Chapter 126: New Year's Day (3)

  Qiu Jiabao left, the Qiu family's New Year's Eve dinner continued, but the initial laughter and cheers were gone. Fang Haibo looked at Qiu Dad and Qiu Mom, cleared his throat and said: "Why don't you two go visit Old Lady after dinner? After all, she is the child's grandmother, it wouldn't be right not to visit her on New Year's Day."

  Zhao Shuyan listened to what her husband said and immediately pulled him, with a warning look in her eyes. Fang Haibo surrendered and shut his mouth, continuing to act like an ordinary passerby.

  Qiu's father didn't say a word, he just gave Qiu's mother a look.

  Qiu's mother couldn't eat anymore, her heart was filled with anger, but today was the 30th, she couldn't lose her temper, so she controlled herself.

  "Don't look at me, that's your mom, you should be filial, I won't stop you, but I'm not going. People behind me have stabbed me in the back, and I'm supposed to go and put on a smiling face for them? I just can't do it. Besides, if someone's skin is thick enough, bullets can't even penetrate it. In front of so many people, the old lady said she was cutting off her mother-son relationship with you, and once she says something, it's like farting - it's forgotten in an instant. Now they want us to go back, thinking that everything has passed? Let me tell you, no way."

  "Mom, what's going on with the broken relationship? When did this happen? I didn't know." Qiu Ye's sharp ears picked up that sentence about breaking off mother-son relations, it seemed that something had happened when she wasn't around.

  "You're still young and naive, don't ask about everything." Qiu's father first scolded his daughter, then turned around to advise his daughter-in-law.

  "Fengqin, I know what you said. Not only are you angry, but I am also angry. I also want to spend a peaceful year, but that's the elderly. During the Chinese New Year, if we don't go, people will talk about it."

  "I'm not afraid of what people say, now I think the whole school knows about me. My mother-in-law helped others to take away my daughter-in-law's job, I've already lost face, what else do I have to be afraid of?" Qiu's mother said angrily, it's also true, these days several sisters came home to talk to her, so she knew the messages from the school very well.

  Qiu's dad has no electricity. Because his daughter-in-law is always right.

  "Alright, then we won't go." Old Master Qiu's words were final, and he didn't want to see his third brother's family either. It was best if they didn't get together, and besides, he had taken his mother's words about cutting off their relationship to heart a few days ago. At the time, he felt relieved, thinking that it was better to cut ties once and for all. Otherwise, such things would only happen again in the future. As her son, from now on, as long as he provided for his parents' living expenses on time and let them eat well and dress warmly, he would have fulfilled his obligations.

  However, he looked at his wife and saw that she still had a sulky expression. He tried to placate her by saying: "Actually, dear wife, we can think of this matter in another way. As the saying goes, 'Saiweng lost his horse, but who knows if it's not good fortune?' We lost our tofu-making job, but isn't that a chance for us to get an even better life? To be honest, making tofu was too tiring, getting up early and working late, all physical labor. How can it compare to the ease of being a bathhouse attendant now? And judging from the income we've had these past few days, it's possible that we're earning more than we did making tofu. Don't you think our family is blessed?"

  "So you're saying I should thank your mother for reporting me to the leader, right? If she hadn't reported that I'm unfilial and don't love my brothers, our family wouldn't have been so lucky, right?" Unexpectedly, Mrs. Qiu misunderstood Mr. Qiu's meaning and got angry. The more Mrs. Qiu spoke, the angrier she became, and her voice grew louder.

  These days, the good business of the bathhouse has slightly alleviated Qiu's mother's resentment. Otherwise, this year's New Year at the Qiu house would be a bleak one. Who would have the mood to celebrate? Just feeling suffocated in their hearts is unbearable.

  Fang Haibo and Zhao Shuyan were silent at the dinner table, as if they hadn't heard anything. This issue was not good for them to intervene in. Qiu Ye also didn't make any jokes like she usually did. She thought it would be better to let Qiu's mother vent out her frustrations, or else she would get sick from keeping them bottled up inside.

  "No, no, that's not what I meant. What I'm saying is, through this matter, it's clear what kind of people my mom and third brother are. And I've always been standing by your side, supporting your work." Qiu Dad quickly clarified his stance as he saw his daughter-in-law getting angry. He was also quite wronged - he had good intentions, wanting to make his daughter-in-law happy with those words, but instead it had the opposite effect.

  Qiu's mother didn't want to lose her temper at the dinner table in the first place, with her daughter and son present. She couldn't possibly let those few extreme relatives ruin her own children's education, could she?

  After listening to Qiu's father's explanation, she tried hard to suppress her anger and finally calmed down. She raised her head and saw that five pairs of eyes were staring at her. Suddenly, she felt a little embarrassed and stuttered: "Wh-what are you looking at me for? H-hurry up and eat!"

  Everyone then quickly moved their chopsticks, as if nothing had happened, and returned to eating and drinking.

