Chapter 83 Rush over and build two more rooms
"Whether I have a face or not, I'm still her cousin. You're different; you're not her sister-in-law anymore!" Jiang Yufei didn't take Tian Keshu seriously at all.
Tian Keshu clenched her fists. She couldn't hit Jiang Yufei, fearing that if they ended up at the police station, Jiang Yufei, with her big mouth, would start gossiping again. If it was just a little bickering and they didn't end up at the police station, then it wouldn't matter.
Over the past few years, Tian Keshu has felt a burning hatred for Jiang Yufei every time she thinks of her. It was all because of Jiang Yufei that she got divorced. Even though the main reason was that there were spies in Jiang Yufei's family, she still felt that Jiang Yufei was to blame.
"Do you think she'll still consider you her cousin?" Tian Keshu said. "How did you treat her back then? How dare you say that? I'm not her sister-in-law, that's true, but how much better are you?"
"Whether I'm good or not is none of your business," Jiang Yufei said. "You're not my cousin, how can you make decisions for her? Oh, and while my cousin was in confinement, you took all the good food and money to your parents' house. By the way, are your family treating you well now? They must be treating you very well, after all, you even neglected your in-laws who were in confinement, just wanting them to have a good life."
"you……"
"Am I wrong? Don't you know what you've done?" Jiang Yufei said.
“I know, I know.” Tian Keshu gritted her teeth. “I know what I’ve done, and you should know what you’ve done too.”
Seeing Jiang Yufei's smug look, Tian Keshu was so angry she wanted to tear Jiang Yufei's mouth apart. Jiang Yufei didn't care whether Tian Keshu felt aggrieved or not. Seeing Tian Keshu made her feel that her situation was not bad. People need to make comparisons to realize that they are actually doing quite well.
“Of course I know,” Jiang Yufei said. “I have to go find my mom. My mom helps my cousin take care of her child. My cousin used to live at my parents’ house. Unlike you, my cousin and you don’t even share a roof. When my cousin got married, neither of you wanted her to come in. I didn’t want her to live at home anymore, but my mom let her stay.”
Jiang Yufei raised an eyebrow before leaving.
Tian Keshu spat as she watched Jiang Yufei's departing figure. Jiang Yufei was so annoying.
Upon arriving at the Jiang family home, Jiang Yufei and Aunt Yu spoke ambiguously, first discussing other matters to gradually lay the groundwork.
"Mom, what is Second Brother planning to do? What about his child? What school will he go to?" Jiang Yufei asked. "Second Brother's child is the same age as Zihang, right?"
Aunt Yu knew her daughter well; she wouldn't come to the temple without a reason. Her daughter must have something on her mind.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" Aunt Yu said. "Stop talking nonsense to me."
"Mom, I'm just concerned about you," Jiang Yufei said. "I just wanted you to come with me to my cousin's place, Song Fenglan's place. She's back now, and we can't stay on bad terms forever. It won't look good in front of outsiders. Can't I apologize to her?"
"Do you think she'll forgive you after you apologize?" Aunt Yu knew Song Fenglan's temper; Song Fenglan would never forgive Jiang Yufei. "Don't think about the past."
Song Fenglan treated Jiang Yufei as just an ordinary relative, which was already quite kind of her. If Jiang Yufei wanted anything more, forget it; it was impossible.
"Mom, I've already lowered my head, I..."
"So many years have passed, what's the use of bowing your head now?" Aunt Yu said. "It's hard to offer help in times of need, but easy to add flowers to brocade. Others don't need your help. You know Fenglan's personality; she's very similar to your eldest aunt. If you insist on trying to get close to her, you won't get anything good. Just stop thinking about whether she forgives you or not. If you really encounter a huge problem, your eldest aunt can still help you. In normal times, it's best to just let things be peaceful."
Aunt Yu didn't want to take Jiang Yufei to Song Fenglan's house, nor did she intend for Jiang Yufei to go alone. That wouldn't be appropriate; it would only make things awkward for everyone.
