Chapter 27 Ruthless, Not Even Letting Him In
“She’s just a child bride, they’re not married.” Shi Guilan comforted her, “This is a new era, not the old one. We don’t follow arranged marriages anymore, it’s all about free love. Just treat her like your man’s sister, that’s all. She’s already here, you can’t just kick her out now. So many people have heard what she said.”
Shi Guilan had a headache just thinking about it. She never imagined that Guo Peng's family had a child bride. Guo Peng had never mentioned the child bride, and if he kept it from Li Hui, he certainly wouldn't have told anyone else.
“You and your cousin-in-law are already married, you’ve registered your marriage, you’re a legal couple,” Shi Guilan said. “No matter what kind of person this child bride is, she won’t affect your marriage. Just say she’s your sister, understand?”
"Sister, is this just an ordinary sister?" Li Hui felt a pang of sadness at the thought. She was a child bride. Who knew what the Guo family was thinking? "Are Guo Peng's parents unhappy with me? Did they deliberately send a child bride here?"
"Not necessarily." Shi Guilan had no idea and could only advise Li Hui, "Don't make a big deal out of it. Making a big deal out of it won't be good for your husband, and it won't be good for you either. You two need to find a way to appease that child bride. You shouldn't stay here with me either. Go back and think it over carefully. You two should discuss it properly. If all else fails, introduce her to someone. There are plenty of single people around here. If she has a boyfriend, she won't care about these things with you."
Shi Guilan rubbed her temples. If she had known Guo Peng's situation earlier, she definitely wouldn't have let Li Hui marry him. But now that things were settled and Li Hui and Guo Peng were married, the couple had to face this issue together; neither of them could run away from it.
“The more critical the situation, the more you need to remain calm,” Shi Guilan said. “Men are completely different before and after marriage. You need to let your man know how virtuous you are and not throw tantrums.”
"..." Li Hui looked at Shi Guilan. Did her cousin want her to be as virtuous as her cousin?
What's the use of being virtuous? My cousin's husband still brought his first wife's biological mother over, didn't he?
Li Hui had no choice; she still had to go back and face this problem with her husband. She was a child bride, not some random cat or dog that could be easily chased away.
That night, when Song Fenglan talked to Qin Yihang about Guo Peng's child bride, she sighed twice. Song Fenglan covered Qin Yihang's lower abdomen with a blanket, not wanting the child to catch a cold.
"This child"
"If the adopted daughter-in-law had come sooner, Guo Peng might have married her," Qin Yizhou said. "However... such a forced marriage might not lead to a good life together."
Guo Peng clearly disliked his child bride. He never mentioned her when he was pursuing Li Hui. Now that his child bride has arrived, it's even less likely that Guo Peng will marry her. He's already married and can't betray his current wife. Since the child bride didn't marry him, Guo Peng can still make amends to her in other ways.
“Sister-in-law Pang just asked me if I wrote a letter before I came, and I said I did,” Song Fenglan said. “I didn’t mean to suddenly come over to see if you were with another woman.”
After writing the letter, Song Fenglan came over some time later, calculating that Qin Yizhou should have received it before she set off. However, Qin Yizhou was out on a mission and didn't receive the letter in time.
“You are different from Guo Peng’s childhood sweetheart. You are not my childhood sweetheart,” Qin Yizhou said. “Given Guo Peng’s situation, his childhood sweetheart must have done a lot of things back in his hometown, such as helping him take care of his parents.”
"Hmm." Song Fenglan suddenly thought of a saying: "Once you're on the right track, cut ties with your sweetheart first." Some people who pass the civil service exam feel that their original partner is not good enough for them, so they don't want their partner anymore and choose to break up directly. In Guo Peng's case, since he's not married, he still has a choice, although it's not very morally sound.
Qin Zihang waved his hand twice, and Song Fenglan quickly looked at her son. There were many mosquitoes, and Song Fenglan had found a mosquito repellent sachet, but there were still some. As long as there was one mosquito, that one mosquito could bite a person and leave many bites.
