Chapter 91 Returning Home is Something I'll Never Forget
"If you weren't my biological mother, would you still be standing here?" Qin Yizhou replied.
Qin Yizhou suspected that his biological mother never treated him as her own son; she only knew his older brother.
When Song Fenglan was not away on a business trip, Qin's mother would not come over; but as soon as Song Fenglan went on a business trip, Qin's mother would come over.
Qin Yizhou knew exactly what his mother was planning. He couldn't let Qin Zihang go to the Qin family, nor could he let Qin Zihang hear his mother speak ill of Song Fenglan.
This is disgusting!
How could his mother do such a thing?
Qin Yizhou was trying very hard to control his emotions; his mother was always like this.
"Qin Yizhou!" Qin's mother gritted her teeth.
“I’m here,” Qin Yizhou said. “If you want us to hate my wife, you’re mistaken. My wife is good, very good. She hasn’t done anything wrong and has done nothing to wrong you.”
“She’s my daughter-in-law. How could she treat me like that? She’s not filial at all, and she still says she has nothing to apologize for?” Qin’s mother said.
"You were the ones who went too far first. If you hadn't done something so outrageous..."
And that was all. "Put yourself in their shoes," Qin Yizhou said. "You can't always expect to reap without sowing."
"You are my child!" Qin's mother emphasized.
"Just because I'm your biological son, you treat me like this, completely disregarding whether I'm doing well or not, and you just have to say these things," Qin Yizhou said. "I know what you're thinking, my wife knows, my parents-in-law know. Don't think that others don't know what you're thinking; it's just that you haven't gone to their side, so they haven't said anything."
"I..." Qin's mother was displeased.
"If there's nothing else, you can go back," Qin Yizhou said. "It was agreed long ago that your elder brother would be responsible for your retirement, and I wouldn't be. The alimony was already allocated when the property was divided."
Qin Yizhou didn't want to stand there and say those things to his mother; she clearly wasn't planning on having a proper conversation. Qin Yizhou wasn't afraid of being called unfilial; he knew best whether he was or not. Others were just spreading rumors because they didn't know what had happened in his family.
"You..." Qin's mother was very angry, "Is this how you treat your own mother? Aren't you afraid of people talking behind your back?"
"Don't be afraid," Qin Yizhou said. "Don't ask me who I would save if you and my wife fell into the water at the same time. I can tell you, I would save my wife!"
"You..." Qin's mother was so angry that she couldn't speak.
"If there's nothing else, I have to go do my things," Qin Yizhou said.
Qin's mother watched helplessly as Qin Yizhou entered the house. She had waited so long, and all he said to her was this. This gave Qin's mother a terrible headache. Why had her son become like this? It was all Song Fenglan's fault. If it weren't for Song Fenglan, her son wouldn't have turned out this way.
When Qin's mother returned home, she began to speak ill of Song Fenglan in front of her eldest daughter-in-law.
“She’s a very scheming person,” Qin’s mother said. “Even though she’s away on a business trip, she won’t let Yizhou let me into the house. It’s her house, and it’s nice, but she married my son, so the house belongs to my son too.”
You Yun didn't want to hear Qin's mother speak ill of Song Fenglan at all, but if she didn't listen, Qin's mother might go around telling others, which she didn't want. You Yun preferred to hear it herself rather than have Qin's mother say such unpleasant things to others. Qin's mother wasn't afraid at all of others speaking ill of Song Fenglan; she was afraid that her words would ruin Song Fenglan's reputation.
However, most people knew how the Qin family had treated Song Fenglan before. It's just that many people weren't very good to their daughters-in-law, and they worried that their daughters-in-law would treat them badly in the future. Therefore, many people sided with Qin's mother. They weren't doing it for Qin's mother, but for themselves. They deliberately said those things in front of their daughters-in-law when they got home, hoping that their daughters-in-law would be filial to them in the future and not become like Song Fenglan.
"Yes, we didn't allow her to marry into the family back then, but wasn't it because of her family background? If her family background were good, we wouldn't have refused her entry," said Qin's mother. "Back then, it wasn't just our family; many families were like that. In the end, didn't she still marry into the family? She only thinks about our shortcomings and never considers our difficulties."