"Don't make things difficult for her, and don't make things difficult for yourself," Aunt Yu said. "Don't you know your own personality? You can back down now, but what about later? Will she be the one making you back down?"
Aunt Yu didn't want Jiang Yufei to say things like, "She's changed so much, but Song Fenglan is still the same." That would be really pointless. Jiang Yufei and Song Fenglan weren't blood sisters. Even if they were blood sisters, if they had a falling out, they might never speak to each other again.
“I…” Jiang Yufei knew her own personality, of course. “Didn’t Fenglan’s second brother start a company?”
"So you've got your eye on their company?" Aunt Yu said. "If that's the case, then you should give up. Your second brother is running a shop now, and we don't even know how the business is going. We're just afraid it won't be doing well."
Aunt Yu is worried because more and more people are opening shops.
Jiang Erge and his wife were both sent-down youth, so their cooking skills weren't very good. Aunt Yu used to help out, and she also taught her second son and daughter-in-law how to cook better. But their cooking skills wouldn't improve overnight, and they couldn't always buy buns and steamed bread from other places to sell. As for opening a small shop, there were already people opening shops nearby, and they weren't sure they could sell food there.
It would be a lie to say that Aunt Yu didn't want her second son to have a high salary, but since they didn't own a company, it wasn't realistic for her to have her second son work for Brother Song's company.
"They... when I passed by, it was quite deserted, probably because it wasn't lunchtime yet," Jiang Yufei said.
"Their cooking skills are a bit lacking," Aunt Yu sighed. "I'm afraid they can't continue. If they can't continue, then they'll have to think about doing something else."
Jiang Erge's shop is big
It's been half a month. When Aunt Yu went there, business was just average, not particularly good. To put it bluntly, Aunt Yu didn't cook there, and the food wasn't very good; people didn't like it. But when Aunt Yu went, people would ask if she had cooked that day.
Aunt Yu isn't incapable of doing those chores, but she's busy with family matters and shop affairs. If Aunt Yu keeps helping her second son and his wife, her eldest son will have objections, feeling that she's subsidizing Jiang Erge.
This is what happens when you have many children: you don't worry about having too few, you worry about inequality.
Aunt Yu tried her best to keep the bowl level, but it was too difficult. If she wasn't careful, the water would spill out of the bowl.
“Let them learn more from you,” Jiang Yufei said. “If they don’t know how, they should learn.”
"Can you learn it?" Aunt Yu asked. "Back then, I asked you to learn how to make pastries and cook, but you didn't study hard. Your pastries aren't as good as Fenglan's."
"My cooking is better than hers," Jiang Yufei said, trying to save face.
“Your cooking is indeed better,” Aunt Yu said. “Go out and see how many women can cook. You’re not outstanding; you don’t have any special skills.”
Aunt Yu couldn't help but shake her head. None of the family members were particularly capable; they all seemed quite ordinary. If these people were more capable, she wouldn't have to worry so much.
The longer Ding Wenbo spent at the research institute, the more he understood Song Fenglan's importance. Song Fenglan held a high position; someone who hadn't even graduated from university could hold such a high position, and others even called her the chief engineer—a chief engineer at such a young age.
Ding Wenbo was a little surprised when he heard others address Song Fenglan that way.
"Engineer Song is young, and she prefers to be called Engineer Song," someone told Ding Wenbo. "That way, she doesn't seem too old."
"..." Ding Wenbo was speechless upon hearing this.
My teacher is just too amazing! So incredible!
Then, Ding Wenbo met Duan Yue, who had changed mentors. Duan Yue thought he had found a very good mentor, and since his mentor was also working on a project at the research institute, he brought him over to help.
The research institute lacks talent, and some staff members either didn't graduate from university or lack the necessary skills. Therefore, some staff members bring in graduate or doctoral students to do tasks and provide them with additional guidance.
After arriving at the research institute, Duan Yue realized how remarkable Song Fenglan was; even his advisor treated her with utmost respect. His advisor even joked, "Don't you feel like you've picked up a sesame seed but lost a watermelon?"
