He Zhangcheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After nodding to Brother Lu's family, he followed Xiaoting out. As soon as they stepped out the door, Xiaoting walked in silence and didn't say a word to him.
He Zhangcheng rubbed his hands together, trying to find a topic to talk about, but he didn't know what to say to his daughter, afraid that he would upset her even more if he opened his mouth.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to use the Lu family to build rapport. "Xiaoting, you are very familiar with Uncle Lu and the others. You are willing to call Comrade Lu 'Little Aunt' rather than 'Cousin Aunt'."
He was quite surprised when he heard Xiaoting call An'an "aunt" so readily. He knew that this child rarely called Mingyue "cousin," and even though her mother had told her countless times that she was impolite, she always clenched her fists and refused to speak. He never expected her to call her "comrade Xiao Lu" so easily. It really shows how fate works between people.
"……What's wrong?"
After he finished speaking, he realized that his daughter in front of him had suddenly stopped. He quickly went forward and saw Xiaoting looking at him with her arms crossed.
"I have neither a biological aunt nor a biological cousin, so why should I call her that?"
He Zhangcheng was somewhat embarrassed. "Although Aunt Mingyue is not Dad's biological cousin, she is related to Grandma by blood. She is a distant relative. We can't say that when we get home, or Grandma will be angry."
If he doesn't want to call me that, then so be it. Anyway, we only see each other occasionally. Maybe he'll be willing to call me that when he grows up. He Zhangcheng didn't take it to heart.
He knew that his mother didn't like his wife and daughter very much, and he didn't like his daughter either, who had a fiery temper, and she made it very clear. The two of them were often at odds, and he was often caught in the middle and had a difficult time.
Fortunately, we've moved here now, so we won't see Mom as often after she goes back.
As for Ma Mingyue, he thought his daughter was siding with her mother and taking out her anger on her; after all, she's just a kid.
Xiaoting looked at him with a stern face, then suddenly snorted loudly, "But I'm angry now."
After speaking, she walked home with her head down. He Zhangcheng was even more at a loss for what to do and could only follow beside her. However, this time Xiaoting didn't give him a chance to start a conversation. No matter what she said, she didn't even lift her eyelids.
The two quickly reached the bottom of the building. Xiaoting remained silent, intending to quickly climb the steps and run home. Naturally, she didn't see Liu He talking to people in the family compound not far away.
"This child saw me but didn't even come over to say hello. I always said her mother doesn't know how to raise a child, sigh—"
The neighbor next to her didn't know what to say, so she could only nod in agreement. Xiaoting hadn't been there long. Her mother was good-looking and well-groomed, and she was well-groomed as well. What family wouldn't like a pretty and charming girl? What's more, she would always greet everyone sweetly.
Many mothers in the building, when compared to their own mischievous children, adored the quiet and well-behaved Xiaoting. Liu He arrived even later, and being the mother-in-law, she was naturally more inclined to side with Ye Man, especially since most of the mothers in the building were young. Besides, her words were too ambiguous. Everyone knew Xiaoting; she might have rushed back and not seen anyone. Moreover, it was just a matter of not saying hello; why talk about the child like that and drag the child's mother into it?
Many people silently complained in their hearts that while others were saying good things about their own children, this grandmother actually spoke up to smear her own well-behaved and beautiful granddaughter.
Liu He thought her neighbors would join her in criticizing Ye Man, but after she finished speaking, she realized that the young neighbors, who were holding children or doing other work, were just smiling faintly.
She also felt it was pointless; if they were back in her hometown, her neighbors would have already joined her in criticizing this unfilial daughter-in-law.
It was hot and An'an had no appetite. He only ate a couple of bites before he couldn't sit still. He kept swaying from side to side, trying to jump off the stool. Song Qing glared at him.
"..."
She could only silently take the bowl that had been pushed away and Lu Yang picked up a piece of cured meat for her. An An stuffed it into her mouth and shoved her cheeks out for a long time without swallowing.
Seeing his wife's increasingly pale face, Lu Yang instinctively wanted to take An'an's bowl and feed her, but Song Qing turned her head and glared at him, which stopped him from doing so.
"Mom, can Xiaoting sleep at our house tomorrow?"
Xiaoting always wanted to sleep while cuddling the kitten.
Song Qing lowered her head, picked up a piece of green vegetable, and then hesitated before asking An'an, "Why doesn't Xiaoting like staying at home?"
"Because she doesn't like her grandma, Mom, I've already told you."
She was still shaking her head. Song Qing and Lu Ronghui exchanged a glance. Sure enough, you have to talk about gossip with girls. Just by looking at each other, they could see a lot of information in each other's eyes, unlike Lu Yang, who was such a blockhead and knew nothing.
"Yeah?"
“Yes, Xiaoting’s mother also invited Xiaoting over because she didn’t want her to stay at home with her grandma.” She suddenly frowned as she said this, “…Mom, why don’t you invite Aunt Ye over to our house too? She doesn’t need to go back.”
Their house is so big, it can easily accommodate two more people. There are enough beds on the kang (heated brick bed) on the aunt's side for several people to sleep.
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made, and he started pestering Song Qing. Helpless, Song Qing pressed him back onto the stool.
"Don't worry about it. If your Aunt Ye wants to come to our house, she will tell Mom. Don't ask her directly, or Aunt Ye might feel awkward."
"……Oh well"
After dinner, they rested in the yard for a while. An'an was taken to take a bath by Lu Ronghui and will sleep at her place in a little while. Lu Yang was trimming his nails with nail clippers. Song Qing was too tired to read after a long day and was lying on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling.
"...Every family has its own problems."
Lu Yang now deeply understands this saying. His own family's situation was already difficult enough, but he never imagined that others' situations were just as tough.
Song Qing turned over and looked at him. "That's right, even Sister Guan has been worried these days."
"What's wrong with Sister Guan?"
Logically speaking, the key should be living a peaceful and happy life now, since it's summer vacation and Xiao Liang has returned from school.
"Xiaosheng sent her a letter, asking Sister Guan for money."
"ah?"
"The letter asked for 20 yuan, but Sister Guan didn't give it to her. She wrote to her parents to inquire about the situation."
Lu Yang sighed as well, "Sigh."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
