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At Li Xia’s place, she shook her head and sighed after Zhang Qiuhua left. In this era full of changes, many people have made fortunes, many have risen for a while, and many have fallen. The further you go, the more temptations and dangers there are, and the more opportunities there are. It all depends on who can grasp them. She was a small vendor before, and she was thinking about home appliances. The accumulation of time over the past year has calmed her mind.
You can’t be timid and stop moving forward, but you can’t always look at the mountains from the sky. Especially, she will never do things that are on the edge, and she won’t be jealous of others who succeed. She firmly believes that if you often walk by the river, you will get your feet wet. If you have too much luck, you will forget to be respectful, and it will be a matter of time before you fall.
The shop she bought was said to be completed in October and would be officially open before the end of the year. She had decided that the largest shop would still sell clothes. The other two shops would sell shoes, hats, accessories and bedding, and one on the first floor would sell hardware.
All three shops will adopt the wholesale and retail model. This building takes the wholesale route and is determined to build a wholesale base in the provincial capital. As long as she keeps steady, she can make a lot of money in the next 20 years.
She blamed the conflicts with her children in her previous life on the hardship of life, and the hardship of life was all due to lack of money. And Shen Haiyang’s illness, Shen Hui pointed a knife at his biological mother, and his life was ruined. Everything was because of money, so the way to make money must be broad and stable. She didn’t want to be the richest man, she just wants to solve the troubles in life.
”You were so absorbed in your thoughts that you didn’t even hear me calling you twice.”
When she looked up, she saw Shen Haiyang standing at the door. She smiled and wanted to tell him about her future plans, but when she saw there were people in the yard, she shook her head and didn’t mention it.
”Call the children to dinner.”
”we are coming.”
Most people don’t like to watch the news during the news broadcast. The three little ones came to eat during this time, and they all told her how good the color TV was.
”Mom, color TV is much clearer than black and white. Can we buy a color TV too?”
Yiyi, this brat, likes everything good. In her previous life, he only started to like color TV in the millennium, but now it’s only the 1980s and he’s already coveting it.
”No. The money must be saved for Dad’s medical treatment. Otherwise, what will we do if we don’t have money when treatment is available abroad?”
Shen Hui was a thoughtful child who never forgot the important things at home. He had no problem drinking Coke and eating a cake occasionally, but he was not happy about such a big thing.
Li Xia was about to explain to Yiyi when the little one nodded obediently to his brother. “Brother is right, I don’t want a color TV anymore. I want to save the money for Dad’s medical treatment.”
The cute little guy spoke clearly, and his big, usually cunning eyes were now very sincere. It was not a compromise, a perfunctory response, or a flattery. He was really worried about his father, just like his brother.
”Good boy, Dad thanks you first.”
”Dad, you must be well. I don’t want to change my dad again. Xiaofang in our kindergarten has a bad dad, and I don’t want to change to a bad dad too.”
The brat’s childish words made people laugh and cry. Li Xia covered her face and was speechless. Is this kid too selfish? Did he recognize Fang Zhongcheng as his father in his previous life just because it was profitable and had nothing to do with blood being thicker than water?
Worried about het younger son, she talked about this with Shen Haiyang at night. “Do you think Yiyi is too… that? Should he be taught a lesson? Where do you think we should start?”
”He used to give you the pocket money he saved, and now he shares anything good with his brothers and sisters. This kid is more cunning and hard-hearted than the other two, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I will treat anyone who treats me well, and I will get rid of anyone who treats me badly, no matter who they are or what they are to me. This is considered a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment.”
Clearly distinguish between gratitude and resentment? Is that so? Li Xia lay silently thinking about her own thoughts. In her previous life, the brat rebuilt a house for her after she went to college, saying it was a scholarship. In fact, the scholarship was only part of it, and most of the money came from Fang Zhongcheng.
At that time, she was in poor health and often needed to take medicine, and it was not easy for her to work outside. He believed that Fang Zhongcheng could gain connections in the city, and also get money to support her as a mother, and at the same time he would not have to bear the burden of Huihua. Killing three birds with one stone, the brat is profit-seeking but also sentimental.
