CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 375: LOOKS PRETTY GOOD

"I don’t like it, don’t like it, just don’t like it." Song Tianxin also had a strong temperament and directly shouted at Mrs. Song with her neck stiffened, her eyes stubborn and indignant, like a proud little animal wounded for a moment, pitifully trying to maintain her last bit of self-respect, "Dad, I like the clothes my second aunt bought for me, can you give the money to her in the future to help me buy them?" After a while, the obstinate Song Tianxin suddenly changed her tone, turned her head to glance at Xu Xiuxiu, and then stretched out her hand to pull on Song Yuantao’s sleeve pleadingly.

Song Yuantao was momentarily stunned, looking at his daughter’s pitiful eyes, then somewhat reluctantly turned to Xu Xiuxiu, as if he were seeking his sister-in-law’s opinion.

Xu Xiuxiu knew that Song Tianxin was trying to use her vulnerable facade to corner her into a dilemma, Song Yuantao looked at her with an expression too complex to describe, and Xu Xiuxiu also understood, knowing after Song Tianxin had bullied Song Chengguang, it was hard for her to calmly pick things for Song Tianxin. She really did not care about the little amount of money; she was just annoyed, annoyed that Song Tianxin was flaunting her power while hiding behind the identity of a child.

"Mom, have you cleaned our house yet? If not, could you tidy up a room first so Little Moon and Little Baby can rest, and I’ll come over to clean up later?" Xu Xiuxiu, with everyone in the room focusing on her, directly ignored what Song Tianxin had just said as if she hadn’t heard it at all, naturally shifting the topic.

This was Xu Xiuxiu’s temperament; if there was something she didn’t like, even a gun against her head wouldn’t change her feelings, and she wouldn’t hide her dislikes in the slightest. Regarding where to stay, last year she stayed at the Song Family house because she was giving birth and had no choice, although Wang Qinghua was no longer here this year, Song Tianxin seemed to make her increasingly uncomfortable. If possible, she would rather stay at her own home.

"You don’t need to clean up either; the house over there is in bad shape since it has been unoccupied for most of the year. I was thinking about cleaning it up for you, but then found that even the woodshed in the courtyard had started falling apart. The clay houses in our old family home deteriorate quickly without the smoke of daily life; with the woodshed gone, cooking definitely won’t be convenient. Just come and eat at our house when it’s mealtime; I thought about it and cleaned up Yuanhuan’s old bedroom, you all could stay here!" Mrs. Song was responding to Xu Xiuxiu’s inquiry after she realized that Little Moon and Little Baby were full and had fallen asleep, immediately lowering her voice.

She used a tone of discussion and hadn’t made a direct demand, aware that if Xu Xiuxiu was unwilling, she would still manage to clean that house in the next couple of days.

"Alright, let’s stay at home then! But I’m afraid it will be tough on you these days, mom." Xu Xiuxiu, after pondering for a while, also felt it was unnecessary to bother about where to stay. Their family wouldn’t be staying long in their hometown, and after Xu Jingjing’s wedding right after the new year, she would need to pack to go to Z City, and then without much delay, head back to Imperial City once the holiday was over. There wasn’t much time to stay at home after all, "I’ll go take the kids to sleep for a while; Yuanyao, can you help me take Little Baby to the room too?" Xu Xiuxiu gently picked up Little Moon and turned her head to give Song Yuanyao a light smile.

"Of course! Sister-in-law." Song Yuanyao cooperated by picking up Little Baby and followed behind Xu Xiuxiu.

Xu Xiuxiu’s way of changing the subject and ignoring others had indeed created a rather strange atmosphere in the main hall, causing Song Tianxin to stare unhappily at Xu Xiuxiu’s retreating back, her chest heaving in anger; clearly, the little girl was quite annoyed.

"Xiuxiu might be a bit tired from the bumpy ride today, don’t mind her mood, big brother. I’ll go inside to check on her," Song Yuanhuan said stepping forward with a few polite words to break the tension, "Big brother, you should also calm Niuniu down a bit; she’s still young, and gentle persuasion will do!"

"I understand," Song Yuantao nodded awkwardly, "Please also talk to my brother and sister-in-law, Niuniu is still young and doesn’t know better, her words shouldn’t be taken seriously."

"Okay," Song Yuanhuan nodded, then beckoned to Song Chengguang who had just finished his boiled egg.

Song Chengguang, without a word, held hands with his father and went to find Xu Xiuxiu.

After seeing Song Yuanhuan and his son return to their room, Song Yuantao then looked down at Song Tianxin and coaxed her gently, though with a hint of difficulty in his tone, "Niuniu, be good, tomorrow Daddy will go and get you a prettier dress, okay?"

Song Tianxin frowned and glanced at Song Yuantao, didn’t say anything, and turned back to her own room.

"I’ll talk to her," Song Yuantao said with a headache, watching Song Tianxin’s defiant attitude, and then followed her into her room.

"Just talk nicely, and don’t lose your temper after just a few words," Mrs. Song advised, knowing well Song Tianxin’s stubbornness and Yuantao’s strictness towards her, which she often disregarded, infuriating Yuantao to the point of nearly losing control multiple times. Mrs. Song, having watched Tianxin grow up, although not as affectionately as before, never raised a hand in disciplining her, believing that a gentle approach would eventually make her understand.

"Don’t worry, I’m aware of it," Song Yuantao bitterly responded and stepped towards Song Tianxin’s bedroom.

"Ah, it was just fine earlier, how did it turn out like this?" Mrs. Song sighed, distressed at how quickly the lively living room had quieted down, turning her head just to see her younger son, Song Yuanming, and Father Song watching the color TV quite nonchalantly.

"Mom, this big color TV is much nicer to watch than the village chief’s black-and-white one! Come and watch it too!" Song Yuanming, seeing that only Father Song and Mrs. Song were left in the living room, light-heartedly chimed in, "Dad, isn’t the color TV nice? I went with Jiangjing to the biggest mall in Imperial City and she assertively chose the best one there." Thinking back to buying the TV, Song Yuanming’s eyes shone with the thrill of not worrying about money.

"What’s good about it! I haven’t even started on you! Studying well in N city, and during the holidays, instead of coming home to help, you ran off to Imperial City for frivolous fun, causing trouble for your brother and sister-in-law," Mrs. Song lectured her youngest son, recounting how Xu Xiuxiu informed them about Yuanming’s trip to Imperial City only after hearing about the school holidays, suggesting Yuanming had gone for pleasure, "You’re lucky that your brother and sister-in-law are patient, others might not have tolerated you."

"Mom, I went to Imperial City because I missed my little nephew and niece," Song Yuanming made a pitiful face, "And during my visit, my sister-in-law even enrolled me in an English training class. My English was quite poor, especially spoken English, but Jiangjing said that English might become an essential everyday language, so it wasn’t all just for fun going to Imperial City."