Before Hua Xiangyun and her family could decide what to do, a neighbor brought over a cooked meal.
"Tian Guihua, stop refusing. This isn't for you to eat. Xiangyun did so well on the exam this time, she's brought honor to our courtyard." Taking advantage of his small stature, Liu Tiezhu twisted and squeezed into the courtyard.
He was willing to risk his reputation so that his grandson could get good grades in the future; there was nothing shameful about it.
He placed a bowl full of fish directly on the table, and when he saw the chicken soup and cured meat on the table, a look of surprise flashed across his face.
Not forgetting the purpose of their visit, he quickly praised, "It seems this is a celebration banquet. These dishes look and smell delicious. Perfect timing, Grandpa Liu will also add a dish for you. I wish Xiangyun all the best in her studies and a bright future."
It's said that you can't hit a smiling face, so even if Tian Guihua had a lot of complaints, she could only smile and pour him a glass of water. "How could I let you go to so much trouble? We've already cooked enough dishes today. Why don't you take them back for the children..."
“Those kids aren’t good enough for this yet,” Liu Tiezhu said, clearly implying that he was telling them to leave. “When they achieve the same level of success as Xiangyun, I’ll treat them to a few tables.”
Tian Guihua thought to herself, "If your son could really get grades like my granddaughter, I'd throw a big party for you..."
It wasn't that she was complacent; Xiangyun had always been among the top students since childhood, while the Liu family's boys were all below average.
Liu Tiezhu's words sounded like empty promises. Why didn't he promise something bigger, like a three-day banquet? Does he even have the financial means for that? He's really just bragging without thinking...
Tian Guihua smiled broadly, "Your sons are all quite good, very filial to you, and will definitely have a bright future."
“Those kids are good, but they just lack an opportunity,” Liu Tiezhu said, pulling up a stool, sitting down, and drinking water. He had finally managed to get a chance to visit them today, so he had to try his best.
Knowing this dish wouldn't taste so good, Tian Guihua pouted and gestured for Hua Xiangyun to go to the kitchen to help her grandfather.
As soon as Hua Xiangyun left, Liu Tiezhu became restless, as he had come to ask this very person for help.
"Why are you letting the child into the kitchen?"
Tian Guihua said, "His grandfather said he would cook his favorite sauerkraut fish for the child, so I let the child learn how to make it so that he won't miss out on it when he goes to school."
Tian Guihua glanced again at the bowl of fish on the table. There was already fish in the house, so this was really unnecessary…
Liu Tiezhu knew perfectly well that the Hua family had no shortage of fish to eat; it was just that the only meat and vegetables they could currently provide were these smoked fish.
You can't just bring a bowl of stir-fried vegetables to someone's door, that would be even more unseemly.
Liu Tiezhu rummaged around and thought that his second daughter-in-law's cooking was pretty good. "So Xiangyun likes pickled fish. Her second aunt's cooking is quite good. I'll have her make it next time and send it over."
Today, we must establish a good relationship no matter what. The little girl is shy, and maybe things will work out that way.
Tian Guihua sighed, "Comrade Liu, I know what you mean, and you have to understand our difficulties. Everyone wants the information we have, but it's not good to give it to anyone. If we give it to this person, we'll offend that person..."
When Liu Tiezhu heard that she had finally brought up this topic, he immediately perked up. "Comrade Tian Guihua, we can understand your difficulties. But we are all elders, and who doesn't want the best for their children?"
Look, we've been neighbors for decades, all moved in at the same time, so our relationship is naturally much better than other families. If you hand over the documents to me, I'll definitely tell my children to cherish them.
As for the other families, if they dare to come looking for trouble, feel free to let them come looking for me.
Tian Guihua pouted, saying that in the end she was going to offend everyone. "Comrade Liu, what you said makes a lot of sense, but we're in a difficult position. Look, some people have even come to us kids for help."
Their talk of brotherhood and kinship is just putting us in a really difficult position!
These people are very unethical. They all try to use past relationships to pressure us, but after living here for decades, who doesn't have some kind of relationship with whom?
Liu Tiezhu used "old neighbor," while others used "relatives."
Liu Tiezhu: "...If that really doesn't work, I won't take it all. Just get me a set so the kids can watch it together..."
"You've got quite the nerve..."
Hua Xiangyun listened intently in the kitchen. This matter really needed to be resolved as soon as possible, or she would never get any peace and quiet.
Hua Guangzong was amused by Hua Xiangyun's earnest attempt to eavesdrop.
"Don't worry, since these things are going to be given away anyway, how can we make people remember our family's kindness if we don't work things out?" Hua Guangzong said confidently. "You should live the same way in the future, including how you treat your two older brothers. If you want to help them, you should have a bottom line."
Although they are your own brothers, our family doesn't have the concept of helping your maternal family.
If you go abroad in the future and they come to you with problems, you can't help them unconditionally.
Now that everyone has their own families, even siblings should still be mindful of what needs to be considered.
Hua Guangzong looked at his granddaughter and worried that she might be influenced by her mother and help her maternal family in the future.
If you just want to live a good life, the husband and wife need to work together. What kind of nonsense is it for the wife's family to get involved?
He and Xingshun used to be such good brothers, but because of his wife's actions, they became estranged. They didn't talk about it usually, but their interactions weren't as comfortable as before.
Hua Xiangyun was deeply moved by the old man's heartfelt words. In any other family, she would never have thought of such a thing. "Grandpa, I know what I'm talking about."
Many families outwardly claim they don't favor sons over daughters, but in reality, they still hope their married daughters can help their natal family, though they don't show it so obviously.
The old man in front of me showed favoritism in his actions, but treated everyone equally in terms of treatment.
To paraphrase what they used to say, how many years can a girl stay at home? Naturally, she should be pampered a bit.
However, this pampering was not without limits; the two elderly people never hesitated to teach and teach what needed to be taught.
In their words, their son and daughter-in-law had already suffered a huge loss, so they naturally had to be more attentive to their grandchildren, lest they be ruined by their unreliable parents.
Hua Guangzong then plated the fish and placed it directly on the table. "Brother Tiezhu, it's almost lunchtime. Why don't you just grab something to eat at home?"
Liu Tiezhu glanced at the dishes on the table and said, "You call this just a casual meal?"
However, he still had some pride, saying, "My family has already cooked my meal, so I won't bother them today."
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