Chapter 41 Dowry Sour Oranges
“That was a long time ago,” said Sister-in-law Qin. “Back then, my sister-in-law had only been pregnant for a short time, and you had your doubts, didn’t you? People outside were also talking about it.”
Sister-in-law Qin felt she couldn't bear the blame alone. She believed that Qin Yizhou's stay in the capital was too short, which was why she thought Song Fenglan's child wasn't his. She wasn't alone; many others thought the same.
"And Mom, you forgot, you also called to ask about your youngest son," said Sister-in-law Qin. "Could it be that you let it slip in front of the child?"
"..." Qin's mother remembered. She had called her youngest son in a fit of rage, saying that Song Fenglan was pregnant and that the child in Song Fenglan's belly wasn't Qin Yizhou's, demanding that Qin Yizhou divorce Song Fenglan. Qin Yizhou insisted that the child in Song Fenglan's belly was his, and Qin's mother only believed him after her youngest son emphasized it several times.
"Do you remember?" Sister-in-law Qin said, "Even when the children were with you, I didn't always have them by my side."
Sister-in-law Qin meant that Qin's mother had spoiled the child, and that it shouldn't all be her fault. She also considered Qin's parents' attitude when she acted. If Qin's parents had paid more attention to Song Fenglan and hadn't shown so much dislike for her, she would have been more restrained.
Ultimately, it depends on the attitude of the elders in the family.
"Your sister-in-law just got back and she's already complaining to you?" Sister-in-law Qin said. "She remembers it so clearly."
“She didn’t say that today,” said Qin’s mother, who went with Qin’s eldest aunt.
"Who said that?" Sister-in-law Qin asked.
After finishing her sentence, Sister-in-law Qin looked at her husband. She had been very careful lately, trying not to let anyone pin the blame on her. Although her husband had indeed said those things, it wasn't just her who said them, and these people shouldn't blame her alone.
Qin's mother always said that she was not in good health and asked her sister-in-law to deliver things. It was not that Qin's mother was not in good health, but that she did not want to see her daughter-in-law, Song Fenglan.
Previously, Qin's mother praised Qin's sister-in-law for doing a good job; now, Qin's mother criticizes Qin's sister-in-law at every turn.
"Alright." Qin's father couldn't stand it anymore, so he stood up and walked towards his room.
Seeing her husband like this, Qin's mother sighed. Qin's mother felt very tired. As the mother-in-law, she went to the train station to pick up her daughter-in-law, but her daughter-in-law didn't give her any face at all. She didn't even call her "Mom," and the child didn't call her "Grandma." Only when Qin Yizhou said something did he call Qin's mother "Mom," but Qin's mother felt it wasn't enough.
Qin's mother considered herself the mother-in-law, and since the mother-in-law had bowed her head, the daughter-in-law should follow suit and accept the concession offered by her mother-in-law.
Last night, Qin's mother dreamed that she went to pick up Song Fenglan, and Song Fenglan took Qin's mother's hand and said: "Mom, wherever you say we'll live, we'll live there."
Qin's parents didn't come from particularly privileged backgrounds. Qin's father was originally from the countryside, a farmer, and held rather traditional views. He believed the eldest son was the family heir and should support his parents in their old age. With his eldest son around, Qin's father was even more inclined to rely on him in the future. If Qin's father thought this way, one can only imagine how Qin's mother felt.
Because of her humble origins, she sometimes couldn't keep up with the times, and Qin's mother always thought of herself as the mother-in-law.
In those years, Qin's mother always had her eldest daughter-in-law deliver gifts and money to her, which was nothing short of showing off her status as a mother-in-law. She was the mother-in-law; why should she go to her daughter-in-law? It was her daughter-in-law who should come to her and beg her.
Song Fenglan was a strong-willed person. As long as she could make a living, she naturally wouldn't go to Qin's mother. Song Fenglan didn't want to let others trample on her dignity. The Qin family looked down on her, but she simply wouldn't go there. She didn't need to rely on the Qin family for a living.
Fortunately, Qin Yizhou sent the money and tickets to Song Fenglan, which made things a little easier for her.
The Song family had prepared a lot of things; their wardrobes were overflowing with clothes—winter clothes, spring clothes, and autumn clothes. Song's mother and the others went back first, letting Song Fenglan and her family of three rest and recuperate.
