The most difficult part was distributing the supplies that everyone had bought together. In the end, it was the second grandfather who made the decision: all the supplies purchased would go to Old Sun, since he needed them for cooking independently and would use them almost everything. The others would then buy their own supplies. The eldest sister-in-law, Lü Xiaoting, wanted to voice her opinion, but was stopped by the eldest son, Sun Zhixin. "Why should we? We paid for most of what we bought," Lü Xiaoting muttered under her breath. "That's my dad," Sun Zhixin growled in a low voice.
The second grandfather pretended not to see their subtle misunderstandings, quickly drafted the family division document, had everyone sign it, and the family division was considered complete.
That day, Si Cheng received a call from his uncle, Gao, asking him to come over.
Upon arriving at the Gao family home, I saw my aunt's complicated expression, which conveyed a feeling that was hard to describe. Sure enough, when my uncle opened his mouth, it was as disgusting as walking down the street and having a bird dropping fall on your head.
"Acheng, your mother is back." After saying that, Uncle Gao silently took a deep drag on his cigarette.
"..."
"And then what? Do you need me to take care of you in your old age now?"
“She’s your mother.” Uncle Gao was a little angry, and his voice unconsciously rose. Aunt Gao glared at him unhappily.
"Knowing that she is my mother, the one who gave birth to me, I will fulfill my duty when she needs me to take care of her in her old age." Si Cheng took a deep breath.
Aunt Gao came over, tugged at Si Cheng's sleeve, and gestured for him to come with her to the courtyard.
"Your mother came back yesterday. Everyone was very happy when she arrived, and I asked her how she'd been doing all these years, and if she'd remarried. At that point, she stammered and started talking about her experiences over the past few years. When she first went out to work, she found someone, but they divorced in less than a year, and she ended up with a child. A few years ago, she found another man, who also had a child, and he got married this year. She's been making do ever since. She's been living in Shanghai all these years, and she's also in the area affected by this whole thing. She doesn't have any relatives in the south or inland, so she thought of going back to her hometown here. She wanted to buy a house in the city, but now the housing prices have skyrocketed, and I heard that even after paying the down payment, she won't be able to afford the mortgage." At this point, Aunt Gao paused and glanced at Si Cheng, who remained silent, just listening quietly.
"She came back this time mainly to see if she could move back to her hometown first, thinking she could get through the crisis there before going there." At this point, Aunt Gao gave Uncle Gao, who was squatting in the corner smoking heavily, a resentful look. "Your uncle originally wanted to agree, but I refused. If she were coming back alone, I would definitely welcome her anytime. But she wants to bring her children along. Look at this place, how can such a large family fit? After I refused, she asked how you were doing. Your uncle told her about your situation, and she wants you to help her think of a solution. You also need to be aware that she has a large family there; how can she possibly manage? I strongly disapproved when your uncle called you."
"I don't have any options right now, since I'm still living with my father-in-law. But we can always rent a place, right? Aren't there many rental options in the new district? Maybe we could go there and ask?"
"Who knows what they're planning? Your uncle gave her your phone number, so she might call you in the next couple of days. You should keep that in mind."
"I understand, thank you, Auntie."
"Why say all this? I'm both your aunt and Xiaoqi's aunt. I hope you're both doing well. Don't worry about your uncle; he'll figure it out himself later."
As Si Cheng walked out of his uncle's house, he looked up at the sky speechlessly. Since they hadn't been in contact for so many years, what was the meaning of this sudden call?
Back home, Yunqi curiously asked what was going on with his uncle's call. Under the shocked gazes of Yunqi and his mother-in-law, he recounted the story and directly expressed his thoughts.
“My uncle must have softened his heart. Although he didn’t say it, I know he definitely wants me to help them. If it were just her alone, I would rent a house for her nearby so she could live out her retirement. But with such a big family, I really don’t have any ideas.”
"If you can help, then help," Mother Yun suggested after considering various factors. "If you don't help at all, everyone will think you're too cold-hearted. If you help with everything, they'll take it for granted. You just need to find the right balance, and then it won't be so difficult."
After saying that, she thought for a moment and then comforted him, "Don't blame your uncle. He's just a kind-hearted person who is easily moved to pity. Besides, she's his own sister. He just wants everyone to be well."
"Thank you, Mom. I'll be careful. I don't blame my uncle; my aunt has already talked to him about it." Thinking about her younger sister's personality, Yun's mother felt relieved.
The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge, and the group forgot about the matter. Two days passed and they didn't hear from him, so they assumed he wouldn't contact them again. But then, right after they finished eating that day, his phone rang.
“Ah Cheng, it’s your mother,” she said, then fell silent. Neither of them spoke.
"Is there something you need?" Si Cheng wanted to hang up the phone immediately, but he still wanted to hear what she had to say, so he asked.
"I heard you got married. How are you doing now?"
"Everything's fine now. Is there anything you need?" Si Cheng asked again, sounding a little impatient.
"You must have heard your uncle tell you, right? Mom is back now, and I want to see you." Gao Shuzhen sensed Si Cheng's impatience and quickly stated the purpose of her visit.
"What's there to see? I haven't seen you since I was three years old. I have absolutely no memory of you. You're just occupying the title of my birth mother. When you get old and need me to support you, you can have someone notify me." With that, she hung up the phone.
Less than two minutes later, the phone rang again. Upon seeing the caller ID, Si Cheng immediately hung up and added the number to his blacklist.
When Gao Shuzhen saw that the call had been hung up on again, she was so angry that she almost threw her phone away. Seeing this, Lian Qingfeng sighed deeply and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
“If it were me, I would have hung up the phone right away. If you had put in a little effort beforehand, would you be unable to find anyone to help you now? You only pray when it’s too late. How can you expect the Bodhisattva to protect you?” Seeing his stepmother being humiliated like this, Zhang Xiaohan began to mock her. Lian Jianpeng tugged at his wife’s sleeve, telling her to shut up.
"I didn't say anything, I just felt that some people were too confident, and now they've been proven wrong, haven't they?" After saying that, she picked up her bag and turned to leave.
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