Tong Mingyu took some time to return to her parents' home. Tong Guanghui's wife, Zhang, had given birth to a boy, and both mother and child were safe. Tong Mingyu glanced at her second sister-in-law and the child, spoke a few words to her father and mother, and hurried back.
Minister Tong angrily cursed his in-laws for abusing his daughter. Madam Tong calmly said, "Since you are not satisfied with the Xiao family, let's take our daughter and grandchildren back tomorrow. Then you can find a son-in-law for our daughter who doesn't need a housekeeper, loves her and the children, and has no concubines or maids."
"Nonsense." Tong Shangshu certainly knew that it was not easy to find a son-in-law like Xiao Jingkang, and he would be controlled even if he complained. Tong Shangshu returned to the study in frustration.
Tong Mingyu returned to the Xiao family and started working non-stop again. Li Jiaoying and Yuan Yutong felt very sorry.
The eldest sister-in-law was busy all by herself, and the two of them could only help with some small things.
"We are a family, why bother with so many things!" Tong Mingyu doesn't mind these things at all. She has gotten used to them over the years.
"We feel really sorry for letting sister-in-law run around all by herself while we can't help her at all." Yuan Yutong saw how busy Tong Mingyu was these days.
In the past, she envied her sister-in-law for being able to be the head of the household.
If she were to choose now, Yuan Yutong would still choose her current lifestyle. She really couldn't understand what those women in the mansions were trying to achieve by scheming against each other all day long, and even fighting each other to the death, for a little power. She really didn't understand what was so envious and worth fighting for in such a busy and tiring life. Anyway, she didn't want to live like this for a single day.
"You all should go back and rest. There's no need for all three of you to stay here. I'll finish my work here quickly."
Tong Mingyu asked the two of them to go back. Not only did they both have young children, but his third brother and his wife hadn't seen each other for almost a year. They should be allowed to have a good reunion.
The three sisters-in-law were polite to each other and no one wanted to leave first. Tong Mingyu had to speed up and finish the matter quickly before they left together.
In Yiyuan, Xiao Jingmin was waiting for his wife excitedly and expectantly. His son had moved to the front yard, and his daughter had already fallen asleep like a little pig, leaving him alone, unable to sleep.
When Yuan Yutong entered the bedroom, she saw her husband waiting for her on the bed, wearing only his underwear and holding a book in his hand.
As soon as Yuan Yutong appeared, Xiao Jingmin immediately dropped the book in his hand and came over. He first poured a cup of tea and handed it to his wife. After she took a sip, he pulled her to sit on the chair and began to massage her shoulders and back. His technique was skillful and smooth, and it was obvious that he had done this many times before.
"Why are you back so late? You must be exhausted."
"My eldest sister-in-law is the only one who is busy. Most of the time, my second sister-in-law and I can only watch from the side and can't help."
"The eldest sister-in-law has been the housekeeper for many years. You and the second sister-in-law have never paid attention to these things, so naturally you have no idea where to start."
"After living with everyone, I realized how useless I am. From now on, we must educate our daughter well, so that she can not only be a lady and a talented woman, but also be able to manage the household." Yuan Yutong placed all her hopes on her daughter.
Xiao Jingmin really wanted to say that if this was said about Ping An, it would be easy to convince people, but if it was said about his own daughter, wouldn’t the requirements be a bit too high?
Seeing his wife's confident and determined look, Xiao Jingmin swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Let Ruyi spend more time with her sister in the future." Maybe she will be influenced by this, even if she can't be outstanding in everything.
, at least I can learn a little bit.
"Your daughter is so obsessed with him, how can we spend more time together? Besides, won't we go back with you after a while?"
"Will these two sisters be willing to separate? Why don't we find a way to take Ping An away as well?" Xiao Jingmin imagined two lovely little girls staying by his side every day, eating and playing together. Such days must be wonderful.
"Don't daydream. Your son and I have been trying to do this since the day I came back, and we haven't succeeded yet. What's more, your father-in-law will be back soon. If you dare to kidnap someone's precious granddaughter, be prepared to have your legs broken."
