Chapter 1675 - 1095: Opportunity
First update.
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"Mom, are you still afraid she’ll hit me?" Chuxia laughed as she looked at her own mother. "If it were before, she might have had the guts. But do you think she dares to do it now?"
Thinking about it, Zhao Yulan helplessly smiled, "I forgot your grandma is typically a bully who takes advantage of the weak. The reason she’s causing trouble now is probably that she thinks she won’t get anything if she doesn’t cause a fuss. Instead, by making noise, she might gain some benefits."
"Grandpa and grandma lost their lives saving their son. Instead of being grateful, they treated my dad so harshly. Now they’re thinking of profiting from it? It’s already merciful of us not to have them arrested!" Chuxia snorted coldly. Seeing Shuanshuan shrink back in fear, she quickly softened her voice, "Shuanshuan, Auntie wasn’t talking about you. Don’t be scared, okay?"
"I know." The little one nodded. "I’m not afraid of Auntie. Dad said Auntie is a good person. I like Auntie and like Nannan brother and Beibei brother."
"This child keeps getting more lovable..." Zhao Yulan squatted down and seriously looked at the little one, "Shuanshuan’s not afraid of Auntie, so why did you shrink back just now?"
"Auntie was angry just like dad was. After dad gets angry, mom hits the back of Shuanshuan’s neck, so Shuanshuan is scared of mom..." The little one sniffed, "Shuanshuan isn’t afraid of Auntie."
Zhao Yulan and Chuxia immediately understood what was happening. It turned out that after Lin Chudong and Liu Meiqing quarreled, Liu Meiqing took out her anger on Shuanshuan. This little one had developed a conditioned reflex.
Just at that moment, Lin Chudong came over from a distance. Zhao Yulan stood up and looked at him, and as he got closer, she directly asked, "Chudong, do you know that when you and Meiqing fight, Meiqing hits Shuanshuan?"
"Liu Meiqing hits Shuanshuan?" Lin Chudong’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Shuanshuan, "Did your mom hit you?"
The little one hesitantly glanced at his father but didn’t say anything.
"Shuanshuan, don’t be afraid. Tell Dad the truth." Lin Chudong squatted down, "Didn’t Dad tell you? Dad loves Shuanshuan the most. No matter what, you have to tell Dad."
"Okay." The little one gave a nod.
"Then why didn’t Shuanshuan tell Dad?"
"Mom said not to..." the little one murmured softly, "Mom said if Shuanshuan told Dad, she’d throw Dad and Shuanshuan out, and we’d have to sleep on the street and freeze to death."
"That damned woman!" Lin Chudong was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged, "I feared she would corrupt Shuanshuan, so I didn’t let her take care of the child. I used to feel a bit guilty about it, but now I see I was right!
If I really let her, what would she do to Shuanshuan? Aunt, Chuxia, could you help me watch Shuanshuan for a while? I’m going back to settle scores with Liu Meiqing."
Chuxia sighed, "Big brother, what’s the use of confronting her?"
Lin Chudong just stood there, stunned, then squatted down with his head in his hands, "Yeah, even if I confront her, she won’t admit it. She’ll just keep doing it. What sins did I commit in my past life to end up with such parents and a wife like this? Oh!"
"Aunt, Chuxia, you’re back? Brother, what’s wrong?"
Following the voice, I saw a twenty-eight or twenty-nine-year-old woman with a long braid pushing a bicycle approaching. On the back seat sat a little girl around Shuanshuan’s age.
"Sister Chuyue."
The visitor was Lin Chuyue, Lin Chudong’s younger sister. Chuxia had seen her twice since arriving in this era. But because she looked very much like Chudong, Chuxia recognized her immediately.
"Chuxia is getting prettier and prettier. If I didn’t see Aunt, I wouldn’t dare to recognize her." Lin Chuyue smiled and set down the bicycle, lifting the little girl down, "Maomao, this is Second Aunt, this is Auntie. Say hello."
The little girl shyly hid behind her, saying nothing.
"This child is just like this, a bit bashful..." Lin Chuyue smiled apologetically to Zhao Yulan and Chuxia, "When did Aunt and Chuxia come back?" As she spoke, she was also sizing up Chuxia.
Originally, she didn’t really like this little cousin.
A large part of Second Uncle and Second Aunt’s hardships was due to this little cousin being too immature. However, she wasn’t someone who gossiped, whether before or after her marriage, she didn’t get involved in the affairs of Second Uncle’s family.
Until two years ago, her little cousin suddenly turned promising, first joining the army, then marrying well. It was even said she’s currently attending college, becoming a well-known figure in the surrounding ten miles.
But her relationship with her own family wasn’t great, and she rarely came back, so she hadn’t really seen her little cousin since she made something of herself. When she heard the rumors, she was half-skeptical.
That kind of clueless child, no matter how successful she became, how far could she really go?
