Gong Linglong went to the East District Family Compound in stealth, and happened to meet Aunt Jiao's daughter-in-law who was looking for someone. She had already looked around but didn't see her mother-in-law and cousin Chen Ying.
Tian's daughter-in-law had returned home at this time and was complaining to her husband with a long face.
"They just hang around all day, going from house to house. We have to work, run the household, and take the kids to and from school. Not only do they not help at all, but they don't even come home for dinner, and I have to go out in the scorching sun to look for them. I can't afford to take care of these two."
"Let's eat and don't worry about them." Director Tian's face didn't look good either.
The Tian family's daughter-in-law served a bowl of rice to her father-in-law and the man, and then she took a bowl to eat. After taking two bites, she asked, "Dad, did you give Aunt Jiao extra money this month?"
The two elders are a couple who got married later in life. Director Tian was not raised by Aunt Jiao. Since the two elders started living together, the children of the Tian family have called her "Auntie".
"No, I only have three dollars on me and I don't have any money to give her. The boss gave me ten dollars before, but I didn't take it."
Tian's father is an honest and simple old man, with a completely different personality from Aunt Jiao. He never goes out to visit other people and gossip. He works in the fields every day. When there is no work in the fields, he goes to the army's pig farm to volunteer to help. He is very hardworking and capable.
Seeing that her father-in-law didn't give her mother-in-law any money, Tian's daughter-in-law asked her husband again: "You didn't give it to her, did you?"
"No." Director Tian shook his head and said while eating, "She asked me for money separately, saying that her monthly living expenses were not enough and asked me to add five yuan, but I ignored her."
"You didn't give her any money, and neither did I. So where did she get the money to mail it back?"
Aunt Jiao has two biological daughters, both of whom are married. Her previous husband died of illness. After she started living with Tian's father, she often borrowed money from here to support her two daughters, and also mailed the money back home.
"She sent money back again?" Tian's father had no idea about this.
"Yes, my office colleague saw her go to the post office to send money. She sent 15 yuan to each of her two daughters, and also a bag of dried vegetables to each. She sent it the morning before yesterday."
Upon hearing this, the Tian family father and son stopped eating and both frowned.
Seeing that none of them knew about this, the Tian family's daughter-in-law whispered, "She mailed most of the money she had back home. We haven't given her any money in a while. The origin of this thirty yuan is suspicious. We'd better investigate where the money came from. If she's been speculating outside...it will hurt us badly."
After she finished speaking, she paused for a moment before continuing, "And Chen Ying. Qiaoqiao told me a few days ago that she saw Chen Ying hiding in the house eating canned food. It wasn't canned fruit, it was canned meat."
"Are you sure?" Director Tian narrowed his eyes.
"Qiaoqiao said she saw Chen Ying secretly eating it and stuffing it into her mouth. Last year, my eldest brother gave our family a box of canned food, which Qiaoqiao and the others had eaten. She said the canned food Chen Ying ate tasted the same as the one my eldest brother gave her; she could smell it."
Tian's daughter-in-law also felt strange. They all knew Chen Ying's family conditions and knew that her family definitely could not afford canned meat.
"Chen Ying has no blood relationship with you. She's just a distant cousin. You should ask her to leave immediately."
"I now suspect that the thirty yuan in Aunt Jiao's hand was saved after Chen Ying came. The two of them are out all day long and talk in whispers. They are deliberately avoiding us. They must be doing something shady behind our backs."
"This money and canned goods, whether they came from speculation or other illicit means, will be severely damaged if we are caught in the future."
Director Tian thought for a moment and said to Tian's father, "Dad, don't tell Aunt Jiao about this. I have to investigate their affairs."
"Boss, why don't we let them all go back to their hometown?" Father Tian was worried that they would affect his son and daughter-in-law's work.
"Dad, do you think Aunt Jiao will leave?"
Tian's daughter-in-law also wanted to send them away. She didn't like her new mother-in-law at all. She was strong and troublesome, and loved to gossip. She never helped with housework at home and only thought about looting things at home all day long. She had long been fed up with her.
"She won't leave. Now she's even called her cousin's niece over. The two of them are constantly running to the family compound in the south. Now many of the family members and neighbors are talking about Chen Ying and Deputy Battalion Commander Yuan."
"Dad, don't blame me for being harsh. Chen Ying is a girl, but she's taking the initiative to go over there every day. She hasn't even met Deputy Battalion Commander Yuan yet, but she's already expressed her willingness to be his stepmother. She's really not reserved or polite."
"You don't know, there were a lot of people outside laughing behind her back, saying some very unpleasant things. I don't believe she didn't hear it."
"A normal unmarried girl would be embarrassed to hear such words, but she doesn't feel embarrassed at all. She runs over there all day long. If she doesn't feel ashamed, I feel ashamed too."
“…”
Mr. and Mrs. Tian both had to go to work in the afternoon. After eating at home, they hurried to work.
When they left, Aunt Jiao and Chen Ying had not returned yet. Gong Linglong wandered around the East District staff quarters, and when she came back again, Aunt Jiao and the others had returned, both of them carrying baskets filled with firewood.
"They didn't even leave any food for us. We can't live like this." Aunt Jiao started complaining as soon as she got home.
Mr. Tian was not at home. He went to look for them under the scorching sun. Aunt Jiao complained at home, then took her lunch box to the canteen to get food.
Chen Ying did not go with them. She lived in the same small room with Tian's granddaughter. She went into the room and took out some biscuits from her cloth bag to eat. She also took out a small aluminum box from her bag. The aluminum box contained the canned meat that Tian's daughter-in-law had mentioned.
This can of meat sells for 1.2 yuan in state-owned stores and is considered a luxury item. Even dual-income families cannot afford to buy it.
Seeing her eating with such gusto, Gong Linglong finished the remaining half of the box in one go without any reluctance, and couldn't help but laugh inwardly: "Our family's living standard is not as good as hers."
After Chen Ying finished eating, he did not wait for Aunt Jiao to come back home to get food. Instead, he put on a straw hat and hurried out.
"Chen Ying, where were you guys going in the middle of the day? Uncle Tian just went out to look for you."
Meeting a neighbor on the road, Chen Ying smiled and greeted her, saying, "Sister-in-law, my cousin and I went to the mountains to collect firewood. The weather was too hot, and it was a bit cooler in the mountains. We were delayed a bit because we wanted to cool down, so we came back a little late."
"No wonder, your cousin's wife went out to look for you before, and your cousin's father-in-law went out to look for you again after dinner." The other person said.
"Sister-in-law, did my cousin-in-law go to the pig farm?" Chen Ying asked.
"Yes, he went in that direction."
"Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll go tell my cousin's father-in-law now." Chen Ying said and left.
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