Pineapple Bun

Han Rong originally planned to let her daughter-in-law stay at home until the college entrance examination was over and then go back. However, now her son has returned and her daughter-in-law's parents have come to visit from the countryside. If she keeps them at home any longer, everyone will feel uncomfortable, and it will be even more uncomfortable for the in-laws to stay. So she let them go after dinner.

She said helplessly to her daughter who was staring at her eagerly,

"You should go with me, and come back after the college entrance examination. Studying is the most important thing for you."

Ji Yanran hugged her mother happily.

"Thank you, Mom. I won't cause any trouble for my sister-in-law!"

"Okay, I know you're sensible, but don't do bad things with good intentions. When people don't need you, just study hard and don't make things worse."

Ji Yanran stuck out her tongue mischievously.

"I know!"

Song's mother breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing to criticize about her in-laws' personalities. They were good people, but it was inevitable that they would feel awkward living together.

Song Shixia brought her mother into the room.

"Mom, please sit down for a while. I'll pack my clothes into the suitcase."

Song's mother's eyes were filled with inquiry and curiosity. Although she had seen cities with tiled floors, gas in the kitchen, and flushing toilets, she was still amazed when she came to her daughter's bedroom.

"Is that the wood you use for the floor? Can we have one at home? It makes a nice sound when you step on it."

Song Shixia smiled and stopped her mother.

"It may not work for us. In autumn and winter, the humidity is high and wood is prone to rotting. Also, it would be bad if a fire started in winter."

Song's mother was still worried.

"You're right, but it would be really neat to have a floor on the ground."

Song Shixia took out all her clothes.

"We can lay the floor on the second floor. People often come and go on the first floor, so it is more inconvenient to clean."

"Then ask your brother to lay flooring on the second floor for you, so that you and Xiaoji can live comfortably when you return home."

Song Shixia did not refuse.

"Okay, then we'll prepare some clean slippers at home and put them in the hallway on the second floor. Just change your shoes when you enter the house, and you'll have less cleaning to do."

Song's mother thought this was a good idea.

"We have the conditions at home, so we'll tidy up the second floor for you guys." She didn't want to show off to others, but she felt that she had previously thought she had kept the house clean, and Xiao Ji, who had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, probably wouldn't be able to stand it.

People take good care of her daughter and she doesn't have to worry about her food, clothing and other daily necessities. Xiao Ji only has time to visit her house during the holidays, so he can't ask others to take his place.

The most important point is that she and her mother-in-law have agreed to visit her during the Chinese New Year, so the house must be tidied up and cannot be too bad.

Song Shixia didn't know what her mother was thinking, but she supported her mother's plan to do some soft decoration at home.

My brother and Yao Xue are just dating now. If Uncle Yao suddenly comes to the capital and wants to see her family conditions, we must decorate the house to make it more pleasing to the eye and try to impress my brother. Even if my brother buys a courtyard house, he still has to take Yao Xue back to the village to spend the holidays with his parents.

Song Shixia told her mother,

"Don't worry too much, just buy some tiles to lay on the floor, and then paint the walls white to make them look clean. My brother wants to buy a house in the city, and he plans to live in the capital for a long time in the future."

Song Shixia did not tell her mother about the purchase of the courtyard house without her permission, and waited until her brother decided to tell her before confessing it together.

In the eyes of adults, there is no need to buy a house because they already have a big house at home, so why would they waste money on buying such a big house?

Sure enough, Song's mother reminded her daughter,

"Let your brother buy a house that's big enough for two people to live in, but don't buy one that's too big. Our homestead is so large that the money from buying the house can build a three-story building in our village."

Song's mother knew that Yao Xue was from the city and did not object to her son buying a house. However, in her mind, two people could not live in a big house, and a three-bedroom and one-living room house looked very empty in her eyes. She thought that buying a house meant buying a dormitory for employees allocated by the company.

Song Shixia gave her mother a vaccination in advance.

"My brother's business will only grow bigger and bigger. He might want to buy a house with a bigger yard. Houses are not expensive anyway, so just buy it."

Song's mother wanted to say something but stopped herself, then thought about how the children were all adults, and finally held her words back.

"You can see for yourself. Your father and I will only come to the city to live with you for a while. We can't bear to leave our land and factory at home."

Song Shixia had already guessed this and was not surprised by her mother's decision.

"When transportation becomes more developed, maybe we can get there by car in the morning and by noon."

Song's mother was full of longing. "If there really comes a day when your father and I can come to the city every month to bring you food and drinks, you two can save a lot of money. Why did you buy so many skirts? Look at you, you finally became sensible but you spend money recklessly, what can I say to you!"

Song Shixia raised his hand.

"Mom, I'm innocent. These skirts were made for me by my mother-in-law. Now that you see me in person, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Mother Song thought again and realized that it was indeed something her elder sister could do.

She laughed and teased, "When you were a kid, you would fall flat on your face when you walked on flat ground. It turns out that you have gathered all your luck."

Song Shixia was ashamed. What kind of luck did he have to fall on his back while walking on flat ground?