Duan Yue certainly couldn't say that in front of his advisor, fearing repercussions. He could only say that he preferred his advisor's research approach. In reality, Duan Yue's advisor knew what he was thinking, but simply didn't elaborate.
When Duan Yue made a scene before the dean demanding a change of advisor, and when his outburst made many of his classmates aware of the unfair treatment he received from the college, Duan Yue was unable to become a graduate student under Song Fenglan. If he couldn't pursue a graduate degree, then if he wanted to do a doctorate, he couldn't go to Song Fenglan's program either.
As for whether Duan Yue can stay and work at the research institute in the future, that's another matter.
"Are you happy?" Duan Yue carried the tray to Ding Wenbo. If his mentor hadn't taken him to the research institute, if he had never known Song Fenglan's abilities, he might have been glad that he had changed mentors. But now, he just felt very stupid.
The college thought Duan Yue and Ding Wenbo's grades were both good, which is why they wanted them to study under Song Fenglan as graduate students. Duan Yue thought Song Fenglan hadn't done anything, and that she was just using connections, which led to the current situation. Duan Yue couldn't help but think that if the college had explained the pros and cons to him earlier, and told him how capable Song Fenglan was, he would definitely have been willing to follow her.
Duan Yue didn't even consider that he hadn't given the dean a chance to explain. When Duan Yue rushed to the dean's office, the dean still wanted to explain, but Duan Yue wouldn't listen.
"I'm happy." Ding Wenbo nodded. "I'm the professor's first graduate student, and I was the only one in the first batch."
How could Ding Wenbo not be happy? This meant he was the senior disciple, the top senior disciple, without exception. If Duan Yue came along, the two of them wouldn't be bad either; with fewer people, their reputations would still be even more prominent.
"Thanks to you, I became the only one this year," Ding Wenbo said. "Thank you so much."
Ding Wenbo sincerely thanked Duan Yue, saying, "It feels really good to be the only child."
In the lab, those people would give Ding Wenbo a lot of guidance. When Song Fenglan was teaching others, Ding Wenbo would also listen in. He realized that Song Fenglan was incredibly capable, and he himself was far too inexperienced. He wondered when he could ever be as capable as Song Fenglan; he feared it would never happen in his lifetime.
"..." Duan Yue gripped his chopsticks tightly.
"The experiments are a bit difficult, and I'm falling behind. But it's okay. My teacher said that my priority right now is to study," Ding Wenbo said deliberately. "I just started my master's program. I was recommended to university when I was in college, so my basic skills aren't very solid yet due to that environment. I'll study more, and I'll get better eventually."
"Does your teacher have time to teach you?" Duan Yue asked.
“If my teacher doesn’t have time, does that mean everyone in her lab will be too busy?” Ding Wenbo said. “In a group of three, there must be one who can teach me. I can’t always wait for my teacher to teach me. Can’t I learn more on my own?”
"Then you should study hard." Duan Yue felt like a fool. He had even asked Ding Wenbo to change his advisor, but Ding Wenbo hadn't.
“I really need to study hard,” Ding Wenbo said. “After all, I am the teacher’s first student, and the better days are yet to come.”
Duan Yue felt a pang of sadness. He had given up the opportunity to become Song Fenglan's student, and now he couldn't go and be her student. Duan Yue couldn't afford to offend his current mentor, and Song Fenglan wouldn't let him go either. He was incredibly distressed.
"Eat, eat," Ding Wenbo said. "You need to eat properly so you'll have the energy to work later. We might have to work overtime tonight."
"..." Duan Yue felt that the food on the plate had no taste, while he saw Ding Wenbo eating with great relish.
Song Fenglan ignored the students' arguments; she simply didn't have the time for them—she was already swamped with work. She couldn't understand why these students had so many questions, and many problems remained unresolved. She was either in meetings, solving problems, or in the lab calculating data.
By the time she finished work in the evening, Song Fenglan was too tired to move. She needed to go home; she'd be better off resting there. Just as Song Fenglan was about to leave the office, someone came over with a stack of documents. Oh well, she guessed she'd better keep working overtime.