Song Fenglan gently fanned Qin Zihang a few times with a fan, but Qin Yizhou took the fan from Song Fenglan and said, "I'll do it."
"Here you come." Song Fenglan handed the fan to Qin Yizhou.
"In a few days, let Zihang sleep in the next room," Qin Yizhou said. With his son around, he and his wife couldn't have any closer contact.
Qin Yizhou wanted to be a good husband. He wanted to treat his wife well; they couldn't just lie in bed chatting all the time. That wouldn't do.
“You tell him,” Song Fenglan said. “I won’t tell him.”
Song Fenglan felt sorry for her child and didn't want him to be unhappy. This matter still needed to be addressed by Qin Yizhou, who was Qin Zihang's biological father.
"You agreed?" Qin Yizhou asked in a low voice.
"You handle it yourself." Song Fenglan glanced at Qin Yizhou. "You can handle this yourself, right?"
"Yes, yes," Qin Yizhou quickly replied, "Of course."
Qin Yizhou looked at his son, determined to make him go to sleep next door obediently. Since they were so close, if his son needed anything, he could simply knock or call out, and Qin Yizhou would hear him.
At this moment, Sister-in-law Qin was still packing her things. She had quite a lot of things, including all of her family's clothes, pots and pans, and many other odds and ends. With so much stuff, it didn't look like she was just staying temporarily; it looked like she was planning to stay for a long time.
"Have you brought all your winter clothes?" Sister-in-law Qin asked.
"I've brought it over," Brother Qin said.
"Can't we get it later?" Sister-in-law Qin frowned. If they could get it later, they might not even need to get it, since they would have already moved it back by then.
"Dad told us to pack everything up and move it over there, instead of going back and forth to move it again and again," Brother Qin said. "Moving it little by little, even ants don't move things like that. He wants us to move everything at once to save trouble later."
Brother Qin dared not disobey his father; whatever his father said went. Brother Qin could only tidy up all those things. He also tidied up some unwanted items, so that his sister-in-law could see if they were still useful.
Sister-in-law Qin wasn't at the Qin family home, so Brother Qin just stuffed the things into the boxes. It was a bit messy, but that didn't matter much; they'd have to reorganize everything after bringing the things over.
“Your dad is really heartless,” said Sister-in-law Qin. “I did something wrong, but they shouldn’t treat us like this. Once we move out, people will definitely ask. Everyone knows I stole five chickens.”
Sister-in-law Qin was filled with hatred. Even if those people didn't necessarily know the other things, what good was it? Sister-in-law Qin knew that those people would definitely exaggerate and embellish what they said. They couldn't say anything good about her; they would only say bad things about her.
After they move here, I'm afraid Qin's parents won't support them anymore.
Sister-in-law Qin was still thinking about her father's pension and the money her mother had. Having more money meant she could do more things.
"The houses here are really not good, the kids aren't used to them," said Sister-in-law Qin.
"You'll get used to it eventually." Brother Qin understood what Sister-in-law Qin meant. Sister-in-law Qin wanted to move back, but they had already moved out, so there was no point in thinking about moving back. Brother Qin didn't dare to provoke his father, who was in a bad mood, and anyone who tried to persuade him would be in trouble. "The house here is still habitable."
"With such a large difference, you still say it's okay to live here." Sister-in-law Qin was extremely unhappy. "It's one thing for us adults, but it's so difficult with two children. Who knows, who knows, I might be pregnant with another one."
Sister-in-law Qin couldn't help but wonder if her in-laws would prevent them from moving out if she were pregnant, and instead make them move back in.
“Even if you’re pregnant, you still have to stay here.” Brother Qin has been working for many years and is not someone who doesn’t know anything. He immediately understood his wife’s plan. “When my sister-in-law gave birth, she stayed at her parents’ house for postpartum care. She didn’t live with my parents.”
If Song Fenglan can live like that, then Sister-in-law Qin can also live outside.
Brother Qin didn't think this reason was useful; if they insisted on using this reason, it would only make their parents more unhappy.
Regardless of what her brother-in-law thought, Sister-in-law Qin sent her family to meet Qin's parents and told them that she was pregnant.
