Since she had said she was going to visit Liu Kou, Sun Lifang felt she should prepare a small gift for her.
That way, it won't be awkward later.
After delving deeper into the circle of "wealthy women," Sun Lifang realized why people used to love exchanging gifts when they met—
A meeting can spark a connection.
Bringing a gift along will make it easier to start a conversation.
But saying something and doing something are two different things, and Sun Lifang couldn't figure out what the other person liked no matter how much she thought about it.
You mean jewelry, accessories, and clothes?
The person is lying in bed on the verge of death; this is useless to them.
So what should we give as a gift?
Just as Sun Lifang was racking her brains, her gaze swept over her daughter, who was kneeling on a chair in the living room eating "sour wild vegetables".
He sat sloppily, holding a long bamboo skewer and listlessly skewering the fruit in his bowl.
These are snacks that Jiang Meimei made for her.
It's a consensus that parents don't let their children eat junk food. Jiang Meimei, also a mother, is sometimes even stricter with Zhou Xinya than Sun Lifang.
But when they dote on someone, it's genuine pampering.
For example, right now, Zhou Xinya said she wanted to eat pickled mangoes, so Jiang Meimei went out to buy them for her.
But the ridiculous thing is, where did she get the mangoes to sell in December?
Undeterred, Jiang Meimei asked the vegetable market vendor to buy her a box of rock-hard green mangoes for her to keep on hand.
It must be bitter and astringent if eaten alone. Jiang Meimei is from Guangxi, and I don't know what seasonings she added, but she put it in a styrofoam box to pickle it.
Once finished, you'll have crisp, sweet, and refreshing pickled mangoes.
It's just as good as a yellow mango in the height of summer.
It's just as sweet, but a bit crispier.
Not only mangoes, Jiang Meimei also volunteered to move several jars and start pickling radishes, cucumbers, chicken feet, wood ear mushrooms and other fruits and vegetables.
When I don't feel like eating, it's nice to have some with my rice to whet my appetite.
But now, it has a new use—
Sun Lifang took several food storage containers from the cupboard and began to put the pickled fruit inside.
Zhou Xinya, who was in the living room, rushed in and asked, "Mom, Mom, what are you doing?"
Sun Lifang replied, "I'm packing some things to give as gifts."
"Oh—, then Mom, you pack these chicken feet. Aunt Meizi probably hasn't eaten these before." The little girl hurriedly opened another ceramic jar to help her mother.
Zhou Xinya assumed it was a return gift for Aunt Meizi, and was incredibly generous, saying, "Put a little of everything here, but the mangoes—"
When the topic of sour mangoes came up, the little girl's mouth automatically watered. She was a little reluctant, but she still generously said, "Never mind, give them all to Aunt Meizi."
They gave her a camera, so she should reciprocate with some fruit. How could she be so stingy?
But despite these thoughts, children at this age are still in a stage where they have a strong sense of "self-worth and material desires."
Asking them to share without selfishness is too difficult.
Sun Lifang packed five boxes, using all the food storage containers she had at home; the boxes stacked up made a very tall bag.
Today is Sunday, and Sun Lifang gave Jiang Meimei a day off to go home and take care of her son.
Otherwise, it seems that she is becoming less and less concerned about the son she used to fight tooth and nail with her mother-in-law for.
Before, when I stayed at home, all I cared about was my husband and children.
Now that Jiang Meimei has seen a wider world, she no longer cares about her mother-in-law using her son to blackmail her.
Jiang Meimei once told her, "My mother-in-law won't even let me hold the baby. She keeps telling my son, 'Mommy is working outside, she doesn't love the baby anymore.'"
"It doesn't hurt, baby, but grandma hurts—"
This is a way the elderly use to coax children. Jiang Meimei used to get angry about it, but now she's used to it.
She went to tell Li Zhi, but Li Zhi told her, "That's my mom, just teasing the kid. Why are you being so sensitive?"
Yes, you can't be sensitive. The child isn't close to you, and your mother-in-law dotes on the grandson, it's like—
If she were given to her biological mother, it would be as if she, as the grandmother, would lose all "value".
Jiang Meimei couldn't argue with the mother and son, so she decided not to bring them. She should just think it through and make things easier for herself.
Sun Lifang advised Jiang Meimei, "Don't confine yourself to that feudal wall."
In the past, women liked to control men, from their husbands and sons to their grandchildren, as if their existence only had meaning if they gained their favor.
However, Sun Lifang asked Jiang Meimei—
"Do you need a man to prove your worth?"
With just that one question, Jiang Meimei understood.
She is different from her mother-in-law, who can only demonstrate her value by stealing the love of her son and grandson and keeping her daughter-in-law at arm's length.
But why should I be like her?
Is a woman's value defined by competing with the older generation for the same things and praising men to an unrealistic degree?
Having realized this, Jiang Meimei began learning English and followed Sun Lifang's advice to pursue a career as a "nanny".
Therefore, Sun Lifang asked Takeuchi Yoshiko Publishing Company to buy a complete set of translated CD courses for Jiang Meimei to study.
"I hope you get better and better, so that even if you leave me in the future, you can still stand on your own two feet."
Jiang Meimei didn't understand Sun Lifang's words at first and was puzzled, "Why? Why can't I stay a nanny forever?"
If I do such a good job, surely someone will want me?
Fortunately, she had Sun Lifang, someone with a higher level of knowledge and experience, to guide her and help her plan for the future.
"For example, if you sweep the streets for fifteen years, and you sweep them so cleanly and efficiently that you're the best street sweeper, how much do you earn in a month?"
You won't earn much.
"But if you have a skill, like playing the piano, how much can you earn per lesson?"
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