You Yun believed that the Qin family had truly treated Song Fenglan badly. After Song Fenglan married Qin Yizhou, she didn't live with the Qin family, and they didn't protect her. When Song Fenglan gave birth, Tian Keshu took the chicken back to her mother's house and the money back to her parents' home. You Yun didn't believe that Qin's mother knew nothing about it; she only refrained from interfering because Qin's mother looked down on Song Fenglan.
Qin's mother is treating others like fools, but unfortunately You Yun is not a fool, and You Yun would never agree with Qin's mother.
Listen to it, agree with it; there is still a big difference between the two.
"It's been so long, and they're still the same," Qin's mother said. "They refuse to come to our house for meals. When we talk to them, they think we're trying to take their things. It's not that we don't have a place to live, or that we don't have money, it's just that we're not as rich as the Song family."
You Yun took a sip of water and continued listening.
"Song Fenglan is away on a business trip, and your brother is still so afraid of her," Qin's mother said. "Is it because the Song family is over there, and he's afraid they'll see him? Is he even a man?"
He's a man. If he weren't, Qin Yizhou wouldn't have protected Song Fenglan so much. You Yun thought Qin Yizhou was doing a good job.
At home, when You Yun had conflicts with Qin's mother, Qin's older brother didn't interfere much. You Yun believed that her husband liked to smooth things over and turned a blind eye to everything, which explained why Tian Keshu had done those things in the past; it was all because people like Qin's older brother had spoiled her.
If the Qin family had stopped Tian Keshu from making her mistakes in the first place, she wouldn't have been able to do those things again and again.
"Is money really that important?" Qin's mother asked.
“It’s very important,” You Yun said. “Money isn’t everything, but you can’t do anything without it.”
You Yun wanted to have more money of her own; the Song family was truly wealthy, not just a little bit. After the Song family was exonerated, their assets were returned to them, and the Song family would continue to do business.
“It seems my sister-in-law’s eldest brother went to the Education Bureau,” You Yun said. “First he was the director of the Academic Affairs Office, and then he went to the Education Bureau. He’s doing a very good job. My second sister is still a teacher at the school.”
Who knows, someone from their family might fall into the hands of the Song family in the future. The Song family is truly powerful, not just a little bit powerful.
You Yun really wanted the Song family to be her relatives, but the Qin family's shady dealings made it difficult for her to contact Song Fenglan often.
“Your...your second sister...she relies on herself, she doesn’t need to rely on anyone else,” Qin’s mother said. “The Song family will never help her.”
"..." You Yun remained silent. With the Qin family like this, no matter how well Qin Erjie performed, the Song family would never help them.
Sister Qin is actually quite good; she's self-reliant and hasn't caused much trouble at home. Someone from next door came back from the countryside and is making a scene, demanding housing and all sorts of things, claiming they suffered in the countryside. Meanwhile, those in the city claim they are being filial to their parents and that all those things are rightfully theirs.
The fact that the Qin family didn't cause too much trouble is a blessing in disguise.
After You Yun married into the Qin family, she discovered that the biggest problem in the Qin family lay with Qin's mother. Qin's father, a grown man, indeed didn't like to get involved in those matters, so Qin's mother took care of many trivial things, and then, Qin's eldest brother liked to pretend to be blind.
These people always talk about how the Song family is, saying that Song Fenglan doesn't know what's good for her, but the ones who really don't know what's good for them are the Qin family.
None of these people sincerely apologized to Song Fenglan, and when she came over, they didn't even try to get along with her.
You Yun witnessed firsthand how Qin's mother treated Song Fenglan; she didn't just hear Qin's mother complaining about Song Fenglan. In You Yun's opinion, Song Fenglan had done a very good job, but unfortunately, Qin's mother only saw the faults of others.
"Don't be like Song Fenglan in the future," Qin's mother said. "Our Qin family doesn't need such an unfilial person. She doesn't care about her husband's family at all; she only cares about her own family. I asked Zihang to come and play with his brother, but he wanted to go and play with his cousin. I don't know how many bad things Song Fenglan said about us in front of her son."