“That’s too much.”
"You'll know whether it's an exaggeration or not when you get back, grandpa." It's been more than a year since I came back, and it's clear from his letters how much my grandpa likes Ping'an. I'm afraid that even if all his grandsons are put together, they may not be as pleasing to him as Ping'an.
"Forget it then!" He couldn't do the tiger whisker stroking thing, but he wasn't stupid. With his chubby daughter by his side, he should be content.
The two met again after a long separation, and naturally they were very affectionate and spent a wonderful night together.
The next day, Tong Mingyu opened the storeroom early in the morning. The housekeepers began to check and inspect the tableware, chairs, and utensils needed for the birthday celebration. Other tasks were also being finalized. The house was freshly painted, the courtyard was clean and tidy, and even the stone lions outside the gate looked brand new.
Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Jingtai went out together, but went their separate ways. Xiao Jingkang went to court, while Xiao Jingtai was busy with the Fang family's affairs.
When the younger children came to Ninghe Hall to pay their respects, Qin ordered someone to bring newly tailored clothes for them to change into. These were specially made for General Xiao to wear on his birthday. They should be tried on today to make changes if anything was not suitable.
"Is the New Year coming soon?" Xiao Jun judged from the busy situation at home these days that the New Year was probably coming soon. Even if it wasn't, it was not far away.
"It's the New Year!" Xiao Qi didn't quite understand what the New Year meant, he just wanted to know if there would be new clothes to wear and delicious snacks!
Xiao Yao looked prettier in a red dress than the dolls in New Year pictures. In fact, she prefers plainer colors.
But when you go to Rome, you have to do as the Romans do. You have to dress festively during the New Year and other festivals. You also have to look glamorous when attending banquets and birthday celebrations. So I have been dressed up as a little red envelope time and time again, and my mood has changed from being reluctant at first to being calm about it.
"Second Miss, please don't move. It will be fine in a while." The maid who was helping Xiao Yuan put on her clothes was sweating profusely, but the young master just refused to cooperate.
Xiao Yao looked at Xiao Yuan, then at the maid trying to put clothes on her, and turned her head away. Who would want to wear clothes a size smaller? It would be strange if they could cooperate. This little sister was gaining weight too fast. She had a physique that could gain weight even with a slight breeze. It was hard to predict who would be fatter and who would be thinner between her and Xiao Qi in two years.
Qin came over to see what was going on. Ruyi was usually easy to coax, so what was wrong with her today? After a long search, she still couldn't figure out the problem. Perhaps it was because she hadn't considered the clothes being ill-fitting.
Xiao Jingmin strolled leisurely in the garden all morning and was planning to fulfill his responsibilities as an elder and play with the little ones. When he came in, he found his daughter struggling with a red face, and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"I don't know what's wrong with Ruyi today. She refuses to wear new clothes no matter what." Qin wondered.
Xiao Jingmin glanced at the clothes twirled around his daughter, then at his niece, neatly dressed and looking beautiful, and realized the truth was about to be revealed. His daughter must be afraid of being outdone by her older sister, so she refused to wear the new clothes. That was it.
"Mother, next time you make clothes for Ping An and Ru Yi,
Can we not use the same color?”
"Why? We used to dress like this." Qin asked in confusion.
"Ping An looks good in everything he wears. My Ru Yi can't compare to her sister, and I feel sad."
Xiao Yao didn't expect the fire to burn herself. She hadn't intended to speak, but in order to stop her uncle from imagining anything further, she said helplessly: "The clothes are too tight... I don't like wearing them."
Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement, yes, yes, sister is right.
"The clothes... are too tight... to wear, right?" It took Xiao Jingmin a long time to find his voice, and he asked his little niece intermittently.
"Yes," Xiao Yuan uttered the word very clearly. Finally, someone understood him, and it was his biological father. Xiao Yuan was very relieved.
But her father was simply heartbroken. Last night, the couple had been so ambitious about nurturing their daughter and hoping she would become a successful person, only to be dealt a heavy blow today. Xiao Jingmin closed his eyes and imagined the future, feeling it would be a long and arduous journey.
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