Around five o’clock, Chen Feng drove to Fengshou Supermarket in Yuelou Town, to pick up his parents from work. Mainly, he was picking up his mom; his dad preferred to ride his electric scooter ho.
The family-run small supermarket business was doing quite well, mainly due to its great location at the town center of Yuelou Town, with dense population and high foot traffic, especially during the evening when families shop with their children, typically buying snacks or daily essentials.
Therefore, the supermarket naturally needed staff to work the evening shift.
The evening shift was usually managed by his uncle Zhao Guozhong, his wife, and his mother-in-law.
During the day, his parents would co by to help out, and in the afternoons, Zhao Xiaolan would typically man the cash register, allowing Zhao Guozhong and his wife to take a rest until coming back for the night shift.
Otherwise, if Zhao Xiaolan worked both day and night, it would be too tiring, and it wouldn’t be safe for her to go back to Qingpu Town late at night.
Because the small supermarket business was good, both Zhao Guozhong and his wife held shares, and now the second-marriage mom Mao Xiaoling could live steadily with Zhao Guozhong.
Zhao Guozhong seed genuinely rejuvenated, looking much more vibrant than in the past, even seeming a bit younger.
This ti when Chen Feng ca over, Mao Xiaoling and her mom, along with uncle Zhao Guozhong, were far more enthusiastic and sincere than before, even wanting to treat Chen Feng to a al.
But Zhao Xiaolan flatly refused because they had to work the evening shift, and if they treated Chen Feng to a al, the small supermarket would have to close for the night, leading to a considerable loss, or so Zhao Xiaolan believed.
As for treating staff, neither Zhao Xiaolan nor Mao Xiaoling was willing to do so.
On the way back, Zhao Xiaolan started to nag: "Your uncle is just so clueless. I urged him to have another child quickly, but he said Little Ling already got an IUD, and she’s too old to have another. It’s just an IUD, not a sterilization. Little Ling is only thirty-seven, not old, and could completely have another child. Now the country advocates for more births, and the two children he has now aren’t biological, so he’ll regret it when he grows old."
Chen Feng chid in, "That woman already has two kids. If she has another with uncle, there’s the fear that uncle might not treat the other two kids well. It could also lead to family conflicts, which is understandable. It’s sowhat unfair to uncle, indeed."
"Exactly, non-biological is non-biological. How could he treat them as his own? When he’s old, let’s see how these non-biological kids treat him?"
Chen Feng countered, "It’s not necessarily true; feelings grow from care. If uncle truly treats these two kids like his own, maybe soday these two kids will see him as a father and take care of him."
"It’s never the sa as your own kids."
"There are plenty of unfilial biological children too."
"Why are you always contradicting ?"
"I’m just stating the facts."
"So do you think your uncle deserves to have no descendants?"
"Isn’t there a daughter already?"
"Can you count that daughter? She was taken away by her mom when she was just a few months old, haven’t seen each other for years."
"Mom, just leave this matter alone. Uncle is a grown man, and he and Mao Xiaoling are doing well now, aren’t they? You’re not his mom, and even if you were, it’s better not to ddle in their marital affairs."
"Fine, I won’t interfere." Zhao Xiaolan responded angrily.
Seeing this, Chen Feng couldn’t help but smile and tried to soothe his mom: "Mom, think about it, how old is uncle now? Forty-eight, right? Having a child at this age and raising them would be exhausting. Besides, he already has the luxury of a daughter and a son, and a biological daughter, though he hasn’t seen her in years, but she is his flesh and blood. In total, he has three children already; having another one isn’t really necessary. If it were , I would most likely not have another child."
Zhao Xiaolan rebutted, "His biological daughter will never look after him; these two bonus kids probably won’t either. It’s not guaranteed."
"Is it guaranteed with biological kids? There’s no shortage of irresponsible, ungrateful descendants. Moreover, uncle’s situation is special. He remarried Mao Xiaoling, who already has two kids."
If they have another child, say a son, it’d be better. At least he’d have a direct heir, but if they have a daughter, in the eyes of your older generation, she’d be akin to a loss. And uncle, at his age, is much more likely to have daughters, scientifically speaking.
Even if they have a son, the only benefit is continuing the lineage. As for whether he’ll care for him in old age, that’s far from guaranteed. He could end up being a deadbeat, disappointing, anything could happen.
However, there are plenty of downsides: first, it would definitely estrange him from Mao Xiaoling’s current two kids. Plus, it could lead to constant family strife, escalating marital conflicts. Another divorce isn’t impossible.
Whether or not the biological child will care for him is a matter of the future, probably two or three decades down the line. By then, uncle would be seventy or eighty. But for now, he and Mao Xiaoling need to live together daily.
Mao Xiaoling opposes having another; her two kids will definitely oppose having siblings, not to ntion her mother-in-law. If uncle insists on having another, he’ll only clash with the family, and how can they live well together then?
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