"It's not that we don't get along, is it? It's because Grandma doesn't like Dad, so as a result, several of my uncles and aunts don't like our family either." He Shitou wrinkled his nose. His older sister already knew all this.
However, my sister hasn't been home for many years, so she probably forgot.
He Tiantian pretended to slap her forehead, "Oh right, but when I was at home before, my uncle and aunt didn't act this obviously, did they? Could it just be because of my grandmother's side?"
He Shitou took out the gifts he had brought one by one. He seemed to have heard his parents talk about this later.
“It seems to be because of last year’s drought. They all thought you were enjoying your retirement by taking our parents away. They said… they said…” He Shitou started to say something, but then realized he might have said something wrong.
However, he wasn't one to lie, and he couldn't escape his older sister's questioning.
“They’re saying you only care about your own parents and don’t care about their lives,” He Shitou said indignantly. “But you did the right thing, sister. They didn’t lend a hand when our family was in such dire straits.”
"Hmph, these people are so selfish! We shouldn't have come back this time. But if we hadn't, who knows what those uncles and aunts would have said about our father behind his back. It's such a headache..."
After listening to He Shitou pour out his heart, He Tiantian finally managed to clarify some of the grievances in her family.
She'd met her fair share of oddballs; as long as she delivered the gift today, they could just hurry back home and be done with it.
Since we only see these relatives once a year anyway, there's no need to waste time on them.
"Stone, let's head back after we deliver the gifts. The snow is so heavy, it'll be difficult to walk back," He Tiantian advised.
He Shitou nodded; he didn't want to stay there any longer at all.
The two carried the gifts they had brought into the house; there were five gifts in total, all of which were packed separately.
The three older women were initially very unfriendly, but when they saw that He Tiantian had brought gifts for He Shitou, their attitude softened somewhat.
Third Sister spoke first, "Oh, Sixth Brother's wife, look at you, you even brought gifts with you on your trip!"
Although this third sister-in-law was polite in words, she was anything but polite in actions.
She practically snatched the three gifts from He Tiantian's hands, quickly opened them to take a look, and exclaimed, "Oh, this whole package is for my family!"
Hearing that the third aunt's tone was a bit off, He Tiantian quickly explained, "This is a gift from the three families, and there are also gifts from the eldest aunt and the second aunt's families."
The older and second older women rushed over to snatch it, saying, "There are some from our family too, third brother, don't go too far."
It was indeed shameful for the three women to argue over New Year's gifts.
He Tiantian continued, "My mother specially prepared two packets of pastries, a bolt of cloth, and five catties of flour for each family. Every family received the same thing, Auntie, Second Auntie, and Third Auntie, so don't fight over them."
He Tiantian deliberately raised her voice. Sure enough, her eldest, second, and third uncles in the main room looked embarrassed and felt somewhat ashamed.
Old Mrs. He also felt she had lost face, so she sneered, "Alright, what are you all fighting over? Everyone gets a share, don't you hear?"
The three women then moved a little less, even though it was the same in every household.
But they were still secretly competing, each feeling that the snacks they had weren't as plentiful as the bag the other had snatched.
And as for the flour, who can guarantee that each of the three sacks contains exactly five pounds? There will definitely be a difference!
He Xia and He Dong are just like Old Lady He in temperament: they are unwilling to admit defeat, petty, and somewhat indifferent.
However, the two daughters were much more restrained in front of Old Mrs. He.
He Xia and He Dong stared intently as the three women fought over the food.
Not every family has one, right? What about theirs?
He Shitou stepped into the room from the back and piled the gifts directly in the corner.
He blew on his hands to warm them from the cold, stamped his feet, and said, "Auntie, Auntie, I've left the gifts from both of your families here. Don't forget to take them when you leave."
Although He Dong and He Xia really wanted to go up and open it immediately, they still wanted to save face.
They didn't want to be like the three older sisters-in-law, shameless and arguing heatedly over the smallest things.
Old Mrs. He sat on a chair in the main room, her face serious.
He Chun and Chen Shi didn't even have a stool to sit on; they could only stand about a meter apart.
“Mother, here is a gift I prepared for you as well. It’s a token of our family’s appreciation.” He Chun said, gesturing for Chen Shi to hand over the gift.
Chen stepped forward and placed the bundle in her hand on the large table next to Old Lady He.
"Mother, here are two new outfits that I bought for you at a shop in town. And two pairs of shoes; you can wear these cotton shoes now..."
Chen took everything out of the bundle, and Old Lady He glanced at it and was fairly satisfied.
"Alright, you've put your heart into it. But, Sixth Brother, your family has been gone for far too long. When are you coming back?"
Upon hearing the question, He Chun quickly replied, "Mother, we're staying at our daughter's house now. There's still a lot of work to do there. Tian Tian's family has two young daughters who need to be looked after by adults."
The more Old Lady He listened, the more her brows furrowed.
By the end, his face, which had finally calmed down, darkened again.
He Er said with great dissatisfaction, "Hey, Sixth Brother, you're rarely home. Our mother relies on me and your two older brothers to support her. You can't just stand by and do nothing."
When it comes to the issue of elderly care, everyone has a lot to say.
The three older women were no pushovers either, each afraid that the other would support an elderly person for even a day longer.
He San quickly added, "Yes, Lao Liu, if you don't come back, how will our mother take care of herself?"
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