Chapter 1200: 1073: Sis-in-law, What’s Up with Mom?

The road was full of people, probably all out visiting relatives and paying New Year’s calls. Every now and then a tractor chugged past, making everyone on the road look on enviously. But most were ox carts or people on foot, with only a few riding bicycles.

After reporting to his parents, Zhang the Second had a solid night’s sleep. Early in the morning, feeling refreshed, he headed straight to Zhang Guofu’s place.

"Second Uncle, morning. Looking for my dad?" Zhang Mingzuo greeted him and pointed toward the main room. "If you need any help with the banquet in a few days, just give a shout."

"Can’t forget you." Seeing him fall in behind and even leave the yard unswept, Zhang the Second chuckled. "Where’s your brother?"

"He just went over to Grandpa and Grandma’s. Said it snowed last night and he wasn’t at ease, wanted to go have a look."

"Xi Zi’s doing a good job."

Inside the sitting room, Zhang Guofu had already heard the commotion. When he saw his daughter-in-law lift the curtain, he didn’t get up. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "Isn’t that what he should do."

"Morning, Second Grandpa."

As soon as Zhang the Second stepped into the sitting room, he saw a bunch of little radish-heads sitting in a circle around his big brother, and he broke into a wide grin. "Aiyo, little darlings, having a meeting?"

"Eating."

"Grandpa’s buying."

The kids deliberately answered in their milky baby voices, each giving a different answer. It amused Zhang the Second so much he laughed out loud, and quickly took some candies out of his pocket to hand to them.

Looking at their little white, tender faces, chubby hands, and those big, jet-black eyes staring unblinkingly at you, Zhang the Second practically wanted to scoop them all home.

When would he get to have a grandson?

Zhang Guofu looked at his younger brother in amusement. "How come you’re here so early today, something urgent? Even if you didn’t come, once I’d eaten I was heading over to Dad and Mom’s too."

Zhang the Second understood what he meant. Normally they’d run into each other at their parents’. He actually hadn’t gone over for a meal in a while; before, he’d still worry about his nephews’ studying and drop in more often.

"There’s been a constant stream of people at Dad and Mom’s these days, too many guests." Zhang the Second said, glancing at the children.

Zhang Guofu got the hint, stood up, told his son to keep an eye on the grandkids, and led him into the study.

"Mom, my Second Uncle’s here. He’s in the study with Dad now. Should we fix one more breakfast?"

In the kitchen, Huang Cuilan and her eldest daughter-in-law, Gong Xiaoya, were getting breakfast ready for the family. Seeing the second daughter-in-law rush in, they both froze for a moment.

Gong Xiaoya glanced at her and gave a small shake of her head. "Mom, let us handle things here. You go sit and take a break."

"Uh, okay, I’ll go see if the kids are hungry yet?"

Watching her mother-in-law leave with her mind clearly elsewhere, Zhang Mingzuo’s wife, Wei Qiulian, frowned. "Sister-in-law, what’s up with Mom? It’s just one more breakfast, isn’t it?"

Gong Xiaoya gave a helpless little smile and shot her a look. "You don’t really think Mom is so stingy she can’t spare a bowl of porridge, do you? She’s probably worried Second Uncle came so early because something urgent’s up with Dad."

"She really is... Their men’s business, she doesn’t even understand, what’s she getting anxious for? Makes me look like some tattletale. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said anything."

Gong Xiaoya glanced toward the doorway. "Alright, as long as you know how it is. Our mother-in-law’s already considered pretty good."

"I know, I’m just talking to you. You don’t know how fed up Xiaoxian and I have been. Lately she’s even been giving us face long enough to see the color of it."

Ever since getting married, Gong Xiaoya spent most of her time in the provincial city and hadn’t been around her mother-in-law much. Hearing this, she was a bit taken aback. Her own mother had told her this mother-in-law of hers wasn’t the scheming type, and that when she got old and lived with their branch of the family, there’d be nothing to worry about.

"How come I never heard you mention it?"

"Mention what? It’s not like she curses us out or withholds grain. She just waits till the men in the house aren’t around, then says little things and pulls a face at us. Who dares say their mother-in-law’s no good over that?"

"Good thing Dad, as a father-in-law, is reasonable and split us off early. Otherwise, with the money all in her hands, I don’t know how we’d be living."

"Forget everything else—this time when we didn’t pass the exam, she looks like we’ve embarrassed her. Keeps bringing you and Big Brother up in front of us, or she goes on and on praising Big Aunt’s daughter-in-law."

Gong Xiaoya gave her sister-in-law a sympathetic look. She really hadn’t known any of this. But this wasn’t something she dared—or was allowed—to meddle in. Ming Yuan would never let her say a bad word about his mother.

"How come she doesn’t think about how Big Aunt handled things, and how Second Aunt handled things? Back then, how many people did Big Aunt turn away at her door? And her? It’s like she can’t wait for people to come asking for pointers.

Especially that whole pile of cousins and cousins-in-law from Grandma’s side. They were running to our house every few days. Kids to take care of, relatives to entertain, and we still had to go to work—when were we supposed to study?

If Dad hadn’t come back one day to get some files and seen it for himself, I bet those people would have moved in long-term. That stretch of time, my head started hurting as soon as I heard their voices.

We didn’t dare quit our jobs like Shi Tou, but taking a leave once in a while is still allowed, right? And her? She ran over to my mom’s to whisper behind my back, making it sound like I, the daughter-in-law, was egging her son on."

Gong Xiaoya couldn’t hold back a laugh. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You two really are silly. Why not go to Grandma? Huang Family people are most afraid of her!"

Wei Qiulian shook her head. "You think we haven’t thought of that? We still don’t dare. There’s too much going on. If Grandma, with that temper of hers, stepped in, none of us would have the face to stay in this family."

She lowered her voice. "And you think Mingzuo and his brother never said anything to their mom? There was a time when the two of them wouldn’t say a single word to her. I figure there’s more behind it. Didn’t you notice that when they went to the Huang Family to pay New Year’s calls this year, the three brothers didn’t take us or the kids along?"

Gong Xiaoya blinked. "Didn’t Ming Yuan and them say there’d be lots of guests at home and someone had to stay?"

Hearing that, Wei Qiulian’s heart sank. Sigh... how could she forget this eldest sister-in-law trusts whatever her man says? At first she thought she was just playing dumb.

"And also, it feels like the Huang Family did something together that soured things between the two families. Them not taking us over there probably has something to do with that too."

"Do you know what it was?"

As she lifted the lid off the pot, Gong Xiaoya shook her head. "Ming Yuan wouldn’t tell me about that. But once I overheard Grandma and Second Aunt slip up. It seemed to have something to do with Little Uncle."

Wei Qiulian smiled at that and stuffed a handful of firewood into the stove. Her own family was also native to the county town—how could she not know why the Huang Family and Zhang Family had fallen out?

But since even Zhang Mingyuan wouldn’t talk about it, she certainly wouldn’t run her mouth.

Gong Xiaoya pressed her lips together in a smile. "Have you ever seen Mingzuo’s little uncle and little aunt?"

"I saw them when I was a kid. After they both got into university, we hardly saw them again. They..." Wei Qiulian paused. "They’re pretty well-known in the county. Basically everyone knows who they are."

"I’ve heard about them for a long time, but I don’t know when they’ll ever come back."

As Gong Xiaoya spoke, she suddenly heard footsteps outside. She quickly looked toward the doorway—her mother-in-law was walking their way—so she immediately shot her sister-in-law a look. "She’s coming."