Chapter 42 reiterates: That's your brother!
Thank you so much!
He also gave birth to younger siblings...
Qin Yizhou had never been so embarrassed. He thought he had explained things clearly to his son, but his son still insisted on saying it. He couldn't very well go to the hospital for a checkup and have the doctor say that he wasn't pregnant.
If we really need to find someone, then we need to find his uncle.
Dr. Lin is a doctor who has also studied traditional Chinese medicine and can take pulses.
No, men can't get pregnant. I can't let that brat Qin Zihang get involved.
“Men can’t get pregnant, there’s no baby in Daddy’s belly,” Song’s mother explained to Qin Zihang.
"Really not?" Qin Zihang felt that his grandmother wouldn't lie to him.
"No," said Song's mother. "Do you want a younger brother or sister?"
"I don't really want it," Qin Zihang said.
“Mom will feel very uncomfortable when she is pregnant and giving birth,” said Song’s mother.
"Was it very painful for Mom when she gave birth to Hangbao?" Qin Zihang tilted his head.
"Yes, it will be very painful," said Song's mother. "Does Hangbao want his mother to be painful?"
"No, no, no," Qin Zihang said. "I don't want any more younger brothers and sisters."
"Hangbao, remember, Daddy won't get pregnant," Qin Yizhou said to Qin Zihang once again.
"Okay," Qin Zihang said. "I'll listen to Grandma."
Qin Yizhou thought that at least Qin Zihang listened to Song's mother, which was good. If Qin Zihang continued to talk nonsense outside, Qin Yizhou would want to spank Qin Zihang.
"You've been to your aunt's place. How is she?" Song's mother asked.
"It's alright," Song Fenglan said. "I see that the clothes my aunt is wearing are a bit better."
“I bought it for her,” said Song’s mother. “Her clothes are all tattered and worn for many years. She is reluctant to spend money on herself, but spends all her money on her children and grandchildren, and on her husband.”
Thinking about what had happened with Aunt Yu, Song's mother felt helpless. Aunt Yu was already this age, and a divorce was impossible; life after a divorce might not be any better. Aunt Yu was a rather traditional person, and the Jiang family was indeed better off than most families. All Song's mother could do was buy some things for Aunt Yu—buy them directly, not give her money directly. A small amount of money was acceptable, but not too much.
When given money, Aunt Yu couldn't keep it; most of it ended up in the Jiang family's hands. Even when Song's mother bought food, Aunt Yu would let other family members eat it. As for clothes, the others were embarrassed to wear them, but Song's mother could see that the Jiang family still had to treat Aunt Yu well on the surface.
After the Song family was exonerated and returned to the city, Aunt Yu's life became a little easier.
“Your aunt is having a tough time too,” said Song’s mother. “We still need to consider her situation. Come on, let’s go eat.”
"Time to eat, time to eat!" Qin Zihang said. "I want to eat fish balls."
"Yes, there are." Song's mother nodded with a smile. Qin Zihang had said yesterday that he really liked fish balls.
Qin Zihang was still young, so the adults watched him closely, making sure he bit into the fish balls and didn't swallow them whole. The fish balls were made by Song's mother, and the meat was pounded by Song's older brother. Homemade food always tastes better, especially since Song's mother was a very good cook.
Years ago, the Song family had a maid, who was sent away by the Song family before the family's misfortune. The maid had no children and had gone back to live with relatives in the countryside. The Song family planned to bring her back; she had served the Song family for many years and had a close relationship with them.
Firstly, the Song family can give the maid some money when she comes; secondly, the maid can lend a hand.
However, at this point, they couldn't say anything about whether the servant was a servant or not; they simply said they were family. The servant had a good relationship with the Song family, and the Song family had already considered having this servant in their old age.
Just as Song's mother and the others sat down to eat, the doorbell rang. Song's sister-in-law went to open the door; she didn't recognize Aunt Tao.
"Who's here?" Song's mother came out to see and saw Aunt Tao. "Ah Tao."
"Madam." Aunt Tao's eyes were slightly red. After learning that the Song family had been exonerated, she wanted to come back, but she was afraid something might happen, so she delayed her return. Later, the Song family called her, and that's when she decided to come.