"Mom, flowers." Qin Zihang saw the flowers placed in the living room.
“Yes, it’s flowers,” Song Fenglan said. She loved flowers when she was little and even dug up soil to plant them herself, but the flowers she planted didn’t grow very well.
"Is it pretty?" Song Fenglan asked Qin Zihang.
"Beautiful." Qin Zihang nodded.
Song Fenglan turned on the TV in the living room and showed it to Qin Zihang.
Qin Yizhou sat beside him, and he had to admit that the Song family had arranged everything very well. If it were the Qin family, they certainly couldn't have arranged it so well; there would have been many problems involved.
These things cost a lot of money, and Sister-in-law Qin couldn't possibly ask her parents to come up with that much money.
It has a television, a radio, a sewing machine, and even a small car parked outside.
Even after the Song family was exonerated, they still had some connections and were able to procure some things. The Song family all wanted to give Song Fenglan the best, as she had suffered so much over the years.
Sister-in-law Song had no objections whatsoever; she hadn't had this much money before. Now, the Song family had quite a bit of money, and Sister-in-law Song herself had money too, so why bother with such trivial matters? Sister-in-law Song was very grateful to Qin Yizhou and his wife; they had helped them so much. Besides, these things originally belonged to Song's parents, and Song Fenglan was entitled to them.
“Mom and Dad have prepared a lot of things, so we don’t need to buy anything,” Qin Yizhou said.
They just arrived and haven't had time to buy anything to send to the Song family yet.
The train journey was too long, and they also had to take their child with them. Qin Yizhou suggested bringing some local specialties from the southern part of the city, but Song Fenglan said it wasn't necessary; bringing too much stuff would be inconvenient on the train. Some dried goods could be mailed. Besides, the capital was large enough to buy many things there.
Since Song Fenglan said that, Qin Yizhou didn't bring it. After all, their most important thing was to arrive in the capital safely, not for anything else.
"Mom." Qin Zihang stared intently at the television; they didn't have a television in Nancheng.
Professor Su's family didn't have a TV either; very few people did. Qin Zihang didn't watch TV in the southern part of the city, nor did he watch TV at his aunt's house.
A moment later, Qin Zihang saw the television and found it very interesting.
"See?" Song Fenglan gently rubbed Qin Zihang's head.
Qin Yizhou felt that this house was much better than their house in the south of the city, and much better than his parents' house. Qin Yizhou thought that the house his family had prepared for them could never be this good; it would be much worse.
"It's soft." Qin Zihang sat on the sofa.
“Your maternal grandmother and the others prepared it,” Song Fenglan said with a smile.
"Mom, can we bring the TV with us?" Qin Zihang thought that he could watch TV when he got to Nancheng.
This is a color television set, not black and white. It's clear the Song family put a lot of effort into making things as good as possible.
When Song's parents returned home, Song's mother slipped Song Fenglan a bankbook containing a considerable amount of money. She also told Song Fenglan that there was a safe in the cabinet, part of Song's dowry prepared for her, and that Song Fenglan could take a look at it later.
Song Fenglan hadn't even looked at the contents of the safe yet, so she didn't know what was inside. It must have been valuable items. If it were cheap stuff, her parents wouldn't have locked it in the safe.
"When we get back to Nancheng, I..."
"Let's buy a television set in the south of the city," Song Fenglan said.
The family in Nancheng had a radio, a sewing machine, and a refrigerator, but no television. Song Fenglan thought that once they went to Nancheng, they could buy a television so the children could watch something at home. Mrs. Su could also watch TV with the children there.
"Buy these colorful ones," Song Fenglan said.
As for TV tickets, that's not a problem; we can always get them.
“This looks good.” Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou.
"It's your decision." Qin Yizhou kept a small portion of his salary and gave the rest to Song Fenglan. He knew the Song family must have given Song Fenglan a lot of money, while he could only offer her so little.
At this moment, Qin Yizhou felt that he was much less useful.
"It's beautiful," Qin Zihang emphasized, clearly liking the television. "Mommy, there are little people inside. Will they come out?"
“These are actors; they will come out,” Song Fenglan explained.
"Are they locked up inside?" Qin Zihang asked again.
"No, this is a video recording, just like taking photos. It's not locked inside," Song Fenglan said.