Qin Yizhou didn't see Song Fenglan return. Looking at the clock, he knew she was working overtime. Since returning to the capital, Song Fenglan's overtime hours had increased dramatically.
By the time Song Fenglan returned home, it was almost 10 p.m.
"Working overtime again?" Qin Yizhou asked.
“Yes, overtime.” Song Fenglan nodded. “There are some long-standing problems that need to be resolved. I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes first.”
"I'll peel some fruit for you, and there are also hot buns and milk on the table," Qin Yizhou said.
"Okay, let's leave it for now," Song Fenglan said. It's hot, so these things can be left to cool down; they don't have to be eaten all at once.
After taking a shower and changing her clothes, Song Fenglan sat down at the dining table to eat.
"Is Zihang asleep?" Song Fenglan asked.
"He's asleep, he just went to bed," Qin Yizhou replied. "Before he fell asleep, he asked, 'Mom, are you working overtime again today?'"
"I'll be busy for a while, but things will get much better soon," Song Fenglan said. "Whether I'm busy or not isn't up to me. If there are things to do, I'll be busy for a while. If there are fewer things to do, I can go home earlier."
Song Fenglan also wanted to go home and rest as soon as possible. There were too many things to do, and she was so busy that she was a little scared. But she still had to bite the bullet and get to work. Someone had to solve those problems; they couldn't be allowed to pile up.
The main reason Song Fenglan could quickly solve those problems was because she possessed memories of her past life. She stood on the shoulders of giants, knowing many correct paths and not needing to constantly try and fail. Most people in this era, however, didn't know these things and could only find answers through constant trial and error.
"It's alright, you go ahead with your work," Qin Yizhou said. "Zihang will understand. He even said he wants to be like you when he grows up. When he grows up, you won't always have to work overtime, but he can."
"Him," Song Fenglan thought of her son, her heart warming. "Let's see how he behaves in the future. I hope he doesn't end up wanting to learn my profession and think it's bad."
Children tend to become rebellious as they grow a little older; they have their own ideas.
Song Fenglan didn't necessarily want her son to work in the same industry as her; what mattered most was her son's interests and hobbies, and what he liked.
"Have a sip of milk," Qin Yizhou said. "You've lost weight recently."
"Not skin and bones is fine," Song Fenglan said. "Didn't I say we'd be fine after this busy period?"
"Yes, yes," Qin Yizhou said. "You keep busy, but remember to rest and don't overwork yourself."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Song Fenglan said. "Is Zihang doing well at school?"
"He's doing great. They say a lot of people want to be his friend, and he's really thriving," Qin Yizhou said. "He seems very happy; he has a big smile on his face."
"That's good," Song Fenglan said. "I'll be busy working overtime at noon, and I might not even have time to go see him."
Song Fenglan thought that her initial intention was to prevent her son from being bullied, but after doing these things, she wished she could do more and solve more problems.
“He knows you’re busy,” Qin Yizhou said. “There’s no reason why he would insist that you see him more often. We’re family, and it’s not like we don’t have opportunities to meet.”
In Nancheng, Zhang Xiaohu found school much less interesting. Without Qin Zihang, Zhang Xiaohu lost a lot of fun. Qin Zihang was clever; he wouldn't let Zhang Xiaohu be bullied, and if they were, Qin Zihang would find a way to fight back.
Zhang Xiaohu and Tian Junhua still hang out together, but he still feels there's a big gap between them.
When Zhang Xiaohu got home from school, he barely looked at the kids next door anymore; he couldn't play with them. Forget about kids gradually becoming friends after playing together; Zhang Xiaohu just wouldn't. He'd rather do his homework than play with the kids next door.
The neighbor overheard that Song Fenglan and her husband cooked and often invited Sister Pang's family over for meals, and that they had a good relationship with them. This neighbor thought Song Fenglan and her husband were being taken advantage of; they probably didn't even have enough food for their own family, yet they were inviting others over.
That won't do!
The neighbors also felt that Fatty's family liked to take advantage of others, and they didn't like to associate with Fatty. Seeing that people didn't like to associate with her, Fatty didn't try to get close to them either.
