After leaving the Bun Shop to contact the school, Lin Chuxia saw that familiar figure on the street again.
This ti she did not hesitate and pedaled her bicycle to catch up.
"Big sister, is it really you?"
She had only t Qin Juan twice before and thought the figure looked familiar, but she didn’t expect it to be her big sister, Qin Juan.
Qin Juan was surprised to encounter Lin Chuxia here and greeted her with a smile, "Xiaxia, what are you doing here?"
"Qin Yang has been transferred to work in the city, so I moved over to live with him."
Upon hearing that Qin Yang had transferred back, Qin Juan was also very pleased, "When did that happen?"
"Just these days, I’ve just arrived in the city a few days ago, the ho isn’t quite in order yet. We were thinking of tidying up before visiting big sister together with Qin Yang, but it looks like we bumped into each other first."
Lin Chuxia looked around, "Big sister, where are you headed? Isn’t Ningning with you?"
There was an instant of discomfort on Qin Juan’s face, but she masked it well and replied with a smile, "I’m heading to the market to buy so groceries. Ningning is at ho playing with her grandma. You are busy having just moved here, there’s no hurry to visit , I’m doing fine. On the contrary, since you’ve just moved, I should pay a visit when I find the ti."
"Sure, you’re welco anyti. My older sister-in-law was saying that we’ve been inadequate as the maternal family. Since big sister moved to the city, we haven’t even visited once. Now that Qin Yang and I are here, we should visit each other more."
Qin Juan felt a warmth in her heart looking at her enthusiastic sister-in-law and chatted with her for a while. Only after watching Lin Chuxia leave did a sense of bitterness well up inside her.
Seeing that it was getting late, she quickened her pace.
As soon as she entered the doorway, she saw Ningning sitting by the water pipe in the courtyard, washing a basin full of clothes.
Qin Juan rushed over and pulled up her thin and frail daughter.
"Why are you washing clothes here? You’re too young for this; how could you manage?"
Ningning’s little hands were icy cold, and her clothes were quite wet. Seeing her mother, she plaintively explained, "Grandma told to wash them. She said that as a girl, I should learn to wash clothes and cook."
Qin Juan felt a blockage in her heart as she looked at the clothes in the basin; all except for her mother-in-law’s were her father-in-law’s.
In the past, before she had a job, the in-laws complained that she did not earn money and was a freeloader at ho, so it didn’t matter much that all the laundry and cooking fell to her.
But now, after taking their advice to work and earn money, they actually passed the chores on to her daughter. How old was Ningning?
She quickly dried her daughter’s hands with a towel and touched her little face, "Go play on the side, mom will wash these clothes."
"Okay," Ningning complied and went off to play.
Qin Juan went inside and saw that her husband had already co back from work and was watching TV in the house.
Her father-in-law was playing chess by himself, and there was no sign of her mother-in-law, who she knew must have gone to play mahjong and not yet returned.
Zhang Wenbin saw Qin Juan and spoke discontentedly, "Why did you co back so late? The whole family is waiting for you to cook."
Qin Juan felt frustrated and responded in a flat voice, "I finish work late. If you all are in a hurry to eat, you can start cooking yourselves."
"You want to cook?" Zhang Wenbin pointed incredulously at himself, "Qin Juan, what do you an by that? I took a wife and I should cook myself?"
"If you don’t want to do it, you could ask mom to."
When she married into the family, Mrs. Zhang was just over fifty. At that ti, the Zhang Family wasn’t well off, and Mrs. Zhang did all the household chores.
But once the Zhang Family’s situation improved, Mrs. Zhang started to put on airs.
She neither cooked nor did laundry, claiming she had suffered enough her whole life and it was ti for her to enjoy herself.
Mrs. Zhang wanted to enjoy her leisure and also wanted Qin Juan to earn money. If it hadn’t been for her instructing Ningning to do the laundry, Qin Juan felt she could have endured it.
Zhang Wenbin frowned, "Mom is already so old, and you still want her to cook? Don’t you think you’re being unreasonable? Is that sothing you should say as a daughter-in-law?"
Qin Juan knew there was no point in arguing with Zhang Wenbin about this and abruptly changed the topic.
"Qin Yang has been transferred to the city, and his little sister moved here with him to live together. They plan to find ti to visit us."
She did not want her younger brother and sister-in-law to see her ssy life. Over the years, Qin Juan had grown accustod to sharing only the good news, not the bad.
She was worried that if her mother knew she wasn’t living well, she would feel guilty and bla herself.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenbin looked over, "Qin Yang had a good position in the Northwest, why would he transfer here? Is this a promotion or a demotion?"
"I don’t know, I t his little sister on the road today and we only exchanged a few words."
"You saw the person and you couldn’t even ask properly? You’re truly useless," Zhang Wenbin complained disdainfully, looking as if one more glance at her would be botherso.
But I couldn’t help calculating, "Logically, the job here is more stable than in the Northwest,
which is much better, but how co it’s so coincidental that he got transferred to our city?