Qin Zihang understood as soon as he heard about taking photos.
Cao Fang didn't sit in the living room; she stayed in the guest room to tidy up her things. She needed to take a shower, do laundry, and hang the clothes out to dry. Cao Fang noticed that the guest room she was sleeping in was quite nice, with a vase filled with fresh flowers, creating a very cozy atmosphere.
Cao Fang didn't care whether the Song family were capitalists or not; they had already been exonerated. Besides, the special era was over, and relevant leaders had already held meetings to ensure that families like the Song family could be exonerated.
In the living room, Qin Zihang wasn't thinking about going to bed early. He was staring at the TV, he loved watching TV, and he even hugged the panda while watching.
Qin Zihang really likes this home. It's spacious and has lots and lots of things. All the toys are his own, so he doesn't have to share them with anyone, and no one takes them from him.
Seeing Qin Zihang like this, Song Fenglan thought about how much her son had suffered in the past, and she wanted to make sure he had a better life. It's alright, as times change, they can provide him with a better life and prevent him from always facing hardship.
When the Jiang family learned that Song Fenglan and her husband had brought their child, Aunt Yu did not immediately go to the Song family's house, nor did she go to Song Fenglan's house.
Aunt Yu wondered why she was going over there when everyone else was having a happy family reunion. She genuinely didn't feel her family was welcome; these people hadn't treated Song Fenglan very well before. Although Sister-in-law Jiang and the others hadn't kicked Song Fenglan out, their expressions weren't friendly, and they sometimes said things to her.
Sister-in-law Jiang was aware of her past actions, which was why she didn't keep going to the Song family. One should have self-awareness; it's enough to get a good deal, don't try to gain more. Do you think everyone else is a fool?
The Song family treated the Jiang family fairly well, mainly because the Jiang family allowed Song Fenglan to stay, and Song Fenglan and her son lived with the Jiang family for several years. The Jiang family wasn't known for their sharp tongues, but they didn't mistreat Song Fenglan too much; they treated her better than many other families. While not the best, they weren't the worst off either, and the Song family wasn't the kind of people to be ungrateful; they wouldn't complain about the Jiang family's actions at this time.
At that time, Song Fenglan was already living under someone else's roof, and there were others around her who were doing even worse. She only stood out because of the contrast with others.
Jiang Yufei is the worst person in the Jiang family, and the Jiang family doesn't completely listen to her, which is enough.
You can't expect everyone in someone else's home to be a good person.
The Song family all understood this principle, and Song Fenglan knew it too.
"Mom." Qin Zihang took a bite of the sponge cake. "It's delicious, Mom, have some."
“Your maternal grandmother made it,” Song Fenglan said. “Your maternal grandmother could make many, many pastries.”
"Did Grandma make this for me?" Qin Zihang asked.
“Yes, I made this especially for you and for us.” Song Fenglan nodded. “If you want to eat anything, just tell your grandma, and she will definitely find a way to make it for you.”
"Grandma is so kind," Qin Zihang said. "Grandma even gave me a red envelope."
The Song family gave Qin Zihang a red envelope, saying they hadn't given one before and were giving him a greeting red envelope now. A New Year's red envelope is a different thing from a traditional Chinese New Year red envelope.
Song Fenglan didn't let her son return the red envelopes to the family members who gave them; instead, she had Qin Zihang hold them. Song Fenglan glanced at the red envelopes again. Two of them contained one hundred yuan each, and the third contained two hundred yuan. Song's parents each received one, Song's eldest brother and sister-in-law each received one, and Song's second brother received one. The two hundred yuan envelope was given by Song's parents.
"I'll switch with you in a bit," Song Fenglan said. "I'll switch to a smaller denomination so you don't lose it while carrying it."
That's a lot of money; many families might not have that much. The Song family treated Qin Zihang very well; these red envelopes added up to four hundred yuan. Some families don't even need that much money to get married.
"Take them all out, just make sure they're empty," Qin Zihang said. "There are red envelopes."
"Don't you need to spend money to buy food?" Song Fenglan asked.
“My parents will buy it, my grandparents will buy it, and my uncle will buy it too,” Qin Zihang said. He had only just met his grandparents and the others, but he really liked them.
“Okay.” Song Fenglan didn’t dare let Qin Zihang go out to buy it alone.
