During the Chinese New Year, Shen Haiyang had to be on duty, so she took her three children back to her hometown. Her parents saw the warm reception and the relatives gathered around to ask questions. She was afraid that Shen Hui would not be used to the countryside, so she asked Huihua and yiyi to take care of their brother.
Spending the New Year with her family, reuniting after several years is a lively experience. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, she took the children back to the city, and after the Lantern Festival, she went south again. After her father and brother came, they began to replace the doors and windows and repair the floor.
The second son’s wife worked for fifty days in winter and earned two new sets of clothes and thirty-two yuan. After returning home, she calculated that it was more cost-effective here, so after the New Year, she left the second son at home to prepare the land for planting, and she came here again to earn more money.
The tiles on the floor that were not in good condition were replaced, the doors and windows were replaced, the ceilings, walls were painted, and the doors, windows and furniture were painted… As the weather warmed up,
The backyard was renovated in an orderly manner. By April, all the renovations were completed and the entire backyard was restored to its original appearance. It was no longer messy and old, but presented a brand new look.
Li Xia’s business entered the off-season after the beginning of spring, and she sold goods slowly day by day. With the second son’s wife cooking and cleaning at home, she was quite relaxed. When she had time, she would show her eldest cousin how to make furniture. When the furniture was ready, the old man would sand it over and over again until it was as smooth as a mirror before applying paint evenly.
Li Xia chose both the wood and the paint. After the furniture, doors and windows are painted, as the weather warms up, they will dry and the smell will evaporate in good ventilation.
Time passed quickly and everyone changed into thin clothes. The men who worked even started to go shirtless at noon. Her cousin said that it would save clothes. Li Xia looked at the bleeding cut on his face and could only buy him some Yunnan Baiyao.
At dinner, the old man tapped his pipe and said goodbye to Li Xia. “The furniture has been put away. We can move in once the paint dries and the smell has settled. It’s time for us to go home. The corn and wheat are almost harvested, and there’s a lot of work to do at home.”
”Okay, let my third brother buy the tickets this afternoon, and you guys should prepare to go back.”
After the Chinese New Year, each person worked for more than two months, and she paid them according to the actual number of days worked. Everyone smiled happily after receiving the money, but the third one felt a little embarrassed in front of her and stretched out his hand to refuse.
”I got a lot before the New Year, and new clothes. Forget about the wages this time. There’s no need to be so calculating when relatives do a favor.”
After he said that, the cousin was a little hesitant. The old man didn’t want it at first, but Li Xia stuffed it into his bag during the New Year. Now he was hesitating about how to refuse.
”Here. Let’s be fair. You put down your work in the fields and come to help me. How can I let you go back empty-handed?”
After putting the money into the third brother’s pocket and smiling at her cousin, she turned around and went out to pack her things. This time when she went to the south, she bought a lot of fleece clothes and trousers, and sorted out the ones that the family could wear and asked her father to take them back. In the past, in the early spring, they took off their cotton clothes and wore jackets or single clothes. They would shiver in the morning and at night. The fleece clothes are made of acrylic, which is very easy to generate static electricity. People with bad skin will feel itchy, but it is definitely a magic weapon for this period.
”Dongdong,”
She was sorting things inside when she heard a knock on the door and came to answer it. It was her second sister-in-law, who looked at her with a smile on her face. She sat down, stroked the woolen coat she had given her, and said words of thanks, then changed the subject and got down to business.
”Xia, can you arrange for me to work in your bun shop?” After saying that, she stood up and rolled up her sleeves and added, “I’m good at work, definitely not worse than them. We are a family, you won’t give the lucrative job to others and not give it to me, right?”
”My brother and two kids are at home. What will they do if you stay here? Besides, the people in the bun shop are doing well. There is no room for you.”
”The bun shop is yours, so it’s up to you to decide whether there’s space or not. I can see that your man listens to you in everything, so he won’t say anything if you help your family with this little thing.”
Li Xia looked at her in silence, then shook her head and refused. “It’s still what I said just now, I can’t drive away someone who is doing a good job for no reason.”
”Then I’ll stay and help you sell clothes.”
”not needed for now.”