  It's quiet here, but Old Lady Qiu has started scolding over there.

  Qiu Jiabao had a half-full meal at his uncle's house and then jumped back home.

  Qiu Nainai and Zhang Cui Lan were both sitting on the kang in the house, cracking melon seeds and watching TV, waiting for their daughter-in-law to come over and cook them a New Year's Eve dinner. But instead, they saw Qiu Jia Bao return by himself.

  Qiu's grandma saw her grandson come back, stuck her head out to take a look, and then asked: "Jiabao you came back first, didn't your second aunt and them come just a while ago? Honestly, it's the New Year, and they're still so lazy, no wonder they're still so poor."

  Zhang Cuilan, with a face full of scars, pulled her son over and asked with concern: "Son, are you cold? Hurry up and warm yourself by the stove." Then her hand naturally reached into her son's pocket, rummaging around.

  "Mom, what are you doing?" Zhang Cuilan's actions annoyed Qiu Jiabao, who jumped out of Zhang Cuilan's arms and covered his own pockets. His older sister had told him to protect his hard-earned money well, and in his small heart, he knew that the money at home was all taken by his parents for luxury goods. So, the pocket money his older sister gave him, he put it all with her, just like his older brother did. His older sister said she would help him save it, so when he went to school later, he could use it.

  Zhang Cui Lan had already rummaged through her son's pockets and asked with a cold face, "You went to your second aunt's house, didn't they give you any red envelopes?"

  "No way." Qiu Jiabao hadn't really thought of this, he was too busy eating, but he didn't care about these things, his elder sister had saved him a lot.

  Qiu's grandma also noticed the situation and said casually, "It's okay, Lao Er and his family will be here soon. I'll let him give me hongbao for my beloved grandson. If he gives less, that won't do." Qiu's grandma still acted as if she were the matriarch, thinking that her second son and his family had to obey her.

  "Grandma, Second Uncle said they won't be coming over today." Qiu Jiabao also remembered what Second Uncle had said and quickly told Grandma.

  "What? They said they're not coming? Who said that, was it your aunt who said it?" Old Lady Qiu was extremely shocked and instinctively thought that it must be that vicious woman who had stopped her son from coming.

  "It wasn't Second Aunt who said it, it was Second Uncle who said it, Second Aunt didn't say a word." Qiu Jiabao promised his older sister to be an honest child, so he says whatever is on his mind, except for things that his older sister tells him not to say.

  "Then did you say it was Grandma who made your second uncle come?" Old Lady Qiu asked anxiously.

  Zhang Cuilan also asked in a hurry: "Son, what did they say when you went to your second uncle's house? Hurry up and teach mom."

  Qiu Jiabao thought hard, "I didn't say anything, I just said grandma told them to come, my older sister asked me if we were cooking at home waiting for them to eat. I said not yet, then second uncle said they weren't coming and something about cutting off relations."

  Qiu's grandma heard her grandson's words, a fire rushed to her head, and she scolded: "Is this reasonable? From my belly came out, still want to cut off the relationship with me, I'll go to the leader tomorrow to tell him."

  "Alright mom, wasn't it you who said we should cut ties? And in front of so many people too. Now you want to go and report, but who are you going to report to?" Next to them, Qiu Yansen, who had been lying down watching TV the whole time, also started complaining about his own mother.

  It seems that Second Brother wants to draw a clear line between himself and his own family from now on, which is nothing, as the two of them are working now and have some savings. Living in this oil city will definitely not be a problem. And their eldest son is also a promising young man, I heard he joined some kind of gang, every month he can bring back several hundred yuan to his family. Their family's life is quite affluent.

  Qiu's mother was so spoken by her youngest son, and she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Zhang Cuilan, however, wouldn't let it go and said: "Mom is right too, he's also mom's son, how could mom raise him up and he just acts like nothing's wrong? Mom, I'm telling you, you can't just let it slide this time. If you don't discipline them now, in the future, your second son won't be able to take care of you either. In Second Brother's household, it's definitely Second Sister-in-law who calls the shots."

  Qiu's grandmother, upon hearing San Er's provocation, had her fighting spirit rekindled. "Right, I won't let them get away with it. They think they can neglect me? No way. I'll go to Er Ge's place right now. If they don't let me have a good New Year, they won't be having one either."

  Zhang Cuilan was delighted with her own success in stirring up trouble again, secretly hiding behind her mother-in-law and stroking her face full of scars, thinking to herself: Qiao Fengqin, I've made you look so fierce, I've made your mother-in-law go to your house, let's see if you can still show off your claws.

  Qiu Yansen was annoyed by the two mothers-in-law who were making trouble out of nothing, and said in a bad temper: "Can't you calm down? It's New Year's Day, do you want to go fight again? I'll tell you, Jia Qing has already told me that he has done great things outside. If you continue to make a big deal out of this, disturbing the police and implicating our family, just wait for Jia Qing to come back and clean up after you."