Zhu Fanfan was practically raising his hand to swear: "Grandpa, I'm really fine. I probably ate some snacks because I was hungry before, but I'm not hungry now."
Zhu Jiabao didn't say anything. This girl doesn't like snacks and insists that they are junk food with too much industrial flavor. No matter how he tries to persuade her, she won't eat them. She hardly eats anything except for three regular meals a day. She usually gives him all the snacks she makes herself. He has never seen such a self-disciplined person when it comes to diet.
Seeing that Grandpa Jiu's face was somber, Zhu Ziyi worried that his little cousin would be scolded, so he advised, "Fanfan is still a child, it's normal for her to like snacks. Grandpa Jiu, let's eat first and leave some for Fanfan, she can eat them when she's hungry."
Zhu Jiabao didn't say anything, and let the matter drop. He planned to take Fanfan's pulse next time Jingqian came, as he didn't believe the girl would eat snacks.
After finishing their meal, Zhu Jiabao said to Zhu Ziyi, "Let's go and clean up the dishes."
Wu Min hurriedly stood up to clear the dishes and said, "Fanfan and I will clean up. Ninth Grandpa, you and Ziyi can rest."
Zhu Jiabao explained, "When your Ninth Grandmother and I were at home, we never let Fanfan wash the dishes. Doing housework is too hard on a girl's hands. We men are tough and don't have to worry about it."
Wu Min stopped awkwardly. She just wanted to help, but she didn't expect to be refused. Grandpa Jiu even said something about how housework hurts your hands, as if he was disgusted that she had made Fanfan do the work. But in which family doesn't the women clean up the mess after a meal? Where do men go to the kitchen to clean up?
Zhu Jiabao glanced at Zhu Ziyi, who quickly said, "Comrade Wu Min, you and the child can watch TV in the living room for a while. Grandpa Jiu and I will go and tidy up."
Although women in their area usually do the kitchen work, and women who don't go into the kitchen are so talkative they could drown you in their spittle, he was used to that lifestyle. But this was his great-grandfather's house. His great-grandfather was afraid of his great-grandmother, and his great-grandmother doted on Fanfan the most, so naturally she wouldn't let Fanfan do anything. It was not wrong for his wife to suggest that he do it himself. They weren't the owners of the house, so how could she make decisions for Fanfan?
Although Zhu Jiabao was dissatisfied with his granddaughter-in-law's matter-of-fact tone, after all, she wasn't family. He glared at Zhu Ziyi with daggers, clearly seeing that she had never done any housework and was a lazy bum. Luckily, she was his grandnephew; if it were his grandson-in-law, he would have slapped him to the ground. However, seeing that his granddaughter-in-law didn't care about her husband's behavior, he was too lazy to discipline her.
He said rather irritably, "Are you waiting for me to clear the way for you? Don't you know where the kitchen is? Stop dawdling when you're supposed to be doing something."
Zhu Ziyi was in the wrong and obediently listened to his Ninth Grandfather, being bossed around by Zhu Jiabao in the kitchen.
Wu Min, watching Zhu Fanfan reading a book, found her quiet and charming: "You've never washed dishes at home before?"
Zhu Fanfan nodded obediently. She had initially thought quite well of her cousin-in-law, who seemed like a straightforward person. However, she was surprised by how unpleasant her words were and decided not to get to know her better.
Wu Min spoke up: "Girls are better. Girls are meticulous and can do housework well. Boys are so naughty and careless. They are forgetful when doing housework. It's better not to do it at all. When the children grow up, I will definitely marry two diligent daughters-in-law. Being diligent in managing the household is what women should do, don't you think?"
In China, filial piety is highly valued. Once a daughter-in-law enters the family, she is responsible for washing clothes and cooking, and she can enjoy a life of leisure. Just thinking about it makes one happy.
Zhu Fanfan: ...Do you think a child can understand what you're saying to her, and are they even close?
After leaving the kitchen, Zhu Jiabao told Zhu Ziyi's family to tidy up the house and rest for a while before he took them outside for a walk, which would also help Fanfan relax.
After they left, Zhu Jiabao advised, "If you don't like your cousin's wife, just keep it polite on the surface. There's no need to make a scene, you know? I'll say what I want to say. I'm the elder, so even if they're unhappy, they have to keep it to themselves. You can just stay in the background and watch the show."
Judging from Wu Min's personality, she wasn't an unreasonable person. It's just that her ingrained ideas were deeply rooted: men should earn money outside to support the family, while women should stay at home to manage the household chores. This was not wrong in itself, but when you're in an unfamiliar place, you should find out about the family situation first. He didn't believe that Zi Yi hadn't told her about his family.
Zhu Fanfan could only agree: "If I hear something I don't like, I'll swear."
Zhu Jiabao patted Zhu Fanfan's head: "Your grandfather got to his current position just to support my granddaughter. You can scold me all you want, I'll cover for you. If I can't cover for you, I'll ask my old leader for help."
Zhu Fanfan: ...What's wrong with you all? You can't solve any of your problems, so you all go to the old leader for support. Aren't you ashamed at your age?
Zhu Fanfan said she wanted to take a nap, so Zhu Jiabao could only let her go. However, when Zhu Fanfan returned to her room, she was unusually unable to sleep. This habit, which was almost ingrained in her bones, was broken. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Frustrated, Zhu Fanfan went into her spatial dimension and practiced one set of punches after another until she was exhausted and finally came out and lay down on the bed to sleep.
Not long after, Zhu Fanfan woke up. She checked the time and found that only thirty minutes had passed. Normally, she could sleep for an hour and a half. It was really strange.
In the afternoon, Zhu Jiabao took his family shopping and bought a lot of things. The family was very harmonious. Although Zhu Jiabao still looked serious, you couldn't tell that something had just happened at home. Zhu Fanfan also came along and was well-behaved and sensible the whole way.
Back in her room at home, Wu Min was still sighing: "Didn't you say that Grandpa Jiu and Grandma Jiu had a very good relationship? Grandpa Jiu is acting like nothing happened just a few days after Grandma Jiu passed away, and Fanfan doesn't seem sad at all."
Men are all the same. His wife, with whom he'd spent his whole life, has only been gone for a few days, and he doesn't seem sad at all. If he were ten years younger, would he need to find an old lady to take care of him? There have been many similar cases in their area.
And then there's Zhu Fanfan, all smiles the whole way. Even though her beloved grandmother is gone, she acts like nothing happened. It's true what they say, you can't really raise someone without blood ties.
Zhu Ziyi was puzzled: "Where did you get that conclusion? Ninth Grandfather and Fanfan were clearly very sad."
Wu Min protested, "Grandpa Jiu and Fanfan were all smiles the whole way, they didn't look sad at all. And everyone greeted Grandpa Jiu with a smile, I don't know why Grandma Jiu is so unpopular?"
When they met, not a single person mentioned Grandma Jiu, not a word of comfort, and they even made plans to have a few drinks together.
Zhu Ziyi chuckled: "We all came from the battlefield, so our understanding of life is different. Grandma Jiu is already over sixty years old, which is considered a long life in our country. Everyone respects Grandma Jiu very much."
My wife didn't see what Grandpa Jiu and Fanfan looked like before Grandma Jiu's accident, so she thought they weren't sad. Their sadness was written all over their faces, so who would dare to mention Grandma Jiu?
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