The Song family had originally prepared a red envelope for Cao Fang, but she refused it. Cao Fang considered herself there to carry out a mission, not to enjoy herself, and therefore felt it inappropriate to accept a red envelope from someone else. Seeing Cao Fang's repeated refusals, the Song family did not continue to offer her any more.
There were some pastries and other snacks in Cao Fang's room, which the Song family had specially placed there. The Song family had also told Cao Fang that if she got hungry in the evening, she didn't need to go downstairs to eat some of those snacks. If she wanted to go downstairs to cook something, she could, as there were plenty of things stored in the refrigerator and storage room.
Around nine o'clock in the evening, Qin Zihang fell asleep while hugging the panda. Qin Yizhou carried his son upstairs and told him to sleep in the room next to theirs. That room was very nice, and Qin Zihang especially liked it. While watching TV, he even said he wanted to sleep in the new room.
Song Fenglan was worried that Qin Zihang would wake up at night asking for his parents, and that he wouldn't be used to the new house. Qin Zihang said he wanted to sleep in the new room, and Song Fenglan didn't stop him.
Back in the room, Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou were both there. They had both showered, changed into their pajamas, and were lying on the bed.
“Mom and Dad… the house my parents prepared for me is definitely not as good as this one,” Qin Yizhou said.
"Afraid I'll be unhappy?" Song Fenglan asked.
"Not really, it's just that the houses over there are much worse," Qin Yizhou said.
“It doesn’t matter. This is a house in the capital,” Song Fenglan said. “We don’t live here. We can rent it out and get rent. I don’t mind.”
Song Fenglan truly doesn't mind the houses here; after all, this is the capital city. House prices aren't high now, but they will rise in the future, and those things will become extremely valuable.
“Our two families are in different circumstances, so there’s no need to compare.” Song Fenglan applied skincare products to her face and hands, which her mother had bought. With her mother around, it felt really good. Song Fenglan didn’t have to do anything else or ask anything; her mother would prepare everything.
"Yes." Qin Yizhou nodded slightly. "Zihang likes it here very much."
"Is that even a question?" Song Fenglan said. "Zihang hasn't even seen a TV yet."
"It's my fault for being useless," Qin Yizhou said.
“You’re useful. My sister-in-law said your uncle saved her child. If it weren’t for you, would your uncle have helped them so much?” Song Fenglan said. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You have great power.”
Previously, the Song family had discussed these matters with Song Fenglan; otherwise, Song Fenglan wouldn't have approved of Qin Yizhou so much. The other members of the Qin family might not be the best, but Qin Yizhou was acceptable, since they didn't live with the Qin family anyway.
Suddenly, Song Fenglan remembered something—the safe her mother had mentioned. She climbed off the bed again, intending to open the safe inside the wardrobe. She took out the key, entered the password, and after opening the safe, she discovered many things inside, including several gold bars.
When the Song family was sent to the farm, they hid a considerable amount of gold bars. Much of their property was still confiscated, but it has now been returned. Besides real estate, some jewelry and cash have been recovered. The jewelry was scattered; not all of it is still there.
Mother Song naturally felt it was a pity; they hadn't been able to hide everything back then. If they had, people would have searched everywhere and accused them of hiding things. Even if they hadn't hidden anything, people would still say they had. They had to leave something behind, something for others to skim off.
"This is..." Qin Yizhou was startled when he saw those things, "So many?"
"It's alright." Song Fenglan was quite satisfied. She didn't expect to take a lot of things, but since her family was willing to give them to her, she naturally had to accept them.
They just didn't live here anymore; they had to go back to the south of the city. These things still needed to be hidden away, whether in a bank safe deposit box or somewhere else, it didn't matter. In short, the Song family hadn't treated Song Fenglan too badly.
“These are all legal.” Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou.
“It’s legal, of course it’s legal,” Qin Yizhou said. “My father-in-law and mother-in-law have been exonerated, so all these things are legal.”
Qin Yizhou would never say that these things have no problems, absolutely no problems.
Early in the morning, Qin Yizhou made breakfast. After they finished eating, they went to buy some gifts to take to the Song family. They couldn't go empty-handed.
In the past, yesterday was a special case.
"Are you settling in alright?" Song's mother held Song Fenglan's hand, looking at her daughter closely. Her daughter's face had blossomed, and she was even more beautiful than before. Song's mother also thought back to how delicate and gentle her daughter had been as a child; now, her daughter was much stronger.
