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“Big brother, why don’t you take Dad back to your place first, and when he’s settled, we’ll take turns caring for him,” the brothers suggested to Wang Desheng. The old father had no objections. After all, they were all his sons, and it didn’t matter which house he stayed in. Besides, it would be more convenient at the eldest son’s house. Seeing his daughter-in-law unwell these past few days, he felt relieved.
“Alright, I’ll go with your big brother. This way, your mom won’t come over to cause trouble for you. With your big brother and sister-in-law around, she won’t be able to cause much trouble,” Wang Deshan agreed.
As they were getting ready, Wang Zhenjiang, who had heard the news from the neighbors, hurriedly arrived. Upon hearing the news, Han Cui’s first reaction was to bring the old father to their house. Although the old father was getting older, he still earned a full share of the adult man’s work points in the production team. The annual bonus was not insignificant, and he still had a lot of grain. This was a considerable advantage that the eldest and third families couldn’t take away.
Before Han Cui even entered the house, she began shouting with a smile in the yard, “Dad, we’re here to take you to our house.”
Hao Lianchun and Zhang Lan were discussing the matter while sitting on the kang when Han Cui’s sudden shout caught them off guard.
Zhang Lan was puzzled. “Aunt, what’s going on? Why are this couple here?”
Hao Lianchun chuckled and patted Zhang Lan. “Lan, your father-in-law is quite popular now. Didn’t you see your sister-in-law coming over to snatch him? It’s quite interesting. Just stay put on the kang and don’t go out. I’ll go and attend to our guests.”
Hao Lianchun stepped out of the house with a smile and said, “Hey, your sister-in-law is here. Your father-in-law is in the east room, and your big brother and sister-in-law are there too. Do you want me to take you over?”
Upon hearing this, Han Cui and Wang Zhenjiang didn’t say a word. They quickly walked a few steps and found their way to the east room. Hao Lianchun didn’t bother with people like them.
Wang Qian had intended to follow and see what was happening, but she was surprised to see them heading straight to find someone.
“Grandma Zuo, do you think they might end up fighting?” Wang Qian asked.
As they walked, the old lady replied, “They won’t fight. Your big sister-in-law is quite shrewd, but your second sister-in-law is even more resourceful. It all depends on your grandfather’s choice. If he doesn’t choose wisely, it could be difficult.”
Meanwhile, Wang Juan and the others were tidying up when Han Cui burst in. “Sister-in-law, you take a break. I’ll handle the packing. Even if you don’t pack, my house has everything. Dad, Zhenjiang and I will take you to our house.”
Wang Zhenhai and Wang Zhenhe were a bit puzzled. Why were their second brother and his wife so eager? Had they taken the wrong medicine today? The usually late-rising second brother was now eager to show filial piety to the elderly?
Wang Juan chuckled and said, “Sister-in-law, we just discussed with Dad about him staying at our house. Are you here to help? Actually, Dad doesn’t have much stuff. We’ll be done in a moment. If you have the intention, that’s enough.”
Wang Juan wasn’t naive. She had seen through Han Cui’s intentions as soon as she entered the house. The couple had come with a purpose, and everyone knew what that purpose was.
“Sister-in-law, how can you say that? It’s the responsibility of us children to show filial piety to the elderly. We can’t burden your family alone. Zhenjiang and I are still young, so let us bear this heavy responsibility. You and big brother have it tough, with many children in the house. Our home is relatively quieter, and Dad, you’ve always preferred a quiet place. Our home is just right for you to stay,” Han Cui responded.
Han Cui was clever and quick-witted, knowing how to say the right things that the old father liked to hear. However, at this moment, Wang Deshan was in a dilemma. Whose house should he go to? He couldn’t afford to offend any of his sons, and the old father was starting to feel overwhelmed.
Seeing his father’s furrowed brow, Wang Zhenhai glanced at Wang Juan, who subtly signaled to him. Understanding his wife’s intention, Wang Zhenhai spoke up, “Second brother, how about this? Dad can move to your house first today. We can take turns, each of us caring for him for a month. None of us can shirk this responsibility, and we can’t burden one family alone. What do you think, Second brother?”
Wang Zhenhai gave his brother a meaningful look, and Wang Zhenjiang chuckled and said, “Sure, I’ll take Dad to my house first. Later, he can go to whoever’s house he wants.”
Wang Deshan was reluctant to go to his second son’s house. He could see through the couple’s intentions. However, he was now in a difficult position. “Second son, I’ve made a promise. I’ll stay at your house for a month, and then I’ll go to your big brother’s house.”
Wang Deshan slowly put on his shoes, feeling truly reluctant to leave his third son’s home. He sighed, realizing that he could only take things one step at a time. Wang Zhenhe wanted to bring some grain for him, but he was stopped by the old father’s gaze.