The mother and son have different styles of doing things. No wonder she and her son always seemed to have a disagreement in her previous life. She was too straightforward. She hated someone so much that she would never accept his help and would never have anything to do with him again. But this brat could put aside love and hate as long as it was beneficial.
”What are you thinking about?”
”effective communication.”
”?”
”Communication, even the closest relationships, can become stagnant without effective communication.”
”Yeah.” Shen Haiyang turned over and hugged her, “So if you have anything to say, tell me. We are a reconstituted family, so we have to face more problems than a natural family. Solve problems when they arise, and don’t let them accumulate.”
”From what I can see now, it seems like we’re getting along well. I’m just worried that your father will come back…”
”It’s okay. I’ll take care of everything.”
”That’s what you said. If your father is difficult to get along with, you are responsible for mediating between us.”
”Okay, I’ll take care of everything.”
As a daughter-in-law, getting along with the man’s parents is a difficult problem. Especially since his father has lived abroad for decades, the huge gap may make it more difficult to get along. But fortunately, there is Shen Haiyang, who has a gentle personality and is good at communication. With him as a bridge, I can get much better.
In the evening, she talked about her father-in-law’s return to China, and the next morning she received a letter from abroad. The old man said he would arrive around June, and she stretched out her hand to count the days. She hurried to prepare all the bedding, pots and pans, thermos, tea sets, and everything else she could think of for the backyard. When he arrived, he could move in directly.
”Mom, this quilt is so soft.”
Yiyi stroked the new quilt for grandpa and put his head on it to feel the softness. Li Xia raised her hand and pulled her son up, giving him a disdainful look.
”Have you washed your hands? Don’t let the new quilt get dirty.”
”I washed it, I washed it.” The little guy stretched out his hand to show her. “It’s so clean, I washed it with soap.”
Huihua also admired the soft quilt and looked up to ask her mother: “This quilt seems different from ours.”
”Yes, this is a silk quilt. It’s made of mulberry silk, thin, warm and breathable.”
”Oh. Mom, is that expensive?”
“Well, it’s quite expensive.”
”It’s great to be a grandfather. I can enjoy so many good things. I want to be a grandfather too.”
”Ha ha……”
Yi Yi’s words made everyone laugh. Li Xia raised her hand and tapped his forehead. “You can’t get all these just by being a grandfather. It’s because grandpa worked hard when he was young that he has all these today. If you want them, you have to work hard too. Otherwise, not only will you not have them when you are old, you will have to beg on the street or starve to death.”
”Oh, I see. Then I will study hard. Dad said that if I study more, I can get into a good university, get a good job, and have a good future.”
Shen Hui smiled and touched his head: “Would you like to compete to see who did better in the exam?”
”Let’s compete. I’m going to start learning mental arithmetic soon, so we can compete at the end of the year.”
”Oh, you’re quite boastful. I’ll wait.”
While talking, she helped to move things to the backyard. The big double bed was covered with a thick new mattress, and on top of it were the pure cotton sheets and pillowcases that Li Xia bought at the Foreign Trade Mall. The quilt was folded neatly on the pillow, and she habitually reached out to smooth the sheets.
”Mom, when Grandpa comes back, can we still come to the backyard and watch the color TV?”
Yi Yi stood in front of the TV and was reluctant to leave. It didn’t matter if he didn’t have other things, but watching cartoons on a color TV was really exciting. If he couldn’t watch them anymore and could only watch black and white, he would feel lost just thinking about it.
Huihua and Shen Hui also turned their heads and looked at their mother with burning eyes, feeling very reluctant to part with the color TV. People are like this, it is easy to go from simple to luxurious, but it is difficult to go from luxurious to simple. It would be fine if they never had a color TV, but after seeing the imported large color TV, they began to dislike the small black and white one.
”That’s going to require us to wait for grandpa to come back and see what his attitude is. Otherwise, shall we also change to a color TV?” She earns a lot of money now, and it’s not that she can’t afford it.
”No, we’ll just watch the black and white one. That’s good. Mom, save the money.”
Shen Hui never forgot his father’s illness. When he said this, Huihua and Yiyi also nodded. The little ones swept away their previous melancholy and started to be happy.
”Many of my classmates don’t have a TV at home. It’s great that we have one.”