"You're pregnant? Then there's no need to make a fuss. Staying over there is perfect," Qin's mother said.
This little incident did not change Mr. and Mrs. Qin's decision, and no matter what Mrs. Qin's family said, it was to no avail. Mrs. Qin knew that Mrs. Qin had taken some things back to her parents' home, but she didn't want to say anything in front of her in-laws, as it would only make everyone feel awkward.
“She is my daughter-in-law, and my youngest son’s wife is also my daughter-in-law,” Qin’s mother said. “The family gave us six chickens, and she took five of them.”
"Five?" Qin's sister-in-law's mother asked in confusion. "Wasn't it three?"
"Hmm?" Qin's mother asked, puzzled.
Qin's sister-in-law gave her family two chickens: one to her parents, one to her pregnant sister-in-law, and one for herself and her child to eat when they visited. She told her family she had three chickens, not five, because she was afraid they would make her give them all up, as she was hoping to sell the chickens to cover her losses.
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Qin's sister-in-law's biological mother didn't know how to continue. Those things weren't originally meant for them; they were for Song Fenglan, who had given birth.
Song Fenglan works at the research institute, and even during her lunch break, she's still there. She's very busy at work and doesn't have much time to rest. After work, she eats dinner and walks home. When people greet her on the street, she seems listless and weak.
Although Song Fenglan didn't work overtime, she was still expending a lot of energy.
"You're off work?" Gao Xiuxiu ran into Song Fenglan, and they walked together. "Are you going home to cook?"
“No, I’ve already eaten at the company cafeteria,” Song Fenglan said.
"Don't your husband and child need to eat?" Gao Xiuxiu asked.
“Yizhou can cook,” Song Fenglan said. “He hasn’t been coming home too late lately, and when he does, he can cook.”
"If he cooks, can't you just come home for dinner?" Gao Xiuxiu asked. "Don't you and your husband eat together?"
"The food in the company cafeteria is free." Song Fenglan didn't mention how good the food was, because saying so might upset others. Others weren't eating as well, nor were they eating for free. Sometimes, even if everyone knows something, it's better to say less to avoid inciting jealousy.
“That’s right, the meals are free, but you have to eat at the company cafeteria,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “Your child is a boy, he’s still young now, but in two or three years, he’ll eat a lot more. Boys eat much more than girls, and a half-grown child can eat his father out of house and home.”
“If he can eat, it’s fine if he eats more,” Song Fenglan said. “Children need to grow and be well cared for.”
“You’re so lucky to have a son as your first child,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “Unlike me, I had a daughter as my first child. My mother-in-law doesn’t like girls. She wasn’t careful before, and the child almost got into trouble.”
"It doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl." When Song Fenglan was pregnant, she didn't think about whether she wanted a boy or a girl. She felt that it didn't matter what gender the child was, as they were all her children. As long as they were her children, she would cherish them.
“It’s still different,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “We women don’t earn as much as men. Men can do heavy work; they’re stronger, and we women don’t have that kind of strength. Women are okay with doing housework, but when they go out to work, they still don’t earn as much as men. Equal pay for equal work—how many places really have equal pay for equal work?”
Gao Xiu
Xiu didn't believe that she earned less money than those men, and she thought she still needed to have a son. Gao Xiuxiu planned to get pregnant again and have another child, still wanting a son. Not for her mother-in-law to have a son, but for herself. Only with a son would she not be talked about behind her back as a woman who couldn't have a son.
A woman who doesn't give birth to a son is no different from a hen that can't lay eggs.
Song Fenglan glanced at Gao Xiuxiu, noticing the longing in Gao Xiuxiu's face for a son, and said nothing more. After all, Song Fenglan had a son herself; if she were to advise others not to be so fixated on having a son, they would surely say: "You have a son, of course you can say those things."
It's better to listen to others' reflections than to be talked about by them.
"I need to go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow, I don't know if I'm pregnant," Gao Xiuxiu said.
"Isn't your daughter not even a year old yet?" Song Fenglan asked. "Aren't you worried about the impact on your health if you have so many children in quick succession?"