“Zhenjiang, take Dad with you. You can carry the luggage,” Wang Zhenhai said.
Wang Zhenjiang and his wife were unaware of the situation, so they didn’t know about the grain. Wang Zhenhai and his wife were even more unwilling to bring it up, not because they were interested in the little bit of grain the old father had brought, but because they felt that the second brother and his wife were being underhanded. Therefore, no one mentioned the matter.
Wang Zhenjiang and his wife took the old father with them, leaving Wang Zhenhai and Wang Juan to continue their conversation.
“How are things now, Sister-in-law? With father gone, things should be more relaxed here. Otherwise, with the old lady’s behavior, it’s unbearable for anyone. I wonder how Han Cui will handle it this time,” Wang Zhenhai said.
At this point, Wang Juan felt a bit of schadenfreude. The couple only saw their own interests and didn’t consider the consequences. They were likely to face a lot of trouble in the future. Wang Juan knew that they had taken Wang Deshan not just for the meager work points and grain he earned but also to disrupt the peace at Zhang Lan’s home. Despite this, they were still willing to help out. After all, the old lady hadn’t been too overbearing towards their family. Besides, as the eldest son, Wang Zhenhai hadn’t been subjected to the same level of abuse as the other siblings. This was the main reason why Wang Juan dared to come and pick up the old father.
Zhang Lan smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, Second sister-in-law is no pushover. She has her ways of dealing with the old lady. I doubt she can do much to their family. It all depends on the old father’s attitude.”
She didn’t believe that the old father would actually divorce the old lady. Besides, they hadn’t even filed for separation. She suspected that the old father just wanted to lay low for a few days and enjoy some peace and quiet.
The two sisters-in-law knew Han Cui to some extent. They knew that dealing with her was not easy. If you scolded her, she would argue back. She didn’t care about your age or status.
At this point, Wang Juan was almost looking forward to seeing the two of them fight. With a smile on her face, she said, “Sister-in-law, we’ll have some excitement to look forward to in the future. Hehe.”
The news of Han Cui going to pick up the old father quickly reached Zhu Qiyu’s ears. The old lady was seething with anger. What did this daughter-in-law want? Didn’t she find her own home chaotic enough? Now she wanted to cause trouble during this opportunity. This daughter-in-law and her son had really let her down.
“Mom, what should we do now? Second sister-in-law’s home is different from Third brother’s. If you go over there to cause trouble, Han Cui might dare to confront you,” Wang Zhi asked with concern.
Zhu Qiyu hadn’t grown up drinking rice water. She had eaten more salt than these people had drunk water. The little tricks of her second son’s family didn’t seem like a threat to her.
“Zhi, tonight we won’t cook at home. We’ll go to your second sister-in-law’s house for dinner. You two can eat as much as you want. I want to see how much grain they have left to feed us,” Zhu Qiyu decided. She had made up her mind. If she went, she would at least eat. Although the old man had brought some grain with him, it wouldn’t be enough for them to eat for a year. She wanted to see who would give in first.
During dinner, Zhu Qiyu indeed took her two children and went to Wang Zhenjiang’s house. Without saying anything else, she held her second son’s hand and tearfully said, “Zhenjiang, I can’t eat or sleep well when your father isn’t at home. If this continues, I might not make it. I’ve thought it over. Wherever your father is, I’ll go there. We’re both so old, and you wouldn’t want to forcibly separate us, would you?”
Wang Zhenjiang stammered, “Mom, what are you saying? We took Dad in because we saw that he had nowhere else to go. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him. If you miss Dad, you can come and see him anytime. No one will stop you.”
Zhu Qiyu had been waiting for this response. She smiled and said to the couple, “My second son and daughter-in-law are the best. They understand my difficulties. From now on, we’ll have our meals at your house. We’re not picky. As long as we can eat our fill, that’s all we need. We won’t make any trouble.”
Han Cui’s spirits dropped as soon as she heard this. “Mom, what are you doing? Are you afraid that we’ll mistreat Dad? Are you here to supervise? You can rest assured and go back. We’ll take good care of Dad.”
Seeing all three of them come over, Han Cui felt uneasy. She wondered what devious plan the old lady was brewing.
Zhu Qiyu remained composed and said, “Daughter-in-law, I’ll be eating at your house from now on. You wouldn’t neglect your mother-in-law, would you?”
After understanding the old lady’s intentions, Han Cui forced a somewhat unnatural smile and replied, “Mom, how could you say that? You’re our mother, after all. Zhenjiang and I would never neglect you. But you know, we all have limited resources. If you eat, it’s fine, but your grandson might go hungry. Is that really okay?”