”Yes,” Yi Yi agreed with his brother, following his lead. “Many of our kindergarten children also have to go to the neighbors’ houses to watch TV. They all envy me.”
”Mom, I’ll go get some water and wipe the dust off again so that grandpa can see a clean house when he comes back.”
The children were all very sensible, so Li Xia put aside her worries and went to get some water to clean up the house. She and her daughter wiped the dust in the house while Shen Hui and Yi Yi went outside to sweep the yard.
”Xia, Li Xia, someone is looking for you. Your father-in-law is back.”
Just after cleaning, they heard someone shouting outside, and the mother and her two children put down their tools and walked out. She nervously brushed her hair and asked Shen Hui and HuiHua to go to Shen Haiyang’s office to find him.
”Tell Dad that Grandpa is back, and ask him to come back soon.”
”Okay, got it.”
The two children ran to find Shen Haiyang quickly, while Li Xia stood at the street gate, waiting for the Mercedes to slowly open its door. Shen Yaozong got out first, then he opened the passenger seat and helped a gray-haired old man out.
The old man was wearing a moon-white Tai Chi Kung Fu shirt, and his loose cotton trousers were casual and comfortable. Li Xia looked up and was stunned for a moment when she met his face.
They look alike, too alike. These three generations of grandparents and grandchildren practically share the same face. When you see Shen Hui, you know what Shen Haiyang looked like when he was a child. When you see the old man, you know what Shen Haiyang looks like when he is old.
The old man looked nervous and excited, probably because he was more afraid of home. He left when Shen Haiyang was still in belly. It was the first time he saw his son in so many years, and his hands were shaking slightly. His eyes searched around, and then Li Xia took a step forward.
”Hello, I’m Li Xia, your daughter-in-law.”
”Oh, hello, hello.”
The old man had gentle features and a kind demeanor, and Li Xia’s nervousness eased a little. She stepped forward and supported his other arm, and started to introduce the man as they walked in.
”Shen Haiyang was at work and didn’t know you were coming back, so he didn’t pick you up. I asked the kids to call him and he should be back soon. We’ll live in the front yard and the backyard has been cleaned up for you. If you find anything you’re not satisfied with, we’ll fix it up.”
Before they even crossed the alley, Shen Yaozong replied with a sullen face, “What good can there be in the countryside?”
”Yao Zong,”
The old man shouted at him, and the man lowered his head and said nothing, his eyes full of dissatisfaction. The old man smiled at Li Xia, and nodded when he saw the backyard view.
”Good, that’s great. What’s in this big jar?”
”Water lilies. There are water and flowers in the yard, which is pleasing to the eye. Besides, water represents wealth, which is a good omen.”
”Okay, okay, okay, it will be very beautiful when the flowers bloom.”
The old man said three good things and was very satisfied with this courtyard. When he entered the house, the antique furniture and the traditional Chinese style house complemented each other. The Chinese sofa was covered with thick cushions, which was soft and comfortable to sit on.
”Okay, okay, you all put in the effort.”
The old man walked around and looked around. The inner room separated by a partition was set up as a bedroom, and there was an ancient-style bunk bed inside. The misty blue bed curtain was hung with silver hooks at the opening, and the quilt and pillow on the bed were all brand new.
”If you don’t like this kind of bed, there’s a Western-style bed next door. We can change it for you.”
”No, I like it very much.” The old man looked back at her kindly and said, “Thank you, thank you for your hard work. I have no regrets in my life if I can return to such an environment when I am old.”
Li Xia turned around when she heard footsteps. It was indeed Shen Haiyang who came back. The man’s face was a little red as he left, so she quickly poured him a glass of water.
”Don’t be in a hurry, drink some water first.”
Shen Haiyang took the cup, and the father and son, who met for the first time, looked at each other without saying a word. The old man suddenly burst into tears when he saw his son, and raised his outstretched hand and then put it down.
Li Xia extended her hand to call the children over. She smiled at the old man and introduced the children to him first.
Calm down and don’t get so excited.
”This is Shen Hui, your grandson.” As he spoke, he pulled Shen Hui to his grandfather. The old man held his grandson’s hand and smiled kindly, looking up at the siblings. “This is Huihua and Yiyi, right?”
