BXBX NOVEL Chapter 142 - 142: Such a Coincidence
Xiao Qian separated the gold and jade and put them on two hands, “Thank you for the golden opportunity, Auntie.”
Mother Yu was satisfied. Everything Xiao Qian said was pleasant. When she got back, she would instruct Ming Lang to marry her. Even without doing anything at home, just looking at her made one happy.
Seeing the substantial weight of the gold bracelet, Xiao Qian could guess what kind of person Mother Yu was. As Ming Lang’s character resembled his father’s and his values mirrored his mother’s, Xiao Qian compared the two bracelets on her own hands. They were different materials, but they both had one thing in common—they were heavy and solid.
The three of them chatted for a while. Xiao Qian quickly figured out the personalities of Mother Yu and her sister-in-law, Yu Zhaozhao. Those who have been doctors for a long time tend to be meticulous, cheerful, and humorous—their humor seems a bit cold and different from that of ordinary people. Some may not be able to appreciate their humor, but Xiao Qian could.
As a doctor herself, Xiao Qian could keep up with their trains of thought. Aside from being a bit gossipy, these mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had good traits. They talked straightforwardly without any roundabouts.
Mother Yu and her elder daughter-in-law couldn’t get any over-the-line remarks out of Xiao Qian’s mouth. They increasingly felt that although Xiao Qian was young, she spoke and acted meticulously and delicately. She wasn’t naive and frivolous like other girls her age. The only time she revealed some emotions was when she spoke about Ming Lang’s past, which pleased Mother Yu.
Their family needed a smart daughter-in-law, especially as Ming Lang had a promising future. If the wife was as embarrassing as the one from their second son’s family, disaster could easily happen through words spoken. Seeing how much Xiao Qian loved listening to Ming Lang’s past, Mother Yu decided to bring out the photo albums.
“Each of our children has their own album, and there are two more with group photos. This is the youngest one’s, look at it, he has been a rascal since childhood…”
The Yu family was financially stable enough to afford photographs for their children at that time. The first page featured a chubby little boy showing some crucial parts on a mat. Xiao Qian’s gaze fell between his legs, was he peeing?
“A three-year-old foreshadows the grown-up. You can see from his mischievousness as a kid. Before taking the photo, I asked him if he needed a pee. He hummed and hawed and looked so innocent, so I believed him. And when the photo was taken, the pee rushed out. We only had that good woolen blanket at home and would only take it out for photos. It was soiled by him.”
As Mother Yu talked about some of Ming Lang’s past deeds, Xiao Qian observed him growing up, and little by little, she could see the resemblance. The more she looked, the more she believed their daughter looked like him. Especially from his older photos—apart from different facial shapes, the facial features were identical.
Ming Lang was a naughty child. In many photos, he stood straight next to the wall—being punished after doing something wrong. Year by year, he grew taller, and the cabinet by his side looked shorter.
“This is when he was in middle school. A fire broke out in the school warehouse and he put it out. He was awarded the Four Outstanding Youth certificate. To quote your uncle’s words, ‘He made minor mistakes but behaved well in major issues.’ We were quite worried if he would grow up to be a hoodlum oppressing women and bullying men.”
Mother Yu couldn’t stop tattling about his past events.
“The most worry-free one in our family is the second son. He has never troubled us from childhood to adulthood. The most troublesome one is the youngest. But as he grew up, the youngest caused fewer worries, instead…” Mother Yu looked at Xiao Qian and shook her head without saying further.
Her elder daughter-in-law immediately understood Mother Yu’s concern. The second son’s family had been making troubles repeatedly, which troubled the elders. She promptly shifted the topic. Xiao Qian seemed to feel that there were some problems but couldn’t pinpoint them.
While they were talking, voices came from outside, as if a woman was visiting their house. Mother Yu felt a headache hearing the voice, as her fear was coming true.
“I’ll go check. Xiao Qian, feel free to look around.”
Mother Yu left. Eldest Sister-in-law also followed her out. Xiao Qian stood up, intending to join them, but was attracted by the spread-out album…
She sneakily took out the picture of Ming Lang peeing as a baby, slid the second picture into the vacant spot, tucked the photo into her own pocket undetectedly, and then went out.
In the living room, Wang Xiaohong held Panpan in her arms, sitting on the sofa. Seeing Mother Yu out, she greeted her with a grin.
“Mom, have you had dinner yet?”
“It’s so late. How could we not have eaten?” Mother Yu answered indifferently.
Today was National Day. She made calls in the afternoon to invite everyone over for dinner. Although she didn’t like the second son’s wife, she didn’t exclude her.
However, Wang Xiaohong didn’t even make a call, and now she only came. Mother Yu couldn’t like her more when seeing her.
“I happened to be busy, so I couldn’t get away. Panpan was a little sick these days. He insisted on me holding him, and I couldn’t buy anything while holding him. Mom, I’ll give you some money. You buy whatever you want,” said Wang Xiaohong as she pulled out 200 yuan from her pocket. The eldest sister-in-law opened her eyes wide. Has the sun risen from the west? She actually gave money!
“There’s no need. We have everything at home. You two just live a good life. Our family doesn’t need your money,” Mother Yu replied indifferently. Seeing her reaction, Wang Xiaohong hurriedly stuffed the money into her hand.
“Please take it, or Ming Yi will give me a hard time.”
Actually, Ming Yi had called to say he was on duty and couldn’t come back. He told Wang Xiaohong to send 500 yuan to his parents, as the family attached great importance to such festivals.
However, Wang Xiaohong secretly pocketed some of it and only gave 200 yuan.
Mother Yu didn’t care about the money, but she accepted it considering it was her second son’s goodwill. Immediately after, she heard Wang Xiaohong say, “Mom, do we still have Cordyceps at home? Panpan has been a bit weak recently. I want to nourish him.”
Mother Yu and the eldest sister-in-law both showed an expression of realization. Their doubts were resolved. They were sure before.
No wonder Wang Xiaohong suddenly changed. She wanted to take something away after giving a little money.
Mother Yu wished she could throw the money on the floor and step on it a few times. Wang Xiaohong really knew how not to take a loss, wanting to exchange 200 yuan for Cordyceps. Their family had enough of these things. Every year, people would post cordyceps, ginseng, etc., from the place of origin. Even if Wang Xiaohong didn’t mention it, Mother Yu would divide them into several portions to send to the children.
But giving voluntarily and being asked were two different feelings.
“Xiaohong, Panpan is still too young to eat Cordyceps. Children under 16 are the most vital and with the most potential. Nutritional supplements are not suitable.” The elder sister-in-law understood that Wang Xiaohong wanted to bring them home to eat by herself. She knew Mother Yu would definitely give them, but she just deliberately said it to make Wang Xiaohong uncomfortable.
Xiao Qian came out after snatching the photo, just in time to hear all this.
“Eldest sister-in-law is quite right, no wonder she studied medicine. But Panpan has always been weak, which makes me anxious. Although he’s not my birth child, I’ve been painstakingly raising him. You’re satiated and don’t know the hunger of others. Your family has good conditions and a nanny to take care of your children. My family has nothing. It’s not easy to raise a child.”
Wang Xiaohong was wiping the corners of her eyes as she spoke. Mother Yu glared at her daughter-in-law. The eldest sister-in-law regretted not keeping her mouth shut.. What on earth was she stirring up?