Even though she had long been aware of Old Mrs. Mo’s nature, Qian Yafen was still trembling with anger upon hearing those words.
This morning, she put aside her pride and went to her parents’ ho, ntioning the family’s plan to build a new house. She hoped her older brother would first repay the 1,000 yuan she had lent them. Initially, in order to ease her family’s financial burden, she had lent an extra 1,000 yuan. Now she wanted that amount back so they would have about enough to build the house.
At the ti, her sister-in-law Wang Xiaoi’s face looked really unpleasant. She was fortunate that her brother was understanding and directly returned the 1,000 yuan to her. However, she felt losing face due to this matter, as she had been the one to proactively lend the money, and only a few days had passed before she ca to ask for it back. So she didn’t stay long and returned ho directly, only to hear those words as soon as she stepped through the door.
Mo Guoping was the first to spot his wife, "Yafen, you’re back. Where did you go so early in the morning?"
Upon hearing her husband’s words, Qian Yafen responded indifferently, "Nowhere in particular."
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s indifferent deanor, Old Mrs. Mo’s expression turned even sourer, "Why are you just getting back now? We’ve already chosen the date to break ground, and Guoping and the others have arranged for the workers."
Qian Yafen quietly listened, only asking, "When are we breaking ground?"
"In three days."
Old Mrs. Mo replied curtly, now seeing her daughter-in-law as increasingly unpleasant. She had thought she was quite decent before, but now she seed unreliable.
Upon hearing the tiline set by Old Mrs. Mo, Qian Yafen couldn’t help but smile mockingly. They chose the date so hastily, likely fearing she wouldn’t co up with the money for the house. Clearly, the family had to thank her efforts for securing funds both for her family and the Mo family. Yet, now she was caught between a rock and a hard place, with her sister-in-law likely holding a grudge against her, and the Mo family like Old Mrs. Mo viewing her funding the house as her duty.
How did things co to this?
"Since the date’s chosen, let’s just go ahead then." With a foul mood, Qian Yafen replied flatly before turning to leave.
Watching her daughter-in-law walking away, Old Mrs. Mo angrily slapped the table, "Guoping, look at your wife’s attitude! Does anyone talk this way to their in-laws? I bet she isn’t keen on coming up with the money, so she’s showing us this attitude."
Mo Guoping said nothing, silently enduring his mother’s complaints, though he felt sowhat resentful toward Qian Yafen himself. She used to be so gentle and kind. How did she turn into this?
Old Mrs. Mo, feeling worn out from her tirade, eventually turned to her older son, "By the way, how co Xiao Hong hasn’t co back in so long? She’s been working at the food factory for over ten days now, hasn’t she? She must have ti off sotis, so why haven’t we seen her co ho?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Guowei looked puzzled.
"What would Xiao Hong co back for?"
Old Mrs. Mo, exasperated with her eldest son, replied, "Now that Xiao Hong works at the food factory, she has a steady inco. Since she’s divorced from Jiang Huirong, she’s still one of us, part of the Mo family. If she doesn’t co ho, where else would she go?"
Although Old Mrs. Mo didn’t make it explicit, everyone knew she was concerned about Mo Xiaohong’s salary.
"Well, she... she..."
Suddenly, Mo Guowei didn’t know what to say, realizing he hadn’t explained things clearly. Xiao Hong was now no longer part of the Mo family.
Seeing her son stamring, Old Mrs. Mo felt a sense of foreboding, sternly demanding, "What about her? You better explain clearly."
Mo Guowei shut his eyes, deciding to lay out the facts.
"Xiao Hong has followed Ding Yuejun, and her household registration is now under Ding Yuejun, along with Yiyi’s."
Upon hearing her eldest son’s words, Old Mrs. Mo felt breathless. After realizing the impact, she angrily slapped Mo Guowei’s back, furious and humiliated, "You fool! I only ant for you to let Mo Yiyi and Mo Shan, those burdens, go with Ding Yuejun. How could you let Xiao Hong go too? Xiao Hong now works at the food factory; she must have a good inco. How could you let go of such a capable daughter? What were you thinking?"
At this mont, Old Mrs. Mo felt imnse regret. She should have gone along that morning.
Mo Guowei felt a bit aggrieved, "It was Shanshan who insisted her mother should go with Ding Yuejun, saying they wouldn’t be separated."
"Mo Shan is just a little girl. What she says, you actually obey? Can’t you think for yourself?" Old Mrs. Mo was infuriated. "I don’t care if Xiao Hong’s household is under Ding Yuejun. You must resolve this. Xiao Hong is a mber of the Mo family, no matter what."
"Mom, I think..."
Before Mo Guowei could finish his sentence, Old Mrs. Mo interrupted, "I don’t care; Xiao Hong has to be a mber of the Mo family. If she truly can’t be separated from her daughter, we can bring Mo Shan back too. You’ll go to town this afternoon and take Xiao Hong to sort out her registration."
Faced with Old Mrs. Mo’s obstinance, Mo Guowei said nothing further, leaving with a solemn expression.
In the afternoon, Mo Guowei indeed went to town. However, upon arriving at the food factory, he couldn’t find his eldest daughter, "Excuse , do you know where Xiao Hong went?"
"How would I know? There are so many people at the factory; I can’t keep track of everyone," the elderly gatekeeper scowled at Mo Guowei, waving him off, "Your daughter is probably on her days off, so she won’t be here. You better co back another day. Besides, how can you, her father, not know where she went and still ask ? Move along, move along, go on ho now."
Unable to find her, Mo Guowei resorted to wandering around town, hoping to hear where Ding Yuejun and the others lived. But after roaming until evening, he found nothing and returned ho empty-handed.
Upon learning that her eldest son hadn’t found anyone, it was only natural for Old Mrs. Mo to scold him once again.
Yiyi and the others were unaware that Mo Guowei was searching for them, currently enjoying themselves as they made dumplings.
"It’s been ages since we had dumplings. I’m going to eat my fill tonight."
Yiyi looked at the plump, round dumplings, her mouth watering.
Little Mo Shan also licked her lips, "I want to eat lots and lots of dumplings." Previously, she only got one or two dumplings during the New Year. But following her grandmother, she could enjoy them any day.
Seeing the two’s eager expressions, there was a wide smile on Ding Yuejun’s face, "Alright, alright, I’ll make sure you eat your fill."
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