Chapter 222
As the educated youth gradually returned to the city, the TV factory's residential complex became increasingly noisy. Arguments and fights were considered mild, while some with explosive tempers would resort to knife-wielding.
Sun Yuemei listened to the screams outside and sighed, "Brother and sister-in-law, your family of four is busy working, and there's no one at home. Remember to lock your doors tightly when you go out. Several houses in Daximen Hutong have been robbed."
"If you ask me, Shanshan should just enjoy her life at home and keep the family safe. With three of us making a lot of money, what do we need from Shanshan?"
Sun Yuemei felt a little jealous when she heard this. Her elder brother and his wife lived an easy life, but they didn't bother with their brothers. It was she and Jinghe who took care of the two old people.
Don't say they're taking advantage of the house. If Jinghe wasn't filial, she wouldn't be happy about it. You know, she has to take care of all the big and small things in the family. Not only is it tiring, but the old couple also favor their youngest grandson.
But Sun Yuemei hadn't come to talk about any of this today; she'd come for her son, Fang Yuan. She pleaded, "Brother, can't you be flexible with Fang Yuan's job?" She patted her youngest son's arm and gestured, "Why don't you ask your uncle for help? He's the factory director."
This brat used to be number one in the class, how come he couldn't even pass the factory exam this time?
"Fang Yuan, what do you think?"
"I want to continue with the college entrance examination."
"What are you taking the test for? Are you still unable to forget Liu Qingqing and want to be her classmate?" Upon hearing what her son said, Sun Yuemei immediately exploded and spoke without any regard for the consequences.
Fang Yuan looked embarrassed, while his wife Zhu Zhu kept her head down and said nothing. Little granddaughter Fang Shuqi burrowed into her mother's arms in fear, not daring to raise her head.
In the kitchen, Xu Shanshan and Fang Zhiwen were preparing lunch. When they heard their aunt's sudden loud voice outside, they couldn't help but stop what they were doing. Xu Shanshan leaned close to Fang Zhiwen's ear and asked, "Second brother hasn't forgotten your first love yet?"
"I guess he himself doesn't understand his feelings." He'd lived a muddled life in his previous life. When he was with his second sister-in-law, he was thinking of Liu Qingqing. When he fell in love with Liu Qingqing, he was still obsessed with his second sister-in-law. He couldn't enjoy a good life, but he had to make it more difficult for himself. He always looked like he was trapped in love, but in fact, he was causing trouble for everyone around him.
Xu Shanshan stretched her head and glanced into the living room. She saw Fang Yuan looking frustrated and lonely. She said, "If he really likes Liu Qingqing so much, he can have a child with another woman."
As the two were talking, they saw Zhu Zhu coming into the kitchen with the child in her arms. She pretended nothing had happened and said with a bright smile, "I'm here to help you."
Zhu Zhu knew that the Fang family also had a daughter-in-law from the countryside when she was in the village. To be honest, Xu Shanshan's presence made her feel relieved. However, after seeing Xu Shanshan's appearance, Zhu Zhu's heart was lifted again.
Xu Shanshan is so beautiful, several times prettier than Liu Qingqing, whom Fang Yuan has been thinking about.
Although they all came from other places and were farmers, they were not comparable.
At this time, the chicken soup in the casserole was ready. Seeing Fang Shuqi sitting there picking beans, Xu Shanshan scooped a large chicken leg for her to eat. Zhu Zhu thanked her repeatedly, and Xu Shanshan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, Qiqi is really good."
Qiqi looks about the same age as Hongxia, but is better cared for than Hongxia.
Zhu Zhu touched her daughter's hair and said, "Yes, she has been sensible and considerate since she was young." Even for her daughter, she had to keep this family safe.
She had heard from her mother-in-law that Fang Zhiwen was a self-employed person, and she wanted to find out more about him, but since they were not very familiar with each other, she was too embarrassed to ask.
She thought that she would wait until Fang Yuan's matter was finalized before thinking about it slowly.
Xu Shanshan looked at Fang Shuqi and couldn't help but touch her belly secretly. She had been a little worried recently and was thinking about how to persuade Fang Zhiwen to go to the hospital again.
While she was daydreaming, Peng Shuya also came into the kitchen. She pinched Fang Shuqi's cheeks and saw that the food was ready, so she said, "Let's go eat first."
To celebrate Fang Yuan's return to the city, Peng Shuya went out early in the morning to buy meat and vegetables. The square table was filled with chicken, duck, fish and meat. Peng Shuya picked out the belly of a bream and gave it to Shuqi, while Fang Yuanzhou picked up a large chicken drumstick for her.
In Fang Shuqi's generation, there are only two children including her.
Fang Zimo had been with his mother in the army, and only saw her two or three times a year. Now that Shuqi had returned and was living in the nearby city, everyone except Sun Yuemei was quite happy.
Fang Yuanzhou and Peng Shuya even bought a grandunion for the child as a meeting gift. Liu Cui'e and Fang Yaorong also coveted their great-granddaughter, so they also bought a grandunion. However, at this moment, they didn't pay attention to Fang Shuqi, but frowned at Xu Shanshan.
Liu Cui'e frowned and said, "Zhiwen, your wife's belly is still not moving?"
This woman is not at all restless. Zhiwen spent so much money to marry her, so he must give birth to a child as soon as possible to tie her down.
"Grandma, why are you so anxious to give my daughter a red envelope? Come on, let me keep it for her first." Fang Zhiwen stretched out his hand and asked for money from his grandparents.
Fang Yaorong slapped his palm and said unhappily, "Nonsense."
The old man wants great-grandchildren.
