Chapter 65 The family visit was about to go astray.
"These weren't made by our family; they were a gift from someone else," Guo's mother said. She was worried that Li Hui would eat one piece after another. Since these weren't homemade, but rather gifts from someone else, it wasn't appropriate for Li Hui to eat them all. Just letting her taste them was enough.
It wasn't given to Li Hui. Although it's true that when someone gives you pastries, there's no rule that someone has to eat them or not, and they can decide for themselves, Guo's mother still felt that these things were given to Fan Yani and her husband because of their relationship.
Under such circumstances, how could Guo's mother possibly let Li Hui eat and eat again?
Fan Yani understood the situation as soon as she saw it.
“This was a gift from Sister-in-law Fenglan,” Fan Yani said.
"She...she...can you eat these during your postpartum period?" Li Hui asked.
“I can’t eat it, but others can,” Fan Yani said. “My husband, my mother, they can all eat it, and you ate some too, didn’t you? The gifts from others weren’t in large quantities, so just a taste is enough.”
"If I had known it was her who made it... I wouldn't have eaten it." Li Hui didn't speak ill of Song Fenglan outside, but she didn't like to associate with Song Fenglan and didn't want to lose face in front of her.
Li Hui had long heard that Song Fenglan was very good at making pastries. But so what if she was good at making pastries? Her cooking was terrible, so it didn't matter. Who gets up every day to eat pastries? It was only because Song Fenglan was a rich, bourgeois heiress that she was always making pastries. Other families would be considered lucky if they made them once every few months, but Song Fenglan's family made them once a month.
Song Fenglan would cook when she had free time. She thought that she was always at work and didn't have much time to spend with her child. Song Fenglan wanted to cook more food to make her child happy, and she could also eat it herself. Besides, Song Fenglan either bought ready-made rice flour or had her husband grind the rice, so she didn't have to do much.
Those things weren't made with anything fancy; they were all ordinary things. Anyone could tell at a glance. It just showed whether each family had the time to make them. Many people didn't have time to make these things; they had to take care of children, they had to work, and when they finally had time to rest, they naturally wanted to relax.
"Sister-in-law Fenglan's pastries are delicious, even better than those from shops outside," Fan Yani said. "Everyone who has tried them knows."
"It's said that Sister Fenglan's pastry-making skills are top-notch."
“Pastries can’t be eaten as a meal,” Li Hui said. “If you’re going to hide them, that’s fine. I didn’t come to see you just to eat a few pieces of pastry.”
When Li Hui saw the pastries on the table, she thought they might be from Song Fenglan, but she still reached for them. Li Hui wanted to know if Song Fenglan's pastries were good or not; she couldn't just give away bad pastries—who would want to eat such unappetizing pastries?
After tasting Song Fenglan's pastries, Li Hui had to admit that Song Fenglan's pastry-making skills were indeed quite good; she would admit it in her heart, but she couldn't admit it aloud.
"Look at how cautious you are. Do you think Song Fenglan is watching you to see if you've eaten any pastries?" Li Hui said. "I've already seen enough. I should go back now."
Li Hui didn't want to stay with Fan Yani any longer, nor did she want to bring up the pastries again. It was just a few pieces of pastry, yet her mother-in-law had taken them away—truly a country bumpkin, so stingy. Li Hui thought that if her own mother were here, she would either have brought the food out much earlier or simply let everyone eat.
If you put the food out early, no one will see it and won't say anything. But if you leave it outside and someone sees it, they'll still have to eat some.
These people really have no manners at all; they don't know how to get things done.
Li Hui clearly disliked Guo's mother, her face full of disdain, which Guo's mother noticed. Guo's mother didn't want to argue with Li Hui; she knew she was just a country bumpkin and they wouldn't see eye to eye.
After Li Hui left, Guo's mother sighed.
“Mom, this is not your fault,” Fan Yani said. “Next time she comes, if there are things on the table, you don’t need to put them away, so she won’t complain.”
Fan Yani didn't want Guo's mother to have her relationship with Li Hui collapse over such a small matter; the family wasn't short of food.
