Dong Ping repeated, somewhat annoyed, "I said your sister came back from the countryside with her family."
"Really? Why is she back at this time?" Fang Hai's face showed a look of surprise.
"How would I know? They couldn't possibly be here for work." It wasn't that Dong Ping looked down on her younger sister and her husband, but what kind of place was Beijing? Even people with proper Beijing residency couldn't get jobs. One of them was an educated youth sent to the countryside, and the other was a farmer from the countryside. How could they possibly have such connections?
They're probably just here to freeload.
Fang Hai hurriedly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and was about to leave when Dong Ping grabbed his arm: "What are you panicking about?"
"I haven't seen my little sister for over five years, I'm so excited!" Fang Hai turned around and saw Dong Ping's sullen face, and immediately became unhappy: "What's with that expression on your face? Aren't you welcoming my sister?"
"My sister-in-law is going back to her own home, why should I be unhappy?" Dong Ping said this, but her expression clearly showed that she didn't mean it that way.
Fang Hai frowned: "My little sister has finally returned to the capital, what are you doing causing trouble now?"
"I know it's not easy for her, but it's not easy for our family."
Dong Ping got angry as soon as she spoke: "With only that little bit of food rations a month, it would be fine if she came back on her own, I would be willing to support her. But she brought her whole family with her, not during holidays, she brought not only her husband and children from the countryside, but also her husband's sister and niece! And she made our mother feed them as soon as she arrived. With so many people, wouldn't they eat three to five pounds of food rations per meal? Isn't this blatantly a case of coming to freeload?"
"What do you mean by 'mooching off others'? Your words are really rude," Fang Hai scolded.
“I wasn’t wrong to say she was freeloading. You have no idea, she brought a man to our house, and all she brought were two bottles of wine, two packets of pastries, and a roast duck. It’s the first time a new relative has come to visit, and she made such a shabby show. I think your sister was completely fooled by that country man’s handsome face.”
Upon hearing Dong Ping's words, Fang Hai also began to have doubts.
He didn't show it on his face: "It's not easy for my sister to come all this way. Even if she didn't bring a gift, it's only right that I treat her to a meal! Stop giving me that long face. Just smile when you're out there, and keep your mouth shut!"
After speaking sternly, Fang Hai lifted the curtain and went out of the inner room. Dong Ping stomped her foot angrily and followed closely behind, a polite smile on her face.
"Little sister, brother-in-law." Fang Hai nodded slightly in greeting, then looked at the swaddled baby in Fang Qiao's arms: "This must be my niece, right?"
Fang Qiao nodded: "Yes, her name is An'an."
"An'an, may you live a peaceful and safe life. It's a good name." Fang Hai reached out to hug her, "Come here, An'an, let your uncle hug you."
He took An'an into his arms and gently poked her cheek to tease her: "Your little face is so fair, just like when you were little."
An'an, however, didn't give him any face. As soon as she was poked, she pouted and started crying loudly.
He tried to soothe her by rocking her, but the more he tried, the louder An'an cried.
"Big brother, let me soothe her." Cheng Bodong took An'an into his arms, held her upright with her head resting on his shoulder, and gently patted her back with his cupped hands. After only two or three pats, he successfully stopped An'an from crying.
Fang Hai gave him a thumbs up in admiration: "You're really something! You must take care of kids a lot, right?"
Cheng Baidong replied, "It's alright."
Fang Qiao explained for him: "An An always needs to be carried. I'm not as strong as him, so he usually takes care of him the most."
These words made Fang Hai look at Cheng Baidong with new respect, because he hadn't seen his son Xiaolong for a single day when he was little. The reason was simply that he was too annoying. He would cry and want to be held at the drop of a hat, and he wouldn't sleep at night, crying all night long. He had 24 hours a day, eight hours at work, and he wished he could spend the remaining sixteen hours away from home and find some peace and quiet.
He had initially looked down on Cheng Baidong for being a country bumpkin, but now he sincerely said, "Little sister, you've found a good partner. He knows how to care for you and helps you take care of the children."
Cheng Baidong did not take credit: "They are all my children. It's not a matter of helping or not helping. It's just what I should do."
After exchanging pleasantries, Fang Hai moved on to the topic everyone was most interested in: "So, how long do you plan to stay in Beijing this time? It must be difficult to get a letter of introduction for visiting relatives, right?"
Dong Ping immediately perked up her ears.
Fang Qiao said calmly, "Now that you're back, you won't be leaving again. The capital is much better than the countryside. As for the letter of introduction, it's very easy to get one, since Bai Dong's job is here. He can buy tickets with his work certificate."
"Really?" Dong Ping was skeptical of Fang Qiao's words: "Isn't my brother-in-law from the countryside in Henan Province? How could he be assigned a job in the capital? Does he have some connections?"
Fang Qiao had learned from her past life that her sister-in-law, Dong Ping, was a snob.
To be honest, there's nothing about her family that she's attached to. Coming here on her own initiative is just to fulfill the proper etiquette and avoid being criticized by others.
After all, in this day and age, everyone values family very much.
Even if parents have a thousand faults, children must still be filial to them, or they'll be condemned by everyone.
Fang Qiao was just trying to save face, so she didn't intend to reveal the whole truth.
Fang Qiao casually replied, "It's nothing. Probably because he was transferred from the military, and I have a Beijing hukou (household registration), so the leaders considered our marital relationship and assigned him to Beijing."
"Which unit have you been assigned to?" Dong Ping asked eagerly, her eyes brightening.
Fang Qiao: "Working as a factory worker at the pharmaceutical factory in Heshan."
The director is also a worker, just at a higher level. It's perfectly fine to just call him a worker.
Dong Ping's expectation visibly faded, and she said disappointedly, "Heshan? Isn't that in the countryside northwest of Beijing? It's so remote."
Fang Qiao nodded: "It is a bit remote, almost at the foot of Heshan Mountain."
Fang Hai smiled and smoothed things over: "Heshan is not bad either, it's just a bit out of the way, but given my brother-in-law's situation, it's already very good that he can be transferred to the capital. One shouldn't be too ambitious."
After being glared at by Fang Hai, Dong Ping tried to salvage the situation: "Yes, yes, it's still in Beijing, after all. If it doesn't work out, we can find a better unit to transfer to later."
The more they talked, the more distant they became. Blood relatives ended up acting like ordinary relatives, but fortunately, they maintained a harmonious facade on the surface.
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