Wensheng and Dabao, Xiaobao immediately said, “Yes! Our mom has the final say!”

After finishing his task, Wensheng grabbed his sword and drew it with a flourish, declaring, “Anyone who bullies my mom will regret it!”

Cheng Xianglan was confused.

What was going on?

She had thought Wensheng and Jiang Lin were too close and that there was something hidden there.

But now he was calling Jiang Lin “Mom”!

Someone needed to explain this to her!

At that moment, Jiang Xinglei ran back inside, shouting, “Sister, we have a break! I can rest at home tomorrow!”

He was a hundred times more excited about the factory being closed than about school, since he was exhausted from working.

As soon as he entered, he saw Cheng Xianglan and smiled, “We have guests at home?”

Cheng Xianglan frowned.

She had heard from Liu Honghua that Jiang Lin brought her brother to stay here.

This was all her father’s property, and it felt like Jiang Lin was going to take everything!

She huffed, “Who are you?”

Jiang Xinglei noticed her confidently sitting at the table like the new head of the household, while Yan Runzhi and Jiang Lin looked cold, Cheng Yunzhi felt awkward, and Dabao and Xiaobao were angry, with Wensheng holding a sword.

Jiang Xinglei was sharp and quick to read the room.

He instantly understood this woman wasn’t welcome, especially with Liu Honghua around.

Cheng Yunzhi quickly said, “This is Bao’er’s younger brother.”

Cheng Xianglan let out a loud sneer, clearly thinking that the family was going to change its last name to Jiang.

Liu Honghua added, “Bao’er’s brother is here making bricks and working.” She was trying to smooth things over.

Cheng Xianglan turned to Cheng Yunzhi and said, “Dad, you can’t do this. This family is still named Cheng; you can’t just wash your hands of it.”

She shot a fierce glare at Jiang Lin. If Jiang Lin had treated her with respect, she would have responded politely.

But she could see that Jiang Lin didn’t like her, so she decided not to give her face and even looked for a chance to teach her a lesson.

Cheng Yunzhi was feeling very awkward.

He didn’t know what to say to his daughter and didn’t want to tell her she was wrong.

After all, the rule was that daughters were raised by their mothers, while men took care of sons and outside matters.

But hearing Cheng Xianglan target Jiang Lin made him unhappy. “I’m not in charge of the family anyway. Now Dongsheng takes care of outside matters, and Bao’er’s mother handles the household. Everything is going well. Your mother and I just eat, drink, and have fun without doing anything.”

“You shouldn’t be doing anything. You’re older, and as the children grow up, they should take care of things,” Cheng Xianglan replied confidently.

Yan Runzhi noticed it was getting dark and found these two really frustrating.

She didn’t want these two to stay for dinner!

She didn’t want Bao’er’s mother to feel uncomfortable while eating.

She gave her husband a look, warning him: Bao’er’s mother is being nice by not driving your daughter away in front of you, so don’t overstep your boundaries.

In daily life, Yan Runzhi always supported her husband.

After all, back when she was a young girl, she saw him as a handsome hero who saved her, which gave him a special charm.

But after struggling through many tough years, she had grown a lot.

Plus, now their family, from Dongsheng to Wensheng, and even Da Bao and Xiao Bao, all spoiled Jiang Lin.

It was common for the men to treat the women well, so naturally, Cheng Yunzhi also became more respectful to his wife and daughter-in-law.

Cheng Yunzhi immediately understood his wife’s warning.

Although he thought it was fine for his daughter to have a meal and stay overnight, he felt she might be trying to stir things up and could be aiming to take charge.

Most importantly, he understood a crucial point: their family relied on Dongsheng for outside matters and on Dongsheng’s wife for the home.

If he relied on himself, there was no hope for improvement or good days ahead.

So, he decided to listen to his wife in everything.

He stood up and said, “As the head of the family, I haven’t had a meal at your place since I returned. Let’s go.”

Da Bao quickly brought him his hat, saying, “Grandpa, it’s cold outside.”

Jiang Xinglei, always eager to watch the drama unfold, said, “Uncle Cheng, it’s dark and the road is slippery. I’ll help you go.” Plus, he could have a meal too.

Hehe.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao chimed in, “Grandma, you should come too! We’ll help you.”

Wensheng turned to Jiang Lin and smiled, wanting to ask if she was going.