Li Hui and her husband didn't have children. Li Hui often danced in the courtyard with other women. People said they danced for men; they danced energetically when men were around, and rested more when men weren't.
When Guo Peng heard this, he didn't really want Li Hui to go dancing. He told Li Hui, and she immediately slammed her chopsticks down on the table.
"I haven't even said anything about you fooling around with other women, and I'm just dancing, and you're already bringing it up. You know I'm a dancer, so what's wrong with me dancing a little?" Li Hui said coldly.
“Dancing is fine, but you also need to watch out for gossip. People say you're dancing for men.” Guo Peng frowned.
“Those people are just talking nonsense,” Li Hui said. “We dance right there, everyone can watch. We’re not dancing for any particular group of people. Those people are just big mouths. Do you really have to believe what they say?”
"Public opinion is a fearsome thing," Guo Peng said.
"When you married me, why didn't you say that gossip is a fearsome thing?" Li Hui said. "When I was in the cultural troupe, I danced for people to watch. Many of the soldiers were men, so it was also a kind of dance for men to watch."
“That’s different,” Guo Peng said.
"What's different?" Li Hui said. "Are you up to something? Do you really have another woman outside? Are you deliberately picking on me? Do you want a divorce? I adopted a child for you, isn't that enough?"
"..." Guo Peng really didn't think Li Hui was doing this for the child she had adopted. That child was Li Hui's niece from her maternal family. Li Hui didn't care much about that child; it was his mother who took care of her.
Although Guo's mother didn't let Guo Peng take the child away, Guo Peng could sense that the child wasn't close to him. And rightly so, since they weren't related by blood, how could there be a natural sense of closeness?
Guo Peng didn't really like Li Hui's niece. The child called him "Dad," but he just couldn't get close to her. There was a thick wall between them that he couldn't cross no matter what.
“Guo Peng, you should have a conscience. I even had a miscarriage because of you,” Li Hui said. “You have to say this to me now. I only have one hobby, dancing. I haven’t been seeing other women. As for you, last time you had long hair on your clothes and you insisted that it was from home. You know perfectly well where it came from.”
Guo Peng felt terrible. He just didn't want Li Hui to dance in front of those men, and he didn't want people to say that Li Hui was dancing for those men. Guo Peng rarely saw Li Hui dance at home, and when he went to work, he couldn't possibly go to the compound to watch her dance.
At this rate, Guo Peng suspected he was about to be cuckolded. When people joked with him, they'd say, "Did your wife go dancing for another man again?"
How was Guo Peng supposed to answer that?
Li Hui couldn't stay in the performing arts troupe. Unemployed, she danced in the courtyard to attract attention and get people to look at her. Li Hui was a married woman; even if she were unmarried, she shouldn't have done that.
"I haven't been seeing any other women," Guo Peng said.
"If you haven't found another woman, then I haven't found another man!" Li Hui said. "I swear on that, do you?"
"I dare!" Guo Peng had no reason not to. He truly hadn't gone looking for other women; Li Hui was his only woman.
“Fine, I dare.” Li Hui rolled her eyes. “Making an oath is just talking. If God is dozing off, He might not hear your oath.”
Li Hui is a rather selfish and independent woman. Even though she doesn't work, she still manages to control Guo Peng's salary. Guo Peng likes Li Hui and is willing to give her most of his salary. They bought the house together, and their daily expenses mainly come from food.
Guo Peng is giving his parents much less money than before. He also expects his mother to help raise his child, and the amount he gives her is still small. His mother doesn't complain, and neither does Fan Yani.
Fan Yani just felt sorry for the little girl. It was just a few bites of food, nothing serious. The little girl didn't always get new clothes; she often wore other people's hand-me-downs. Fan Yani's own children also sometimes wore hand-me-downs. Besides, she wasn't her biological child. Fan Yani had been quite good to that child. If it were someone else, she would have kicked the little girl out long ago.
