Zhao Tianlei had no idea that Wang Laowu really took his advice and was planning to go on a blind date to get married.
"You all still know how to come home?"
Seeing Dad’s stern face, Da Bao quickly apologized, "Dad, I’m sorry."
"All right, don’t be so serious. Da Bao and Xiao Bao are back because they ran into their old playmates and got carried away playing and forgot the time. And their return is just in time."
Yun Xiaoxiao chided the elder one, then turned to the younger, "You must come home before dark. You forgot this time, but you can’t do it again next time, understand?"
"Mom, I understand too."
The second day of the New Year is the day to visit the maternal home.
"Third Brother, I knew you would be home!"
The second day of the New Year is the day to visit the maternal home.
My mother-in-law lives so far away from me, where else could I be if not at home?
"Did my sister-in-law almost get into a fight with my mother when she went back to her maternal home?"
Zhao Tianhe immediately began, "Isn’t it because my sister-in-law insisted on taking all the prawns we had brought with us back to her maternal home? Of course, my mother disagreed because my elder sister hadn’t come back yet, and she wanted her to have a taste too."
"All this fuss over nothing."
Zhao Tianhe agreed with his sister-in-law’s words.
"I used to think my sister-in-law was quite good, but now I am increasingly feeling...."
A younger brother-in-law isn’t in a position to criticize his sister-in-law.
But Zhao Tianhe felt choked up inside and uncomfortable not being able to express it.
"Didn’t Second Aunt take you to her maternal home?" Yun Xiaoxiao handed water to Zhao Tianhe and brought out some seeds, nuts, and candies.
"My elder sister is coming, and Grandma and Grandpa are already old."
Here, ’old’ means the elderly have passed away.
"And then?" Yun Xiaoxiao asked while cracking seeds.
Zhao Tianlei was on the side peeling pine nuts for Yun Xiaoxiao, who liked them but complained they were hard to peel.
"Took away about half," Zhao Tianhe said indifferently.
"If it had been in the past, my sister-in-law would have certainly threatened to split the family to pressure our parents, but now that she knows the two of us can make money, she also wants us to contribute to the communal pot."
Zhao Tianhe spoke in a detached tone.
Mom wasn’t in good health and couldn’t do heavy work.
"Then if you settle down in Capital City and don’t come back, you’re essentially splitting the family anyway, so what’s the big deal?"
But houses in Capital City really aren’t cheap.
He indeed wanted to settle in Capital City and didn’t want to come back to face his sister-in-law’s nagging.
I never used to feel this way, but why does it seem like my sister-in-law is becoming more and more petty?
"Work hard at your job and try to buy a house in Capital City as soon as possible. When the time comes, you can take Uncle and Little Aunt there to live out their old age."
Live out their old age?
In the village, when families split, it is usually the main house that takes care of the elderly, while the other households contribute food and such.
"Second Brother, Mom asked me to call you," Zhao Xinxin entered, noting the several people in the room.
When Second Brother left, she knew he must have gone to look for Third Brother.
"Xinxin, have some seeds..."
"Has Elder Sister arrived?"
"She has, but Elder Sister’s husband didn’t come."
Zhao Tianhe was taken aback. Why didn’t Elder Sister’s husband come?
"Is Elder Sister’s husband busy with something?"
Yun Xiaoxiao had also met this man of Zhao Yueyue’s, who seemed to be a really honest person.
On this day of visiting the maternal home for the New Year, why didn’t he come?
"Fighting to split the family," Zhao Xinxin blurted out.
"Let’s go back and see what’s happening."
Zhao Tianhe wanted to know exactly what was going on.
To think of splitting up the family during the New Year?
The moment the two siblings left, the place became instantly quiet.
"Shall we go to town and have a look around?"
"Let’s go over and take a look. I wonder if my dad’s bicycle has been borrowed."