"Quickly, come inside." Song's mother hurriedly invited Aunt Tao in and introduced her to Song's sister-in-law, "You can call her Aunt Tao. She used to live in our family for many years and is a very nice person."
"Yes," Sister-in-law Song nodded.
Aunt Tao came into the house, and Song's mother quickly asked her to sit down and eat, but Aunt Tao was hesitant to sit down.
"Sit down, Aunt Tao, please sit down," Song Fenglan said. "Hurry up and sit down to eat."
When Song Fenglan was very young, she was taken care of by Aunt Tao. Aunt Tao cooked all sorts of food for her and made her clothes. Aunt Tao did a lot of things for the Song family, and everyone in the family liked her very much and treated her like one of their own.
Before the Song family was sent to the farm, they had no choice but to let Aunt Tao go back first. Aunt Tao didn't want to leave, but she had no other option. Aunt Tao was a maid, her class background was not a problem, and she didn't need to be implicated by the Song family. The Song family even gave Aunt Tao some extra money.
Song's mother originally wanted Aunt Tao to help hide some things, but she was afraid of implicating Aunt Tao, so she didn't ask. Aunt Tao herself asked, but Song's mother refused. They had long regarded Aunt Tao as family, so how could they make things difficult for her or let her be implicated?
Aunt Tao sat down. "I was originally planning to come after the New Year..."
"It's good to come at this time," said Sister-in-law Song. "My parents miss you and were hoping you could come and celebrate the New Year with them."
That's exactly what Song's mother said on the phone, urging Aunt Tao to come over quickly. Aunt Tao's relatives in the countryside are just like that; those people probably don't want Aunt Tao to stay there indefinitely.
Aunt Tao wasn't very comfortable in the countryside; she felt much better at the Song family's house, where they respected her more. Although she was a maid, she had food, lodging, and decent clothes. At her relatives' house, she didn't earn much, and life wasn't easy. Her relatives would always say things like, "You've been a maid for so many years, haven't you saved a single penny?"
Those people just wanted to squeeze more money out of Aunt Tao. Aunt Tao lent out some money, and to this day, those people haven't paid her back.
Aunt Tao thought it best to come back sooner rather than later and stay at the Song family's house.
"This is the eldest young master..."
"Call them by their names," Song's mother said, interrupting Aunt Tao. "Call them by their names: Qin Zihang, Hangbao. And Song Heng, Song Zi. They are the eldest son's children."
"Not bad, not bad at all," Aunt Tao said.
The family sat together for a meal, enjoying a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
Qin Yizhou was in a good mood as he watched this scene. He found that the Song family were very gentle people, and they treated their former servants very well. No wonder Aunt Tao came back so quickly.
As for Qin's parents, they naturally didn't wait for Song Fenglan and her husband to come over with the child. Qin's aunt didn't stay for lunch at Qin's father's place; she ate lunch there instead.
The table was laden with food; some was leftovers from lunch, and some was cooked separately for dinner. Qin's father was worried that Qin Yizhou and his wife might arrive late and there wouldn't be enough food or rice, so he asked Qin's sister-in-law to cook extra. They would have to eat the leftovers from lunch that evening, and the extra food for dinner hadn't been eaten yet; they'd probably have to eat it tomorrow morning.
Sister-in-law Qin served her parents the food she would cook for dinner, while she and her husband ate the leftovers from lunch. Like her parents, Sister-in-law Qin didn't want to talk much about Song Fenglan in front of the Qin family.
"Mom, I want to eat a chicken leg," said Qin's sister-in-law's son.
"Let him eat," Qin's mother said.
Qin's mother had originally planned to save the chicken leg for Qin Zihang, to avoid Song Fenglan and her husband saying they were treating Qin Zihang badly. Since Song Fenglan and her husband hadn't returned by now, she didn't know if they would come back tomorrow.
After dinner, Song Fenglan and the others sat at the Song family's house for a while before walking back. The distance was short; they could walk without needing to take a car.
"Mom, can we not go to Grandma's house?" Qin Zihang held his mother's hand; he really didn't want to go to Grandma's house.
“Go there tomorrow and come right back,” Song Fenglan said.
"Can we not eat there?" Qin Zihang asked. "We haven't eaten at Auntie's house."
In Qin Zihang's opinion, eating at his aunt's house was better than eating at his grandmother's house.
