"Sister-in-law, didn’t you hear me? Where are the chicken and eggs?"
Ye Shuying, holding her son, entered the living room without letting her son greet anyone first, nor did she bother to check on her nephew.
She was always focused on the matter of gifts; indeed, she only acted as the elder sister for the sake of appearances. She wouldn’t spend money to visit for the sake of vanity, just wanting that bit of face value, not to hear people gossip about her. Today, she had come without gifts, hoping to mooch off a meal.
"They’re being prepared!"
Mrs. Li’s gentle demeanor pleased Ye Shuying; her sister-in-law did not embarrass her with words suggesting she should have prepared the gifts herself.
"Sister-in-law, besides the chicken and eggs, did you also prepare clothes and a quilt for my sister’s child?"
Mrs. Li, smiling, responded, "You should ask your mother about that. You’re not expecting me to prepare those things, are you?"
Ye Shuying became anxious upon hearing her sister-in-law’s words:
"Sister-in-law, didn’t my mother tell you? The chicken and eggs, you’re preparing them?"
Mrs. Li’s smile faded as she said:
"We won’t quarrel with you over the chicken and eggs and will prepare a portion for you, but you must prepare the clothes and other items for the child yourself. If your mother prepares an extra portion, that can work too!"
Upon hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Ye Shuying sighed in relief; as the elder aunt, as long as the family had prepared those items, it was enough that her name was associated with the chicken and eggs.
"Sister-in-law, as long as these items are prepared, that’s enough. A newborn child doesn’t need many clothes so quickly as they grow up quickly," said Ye Shuying.
Mrs. Li would not accommodate Ye Shuying’s remarks. With such a mother, there were daughters like her, and they would have to solve their sibling issues on their own.
Ye Shuying arrived at the Ye family home, but the sisters didn’t show up in the living room to spectate.
With a bit of thought, they knew well enough; like the elder aunt and other aunts, they were as stingy as their grandmother, liking to take advantage but never give; this kind of self-interest, indifferent to family bonds, was disliked by the sisters.
Another reason the five sisters didn’t appear in the living room was that Mr. Chen had already arrived to teach, and they were in a room studying, not making any noise but that didn’t mean they weren’t learning; the teacher had set them to writing.
While waiting, Ye Shuying sat in a chair holding her son and began gossiping:
"Sister-in-law, what special gifts have you prepared for the baby? Like gold and silver jewelry?"
Ye Shuying asked secretively, recalling when her elder son was born her impoverished maternal family had sent nothing.
That did not mean her maternal family, now more affluent, would arrange nothing for her younger sister’s child.
Ye Shuying’s question was largely driven by her desire to probe; if her sister-in-law did truly send gifts to the younger sister’s child, her own elder son was also a nephew!
Being a boy, he must have gifts supplemented by her sister-in-law.
Ye Shuying’s words, neither particularly clever nor dumb, were addressed to Mrs. Li who, though not highly literate, had enough worldly wisdom from observing the actions of the wealthy to understand the elder sister-in-law’s intentions.
Mrs. Li, having had six children, never complained when the elder sister-in-law did not provide gifts for the children. For the last two children who were born, let alone visiting with gifts, they often visited empty-handed.
Like now, with a joint visit to relatives, and still expecting her to prepare an extra gift.
Mrs. Li did not quarrel with them but was not foolish enough to let herself be taken for granted, shaking her head she said:
"Neither your father nor your mother has prepared anything, I’ve put thought into the clothes and little quilt, but I haven’t prepared any other gifts."
Ye Shuying glanced at her sister-in-law holding her nephew; she did not see any adornments around the little one’s neck. It was either covered by clothes or indeed there was nothing worn, she didn’t know.
She glanced down at her own son, who truly wore nothing.
Ye Shuying continued to hold her son in the maternal family’s living room, tirelessly feeding him snacks.
She didn’t let her son run out to play in the yard, of course, she didn’t want the child’s clothes to get dirty at the relatives’ place, lest they consider her child dirty.
Ye Shuying’s eyes shifted, wondering whether something adorned the little child’s neck. It didn’t matter; she knew that among her nieces, one of them owned many valuable things.
She had long heard from their mother and sisters, and had always coveted them, but she had never succeeded.