"It was a gift from someone else, and I just didn't put it away for a while before she came. She ate one piece, and that was fine, but she kept eating more," said Guo's mother.
“These pastries are small and delicate, eating a couple won’t be a problem,” Fan Yani said. “Don’t worry about us being unhappy. This isn’t the first time Sister Fenglan has given us pastries; we’ve tried them all. Mom, you should try them. Sister Fenglan’s pastries are really delicious—sweet but not cloying, and they don’t stick to your teeth. They taste exceptionally good. I want to follow Sister Fenglan’s example, but even with the same steps and the same ingredients, I just can’t make them as well.”
Fan Yani thinks cooking is a truly magical thing; sometimes it's all about intuition, almost like a mystery. Even with the same conditions, you can make dishes that taste completely different, and a slight difference can make a huge difference.
"Please eat, please eat," Fan Yani said. "Your son-in-law has eaten before. Sister-in-law Fenglan knew I was in postpartum confinement, so she still sent some, perhaps wanting you to have a taste while you're here."
Fan Yani quickly realized that while she herself couldn't eat these things during her postpartum confinement, her husband could also choose not to eat them, but since her adoptive mother had gone to great lengths to come, Song Fenglan had brought these things. Fan Yani thought Song Fenglan was a very good person; Song Fenglan remembered the kindness others had shown her.
"Let me try it." Guo's mother picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite. It was indeed a bit sweet and tasted good. She nodded, "No wonder your sister-in-law wanted to eat a second piece after eating one. It is really delicious."
“Right,” Fan Yani said. “When I make cookies, I also give some to Sister Fenglan. I can’t always eat their food for free. Sister Fenglan loves her children very much and always makes all sorts of food for them. If it were me, I might not have the mood to do it.”
These days, Fan Yani's baby keeps crying in the middle of the night, making it hard for her to sleep. Although Guo's mother helps take care of the baby and makes formula for him, Fan Yani, as a mother, is still worried about her child.
"Such excellent cooking skills, did her family used to own a restaurant?" Guo's mother asked.
“No.” Fan Yani shook her head. “Her family is a wealthy family. It’s just that the elders teach the younger generation how to do these things. I guess it’s a tradition.”
Fan Yani thought of the refined ladies in movies and TV dramas, the young ladies from ancient times. They weren't completely helpless; they were quite skilled. They could manage accounts, cook, embroider... These young ladies had many skills, so even if they went bankrupt one day, they could still support their families.
It's not that just because someone's family is rich, they can sit around waiting for food, lying down, and doing nothing.
Fan Yani thought that those families must have had excellent education, passed down from generation to generation, which explained why their families had developed so well.
"Mom, please eat," Fan Yani said. "If you like it, eat more. Don't worry about us, we'll have plenty of opportunities to eat. Just don't give it to your sister-in-law. Even if you give it to her now, she won't accept it. You've heard that your sister-in-law initially wanted to marry Fenglan's husband, but after he got married, she still wanted him to divorce. Fenglan is such a good person, how could her husband not want her? To put it bluntly, in terms of looks, talent, cooking skills, and other aspects, in what way can your sister-in-law compare to Fenglan? Do you think your sister-in-law dances better than Fenglan?"
Fan Yani felt that Li Hui was far inferior to Song Fenglan in every aspect. "My sister-in-law is no longer working in the art troupe, which means she is not irreplaceable. Dancing is mostly a career that relies on youth. How can you keep dancing as you get older? As you get older, your body's flexibility won't be as good."
Guo's mother ate her pastries quietly, thinking that what Fan Yani said made sense.
“Mom, just listen to this and don’t go and tell your sister-in-law,” Fan Yani said. “Given your situation, it’s really hard to say.”
What Guo's mother said about Li Hui, and how Guo Peng liked Li Hui so much, and how Guo Peng lived with Li Hui while Guo's parents lived in the countryside—Guo Peng naturally hoped that his mother would be more tolerant of Li Hui and that he could compromise so that things could be discussed. Guo Peng himself came from the countryside and didn't have a high level of education. When he met someone like Li Hui who was somewhat educated, he subconsciously felt that Li Hui's actions weren't wrong; it was just that there was a big difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and country folk.
