CHAPTER 372: CHAPTER 372: DON’T FEEL BAD

"Second brother, second sister-in-law, we’ve finally been waiting for you to come home. You have no idea how much Mom has been worrying about you since this morning. If you hadn’t come back soon, Mom’s neck would have grown longer from all the waiting." Song Yuan Yao had just added a piece of firewood to the stove in the kitchen when she heard noise and, excited, ran out to talk to Xu Xiuxiu without any reservations, openly criticizing Mrs. Song.

"I should be allowed to look forward to seeing my grandchildren!" Mrs. Song said with a laugh as she scolded her daughter: "You girl, becoming more and more disrespectful. Now go and help Yuanying with your hands. That lad is so clumsy, what if he’s uncomfortable holding Little Baby?" Little Moon and Little Baby were boy and girl twins and looked very alike; still, Xu Xiuxiu had clearly marked their clothes so she could tell the children apart. Little Baby, having been pampered more, evidently had a more feminine demeanor, so telling the kids apart was not difficult, and Mrs. Song could tell who was who at a glance.

"Right, sister, hurry up and take Little Baby for a bit. I still have to help your second brother move the large color TV we bought for your sister-in-law into the house!" Upon hearing this, Song Yuanming suddenly remembered the large color TV, took a couple of steps, and carefully handed Little Baby over to Song Yuan Yao.

"Large color TV?" said Song Yuan Yao, holding Little Baby in the correct pose, looking at Xu Xiuxiu with a bit of surprise: "Sister-in-law, you even bought a color TV for the family!" Her words were filled with surprise. Previously, when Father Song and Mrs. Song had visited City Z, they were quite impressed by the large color TV there, and she had thought about buying one for the family herself once she started working and receiving a salary. But her second sister-in-law had acted even faster.

"Yes! Jingjing is getting married on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year! She has helped me a lot in City Z over the past two years. Now that she’s getting married, as her sister, I naturally need to help with her bridal gifts. I thought I’d buy a large color TV to liven things up, and it would look good too. Yuanying and I went to buy the color TV at the store, and thinking that our family didn’t have a TV yet, I bought one on the way. Once your second brother finishes setting it up, we can enjoy the New Year’s Gala while eating during this year’s New Year’s celebration." Xu Xiuxiu was open about purchasing the large color TV as a bridal gift for Jingjing and couldn’t keep it a secret; moreover, Jingjing had helped her manage Sichuan Pavilion in City Z, contributing significantly to its current large scale.

This was something Song Yuan Yao understood very well, having worked with Jingjing. Song Yuanming and Jingjing also had a very harmonious relationship, close like real siblings. Xu Xiuxiu knew they would understand. She was just worried about what Father Song and Mrs. Song might think. But she still chose to speak out, informing Father Song and Mrs. Song that she wasn’t just taking things to her parents’ house; what belonged to her parents’ house wouldn’t be lacking in her in-laws’ house.

Moreover, since Father Song and Mrs. Song were aware of Jingjing’s efforts in City Z, seeing how hard the young girl worked, it was only natural for Xu Xiuxiu to buy a color TV for her sister’s bridal gifts, which made them very accepting of it.

"Oh my! Sister Jingjing is getting married!" Song Yuan Yao exclaimed with a look of joy on her face, clearly thrilled for Xu Jingjing.

"Mm-hmm," Xu Xiuxiu nodded.

"You, as her sister, adding to your sister’s bridal gifts is only right! And yet you also bought a large color TV for the family here; that must have cost quite a bit!" Mrs. Song laughed upon hearing Xu Xiuxiu’s explanation but, being an older person who worried a lot, she was pleased that her daughter-in-law thought of her own sister and also of her in-laws’. Yet, buying both a car and a large color TV must have cost a lot of money; these young people don’t seem to limit their spending, and she felt it was her duty as an elder to remind them a bit.

"Xiuxiu! I’ve always trusted how you handle things, but you young people! Having some money in your hands, you mustn’t just squander it, you know? We still need to keep some money on hand," Mrs. Song reminded earnestly.

"Mom, I know. I haven’t really spent much, have I? Besides, honoring you and Dad is what we should do. Don’t worry about us trying to save money. Money spent can be earned again, and if we can spend it, we can earn it," Xu Xiuxiu knew Mrs. Song’s personality better the more time she spent with her. Sometimes she acted quite childishly, but Xu Xiuxiu was experienced in dealing with children, so comforting Mrs. Song was no trouble at all. As she spoke, she held Little Moon and walked into the house with Mrs. Song.

The task of transporting and installing the large TV was left to the two strong men, Song Yuanhuan and Song Yuanming!

"We understand your intentions, but you must not waste money in the future. You are away most of the year, and there are only a few of us at home. Your dad and I are getting old, and we have plenty of farm work to do every day. We don’t have much spare time to watch TV!" Mrs. Song knew Xu Xiuxiu’s thoughts well. She knew she was worried that, as elders, they would feel bad thinking she was spending too much on her maternal home. Although Mrs. Song would indeed feel a bit sour if Xu Xiuxiu had bought a television only for Xu Jingjing, Mrs. Song was reasonable. She had heard about the efforts of Xu Jingjing, and knew it was right for a sister to help her sister-in-law out, but she had to admit, her daughter-in-law always thought of her family.

"Mom, this TV was bought for you to watch, and I mean it! This year, we must watch the Spring Festival Gala while eating our New Year’s Eve dinner. If you seniors dare treat the large TV as just a decorative piece, I will be upset," Xu Xiuxiu puffed her cheeks and made a stern declaration.

Hearing this, Mrs. Song laughed even heartier, "Alright, don’t worry! I will definitely not treat your TV as just a decoration. This large TV is a fancy item, and no one in Song Family Village even has one yet! I bet that after dinner, when people hear the sound, quite a few will come over to watch TV together!" The village head of Song Family Village had a black and white TV placed in his living room and usually, many people gathered at his house to watch TV after dinner. Now that they had a large color TV, it was sure to become even livelier!

"That’s for sure, didn’t you see the crowd of kids outside just now gathered around the car watching? Our house is bound to be lively tonight," chuckled Song Yuan Yao as she carried Little Baby, following Mrs. Song merrily.

Clearly, without Wang Qinghua around, the atmosphere in the Song family seemed much more harmonious.

"Grandma, Cheng Guang wants to eat boiled eggs," Song Cheng Guang tugged at Mrs. Song’s hand, tilting his head to make his presence felt.

"Alright, Cheng Guang can eat as many as he wants," Mrs. Song smiled warmly, leading him by the hand directly towards the kitchen from the living room entrance.

Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuan Yao, carrying Little Moon and Little Baby, walked into the living room and unexpectedly saw Song Tianxin, who had grown quite a bit and stood straight at the back of the room, staring coldly at them. For some reason, Xu Xiuxiu instinctively felt that it was an extremely uncomfortable gaze, and a chill suddenly ran down her spine.