Su Wensong unexpectedly glanced at Granny Su.
Granny Su had always been kind and gentle to everyone, it was the first time he heard her say such extreme words.
He said with a teasing smile, “Granny, what about your upbringing?”
Granny Su snorted coldly, “You can’t have manners when dealing with that kind of person.”
She looked at her grandson with eyes full of affection.
“Wensong, remember, you don’t have to be high-minded all the time, whether you should act superior depends on who you’re facing. If it’s just a fly, you don’t have to tolerate its filth; if it’s a rat, you don’t have to be lenient with its thieving nature. Tolerance is the practice of self-cultivation, but occasionally quibbling tells others that you’re not a fool. The former shows your magnanimity, the latter sets the rules. I have manners that don’t harm others, but that’s not a reason for you to harm me. I can smile and reason with you, but I can also turn my face and set the rules with you.”
“Granny, I understand.”
…
When he returned home in the evening, Mrs. Qin brought up that their eldest daughter, Qin Juan, should be coming back.
Qin Juan was Qin Han’s sister, and Lin Chuxia had met her when she got married.
Qin Juan married a year after Qin Han to a genuine city resident who worked in a government agency.
In the past few years, her husband was transferred to the city for work, and they took Qin Juan and their child with them.
When it came to Qin Juan, there was no one among the Qin family’s relatives and friends who wasn’t envious.
“It’s all about fate. Your elder sister’s marriage was arranged by Yangyang’s granny when she was still alive. She and Wenbin’s granny came from the same village and clan. At that time, given the Zhang family’s circumstances, no matchmaker approached them. Wenbin’s granny had to ask Yangyang’s granny for help, and seeing that Wenbin was a decent young man, Yangyang’s granny accepted this marriage proposal. At the time, many people were pessimistic, thinking that your granny had pushed your sister into a pit of fire. But who knew that within a year of their marriage, a policy came out and the Zhang family benefited from the policy, making it seem like our family was reaching above our station.”
Mrs. Qin spoke of her daughter with a smiling face, obviously missing her as she hadn’t been home for half a year.
“Mom, listen to yourself, what’s all this talk about reaching above our station? Juanzi is considered the beauty of our ten-mile radius. I think it’s Wenbin who didn’t match up to her,” Zhang Guilan disagreed.
Lin Chuxia also nodded; although she didn’t interact much with her sister-in-law, she could tell that the latter was beautiful and gentle, a truly good person.
Mrs. Qin cheerfully agreed.
If there ever was a thought that her daughter was marrying above her station, it was because the Zhang family all had good grain rations and decent jobs, and she worried that her daughter would suffer there.
Nowadays, the Qin family was doing well too, with both Qin brothers’ lives getting better and better.
No matter what, having brothers in her maternal family always gave a woman confidence in her marital home.
The next morning, Mrs. Qin and Zhang Guilan got up early to prepare for the arrival of relatives.
Lin Chuxia, upon hearing the commotion outside, was about to get up when an arm pulled her back, enveloping her in a warm embrace.
Qin Yang’s voice was muffled, “Stay with me a little longer.”
“But your sister and the others are coming back soon,” Lin Chuxia really didn’t want to lie in.
This guy had enough energy to ’hunt tigers in the mountains’ at night, but was acting like a caterpillar in the morning.
That’s not right, even caterpillars would have woken up by now, which gave her a slight sense of crisis.
Qin Yang still didn’t let go, “I will have to return to the unit in a few days.”
Lin Chuxia turned in his arms to face him, ready to reason with him, “You use that line at least three times every night, Mr. Qin. As an engineer, can’t you have the most basic professional integrity? Be precise. Do you also go about your engineering work this carelessly?”
Qin Yang immediately opened his eyes, looked at Lin Chuxia, smiled, and then pulled her under him and kissed her.
“My professional integrity has gone to the dogs when it comes to you, Lin Chuxia. What should I do if I can’t bear to leave you to go to work?”
Can’t bear to leave, yet unable to take her with him, he could only make the most of the limited time for happier things.
The two of them fooled around for a while longer before getting up, by which time Mrs. Qin had already prepared breakfast.
During the Spring Festival, they would eat together.
After breakfast, Mrs. Qin took Zhuangzhuang out, saying she was going for a stroll.
Qin Yang squatted next to Lin Chuxia and whispered complaints while they washed clothes together.
“My mom is probably going to wait for my sister at the village entrance. She said before that she didn’t want to marry her daughter off too far, and it ended up not being far, but who knew my brother-in-law’s job would relocate. My elder sister can’t ride a bike, and taking the bus is inconvenient, so she can hardly make it home a few times a year, not much better than me.”
After finishing, he told Lin Chuxia, “Work might be a bit better this year, and I’ll come to see you if I have time.”
“Mm, work is important, and if you’re busy there, I can visit you…”
“Then you must come.”
Before Lin Chuxia could even finish talking, Qin Yang said eagerly.
Getting an eye roll from Lin Chuxia, he smiled and picked more clothes out of the basin to wash.
He seemed about to lift a black piece of underwear.
With a “slap,” Lin Chuxia smacked the back of his hand.
She hissed, “Put that down, I don’t need your help.”
And glanced around guiltily.
Qin Yang laughed even harder, “We’re a married couple, what’s wrong with helping you wash some undergarments, even if it’s…”
“Get lost!”
Seeing his cheeky grin, Lin Chuxia found it hard to connect him with the cold and aloof man he used to be.
She didn’t even need to guess what he was about to say.
Seeing her getting annoyed, Qin Yang regretfully withdrew his hand.
But the thing that made him happiest now that he was home was teasing his wife.
His young wife, who was so strict and rule-abiding in front of the Bun Shop staff.
She still often acted like a know-it-all when facing him.
Only when she was provoked did she show a bit of a young woman’s coquettishness.
After washing the clothes, they hung the large pieces outside and the small ones in their room.
Then, voices came from outside; Qin Juan had returned.
When Lin Chuxia and Qin Yang got married, it was only Qin Juan and her child who came; this time, the family of three were all here.
Qin Yang, Qin Han, Lin Chuxia, and Zhang Guilan all came out to greet them, even Mr. Qin showed up.
Lin Chuxia saw her legendary brother-in-law Zhang Wenbin for the first time.
He wasn’t tall, barely over one meter seventy, with fairer skin compared to Qin Han and the others who worked in the fields all day, a side-parted hairstyle, and wearing glasses.
His looks were not particularly outstanding, and he had a slightly portly figure, but he smiled like a good-natured fellow.
He wore a proper Zhongshan suit with a black cotton overcoat on top.
Compared to him, Qin Juan looked rather thin.
Her slim figure was clad in a maroon cold-resistant jacket.
The jacket was a bit large for her, making it seem loose and making her look even more fragile.