Niu Cuihua and her husband run a restaurant, mainly serving noodles, wontons, and some home-style dishes and set meals. Fan Yani suggested that Niu Cuihua and her husband do this because she was reminded of the Shaxian snacks she had seen in her previous life. Coincidentally, Niu Cuihua's family was in a place similar to Shaxian snacks, and Fan Yani felt that Niu Cuihua could make good use of her strengths.
Sometimes Fan Yani wouldn't cook, but she would still come over to eat, and she would pay. Niu Cuihua and her husband said they didn't need money, but Fan Yani insisted that she couldn't accept it without paying. So Niu Cuihua and her husband asked Fan Yani to pay a little less, as they were able to run their shop there thanks to Fan Yani and her husband's help.
Niu Cuihua and her husband weren't too heartless towards the child Guo Peng and his wife adopted; they were fine with feeding the child. They both knew perfectly well that Li Hui's family giving away this child was essentially abandoning him.
She didn't meet good adoptive parents, and they even thought it was already a blessing that she came to the city—this is a very terrible idea. Children need parental care, and adoptive parents are also parents.
Niu Cuihua and her husband do not regret not giving their child up for adoption to Guo Peng and his wife. If they had given their child up for adoption to Guo Peng and his wife, the child would probably still have to be taken care of by Guo's mother, and their own child would definitely be sad.
Guo Peng and his wife were arguing, and neither of them cared about their adopted daughter.
Yue Hongwei didn't explain why Guo's mother didn't give the child to Guo Peng and his wife. He had been an orphan himself and knew the hardships of being an orphan. Although that child wasn't an orphan, he wasn't much better off than one.
“We’re going to stay here for a long time, can we buy the house?” Fan Yani asked.
"Buy a house?" Yue Hongwei asked, puzzled.
“Yes,” Fan Yani said, “just like my older brother and the others, we’ll buy the house. The houses here should be able to do that, right?”
“Okay.” Yue Hongwei nodded.
“Then let’s buy it. I’m thinking that with more people in the family, we have two children, my older brother’s adopted daughter is here, and so is Mom,” Fan Yani said. “Once my younger brother and sister-in-law’s situation is more stable, Dad will also come over. Mom should help us take care of the children, so it’s only right that she stays here. We only have three rooms in our house, which isn’t enough. The yard is spacious, so we can build another house, two more rooms would be great.”
Fan Yani wanted to build a two- or three-story house, but it's not easy to demolish and rebuild here right now; most houses are built in the yard or elsewhere. Fan Yani was thinking of settling on the house as soon as possible so that the rooms wouldn't need to be so big; she could make two smaller rooms so the children could sleep.
Fan Yani has no plans to have any more children, especially since the one-child policy is about to be officially implemented. Yue Hongwei is in the military, and the couple cannot violate the policy. Two children are just right, and they can help each other out. After Guo's father comes over, Guo's parents may not stay with Fan Yani anymore, and even if they do, it will only be for a short time.
As Niu Cuihua and her husband had previously mentioned, once things settled down there, they could rent a larger house for Guo's parents. Fan Yani wasn't worried about where Guo's parents would live; her only concern was that Guo Peng's adopted daughter shouldn't go with her mother to Niu Cuihua and her husband's place. Fan Yani's idea was for the child to stay with them, since there were schools nearby, and Guo Peng and his wife lived there too, making school registration easier.
Fan Yani thought that Guo Peng wouldn't refuse to pay the child's registration fee, since the child would take Guo Peng's surname after all.
"Do as you say," Yue Hongwei said. "The house matter is settled like this."
It wasn't just Fan Yani who had this idea; several other people shared it. However, it was primarily those planning to stay long-term who had this thought. People planning to move elsewhere or those without money didn't consider it. They thought, "Housing is free now, why bother paying for it? They might not even stay here in the future."
At school, Qin Zihang made new friends, and many people enjoyed playing with him.
When Qin Zihang returned home, he rarely saw his mother at home. After finishing his meal, he told his mother about the things that happened at school.