Qin Zihang absolutely hated his grandma's house and disliked his grandpa; he didn't want to go there. Even though children's memories aren't very good and they forget things easily, after Qin Zihang had been in Nancheng for several months and returned, he still hadn't forgotten this point and still didn't want to have any contact with his grandma.
"Then we won't eat at Grandma's," Qin Yizhou said.
"Dad, will you be unhappy? Grandma is your mother." Qin Zihang asked anxiously.
“It’s okay,” Qin Yizhou said. “If Dad wants to eat with them, he will. Dad is an adult and can decide where he wants to be.”
"I'm so young... can't I decide where I want to be?" Qin Zihang asked.
“We don’t need to eat at your grandma’s, don’t worry.” Qin Yizhou felt very sorry for his son when he saw him like this.
This is his and his sweetheart's precious son. Qin Yizhou has never treated his son badly; he's always been quite good to him. At most, when his son is really disobedient, Qin Yizhou will gently spank the child.
Neither of them could bring themselves to use too much force.
"Dad, you said it yourself, you have to remember it," Qin Zihang said. "You must remember it."
"I remember, I remember," Qin Yizhou said. "I definitely remember."
That evening, after putting their child to bed, the couple stayed in their room talking. Qin Zihang, as usual, watched TV for quite a while; the television was still a novelty for him.
“If you want to eat at your parents’ place tomorrow, you can eat there. I’ll bring Zihang back,” Song Fenglan said. She couldn’t let her son suffer.
"I won't be eating there tomorrow either," Qin Yizhou said. "We'll go there and come back."
Song Fenglan turned to Qin Yizhou and asked, "You, as their son, really don't plan to have dinner with them?"
“There will be opportunities later,” Qin Yizhou said. “Zihang is still so young… How did my parents treat Zihang before?”
Qin Yizhou had been wondering if Song Fenglan would tell him, but she still hadn't. Qin Yizhou had no choice but to ask, to find out more.
“Your parents, you should know. They all think my background is bad, they don’t like me, and they don’t like Zihang either,” Song Fenglan said. “Back then, we had to put on a show. If we didn’t, our lives would only be worse. When I brought Zihang over, before you were around, your parents only had eyes for your older brother and sister-in-law’s child. Zihang stood there without even drinking a drop of water, and your mother would tell him to eat less, to not try to be born into a starving ghost, to fight with others.”
Song Fenglan thought it was stingy. How much stuff did the Qin family have? Were those things really that good?
“Once, when Zihang reached out his hand, she slapped it,” Song Fenglan said. “Zihang’s hand was slapped until it was red. She scolded me, saying I didn’t know how to raise a child properly and that he had no manners. What’s wrong with such a young child eating something? Isn’t our Zihang her own grandson?”
Song Fenglan didn't know if Qin's mother still remembered those things, but she remembered them perfectly. After leaving the Qin family, Song Fenglan bought food for her son; they didn't need to eat anything from the Qin family.
“The child is so young, how can you bully a child like this?” Song Fenglan said. “Did we go there wanting to eat those things?”
Song Fenglan really didn't understand why Qin's mother acted that way. Perhaps in Qin's mother's eyes, it was just a small thing, maybe she thought Qin Zihang's hands were dirty, or maybe she simply disliked him.
At that time, Qin's mother was only thinking that there were fewer pastries at home. She didn't consider whether her beloved grandson and granddaughter had eaten them; she only thought that Qin Zihang was there and assumed that he had eaten a lot. Even when Song Fenglan later said that Qin Zihang hadn't eaten any, Qin's mother didn't apologize but instead made an excuse to do something else.
These were all trivial matters in Qin's mother's eyes, things she should have forgotten long ago. But in Song Fenglan's eyes, this was something that couldn't be forgotten, and Qin Zihang remembered it too.
"You should have told me," Qin Yizhou sighed.
“How can I tell you this? That’s your own mother!” Song Fenglan said. “You have a job, and we don’t live with your mother. We’re not in the capital, we’re in the southern part of the city. What’s the point of saying these things back then?”
Even if Qin Yizhou hadn't asked these questions tonight, Song Fenglan would have said them anyway. She couldn't very well tell Qin Yizhou to see for himself; at this point, the Qin family's attitude would definitely change.