“When bad times get worse, good times will come. When a person’s luck is at its worst, it will gradually get better.”

"That's right. Look how unlucky our family was in the past. Your brother got scammed in business, your brother broke his front tooth on the way to school, and you've always had bad luck. It seems like things started to turn around last year. Just like your mother-in-law said, our family is getting better."

Song Shixia smiled, and her mother helped her fold her clothes and put them into the suitcase, and she helped Ji Weiqing fold his clothes.

She thought he would stay for two days, so she collected all his dry clothes.

Song's mother's doubtful voice sounded.

"Why are there only two or three pieces of Xiaoji's clothes in your closet?"

"He doesn't have many clothes. When we first got married, his closet was empty. It was only later when I had more skirts that the closet was filled up."

Song's mother said helplessly, "As his wife, you should buy him some clothes if he doesn't have enough. If you forget about them, he won't remember them either."

Song Shixia accepted the instruction silently.

Ji Weiqing was in his study, organizing the two papers he had written during this business trip. The two papers were as thick as dictionaries.

Song Shixia packed up his things and knocked on the study door.

"Are you ready?"

Ji Weiqing moved faster, "Wait a moment, I'll put it in the file bag."

Song Shixia remembered that every time he went out, he would keep the desk in his study spotless and would not put anything on it except the pen holder.

Now there are piles of papers on the desk, and several messy file bags, which must be his masterpieces during business trips.

Song Shixia couldn't help but wonder, "Do you professors have to write so much in your thesis?"

Ji Weiqing didn't have time to look up. His tone was relaxed and comfortable. "Not necessarily. I will give it a try if there is a suitable topic."

Song Shixia seemed to understand, "So even if the professor doesn't write a paper, he won't be demoted, right?"

"Yes, if you don't publish papers for a long time, you will be fired at the most serious level."

I didn’t expect that being a professor isn’t easy either. I thought it was a stable job, no wonder he had to publish 100 papers.

Song Shixia felt a little guilty, "Come on, don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you really can't do it, I can sell medicinal wine to support you."

Ji Weiqing laughed dumbly, he looked up with a smile in his eyes,

"Okay, with your words, I feel more confident."

Song Shixia knew he was joking with her, so she patted her chest in agreement.

"Just do it with confidence. I'll take care of the rest."

After everyone packed up their things, Han Rong reluctantly said goodbye to her mother-in-law.

"Mother-in-law, please stay for a few more days. I have some things to do in the hospital recently. I will take you shopping after you are done."

Song Shixia remembered what happened. The medical equipment donated by Sister Yao Xue had arrived, and coincidentally, her mother-in-law was in the Capital Military Region Hospital.

The car couldn't accommodate the young guy's small car, so they wanted to stay.

Song Shixia didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Don't you want to go home?"

Ji Yang, who was always sensible, lowered his head with a guilty conscience, as if he was stuck to the side of the car. Ji Yuan blinked his big eyes and acted cute.

Song Shixia had no choice but to compromise.

"Okay, then how about letting Uncle Li take you home tomorrow?"

The young family stayed behind for the car, while Song's father and mother in the car put their hands on their knees, looking a little helpless.

"Your father and I can just walk there with our luggage. Why leave the child behind?"

Song Shixia sighed: "Mom, what time did you and my dad go there? It's such a long way. Since they got a car, they don't care about their parents anymore. We will just be apart for one night and go home tomorrow."

The two kids were so happy with the car that they couldn't let it go, but they soon lost interest in it.

The two brothers drove the car side by side, not daring to speed up. Grandpa and grandma were old, so they couldn't drive at home. In the past, mom and aunt would accompany them when they went out and watch them at the door.

Grandpa and grandma were the only ones at home, and they looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Mom said that they couldn't always trouble grandpa and grandma, as it would make the elderly feel uncomfortable.

The two kids got off the car in a bad mood after playing for less than half an hour.

Ji Yuan pouted, "I miss my mom."

Ji Yang clenched his fists.

"We shouldn't stay for the car. The car can be driven anytime and Uncle Li can take it home for us."

Ji Yuan nodded.

"We are so stupid. Mommy washes her face and goes to bed when she gets home. If we go back with her, we can still eat pineapple buns. I want to eat pineapple buns."

Ji Yang looked depressed.

"I want to eat too. Did we make them sad?" He thought more. His mother asked him whether he wanted to stay or go home. He hesitated for a long time and chose the car.

But without his mother, the car was meaningless. He subconsciously thought that he would see his mother tomorrow, but he forgot that he had to say goodbye to her for one night.

Ji Yuan thought of something and said, "Let's go home. Let's call Dad and ask Uncle Li to pick us up."

Ji Yang was listless. "No, Mom just said it will be dark by the time we get home. It's not safe for Uncle Li to drive. We can't cause any more trouble."

Ji Yuan sat down on the carpet and said, "I want to go home. I want to brush my teeth with rabbit toothpaste and have my mom tell me stories before I go to sleep."

As soon as Han Rong went out, she came back and saw the two boys with sad eyes.

"What's wrong with you?"