There were only two classes the next morning. Chen Xingling attended one, marked the key points of the class, then sneaked out of school and rode his bicycle to his mother's house.
It's been a month since I last went to my mother's house. Maybe it's because I'm happy and in high spirits. I pedal with extra energy and ride very fast.
She and her brothers were busy working in the factory on the construction site. Even if they didn't have to go to school on weekends, they still had to work at the factory and had no way to visit her parents' home often.
Instead, Gu Qi would bring Xiao Huzi here on weekends, and then go back to the city after lunch. The father and son came here every weekend for the past few days.
Last weekend, when the father and son went fishing, they also brought a big grouper that the old father caught at the beach. It took the whole family two days to finish it.
"Mom!" Chen Xingling parked his car under the banyan tree and greeted cheerfully, "Where's my fourth sister-in-law? Are all the sisters-in-law home?"
Liu Peiyun adjusted the bamboo hat on her head and asked with narrowed eyes, "Why are you here? Don't you have to study today?"
"I've finished it." Chen Xingling didn't dare to say that she skipped classes, so she lied, "The homework schedule for each class in college is different, and the homework isn't too intense. Sometimes there are only two classes a day."
Liu Peiyun hadn't seen her daughter for a long time, and she smiled happily and said, "Come on, come inside! Mom will cook two eggs for you. The hens we just raised recently laid eggs, and I put away the first eggs. I specially left two for you."
Many elderly people believe that the first egg laid by a hen is the best egg, which is not only nutritious but also tastes the best.
Liu Peiyun explained with a smile: "There are a dozen in total - your brother's family each has two, and I left two for you."
"Thank you, Mom." Chen Xingling asked curiously, "Where's my dad? Did he go to the sea? Where are my sisters-in-law? Why do they seem so quiet?"
Liu Peiyun washed her hands and wiped them on her pants.
"Your father went to sea. Your sisters-in-law followed him, and so did the fourth brother's family. The children are all in school, so they won't be back until after ten o'clock."
Chen Xingling smiled in surprise and asked in a low voice, "Is my fourth sister-in-law also going to the sea?"
"Yes." Liu Peiyun blinked and chuckled, "Since she got sick, she has become closer to your sisters-in-law, and she no longer quarrels with Lao Wu. She seems to be more sociable recently. She plays mahjong, poker, chats and drinks tea with your sisters-in-law in the evening, and sometimes they don't leave until late at night. Look, the tide receded this morning, and I heard that some things rolled up from the east, so we went to catch some fish together."
Chen Xingling laughed and clapped his hands, and whispered, "That's it. When Fourth Brother comes, he will definitely be very happy. We sisters-in-law are all cheerful and get along well with each other. Fourth Sister-in-law just got married, so it's normal for her to need time to adapt."
"Oh!" Liu Peiyun smiled bitterly, "She is the most troublesome one. At the beginning, your dad and I couldn't understand what she said. We could only smile foolishly and cook for her. She does whatever she wants to do and does whatever she wants. She is so delicate and can't do a lot of work. She doesn't understand these feelings. What else can we do? We can only coax her slowly and wait for her to adapt slowly. What else can we do? When other people say this or that about her, your dad and I can only pretend to be deaf and dumb and pretend not to hear anything. What else can we do?"
"That's right." Chen Xingling gave a thumbs up and smiled: "You and my dad understand it the best!"
Liu Peiyun glared at her and scolded her with a smile: "You are the one who talks nonsense the most!"
The mother and daughter walked into the house smiling.
Liu Peiyun ran straight to the small basket in the corner, took out two eggs that she had treasured in the corner, turned around to wash them, poured water into the pot and started boiling.
Chen Xingling watched from the side and told the nanny that his fourth brother had called.
Liu Peiyun asked suspiciously: "Really? Can it really be sold?"
"The business is booming." Chen Xingling explained, "Handicrafts with practical value have always been popular. Labor and shipping are cheap here, so we can make a profit without any loss."
When Liu Peiyun heard that this business could be done, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"If it were possible, your fourth brother wouldn't have to worry. He has been drifting on the sea for so many years. What would you ask him to do if you asked him to stop drifting? His wife said that he couldn't do it, so she didn't even think about what he would eat and use after he stopped working. He married a wife, but he didn't make any money. In the end, he would starve and his wife would starve with him - what a lie!"