"I might not say," You Yun couldn't help but say.
“She said it herself. If she hadn’t said it, the child wouldn’t have done that. Children don’t understand those things; they just listen to adults,” Qin’s mother said. “Children learn from adults.”
You Yun didn't think so. Qin Zihang was a smart child; he knew what to do. Qin's mother was genuinely good to her beloved eldest grandson, but she treated You Yun's son a little worse, let alone Qin Zihang.
Children are very sensitive and can hold grudges. Adults can't always assume that children are forgetful and will soon stop holding grudges against them.
Qin's mother said a lot, hoping that You Yun would agree, but You Yun refused, which made Qin's mother even angrier.
"Don't you have a mouth? Can't you speak?" Qin's mother said. "Your mother-in-law is being bullied, and you don't even know how to help."
“Song Fenglan is a daughter-in-law, and so am I,” You Yun said, though she really didn’t want to say anything bad about Song Fenglan.
"What daughter-in-law or not?" Aunt Qin came over.
"Auntie." When You Yun saw Auntie Qin arrive, she felt like she had seen a savior. She thought it best to let Auntie Qin talk to Mother Qin, since You Yun didn't want to talk to her mother anymore. "You talk to Mom, I'll go check the kitchen."
"What's in the kitchen that we have to go see now?" Qin's mother asked.
"I'm thinking of making soup," You Yun said. "The ribs need to be blanched first."
"Go, go." Qin's mother waved her hand.
"What nasty things have you said again?" Seeing You Yun leave in such a hurry, Aunt Qin's first thought was that Qin's mother must have said something unpleasant.
“I wasn’t talking about her, I was talking about Song Fenglan, Yizhou’s wife,” Qin’s mother said. “Song Fenglan is away on a business trip. When I went to my son’s place, Yizhou wouldn’t let me in.”
"You go there every time she goes on a business trip. Isn't it obvious that you don't want to see Song Fenglan?" Aunt Qin rolled her eyes. "And why are you talking about Song Fenglan? You might as well be talking about your eldest daughter-in-law instead. At least your eldest daughter-in-law would put up with you. Are you saying that Song Fenglan doesn't resent you enough? If you have a problem with your brain, go to the hospital and get some medicine, and get treatment as soon as possible."
"There's nothing wrong with my mind," Qin's mother said. "Yes..."
"What is it?" Aunt Qin interrupted Qin's mother. "As soon as I arrived, you started criticizing Song Fenglan. That's not right. Didn't I tell you before? The Song family is very powerful now, while our family is far inferior to them. Don't always act so high and mighty, and don't put on airs in front of Song Fenglan."
"It's not a big deal..." Qin's mother didn't think there was anything wrong with what she did.
"It's not a big deal, so why are you so angry?" Aunt Qin said. "It's just a small thing, just bear with it."
"..." Qin's mother took a deep breath. She shouldn't have said those things in front of Qin's eldest aunt. "You always side with Song Fenglan."
"Am I not on her side, but on yours?" Aunt Qin said.
“She can’t possibly be on your side,” Qin’s mother said.
"So what if she's not on my side?" Aunt Qin said. "I don't want to make enemies with her."
"You...you..." Qin's mother's voice trembled slightly.
"You really need to change your temper. Song Fenglan has been back in the capital for so long, and you've only seen her a few times?"
Aunt Qin said, "When you meet them, you speak ill of them; when you don't meet them, you still talk badly about them behind their backs."
Qin's mother didn't want to say anything; Qin's eldest aunt was too talkative.
You Yun peeked out slightly and knew that someone like Qin's mother still had to face Qin's eldest aunt. As long as the Song family was still powerful, Qin's eldest aunt would stand on Song Fenglan's side.
A few days later, Song Fenglan arrived in Nancheng. After arriving, she first went to stay at the research institute's apartment. Before starting work, Song Fenglan went to visit Sister Pang next door and also took the things Qin Zihang was going to give to Zhang Xiaohu.
"Fenglan?" The fat woman had just reached the door when she saw Song Fenglan.