However, at the moment she saw her little cousin in person, she rejected her old perception. Even with just one look, she could clearly feel that her little cousin was different from before.
Both in appearance and demeanor, she gave a completely transformed impression.
On the inside, she was genuinely happy for Uncle and Aunt. After suffering for half a lifetime, they’ve finally reached a point where suffering turns to sweetness. It just goes to show, good people always get good outcomes in the end.
Zhao Yulan warmly picked up the little girl hiding beside Lin Chuyue, "The last time I saw Maomao, she was still wrapped in a little blanket. In the blink of an eye, she’s all grown up. Time really flies!" Then she turned to her niece, who was still staring in a daze at her daughter, "Chuyue, how come you have time to come back today?"
"Yue, is something the matter?" Lin Chudong also looked at his sister with a concerned face, "Did that bastard Loo Xiyong bully you? Tell me, and I’ll stand up for you!"
When his sister got married, their parents strongly demanded a bride price from the groom, hoping to extort as much as they could from them without caring about his sister’s well-being. As a result, after getting married, his sister hardly ever came back to her parents’ house.
Even when she occasionally did come back, it was for unavoidable reasons. This time, she came back with her little niece in tow, which immediately made him think she had been mistreated by her husband and had no choice but to come back.
"Brother, what are you thinking..." Lin Chuyue laughed and shook her head, "Don’t worry, Loo Xiyong treats Maomao and me really well. I came back today to talk to you about something. I was worried how to approach you, and now running into you here is just perfect.
The factory where Xiyong works is looking to hire some temporary workers. If they do well, they can become permanent workers in a year. I talked to Xiyong, and we thought this would be a great opportunity for Big Brother, so I came to find you.
If you are willing, I’ll have Xiyong write a letter from the factory, and you can give it to the village head. This way, you won’t have to work in the village anymore.
The temporary worker’s salary is twelve yuan a month, with food and lodging covered. Once you become a permanent worker, you can earn about twenty yuan, which is much better than working in the village."
Lin Chudong looked tempted, but when he glanced at his son, his expression dimmed: "Yue, I appreciate you thinking of me, but I can’t go."
"Why?" Lin Chuyue looked puzzled at Lin Chudong, "Are you worried that sister-in-law won’t let you go? That’s not possible. You just have to explain the salary to her, and she’ll definitely agree."
"It’s not about your sister-in-law, it’s about Shuanshuan..." He sighed, forcing a smile, "You know your sister-in-law’s nature, and you know what our mother’s like. If Shuanshuan were left with them, he’d be neglected for sure."
"Is Big Brother the one taking care of Shuanshuan now?" Lin Chuyue asked.
"Yes." Lin Chudong nodded, "I even take him with me to work. At first, our mother didn’t agree, and your sister-in-law made a fuss, but now they’re used to it, and even wish for some peace and quiet."
"It’s not a long-term solution..." Thinking it over, Lin Chuyue suggested, "If Big Brother can trust me, let me take care of Shuanshuan."
"How could I?" Lin Chudong refused without thinking, "When you married into the Loo Family, our parents were so harsh that the Loo Family probably doesn’t even want to look at anyone from our family.
It’s a blessing that they didn’t hold a grudge and treat you like a daughter. We can’t make them uncomfortable over this. Yue, I appreciate your kindness, but I’m not lucky enough to accept it, so let’s leave it at that."
"Brother, letting this opportunity pass by would be too regrettable. How about this: take two yuan from your paycheck each month as Shuanshuan’s living expenses to give to me. This way, my in-laws won’t have any complaints.
Brother, you must not refuse. Since I dare to say this, it means I’m confident. My father-in-law and mother-in-law are very generous people, and they know Big Brother is different from our parents.
Plus, back when I married Loo Xiyong, Big Brother helped a lot and even secretly gave me some savings. My in-laws know about this.
They always think highly of Big Brother. Me taking two yuan is firstly to reassure Big Brother and secondly to keep the village from gossiping.
If Big Brother still disagrees, then you really don’t see me as your own sister..." Lin Chuyue said, looking at Chuxia, "Xia, don’t you think so?"
"Big Brother, Sister Chuyue makes sense. If you feel indebted, you can help her family more in the future. But the premise is you must be willing to leave this household behind if it’s necessary.
Another thing is, before you leave, you must talk things through with sister-in-law..." Chuxia said, turning to Lin Chuyue, "With sister-in-law’s temper, if Big Brother doesn’t explain, she might cause trouble at Sister Chuyue’s place."
"Yes, that’s possible." Zhao Yulan agreed, "It’s a good thing, but it needs to be properly discussed. Let’s not stand here on the street talking. Come to my house, let’s talk there."
Lin Chuyue readily agreed: "Sure, I haven’t been to Aunt’s house yet. I heard Aunt’s place has a big brick house, and I’ve been wanting to see it..." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation votes, monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)