“At that time, it wasn’t just Zihang who was there; her beloved grandson and granddaughter were there, as well as some relatives,” Song Fenglan said. “They really thought we mother and son were easy to bully.”
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this," Qin Yizhou said.
"This has something to do with your sister-in-law too. I bet your mom thinks she gave me a lot of money and bought me chicken." Song Fenglan sneered. "How much could the stuff your family brought be worth?"
Song Fenglan was very unhappy when she thought about those things. Did she have to tolerate those people just because they thought they were her parents-in-law and her sisters-in-law?
“We’ll treat them the same way they treated us before,” Song Fenglan said. “Tomorrow, when you go there, you should get a copy of the property division agreement. Don’t wait until later when they tear up the agreement, saying the property division agreement doesn’t count and that we still have to support your parents. If they divide those things now, it’s the same as taking away their support payments.”
Song Fenglan gets angry whenever she talks about these things, and her temper gets worse.
“Don’t think about brotherhood. Your older brother doesn’t care about these things with you,” Song Fenglan said. “His wife embezzled those things. Did he really not know? To put it bluntly, they’re all just pretending, putting on an act for us.”
Previously, Song Fenglan was unaware of these matters; now that she knows, she finds the Qin family even more disgusting.
If the Qin family had disliked Song Fenglan from the beginning and hadn't considered having Qin's sister-in-law hand over the money, things might have been a little better.
Song Fenglan thought that Qin's parents probably knew what kind of person Qin's sister-in-law was. Those people didn't want Qin's sister-in-law to give the money to Song Fenglan at all; they clearly wanted to give the money to Qin's sister-in-law.
"Don't blame me for being blunt, but maybe your parents are just using this as an excuse to give me the money so that people can't say anything about them. In reality, they just want to subsidize your older brother and sister-in-law's family." Song Fenglan glared at Qin Yizhou.
"That's possible." Qin Yizhou didn't consider whether his parents did it unintentionally. Judging from the current situation, his parents might indeed have done it on purpose, and his older brother might have been aware of it.
Qin Yizhou himself didn't dare to think too much about it, let alone Song Fenglan.
“We’ll deliver the things tomorrow, sign a written agreement, and come back; we won’t be eating there,” Qin Yizhou said.
"Zihang will remember what you said," Song Fenglan said. "Don't let Zihang down. Don't be a coward."
Parents should keep their word and not let their children feel that adults are lying to them.
A new day dawned, and Aunt Qin went to the Qin family again. She felt that none of the people in the Qin family were trustworthy, and she had to go there in person. Only with her there could she handle those matters properly.
Aunt Qin arrived early, before Qin Yizhou and his family of three had even arrived.
Sister-in-law Qin thought to herself, "Qin Yizhou and his people have come to our house before, so why are they acting like this? The Song family has been exonerated, so why are they paying so much attention to Qin Yizhou and his wife?"
"Did you buy groceries today?" Aunt Qin asked.
"I bought it," Sister-in-law Qin replied. "I bought a chicken, a pig's trotter, and some other vegetables. The chicken and pig's trotter are already stewed, so we can eat them at lunchtime."
"That's more like it," said Aunt Qin. "Did you buy fish?"
"I didn't buy any, there are too many fish bones," said Sister-in-law Qin. She thought, "Isn't this much food enough?"
Qin Yizhou and his wife brought Qin Zihang over. Qin Yizhou wanted to hold Qin Zihang, but Qin Zihang wouldn't let his father hold him and insisted on being held by his mother. Qin Zihang felt that this was his parents' home, and he was afraid that his father wouldn't do a good job, so it was better to rely on his mother.
Song Fenglan sensed the child's fear, so she simply held the child in her arms to make the child feel safe.
For a moment, Song Fenglan thought she shouldn't bring Qin Zihang to the Qin family; she had indeed considered it. But she still came, and she brought Cao Fang with her, wanting to show these people how well she was doing now.
Simply avoiding them wasn't good, and Song Fenglan didn't want Qin Zihang to continue being afraid of these people. She needed to let Qin Zihang know that they didn't need to be afraid of them anymore. As his mother, she was capable of protecting her son, and his father would protect him too.
Upon hearing the doorbell, Aunt Qin rushed to the door, even faster than her mother.