"They asked me about what happened in Nancheng," Qin Zihang said. "I told them that Brother Xiaohu is my good friend, and that we had a lot of fun in Nancheng. They even asked us what we did. I said that the cockroaches in Nancheng are bigger than those in the capital. They asked me exactly how big the cockroaches in Nancheng are, whether I'm afraid of cockroaches, and whether there are crickets in Nancheng."
"Did you answer them?" Song Fenglan asked.
“I answered them, they were so eager to know.” Qin Zihang waved his hand. “If I hadn’t told them, they would have kept asking me, so I had no choice but to tell them. They loved listening to me talk about it. It was like telling a story. They even gathered around my desk.”
Qin Zihang felt almost like the center of the world. People always liked to ask him the same questions, and he would answer them one by one. If he didn't know the answer, Qin Zihang wouldn't answer; he would simply say he didn't know. Qin Zihang never intended to deceive anyone; that would be wrong.
“They said they’ve never been to the South, and they want to go,” Qin Zihang said. “I told them they can apply to schools in the South in the future. There are many good universities in the South. Mom, you studied at a university in the South, not in the capital.”
"..." Song Fenglan thought that most parents would like their children to study nearby, but that's not necessarily true. She guessed that some parents would be thinking about sending their children abroad in the future.
It's important to remember that during the 1980s and 90s, there was a craze for studying abroad, with many people sending their children overseas. Those who returned from studying abroad during that time could reap significant benefits, but that became much more difficult later on.
Upon arrival, I found too many overseas returnees, some of whom were just there to "gild their resumes" and lacked real expertise; they were all mediocre. There were some truly talented students, but they were relatively few in number. Many of these students came from wealthy families who wanted to send them abroad.
Even Song Fenglan herself thought it would be good for Qin Zihang to study abroad in the future. There are many things worth learning abroad; it just depends on whether foreign schools are willing to let them study. Some foreign schools restrict the majors international students can study, not allowing them to study certain specialized fields, for fear that the students will learn them and return home to conduct research.
It is often said that science knows no borders, but scientists do have borders, and so do schools.
"You're thinking about studying at a university in the capital, so how are you going to send them to study in the south?" Song Fenglan asked.
“They haven’t been, but I have,” Qin Zihang said. “They can go and see it when they grow up.”
To be honest, Qin Zihang's words make a lot of sense.
Some people simply don't want to stay in one city forever, so when it comes to college entrance exams, they might choose to attend schools in other places. Some even give up the opportunity to attend better universities just to be farther from home.
The children's jokes were nothing to worry about.
The college entrance examination is a big event, and parents will definitely choose a good school for their children well in advance, though not as early as now.
Without Aunt Yu's company, Jiang Yufei didn't go to Song Fenglan's side. She was still a little worried that Song Fenglan would ignore her, which would be like offering a warm face to a cold backside, and she would feel very uncomfortable.
During the weekend holiday, Aunt Song brought some gifts to visit Song Fenglan and Qin Zihang.
"Auntie." Song Fenglan gestured for her third aunt to sit down.
"Auntie." Qin Zihang looked at his auntie, and he also noticed the food in the bamboo basket on the table. "Is this food for us?"
"Yes, it's for you to eat," Aunt Song said with a smile. "I came to see you."
Aunt Song didn't visit her grandchildren or her son; she went directly to Song Fenglan's place. Aunt Song valued Song Fenglan highly, and she would bring her whatever good things she felt were worthwhile.
When Aunt Song's eldest son and daughter-in-law learned of her actions, Tang Shaotao and his group were naturally unhappy. However, the items belonged to Aunt Song, and she could give them to whomever she wanted; Tang Shaotao and his group couldn't stop her.
Previously, every time the Tang family made an extra phone call to Song Fenglan's home, they were summoned for questioning by relevant departments, so naturally they wouldn't touch Song Fenglan.
Tang Shaotao's wife felt that Aunt Song was too biased, favoring her niece over her own children. How could anyone be like that?
"Your mother sends all the good stuff to your cousin's family, but we don't get anything," said Sister-in-law Tang, feeling frustrated. "Will her niece be able to take care of her in her old age?"
"..." Tang Shaotao sat in the room, he was also unhappy, but he couldn't stop it.