"No, I'm perfectly healthy and strong," Gao Xiuxiu said.
"..." Song Fenglan stopped talking. If these women want to have sons, then let them have sons.
Song Fenglan felt powerless. These people were clearly not worried about ruining their health; they only cared about not having a son, and they absolutely had to have one.
"Have you ever thought about having another child?" Gao Xiuxiu asked. "Your child isn't young anymore, you could have a younger brother or sister for him."
"I'm not having any more children," Song Fenglan said.
"Not having any more children?" Gao Xiuxiu asked in surprise. "Your family is so well-off, why not have more? You can afford to raise them. Keep having children, give your son a younger brother or sister, so he won't be alone or lonely. With a younger brother or sister, the brothers can help each other out if anything happens in the future."
"No, thank you." Song Fenglan planned to focus on her research from now on; her son Qin Zihang was enough for her.
Since there's no imperial heir in the family, why would there be a need to have another child?
"Did you get injured when you gave birth to Zihang?" Gao Xiuxiu couldn't help but ask. She believed that few women would not want to have two children. Most women would like to have two or three children, and some even have eight or nine.
"No," Song Fenglan said, her lips curving into a smile. "I just don't plan to have children."
"Doesn't Qin Tuan plan to have children either?" Gao Xiuxiu asked.
“It’s my belly, I have the right to decide whether or not to have the baby, I don’t need to ask my man,” Song Fenglan said.
"You two are a married couple, and having a child is something you both need to discuss together," Gao Xiuxiu said. "Both of you have jobs, so don't worry about not being able to raise a child. The child will..."
"Something came up at home." Song Fenglan didn't want to continue talking to Gao Xiuxiu, so she walked quickly forward.
Let's not talk about children anymore.
All you think about is having children, what's the point?
Song Fenglan doesn't plan to have any more children; Qin Zihang is quite handsome. Song Fenglan doesn't have enough time to care for a child, and she can't very well go and have Madam Su help raise the baby. Song Fenglan has many important things to do; having children is out of the question.
“This is a good time to have a baby,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “It’s perfect.”
Gao Xiuxiu spoke a few words loudly before heading home. Gao Xiuxiu truly felt it was a pity that Song Fenglan wasn't getting pregnant again. Song Fenglan and her husband were such good people—the man was handsome, the woman beautiful—their child would surely be gorgeous.
After returning home, Gao Xiuxiu told her husband, "Qin Tuan's wife doesn't plan to have children. She might have some physical damage; she was injured during her first pregnancy."
"You know all this?" Fang Xudong asked.
"I'm just guessing," Gao Xiuxiu said. "If it weren't for the physical injury, why wouldn't she want to give Zihang a younger brother or sister? The family needs more children; one child is all alone."
Grandma Fang heard what Gao Xiuxiu said and wrote it down.
The next day, when Grandma Fang was chatting with someone, she said that Song Fenglan had injured her body when she gave birth to her first child, and that Song Fenglan could no longer have children.
Those people weren't talking about it in front of Song Fenglan and Madam Su, but in private.
Li Hui invited her husband's childhood sweetheart to their home for dinner, but the couple still needed to deal with this child bride.
"I know what you mean. I consider you my older brother and sister-in-law." Fan Yani came to the army, but she didn't intend to marry Guo Peng.
Fan Yani was a time traveler. When she learned that her true identity was that of a child bride, and that Guo Peng was still delaying returning home to marry her, Fan Yani figured it was probably because Guo Peng had fallen for another woman and didn't want to be with her. The original owner of this body had taken good care of Guo Peng's parents at home, and everyone in the village knew she was a child bride.
Guo Peng was slow to give the original owner a formal title, and others were laughing at the original owner behind his back.
Fan Yani couldn't wait indefinitely; she had to come over. She wasn't the original owner of this body, and she couldn't keep waiting for Guo Peng to turn back. Men were either scum or despicable; there weren't many good ones. While soldiers were good people at this time, she couldn't have too much of a bias against them.
If someone hasn't broken the law and has even the slightest moral flaw, nothing will happen.