I think it’s mostly for that sister-in-law of yours. If that’s the case, a promotion is unlikely;
it’s more possible to be a lateral move or even a demotion."
At that point, Zhang Wenbin thought of the figure he had seen during the Spring Festival and then glanced at his gaunt wife, his tone tinged with emotion.
"I really didn’t see that your second brother is such a romantic. Previously, he was unwilling to marry,
focusing solely on his career. Now, he’s willing to take a demotion just to be reunited with his wife.
But then again, anyone would be uneasy leaving such a beautiful wife at ho alone.
With your sister-in-law’s looks, who knows what might happen when the man is not around,
and it’s fortunate they’ve been married for a year with no child yet, or else it might not even be certain if the Qin Family’s bloodline is legitimate..."
Qin Juan suddenly raised her voice, "Zhang Wenbin, don’t go too far."
Even though she had only interacted with her sister-in-law a few tis, Qin Juan trusted her character.
Zhang Wenbin, as their brother-in-law, was going too far by needlessly slinging mud at her sister-in-law.
Zhang Wenbin humd indifferently, "I was just saying, why are you so anxious? I’m just thinking of your brother, alright, alright, alright,
stop looking so lifeless. You won’t let anyone say a word about your family, not even half a word. Go and cook, I’m starving."
Qin Juan knew what kind of person he was and couldn’t be bothered to talk to him any further, so she went to the kitchen to cook.
Right after the al was ready, the mother-in-law ca back.
Qin Juan even suspected that her mother-in-law tid her return deliberately.
Seeing the clothes in the washbasin in the yard, her face darkened.
"It’s been half a day and these little chores aren’t completed yet?"
Little Ningning knew she hadn’t finished the chores assigned by her grandmother and was already timid by nature.
Once Mrs. Zhang spoke up, she quickly hid behind Qin Juan.
Qin Juan spoke up, "Ningning is so young, how can she wash these clothes? Let do it."
Mrs. Zhang’s intention was to avoid washing the clothes herself, so when Qin Juan offered, she accepted without complaint.
But she still grumbled, "She’s already 6 years old, how is that little? You can’t always spoil her like this.
Since she’s a girl, she must learn to wash clothes and cook, so she can find a good family to marry into and not be bullied by her in-laws.
I’m doing this for her own good."
Qin Juan said nothing.
After all, despite doing all the household chores daily, she still got bullied by her in-laws.
After dinner, Qin Juan thought it over and discussed it with Zhang Wenbin.
"Ningning is already 7 years old, counting the Chinese way. Zhuangzhuang from my eldest brother’s house has already started elentary school this year,
and Ningning is even half a year older than him. I’m thinking of speaking with the school and see if Ningning can also start school."
Going to school would at least spare her from her grandmother-in-law’s disapproval and demands.
Zhang Wenbin looked impatient, "What’s with your thoughts, coming up with one thing after the other?
How long has school already started? And now you’re thinking of sending her to school? Besides, can she even compare to your eldest brother’s son, Zhuangzhuang?
He’s a boy, strong since he was little, and look at your daughter, what’s her rit?
She can hardly speak a complete sentence, always shying behind you, what have you raised her into? Do you think she can even go to school like that?"
"If she doesn’t go to school, is she supposed to stay ho washing and cooking for you instead?
Now you know she’s young after all. At such a young age, how can she be expected to wash clothes?"
Qin Juan couldn’t hold back any longer.
It was bad enough that the mother-in-law asked her daughter to do these chores, but Zhang Wenbin, Ningning’s father,
simply ignored the situation and tacitly accepted his mother’s approach. Is this how a father should behave?
She had thought that having a job would improve her and Ningning’s circumstances,
but unexpectedly, even with a job and a salary, things stayed the sa.
"Your mom is just over 50, is a 50-plus year-old adult really comparable to a little child over 5 years old?"
"So you an to say my mom should stay ho washing and cooking to serve you? Do you even deserve that?"
Zhang Wenbin looked at her coldly, "Or do you think now that your brother has co to the city, you have soone to back you up?
Qin Juan, you better stay honest and don’t try any tricks with . The whole family provides for you,
has supported you for so many years, and now you think you’re sothing special just because you’re earning a bit of money?
The money you earn, I wouldn’t even bother to look at."
Zhang Wenbin turned over, pulled the quilt over his head, and was ready to sleep.
"Don’t let your brother and them visit recently, we have no ti to entertain them here."
Qin Juan: "..."
...
Lin Chuxia ran around outside all day and finally settled the school matters.
As soon as she got ho, Sister-in-law Feng ca over to visit again.
Honestly, her attitude last ti was pretty clear, and she thought Sister-in-law Feng would have gotten the ssage.
Yet it seed that Sister-in-law Feng was completely unaffected, entering the yard with her daughter as if nothing was wrong,
and finding a place to sit before starting to chat with Lin Chuxia about family matters.
Last ti she had touted living in a high-rise as being so much better, making it sound as if living in a high-rise made one superior to living in a courtyard ho.
This ti, however, she didn’t stop praising how wonderful it was to live in a courtyard house.
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