Chen Xingling smiled bitterly: "Fourth brother is indeed very troubled. But he has also said that as long as the factory can be run and there is income, it doesn't matter whether it is beautiful or not. People can't have fish and bear's paw at the same time, there must be some choices. Having a wife and a family are the most important. A career is a job. As long as it can make money, it doesn't matter if it changes to other jobs."
Although Liu Peiyun hadn't said anything before and she and her husband had always pretended to be ignorant of the matter and had never said anything or expressed their opinions, she still felt sorry for her son.
There was no one else around at the moment, not even my spouse. Only my sweet little friend could I dare to speak out my true thoughts.
"Your fourth brother loves this job very much. He sees it as more than just a way to make money. He has loved sailing since he was a child. No matter how early your father went to sea, he insisted on following him. Of course, it is important to marry a wife, but her refusal to let him continue sailing is like clipping his wings. The fourth brother often stares at the sea without saying a word. I know in my heart that he... he is very uncomfortable."
Seeing his mother’s red eyes, Chen Xingling quickly tried to comfort her.
"I know you feel bad for your fourth brother, and we do too. But people can't have everything they want, and they have to make some choices. My fourth brother either stays single and wanders around, or he has to settle down and have children at home."
Liu Peiyun couldn't help but voice out her dissatisfaction: "It's not like there are no people working on the ship all year round here, they can still raise children at home! She used to live at the dock all year round, it's impossible that she hasn't seen it, right?"
"Mom." Chen Xingling couldn't help but ask back, "If it was my dad who went abroad, would you agree that he would only stay at home for a few days at the beginning of the year and spend the rest of the time drifting outside? You support the whole family by yourself, and you have to worry about him. You sleep alone at night, and you have to do housework and take care of the children when your father is sick. You rely on you to support the family and the outside world? Can you bear it?"
Liu Peiyun was stunned, a hint of desolation flashed across her eyes.
"...I don't know. She didn't have any room for negotiation. It's not easy for the fourth child."
Chen Xingling explained helplessly: "Mom, if you want a harmonious and happy family, you have to make sacrifices. Fourth brother was finally willing to sacrifice for Fourth sister-in-law, which proves that he longed for a stable little family, a wife and son, and a warm bed - we don't have a bed here, but the principle is the same."
Liu Peiyun had tears in her eyes and whispered, "Although he didn't say anything and didn't dare to tell us a word, your father and I knew it in our hearts. He was really sad...but he gritted his teeth and didn't dare to argue with his wife. He was determined to bear it all by himself. The fourth child is my flesh and blood. If others don't feel sorry for him, how can I not feel sorry for him?"
"I know, I know." Chen Xingling continued to comfort her, "Mom, don't be sad. Don't talk about it after the storm. Now the storm has passed and the sky is clear. With the new business, Fourth Brother can follow Fourth Sister-in-law and take care of each other by your side - how wonderful!"
"Yeah." Liu Peiyun sniffed and forced back her tears. "She is a new daughter-in-law. Your father and I have to endure whatever we say. She came here from thousands of miles away to be a family with us. This is a great fate. As long as she can get along well with the fourth child and get along well with the other sisters-in-law - that's enough."
"Right, right, right." Chen Xingling gave a thumbs up: "It's good that you think so."
Liu Peiyun lowered her voice, "When I first heard that she didn't allow the fourth child to go out, your father and I couldn't sleep for several nights. He didn't say anything, he just kept tossing and turning. I didn't say anything either, I just tossed and turned with him. To be honest, I felt uncomfortable and secretly worried. Our family didn't have such a good life in the past. It was thanks to the fourth child who went out and made a lot of money that our family could get better year by year. If the fourth child doesn't go out, I don't know what will happen to our family."
"A boat will naturally follow a straight path when it comes to the bridgehead, and a car will surely have a path in front of a mountain." Chen Xingling smiled and said, "You understand this principle much better than I do. The last thing that is lacking at the seaside is boats, and you have sailed more times than I have."
Liu Peiyun glanced at her and said, "That's the truth, but is it easy to understand? We were really worried."
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