"Yes, it's me." Song Fenglan nodded. There were other people behind her. She had just gotten out of the car, and someone was helping her carry her things. "I came to see you. Some of the things in this box were stuffed in by Zihang, and some were prepared by me. They are for you."
"Such a big box..." the plump woman exclaimed in surprise. "Come, come, let's go inside."
The plump woman reached out to lift the suitcase, but she thought that those things were for her own family, so she shouldn't let others carry them.
“It’s alright, let him bring it up,” Song Fenglan said.
"I'll do it, I'll do it." The plump woman picked up the suitcase, which was quite heavy. Fortunately, she was strong and could lift it.
Upon arriving in the living room, the plump woman quickly put down her suitcase and went to get Song Fenglan some boiled water, while the people protecting Song Fenglan went to the yard to check on the situation.
"Drink water, drink water," the plump woman said hurriedly. "I thought... I didn't expect you to come. We'll have dinner here tonight."
"No, I'm going to dinner at work. I have to meet someone tonight," Song Fenglan said.
"Then I won't insist that you stay for dinner," said the plump woman.
"The things in the box are for your family, not for anyone else. You can sort them out yourself later," Song Fenglan said.
"Where's this box?" the plump woman asked. "I'd better take the things out..."
"No need, you can keep this suitcase," Song Fenglan said. "We have other suitcases and bags to pack our things, so we won't be without anything to pack."
"Such a nice suitcase, you're just going to throw it away?" The plump woman glanced at the suitcase.
"No, you can have it," Song Fenglan said. "It's inconvenient to carry so much stuff."
"Alright, then stay here." The plump woman didn't immediately open the box, but chatted with Song Fenglan instead.
The two of them were together, and the fat woman told them about some things about the neighbors.
After Guo Peng got married, his wife became more filial to his mother, even inviting her over for meals. She also arranged for Guo Peng's mother and others to have New Year's Eve dinner at Guo Peng's house, handling everything perfectly.
"Everyone says her current wife is good," said the plump woman. "She cooks for her mother-in-law and knows how to care for her."
“Isn’t that alright?” Song Fenglan said.
"It's alright," said the plump woman. "It's her first marriage, and Guo Peng's is his second. They didn't have many tables at their wedding banquet. They said that second marriages shouldn't be big, and people shouldn't give gifts twice. That makes sense. When Guo Peng got married for the first time, everyone had already given gifts at their wedding banquet. Others get married once, but he got married twice. Since he gave gifts twice, it's hard to get those red envelopes back."
"How's Yani's shop doing?" Song Fenglan asked.
"Business is booming," said the plump woman. "Many people order custom cakes, and she's always busy when I go there. If you live nearby, she even delivers them to your door. If you don't live nearby, you just have to wait for someone to come to the shop to pick them up. Her service is excellent, and her food is delicious, so everyone goes there often. The prices are fair, and it's just a short walk away, so you don't have to buy from outside."
"She is indeed quite good." Song Fenglan thought that Fan Yani was, after all, the female lead in the original novel.
The female protagonists written by that author are mostly entrepreneurs. The one in the south of the city runs a pastry and cookie shop, while the one in the capital sells clothes at a stall; I heard they made quite a bit of money. If Song Fenglan wanted to start her own business, it would be difficult. She's not good at negotiating prices; when others are haggling, Song Fenglan doesn't know what to say.
Song Fenglan prefers to state a price directly; if someone wants to buy, they can buy; if not, that's fine too. She doesn't think things like rounding down the price are worthwhile. You have to calculate the cost of the items carefully to see if it's a good deal.
“You can make a lot of money in a day,” said the plump woman. “Not just anyone can do that kind of work. Last summer, I made some grass jelly to sell, and business was pretty good. Yani sells grass jelly milk tea, and she even asked me to make grass jelly and deliver it over, so that I could at least have some soup.”
The fat woman thought Fan Yani was very good at dealing with people. She said that she was only a little nice to Fan Yani, and Fan Yani helped her make some money.
“Her mom can make grass jelly, but she still asked me to make it,” the plump woman said. “I told her that her mom could make it. She said her mom had to help take care of the children, so she didn’t want her mom to work so hard and asked me to make it. Every time I made it and delivered it, she would pay me directly, and I never owed her anything.”