Once you have a preconceived notion, it's hard to appreciate other things.
“You’re here with me, helping me take care of the children and looking after me. Just stay with me as much as possible,” Fan Yani said. “If I don’t do a good job, you can tell me. It’s not easy to talk about a daughter-in-law.”
"The chicken soup is ready, I'll go get it for you," said Guo's mother.
Guo's mother knew in her heart that Fan Yani was right. Since they hadn't lived with Guo Peng all along, it was better if Guo Peng and Li Hui had a good relationship. If their relationship was strained and there were many conflicts, then things would be difficult.
Li Hui has difficulty conceiving. It's not that Guo's mother doesn't want Guo Peng to have a biological child, but it's all Guo Peng's own choice and has nothing to do with anyone else. It's not that anyone else caused Guo Peng to not have a biological child.
Song Fenglan was unaware of what had happened in Fan Yani's family. If she had known, she wouldn't have regretted having Qin Yizhou deliver the food. This was originally a conflict between Li Hui and Guo's mother, and even without the pastries, it would have been triggered by something else.
After finishing the pastries and some fruit, Qin Zihang and his friends happily watched TV.
"This must be the life of an immortal," the plump woman couldn't help but sigh, looking at Zhang Xiaohu sitting there so contentedly. Zhang Xiaohu always liked to come to Song Fenglan's place because Song Fenglan lived such a good life.
“What’s this?” Song Fenglan said, “In a while, your family will be able to buy a TV, a refrigerator, and lots and lots of other things.”
"Where would we get so much money? Even if we had it, we'd need coupons," said the plump woman. "Having a bicycle at home is already pretty good."
There's no way Fatty Sister-in-law would think about these things. If the family had money, they should use it for other more important things.
“In the future, things like televisions won’t seem like much,” Song Fenglan said. “As times progress, appliances will eventually become a part of every household. By then, people might even be thinking about replacing their old appliances with new ones.”
"How could that be..." Fatty Sister really hadn't thought about that. If she could really have that kind of life in the future, how wonderful that would be.
“Yes, it will,” Song Fenglan said. “When we were kids, we never imagined that electrical appliances would develop so well.”
"That's true, but I don't know how many years we'll have to wait," said the plump woman.
“Soon,” Song Fenglan said. “In just a few years, before Xiaohu even graduates from elementary school, your family will already be using those things.”
"If that's the case, then it will indeed be very fast," said the plump woman. "The only problem is that we might have the ingredients, but not enough money."
“These things will go down in price,” Song Fenglan said. “If they don’t go down in price, it means wages have gone up.”
Song Fenglan thought that money should grow relatively steadily over a period of time, expanding little by little. But sometimes the expansion is so rapid that suddenly the money becomes worthless. If it expands by a few percent a year, after a few years it will expand to 100%, which is a very frightening rate.
"Will the mangoes planted in the yard grow?" the plump woman asked.
“They can grow,” Song Fenglan said. “Isn’t there an area in the south of the city that’s been planted with mangoes for landscaping? The mangoes there are growing quite well.”
Song Fenglan had been out and about and had encountered similar situations. The mangoes by the roadside absorbed a lot of car exhaust, yet people still picked and ate them. In those days, many people didn't have enough to eat, and they didn't care whether the mangoes contained excessive heavy metals or other substances; they only knew that these things were edible.
Few people in the residential compound would bother picking mangoes there, mainly because those places are quite a distance away. If people from other streets were to pick up mangoes from there, people would talk.
“I’ll have my husband get a mango tree too,” said the plump woman. “It would be great if it could grow. A bayberry tree or a longan tree would be nice too.”
“Okay.” Song Fenglan nodded.
"Can be planted"
"There are quite a few fruit trees, but the yard is a bit small, so we can't plant that many," said Fatty Sister.
"It's alright, just plant a few," Song Fenglan said.
