Wealthy Beauty in the 60s-Chapter 112 - 111 Grandma’s House

"It’s all right, I won’t get lost. Where else are we going to stroll, or should we head home now?" Xia Xiao asked.

"Let’s head back," Xia Chunrong said. "We’ve been out for too long; Grandma and the others will start to worry."

Everyone nodded in agreement and prepared to return when Xia Kang, with keen eyes, said, "There’s Brother Xiang and Sister Yan, they’ve gone into the dance hall."

"They sure have money; it must have been given by their maternal grandfather or uncles," Xia Wei sneered. "What’s there to envy?"

"Sister Xiaoxiao, you don’t know how excessive they are. They’re always running to their grandmother’s house, sometimes even staying for as long as ten days or half a month. If their grandmother’s family likes them so much, why do they need to move grains from our house to theirs? Before Grandpa fell ill, they moved the grains to their maternal side without leaving any for Grandpa or Grandma. Uncle is always working overtime and not dealing with these issues. Grandpa and Grandma are neglected. When Grandpa got sick, it was the neighbors who informed Dad to take Grandpa to the hospital."

Xia Wei took this opportunity to vent to Xia Xiao, complaining a lot about the eldest family, filled with intense dissatisfaction.

"Yeah, Aunt from the eldest family even pretended to be poor at the hospital. After giving just five yuan, she claimed she was too busy with the factory work. Then Grandpa was taken care of by Grandma, Mom, and Aunt from the second family," Xia Jing also expressed her discontent.

"Exactly, Brother Xiang and Sister Yan always say they’re busy with work. Now it’s New Year’s, and they’re still like this. I bet Grandpa and Grandma have lost all hope in them; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let them move out," Xia Wei added.

Xia Chunrong, Xia Kang, Xia Hong, and Xia Lin also chimed in from time to time. It seemed everyone had some dissatisfaction with Zhao Xiaolan, Xia Xiang, and Xia Yan.

Xia Xiao sighed. It was normal for Zhao Xiaolan to be close to her parents; after all, everyone is raised by their parents, and Zhao Xiaolan being obedient is fundamentally good. But she was already married, and while no one stopped her from being filial to her parents, she shouldn’t take it too far.

Her in-laws weren’t some monstrous disaster. To disregard her husband’s family like this—if Xia Jianguo could tolerate it, then it wouldn’t be a problem, but if Xia Jianguo couldn’t, it would spell trouble for the marriage.

It was also because Old Man Xia and Mrs. Xia had been tolerant for so long. If they were any other in-laws, they would have exploded already and wouldn’t have let them continue living at home, especially since Old Man Xia and Mrs. Xia had another, more accomplished son, Xia Baoguo, not just Xia Jianguo.

The Zhao family was also inconsiderate; it was obvious they wished Zhao Xiaolan’s two children to be registered under the Zhao family, making them legitimate grandchildren of the Zhao family. And Zhao Xiaolan, biased towards her parents’ opinions without a mind of her own, acted high-handedly, as if the world revolved around her.

Xia Xiao felt that the key issue lay with Xia Jianguo. Given the state of the eldest branch of the family, Xia Jianguo held a great deal of responsibility. Old Man Xia and Mrs. Xia’s disappointment in their eldest son was not without reason—if Xia Jianguo could stand up and take some responsibility, the children wouldn’t have been led astray by Zhao Xiaolan and her family, and his own parents wouldn’t have been mistreated, not to mention his own discomfort.

"Let’s go; let’s head back," said Xia Xiao.

The group made their way home. As soon as they arrived, Xia Wei immediately told everyone about encountering Xia Xiang and Xia Yan entering the dance hall.

Old Man Xia and Mrs. Xia fell silent, while Xia Baoguo moved his lips, glancing at his elder brother, Xia Jianguo, but eventually swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Wang Jinying had always been a smart person, who avoided meddling in affairs that didn’t concern her, among the three daughters-in-law of the Xia Family, Wang Jinying had married the best, and she herself held a respectable and esteemed teaching position. Not to mention outside, even at the Xia elders’ place, she was quite dignified.

In fact, Wang Jinying rarely helped out when she returned to the Xia family, and mostly just waited to eat, but she was sweet-spoken and knew how to conduct herself. Unlike Zhao Xiaolan, who had a bad temper and disdained to cajole the elders, and was even more devoted to her own family, guarding against this and that of the Xia family like they were thieves, always feeling that Mrs. Xia would favor the third branch, so she was reluctant to transfer anything from her home to her own family.

The favorite daughter-in-law of Mrs. Xia was Li Wenjuan, who was hardworking and, like Mrs. Xia, was willing to bear burdens without complaint. Moreover, since her youngest son, Xia Weiguo, had been injured and discharged from service, Li Wenjuan took meticulous care of their son, and gave birth to another son. Mrs. Xia felt both pity and affection for Li Wenjuan, thinking she was the daughter-in-law most like her, and even their Chinese zodiac signs happened to be the same.

The third branch was in need, and Mrs. Xia did want to help them out, but there was hardly any money on the elders themselves. Plus, with Old Man Xia’s recent illness, had it not been for their second son, they might even have had to sell their house. ƒreewebɳovel.com

On the second day of the new year, both branches of the Xia family got up early and set off for their in-laws’ homes.

Before leaving, they asked Xia Jianguo if he wanted to go to the in-laws’.

Xia Jianguo shook his head, knowing what the situation would be like there, and instead he went straight back to his work unit’s family team.

Old Man Xia looked at the suddenly empty courtyard and felt a momentary sense of loss. Mrs. Xia said, "The girls will be back in a while. Who’s cooking, you or me?"

Old Man Xia stood up and said to Mrs. Xia, "Let me do it. The girls all love the dishes I make best. You can be my assistant."

Old Man Xia’s cooking was average, and he usually didn’t like to do it, but the second day of the new year was an exception.

Mrs. Xia readily agreed. She knew the level of her husband’s culinary skills, didn’t she? Wasn’t it always her acting as the assistant anyway? What the daughters really liked was their father’s intention.

Xia Xiao’s family went to her grandmother’s home where upon seeing her grandmother’s family, Xia Xiao felt dizzy with the number of people there, "Oh my goodness, way too many people."

Li Wenjuan had eight brothers and sisters in total. She was the sixth, with the eldest brother and sister, the second sister and brother, and the third brother above her, and the fourth and fifth brothers below her. At first, this didn’t seem a lot, but when counting them together, the number was significant, plus the siblings’ spouses and at least two children each, the family was truly flourishing.

The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth uncles, after meeting their nieces that had arrived, greeted everyone and then set off for their mother-in-law’s house.

Xia Xiao, holding several red envelopes she had received, met with her cousins and then waved goodbye as everyone left.

This was Xia Xiao’s first experience of so many relatives, and she still hadn’t fully remembered them all, but luckily she had the memories of her original self to rely on, so she had to guess.

Once several uncles had left with a whoosh, only the eldest aunt and the second aunt’s families were left. Xia Xiao looked at her aunts, Li Wenxiu and Li Wenli, noting they resembled her mother, Li Wenjuan. Having just seen her uncles, the siblings of the Lis all shared some facial similarities – one could tell they were from the same family at a glance.

Li Wenjuan and her sisters busied themselves in the kitchen, chatting and laughing. The sisters all had good temperaments, grew up together, often kept in touch after getting married, and always maintained a close relationship.

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