“In this new era, arranged marriages are no longer acceptable, I understand that.” Fan Yani has dark skin and a slightly plump figure. She plans to lose weight and also needs to whiten her skin. “Sister-in-law, don’t worry.”
"..." Li Hui still felt uncomfortable after hearing this. If Fan Yani really meant it that way, she shouldn't have said that Guo Peng was his child bride in the first place.
Fan Yani said that on purpose. Guo Peng had wronged the original owner of this body, so she had to speak up; she couldn't let Guo Peng and his wife disappear without a trace. The original owner was dead, so why should this couple live so well? Fan Yani wanted to use Guo Peng and his wife's relationship to stay here and get married, but she wouldn't let them have it easy either.
“Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know my brother had gotten married,” Fan Yani said. “If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have said I was his childhood sweetheart. I originally thought that if my brother hadn’t gotten married, I would have married her. Mom and Dad thought the same thing, but I never expected…”
Fan Yani meant that Guo Peng and Li Hui's marriage was not approved by their elders, and Guo's parents were unaware of it, which led to the elders asking Fan Yani to marry Guo Peng. She, Fan Yani, was not a shameless woman and would never entangle herself with a married man; she would never ask Guo Peng to marry her.
“Sister-in-law, don’t worry, I consider you my brother and sister-in-law, I understand,” Fan Yani said. “My parents raised me, I will treat them like a daughter and take care of them in the future.”
“Okay,” Li Hui said. “I’ve discussed it with your brother. You can move in with us. It’s not good to keep living in the guesthouse. After you move in, we’ll find you a suitable marriage. What do you think?”
“Sure.” Fan Yani nodded repeatedly. “Why not? My brother is a soldier, and I want to marry a soldier too. That way, the villagers won’t say that my brother has wronged me. They will only say that my brother and sister-in-law are very generous and have arranged everything for me so perfectly that no one can find fault with me.”
This is terrible, so terrible. Li Hui doesn't really want Fan Yani to stay in the family compound. But everyone already knows that Fan Yani is Guo Peng's childhood sweetheart, and if they don't handle this matter properly, it will have a huge impact.
"I will definitely arrange everything perfectly for you," Li Hui said. "There are many single young people here."
"Thank you for your help, brother and sister-in-law." Fan Yani smiled. She couldn't rely entirely on Li Hui's arrangements; she still had to be careful herself, lest she be assigned a problematic husband.
Fan Yani didn't stay at Li Hui and her husband's house all the time. She wanted to go out and explore, to meet more people. She knew there were many more people in the residential compound, and who knew, she might even meet her other half.
Li Hui even accompanied Fan Yani out for walks, wanting others to know that they had a good relationship with Fan Yani, and that Fan Yani didn't mind those things.
"Auntie, if you know any good comrades, please introduce them to me." Fan Yani said this directly to people without feeling embarrassed at all.
Things have come to this point; if we keep being indecisive, we'll only hurt ourselves, not others.
Fan Yani was talking to those old ladies, and Li Hui wanted to pull Fan Yani away, but she didn't dare to.
Li Hui had a terrible headache. How could Fan Yani be so familiar with these people?
In the evening, the plump woman gave Song Fenglan some brown sugar.
“I have some at home,” Song Fenglan said.
"Eat something, it'll help you recover," said the plump woman. She looked around and whispered, "I heard your health was damaged when you gave birth to Zihang? You can't have any more children?"
"No." Song Fenglan felt puzzled. Could it be that the fat woman thought she was injured and that's why she gave her brown sugar?
"Aunt Fang said over there that your health is ruined and you can't have any more children, so she came to join the army," said the plump woman. "She said no one wanted you, so you had to come."
"..." Song Fenglan's lips twitched slightly. She thought of what she had said to Gao Xiuxiu, "I just don't want to have children anymore. There's nothing wrong with my body. Take the brown sugar back."
"Here you go," said the plump woman. "You have to go to work and take care of the kids when you get back. You must be exhausted."
Judging from the fact that the research institute specially installed a telephone for Song Fenglan, Sister Pang believed that Song Fenglan was an outstanding person, and that it would not do any harm for her family to spend more time with her.