“I’m used to it, very used to it,” Song Fenglan said with a smile. “You wouldn’t believe it, Zihang was already sleepy, but he still wanted to watch TV in the living room.”
There were blankets on the sofa prepared by the Song family, thinking that Qin Zihang and the others would be cold if they sat there watching TV. The Song family didn't just prepare one blanket, but one blanket for each seat, and they were all thick, high-quality blankets.
Song Fenglan and her husband sat there with their child, without worrying about the child catching a cold.
"You'll get used to it," said Song's mother. "Tell us if you need anything."
“It’s fine,” Song Fenglan said. “Mom, do you keep adding things in there every now and then because you think something might not be right?”
Last night, Song Fenglan stood in the house her parents had given her, her mind filled with images of these people rushing back and forth. The house wasn't far from the Song family home, only a ten-minute walk. The Song family wanted to buy Song Fenglan a house closer, but no one was currently selling those houses.
The house Song Fenglan currently lives in was originally intended for her second brother, Song Fenglan, by her parents. They planned to leave it to him after he got married, as living under the same roof with two brothers after marriage could easily lead to problems between the sisters-in-law. Since her second brother isn't married yet, they've decided to give the house to Song Fenglan, and he has no objections. He also has other properties; the Song family owns several, all in good locations.
“We’ve been adding things little by little,” said Song’s mother. “Your sister-in-law has two children, right? Sometimes when she sees that her own children need something, she’ll buy some for them too.”
"We should thank you, sister-in-law," said Song Fenglan.
"Why thank me?" Sister-in-law Song said with a smile. "These things weren't paid for with my own money, they were all paid for by my parents. I was just running errands."
"You..." Song's mother suddenly realized something, "Are you going to your husband's house?"
The Qin family went to pick up Qin Yizhou and his family of three yesterday, and Song's mother thought that Qin's parents were still alive. In those days, it was understandable that the Qin family disliked Song Fenglan, but Song's mother didn't want her daughter to have much contact with them, though she still had to put on a show of it.
The Qin family did raise Qin Yizhou, and Qin's parents were his biological parents. Song Fenglan and her husband had to go and meet them.
“My parents have divided the family property properly,” Qin Yizhou said. “We get one house, and the rest belongs to my eldest brother. From now on, my parents will be supported by my eldest brother and his family, and we will not give them any additional support payments. Giving those things to my eldest brother is also considered as us providing support payments.”
The Song family didn't say anything bad about the Qin family, but Qin Yizhou understood what had happened. The Qin family had gone too far, and he still needed to let the Song family know his stance.
“My parents have drawn up a written agreement for my older brother,” Qin Yizhou said. “This matter is now settled.”
“That works too,” said Brother Song. “When it’s time to settle things in writing, we have to settle them. Otherwise, we might end up saying it doesn’t count.”
"It won't go back on its word," Qin Yizhou said.
"..." Second Brother Song looked at Qin Yizhou. Did Qin Yizhou think that his elder brother and sister-in-law would keep their promise? It was uncertain in the future.
Brother Song knew how treacherous human nature could be, and Qin Yizhou was well aware of that, but Qin Yizhou still had some trust in the Qin family. So, let Qin Yizhou trust them. Brother Song hoped the Qin family wouldn't cause too much trouble later, and that Brother Qin would take good care of their parents in their old age.
"When are you going?" Song's mother asked. "It would be better to go in the morning, in the afternoon... usually in the morning."
Mother Song didn't know if the Qin family had any particular customs, and she was afraid they might cause trouble. Since the guests had traveled a long way back, they didn't dare to be too formal about whether it was morning or afternoon. Mother Song thought that Qin Yizhou and his wife hadn't gone to the Qin family this morning, but had come to the Song family first, which meant Qin Yizhou still valued Song Fenglan.
"Wait until tomorrow," Qin Yizhou replied. "There's no rush."
"The day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve," Brother Song asked. "Where are you spending it?"
“I think Fenglan is better,” Qin Yizhou said.
“Tell me your own thoughts,” said Brother Song.
"If possible, I would like to spend the New Year with Mom, Dad, and my second brother. Fenglan hasn't seen you for many years, and we haven't celebrated the New Year together for many years either," Qin Yizhou said. "It would be nice to have the whole family reunited."