To say that Fatty Sister isn't afraid of people owing her money would be a lie; what she's afraid of is that the debt will eventually run out and people won't pay. Fatty Sister still trusts Fan Yani quite a bit; Fan Yani wouldn't refuse to pay.
“She sold me bread crusts and cake crusts cheaply,” the plump woman said. “At first, she even gave them to me for free, but I said no. I still have to buy them; otherwise, I won’t dare to go there to sell them anymore.”
“This is good; these scraps taste pretty good,” Song Fenglan said. “They just don’t look very appealing, so people don’t like to buy them.”
“Yes, that’s what I was thinking. I told her I’d sell it to me for the same price she sells it to others. She even gave me a discount, saying that regular customers get a discount, so I just bought it,” said the chubby woman. “Little Tiger really likes it.”
"Oh, right, there's some food in the box. It's best to finish it within the next two weeks. Don't leave it for too long, or it will spoil," Song Fenglan said. "Zihang said his little tiger brother really likes snacks and insisted on buying them for him. He used his own pocket money and didn't ask us for any money."
"Isn't his allowance still given to him by you?" the fat woman said.
“We don’t give him much pocket money. Don’t we live near his maternal grandparents?” Song Fenglan said. “His maternal grandparents and his uncle give him plenty of pocket money. His two aunts also buy him food and clothes. He’s rolling in money now.”
“You only have one child, so naturally they spoil them a bit more,” said the plump woman.
“Sometimes I worry that they’re spoiling the kids,” Song Fenglan chuckled.
“No, no, with a mother like you and Commander Qin around, how could the child go astray so easily?” said the plump woman. “You two are very good at raising children. Xiao Hu used to study with Zi Hang, and now, thinking about seeing Zi Hang in the future, he studies hard.”
The portly woman sighed, saying it was much better to talk face-to-face like this. If they were on the phone, they couldn't talk for very long, worried about the cost. She glanced at her neighbor next door; her relationship with the neighbor was so-so.
“The family next door has a better relationship with Gao Xiuxiu’s family,” said the plump woman. “They also have a good relationship with the political commissar’s wife.”
Gao Xiuxiu's husband works at the local police station, so they see each other all the time and she might need his help sometime. But with so many people in the military, she seemed rather ordinary.
Fatty Sister doesn't need others to flatter her, nor does she necessarily need to be on good terms with everyone. Even when Fatty Sister wanted to be Song Fenglan's neighbor, she already knew she couldn't force herself to fit in with those people. No matter how hard she tried, it was useless to enter a circle she couldn't belong to.
“Xiao Hu has fought with their kids several times,” said the plump woman. “I told Xiao Hu not to go over there and to keep his distance when walking. Their kids are even more mischievous than Xiao Hu. They even throw stones into our yard. When we talked to their parents, the mother just said that the kids are just naughty and told us not to take it to heart.”
"Aren't they afraid of hitting people with the stones?" Song Fenglan asked.
“They used small stones, not very big ones,” the plump woman said. “They probably thought small stones wouldn’t be very dangerous and wouldn’t cause any harm.”
“This…this won’t do either,” Song Fenglan said. “That’s a stone, not something else. If it hits your head or eyes, that would be a real problem.”
"Actually, it's just that the two families' kids got into a fight, that's why they acted like this," said the plump woman. "There are clues. Every time the kids fight, we don't go into the yard. The neighbor's mother pulls her child away, and then the child stops. We can't do anything about it; we've told her several times, but it's no use."
Even the most mischievous child shouldn't be mischievous like this. Fatty felt that her neighbor was far inferior to Song Fenglan, especially in educating her children.
"Leaving them aside, how long are you going to stay here this time?" the plump woman asked.
"Ten days to half a month," Song Fenglan said. "I still have to go back. There are many things to do in the capital, and I can't stay away for too long."
"
"If you have time, you can come over and sit for a while. I was thinking of cooking you a meal," said Sister-in-law Fatty.
"No need for meals, I'll eat at work," Song Fenglan said.
"Don't worry about us not having enough to eat; it's just one meal," said the plump woman.