“Your mother is really something, she won’t listen to reason,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “I took the children over, and it was raining, but she wouldn’t let us in. She told us to come back. She’s not worried about the children getting wet and sick.”
"Don't wait until the rainy days are over," Tang Shaotao said.
“I was just wondering if your mother would soften her heart, but it turns out her heart is harder than stone,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “She watched her grandchildren get soaked in the rain without even flinching.”
Sister-in-law Tang felt incredibly aggrieved. Aunt Song had plenty of money and a house, yet she refused to give any to the Tang family. It wasn't convenient for so many members of the Tang family to live in one room, so Sister-in-law Tang mentioned this to Aunt Song, who then accused her of wanting her house.
Sister-in-law Tang wanted Aunt Song to give them the house and money voluntarily, instead of her having to ask for them. Sister-in-law Tang had been eyeing Aunt Song's belongings for a long time. If Aunt Song hadn't given anything to anyone else, it wouldn't have mattered. But Aunt Song was too good to Song Fenglan's family. Song Fenglan was a married-out daughter of the Song family, and wasn't she Aunt Song's nephew? Aren't people supposed to value men more? Aunt Song didn't seem to care.
“She’s really not afraid that you won’t take care of her in her old age,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “When she gets old, will the Song family take care of her?”
"I don't know, I don't know." Tang Shaotao didn't want to talk about these things.
"What is your cousin Song Fenglan really thinking?" Aunt Tang asked. "She wouldn't be thinking of having you."
"Those things, right? They're worth a lot of money. Those things should belong to you siblings, not Song Fenglan. Why don't you go talk to Song Fenglan?"
When Song Erge held his wedding banquet, the Song family did not invite the Tang family, and the Tang family did not go either.
During Song Fenglan's stay in the capital, the Tang family did not visit her, but they kept a close eye on her every move. These people all considered Song Fenglan's assets as their own, and were eyeing the things at the airport.
"What are we talking about?" Tang Shaotao asked. "Mom is perfectly fine, how can we talk about anything?"
"Your mother always brings big bags and small packages over, who knows what good things she puts in them?" Aunt Tang said. "Before and after a while, your mother has practically emptied the house. Your mother is really something, if she liked girls, she has daughters and granddaughters, why is she so good to her niece?"
Sister-in-law Tang said a lot, trying to get Tang Shaotao to go see Song Fenglan. Tang Shaotao didn't want to go; for a grown man to go and talk to a woman like that would make him seem too gossipy.
"They're just some fruit and pastries, nothing valuable," Tang Shaotao said.
"You can just put your valuables in your bag," said Sister Tang. "There's no way you'd leave something valuable out in front of everyone."
Sister-in-law Tang was wondering how much good stuff Song Fenglan had taken from Aunt Song. "For the sake of our son and daughter, you should go and ask her. There are some things she shouldn't have accepted."
She should hand the things over to us!
That's what Sister-in-law Tang was thinking. It would be best if Song Fenglan gave them the things quietly, so that Aunt Song wouldn't be angry and wouldn't think about taking them back.
"I told you, there's no way to ask, there's just no way to ask." - Tang Shaotao
“Invite her to dinner and speak to her politely,” said Sister-in-law Tang. “If she had any self-respect, she would know what to do.”
Song Fenglan sneezed at home. She had just seen her third aunt out, and the aunt had lunch at home. Song Fenglan had asked her third aunt if she wanted to go to her mother's place, but the aunt declined.
"The weather in the capital is rather cool," Song Fenglan remarked. She hadn't expected anyone to be whispering about her behind her back, much less that someone was planning to rush over and settle scores with her.
Sister-in-law Tang was afraid that Aunt Song would leave all the good things to Song Fenglan. Since her husband wouldn't go to Song Fenglan, she would go herself. Sister-in-law Tang had to make Song Fenglan understand her own status. Aunt Song's things should be left to Aunt Song's children and granddaughters. Song Fenglan was just Aunt Song's niece. No matter how close a niece is, she can't compare to her children and grandchildren.
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