The door was open, and as Shen Jianhua looked inside, he saw Shen Mianmian sitting on the bed, like a supervisor, with no intention of helping. His brows furrowed slightly.
"Mianmian, why don’t you give Siyu a hand? That’s a large bucket of water; how could she possibly carry it?"
He felt somewhat guilty toward his daughter, but he didn’t want her to grow up selfish. He hoped that the sisters would support each other in the future, making their lives better and better.
Shen Mianmian laughed, "If she can’t carry it, does it mean I can?"
"I’m not asking you to carry it; I’m asking you to help lift it." Shen Jianhua’s frown deepened, feeling that his daughter was twisting his words.
He didn’t mean to blame her, but he believed that Siyu would definitely be capable in the future. After entering high school, they would see each other less often. If they didn’t form a closer bond now, their affection might diminish once they started their own families.
"Uncle, don’t be mad at my sister. The water isn’t that heavy. I can carry it out in two or three trips," Zhou Siyu seemed to be speaking for Shen Mianmian, but in reality, she was casting her as even more inconsiderate.
This little trick had been played countless times in front of Shen Jianhua, but it was always effective.
"Mianmian, although you’re the older sister, in this regard, you should learn from Siyu." In educating children, where praise was due, praise, where defense was needed, defend, and where education was necessary, educate.
Learn Zhou Siyu’s selfish independence?
Shen Mianmian found it somewhat amusing. She couldn’t help but give a slight smile, "Dad, this is her bathwater in the first place. What’s wrong with her pouring it out herself? Why does it sound from your tone like she’s doing a favor for me? It’s as if by not helping, I’ve committed some serious error?"
"I only wanted you to help her out a bit. Why must two sisters quibble over such trivial matters?" After explaining for so long, his daughter still couldn’t grasp his intention, and Shen Jianhua’s tone worsened.
He wondered to himself, was it because he had been overly indulgent with her lately due to his feelings of guilt?
"Usually, it’s Mom who helps Siyu with her bathwater, even pouring it out for her. No one ever helps me. Today Siyu just poured out one bucket of bathwater herself; why can’t you stand it? I fetch and pour my own water every day, why don’t you have Siyu help me for a change?"
Shen Jianhua was left speechless by Shen Mianmian’s words.
On reflection, he and his wife really hadn’t helped Shen Mianmian with her bathwater much. They’d gotten into the habit of assisting Zhou Siyu, and seeing Zhou Siyu doing it herself for once made him feel sorry for her; he wasn’t willing to have her do the work.
Then seeing Shen Mianmian sitting without helping, his paternal instincts had leaned toward Zhou Siyu.
"Dad, although you always say you want to make it up to me and treat me well, in your heart, you still favor Siyu, don’t you?" Shen Mianmian laughed self-deprecatingly, "In the future, you might as well not say those things. They sound to me as if you are performing a comic dialogue."
Actually, Shen Mianmian somewhat admired Shen Jianhua; he always managed to make her already disappointed heart sink even further.
Shen Jianhua was filled with shame by Shen Mianmian’s words, "Mianmian, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not favoring Siyu; I just hope that you and Siyu can be closer. Our family doesn’t have many relatives, and you don’t get along well with your cousins. That’s why I thought it’d be good for you and Siyu to have a better relationship, so you have someone to turn to if anything happens.
No matter whom he felt more compassion for, he was doing it for his daughter’s sake. Latest content publıshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
Siyu would go to college and live in the city, and it’s easier to get things done in the city when you know people.
His young daughter might not think about these things, but he had to.