"Fenglan, it's you guys. I told you you'd be here soon." Aunt Qin said with a smile, "Our little Hangbao is here too. Hangbao has grown a lot. He looks a lot like Yizhou, and also like you, Fenglan."
Aunt Qin said, taking a big apple out of her pocket and handing it to Qin Zihang, "Here, Zihang, have an apple."
Qin Zihang looked at the big apple, but he didn't take it.
"The apple is too hard, and it's so big it's hard to bite into," Song Fenglan said. "It's so big we can't hide it, and people will say we can't finish it and we'll have to take the blame."
This time, Song Fenglan didn't intend to speak kindly to her.
“It’s good that Aunt is here,” Qin Yizhou said. “My brother and I separated our family property. We had a written agreement, and it’s with my brother. I was thinking that we should also get a copy of the agreement, and we need a witness.”
“I’ll be your witness. What you said is true. Before, you weren’t here and didn’t have a written agreement. Now it’s time to get one,” Aunt Qin said. She wasn’t upset by Song Fenglan’s words. She thought that if she were in Song Fenglan’s shoes, she would have done the same. After all, the Qin family had offended Song Fenglan first, and the Qin family should suffer the consequences. “Come on, come on, come on, let’s go inside.”
Qin's sister-in-law's children haven't arrived in the yard yet; they'll call out to their grandparents. Qin Zihang didn't call them grandparents early on; he doesn't like them, he doesn't like them at all. It was already a great favor that Qin Zihang came to his parents' house.
It was already a stretch, let alone getting Qin Zihang to call for help early on.
Qin's mother did not go to the front door to greet them; she stood in the living room, but did not sit down.
"Mom." Qin Yizhou put the things on the ground.
Song Fenglan didn't look at Qin's mother. Qin's aunt greeted her warmly, "Fenglan, sit down, sit down. Your parents have been waiting at home for a long time, just in time for you to come."
Aunt Qin turned to look at Qin's mother, hoping her expression wouldn't be so unpleasant and that she would try to be more gentle. Aunt Qin gestured to Qin's mother, who forced a smile.
Previously, Qin's mother had never been very kind to Song Fenglan and her son, and always liked to put on airs. Sometimes, Qin's mother would also act as if she were physically weak and unable to take care of more children, leaving Song Fenglan to care for them herself.
Song Fenglan never intended for Qin's mother to help care for the child; she asked Aunt Yu to look after him. Given the difficult circumstances, it was already quite commendable that Aunt Yu was willing to help. This was also why Song Fenglan was relatively tolerant of Jiang Yufei; she had indeed caused Jiang Yufei's mother a great deal of trouble.
Qin Yizhou naturally noticed that his mother's face fell, but his father was alright; his father's expression was always quite serious, and it wasn't much different from usual.
"Sit down, everyone sit down," said Aunt Qin.
Qin's mother did not speak, and Song Fenglan had already sat down with the child in her arms.
"Dad, Mom, we still need to have a copy of the property division agreement," Qin Yizhou said. "It should also be written that your eldest brother and the others will take care of you in your old age."
"You've come here to ask for a written agreement?" Qin's mother couldn't help but ask.
"Even close brothers should keep clear accounts," Song Fenglan said. "Some things are better settled clearly. Sister-in-law, we won't bring up the matter of being outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. You originally valued your elder brother and sister-in-law's family more, so it's fine. They'll take care of you in your old age, and you'll feel more at ease."
Song Fenglan didn't let Qin Yizhou say everything; she also said a few words.
Qin Zihang was unwilling to call them grandpa and grandma, so Song Fenglan did not force her son to do so.
Sister-in-law Qin stood a short distance away. She didn't go over; instead, she went back into the kitchen and told her husband to keep an eye on things. Without her saying anything, Brother Qin went to keep an eye on things.
This matter involves a lot of information. The previous written agreement was for Brother Qin, and some details were not written in detail. This time, since both Qin Yizhou and his wife are here, it should be written in more detail.
"Let's eat first, and we'll talk after we finish eating." Brother Qin clearly didn't expect Qin Yizhou to say these things as soon as he arrived.
"Big brother, do you have a problem with this?" Qin Yizhou asked.
"I……"
"We only want the house that our parents said they would give us; we don't want anything else," Qin Yizhou said. "Let's sign a written agreement. Whether you move in here or continue living where you are now, it's fine."