“That’s true. If it’s just for our own consumption, we don’t need to plant too many,” said the plump woman.
When kids are playing, they don't think about taking a nap at all; they just want to keep playing.
Song Fenglan noticed that Qin Zihang's eyelids were drooping, but he was still staring at the TV.
"If you feel sleepy, go take a nap. After you wake up, you can continue playing," Song Fenglan said.
"When you wake up, you have to do your homework," Qin Zihang said. "You can't just play all the time, or you'll ruin your health."
"..." Song Fenglan did not force Qin Zihang to do these things, but Qin Zihang knew he should learn on his own.
"I'll take Xiaohu and the others back to rest," said the chubby woman. Qin Zihang was about to take a nap, so they shouldn't disturb others here.
Zhang Xiaohu was reluctant to go back; he still wanted to watch TV. Before he could even open his mouth, Fatty Sister glared at him, and Zhang Xiaohu dared not say he wanted to stay any longer.
Song Fenglan saw what the fat woman was doing; one look from her and Zhang Xiaohu was terrified. Song Fenglan glanced at Qin Zihang. Although she hadn't been particularly harsh, her son was relatively well-behaved. Song Fenglan didn't want to always be cold to her child; she worried that being cold too often would damage her skin.
The children dispersed, and Qin Yizhou turned off the TV. He then took Qin Zihang to his room to rest. Qin Zihang lay down and quickly fell asleep.
Qin Zihang planted fruit trees and ate pastries in the morning, which is why he felt sleepy so easily. He didn't eat much for lunch, just pastries. That wasn't a problem; he could eat something else when he got hungry.
While Qin Zihang was sleeping, an accident occurred in the family compound's tenement building. A child, about five years old, fell from the fifth floor. Fortunately, an awning below provided some shelter, and the child survived and was taken to the hospital.
The corridor railings in the tenement buildings aren't very high, and it's easy for a child to climb over and fall down the corridor while lying on a stool. Some people leave their children alone at home when they go out to buy groceries, and when no one is home, the children think they need to find an adult. Some children are completely unaware of the danger and climb onto the stool and simply climb over.
In the evening, Song Fenglan heard what the fat woman said.
"That child was lucky; something stopped him, so it wasn't too serious. He still needs to be checked out at the hospital," said the plump woman. "All the adults in the family went out, and no one was watching the child. The child's mother went to buy groceries and thought the child was sleeping, so she left him at home."
The plump woman sighed. That was a five-story building! A child just fell like that. Now, she still feels lucky that Zhang Xiaohu only fell from a tree that wasn't very tall. If he had fallen from the fifth floor, she couldn't even imagine what would have happened to him.
"The guardrail isn't high enough," Song Fenglan said.
"Raising the railings won't make much difference unless it's completely enclosed," the plump woman said. "That child is a bit too old to even go outside. If he were at home, he could easily fall out anyway. The windows and such are still empty, aren't they?"
Sister Pang had been to the tenement building; some families had added bars to their windows, while others didn't.
“Those with children at home still need to be careful,” said the plump woman. “You don’t necessarily have to wait until the children are asleep to go grocery shopping. It’s not impossible to take the children with you when you go grocery shopping. Fortunately, we live in a single-story house. Single-story houses have many shortcomings, but at least the children won’t fall from the fifth floor.”
"It's a matter of probability," Song Fenglan said. "The main problem is that no one was watching the child, and none of the neighbors came out. Of course, something went wrong."
“It’s not good to let the neighbors see the child while he’s sleeping,” said the plump woman. “I can’t just take the child to the neighbor’s house and let them watch him directly. Taking care of a child is really not easy, especially if you don’t have your in-laws around and you’re taking care of the child all by yourself. And if something happens to the child, you don’t know who to blame.”
"Yes." Song Fenglan nodded, which was also why she wanted Madam Su to take better care of Qin Zihang.
As adults, they may not consider every aspect thoroughly, and there may be many things they haven't thought of. Having someone around the child makes them feel much more at ease, and the danger is indeed much less.
