When the two jeeps drove into the alley, a long line of people followed behind to watch the spectacle.
When the mother and her two children got off the bus, the onlookers started talking.
"Oh! Isn't this the Yan family's daughter-in-law? These two must be their children, they've grown so much."
"Why did you come back in a jeep? Could it be that the Yan family's son has become a high-ranking official?"
"Don't you know yet? The Yan family boy has sacrificed his life."
"What? Sacrificed? When did this happen?"
"Don't you know? Old Lady Yan's eyes are almost blind from crying."
"No wonder Old Lady Yan is heartbroken. They finally had such a promising son, and now he's gone just like that."
"What about his wife and children?"
"I heard it from the neighborhood director. Her daughter-in-law can report to that bureau as soon as she gets back. She'll be a permanent office worker! That's great."
"Really? Was it assigned by the military?"
"Of course! Her husband is gone, and she still has two children to raise!"
"If she remarries, who will take over this job?"
"I doubt the Yan family will let her take the job with her. It was assigned to her by her son in the army, so it belongs to the Yan family no matter what. The other children in the Yan family are just ordinary workers, and this job is much better than the ordinary workers of the other children."
"Isn't that right?"
"I heard that the daughter-in-law of the Yan family has a formal office job in the army. Could it be that she was just transferred here?"
"Hard to say! But the Yan family is definitely going to be lively for a while. The two brothers are still living in Yan's house right now."
"Didn't they split up?"
"Since I went to join the army, the house became vacant, and Old Man Yan decided to lend it to my two brothers."
"Oh dear! The man is gone, how pitiful. Everyone knows that the house was never vacated! It's obvious they don't want to return it."
The Yan family's courtyard is quite large; having such a large courtyard in the city center of the provincial capital suggests they are a well-off family.
When the Yan family saw the woman return in such a grand manner with her child, they no longer dared to have any plans.
When Grandma Yan saw her grandson and granddaughter, her eyes welled up with tears as she rushed over, saying, "My poor children! What will we do now that they've lost their father at such a young age!"
The child isn't exactly old, but he's not young either; he looks to be seven or eight years old.
The little boy has matured a lot since his father's sacrifice. Now, he stands tall and straight, looking at his grandmother and saying, "Grandma, my dad is a hero. As the descendant of a hero, we will definitely live a good life. When I'm a little older, I want to join the army like my dad."
Old Mrs. Yan was stunned for a moment, as if she felt that her script had been altered, and she didn't know whether she should continue crying.
The woman stepped forward and patted her son's head, then said to Old Lady Yan, "Mom, these are all soldiers from the army. We are so grateful to them for helping us get back. Please invite them in and sit for a while!"
Then the woman turned to Xu Xinning and the others and said, "This east wing room belongs to our family. Why don't you all come inside and have a drink of water?"
Xu Xinning noticed the uneasy looks in Old Lady Yan's and her family's eyes and sneered inwardly. It seemed that if they hadn't come along today, the three of them might have had to sleep on the streets.
The woman had already noticed the situation at her doorstep, which was why she said those words on purpose. If she hadn't said them, her mother-in-law would have definitely sent Xu Xinning and the others to their main house. In that case, once Xu Xinning and the others left, they might still not be able to get their house back.
Old Mrs. Yan said with an unnatural expression, "Your second brother and the others haven't moved out yet. Why don't you let these comrades sit in our main room for a while?"
Xu Xinning: "Auntie, let's go sit in the east wing of my sister-in-law's house. Did my sister-in-law and her husband come back too suddenly? Otherwise, why hasn't the house been vacated yet? But it doesn't matter, since there are many of us here today, it will be faster if we help move things."
Old Mrs. Yan turned around and looked at her husband and son, and said awkwardly, "Then I'll have to trouble you comrades. I'm really sorry to ask you to do work on our first visit."
Xu Xinning smiled and said, "Auntie, look at what you're saying. Your son is a martyr, your daughter-in-law is a martyr's widow, and your grandchildren are martyrs' orphans. They are all cared for and protected by the country. What are these little things we do for them? If they are bullied, the army will take care of them to the end. So please don't worry. Whether your son is here or not, it's the same for the three of them."
Old Mrs. Yan wiped away her tears and repeatedly agreed.
Perhaps it was Xu Xinning's words that had an effect, because the Yan family members immediately moved to the east wing.
Actually, the house divided among brothers is still two rooms, but people are greedy. Who wouldn't like to have an extra room to live in for more space?
Mu Jingheng and Xu Mingyang were worried that the Yan family might run into Xu Xinning and Kuang Meizhu while moving their things, so they helped the two of them into the car.
As Kuang Meizhu watched the Yan family members moving things in and out, she said to Xu Xinning, "If we hadn't come, it seems the Yan brothers had no intention of moving out."
Xu Xinning: "People will forget you once you're gone. They must think that now that my brother is gone, the house is theirs."
Kwong Mei-chu: "These kinds of things happen a lot in the countryside. I didn't expect city people to be like this too. The son is gone, but there's still the grandson, right? Are they going to abandon their grandson for the sake of their son? My sister-in-law's life from now on probably won't be very peaceful."
Xu Xinning stared blankly at the Yan family's courtyard, thinking that perhaps the east wing could be separated into its own space.
To do a good deed to the end, one should see it through to the end.
Xu Xinning felt it would be better to handle this matter cleanly today.
The soldiers were incredibly efficient; they moved everything quickly and even cleaned it up carefully.
The east wing looks much more comfortable after being cleaned.
Xu Xinning and Kuang Meizhu got off the bus and stood at the door of the east wing, saying to the woman, "Sister-in-law, the layout of your house is quite good. If you build a wall here and open a gate here, it will become a separate household. There are no men in the family, and it is not convenient for a widowed sister-in-law and her brothers-in-law to live in the same courtyard. Aunt, don't you think so?"
Old Mrs. Yan's expression changed several times, and she stammered, "We're all family, what's the inconvenience? Building a wall is such a waste of money! She's raising two children alone, and there will be many expenses in the future!"
The woman was overjoyed to hear Xu Xinning's suggestion. She felt that Xu Xinning was like a mind reader, how did she know that she wanted to build a wall?
But she knew that the Yan family would never agree unless they were forced to.
However, now that Xu Xinning has said these words, perhaps everything will be easier to handle.
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