Qin Yizhou had thought it over. After they returned home for the Spring Festival, perhaps after a while, his older brother and sister-in-law would move back. Qin's parents would say that they were getting old, and if his sister-in-law and brother-in-law visited more often, things would naturally fall into place.
Brother Qin's family lives in the capital, and Qin's parents are hoping to rely on them.
"I didn't say no," Brother Qin said. "It's just that you've only just gotten back and will be staying here for a while, so..."
"No need for a meal," Qin Yizhou said. "We'll have a written agreement, then we'll go back and eat."
"Eat here, your sister-in-law is cooking," Brother Qin said.
"If we eat a bite of your food, it'll be like we took a whole bag of grain from you the next day." Qin Yizhou was very dissatisfied with the behavior of his sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Did these people think they could just cook a few dishes and expect them to obediently listen to them?
"I also made chicken soup," Brother Qin said.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Qin Yizhou asked.
Brother Qin was stung by Qin Yizhou's words. The others did have to eat too; how could they not eat?
Mr. Qin frowned; he was in a bad mood because his youngest son had said such things as soon as he returned.
“Different tastes, so don’t force yourself,” Aunt Qin quickly said. “Everyone has their own tastes, and it won’t make a difference if we have to eat one more meal.”
Aunt Qin listened to their conversation, afraid they would start arguing; she really didn't want them to quarrel.
"Fenglan, who is this person next to you...?" Aunt Qin saw Cao Fang standing behind Song Fenglan.
"I am on a mission to protect Comrade Song Fenglan," Cao Fang said seriously and earnestly.
“Protect…” Aunt Qin looked at Song Fenglan.
“Song Fenglan Research Institute, the person I’m protecting,” Cao Fang repeated once again.
Qin's mother looked at Cao Fang with mixed feelings. Why was this person here to protect Song Fenglan instead of her son?
"Who sent you on this mission? Did the Song family hire you?" Qin's mother couldn't help but ask.
“I wasn’t hired by the Song family,” Cao Fang replied. “I’m a soldier in the army, a soldier of the country.”
Cao Fang almost said: You can still consider me Comrade Song Fenglan's dog.
I think I'd better not make these kinds of jokes, especially not during this time of year.
Cao Fang is a rather cheerful person. She used to joke and play with her comrades a lot when she was in the army, but the army also tempered her personality. After all, they had to do missions, and they couldn't always be laughing and joking.
Cao Fang wanted to protect Song Fenglan. She knew Song Fenglan to some extent, but not much. Cao Fang was good at reading people. When they first came in, Aunt Qin was very enthusiastic, Mother Qin was not very happy, and Father Qin's expression was rather cold. This was probably an expression that many men liked to maintain. When Brother Qin saw Song Fenglan and the others, his expression immediately changed. He looked like he was smiling, but there was a hint of calculation in that smile.
Such brotherhood and kinship are best left alone.
Cao Fang believed that Song Fenglan was indeed not suitable to stay in the Qin family, as the people in the Qin family were too calculating.
“Mom, she’s right,” Qin Yizhou said. “She’s not here to protect me. If she were to protect me, she wouldn’t be a female soldier.”
Qin Yizhou wanted these people to know that it wasn't him who said he wanted the people protecting him to protect Song Fenglan.
Cao Fang followed her in because she was worried about the Qin family. The Qin family treated Song Fenglan badly, so if Cao Fang wasn't keeping an eye on her now, when would she?
"Let's put it in writing," Qin's father said.
Seeing this, Qin's father realized they had underestimated Song Fenglan. He knew she wouldn't bow down to them just because they had kicked Qin's sister-in-law's family out, and pretend nothing had happened. Qin's parents had originally planned to have Qin's sister-in-law apologize to Song Fenglan during dinner, thus putting the matter behind them.
Judging from the current situation, Song Fenglan cannot pretend that those things did not happen, and neither can Qin Yizhou, so they have to handle this matter properly.
Since Qin's father had already spoken, Qin's elder brother naturally had no objections.
Every single clause must be written carefully, without any errors or omissions.
The division of the family property between Qin's father and Qin's eldest brother should be clearly stated in the written agreement, so that Qin's eldest brother doesn't end up with a lot of things but only a small amount is shown on the document.