“I’m not worried about you not having enough to eat. I’m just quite busy, so it’s better for me to eat at work,” Song Fenglan said.
"That's true, the food at the research institute is pretty good," said the plump woman. "We even get meat. Thanks to you, the TV and refrigerator are cheap for us, so we can save some money to buy meat. Other people have to pay for TVs with coupons, which costs a lot more. And TV coupons are hard to get, it's difficult."
“It’s nothing,” Song Fenglan said, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"It's not even 4:30 yet, are you going back so early?" the fat woman asked.
"I need to go back," Song Fenglan nodded. "I also need to see some people."
"I'll see you off." The plump woman escorted Song Fenglan to the door. "Come over and sit for a while when you have time. I'm mostly at home, except when I go out to buy groceries."
"Okay." Song Fenglan nodded. "I didn't see Xiaohu and the others today."
“They went out to play and aren’t home. If they had known you were coming, Xiao Hu would definitely have been waiting for you at home,” said the plump woman. “Come another day, and I’ll have him wait for you at home.”
"No need, no need," Song Fenglan said. "I may not have time to stay here. If we meet this time, I may not have another chance to see each other before I go back."
"You've been too busy," said the plump woman. "Little Tiger hasn't even had a chance to thank you."
"No need to thank me, it's nothing, I'll be going now," Song Fenglan said.
"Take it easy." The plump woman watched Song Fenglan leave.
Song Fenglan ate with Professor Su, Professor Cai, and others in the institute's canteen. The chef specially prepared a table full of dishes for them.
"Let's eat first," the director said. "Let's not talk about work tonight; we'll discuss it tomorrow."
Professor Su was about to start talking about work when he heard what the director said, so he stopped.
“It’s okay, you can talk about it,” Song Fenglan said. “I slept on the train.”
“Then I’ll tell you,” Professor Cai said.
This test flight encountered some serious problems, and they searched for a long time without finding the issues. Some problems were discovered but difficult to resolve. Professor Su and his team then considered bringing in Song Fenglan, as she was the one who researched that type of fighter jet, but problems arose during the subsequent improvements.
When Zhang Xiaohu returned home, he saw the large box in the living room and asked, puzzled, "Mom, has someone come to our house?"
"You're Aunt Fenglan," said the plump woman.
"Auntie? Where's my little brother Zihang? Is he here too?" Zhang Xiaohu looked around.
“He didn’t come; he’s in the capital,” said the plump woman. “School starts in a few days, and he has to study, so he didn’t come with us. Your Aunt Fenglan came here on a business trip, not for leisure, so she can’t possibly take your little brother Zihang with her the whole time.”
"Oh." Zhang Xiaohu said disappointedly, "Is Aunt Fenglan going to live with us?"
“No,” said the plump woman. “Is our place comfortable? She lives in her work unit’s housing, not here. The things in that box are things that your brother Zihang and Aunt Fenglan prepared for you, your brother, and our family.”
"For us?" Zhang Xiaohu's eyes lit up. He had originally thought the suitcase contained Song Fenglan's clothes.
"Yes, it's for us." The plump woman nodded. "We'll open the box and take a look after we finish eating."
"Can't we open it now?" Zhang Xiaohu couldn't wait to open the suitcase and see what was inside. His eyes were fixed on the suitcase.
“If you want to open it, then open it and take a look,” said the plump woman. “You won’t be able to wait in peace to eat if you don’t open it and take a look.”
"Let my brother drive too," Zhang Xiaohu said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Zhang Wen had no choice but to step forward and open the box. Inside were many things, including a letter. The letter was written by Qin Zihang, in which he wrote down what he had given to Zhang Xiaohu and what he wanted to say to him.
As soon as Zhang Xiaohu saw the letter, he quickly took it and read it aloud, "Brother Xiaohu, I bought you a new schoolbag, look, do you like it? And there are pastries from the capital..."
Qin Zihang wrote a long passage, which Zhang Xiaohu read aloud with great intonation. To prevent Zhang Xiaohu from not understanding it, Qin Zihang also added pinyin after some of the text.
