Father Yun and Mother Yun exchanged a glance before Father Yun began to speak first, "The last time Xiaoxiao came back, she was in such a hurry that she didn’t even stay for a day before going to Capital City to study."
"Sister-in-law, your clothes weren’t cheap, right? How come you didn’t think to be filial to Mom and buy her one too?" Eldest Aunt Yun eyed the couple’s down jackets with dissatisfaction in her gaze. This younger brother-in-law’s family seemed to increasingly disregard them.
"Eldest sister-in-law, the clothes were not bought by us, Xiaoxiao bought them. Eldest sister-in-law, didn’t your niece buy you one? Also, the younger aunt too, not knowing to be filial to Mom and buy her clothes."
Mother Yun was certainly not a pushover.
Could someone who became an accountant at the factory be someone easily manipulated?
One sentence instantly made Grandma Yun and Eldest Aunt Yun’s faces sour.
That’s right, they both had daughters.
Father Yun glanced at his elder brother; these days, he only maintained a surface-level brotherly relationship.
The fight back then was fierce, initially over jobs and then about the dowry issue.
Eldest Uncle Yun had inherited Grandpa Yun’s job.
When Father Yun was getting married and asked his parents for a dowry, Grandpa Yun had just passed the job to his eldest son and didn’t have much money on hand; it was all controlled by Grandma Yun.
In that era, the dowry for a marriage was very low, but even then, Grandma Yun did not give any, instead telling her younger son to figure it out for himself.
It got especially ugly then.
Mother Yun said with a smile, "Eldest sister-in-law always says how filial her nieces are, right? But how come they didn’t buy you a new piece of clothing? It seems being filial isn’t just about saying a few words; it also needs to be shown. Otherwise, who can tell whether it’s genuine filial piety or false?"
Mother Yun hadn’t always been petty about such things.
But Eldest Aunt Yun had looked down on her younger daughter’s move to the countryside numerous times, stepping on sore points countless times.
"Shut your mouth," Grandma Yun said, her face showing a bit of embarrassment.
Mother Yun did not wish to cause a scene on the first day of the Lunar New Year either.
Eldest Aunt Yun’s three daughters-in-law were cooking in the kitchen and also exchanged glances with each other.
Hearing a knock at the door, Father Yun stood up to open it and saw two sons and one daughter arriving.
"Eldest uncle, Eldest Aunt..."
"Eldest uncle, Eldest Aunt."
"Eldest uncle, Eldest Aunt."
Yun Xiaoxiao’s gaze fell on Grandma Yun, "This must be Grandma, right? It’s been so many years, I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re still full of vigor, I could hear your voice from downstairs."
After finishing, she started introducing without waiting for a response: "Grandma, this is my partner, and these are my two children."
"Hurry up and greet her."
"Mom, I don’t know what to call her?"
"This is Mom’s grandma, you should call her Great Grandma."
Eldest Uncle Yun and Eldest Aunt Yun looked bewildered at Yun Xiaoxiao and her partner, still watching as they greeted everyone.
Suddenly the not-so-large living room became lively.
Grandma Yun looked at her little granddaughter, her man, and the two little ones.
Even the little ones were wearing leather shoes.
"This is Xiaoxiao, isn’t it? You’ve become more and more beautiful over the years. I heard you’re attending university in Capital City and made quite a bit of money, right?"
Yun Xiaoxiao nodded, "Eldest Aunt, as you know, it’s the era of reform and opening up now, making money is easier than before. And you know, I’m married; it wouldn’t be right to still rely on my parents, and my in-laws are in the countryside. Both my children and we ourselves have to study, we must find ways to make money to survive.
Luckily, we have subsidies from the school, so we try to make money, or else we wouldn’t even be able to afford porridge. Eldest Aunt, you’re fortunate, you can either stay at home with the children or continue working without so much pressure every month. You’ve also reached an age to enjoy your blessings, and my cousins must be very filial to you. Otherwise, Eldest Aunt wouldn’t look so prosperous. That’s really nice."