"..." The words sounded reasonable, but when Shen Jianhua met his daughter’s gaze, he still felt guilty, his old face flushing red.
Just today, he had said he would properly make it up to Shen Mianmian.
Zhou Siyu also sharply sensed that the atmosphere was off, and as she took off her clothes, she said magnanimously, "Uncle, how about giving my clothes to my sister to wear?"
Zhou Lanfang quickly interjected, "Those were bought by your mother for you, why give them to her? With her petite size, wouldn’t she look like Wu Dalang wearing them?"
"You keep your clothes for yourself," Shen Jianhua certainly wouldn’t let Zhou Siyu give her clothes to Shen Mianmian; they were bought by Yang Guifen.
"But sister..." Zhou Siyu looked at Shen Mianmian, stopping herself mid-speech.
Shen Mianmian, silent all this while, had watched their delighted interactions and felt absolutely nothing inside.
"Dad, there’s no need to buy me new clothes, my military coat is really warm," she offered.
Zhou Lanfang would never buy her new clothes. By saying this herself, Shen Mianmian could also make Shen Jianhua feel that she was sensible.
The current Shen Mianmian knew how to act in her own best interest.
Shen Jianhua opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
Seeing this, Zhou Siyu seemed to think of something and quickly reminded, "Auntie, didn’t you buy a new pair of socks for my sister?"
"You bought new socks for Mianmian?" Shen Jianhua’s tone rose a notch, and his expression improved from before.
The socks weren’t bought for Shen Mianmian.
They were for herself; that day, she and a few sisters-in-law went to the wholesale market together. They bought thirty pairs of socks in bulk, which were half the price compared to town, so they teamed up and each took a few pairs home.
Understanding Zhou Siyu’s intention, Zhou Lanfang reluctantly dug out the socks and tossed a pair to Shen Mianmian. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"Here, these were bought for you."
"Look at you, delaying in showing Mianmian what you got for her." Shen Jianhua feigned a reproachful tone, then quickly asked, "Mianmian, do you like them?"
His wife still had some measure of discretion, knowing to buy something for their child. This comforted Shen Jianhua a bit.
Even though socks weren’t anything expensive, at least his daughter hadn’t been forgotten, and he felt he could save face both outwardly and inwardly.
Shen Mianmian held the socks and let out a cold sneer in her heart.
Her mother knew exactly how to avoid crossing her father’s line. From his reaction, she was sure he was inwardly praising Zhou Lanfang for being capable once again.
Shen Jianhua glanced at the clock on the wall, took the clothes he had taken off, and placed them in Zhou Lanfang’s arms, "Don’t get the clothes dirty, take them inside. I’ll go cook."
"Uncle, I’ll go light the fire for you."
Zhou Siyu volunteered eagerly.
Seeing her wearing new clothes, Shen Jianhua was concerned she might get them dirty, so he said, "You’ve been out all day and must be tired, go rest! Mianmian, come help me kindle the stove."
The look in Shen Mianmian’s eyes darkened. Had her father forgotten that she had also been working all day?
Not wanting to argue over these matters, Shen Mianmian followed Shen Jianhua into the kitchen.
For dinner, Shen Jianhua made some sweet potato porridge. During the meal, he casually mentioned Shen Mianmian’s intent to work for pay. Hearing that Shen Mianmian could earn money, Zhou Lanfang agreed without a second thought.
She also sternly cautioned Shen Mianmian, "Don’t be lazy, make sure you work hard. If you get sent back home before school starts, see how I deal with you."