Jiang Lin smiled back and said, “Let’s eat. Let Grandpa and Grandma go.”

Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi were already at the door, while Cheng Xianglan and Liu Honghua were still sitting there, staring at each other in disbelief.

What was going on?

Was the old man being shameless?

Didn’t he worry about what others would say behind his back?

Even if Cheng Yunzhi cared about his reputation, after all these years, he understood that face wasn’t worth much.

Plus, during his time back, Yan Runzhi kept reminding him, “Our family relies on Dongsheng and Bao’er’s mother. With them, we can live well. Let’s not interfere in big or small matters.”

He turned to Yan Runzhi and said, “It’s cold; put on your coat. I’ll get it for you.”

Jiang Xinglei quickly ran inside and came back out, draping a coat over Yan Runzhi’s shoulders.

It was a green military coat that Cheng Rushan had brought back.

Jiang Lin had given it to Cheng Yunzhi because he was in poorer health.

Cheng Yunzhi buttoned up a button on Yan Runzhi’s coat and said, “Let’s go.”

They didn’t pay any attention to Liu Honghua and Cheng Xianglan, helping each other as they walked away.

Liu Honghua and Cheng Xianglan exchanged confused looks.

What was going on?

Liu Honghua said, “These two are so shameless!” She shot a glare at Jiang Lin and teased, “Aunt, you’re really clever.”

Jiang Lin laughed, “Did you just realize that?”

Instead of getting angry, she smiled at them, which made Cheng Xianglan even more annoyed.

“Sister-in-law, I have to say something to you. Look how scared the elders are! The eldest sister comes back and won’t even stay for dinner. If this gets out, will our Cheng family have any face left?” Cheng Xianglan acted like the eldest sister, ready to lecture Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin replied, “You know, usually, shameless people want others to have a sense of shame. That way, they can show off their own shamelessness even more.”

“You!” Cheng Xianglan was so angry that she slapped the table.

She was upset and reminiscing about the past with Cheng Yunzhi, but didn’t feel the same warmth towards Jiang Lin, so her first reaction was to pick at her.

When Wen Sheng heard the table slap, he frowned and said, “Get out!”

Jiang Lin smiled at Cheng Xianglan, “This is your uncle’s house. If your brother tells you to leave, then you should leave.”

Cheng Xianglan’s face turned red with anger as she looked at Jiang Lin in disbelief. “You, you’re still a young educated person, and yet you have no upbringing!”

Jiang Lin kindly urged her, “You should leave quickly. I’m doing this for your own good. If I get angry, even I would be scared. Just ask her!”

She pointed at Liu Honghua.

Liu Honghua’s expression changed, and she quickly tried to smooth things over. “Don’t be angry! We’re family, let’s talk nicely.”

She didn’t dare bully Jiang Lin anymore. Even if she wanted to take advantage, she couldn’t be tough or play tricks; she could only think of ways to please the old man.

Outside, Jiang Xinglei’s voice came, “Eldest sister, sister-in-law, hurry up! You’re delaying dinner!”

Liu Honghua exclaimed, realizing they didn’t have enough food at home.

She quickly ran off.

With her gone, Cheng Xianglan lost her confidence and had to follow in frustration.

So, Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi led the way, followed by Jiang Xinglei, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao, with Liu Honghua and Cheng Xianglan trailing behind.

A group of them headed to Cheng Ruhai’s house for dinner.

At home, they had made a simple meal—boiled sweet potatoes, cornmeal pancakes, and some soybean paste with pickled vegetables.

There wasn’t even any meat or greens.

Cheng Tiegang and Cheng Jingang were still complaining, “Just sweet potatoes every day! We’re going to starve!”

Just then, Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi arrived.

Cheng Ruhai was surprised and quickly stood up. “Dad, you, what are you doing here?”

Cheng Yunzhi replied, “Your sister came, and your wife called us for dinner.”

He didn’t think anything was wrong, acting as if it were completely normal.

He helped Yan Runzhi inside.

Jiang Xinglei, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao immediately rushed over to grab stools for the elderly couple to sit on while they stood to the side.

Cheng Ruhai shot a glare at Jiang Xinglei, wondering what he was doing there.

Jiang Xinglei just smiled.

He had been through a lot with his sister lately and knew he had made mistakes.

