Zhou Shuren couldn't say he was eavesdropping, so he just nodded. In his memory, the original body was a really rare eldest daughter. Not only in appearance, but also because she was the first daughter after having two sons. After all, they were different.
As a result, he completely forgot about the guilt he was feeling. He saw his eldest daughter being upset and his eldest son-in-law being depressed. He wanted to discuss with Zhulan about waiting for his daughter to come back on the second day of the New Year to have a detailed talk, but now he couldn't help but hear the child crying, "Tell Dad, Dad will make the decision for you."
Zhulan saw that her eldest daughter was stunned, "Talk to us, you still have parents and brothers, we will make the decision for you."
Xuemei's tears fell down. She felt sorry for her husband and children. If it wasn't so cold today, she would have brought the two children here for a good meal. She choked up and told the story of how the Jiang family's sisters-in-law made a fuss, why her brothers remained silent, and how her parents-in-law compromised. In the end, she felt very aggrieved. "It was my parents-in-law who insisted on my studying, and my brothers agreed. Now that my family has no money because of my studies, they are venting their anger on us, as if we are the worst offenders. Dad, I feel sorry for your grandchildren. This year, I have no money, and my two children haven't had enough to eat."
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren's faces turned black. They never expected that their daughter and grandson would be bullied. Both of them were smart people and understood human nature best. Their hopes were dashed, and the eldest daughter's family became an outlet for their anger. Moreover, the more the eldest daughter and her husband gave in, the more the Jiang family would think that they were doing nothing wrong, and they would become more and more aggressive.
Zhulan's face darkened. "I used to think your parents-in-law were reasonable, but now I realize that they are confused. They know that there is a lot of resentment in the family, and they are afraid that they can't suppress it. They have the fantasy of letting you two suffer to relieve the resentment, and hope that the family will be harmonious and everything will be prosperous. It's more realistic than dreaming."
Zhulan was really angry. The second oldest child only saw that the eldest daughter and her husband had lost weight, and had no idea what had happened. She and Zhou Shuren knew that the couple would be bullied, but they did not expect that they would be tortured. The inaction of the old couple of the Jiang family seemed to be a sign of wanting peace, and they were also blaming Jiang Sheng for not living up to their expectations.
When Zhou Shuren heard that his three-year-old grandson couldn't even eat half full, and his one-year-old granddaughter had never eaten eggs since she was born, and now his eldest daughter had no milk to feed, and the little girl only ate soup made from coarse corn, he estimated the time and became worried. Now that his eldest daughter and her husband were coming, he didn't know how the two children would be doing in the Jiang family!
Zhou Shuren frowned as he went to the field and said, "You and Jiang Sheng should not go back today. Your mother and I will go to Jiang's house to pick up the two children. You will spend the New Year here this year."
Zhu Lan was worried about the two children. "It's cold outside and the children can't stand it. Go to the clan leader's house and borrow a bullock cart with a canopy. I will prepare a quilt and leave when you come back."
Zhou Shuren, "By the way, prepare some food. The two children must not have eaten anything."
Zhulan nodded, dug out two old quilts, and took out her old cotton-padded jacket. Then she put on her shoes and went to the granary to get some easily digestible snacks. She also called Li to boil some hot water for the two children. She did not expect the Jiang family to prepare hot water for the children.
Xuemei didn't have a chance to speak until her mother was ready. "Mom, we can't spend the New Year here."
She knew that her mother and father had good intentions in caring for her and her child, but it was too embarrassing for the Jiang family. How would they get along with their parents-in-law in the future? Moreover, her husband was going to take the exam for a scholar, and the reputation of being unfilial would have a huge impact on him.
Zhulan knew Zhou Shuren had made it when he spoke. She understood her daughter's worries and comforted her, "Don't worry, your father knows what's going on and he's not acting on impulse. We will go pick him up in person and make sure he knows everything. Don't worry about it. Jiang Sheng drank a lot, so go take care of him!"
Xuemei was a little confused. In her impression, her mother was impulsive and her father was successful but stubborn. But she felt a little dazed after hearing her mother's words. Has she not been home for too long? Her parents have changed a lot. Her mother is not impulsive anymore and her father is very considerate. But she felt warm in her heart. Everything her parents did was for her.
Chang Lian, Chang Zhi and the other two came back first, and Jiang Sheng rested in Chang Lian's room.
Zhulan said to Changzhi, "Your eldest sister and her family are at home for the New Year. Rongchuan will move in and live with you for a few days. When your eldest sister and her family go back, Rongchuan will move back. You are the older brother, so you need to take care of him more."
There was no way. Chang Lian didn't like Rong Chuan from the bottom of her heart, and she was worried about the two of them living together.
Changzhi frowned. He was afraid of being disturbed while studying. However, looking at his elder sister's frail appearance, he knew that she must have been upset. "Well, I'll go help Rongchuan move in."
Zhulan smiled, "Good son, you are so good."
Changzhi blushed, "Mom, I'm an adult now."
"Yes, yes, you are a grown-up now, my good son."
Chang Zhi, “… … .”
Although I was shy, I was very happy in my heart.
Rong Chuan was thoughtful, "Aunt, I'll go get some firewood to warm up the house."
Zhulan smiled and said, "Okay, they are all good kids."
Chang Lian felt unhappy because he had received his mother's praise. "Mom, I have some unused quilts in my room. I'll move them over to my elder sister later."
Zhulan curled her lips and said, "Okay, Changlian is thoughtful. They are all good children."
Chang Lian's ears turned red. This feeling was not bad.
Zhou Shuren came back and asked the second brother to get up and go together. The eldest brother drank more today and was still drunk, but the second brother didn't drink much because he had to take care of Zhao and was sober a long time ago.
Zhulan laid a quilt in the car to prevent it from being bumpy, blocked the ventilation area of the carport, and finally covered the can of hot water tightly to prevent it from getting cold. She only set off after everything was ready.
It takes about an hour and a half to go from Zhoujia Village to Wangjia Village and back in winter. Zhulan and her family hurried on their journey, fearing that it would be dark when they returned. In ancient times, wild beasts all went down the mountains in winter. Zhulan had heard more than once that wolves were roaming in nearby villages, and the darkness of winter was the most dangerous.
Zhou Laoer kept whipping the ox cart. The ox cart belonged to the clan leader. The Zhou family's cow had been pregnant for more than two hundred days, and her belly was getting bigger and bigger. She could only pull the cart to transport some things in the village, but could not pull the cart to travel. The Zhou family had borrowed the clan leader's ox every time they went out.
Because they hurried on their way, they arrived at Wangjia Village in just half an hour. The Jiang family was a later settlement and was located on the outskirts of the village, so they arrived just a few steps after entering the village.
The gate of the Jiang family was open. Zhou Shuren got out of the car first, carefully helped Zhulan down, and asked the second brother to take good care of the cow. Then he entered the yard. As soon as he entered the yard, he heard crying.