"Mother!"
"Why!"
Catching the little chubby baby who pounced on him, Jian Dan couldn't help but smile. She patted her belly; after eating a rather large orange, the little one's tummy was already bulging.
"Are you full?"
The little one patted his belly.
"It's delicious, I'm full! Mom, let's go home. Brother, let's find milk."
Jian Dan didn't even have time to talk to anyone else; she just had to comfort the baby.
"Do you miss Grandma? Do you want to play with your brother?"
When they got on the bus, Qin Qingze and his wife came to see them off, carrying large and small bags—gifts for the elderly, for their son, and for their little one.
Sun Jianhong held the child and muttered to herself. The little one didn't quite understand, but he could still understand what his grandparents and older brother were saying.
After being away from home for so many days, even though his parents, grandparents, and uncles are all around him, suddenly he has no playmates of his own age, and he's been wandering around all day. The novelty wears off after a day or two, and after all this time, the little guy is starting to get a bit unhappy.
"I want an older brother, a grandmother, and a grandfather."
"Okay, our little one is homesick,"
Holding her little one in her arms, Jian Dan felt a surge of joy. Her child was so young, yet already able to distinguish family members and remember who had been kind to her.
"We're going home now, and we'll see Grandpa, Grandma, and my brother tomorrow, okay?"
Qin Qinghuai felt a pang of sadness. He had lived for over thirty years, and even he rarely had such a concrete image of homesickness. Home had never felt so intimate or so urgent to him. Yet his little one, who was not even a year old, already longed for home.
For over thirty years, his childhood was monotonous and lonely. His son made up for all his regrets and deficiencies, and even had richer and more delicate emotions than him. In every respect, his son's childhood was happier than his.
"Good job, girl. Grandma and Grandpa will be so happy when they find out."
The little one didn't understand; he was still caught up in the excitement of going home.
"Go home, Dad, go home, go home, go home, find, brother, orange paper, give, give to brother."
"Okay, okay, give them to your brother, give them all to your brother."
The little one excitedly bounced around on the ground.
"Give to brother, give to grandma, grandpa, seventh."
The little one is really a very well-behaved child. For the rest of the journey, he didn't encounter any annoying brats. He just ate, slept, and played. The thought of going home was always on his mind. He talked about it before going to sleep and when he woke up. You could say that the little one was excited until he got off the bus in the county town.
Qin Qingze had spoken to Qin Qingjiang on the phone, so as soon as they got off the car, they saw Qin Qingjiang who had come to pick them up. The little boy had met him once before, but he didn't remember him. He looked at Qin Qingjiang like a stranger. But since they were blood relatives, the two became familiar with each other over a meal.
"Third brother, to be honest, I never thought that our Qin family would have a little girl to hold. You're definitely much better than those brats."
"Yan Yan, do you like your brother? Let your brother take you to play, okay?"
"elder brother?"
The little one stood up straight from the stool.
"Brother! I want my brother!"
"Why!"
Qin Qingjiang sighed.
Are Qin Jing, Qin Ming, and Qin Shao all obedient?
He's already in his forties, middle-aged, and he's ended up like this. His wife and children are mostly gone; it's impossible for him not to be despondent. If it weren't for his parents and children, he'd probably just want to find a corner to hide in.
"I haven't seen them for more than half a year. They're over forty years old, have accomplished nothing, and their own children still have to be raised by their parents."
The atmosphere immediately became somber. I simply held the little one on my lap, fed him a cup of yogurt, and didn't disturb them.
After a long silence, Qin Qinghuai patted his older brother on the shoulder. What could be said? Was it fate playing tricks? Or simply bad luck in choosing the wrong person?
Although it was indeed a mess caused by meeting the wrong person, judging from his expression, it's best not to criticize him further at this point.
"Big brother, they are all doing well, really. Qin Jing is already a little man. He usually takes care of the younger ones."
Qin Ming and Qin Shao are both very obedient. Last autumn, they were the ones who cleaned up our garden together with Xiao Rui and Xiao An. Don't worry, these kids are all sensible, capable, and have all grown up.
Besides, I'm their third uncle. What else do you have to worry about?
Although I'm not very skilled, I'm telling you, I won't hold back against them. Just don't worry about it later.
I say these things almost every time we meet; it's become a repetitive phrase.
It might also be related to the fact that he is the eldest son, so his sense of responsibility is exceptionally strong. He always feels that his family, his parents, and his younger brothers are all his responsibilities, not to mention his own children. In addition, it was his wife who made the mistake, so after this incident, his parents have come to terms with it, but he is still somewhat conflicted and torn.
"What's there to feel sorry for? An uncle is also a father, it's only natural for you to discipline them,"
He turned his attention to simplicity.
"It's just that we're causing trouble for our younger siblings. Other people's third brother only needs to take care of his own family, but in our family, he also has to take care of our parents and nephews."
In fact, a crucial factor in mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships is the man in the middle, and another is the attitude of both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. Clearly, Jian Dan has never worried about this aspect, so she has no objections to this matter.
"Brother, we're all family now. Isn't it too formal for you to say that?"
Qinghuai is your younger brother. I won't say that your business is his business. If I did, you might think it's too fake and that I'm exaggerating, but the blood relationship is unbreakable.
Moreover, your parents are not only your parents, Qinghuai also has responsibilities.
Nephew, although it's not our zither that will be given to your child, you said yourself that your uncle is also a father. You see, you understand this yourself, so what are you still hesitating about?
If you were to say we're like a poor family, so poor they can't even afford to eat, I might hesitate. But in our family, we can at least guarantee basic food and clothing.
Moreover, as an aunt, let me be realistic: my children are all grown up now. I don't need to change their diapers or feed them anymore. They can take care of themselves and even help me with chores.”
She pointed to the little baby in her arms.
"Soon, they can also help me take care of the kids. Brother, I know this sounds harsh, but think about it, we won't lack food or drink, I won't have to spend any money, and I can even slack off. This is a huge benefit for me. Why would I mind? Don't you think that makes sense?"
Qin Qingjiang was taken aback by what Jian Dan said. He knew Jian Dan was deliberately saying the unpleasant things to tell him not to overthink it, but his relief was indescribable.
"Sister-in-law, I'm not being polite with you, but thank you!"
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