Seeing the pinyin on the letter, Zhang Wen glanced at Zhang Xiaohu and realized that his younger brother didn't know as many characters as Qin Zihang. Qin Zihang was very understanding of Zhang Xiaohu; no wonder the two were such good friends.
"Wow, so many things are mine?" Zhang Xiaohu started to pick out the items one by one.
“Some of the food you ate with your brother,” the plump woman said. “I heard everything. Your little brother Zihang didn’t let you eat it all by yourself.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t give any to my brother,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “My little brother Zihang gave me so many things.”
"This huge box of stuff must have cost a lot of money," the plump woman remarked. However, she didn't intend to give money to Song Fenglan; giving money would be too vulgar.
Gao Xiuxiu saw that Song Fenglan had given Fatty Sister a large box of things. When she went to Fan Yani's shop to buy cookies, she deliberately said, "You two are such good friends, didn't she give you anything?"
“I didn’t give her anything, so why would she give me something?” Fan Yani said. “Sister Fenglan’s child and Xiaohu are so close, it must be Zihang who wants to give Xiaohu something.”
“It can’t all be sent by Zihang alone,” Gao Xiuxiu said.
"Have you forgotten the pain once the wound has healed?" Fan Yani asked.
"..." Upon hearing this, Gao Xiuxiu stopped talking.
Fan Yani didn't think Song Fenglan had done anything wrong. Song Fenglan and Sister Pang used to be neighbors, and their families were genuinely close. Song Fenglan naturally didn't need to give Fan Yani anything. It wasn't that Fan Yani looked down on her, but rather that she hadn't actually helped Song Fenglan in any way, nor had she given her that many gifts.
When Song Fenglan left, her family had already taken quite a few things; they had already profited. One shouldn't be so heartless; others aren't obligated to give them gifts.
Fan Yani glanced at Gao Xiuxiu; Gao Xiuxiu's mouth still hadn't fully healed. Indeed, Gao Xiuxiu had become friends with the people living in Song Fenglan's former house, and they were all rather unreasonable, leaving Fatty Sister speechless with both sides of the neighbors.
Ding Wenbo ate with Song Fenglan and others. He saw his mentor chatting fluently with them and witnessed their respect for him. Ding Wenbo couldn't help but marvel once again at how amazing his mentor was. He wondered what he had done to deserve being his mentor's first graduate student; he was truly incredibly lucky.
Ding Wenbo sat quietly to the side eating, not interrupting at all; he had no right to speak here.
After finishing her meal, Song Fenglan chatted with the others for a while before preparing to rest.
"good
"Get some rest. There are still tough battles to fight." Professor Su said.
"I'm going to rest now," Song Fenglan said. "Uncle, I'll go see Aunt at noon."
"Noon? I'm afraid you won't have time at noon. Why don't you wait until the afternoon or evening to go and take a look?" Professor Su said.
"..." Upon hearing this, Song Fenglan wondered if she would have to work overtime.
Professor Su took the things that Song Fenglan had given him home first; the things arrived first, and he arrived later.
"Fenglan gave it to you," Professor Su said. "She came here on a business trip and brought you some things."
"She usually sends things over all the time, why would she bring anything?" Mrs. Su said. "Where is she?"
"She said she'd come to see you tomorrow at noon, but I told her she might not have time then. I'll see in the evening; if she has time then, she can come see you," Professor Su said. "If she doesn't have time, you can go to the door and wait there; you can see her there too."
If Song Fenglan knew Professor Su said that, she would definitely rub her temples. As a junior, she should naturally come to see Madam Su in person; how could she let Madam Su wait for her at the institute's entrance?
"You have so many things in your office that you need her help with?" Mrs. Su knew in her heart that those were her husband's words, not Song Fenglan's.
“Yes, there are many things,” Professor Su said. “There’s nothing we can do about it; no one knows those things better than her. Fenglan is exceptional; she knows a lot.”
"I think she knows more than you do. She's already gone to the capital, and you're still trying to drag her back," Madam Su teased.
"Yes, she knows more than I do; she has surpassed her teacher." Professor Su nodded. "The younger generation surpasses the older."
Professor Su didn't think Mrs. Su was wrong at all; in fact, he was quite pleased.