"If my sister has her New Year's Eve dinner here, what about your parents' situation..."
“They have their elder brother and sister-in-law with them,” Qin Yizhou said. “Wherever Fenglan is, that’s where I am.”
"Me too, me too." Qin Zihang was afraid that these people would forget him. "I'm going to stay with my grandma."
Qin Zihang was just playing with his cousin. His cousin gave him a toy train, and Qin Zihang had a lot of fun.
"My cousin gave it to me." Qin Zihang picked up the toy train and showed it to his mother. "My other cousin will try to take it."
Qin Zihang didn't want to go to his grandparents' house or stay there. He liked his older cousins; they gave him food and toys to play with.
“There’s some at home.” Song Fenglan saw it in Qin Zihang’s room last night.
“Hangbao likes it, let him play with it, and we’ll take it back later,” said Sister-in-law Song. “It’s just a toy.”
Sister-in-law Song wasn't petty. She had told her son and daughter well in advance to treat Qin Zihang well, saying that their younger brother was still small and they should dote on him. Sister-in-law Song wasn't afraid of Qin Zihang being naughty; she figured her own children should be more accommodating, and Qin Zihang wouldn't be staying for very long after returning for the New Year.
"Hello, Auntie." Qin Zihang said sweetly.
"Our Hangbao is so well-behaved," said Sister-in-law Song with a smile. "Come on, your aunt will treat you to something delicious."
Sister-in-law Song took Qin Zihang to continue playing with her two children. She had already brought over pastries and other treats, and now she had added some more. The more Sister-in-law Song looked after the children, the more Song Fenglan and her mother could talk.
Aunt Qin came to the Qin family again, wondering when Song Fenglan and the others would arrive. Aunt Qin sat for a while, but didn't see Qin Zihang and his family of three come over.
"They just got back, and they've had a long day. They didn't come today, but they'll come tomorrow," Aunt Qin said.
"Is Auntie staying for lunch today?" Sister-in-law Qin asked. "I prepared quite a few dishes for lunch."
Sister-in-law Qin said that on purpose; those dishes were specially prepared by the Qin family for Qin Yizhou and his family of three. Sister-in-law Qin had been coming over in the morning and leaving in the evening for the past few days, but Qin's parents still hadn't let them move back.
"In this cold weather, the vegetables won't spoil easily," Aunt Qin said. "Since no one is coming, we don't need to cook so many dishes."
"My sister-in-law's family... I'm afraid they like leftovers," said Sister-in-law Qin. "They're coming tomorrow, so we'll have to prepare extra food for them. I don't know if they'll come this afternoon, and if they do, will they stay for dinner?"
"Let's celebrate the New Year early and cook more dishes," said Qin's mother.
Qin's mother was waiting for Qin Yizhou and his family of three. She looked at the door several times, hoping they would return soon. However, Qin Yizhou and his wife did not come with their child.
In the afternoon, Song Fenglan and her husband took Qin Zihang to Aunt Yu's place, bringing quite a few things with them. They had a two-week vacation, and the train journey would take a considerable amount of time. They couldn't be sure if something might happen in the middle of the trip, so since they were visiting relatives, they decided to start their journey early.
"You've come all this way, why did you bring so much stuff?" Aunt Yu said.
"We bought them here in the capital," Song Fenglan said. "We take long-distance trains, so it's not convenient to bring things with us. That's why we didn't bring any local specialties from the south of the city for you."
“We’ve eaten the dried goods you sent us before, that’s enough,” Aunt Yu said.
Aunt Yu's mother-in-law wasn't home, and Old Mrs. Jiang liked to go out for walks. When Song Fenglan stayed at the Jiang family's house, Old Mrs. Jiang was quiet; she was preoccupied with the things the Song family had given her before. Since they had given her things, she figured it was fine for them to take Song Fenglan in.
If there are no benefits to be had, and Aunt Yu were to take in Song Fenglan, Grandma Jiang would have a lot to say, but Grandma Jiang might not necessarily drive Song Fenglan away.
Grandma Jiang was quite shrewd. When Aunt Yu invited Song Fenglan over, she deliberately argued with Aunt Yu, just to let the neighbors know that they had no other choice but to let Aunt Yu take Song Fenglan in. Then, she could make it seem natural for Song Fenglan to stay.