”Xia, I am your sister-in-law. Don’t worry, I will obey you if you hire me to do any work. I understand this now.”
”I know, but there’s no suitable place.”
”Then, then you have to arrange for me first when there is a suitable place. Write to me and I will come right away.”
”Besides, this isn’t that easy.”
”Okay, you remember your family anyway.”
Nodding to her sister-in-law, she took the sweater and got up to leave. Li Xia lowered her head and thought about it. The second sister-in-law was a petty person with a lot of small problems. But this woman was also very capable, just wanting to live a better life, and seeing that she was capable, she wanted her help.
She was thinking of some suitable small businesses for them to start, and she would help them at first. Her eldest brother and his wife are too old to come to the city, and her third brother’s children are in school, so it’s impossible for them to leave. I’ll take it slow and find suitable families one by one.
This is a win-win situation. If her parents are doing well, she doesn’t have to worry about them anymore, and her parents can feel at ease. Her two brothers will come to the city to help her. It’s more convenient to do physical work than to ask outsiders.
Sending off her old father and her brother and sister-in-law,
They started to eat in the canteen again. Clothing wholesale and retail business was basically back on track, and although they were busy every day, they were no longer so flustered.
When she closed the stall and went home in the evening, she saw Shen Haiyang wearing an apron and busy in front of the stove through the window. She put the goods and the cart in the corridor connecting the main. room and the east wing, covered them with plastic sheeting, and then went into the kitchen.
She washed her hands with water and asked, “Didn’t you say the food in the cafeteria was delicious? Why are you cooking at home again?”
Shen Haiyang’s illness always made her worried. It was just a meal, the cafeteria couldn’t handle it. She felt a little resentful that he didn’t take care of his body, and her tone naturally brought it out, and her brows were furrowed.
After washing her hands, she wanted to take over the cooking, but Shen Haiyang dodged her. The man smiled with gentle features, and there were stars in his clear eyes. She was also infected and raised the corners of her mouth, looking at him and taking a deep breath.
”I’m sorry, I was just worried about you.”
Shen Haiyang looked at the window, then leaned over to kiss her. He was ill, and there was no effective cure. He knew she was worried, so she bought him nutritional supplements and took the time to do the housework because she was afraid that he would be tired.
”I feel very good recently, don’t worry. Today is Yiyi’s birthday, and I promised to make longevity noodles for him.”
Li Xia raised her hand and slapped her forehead, looking at him in annoyance and regret. “I’m sorry, I lost my mind. Come on, give it to me, I’ll do it.”
Crack three eggs into the flour, add water and stir. My son’s birthday, how could I forget it? I had a chance to do it again. I clearly thought that the most important thing was to raise my child well, but why did I seem to be going further and further away?
Make money, make money. I’ve had enough of the pain of being poor. I only think that money can solve most of the problems in life. I must seize the opportunity and work hard to make money.
She admits that she is not well educated, not very capable, and not even very courageous. She dares to think and act now because she knows the future development. When this period is over and she is completely in the dark, she will definitely not be so open-minded. So she hurried to make money, but it seems that she ignored the spiritual needs of the children. She is not as close to the children as Shen Haiyang.
”Yi Yi, have you been naughty recently? Have you gotten yourself scolded?”
Shen Haiyang was peeling green onions with a smile, his slender fingers doing everything slowly and methodically. “He broke the thermos a few days ago, but it was empty so he didn’t get burned.”
”I knew this brat was restless. I’ll pick him up tomorrow. Did he get into a fight with someone? You must have been scolded a lot because of him.”
Shen Haiyang glanced outside the door and saw a small shadow disappearing quickly at the door. “After all, he is my son.”
With just one simple sentence, Li Xia stopped talking. She had originally wanted to insist on picking up her son at her own time, but now she suddenly felt that doing so would hurt his feelings.
Start by kneading the cotton wool into dough, flattening the eggs and cutting into shreds, cutting into fungus shreds, and chopping the day lily. Today she is making saozi noodles for the little brat. He’s sure to like the sour, spicy and fragrant taste.
She took over the cooking. Shen Haiyang peeled the green onions and went out to get the cake he ordered. This year’s new cake shop had a lot of people buying this new thing. If you want it, you have to make a reservation one day in advance.