“After something like this happened, I wonder what that family will think, and whether they still want to live in the tenement building,” said the plump woman. “Back then, some people even went so far as to secretly report on others and play the victim in order to live in the tenement building, just because they didn’t want to live in a single-story house.”
“They won’t be thinking about living in bungalows anymore. If something happens, it’s because they were careless. They can just be more careful in the future,” Song Fenglan said. “Most families’ children are fine. We can’t ignore problems and avoid seeking medical help.”
"I don't know about them, let them be." Fatty was actually relieved; she was really afraid that something even more serious would happen to someone as troublesome as Zhang Xiaohu.
If the child is alright, all is well. But if something were to happen to the child, the relationship between the couple would never be the same again. In the future, when they think about what happened today, they will inevitably blame each other.
"Yes." Song Fenglan nodded. No matter what era it is, you have to be careful when living in a high-rise building and take good care of the children.
Aunt Pang was worried that Zhang Xiaohu would continue to run and jump around recklessly, so she told her son not to run around aimlessly and not to climb over the school corridors. The school is at a certain height, and a child can climb if he wants to.
That's how it is when you're in a tall building. Children can't fly, so adults have to teach them. But children don't understand those things; they still think they can fly like birds in the sky.
That evening, when Li Hui saw Guo Peng return, she told him about Guo's mother taking away the pastries.
“I only ate two pieces, and each piece of pastry was very small,” Li Hui said. “I didn’t know it was from Song Fenglan. If I had known, I wouldn’t have touched it. That piece of pastry was so small that you could have stuffed it all into your mouth in one bite. Your mother was afraid I would eat too much, so she immediately took the pastry to your sister’s room.”
Li Hui felt very dissatisfied when she thought about Guo's mother's actions.
“Your mother has a problem with me,” Li Hui said. “When I see her, she’s like a mute. She’ll call my name once and then not say anything else. When I go to see Fan Yani, your mother is still like that. People who don’t know the situation would think I’m going to make things difficult for Fan Yani. If we didn’t live so close, I really wouldn’t want to go. If I don’t go, people will say I’m cold-hearted. But if I do go, your mother is always like this, it’s heartbreaking to see her like this.”
"What do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you." Guo Peng thought to himself that those pastries weren't from his own family, but from Fan Yani's.
"Your mother..."
"She was afraid that Yani would be unhappy," Guo Peng explained. "Mom didn't want to take advantage of Yani."
"Taking advantage? How much advantage did we gain? It's not like we go there every day to take advantage," Li Hui said. "It's only because Fan Yani is in postpartum confinement that I went to see her a couple of times. Do you think I wanted to go? Seeing her child reminds me of my unborn child."
At the time, Li Hui never imagined she was pregnant. If she had known, she would have stayed in bed and rested, and definitely wouldn't have taken the college entrance exam. Anyway, she didn't pass the exam, and her score was even lower than Fan Yani's, leading people to say she was inferior to Fan Yani.
Li Hui looked down at her stomach; she truly missed that child. She knew that even if she hadn't taken the college entrance exam, she might not have been able to give birth to the baby. But she could still think about it, just in case.
"Don't think about it anymore." Guo Peng knew Li Hui was heartbroken. "That child wasn't meant to be with us."
Guo Peng desperately wanted a child, but there was nothing he could do. The child was gone, and they couldn't live in the past or keep thinking about that child. Guo Peng felt even more distressed thinking about Li Hui's difficulty conceiving, but he couldn't show it to avoid upsetting his wife.
“It’s good that there are no children, then your mother won’t have to take care of me,” Li Hui said. “If I asked her to take care of me, she would definitely be very unhappy. She never wanted me to be her daughter-in-law; she wanted Fan Yani to be her daughter-in-law. Fan Yani’s first child was a boy, and everyone says Fan Yani is good, that her husband is lucky, and that you are unlucky.”
"Let them talk. I feel very fortunate," Guo Peng said. "Being able to marry you is the greatest blessing in my life."
"All you know how to do is say nice things to coax me," Li Hui said.
"I'm not just trying to comfort you," Guo Peng said. "I'm telling the truth."
