The younger siblings across the hall are in school, and the older brother and sister-in-law go to work early in the morning and return late at night, so they rarely see each other. Even though Ying Yan and Ke Meiyu have lived here for half a year, they still haven't spoken much to the neighbors across the hall.
Well, if it weren't for the change of neighbors across the hall, they wouldn't have known. But the fact that it was the Ling family who came makes things a bit complicated.
This woman is the wife of Ling Laoda, the current pillar of the Ling family. Her family is relatively well-off and lives in the East Courtyard, but they are in a mediocre position.
"I had heard that Comrade Xiao Ke founded the first university for senior citizens, but I never had time to visit. I only heard the old lady praising you, saying that you are beautiful, quick-witted, and a very promising young woman."
Aunt Ling said with a smile, "My old lady is a picky person, it's really not easy to get a good word out of her. It's clear that Comrade Xiao Ke is really outstanding. With you as neighbors, we don't have to worry about our boys and girls going astray."
Grandma Ke chuckled, "My family has so many things to do. Bao'er goes to work and takes care of the children every day. Where would we find the time to go out and play? Your family is much better. The whole family helps each other out, and there's even an auntie to help with the housework."
Aunt Ling noticed the somewhat forced expressions on the faces of the old lady and Ke Meiyu, and was filled with doubt. When she heard them mention the housekeeper, she thought there might be something she didn't know about.
She laughed and said, "Anyway, we'll be neighbors in the future, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to get along. I hope you won't think my family is too noisy."
This time, besides genuinely getting to know the neighbors, she also wanted to get a general feel for each family's temperament. Her own family of five lived together, and with dozens of people arguing every three days and having big fights every five days, it would be a laughing stock. So, she wanted to let the neighbors know about it first.
Aunt Ling didn't stay long; she said a few more words and then left with a smile.
When she got back, she first went to find Aunt Lu. "Auntie, do you know anyone from the Qin family across the street?"
Aunt Lu was still a little confused. She frowned and thought about it. After all, she was an old woman in the compound and knew a lot. She nodded and smiled and said, "I know. When Yifei gave birth, she was in bed next to Qin's granddaughter-in-law. She gave birth to five in one go. I can't forget it."
"Has something happened? I don't think they're very welcoming of us moving here." Aunt Ling's face was somewhat serious, and the whole family was clinging to the couple.
Big or small, if she doesn't worry about things, she'll cause trouble for the family. There's no one in the family who gives her a break. But even though the old lady is a stepmother, she still occupies the position of the old lady of the Ling family. The eldest branch of the family can't ignore it, otherwise everyone will talk behind their backs, they'll be labeled as unfilial, and everything will be over.
They could only grit their teeth and wonder how much longer the old lady could live.
The house is only so big. No matter how much we make changes, when the children grow up and get married, can the other families still bring in daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law?
However, they underestimated the audacity of the other households. They partitioned off rooms in the bedrooms and added several more in the living room, making it almost impossible to walk anywhere except for the dining area.
Moreover, the single bed was replaced with a four-poster bed, but there wasn't enough room, so we moved to another house with someone else, which gave us an extra 40 square meters across two floors.
Despite the mess at home, the couple and their children left early and returned late, sticking to their own room and their wages, letting others do whatever they wanted with the rest!
Even so, those people could still cause trouble. Sister-in-law Ling had a bad feeling and asked with her lips tightly pressed together, "Did you offend them? I noticed that their expressions were a little strange when they saw me come to the door."
Mentioning this, Aunt Lu felt a little upset. She peeked around and, seeing no one was around, quietly recounted what had happened at the hospital. Although two years had passed, she remembered it all very clearly.
"It must be that Yifei knew that family, and neither family wanted to talk to the other. I didn't know at the time, so I started talking to the old lady, thinking that we could help each other out in the future, so that we wouldn't be neglected in any way."
"Who would have thought that Yifei, who is always so generous and considerate, would be so hostile towards them? I wonder what kind of conflict they have," Aunt Lu said. "I think the Qin family's granddaughter-in-law is quite nice. She's good-looking and has a gentle and kind temperament, but she doesn't have any of the arrogance that comes with having a child."
“I’m the housekeeper in my family. Whenever I bring this up, it hits me right in the heart. I’ve learned that even a cultured person can make someone feel so ashamed that they can’t lift their head up when they speak without using any vulgar language.”
Aunt Ling sneered, "That woman is indeed two-faced. She claimed to have coincidentally recognized relatives and reluctantly agreed to go home. She then brazenly moved into her parents' house with her child, even though her husband would come every few days with large bags of gifts. She really has a big face."
"They think I don't know what she's up to? She's just using her position in the compound to build connections. They're all goblins, do they think everyone else is stupid?"
"Besides, their child isn't young anymore. In another year, he can be sent to kindergarten. What kind of kids are in kindergarten? Aren't they all from our compound? They're all connected by connections, bound by lifelong bonds. They want to change the status of the Fifth House, or rather, the Yu family!"
Aunt Lu listened and smiled. She kept her mouth shut. Her deceased husband was the old man's right-hand man and had always been close to the eldest son's family. Now, she was practically the only person Ling's sister-in-law could complain to.
"I was originally planning to get to know the Qin family better, but well, I've been ruined by those shallow-minded people."
The Qin family was once incredibly prominent. When the old master was alive, the Qin family never closed its doors; the place was always bustling with activity. Back then, Ying Yan was like a prince, a local tyrant, and no one among the younger generation could surpass him.
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