Hu Aifen carried a bowl of rice and a bowl of reserved stir-fried cabbage upstairs to deliver the food.
Liu Changhong glanced at the auntie who was cooking and said, "Go upstairs and call your sister Chen down for dinner."
Shen Xiuting had already come up with a plan, but she just didn't want to go down there. She had never done any housework since she was a child. She did learn some skills after getting married, but after the two came to Haishi, she hired a nanny under the pretext that taking care of the child was too tiring. Liu Changhong did not object, so for so many years, apart from her own underwear, she had never done anything else.
When she heard that she was being called to dinner, she went downstairs. Everyone at the table hadn't touched their chopsticks and was waiting for her.
"I'm feeling a little dizzy, you guys hurry up and eat. Otherwise it'll get cold."
The only dishes on the table were egg sauce and cabbage, which were all eaten. The three dishes prepared by the nanny were barely touched.
Hu Aifen came downstairs, and they had already eaten half of their meal. They sat down next to Liu Aimin to eat.
After dinner, the nanny cleaned up the kitchen, and the family sat in the living room.
"Second Master, Second Madam, Mom and Dad, I have to go now. I'll come pick you up tonight and take you to my place to stay."
“Okay, you can pick up your dad, I'll take care of Ma Li.”
"Why would we need to pick you up? There's accommodation right here," Liu Changhong said.
Liu Jingze didn't reply, he just nodded.
"Jingze, come over tonight and buy pork, ribs, beef, mutton, and fish."
"Okay, Mom, I'm leaving now."
After seeing her son off, Hu Aifen rushed into the kitchen and braised pig's trotters and ribs. She had originally intended to make soup, but looking at their meals, she knew no one was cooking for Ma Li. Although she didn't think much of her daughter-in-law, the die was cast; their grandson had already been born. She couldn't control the situation while she was away, but since she was here, she would definitely take good care of her.
The couple has been married for almost thirty years. They still have an unspoken understanding; Liu Aimin knows that his wife is just trying to scare them, so he will just go along with what she says.
“Aimin, you can stay at home.”
“Uncle, we’ve been here for quite a while now, and it’s not right for us to keep squeezing in with Jingze all the time.”
"It's fine now, you should stay a little longer."
"Before I left, Grandma told me to wait for you all to come back together. Now my parents are back home, and Hongmei is taking care of Grandma, so it wouldn't be a problem for me to stay for two or three years."
Shen Xiuting sat to one side smiling, but inwardly she was cursing.
"Okay, I'll go back with you when I retire."
Soon, the aroma of meat wafted from the kitchen. To be honest, Liu Changhong really didn't like Shanghai cuisine; even after all these years, he still found it hard to get used to. But his wife, afraid of being laughed at, had specifically asked this southerner to cook for him. The dishes were neither sweet nor salty enough, or just boiled. He really wanted to eat braised pork.
"Changhong, I'll go and tidy up rooms for Aimin and the others. There's no room upstairs, so they can stay downstairs."
Shen Xiuting left after saying that. The room she opened was the one where Liu Aimin's eldest daughter used to live.
The uncle and nephew sat in the living room, talking about family matters, all of which were harmless trifles.
"Aimin, did Zhang Hongmei from our village marry a leader?"
This will be known sooner or later, so there's no need to hide it.
"Yes. They are a couple." Liu Aimin didn't say anything else, nor did he ask what answer he should give.
"So, does that mean Jingze was helped by Hongmei?"
"Yes, but Jingze already had some political achievements before, and his foreign language skills were also good, so he got the opportunity."
"It would be great if there was an opportunity. He's in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now, and I reckon he'll definitely get a promotion when he goes back."
"I don't know about that, I don't care about that."
"Second Uncle, my grandma said that if Jingxiang wants to go back, she'll arrange a job for him, but I don't know the specifics."
"Jingxiang, what do you mean?" Liu Changhong asked Liu Jingxiang, who was sitting to the side without saying a word.
"Okay, I'll take my wife and kids back in May."
"You can decide for yourself." Liu Changhong felt a little uneasy. He had raised this child since he was five years old, but he didn't expect that he would decide to go back without any hesitation.
However, I also told myself that maybe Jingxiang knew he would have to go back sooner or later, which is why he agreed so readily.
Liu Jingxiang agreed because of the comparison between the mistress and the mother. The mistress never cooked special meals for Ma Li before, and always said that the family was in financial difficulty, which he believed.
It was his wife who told him that his parents had been sending money here all along, and that the family was paying for the living expenses of the three sisters. So why was the mistress saying this?
Let's go back. Second Master and the others also need to go back.
"Aimin, come with me to the office. Jingxiang, go check on your wife."
The two sat down. "Second Uncle, what's the matter?"
“Aimin, the reason I am still like this now, and that I only have real power, is because I chose the wrong side back then.”
"Second Uncle, you're about to retire, what are you still thinking about?"
"I'm just not reconciled."
Liu Aimin laughed, "You're not reconciled? What's the use of being reconciled? It's not that I don't resent it, but if I were still in the army, would things be like this now? Would I be reconciled?"
Looking at his nephew's smile, Liu Changhong thought back to the past. Originally, the old lady had planned for his nephew to be discovered in the army and his third son to be discovered in politics. But at that time, he was unwilling to accept this, so he broke with his mother and used his wife to get her to stand up for him. That way, the two of them got out. But his wife got pregnant and miscarried on the way and has never been able to get pregnant again since. This must be retribution!
Liu Changhong slumped down dejectedly, head bowed, and remained silent.
After a few minutes, Liu Changhong suddenly looked up at his nephew, Aimin, and asked, "Aimin, are you blaming me?"
"What do you think? If our family still had people in the military, would we be in such a passive position? Forget it, there's nothing more to say to you. You'll be splitting up when you go back, so what will we have to do with each other from now on?"
"But I raised your three children?"
"Then you've paid for raising my child. Don't mention this again. Don't come to me or Jingze for anything in the future."
After Liu Aimin finished speaking, he left the study.
Liu Changhong's eyes were bloodshot. He knew his life was over, that it was all over. He was already lucky to be able to maintain a semblance of success, unlike his father-in-law's family, which was probably only because of his mother's influence.
Be content, this is how it will be from now on. But the thought of Jingxiang returning to the capital makes me feel uneasy.
Liu Aimin opened the door. He paused for a moment when he saw Liu Jingxiang standing at the door. Looking at his complicated expression, he didn't say anything. He probably heard what Liu Jingxiang had said; this child had been raised to be completely incapable of handling things.
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