He wouldn’t dare repeat them.

Now that Liu Honghua and Cheng Xianglan were also in the wrong, he needed them to understand that, or they might think his sister was unfairly taking over the Cheng family.

Liu Honghua and Cheng Xianglan rushed over and saw that the elderly couple had already started eating, while Jiang Xinglei and Da Bao were munching on their pancakes too.

Liu Honghua was so upset that she jumped up.

Their family usually ate cornmeal cakes for every meal, and this only refined wheat flour cake was meant for her two sons!

Jiang Xinglei teased her, “Sister-in-law, why are you like this? Are you reluctant to let your parents eat?”

He then turned to Cheng Xianglan and said, “Big sister, I know you want to take care of your parents. Don’t worry. After this meal, I’ll borrow a cart from the village team tomorrow and help you take your parents home, so you can take care of them as much as you want.”

He understood his sister’s intentions well and conveyed them perfectly.

He didn’t care that Cheng Xianglan was so angry her face turned white.

He looked down at Dabao and Xiaobao and said, “Your aunt really loves you. She especially came to invite your family to stay with her until the New Year.”

Dabao said, “Yes, I know. I also asked my mom to invite my grandparents and cousins Qinqin and Xiaoke to stay with us. My mom is also a good aunt.”

Xiaobao smiled at Cheng Xianglan, his big, dark eyes twinkling. “Auntie, you are really nice.”

Cheng Xianglan was furious.

Seeing this, she knew that tomorrow they might actually send her parents to her house.

If that happened, wouldn’t her mother-in-law tear her apart?

She came back this time wanting to complain to her father about how tough her life was.

She hoped her father would give her a bag of grain, a quilt, and some fabric, so she could visit her parents’ home more often and bring her children to stay there sometimes.

Her goal was definitely not to actually take her parents to live with her!

Liu Honghua was so angry her eyes turned red.

She said to Cheng Ruhai, “If our parents want to go live with our sister, you should quickly borrow a cart and take them there!”

Cheng Ruhai knew exactly what was going on.

It was obvious that Xianglan had come back and talked to Liu Honghua first.

The two of them had discussed it and then went to Jiang Lin’s house together.

Cheng Ruhai was so angry it hurt.

He had told this foolish woman many times not to rush things.

She should have tried to comfort their father first and let him change his mind.

If their father started to care about him and his children, wouldn’t he help them in the future?

But no, she didn’t wait for their father to change his mind and went with Xianglan to upset him.

Now their father was even more annoyed. Deep down, Cheng Ruhai still wanted to make things right with Cheng Yunzhi, because when he was young, Cheng Yunzhi treated him better than their mother did.

With a dark face, he said to Liu Honghua, “Father is my father. It’s my duty to take care of him. Father will stay at my house. If there’s food for the son, there won’t be a lack of food for the father.”

Cheng Yunzhi nodded. “Son, now that’s a proper thing to say. If all siblings do their part without scheming, the relationship will naturally be good. But if you only think about taking advantage of others, things will never go well.”

Cheng Yunzhi was not foolish.

He could clearly see why his daughter had come and what her attitude was.

Even though he had not been in charge before, he saw everything his parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law did clearly and used those as benchmarks.

He did not expect his daughter to come back and take care of him, nor did he need her to bring anything.

But at the very least, her attitude needed to be correct.

Given how much Yan Runzhi had done for her and the guilt from not seeing her for so many years, she should have expressed gratitude and apologized to Yan Runzhi. But what had she actually said?

If a person is not grateful, how are parents and children any different from strangers?

All he wanted was for them to be grateful to Yan Runzhi and to sincerely apologize. He asked for nothing more.

Money and food were just material things; he could give them those without a problem.

But this simple thing—they couldn’t understand or do it.

They just wanted to skip over feelings and talk about family property.

Isn’t it laughable?

He was just an old man who had suffered a lot.

What family property did he have?

“Your elder brother always said, ‘A long road tests a horse’s strength; time reveals a person’s heart.’

He also said, ‘The most important thing for a family is good feelings; you think for me, and I think for you.’

When there are good feelings, everything else follows naturally. I’ll put it this way: you siblings should think carefully about this.

Once you’ve thought it through, we can talk about other things. If anyone isn’t sincere and just wants to mess with me, then I have no feelings to speak of.”