Others would only think the Jiang family was kind and righteous, and that they still let Song Fenglan stay. Old Mrs. Jiang is not Jiang Yufei; she is not a child, and she wouldn't make a scene like Jiang Yufei. She would stop after making a scene for a while.
"How many days off do you have? When are you going back?" Aunt Yu asked.
“We have a two-week holiday, and we’ll probably have to go back around the fourth or fifth day of the Lunar New Year,” Song Fenglan said.
"They'll be back pretty quickly," Aunt Yu said.
"Have some tea." Sister-in-law Jiang brought over the tea and sat down beside her. "Stay here for dinner tonight."
"No, thank you," Song Fenglan refused. "We still have to go back; there are some things to take care of at home."
Song Fenglan has lived here for quite some time and doesn't want to stay. Although these people's attitudes towards her are no longer the same as before, Song Fenglan still doesn't like this place.
No one wanted to recall past pain; everyone just wanted to live a more comfortable life.
"Yes...that's fine too." What could possibly be wrong? That's what Sister Jiang wanted to say, but she quickly realized there was something wrong with what she was about to say, so she changed her words.
"Grandma." Qin Zihang held the panda and showed it to Aunt Yu. "Grandma, this was made by my mother."
“Your mother is very skillful,” Aunt Yu said. “Your mother looks a lot like your maternal grandmother.”
Qin Yizhou peeled an orange and handed half to Song Fenglan. Song Fenglan ate half, but the sourness made her wince. She turned to Qin Yizhou and said, "Don't peel too many oranges; oranges are easy to get stuck in. In someone else's house, it's not appropriate to spit out sour oranges; you have to eat them."
"It's so sour!" Qin Yizhou had just put a segment of orange into Qin Zihang's mouth, but Qin Zihang, being a child, couldn't stand it and immediately spat it out. "It's too sour!"
"These oranges...may be a little sour," said Sister-in-law Jiang. "Let's eat something else."
Jiang's wife was a little embarrassed. It wasn't that she intentionally offered sour oranges to her guests; it was just that they only had so much at home. Her family wasn't small, and they also had elderly relatives. They needed to save money for a rainy day, and having fruit was already a good thing.
Some families don't even have sour oranges, while others love fruit regardless of its sourness.
"Let your dad eat it," Song Fenglan said. "Your dad peeled it."
Song Fenglan had already given him the half of the orange that Qin Yizhou had given her; she didn't want to eat such a sour orange.
"Just leave it there, no need to eat it," Aunt Yu said.
"It's so sour it'll make my teeth ache," Qin Zihang said.
Song Fenglan patted her son's head, not at all embarrassed. It was fine in front of her aunt, but it wouldn't be appropriate to say that in someone else's house.
You have to understand that in those days, ordinary families didn't have such nice things. It was already quite generous of them if the other family could offer them oranges.
When Song Fenglan lived at Aunt Yu's house, the Jiang family members rarely ate fruit. As for Sister-in-law Jiang taking things to her room to eat, that was perfectly normal. People earn a little money to treat their own children, not to feed other people's children. Wasn't Song Fenglan secretly preparing food for Qin Zihang too?
We're all equally bad, so let's not argue with each other.
Song Fenglan didn't blame Jiang's sister-in-law too much; Jiang's sister-in-law was far more selfish than Qin's sister-in-law. No wonder people always said it was all thanks to the contrast with their peers—wasn't that exactly true?
In the Jiang family, the person Song Fenglan hated the most was Jiang Yufei. Jiang Yufei genuinely made things difficult for Song Fenglan and was very determined to drive her out.
"It's nothing." Qin Yizhou ate an orange. He peeled it himself, feeling embarrassed to let others eat it, and also not wanting to waste food.
Song Fenglan saw that Qin Yizhou didn't even frown, so she reached out and poked him. Qin Yizhou didn't just swallow half an orange whole; he also bit into it.
"When I was in the wild, it was good enough if I could eat sour fruit." When Qin Yizhou was on a mission, he ran out of food and had to find wild fruit to eat. Wild fruit was not easy to find, so they ate whatever they found. They couldn't complain that the wild fruit was not tasty.
"You eat, you eat." Song Fenglan did not stop Qin Yizhou.
