As the sun sets in the west, swallows and sparrows return late.
Wen Jiaojiao sat on a low bamboo chair by the entrance to the main room. Looking at the sparrows flitting about in the sky, she felt that living like this forever couldn't go on. She sighed and said:
"Brother, thank you for today."
Wen Zhaoye poured pig feed into the trough, glanced at her, and shook his head:
"fine."
Xu Cuifen's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them. Her eyes, when she looked at Wen Zhaoye, were filled with the satisfaction of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.
She stopped forking the wheat and said with a smile, "Jiaojiao, Zhaoye, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you both."
Wen Jiaojiao lowered her eyelashes and said weakly:
"I'm fine with anything, but I want to know where we keep our household registration booklet?"
Xu Cuifen felt a sudden unease; her smile froze, and she asked in a gentle voice:
"What's the point of that? You two are already on the same household registration book, so it doesn't matter whether it's changed or not."
Our family is different from those families where the sons separate and start their own households after marriage. Mom would like to help you take care of the children.
She became more and more excited as she spoke, and Wen Zhaoye's ears turned red, his gaze darting around at the pig.
Wen Jiaojiao sighed inwardly and interrupted:
"Can you get me an ID card? I want to go out and explore the world."
Xu Cuifen quickly stopped forking the wheat, threw the fork on the ground, her expression changed, and she comforted him:
"Oh dear, girl, life outside is hard and tiring, why bother? Just ignore what the villagers say, don't take it to heart."
If you're feeling down, I'll have your brother take you for a walk tomorrow.
Wen Jiaojiao pursed her lips. After spending a few days together, she knew that Xu Cuifen treated her with exceptional kindness.
However, this only applies to her as her daughter. If either Wen Jiaojiao or Xu Dajun returns...
Knowing that her identity would definitely be exposed, which would likely lead to a disaster, she had no choice but to make plans early:
"No, I just feel that I'm a grown adult now, I should do something, I can't just stay at home all the time. Maybe if I go out for a while, I can achieve something great."
Wen Zhaoye knew that if she stayed in the village, she would only hear more gossip. Ignoring the possibility that Xu Cuifen might develop other ideas, he firmly stated:
"If all else fails, come with me to the county town."
Xu Cuifen was overjoyed and said:
“Yes, go to the county town with your brother. He can take care of you every day, cook for you, wash you, and so on. He’s been doing these things since he was little, so you won’t have to go out and suffer.”
"It's not what you think. He's not my nanny, and he doesn't owe me anything. We can't think like that." Wen Jiaojiao lowered her head and said sullenly.
"Besides, he's a grown man and should have his own life, so I won't interfere."
Xu Cuifen said anxiously, "Your brother is going to take you to the county town to live, and he still thinks this way. What else would he think?"
If you feel sorry for your brother, and it's really not possible, Mom can go over and help you both with cooking and washing when the factory gets busy.
I'll come back when I'm not busy, and then I'll stay home with your dad to grow some vegetables and do some gardening.
Don't give us any more living expenses or anything like that. We're just an old couple at home, we don't have many expenses.
Wen Jiaojiao rested her elbow on her knee, propped her chin on her hand, tilted her head, glanced at Wen Zhaoye, and explained with a slight smile:
"My brother helped me only because I promised to help him improve his relationship with Dad. It has nothing to do with anything else. Mom, please don't overthink it."
Besides, he's old enough to be settled down and start a family. Don't keep stopping him from finding a partner. Fate is predetermined; you can't force it.
Xu Cuifen knew how much Wen Zhaoye cared about Wen Xiaojian, and upon hearing what she said,
Her face was full of disappointment, and she continued to fork the wheat, saying:
"Jiaojiao, why are you saying all that? Anyway, Mom doesn't agree to you going out."
Wen Zhaoye watched her sigh silently, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart. He assumed she was afraid of gossip, and was considering giving up on him but couldn't bear to, which was why she seemed so forlorn and distressed.
He wanted to offer words of comfort, but with Xu Cuifen watching, he was also afraid that if things didn't go as he expected, she would interfere and cause a situation he couldn't handle.
Realizing this, he feigned a fierce tone and said:
"You're always thinking about going out, have you paid off your debts yet? And today you went to the supply and marketing cooperative and asked for this and that, which cost me a lot of money. All of this is on your tab. If I find out that you're trying to run away without paying back a single penny, I'll cripple your legs."
Wen Jiaojiao's face stiffened, and her inner turmoil was instantly filled with anger. She pointed at Wen Zhaoye and said:
"Mom, look at you, how blind do you have to be to think he likes me?"
Xu Cuifen's expression changed, and she looked at Wen Zhaoye with no trace of affection or satisfaction towards her son-in-law, saying:
“We’re family, why are we talking about whether I should pay you back or not? My Jiaojiao is also speaking up for you in front of your dad.”
Wen Zhaoye put down the slop bucket, his voice softening slightly as he said:
"Remember to come with me to the county town to work and pay off the debt."
Wen Jiaojiao stared at him with wide, beautiful eyes, and bristled:
"I'm not going. I'd rather stay home." It's not like I owed the debt. Why should I work myself to death to pay it back? Those few hundred dollars would be enough for me to work hard for many years with my current salary.
Wen Zhaoye lightly brushed his tongue against his back teeth, a barely perceptible hint of doting smile flashing in his eyes: "..."
She has quite a bad temper. I just said one thing to her, and she keeps contradicting me. Who knows how much she'll regret saying that after she calms down?
Xu Cuifen, with a stern face, chimed in:
“Our Jiaojiao said she wouldn’t go, and she just stayed home to take care of her dad. She hasn’t even asked for a salary, which is pretty good.”
Seeing that he went into the house without saying a word, Wen Jiaojiao assumed he was up to some other mischief, and she felt utterly exhausted.
I can't escape it, and I can't live it well either. Why is my life so miserable?
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