Whenever Li Hui felt she had been taken advantage of, she would talk to Guo Peng and ask him to comfort her. Li Hui didn't just rely on Guo Peng...
She told others that if anyone asked her, she would say that Guo's mother took the pastries away.
Li Hui thought that if she couldn't talk about Song Fenglan, couldn't she at least talk about her mother-in-law?
Guo Peng didn't think his mother was petty. The relationship between his family and Fan Yani and Song Fenglan was somewhat delicate. His mother had been here for several days, and he guessed she knew what had happened, which was why she acted that way.
When Fan Yani talked to Yue Hongwei about the pastries, she didn't think Guo's mother was wrong. It was just that Guo's mother taking the pastries away in front of Li Hui would definitely upset Li Hui.
“The pastries that Sister Fenglan gave to our family were not for my sister-in-law,” Fan Yani said.
"She's here again?" Yue Hongwei asked.
“I guess she was afraid people would say she didn’t come, so she came to check on me,” Fan Yani said. “She didn’t do anything else, just sat there and said a few words. She was all pretentious. To be honest, I really can’t like her.”
Fan Yani thought that even Gao Xiuxiu was a bit better than Li Hui; at least Gao Xiuxiu wouldn't consider marrying a married man. Li Hui wasn't a very good person to begin with. She didn't like Guo Peng, but she still married him anyway, and she had no intention of spending much time with the Guo family.
If Guo's mother hadn't come, she probably wouldn't have seen Li Hui.
"Not to mention her, there's your older brother..." Yue Hongwei didn't have a good feeling about Guo Peng. Li Hui didn't know that Guo Peng had a child bride, but didn't Guo Peng himself know? "Just take good care of yourself and don't think about these things."
“Lying down all day without thinking is so boring,” Fan Yani said.
"Would you like to read a book?" Yue Hongwei asked.
"Forget it," Fan Yani said. "I don't plan to take the college entrance exam again. I got such a bad score before, so it's the same if I take it again. If I don't pass, I have to accept it. If I'm just a little short of passing, I'll definitely study more and try my best to pass."
“Read other books,” Yue Hongwei said.
"What other books are you going to read? 'Dream of the Red Chamber' or 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'?" Fan Yani asked. "I don't really like reading those kinds of books."
In her past life, Fan Yani had watched many related TV series and read numerous fan fiction novels. After reading so many, Fan Yani no longer wanted to read the original works. It wasn't that the original works weren't good enough, but rather that she didn't consider herself to have such high literary cultivation. She was just an ordinary person and had no intention of becoming more cultured.
Around 7 p.m., Song Fenglan received a call from her second brother, who planned to come and check on her.
"Are you really planning to come?" Song Fenglan asked. "Second Brother, you don't need to pay attention to what Zihang said, he..."
"Don't you want me to come over?" Brother Song asked.
"Not really," Song Fenglan replied. "It's just that it's so far away, and it would be quite uncomfortable to come by train."
"It's alright, I'll just go and see where you're staying now," said Brother Song. "Your parents miss you a lot and want to go see you."
Fortunately, neither of Song's parents works, so they can come out. As for Song's second brother, he can ask for leave.
“Then when you come over, be careful on the way,” Song Fenglan said. “If Mom and Dad come, please take good care of them. They are old and can’t take the journey. Buy sleeper berths, not hard seats.”
"Don't worry, we know what we're doing," said Brother Song. "If we don't have enough rooms, we can stay at the guesthouse."
“There are rooms available,” Song Fenglan said. “We also have blankets at home, so come over.”
"Is my second uncle coming?" Qin Zihang stared at Song Fenglan.
“Yes, your second uncle is coming over.” Song Fenglan handed the phone to Qin Zihang.
"Second Uncle, Second Uncle," Qin Zihang said, "Come and keep Hangbao company. Hangbao can write many, many words now, and can do arithmetic. Today, he also planted a bayberry tree and a mango tree."
Qin Zihang was very happy. When he went to his maternal grandparents' house for the Chinese New Year, his second uncle treated him very well.
