"Huh? Me?" Zhang Xuemei hadn't expected the conversation to turn to her in the end. She paused for a moment before realizing what was happening and looked at her second aunt with embarrassment. "Second aunt, everyone I know is married, and I don't know anyone else well..."
Upon hearing this, Bai Tingmei's face darkened. She glanced at Zhang Xuemei and said, "Xuemei, are you still holding a grudge against your second aunt for taking the house back? But she was angry then, wasn't she? She asked you to move back in later, but your mother refused."
Zhang Xuemei glanced at her mother-in-law and quickly explained, "Second Aunt, I didn't mean that. It's just that finding a partner is different from finding a job. We have to take it slowly. What if I introduce someone to you and you don't like them? That would be troublesome later."
"No, look at Xiaowan's husband, isn't he great? I trust your judgment."
Zhang Xuemei smiled wryly: "Second Aunt, Xiao Wan wasn't introduced by me. She met him herself. It has nothing to do with me. You think too highly of me."
Seeing her third daughter-in-law's troubled expression, Granny Liu immediately changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about this for now, Tingmei, isn't Minglin coming back this year? I haven't seen the couple in a long time."
Xu Minglin is Bai Tingmei's eldest son. He hasn't been home for Chinese New Year for a year since the milk powder scandal, and it's unknown whether he will come back this year.
When her eldest son was mentioned, Bai Tingmei's face immediately fell. "Don't mention that kid to me. He forgot his mother after getting married. He still holds a grudge against me for such a small thing. I've raised him for nothing."
Sun Honghua couldn't stand it anymore and said directly, "Second sister-in-law, what you said is wrong. I remember Minglin and Xiaojing came back several times, and you scolded them away each time. Now you're saying they have no conscience. You've gone too far."
"How did I go too far? I said those things for their own good. They only have one child now, and I was thinking of having them have another one so the two children would have a companion. But Xiaojing refuses to have another one, and Minglin lets her have her way. How can I not be angry?"
Bai Tingmei didn't think she had done anything wrong. After having a daughter as her first child, what family wouldn't want to have another one? Even if it's another daughter, it's still better than having only one child. Look at Minghan, he's a perfect example.
Granny Liu looked at her disapprovingly, "You've got it wrong. What time is it now? In such a strict time, where are you going to let them give birth? What if they get caught?"
Bai Tingmei straightened her neck and said directly, "Sister-in-law, you have a lot of advice for me, but didn't Nianmei have another one? Why didn't you advise her not to have any more? I think you're just talking without understanding the situation."
Granny Liu was furious. "Didn't I try to persuade her? How do you know I didn't? Nianmei is lucky to have an uncle in a border province, so she has a place to hide. But what about Chen Jing? Where can she hide after getting pregnant?"
"Then why can't we hide at Nianmei's uncle's house? They're all relatives. If she really gets pregnant, can't we lend a hand? She's a child of the Xu family, after all."
Bai Tingmei is stubborn and won't give up until she hits a wall. She has two sons and a daughter, but her two sons both gave her granddaughters. Why is it so hard for her to have a grandson? Her sister-in-law has two grandsons, so of course she doesn't care whether the next one is a grandson or a granddaughter.
When Zhang Xuemei saw her second aunt say something so absurd right off the bat, she felt a little uncomfortable and her own words were a bit harsh.
"Second Aunt, putting everything else aside, you still have to pay for your sister-in-law's and uncle's house. Your sister-in-law is his niece, and it's cost about five thousand yuan in just one year. Do you think you're willing to spend that money? And I haven't even included the hospital bills. It's not as simple as you just opening and closing your mouth."
"Five thousand? That much? You're kidding me, right?" Bai Tingmei looked suspicious. Why would she need so much money? Besides, it might not even be a boy. The risk is too high.
Granny Liu quickly chimed in, "Who would lie to you? It's normal to spend a lot of money in such a far-off province. Five thousand over a year is an understatement."
Bai Tingmei looked conflicted. It wasn't that she didn't have the five thousand, but it seemed like the money wasn't well spent, and most importantly, she couldn't bear to part with it.
Seeing her second aunt's expression, Zhang Xuemei became curious and asked, "Second Aunt, is Xiaojing pregnant?"
"No? Who told you that?"
"Then why are you so conflicted?"
"Didn't I prepare in advance? If possible, I'll let them have another one, and I'll pay for it." Bai Tingmei looked pained.
Zhang Xuemei was speechless. Could this really be done?
However, she was also sincerely advising her: "Second Aunt, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart, and you may not like to hear it. You're already forty-five this year, and you've been busy all this time without much rest. You've finally saved up some money, but you've spent it all on your children, and they don't even appreciate it. When you get old, they might even look down on you. Don't you think you're just asking for trouble?"
"They dare? I raised them with such hardship, and they still dare to look down on me? I think they're asking for trouble." Bai Tingmei was so angry that her eyebrows stood up. If her two sons hadn't been away, she would have rushed over and given them a beating.
Zhang Xuemei continued to coax, "Why wouldn't you dare? I'm not saying anything bad about them, I just think you don't need to worry about so much, Second Aunt. Just eat and drink well, save some money, and do whatever you want."
Look at my mom, she's so smart. Even though she lives with us and helps take care of the kids, she never interferes in our affairs or meddles. And look at her, she's even gained a lot of weight! She's the epitome of a carefree and easygoing person; you should learn from her.”
Granny Liu couldn't help but glance at Zhang Xuemei several times. Was she unwilling to get involved? Or did she know that getting involved was useless? When had they ever listened to her suggestions? Later, she became smarter and only cared about eating and drinking well, ignoring other people's business. As a result, she really did have a lot more energy.
Sun Honghua nodded thoughtfully, "Second sister-in-law, you know what I mean, Xuemei's words make sense. Look at our Third Grandma, she's over ninety years old this year, but she looks to be in good spirits. She walks faster than me, and she's still cracking sunflower seeds with great enthusiasm!"
Think about it, Third Grandma hardly ever interfered in her sons' family affairs. As long as they weren't starving, she wouldn't even care if they fought right in front of her.
"Now that you mention it, it seems to make sense. I used to think that Third Grandma was confused, but now I realize she was quite clever. Look at Third Grandpa, he loved meddling in other people's business and died in his early sixties. It was all because of that."
"Yes, look at the long-lived people in our village, don't they all like to meddle in other people's business? They're always happy."
“Yes,” Bai Tingmei clapped her hands and stood up. “I don’t care about them anymore. Xuemei is right. Since they are all married, I won’t interfere. Let them do whatever they want. Now that Mingyue is married, my mission will be complete. So, Xuemei, this still depends on you.”
Zhang Xuemei didn't know how she ended up with this task again, but seeing her second aunt's expectant face, she reluctantly accepted it and managed to say, "I'll try my best."
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