”Yes.” After answering, she urged the children: “Call grandpa quickly.”
”Hello, Grandpa.”
”Hello, Grandpa.”
”Hello, Grandpa. I’m Shen Ruyi.”
The brat was not at all stage-frightened and started to introduce himself. He emphasized the word “Shen” the most and told the old man of the Shen family that his surname was also Shen.
”Haha,” As expected, the old man laughed out loud at his joke, holding his little grandson’s hand with his other hand. “Okay, you are all good kids.”
The old man took the child and sat down on the sofa, then looked up and asked Shen Yaozong for his bag. “Take out all the gifts I prepared for the children and see if they like them.”
Yiyi is the youngest and doesn’t seem to know what it means to be embarrassed. He can make people happy as soon as he opens his mouth: “We like whatever gift grandpa gives us.”
Shen Hui and HuiHua said nothing, feeling ashamed of their brother’s flattery. The two older children knew more and were more aware of being shy, while HuiHua was trying to pull his younger brother to restrain himself.
Shen Yaozong opened the suitcase on the ground, and the old man excitedly took out gifts for his grandchildren. For Huihua, it was an exquisite doll and a set of watercolors, for Yiyi, it was an airplane and a tank model, and Shen Hui’s was the same as Yiyi’s.
”How is it? Do you like it? If you are not satisfied, grandpa will take you to the mall another day and we will buy whatever you like.”
”We like it grandpa.”
The children were very sensible and spoke in unison. The first meeting between the grandparents and grandchildren seemed very harmonious. After receiving the gifts, the children went to play, and the old man’s eyes returned to Shen Haiyang again.
Shen Haiyang drank some water and his complexion returned to normal. Seeing the old man looking at him, he took a few steps in his direction, stopped in front of him, and nodded to him.
”Hello,”
In the end, he didn’t call him that name, but the simple greeting made the old man burst into tears. He stood up from the sofa and patted his shoulder.
”Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for you and your son…”
The old man choked up and couldn’t go on. Shen Haiyang handed him a handkerchief and said comfortingly: “It’s all in the past, don’t worry about it.”
The father and son met for the first time, and after the excitement, they expressed their feelings for each other. The old man insisted on visiting the grave of Shen Haiyang’s mother that afternoon, so the whole family had to accompany him to the cemetery.
Shen Yaozong barely touched his chopsticks for lunch, and was determined not to go on the afternoon trip. He thought they couldn’t go if he didn’t come to drive. As a result, Shen Haiyang drove everyone away, and he was so angry that he stamped his feet in the yard.
No matter how unhappy he was, the old man was very satisfied with this place. Seeing that his plan to return to his home country to settle down and retire could not be changed, he was annoyed but helpless.
”Calm down and observe carefully. How old are you and yet you are so impetuous?”
After being scolded by the old man early in the morning, Shen Yaozong stood at the door of the east wing and rolled his eyes silently. “There is a saying in Chinese that goes ‘love the new and hate the old.’ You have a new son, so you don’t like your old son, right?”
”If you don’t want to stay, just leave.”
”Dad, I grew up by your side. Are you really just trying to make up for your eldest son, as Annie said?”
”You,” the old man pointed at him with a look of disappointment. “It’s because I doted on you too much that you became so indecisive and arrogant.”
Being belittled by his father again, Shen Yaozong was even more furious. He put down the toothbrush cup and stood up and left the yard. Seeing Li Xia busy in the kitchen in the front yard, he looked disdainful and left quickly.
Because no suitable nanny was found in the past two days, Li Xia took time to take care of the old man. For breakfast, steamed buns, wontons, tofu brain and a few side dishes were prepared. When they were served, the old man was very satisfied.
”Why is second brother out yet? Is he not used to Chinese food?”
”Don’t worry about him.”
She was happy to hear him say that. He is so old that he will not starve himself. Moreover, even if he is really not used to Chinese food, she can’t do anything about it. After all, she can’t cook Western food. She is just being polite.
Just asking, no other meaning.
”Dad, can I ask you something?”
The old man raised his head with the spoon in his hand and said, “We are all family, no need to be so polite.”
”Oh, that’s right. Are there any treatments for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy abroad now?”
”Is it Haiyang?” He knew that this disease was hereditary.