"Okay, we'll bring Hangbao some good food," said Brother Song.
"Second Uncle, we have lots of delicious food at home too, please come and have some," Qin Zihang said with a smile. "Mom recommended so many cakes, I'm already stuffed."
“Your maternal grandmother said she’ll make it for you when she gets there,” said Song Erge.
"Okay, okay." Qin Zihang was very happy.
Qin Zihang spoke with Song Erge for a while before hanging up the phone.
"Mom, Mom, Uncle, Grandpa, and Grandma are coming over. Should we tidy up the room?" Qin Zihang asked. "I can tidy up the room, and I can let them sleep in it. I'll sleep with Mom and Dad."
Qin Yizhou looked at Qin Zihang, suspecting that Qin Zihang wanted to sleep with them.
"You really know how to think," Qin Yizhou said.
"My maternal grandparents have one room, my second uncle has one room, and I have one room with my parents," Qin Zihang counted on his fingers.
There's also a small storage room in the house; it's not big enough to put a bed in, so it's used for storing odds and ends. It's a single-story house with three large rooms, which is already quite good.
The living room and bedrooms alone cover an area of over 100 square meters, not including the yard. This is one of the reasons why Song Fenglan likes single-story houses; the spaciousness is great for both storing things and for her mood.
"You'll sleep with your second uncle," Qin Yizhou said. "You've never slept with your second uncle before, have you?"
"..." Qin Zihang's eyes widened. He obviously hadn't expected this answer. He hadn't thought about sleeping with his second uncle.
"If you don't sleep with your second uncle, won't he think you don't like him?" Qin Yizhou said. "Isn't it more appropriate for the two of you to share a room?"
"I..." Qin Zihang couldn't possibly say he didn't like his second uncle. He turned to his mother, hoping she would say something. Seeing that his mother didn't speak, Qin Zihang asked again, "Does my second uncle kick off the blankets?"
"I don't know," Song Fenglan said.
"Don't you understand?" Qin Zihang asked, somewhat conflicted.
"It'll only be a few days. You won't have the chance to sleep with your second uncle in the future," Qin Yizhou said. He was thinking that if it didn't work out, his son would have to sleep with him and Song Fenglan, but he didn't say that now.
"Okay, I'll sleep with my second uncle." Qin Zihang quickly gave in. It was only for a few days, and he was a good boy. He couldn't let his second uncle think that he didn't like him. He still liked his second uncle very much. "My bed is big too, not small at all."
Qin Yizhou thought he would have to say a few more words, but Qin Zihang agreed so quickly.
"Dad, we need to tidy up the rooms, and we also need to tidy up the room where Grandpa and Grandma sleep," Qin Zihang said. "There need to be blankets and quilts, and they need to be soft."
"Do you even need to tell me?" Qin Yizhou said.
Qin Yizhou planned to make a good impression. He felt that neither he nor his family had given Song Fenglan and her son much, while the Song family had given them a lot. The Song family was coming to visit, and Qin Yizhou needed to prepare the rooms and everything else before they arrived.
"Mom, are you happy to see your mother?" Qin Zihang asked.
"Yes, I'm very happy, it's impossible for me not to be happy," Song Fenglan said.
"I'm so happy to be with my mom," Qin Zihang said, lying on his mother's lap. "I love my mom so much."
"..." Qin Yizhou looked at Qin Zihang, this son really knows how to coax his mother.
Mr. and Mrs. Song, along with their second brother, decided to go to Nancheng, while their eldest brother and sister-in-law stayed in the capital with their child. Aunt Tao was also in the capital. Before going to Nancheng, Mrs. Song visited their third aunt.
Aunt Song lived alone in a detached little villa. She had planted some flowers and plants in the yard. When the weather was nice, she would lie on a deck chair in the yard; when the weather was bad, she would stay inside.
Normally, Aunt Song would still go out to buy groceries, but since there was a refrigerator at home, she could buy more at once, so she didn't have to go out every day. Aunt Song had become much more of a homebody than before; now she felt that living a peaceful life was enough, and she didn't need to think about so many things.
