Chapter 37: Wanting to Renovate the House

“One must think about the children. When they grow older, they’ll be bullied for not having a father. Widows always have trouble, there’s always that one or two gossips. Over time, things that were once trivial will become significant.”

Qiu Yinuo didn’t want to hear this. “If I remarry, will those situations disappear? People will still talk if they want to. If I’m strong enough as a mother, no one will bully them for not having a father. No matter what, I must stand firm as their mother first.”

“It’s so difficult for a woman to stand on her own.”

“It’s hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, does it? Don’t impose your own inability onto me.”

“I’m your mother. Would I ever harm you?”

“No, you wouldn’t harm me. But your mindset is terrifying.”

Seeing that the mother and daughter were about to argue again, Qiu Qianjin quickly patted his chest and declared, “If Sis doesn’t want to get married, then she won’t. I’m still here. I’m willing to support the three of them for life.”

His words sounded somewhat childish, but Qiu Yinuo could see the seriousness in his eyes.

She didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward her biological mother or her brother.

In her memories, although the original mother favored her son more, she never starved or froze the original owner, and she didn’t prevent her from going to school.

As for her brother, the original owner felt both hate and love for him.

She hated that he enjoyed the preferential treatment that she never received. Even when there was an extra sweet potato or potato, it was always placed in her brother’s bowl, never shared equally between them.

The original owner might have felt unjust, but from Qiu Yinuo’s perspective, in that era, especially in families that favored sons over daughters, it was quite normal.

However, that didn’t mean she approved of the way her biological parents distributed their affection.

At the end of the day, Qiu Qianjin was still her blood brother. Even if bones were broken, the sinews still connected them. In private, he always called her “Sister” this and “Sister” that. When he secretly saved treats for her, how could her heart stay cold and unmoved?

But the original owner never gave them a good face, and Qiu Yinuo didn’t dare to act recklessly, as it might make them suspect her identity.

Cheng Hongying glared fiercely at her son. “So you’re never getting married? What kind of girl would agree to let her husband support his sister’s entire family?”

“I’ll find someone who’s okay with it. Worst case, I’ll let her support her sister’s family too. If no one can accept it, then I just won’t get married.”

“Fine. I say one thing, and you two have ten things to counter. You siblings are so close, and I’m the only bad guy.” With that, Cheng Hongying stormed off carrying Dabao in her arms, fuming as she walked home, too angry to look back at the pair of troublesome kids.

When their mother walked away, Qiu Qiujin immediately tried to appease his sister. “Sis, don’t take mom’s words to heart. She has a sharp tongue, but a soft heart. No one cares about you more than she does.”

She responded with an indifferent “Oh.”

“Sis, aren’t you tired? Let me hold Erbao for a bit.”

The moment Qiu Yinuo heard that, she quickly handed the child over. “Here you go.”

Qiu Qianjin wasn’t prepared at all and was instantly caught off guard by the bundle shoved into his arms. He froze on the spot, too afraid to move his hands. “Sis, you didn’t even tell me how to position my arms. Am I holding him right? Will this hurt him?”

His sister was way more generous than their mother. Up until now, their mom hadn’t even let him hold the babies, worried he’d be too rough or might drop them. But his sister? She practically couldn’t wait to free her hands.

When they got home and Cheng Hongying saw Qianjin carrying Erbao, she was so startled her hair nearly stood on end. She rushed over immediately. “Give the baby to me!”

She carefully took the baby into her arms, and only then did her heart finally settle.

Turning around, she scolded Qiu Yinuo, “You let someone who trips over his own feet hold the baby? How can you be so careless? Aren’t you worried about dropping my grandson?”

Qiu Yinuo rubbed her sore shoulders. “This is your flaw. The more he can’t do something, the more you stop him from trying. If that continues, how will he ever improve?”

“Come in, everyone. It’s just the right time for a family meeting.”

Cheng Hongying: ???

Qiu Qiujin: …What is that supposed to be?

Qiu Yinuo got straight to the point. “I want to renovate our house and tear down the storage room over there. I’ll build two more rooms.”

The roof of the storage room was nearly gone, and with a few more rains, it would likely flood.

This morning, she had gone to see the room she used to live in—it was dark and cramped, not fit for anyone to live in.

She always believed in one thing: live in the moment.

Even if it meant spending a hefty sum, money was meant to be earned—not hoarded.

Cheng Hongying frowned as she listened. “Sounds like you’ve got a little money and don’t know how to show off with it anymore.”

Did this girl even understand how much it actually cost to renovate or build a house?

“Fine, if you won’t let me rebuild at home, then I’ll go talk to the village head.”

“Sis, all the land in our village already belongs to someone. I doubt there’s a spot left for you to build on.”

“I just came from Grandpa and Grandma’s place. On the way there, I passed the cattle shed. There’s an old broken-down house nearby. I’ll build there if I have to.”

“That used to be Old Sun’s place. His whole family moved to the city and never came back, but if they ever do, it’ll be hard to explain what happened to the house.”

Qiu Yinuo shrugged helplessly. “Then blame Mom for not letting me build at home.”

Cheng Hongying nearly choked. This girl really knew how to drive her up the wall.

She couldn’t help but spit, “The best room in the house is yours, and your brother and I sleep in the small room. What more do you want?”

“I’ve told you, I can’t get used to that. If you don’t agree, I’ll just go build somewhere else. Someone will sell me the land at a high price. Who knows how much more I’ll have to spend?”

Cheng Hongying stared at her. “Why the sudden urge to settle down here? And even rebuild a house?”

He Ziqing, who had been silently listening the whole time, was about to speak when Qiu Yinuo pressed his arm down. “If I said it’s because watching the kids is exhausting, would you believe me?”

“…”

Qiu Yinuo turned to her brother. “Jinzi, go boil some water in the kitchen. The twins will probably wake up hungry soon.”

Jinzi truly treated these two little nephews like his own children. “Sure, I’ll go now.”

Once her brother left, Qiu Yinuo spoke up again. “I have money. I just want to live a little more comfortably. Is that such a big deal?”

Cheng Hongying twitched her mouth but didn’t reply. “Why did you send your brother away?”

“Look at this house. Which girl would want to marry your son?”

“Are you doing this for Jinzi?”

“Not entirely, but I want a room with plenty of sunlight. Just tell me, do you agree or not? Let me tell you, once this opportunity is gone, Jinzi won’t get another chance to take advantage.”

“…” How did this girl manage to make her so mad?

“There’s less than a month until New Year’s. Everyone is less busy now, so if we speed things up, we should be able to move into the new house by then.”

“I was only trying to help you save money.”

Jinzi, who had only stepped away to boil some water, couldn’t figure out how his sister and mom had already planned out the entire house layout in that short amount of time.