“If Xingyun knew how capable his niece is, he would be very happy,” Professor Su said. “His niece has fulfilled the dream he couldn’t achieve. It’s wonderful that our country can produce such an outstanding talent as Fenglan. We are all getting old and don’t know how much longer we can keep going.”
During a special period, the college entrance examination was abolished, leading to a talent gap. This was a very serious matter, severely impacting the country's scientific and technological development.
Professor Su was pleased to see how worried Song Fenglan was.
“The Song family is talented,” Professor Su said.
"I heard that Fenglan's eldest brother got a job at the Education Bureau," Madam Su said. "Her second brother made a lot of money running a company. Their whole family are capable people."
"Hmm." Professor Su nodded again. "In the early years, their family was considered a prominent and influential family. I remember when I visited the Song family a long time ago, I went through one gate after another, and there were long corridors, artificial lakes, and streams. Their gardens were particularly large; it would take a long time to walk around them."
“I’ve heard you mention it before,” Madam Su said.
“Those are families with a rich history,” Professor Su sighed. “It was during a special period… Alas, now things are being set right. The country is moving forward through trial and error; all sorts of absurd things have happened, but things will get better in the future.”
“It would be better.” Mrs. Su agreed with Professor Su’s idea. “I will buy more groceries tomorrow so that Fenglan can eat at home when she comes.”
“She might not have time to eat, but she can buy some,” Professor Su said.
“We can put it in the refrigerator,” Mrs. Su said. “We can also cook more food. If she’s not here, we can eat it ourselves. If she comes but doesn’t have time to eat, we can still eat it ourselves. It’ll be a good way to nourish yourself and me too.”
“Okay,” Professor Su said.
By this time, Sister Pang and the others had finished dinner and unpacked their suitcases. They found that the suitcases were surprisingly spacious, packed full of things.
"Did Zihang spend all his allowance?" Zhang Xiaohu asked. "I don't even have that much allowance. I can't buy this many things with my allowance."
“It’s impossible that all of this was your brother Zihang’s pocket money; your Aunt Fenglan must have bought it separately,” said the plump woman. “You guys are secretly happy with all that stuff.”
"Why are you secretly happy? I'm laughing openly." Zhang Xiaohu even smiled at Fatty Sister-in-law twice.
“I didn’t mean to stop you from laughing,” said the plump woman. “Laugh, laugh. There’s so much stuff, we can’t use it all at once. Your Aunt Fenglan said that the food will be eaten within half a month. She doesn’t live next door to us anymore, so she doesn’t cook for you anymore, but she brought you so much food.”
“Everything is delicious,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Aunt Fenglan is so nice, little brother Zihang is so nice, and oh, Uncle is so nice too.”
“Of course they’re good. If they weren’t, would they have brought us so many things?” said the plump woman. “Our family didn’t even give them this many things. They gave us so much more.”
“We’ll also send things to Zihang, our little brother,” Zhang Xiaohu said.
“We can’t send that many,” said the plump woman. Her family needed money, so where would they get so much money to buy these things? “You must remember how good they were to you. Don’t forget them, never forget them for the rest of your lives.”
"I won't forget, I won't forget," Zhang Xiaohu quickly replied. "I'll work hard and go to a university in the capital so I can see my little brother Zihang."
“You have to work hard. If you don’t, you really won’t see your little brother Zihang again,” said the chubby sister-in-law. “Your little brother Zihang will definitely be surrounded by many capable people. Don’t be the most mediocre one then.”
"No way." Zhang Xiaohu thought to himself that he must work hard, he couldn't afford not to.
It all boils down to one sentence, two words: hard work!
While Gao Xiuxiu was talking to her husband, she wondered why Song Fenglan was back on a business trip at this time, and what was so interesting about a business trip from Nancheng.
After Song Fenglan returned to the capital, Gao Xiuxiu spoke of Song Fenglan less, but she did say a few more words about her than when Song Fenglan was present. Gao Xiuxiu was afraid of Song Fenglan; without her around, she was less afraid.
"Was she sent back?" Gao Xiuxiu asked Fang Xudong. "The research institute in the capital didn't want her anymore, so they sent her back?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