"We women should take better care of our health," said the plump woman. "I have some brown sugar over there, so take it; don't think it's too little."
"If you don't mind, then I'll accept it." Song Fenglan accepted the brown sugar.
"Aunt Fang has a big mouth; she'll spread rumors even about things that aren't true," said the plump woman. "I bet a lot of people already know you've ruined your health."
“I can’t just get pregnant to prove I’m not in bad shape,” Song Fenglan said with a laugh. “I have more important things to do and no time to get pregnant and have children. Zihang is enough. Zihang is sensible and obedient.”
“That’s right,” said the plump woman. “Your Zihang is very smart. Having one child like him is enough. You don’t necessarily need to have many children.”
Fatty Sister-in-law did not try to persuade Song Fenglan to have another child. Song Fenglan was not an ordinary woman; she was different from the others.
"Her," the plump woman pointed in the direction of Gao Xiuxiu's house, "went for a checkup today and they said she's pregnant. She's so happy."
"She's pregnant." Song Fenglan had only heard Gao Xiuxiu say yesterday that she wanted to have another baby, and Gao Xiuxiu was already pregnant.
Gao Xiuxiu and her husband really wanted to have a son, but Song Fenglan thought that was someone else's business.
"Mom, are you going to give me a younger brother or sister?" Qin Zihang ran up to Song Fenglan.
"Why do you say that?" Song Fenglan asked.
"I just took him out, and Fang Xudong and his wife were taking a walk. They asked him about it," Qin Yizhou explained.
"What do you say?" Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou.
“I said one Zihang is enough.” Qin Yizhou knew that Song Fenglan was doing something very important. Pregnancy and childbirth are not easy for women and there are risks involved. Qin Yizhou already had one child, and even if Qin Zihang was a girl, he had no plans to have another one. “Their family is very happy because Fang Xudong’s wife is pregnant, so they’ll say a few more words.”
"I guess it's not just for your child," said the plump woman. "The baby hasn't even been born yet, we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl, and you're already so happy."
“It’s a good thing for them,” Song Fenglan said. “They’re happy.”
"I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm taking Xiaohu back." Fatty waved to Zhang Xiaohu.
Zhang Xiaohu really enjoyed playing with Qin Zihang. When Qin Zihang and Qin Yizhou went for a walk, Zhang Xiaohu insisted on going along. His wife, feeling a bit embarrassed to go, waited until Zhang Xiaohu returned before deciding to take him home.
"Mom." Qin Zihang rested his head on Song Fenglan's lap.
“You don’t have any younger siblings, you’re the only one,” Song Fenglan said. “You don’t need to worry about having younger siblings competing for your affection.”
"Mom, I'm not selfish at all," Qin Zihang pouted.
Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou, "They also said things like that?"
"Hmm." Qin Yizhou nodded. "I wasn't paying attention and they said those things. They said Zihang can't be selfish, and that his parents aren't just his parents."
“They’re also problematic. They want more children, but there’s no need for them to say such things in front of our children.” Song Fenglan said angrily. “Yesterday, I ran into Gao Xiuxiu on the street, and she asked me if I wanted to have more children. I said no. Today, their family is saying that I have health problems.”
"They definitely have something wrong with their brains." Qin Yizhou was at work during the day and didn't listen to their gossip. He would only take the children out for a walk in the evening. "Don't pay attention to them. I just told them that they shouldn't say such things in front of children. It's their business if they want to be parents to several children."
“Yes, they can be parents to as many children as they want,” Song Fenglan said. “If we don’t want to have children, can they force us to have them?”
"Mom." Qin Zihang wasn't in a good mood.
“Mom doesn’t plan to have another brother or sister for you,” Song Fenglan said. It’s not about selfishness. Many children don’t feel good when they find out their parents are having another child. They feel their parents don’t care about them as much. “In the future, Mom will rely on you alone, okay?”
"Okay." Qin Zihang patted his shoulder gently. "I'll let Mom lean on me."
"Can I lean on Dad for a bit?" Qin Yizhou asked.