"Dad, are you pregnant?" Qin Zihang suddenly asked. "Am I going to have a younger brother or sister?"
Qin Yizhou almost choked. What did he mean by "he's pregnant"?
Aunt Yu and the others were amused by Qin Zihang's words. Qin Zihang added, "Mothers with babies like to eat sour things, like sour oranges. If fathers have babies, do they also eat sour oranges?"
"No." Qin Yizhou swallowed the sour orange segment in his mouth, his face darkening. "Men can't get pregnant."
"Huh?" Qin Zihang couldn't understand.
"Only women can get pregnant, men cannot," Qin Yizhou said.
"But aren't babies born from both mom and dad? Mom can give birth, and dad can give birth too." Qin Zihang didn't understand where things went wrong. "Am I not dad's baby?"
"Yes, you are Daddy's baby, but Daddy wasn't pregnant," Qin Yizhou emphasized. "Mom and Daddy didn't intend to have any younger siblings for you."
"Don't you have any younger siblings?" Qin Zihang sighed. "Dad, I don't mean I don't want younger siblings. You're pregnant, so just have one."
Song Fenglan was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. Qin Zihang really knows how to talk.
"Dad isn't pregnant; only Mom can get pregnant," Qin Yizhou said. "Do you understand?"
"I know, I know," Qin Zihang said.
"..." Qin Yizhou always felt that his son was just giving him the runaround.
"Auntie, we should go back now." Song Fenglan stood up.
"Are you really not staying here for dinner?" Aunt Yu asked.
"No, thank you," Song Fenglan said.
Qin Yizhou picked up Qin Zihang, with Cao Fang following beside Song Fenglan. As they reached the door, they ran into Old Lady Jiang, who was returning home.
"Stay here for dinner," said Grandma Jiang.
"No, we have other things to do, let's go back first," Song Fenglan said.
"Mm." Grandma Jiang nodded, watching Song Fenglan and the others leave.
Grandma Jiang was a little confused about who the person following Song Fenglan was.
"Is that woman next to Fenglan also your niece?" Grandma Jiang looked at Aunt Yu. "I've never seen her before."
“No,” Aunt Yu said. “She’s a female soldier; she’s here to protect Fenglan.”
"Female soldiers?" Grandma Jiang exclaimed in surprise. "My goodness, when did Fenglan become so capable that she has female soldiers protecting her?"
“I don’t know much about it, I didn’t ask. Her uncle was a brilliant scientist who was assassinated while he was abroad,” Aunt Yu said.
"She's quite capable." Grandma Jiang nodded. It was the right decision to let Song Fenglan stay.
If Jiang Yufei were here, she would definitely ask why Song's mother could marry into such a good family, while Aunt Yu only married a worker. It was a time of war, and many things were unpredictable. It wasn't just about whether or not to marry; the most important thing was survival.
When Song Fenglan and the others returned to the Song family home, Qin Zihang shouted loudly, "Grandma, I'm going to have a younger brother and sister!"
"Younger brother or sister?" Song's mother asked in confusion, looking at Song Fenglan. "Are you pregnant?"
"It's not Mommy, it's Daddy who's pregnant!" Qin Zihang shouted again. "Daddy's belly is pregnant, there's going to be a little brother or sister."
Qin Yizhou almost lost his balance. He should have known that Qin Zihang had been lying to him before. He had already said that he wasn't pregnant, that his mother was pregnant, and that his father couldn't be pregnant. No, Zihang's mother wasn't pregnant either.
"Mom, we ate sour oranges at Auntie's today, and Zihang insisted that I got pregnant from eating sour oranges," Qin Yizhou explained. Fortunately, Qin Zihang didn't say that someone in their family was having an affair and that the other person was pregnant.
"Dad ate a whole sour orange. If he's not pregnant, what is he?" Qin Zihang pouted. He still didn't believe his dad wasn't pregnant. "Dad has to go to the hospital for a checkup, then he'll know."
Embarrassing, so embarrassing, Qin Yizhou wanted to disappear into the ground. He turned to look at Song Fenglan.
Song Fenglan gestured with her eyes: He's your son, you deal with it yourself.
"I'm not jealous, and I won't hurt my younger siblings. Daddy was able to give birth to them." Qin Zihang clenched his little fist. "I'm a man, and I can protect my younger siblings."
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