"Okay, stop crying. Your grandpa is just mad at your mom. It has nothing to do with you."

Ji Ke bit her lip and said, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, it wouldn't have turned out like this."

"Okay, I won't say any more. I'll go cook." Xu's mother had tried to persuade her these days, but it kept happening. She didn't know what to say anymore.

In the evening, Xu Wangting and his family came back for dinner.

Xu Yujia was the happiest. She held Ji Ke's hand and said, "Cousin, how have you reviewed so far? This time we can take the college entrance examination together, and then we can apply to the same local university."

"Don't talk nonsense. Your cousin listened to your aunt and wanted to apply to a university in the capital." Xu Hongmei sternly scolded her daughter, "I'll be satisfied if you can get into university. I don't even dare to hope to go to the capital."

Xu Yujia pouted, but was suppressed by her mother's authority and did not dare to talk back.

Xu Wangting didn't want to make the family reunion day a bad one, so he smiled and changed the subject, "How is Xiaoling doing in school? Does she call home every week?"

Xu's mother sat at the table, "Xiao Ke called her today."

"Going to Zhu's house?" Xu Wangting realized that he was asking too anxiously, and immediately secretly glanced at Xu's father. Seeing that his father was eating and not looking at him, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not in the Zhu family's old house, but in their own house."

Xu Hongmei exclaimed, "They bought me a house right after we got married. Houses in the capital are not cheap."

There was envy in his tone.

"She lives out by herself?" Xu Wangting frowned. "Why didn't you persuade her? She just got married to Weidong, how can she move out? She should spend more time with her in-laws."

Xu's mother said, "I don't have time to ask this. It shouldn't be a problem."

After hearing this, Xu Hongmei's eyes moved slightly, and she realized that her mother-in-law was just being polite.

What do you mean by no time to ask? It’s because Ji Ling is not close to them at all.

Thinking about what happened back then, it was rare that Ji Ling was able to keep her face from falling out with everyone.

Xu Wangting said, "Mom, call Xiaoling later and ask her to persuade her more. She was with Xu Fang before, and Xu Fang didn't have time to teach her these things. As for getting along with her parents-in-law, she just got married and doesn't know how to deal with the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."

Xu Hongmei smiled and said, "Yes, Mom, our family doesn't expect to ask Xiaoling for help in the future. After all, we are a family. There is no chance to talk about these things with Xu Fang. You should talk more with Xiaoling."

"Okay, call me and tell me about it next time." This time, Xu's mother accepted the opinions of the two.

Even Mr. Xu who was standing by did not say anything to stop him.

When the Xu family had a meal, they would always revolve around Ji Ling and the Zhu family, or Zhu Weidong.

When talking about Zhu Weidong, we have to mention his job. He is an engineer in the Ministry of Railways and is now laying railways for them. It's always impressive to talk about it with friends.

Xu Yujia didn't like what she heard, so after dinner she pulled Ji Ke back to the bedroom.

"Are you not angry when you hear them praising Ji Ling? I don't like to hear it. What's there to envy about marrying an old man?"

Ji Ke looked at her seriously, "Yujia, I don't want to hear such words again. My sister married my brother-in-law to save my father. Even if there is no love between them, she has devoted the rest of her life to my father. She has devoted half her life to our family."

Xu Yujia curled her lips, "You are the only one who still remembers this. Didn't you raise the money in the first place? I think she is just greedy for the power of the Zhu family, and she wants to give herself a nice name. Only a fool would believe it."

"Yujia."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything. But Aunt is really something. Seeing that Ji Ling got into the capital, she insisted that you get into the capital as well. I don't know what Aunt is thinking."

Ji Ke stood up. Seeing that she was really angry, Xu Yujia held her and apologized repeatedly, and stopped talking about it.

It was not until Xu Wangting and his family left that Ji Ke lay down on the bed, exhausted both physically and mentally.

In the bedroom next door, Xu's mother was also trying to persuade her husband, "Xiao Ke is so pitiful. She has to be so careful in front of you every day. You are so old, why do you still keep making things difficult for the child? It's unfair enough for her to repeat a grade, but you don't feel sorry for her and you give her a cold shoulder. Look how scared the child is. She doesn't even dare to speak in front of you."

"What is she guilty of?"

"Okay, go to sleep." Father Xu turned his back.

Ji Ke clearly wanted to repeat a grade, but he pushed the blame onto Xu Fang. Xu's father only found out the truth when he received a call from Ji Jianhua that day.

Ji Ke was raised by him and his wife. He didn't tell the truth because he didn't want to make his wife sad.

But I was disappointed with this child that I raised.

Xu's mother was very smart. Since her husband didn't say anything, she had some guesses in her mind based on what he had just said. She didn't ask Ji Ke, but called her daughter.

"Did you really let Xiaoke repeat his grade?"

Xu Fang didn't expect that the first thing her mother asked her was this. After a pause, she said, "I asked her to repeat the grade."

"real?"

"Mom, why would I lie to you? Is it necessary to lie about something like this?"

"Okay, I get it." Mother Xu told Ji Ling about calling her. "Let Xiaoke give you the number. Find some time to call the child. Mother and daughter don't hold grudges overnight. Do you really think you don't have this daughter?"

"I understand." Xu Fang asked her younger daughter again, and finally told her parents to take care of their health before hanging up the phone.

When she got home, Ji Yong was sitting in the yard, "Is everything okay?"

Ji Yong was still worried when the other end called his wife to answer the phone.

"Nothing."

"Nothing so urgent?"

"I just want to ask whether Ji Ke's retaking the grade was his own idea or was it my decision?"

Ji Yong pursed his lips, "You said you gave in?"

Xu Fang, "What if I don't say this? You also saw Xiaoke regretting her choice of major, secretly wiping away tears every day, and finally I forced her to speak her mind. She finally made the decision to repeat the year, and then my parents blamed her. I'm afraid she can't bear it."

"Are you sure she can do better in the exam if she repeats the year?"

"Xiao Ke is very smart." Xu Fang didn't look at her husband, feeling insecure.

Ji Yong said, "Just as long as you don't regret your decision today."

"You know you're blaming me for spoiling Xiao Ke, but she doesn't like it and won't study hard. What can I do?"

Ji Yong thought, you know how important college is, so why did you think of selling your two children’s college acceptance letters?

Always bringing up things that have happened in the past will only create a wider rift between couples.

He was silent.

Xu Fang was also silent, feeling aggrieved, but also holding her breath, not believing that her youngest daughter would fail to live up to her expectations.

In the city, when Ji Ke was leaving school at noon, he unexpectedly saw Zhu Yaowu. He was stunned for a moment and chased after him, "It's you? Are you back?"

Zhu Yaowu recognized Ji Ke, nodded lightly, and raised his leg to leave.

Ji Ke followed, "Are you waiting for my brother-in-law here? What a coincidence, I have something to do with him too."

(End of this chapter)