"Want to come to Nancheng together?" Song's mother asked, looking at Song's third aunt lying in the courtyard.
“I’m not going,” said Aunt Song.
"Isn't your daughter also going to the south of the city?" Song's mother knew a little, but not much, and didn't ask any further questions.
“Yes, she’s from the Tang family, not the Song family,” said Aunt Song. “If you go there, you don’t need to pay any attention to her. The Tang family doesn’t care about the Song family and won’t help us at all, so we don’t need to help them either.”
Even if Tang Lu is Aunt Song's biological daughter, Aunt Song still has this attitude.
How good can the Tang family be?
Tang Lu has the blood of the Tang family, but not all of her blood is that of Aunt Song.
Aunt Song was very cold towards her children. She had no intention of traveling around; she just wanted to stay quietly in one place. She had suffered a lot on the farm, and now she didn't want to wander around. How comfortable it would be to bask in the warm sun!
“Go and see Fenglan. Fenglan is a good girl.” Aunt Song San knew that it was thanks to Song Fenglan that they were able to return to the farm sooner and get their property back sooner.
You should know that some of those who were later exonerated cannot get back what they once owned, even after applying many times, as the authorities just keep dragging their feet. Others said they had donated things, even if they were forced to, and now it's impossible for them to get those things back.
Aunt Song wasn't a brainless person. She didn't say that because she was already married, she shouldn't have suffered those hardships. Aunt Song had long since figured it out: when living in this world, one should think more about oneself and not always foolishly think about others, because others are unlikely to think much about them.
"Should we inform the Qin family?" Aunt Song asked.
"I didn't plan to tell you," said Song's mother.
“If you don’t tell them, people will think you want them to give you something to take with them.” Aunt Song snorted coldly. “They’re only slightly better than the Tang family, but not by much.”
Given the circumstances of that era, it's understandable that Qin's parents disapproved of Qin Yizhou's marriage to Song Fenglan. However, the subsequent actions of the Qin family were quite unpleasant.
"Keep them at a distance," said Aunt Song. "They're not exactly high-quality goods."
Mother Song didn't think her third aunt's tone was bad. After all she'd been through, it was already a miracle she hadn't gone mad. Mother Song had once seen someone who had gone insane, acting strangely, with messy hair and clothes, and even when others attacked them, they would just laugh.
Sometimes, Song's mother wondered if this person was truly insane or just pretending. Either way, that person was having a very difficult time. Song's mother was also afraid that her family would break down; as an elder, she had to endure it all, to set an example for her children, and not to give in.
No one specifically told the Qin family that the Song family had gone to Nancheng; the Qin family only found out two days after the Song family had left.
"Why didn't they say anything when they went to the south of the city?" Qin's mother couldn't help but complain as she sat in the living room chatting with her family.
"Why are you telling us? Are we taking things and asking them to take them to Yizhou?" Qin Erjie asked. "Does the Song family lack even a little something? They can easily prepare it themselves and take it to their younger brother and sister-in-law."
Qin's mother looked at Qin's second daughter, who was like a firecracker. Every time she said something, her daughter would say something harsh that made her feel very uncomfortable.
"You can bring something for Zihang," Qin's mother said.
"Then let me ask you, what did you prepare for Zihang? There's nothing at home, are you going to buy it at the last minute?" Sister Qin sneered. "Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think the Song family forced you to buy it. It's better not to see it and not to bother us."
"Whose daughter are you?" Qin's mother asked.
"Yours, yours." Second Sister Qin rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm your daughter, I have to go to the countryside and suffer. The Song family, even when they were in trouble, still wanted to keep their daughter in the city. Only you, who clearly have a way to keep your daughter in the city, insist on sending her to the countryside just to save face and get people to praise you."
"You..." Qin's mother clutched her chest in anger, "How...how can you talk about your own family like that?"
"What I say sounds nicer, but what others say doesn't sound so good," said Qin Erjie. "Look at what other people's children are like, and then look at ours. Look at the two children Tian Keshu left behind, they're already going astray. Mom, you have time to worry about others, you should worry about them more!"
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