"Dad, you're too heavy, you'll crush me." Qin Zihang looked at his thin arms, then at his father. "Dad, you're so strong."
Qin Yizhou almost misheard it as "pretentious," but fortunately he understood what his son meant.
"When you grow up, you'll be tall and strong," Qin Yizhou said.
"Is he taller and stronger than Dad?" Qin Zihang stood on the chair and even tried to stand on tiptoe.
Song Fenglan quickly helped Qin Zihang up, afraid that her son would fall.
"Yes, we will," Qin Yizhou said.
"Okay then, I'll let Dad lean on me for a bit. But you have to wait until I'm older, okay? You can't crush me while I'm still little," Qin Zihang said.
"Okay." Qin Yizhou chuckled. They would never let their son be crushed.
Qin Yizhou's family seemed quite happy, but Qin's older brother's family wasn't so cheerful.
"Go back, I want to go back, I don't live here."
"A huge cockroach, it's terrifying."
"It's small and smelly, I want to go back to my grandparents' house."
...
Brother Qin's children were making a fuss over there. After the initial excitement wore off, the children all wanted to go back; they didn't want to stay any longer.
Seeing the child like this, Sister-in-law Qin felt sorry for him.
"Your grandparents won't let you go back. If you go back, your aunt will be unhappy," Sister-in-law Qin said to the children. She wasn't afraid of teaching the children bad things; that's how she always taught them—to keep them away from Song Fenglan and her son.
“Auntie is so mean! We need to tell Grandpa and Grandma that we can’t let them be fooled by Auntie,” said Qin Dasao’s child.
Sister-in-law Qin had an idea: they could take the child to her parents' house. The elderly couple would surely soften upon seeing their grandchildren. Sister-in-law Qin acted immediately. Before her brother-in-law returned home, she took the child directly to her parents' house and then hid.
"Grandpa, Grandma," the two children called from the other end of the line.
When Qin's mother heard the child's voice, she quickly went outside to let the child into the house, but Qin's father stopped her.
"Send them back!" said Qin's father.
It's not that Mr. Qin doesn't love his grandchildren, but if they let them in now, their eldest son and daughter-in-law will arrive soon. They'll say the children can't be separated from their biological parents, and it's better for them to come back and take care of them.
It's only been a few days. Are they trying to make a fool of themselves in front of the Song family? The Song family will think they never intended to punish their eldest daughter-in-law. Qin's father doesn't want to be talked about behind his back.
"Grandpa, I want to come back and live here," the eldest grandson said.
“Go live in your own home,” Qin’s father said.
Sister-in-law Qin had assumed that her parents would let the child in, but she hadn't expected her father to send the child over there. The couple lived not far from the Qin family home; they could walk there. Sister-in-law Qin was surprised that her father wouldn't let the child in, making the child stay outside.
Qin's father went to take the child to his brother's house. He dropped the child off at the door and ran into Qin's brother.
"Take good care of your own children," Qin's father said sternly. "This is their home. You've already moved out, so don't think about letting them go back at this time. Don't take advantage of the children."
These past few days, Qin's father has been in a particularly bad mood. He doesn't dare see his old comrades-in-arms, fearing they'll accuse his family of bullying a pillar of the nation. The Song family's status has suddenly risen; it's not just Qin's father who knows about the Song family, but everyone else does too.
Song Fenglan was being made difficult by the Qin family, and someone had to step forward and take responsibility.
"Dad..." Brother Qin looked embarrassed.
"Don't always let your wife and children handle things," Qin's father said.
Mr. Qin turned and left. He didn't want to talk about anything else, and there was no need to ask his eldest son if his daughter-in-law had deliberately done these things. It's a matter between husband and wife, and even a father shouldn't pry too much.
"Grandpa," the eldest grandson called out, wanting to sit down on the ground. He hadn't wanted to come on the way and was about to sit down, but Qin's father had pulled him over.
"Dad, can't we really go back?" Brother Qin's daughter really wanted to go back.
"From now on, this will be your home," Brother Qin said.
