuan saw Zhao Yunxiang, the figure who looked about five or six points like Zhao Yunxiang emerged in his mind, and a blush appeared on the boy's face.
"Is your mother home?" Zhao Yunxiang couldn't help but smile when she saw Ren Zhongyuan looking at her blankly. Zhao Yunxiang had never imagined that Ren Zhongyuan was "looking" at his daughter Zhou Yuanyuan through her!
"Yes, yes, Auntie, please come in and talk." Ren Zhongyuan then remembered that he was so busy thinking about his own things that he forgot to let Zhao Yunxiang in, so he quickly moved aside.
In the bedroom, Chen Qiuyu had already heard Zhao Yunxiang's voice, so he quickly put on his clothes and came out.
"Sister Qiuyu, are you sick?" Zhao Yunxiang was shocked when she saw Chen Qiuyu.
Chen Qiuyu was not tall, only about 1.6 meters tall, and had always been well-proportioned, belonging to the slim type. Although not fat, he had some flesh. But the Chen Qiuyu Zhao Yunxiang saw at this moment was a skinny one. More importantly, there was no trace of life on Chen Qiuyu's face, and he looked as if his heart was as dead as a tree.
"Sister Yunxiang." Chen Qiuyu called out when he saw Zhao Yunxiang. Chen Qiuyu's voice was a little hoarse, making Zhao Yunxiang feel a little sore in her eyes.
"Sister Qiuyu, if you're not feeling well, don't delay. I'll take you to the hospital." Zhao Yunxiang held Chen Qiuyu's arm and persuaded her. Although today was New Year's Eve, there were still doctors on duty at the major hospitals in Kyoto.
"Sister Yunxiang, I'm not sick, I just..." Chen Qiuyu saw Zhao Yunxiang and couldn't hold back the bitterness in his heart any longer. When he turned his eyes, he saw Ren Zhongyuan standing nearby. Chen Qiuyu quickly ordered, "Xiaoyuan! Go to the store downstairs and buy a bag of tea. We're out of tea at home."
Are we out of tea at home? No way! I saw a big bag of tea in the cupboard yesterday!
Although Ren Zhongyuan was a little confused, he still put on his thick cotton coat as Chen Qiuyu instructed and went out.
"Sister Qiuyu, are you hiding something from Xiaoyuan?" Zhao Yunxiang guessed something when she saw Chen Qiuyu's behavior. If Chen Qiuyu wasn't ill, she must be worried! And it must be related to Ren Zhongyuan.
"Sister Yunxiang, it's a good thing you came today, otherwise, I would have been suffocated to death." Chen Qiuyu clenched his fist and pounded his chest twice, as if to beat away the depression in his heart.
"Sister Qiuyu, just tell me what's going on! Don't keep it all in your heart. It can make even a healthy person sick." Zhao Yunxiang helped Chen Qiuyu sit down on the sofa, and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water for Chen Qiuyu.
Anyway, the three-bedroom, one-living-room dormitory building where Ren Dahai's family lives now is similar in layout to the one where Zhao Yunxiang lived back then. Zhao Yunxiang often came here to knit with Chen Qiuyu, so even with her eyes closed, she could find where their boiled water was kept.
"Sister Yunxiang, I feel so upset!" Chen Qiuyu pounded his chest again and said, "I can't just stand by and watch that old lady harm my Xiaoyuan, but my husband Ren always told me to listen to his mother."
"Sister Qiuyu, please tell me slowly. What's wrong with your mother-in-law?" Zhao Yunxiang immediately understood Chen Qiuyu's feelings. Back then, Zhao Yunxiang also had a mother-in-law who loved to make trouble. Anyone who has experienced that knows the feeling.
"Sister Yunxiang, I feel so miserable! My mother-in-law is not a good person to get along with. It's okay if she dislikes me, but I can't let my Xiaoyuan's life be ruined by her..."
Chen Qiuyu did not hide it from Zhao Yunxiang and told her about her "family scandal". Chen Qiuyu and Ren Dahai have been married for more than 20 years. She has always kept these things in her heart, one by one, and thinking about them can really drive her crazy.
Chen Qiuyu was the wife that Ren Dahai had chosen. At that time, Ren Dahai was just a small platoon leader and met Chen Qiuyu while she was attending university in Kyoto City.
Chen Qiuyu, a native of Kyoto, lost both his parents when he was young, and grew up with his grandparents. After Chen Qiuyu started college, his grandparents also passed away. The appearance of Ren Dahai was a ray of light in Chen Qiuyu's gloomy life. And so, Chen Qiuyu and Ren Dahai began dating. By the time Chen Qiuyu graduated from college, Ren Dahai had just been promoted to company commander.
Ren Dahai took a wedding leave and took Chen Qiuyu back to his hometown.
Ren Dahai's family lived in Hongqi Village, a rural village in eastern Taiwan. Hongqi Village was incredibly poor! At the end of the year, the villagers could barely fill their stomachs and had no money at all.
Ren's mother gave birth to three sons and one daughter. Ren Dahai was the eldest and the pride of the Ren family. After Ren Dahai joined the army, he would send his monthly allowance home. With Ren Dahai's monthly allowance of more than ten yuan, the Ren family became one of the most affluent families in the village.
Over the years, the matchmakers for Ren Dahai have almost trampled down the Ren family's doorstep, but Ren's mother has never given in.
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