Aunt Qin would occasionally chime in, siding with Qin Yizhou and insisting that Qin's father write something clearer and more explicit. Aunt Qin was a typical fence-sitter, siding with whichever side seemed better.
Aunt Qin once thought Qin Yizhou's achievements were just so-so, and that marrying Song Fenglan had ruined him. Now, Aunt Qin thinks her older brother is ruined too; he has a spy wife, which means he's destined never to rise to a high-ranking position. Even if he and his wife divorce, they still have children; even if they don't, it won't work. Their past close relationship means no one can trust him.
Brother Qin himself sensed that the leader, who used to value him more, wasn't as attentive as before; the leader was focusing on others. This was all because of Sister-in-law Qin, so Brother Qin could only endure it, harboring resentment towards her.
If Brother Qin divorces Sister-in-law Qin, people will think he is too heartless. He's caught in the middle, unable to move forward or backward.
Qin Zihang didn't touch the food on the table. Song Fenglan took some food out of her small bag and gave it to Qin Zihang. This was what they had prepared before leaving.
"Give it to me!" Qin's son saw it, ran to the sofa, and reached out to snatch the pastry from Qin Zihang's hand.
Cao Fang immediately moved the child to the side and let him stay next to Brother Qin.
"How could this child snatch his younger brother's things?" Aunt Qin deliberately raised her voice. "That's your younger brother!"
Brother Qin felt aggrieved. On the surface, Aunt Qin was talking about Brother Qin's son, but in reality, she was talking about Brother Qin. Everyone present knew what Aunt Qin meant; she wanted everyone to know her stance.
Since Aunt Qin had little contact with Song Fenglan and her son, and hadn't offended anyone, she naturally wanted to atone for her mistakes and handle things well. Qin Yizhou and his wife didn't ask Aunt Qin to do that; she did it herself.
"Isn't all the food your mother gives you enough? Why do you have to try and steal food from your brother?" Aunt Qin looked at Brother Qin. "Nephew, you still need to keep an eye on your son. Don't let him learn bad habits from his mother. How can you be so greedy with your own family?"
"Aunt!" Brother Qin's son was taken aback. Why would his aunt say that to him?
Suddenly, Brother Qin's son burst into tears.
Aunt Qin ignored the child. Let him cry, what child hasn't cried?
"Don't cry, don't cry." Qin's mother quickly hugged her eldest grandson. "Don't cry."
Then, Qin's mother turned to Song Fenglan and said, "Give me one."
Qin's mother's tone was too matter-of-fact, so Song Fenglan naturally wouldn't give it to her.
“This is Zihang’s,” Song Fenglan said. “Back then, when Zihang wanted to eat a piece of pastry, you all said he was eating too much. He ate too much without even taking a bite.”
Song Fenglan refused; she didn't have masochism and had no intention of giving it to anyone.
Qin's mother did not expect Song Fenglan to be like this. The Song Fenglan of the past was not like this at all. Song Fenglan would have been more polite.
“Mom, Zihang is also your grandson, and he’s even younger,” Qin Yizhou said. “Those foods were made for him by his maternal grandmother.”
In other words, Brother Qin's children are not members of the Song family and have no blood relation to them, so why would Song Fenglan give food to Brother Qin's children?
Sister-in-law Qin stayed hidden in the kitchen, trusting that her husband would never allow their family to suffer. Her situation was awkward; her family had a spy, and if she went out now, Song Fenglan might scold her. It was better to stay in the kitchen.
“That’s right, Hangbao is still so young, he’s the youngest,” Aunt Qin said. “As his older brother and sister, we should be more considerate of him.”
"Take him to his mother's," Qin's father said, to stop the child from crying in the living room.
Having no other choice, Qin's mother took her eldest grandson to Qin's sister-in-law.
Sister-in-law Qin's first child was a daughter, and her second was a son, with the daughter being a little older than the son. Sister-in-law Qin usually spoiled her son very much; whatever he wanted, they would buy it for him. This child was a real troublemaker.
"Grandma, I want some." Qin's sister-in-law's son was still clamoring for Qin Zihang's pastries.
Qin Zihang was being held by Song Fenglan. He clutched his small bag tightly, determined not to give any of the food to these people.
“No one can take your things away from you,” Song Fenglan said to her son.