The little guy had a cake and his favorite noodles for his birthday. He made a wish and started to cut them. “I’ll do it myself. I want a big piece for dad.”
The little guy cut the cake by himself, put the biggest piece into a bowl and placed it in front of Shen Haiyang. “Happy birthday, Dad.”
”Haha,” everyone wanted to laugh at him. When someone said happy birthday to him, he actually imitated and said it to Shen Haiyang. Huihua wanted to correct him, but he didn’t take it seriously. He raised his little head and looked very proud.
”I want to spend my birthday with dad.”
”Can I celebrate my birthday with someone?” Shen Hui took a bite of the cake and rolled his eyes at him, then turned to Shen Haiyang and asked. “Dad, I want a cake for my birthday next year, too.”
”Okay, from now on, you three will have cakes on your birthdays.”
”Oh yeah, Dad is the best, long live Dad.”
The family never ran out of ordinary candies and biscuits. Shen Haiyang would also be satisfied with new things like Coca-Cola and cakes. The little ones cheered for their father, and one by one even kissed him on the face with their butter-covered mouths.
”Ha ha,”
The little guy laughed out loud at his father’s appearance. Shen Haiyang always had that smile on his face towards the children.
Li Xia wiped him clean with a towel and scolded her son, telling him to eat well and not to mess around.
”Eat this expensive food well and stop making trouble, or I’ll beat you up.”
”Okay.”
She handed out paper to everyone and went to the stove to cook noodles. Yi Yi looked at her from behind and whispered, “Mom is so stingy.”
Shen Haiyang also imitated him and whispered: “The money to buy you the cake was given by your mother.”
The little guy looked up and widened his eyes, his black and white eyes were full of disbelief. “Really?”
”really.”
”Can I buy another cake tomorrow?”
Li Xia turned around and glared at him: “You’ll be bright if you get some sunshine, right? Is your butt itchy again?”
”No.” His brother and sister laughed at him, but he smiled playfully. “When can I buy it next time, Mom?”
This brat, he climbed up as soon as he was given a pole. He likes sweets, and he likes this kind of soft and sweet food very much. In his previous life, he wanted to eat it but couldn’t, so he could only watch, and never mentioned these requests to her.
”We can buy a normal cake, but it’s a little weird to buy a birthday cake for daily eating.”
”Okay. I like any cake.”
Relying on being the youngest in the family, he asked for the benefits. Turning around to show off to his brothers and sisters, Shen Hui raised his head proudly, and his expression silently said that my mother would give it to me if I asked for it.
————
The little guy’s birthday had been celebrated a few days ago, and Fang Zhongcheng suddenly remembered that he had a son. In the evening, after school, he went to the kindergarten to see his son, and he heard the teacher calling him Shen Ruyi.
”Shen Ruyi?”
When did his son change his surname to Shen? This was like a bolt from the blue. He immediately found Shen Haiyang in the crowd and questioned him, with veins on his forehead bulging as he spoke.
”Shen Haiyang, explain this to me. How come my son, Fang Ruyi, has your last name Shen? How dare you be so arrogant? don’t you have a son of your own, but you’re trying to steal mine…”
”Hush,” Shen Haiyang felt that it was inappropriate to shout like that in public. Fang Zhongcheng calmed down quickly after getting excited. They were all intellectuals, so they should find a place to talk. Such careless and shrew-like behavior made him blush.
”Let’s go to your house and talk.”
The two men took the child back to Shen Haiyang’s home. Li Xia saw the situation at the intersection. She handed the stall to Xiao Liu and quickly followed him back home.
”No matter what the reason is, Yi Yi is my son. How could he change his last name?”
”Why can’t we change it?” Li Xia came in and glared at him, speaking with confidence. “My son, I gave birth to him and raised him, I can give him whatever surname I want.”
”Li Xia, you are being unreasonable. Since ancient times, children have taken their father’s surname. I am not a live-in son-in-law, so why shouldn’t my son take my surname?”
”Because you only care about giving birth but not raising the child, and because you don’t want to transfer the child’s household registration to your name. You don’t even want to have the child, and you still have the nerve to ask me why, Fang Zhongcheng, who gave you such a big face?”