Suddenly Shuqi burst into tears. It turned out that Sun Yuemei was angry and took it out on Zhu Zhu. Seeing that Zhu Zhu was picking up food with chopsticks, she hit her hand with the chopsticks. She accidentally hit Shuqi's hand, and the child immediately cried in pain.
Zhu Zhu hurriedly comforted her daughter, tears streaming down her face. Liu Cui'e frowned and said, "Sun Yuemei, why are you doing this? Are you going to eat or not?"
"Mom, I'm teaching the child rules. You and Dad haven't even started eating much, but she's already been eating non-stop. We're not an ordinary family, so we still have to follow rules, big and small." Sun Yuemei explained quickly.
Seeing his wife frown, Fang Zhiwen immediately sneered, "Aunt, a family that truly respects rules wouldn't set rules for someone else's family. If someone didn't know better, they'd think you were unhappy with my dad's arrangement and were taking it out on us with the kids."
Fang Yuan hadn't passed the written exam, so Fang Yuanzhou naturally couldn't arrange for him to work. He simply said he'd take the exam again next year when the factory was hiring. Fang Yuan wanted to continue taking the college entrance exam, which was naturally what he wanted, but Sun Yuemei wasn't happy about it. Is it appropriate for a young man like him to not work and stay home with his wife and daughter, relying on his parents?
Sun Yuemei was already angry, and now she was even more angry when Fang Zhiwen, a junior, treated her in a sarcastic tone. She pinched Fang Jinghe's arm and said, "You are an independent family, so how do you decide how to handle this?"
As for what Fang Zhiwen said, she simply pretended not to hear it.
She had long experienced Fang Zhiwen's tongue, and most people could not argue with him.
"If Fang Yuan wants to take the exam, then let him. Didn't Zhou Kai from your family compound get admitted to the normal college? My son used to have good grades and a good foundation. He was busy working in the team before and had no time to study. If he comes back and studies seriously for a year, I don't believe he will fail the exam." Fang Jinghe didn't understand why Sun Yuemei was making such a fuss. It's just a one-year leave of absence to take the college entrance examination. What's the big deal?
As soon as these words fell, Sun Yuemei immediately became unhappy. She angrily asked, "He doesn't work, and we are the only ones who support his family of three?"
"What's the big deal? Didn't we rely on our parents back then?" Fang Jinghe asked in surprise. He hadn't expected Sun Yuemei to be reluctant about her son taking the college entrance exam for this very reason.
Sun Yuemei's face flushed red, and she stepped hard on his shoes, thinking that she could never rely on Fang Jinghe in her life.
This guy is just stupid, he can't handle things without his big brother.
Sun Yuemei wanted to make more trouble, but Fang Yaorong got angry and said, "That's enough. It's a rare family reunion, so eat well."
After dinner, Liu Cui'e said again: "Yuemei, go wash the dishes."
"Mom, I'm a guest."
"You're already following the rules at home, so how can you be a guest? Go wash the dishes."
Sun Yuemei was furious, feeling that her mother-in-law had humiliated her in front of her daughter-in-law. How could she have the nerve to discipline her daughter-in-law in the future?
But Liu Cui'e had a strange temper, so she really didn't dare to disobey.
As soon as Sun Yuemei left, the atmosphere in the living room became much more peaceful. Peng Shuya hugged Fang Shuqi and asked, "Is the child in kindergarten?"
"We don't have kindergartens there, so children go straight to primary school at the age of eight. But Fang Yuan taught the child a few words at home."
Liu Cui'e noticed that Fang Shuqi looked a bit like her daughter Fang Youqing when she was little, so she smiled and said, "Fang Yuan will be taking the college entrance exam later, so we should send her to kindergarten. We'll go to the Grain Bureau's kindergarten. I know all the teachers there."
Zhu Zhu glanced at Fang Yuan and said, "I'll listen to Fang Yuan."
At this point, Fang Yuan finally came to his senses. He said perfunctorily, "Okay, you decide."
Zhu Zhu bit her lip. She wanted to say she didn't have much money, but she couldn't bring herself to reveal her secrets in front of others. Fortunately, her uncle and grandparents had given her a red envelope when they met, which was enough to support her family for a while.
But Fang Yuan needs to study for a year, so this money is definitely not enough for that year.
Zhu Zhu was upset. She looked up and saw Fang Zhiwen and Xu Shanshan talking and laughing together. She suddenly felt dazed.
In fact, she and Fang Yuan had experienced such days before, but after Liu Qingqing passed the exam, he suddenly became depressed.
She looked at Fang Yuan who was sitting silently on the sofa, and finally walked over, held his hand and said, "Then you study hard, and I will take care of the family." No matter what, going to college is always a good thing.
Xu Shanshan looked up at Zhu Zhu in surprise. She didn't expect her to be such a nice person. She definitely couldn't do that if it were her.
Xu Shanshan whispered to Fang Zhiwen, "Sister-in-law is a nice person." She seemed to have a good temper. Although she was from the same village as her, she looked quite innocent.
Xu Shanshan thought, Zhu Zhu, the parents who gave her such a name must love their daughter very much.
"That's right." But his decisiveness was also scary.
In the end, his second brother and sister-in-law are like an 8 o'clock melodrama: she loves him, he doesn't love her, and he loves her like this.
Fang Zhiwen thought about it and couldn't help but offer some advice. He really didn't want to be drowned in his uncle and aunt's tears again, and then go and help comfort his dying brother.
Fang Yuan glanced at Xu Shanshan and said to Fang Zhiwen, "Little brother, your life is perfect, how can you understand me?"
This younger brother of his has always had everything he wanted since he was a child.
The same goes for people.
But I am frustrated in everything and can never get what I want.
After hearing these sour words, Fang Zhiwen immediately shut up.
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