Song Fenglan brought her son along mainly to help him overcome his fear. When they encountered the Qin family after getting off the train, Song Fenglan sensed her son's fear of Qin's mother. Since she sensed it, she wanted her son to know that they no longer needed to respect the Qin family.
“Mom, she’s mine,” Qin Zihang emphasized.
“It’s from Hangbao,” Qin Yizhou echoed.
"Yes, it's Hangbao's, it's Hangbao's," Aunt Qin quickly replied.
Qin Yizhou and the others drew up a written agreement. The terms on the agreement were very clear. Qin Yizhou, his elder brother, his father, and others all signed and pressed their fingerprints on it. There were four copies, and Qin's aunt also had a copy as a witness.
"Alright." Qin Yizhou handed the document to Song Fenglan. "I'll carry Zihang now. You can go back."
Qin Zihang still didn't reach out to his father; this was still his father's mother's house.
"Let's go." Song Fenglan hugged Qin Zihang.
"I'll see you off," Aunt Qin said, showing no displeasure.
Aunt Qin felt that Song Fenglan had to stand up for herself; she couldn't let others think she was easy to bully. Aunt Qin thought this showed that Song Fenglan had confidence and ability, and who knew when her family might need to rely on her.
Seeing his aunt's overly warm treatment of Song Fenglan's family was an eyesore to Brother Qin. But since his sister-in-law's family had produced a spy, his aunt couldn't possibly be so kind to him anymore. If Qin Yizhou and his wife weren't around, things would be better; his aunt might be a little nicer to him. But with Qin Yizhou and his wife present, Brother Qin couldn't expect his aunt to treat him any better than she treated Qin Yizhou and his wife.
Aunt Qin has always been this pragmatic. The fact that she's managed to stay in the capital and get to where she is today is related to her ability to adapt to changing circumstances. A rural woman like her shouldn't just wait for Qin's parents to give her handouts without putting in any effort herself; she needs to be shrewd enough.
Upon reaching the door, Aunt Qin said to Song Fenglan, "You two should visit Auntie's another day; we all really like Hangbao."
"I'm leaving now." Song Fenglan didn't mention that she was going to Aunt Qin's place, because she had no intention of visiting any of Qin's other relatives' homes.
"I'll carry Zihang," Qin Yizhou said.
At this moment, Qin Zihang stretched out his hands towards Qin Yizhou.
Seeing this, Aunt Qin realized that Qin Zihang was still afraid of the Qin family in the living room. Aunt Qin turned back to the living room, where Qin's mother came out of the kitchen carrying her eldest grandson.
"They've left?" Qin's mother asked.
“We’re leaving, of course we have to leave. If we don’t leave now, the child will go hungry,” Aunt Qin said. “That’s all your own doing. How you treated them before is how they treated you. By the way, you didn’t mention giving any extra dowry.”
Aunt Qin slapped her forehead. She had only been thinking about the care of Qin's parents and had forgotten about the bride price.
"Aren't you planning to give a dowry?" Aunt Qin asked. "It's all because this child started crying and I forgot all about it."
Aunt Qin glanced at Brother Qin's son and suspected that Sister-in-law Qin had deliberately sent the child here.
Qin's mother was busy taking care of her eldest grandson at the time and didn't think of this, and Qin's father, being a grown man, was even less likely to consider it. Qin Yizhou didn't intend for these people to give Song Fenglan a dowry; doing so now would be meaningless, as Qin Yizhou had already given Song Fenglan a dowry himself.
"Alright, that's enough for now," said Qin's father.
“From now on, you two old folks will have your eldest son take care of you in your old age. He will pay for everything from birth to death,” Aunt Qin said. “It can’t really be said that your eldest son will pay for everything. Yizhou didn’t inherit much, so it’s like he’s the one who’s paying for your care first.”
Brother Qin was annoyed. Could Aunt Qin please stop saying such things? She was practically beating him up.
“Dad, we’ve already signed the agreement, why don’t we move back?” Brother Qin said. “It will make it easier for us to take care of you.”
Brother Qin didn't want them to think that their family hadn't reconciled, especially after Qin Yizhou asked for a written agreement, so Brother Qin was even less willing to spend the New Year away from home.
"This will make everyone think you and your brother have reconciled!" Aunt Qin pointed out Qin's thoughts. Did he really think he could hide such a small scheme from her? Dream on!
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