Li Xia spoke bluntly, and Huihua heard her mother’s angry rebuke from outside the door. The three children stood in the yard, staring at each other, and Shen Hui looked at his younger brother and sister with some sympathy.
I used to think they had a good mother who would never abandon her children no matter the circumstances. But their father still had a stable job and didn’t want them even if she divorced him. But now it seems that they are quite pitiful.
Children’s brain circuits are so interesting. After comparing, they immediately found resonance. Shen Hui held sister’s hand with his left hand and the other with his right hand. The three children seemed to be closer with their schoolbags on their backs. It turned out that they were all “brothers in distress”.
Fang Zhongcheng was so angry that his face turned red and he didn’t know where to start. They had been trying to have another child since last year, but they still hadn’t gotten pregnant. They went to the hospital for a checkup and they said there was nothing wrong with them, but they just couldn’t get pregnant.
He was upset and went to the kindergarten to see his son, but his son had changed his last name. Shen Haiyang had custody of his son, and with the last name changed, it seemed like his son had nothing to do with him anymore.
”Anyway, you can’t just change my son’s last name.”
“The law states that a child can take either the father’s or the mother’s surname. First, we are raising the child, and the household registration is under my husband’s name. It is reasonable for him to change his surname to Shen.”
”I was originally raising YiYi, so please give him back to me now.”
”Fang Zhongcheng, can you please be more careful? Children are not cats and dogs. I’ve told you several times, don’t you understand what I’m saying?” Li Xia was really angry this time. She raised her hand and picked up the broom in the yard.
”You are already in your thirties or even forties, but what you say is just bullshit. Marriage, children, the most important and responsible things in life have become just a game for you. You can take what you want and not take what you don’t want. Who do you think you are? The sun, should the whole earth revolve around you?”
Seeing her furious and ready to hit someone, Fang Zhongcheng subconsciously took a step back. In the past two years, Li Xia had become much gentler, making him forget that she used to be a fearless person in a fight. Today, if she wanted to hit him twice, he could only take it.
”Go away, you can visit your kids if you want, but you have no right to say anything else.”
”That’s my son, my own son, how could I…”
”Why didn’t you say he was your own son when I was raising him alone? Why didn’t you say he was your own son when I asked you to move his household registration? You don’t take responsibility, but you’re just talking nonsense here about your rights. You only gave birth to the child but didn’t raise him. You didn’t even move his household registration. How thick-skinned do you have to be to say these things?”
After speaking with reason and evidence, Fang Zhongcheng was speechless. She continued to ridicule him: “I used to think you were a scholar, and scholars are the most responsible and have a sense of face. Now your actions one after another are simply shocking to my cognition. I didn’t expect that there are scholars like you who are shameless in this world.”
”Many who are righteous are butchers, and most who are unfaithful are scholars.”
The crowd watching the fun said something like this, and everyone started to talk about it. There were all kinds of things to say, but as for today’s gossip, the female friend felt that Fang Zhongcheng was indeed unreasonable.
”The mother is raising the child, so naturally she has the final say on the surname.”
Women are awakening to the idea of taking on family and social responsibilities, and they also want to have their own rights. Why should a child only take the father’s surname? I gave birth to the child and I raised him. If you don’t care, you have no right to interfere with the child’s surname.
”yiyi “
Fang Zhongcheng’s old face flushed, and he called his son. He had lost face today, and he wanted to walk away in anger, but that would be like running away, so he asked his son for help. If the child was close to him, then he wouldn’t be so ridiculous today.
He had a good idea, but he obviously overestimated his importance in his son’s heart. When Yi Yi heard him calling himself, he hid behind Shen Haiyang.
The little guy’s behavior made the crowd look at him even more amused. Fang Zhongcheng wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or just disappear on the spot. Why did he come here? He was just asking for a beating. His face flushed with shame and anger, and he lowered his head, pushed the crowd away, and left in a hurry.
Shen Haiyang looked at the brat and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This kid was very cunning and sly. He knew exactly what to do and when to do it. He was very helpful to the couple. But he didn’t respect his ex father very much. Fang Zhongcheng lost face today and became a complete joke.