“But… isn’t that our home?” Brother Qin’s daughter asked.
Under Qin's sister-in-law's guidance, the two children both believed that the house belonging to their parents was their house, and no one else could compete with them for it.
“That’s your grandparents’ home,” Brother Qin said.
"What belongs to Grandpa and Grandma is ours, isn't it?" Brother Qin's son said. "Our house!"
“It belongs to your grandparents, not us.” Brother Qin frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
"Dad, Mom is like this..."
"Go inside first." Before her son could finish speaking, Sister-in-law Qin quickly came out. "Quick, let's go inside."
After arriving at the room, Sister-in-law Qin said to Brother Qin, "Your parents are really heartless. They won't even let their grandchildren into the house."
"Didn't I tell you? We'll stay here for now." It wasn't that Brother Qin didn't want to move back, but the old man wouldn't let them. If they caused any more trouble, it would only make the old man angrier.
“The child didn’t want to live here, what could I do? I wanted to try and let the child go and see,” said Sister-in-law Qin. “And what happened? Your father just sent the child over.”
"Don't try anymore. Dad has made a decision, and it's unlikely to change anytime soon," Brother Qin said. "If the child isn't used to living here, let him stay a little longer, and he'll get used to it."
Sister-in-law Qin opened her mouth, but seeing how unhappy her husband was, she ultimately said nothing more.
At night, Li Hui and Guo Peng shared a room, speaking in hushed tones, afraid that Fan Yani, who lived next door, would hear them.
“Now she knows to say you’re her brother,” Li Hui said. “Why didn’t she say that when she first came? Everyone thought I was the other woman, that I broke you two up.”
“Yani and I were not originally married, so there’s no question of breaking us up,” Guo Peng said. “Yani takes care of my parents at home, and I treat her like a younger sister.”
Guo Peng hadn't told Fan Yani to marry someone else. He had even thought that if he didn't win over Li Hui, he would go back and marry Fan Yani. He felt that marrying someone else was the same as marrying Li Hui, but he was unwilling to accept this. He had worked so hard to get to where he was now, and he still wanted to find a wife who was beautiful and educated, while Fan Yani was plain-looking and didn't have much education.
"We should introduce her to someone as soon as possible so she can get married," Li Hui said. "She's desperate to get married. When we're out together, she asks people to introduce her to potential partners. I don't know how she can even bring herself to say that. People don't know her or what kind of person she is, and she just says it like that."
Li Hui felt ashamed. "It's like we're forcing her to get married early. We just think she's getting older, so it's better for her to get married sooner. She came here and married a soldier, which is a great thing. We won't treat her unfairly."
"Introduce her, introduce her to someone," Guo Peng said. "If she gets married, I can explain it to my parents."
"How did your parents get her to come here?" Li Hui asked. "Did you tell your parents about our marriage?"
“Send a telegram back, they might not have seen it,” Guo Peng said. “It’s alright, everyone knows you are my wife.”
"That's what they say, but everyone thinks I'm a mistress." Li Hui felt heartbroken just thinking about it. She was going to marry Qin Yizhou, but Qin Yizhou got married. She married Guo Peng, but then Guo Peng had a child bride. Why was she so unlucky? "Even drinking cold water can cause problems."
Fan Yani lay on the bed, knowing that Li Hui and Guo Peng must be talking about her. But what did it matter? As long as she could find a good partner and live a good life, that was more important than anything else. Fan Yani had once considered taking the college entrance exam, but she was a poor student and had long forgotten the material. She didn't think she could definitely get into a good university, so she decided to find Guo Peng and find a good partner first.
For a woman, marriage is like a second reincarnation, and Fan Yani needs to make sure she gets a good one.
Early in the morning, Jiang Yufei went to see Aunt Yu. After Song's parents and others were exonerated, Jiang Yufei wondered if the Song family would send something to Aunt Yu.
"Mom, what did Auntie and the others bring? Let's take a look." Jiang Yufei was interested in those things. The Song family was not an ordinary family. When the Song family members came back, they could get back the wages from those years. The Song family members would not bring some ordinary, worthless things.
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