CHAPTER 1375: CHAPTER 1375: BRAGGING TAXED, NOW FEELING RELIEVED

They had walked quite some distance when Luo Qiao turned her head to glance at He Anmei and her husband leaving in a sorry state. She thought to herself, "Bragging comes at a cost—satisfying, isn’t it?"

As they were about to reach the residential compound for government employees, Wang Xiaoxin finally said, "My cousin has this annoying habit of showing off. Honestly, they used to be doing pretty well.

But later on, because they had a second child, my cousin’s husband lost his job and they were fined for violating the family planning policies. At the time, they borrowed a lot of money from relatives, and to this day, they haven’t paid it all back.

It’s only in the last few years that things have stabilized a bit. He’s been working at a hardware store owned by a friend, so at least they have steady income now. But my cousin hasn’t changed her love of showing off, and now she’s gone and done something like this. Honestly, there’s no helping her."

Just as they entered the compound, Lu Yiting came out to greet them. "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, why didn’t you give me a heads-up? If I hadn’t spotted your car, I wouldn’t have known you were coming."

Lu Yixuan reached out to ruffle his younger sister’s hair. "It was a last-minute decision, so we didn’t inform you."

Wang Xiaoxin laughed as well. "We wanted to surprise you."

Lu Yiting chuckled. "You’re staying for dinner then. Xiangrui went to buy some ready-made dishes, and I’ve already got rice steaming."

Lu Yixuan glanced back at his younger brother and sister-in-law trailing behind. Lu Yichen spoke up, "What about Ran Ran and Hao Hao—how are they handling dinner?"

Wang Xiaoxin turned to Lu Yichen. "No worries. I told them earlier at lunch that they could eat at the cafeteria tonight."

Lu Yichen nodded. "Alright, in that case, we’ll eat here before heading out."

Luo Qiao tugged at Lu Yichen’s sleeve and gave him a look. He immediately caught on, "Big Brother, Sister-in-law, you go ahead upstairs. Qiaoqiao and I need to grab something from the car."

Wang Xiaoxin paused too, slapped her forehead, and nudged Lu Yixuan. "Go grab the snacks I brought for Yangyang from the car."

So, the group turned back toward the parking spot outside the compound.

Luo Qiao took out some shrimp, crabs, and two black fish from her stash. She also got some dried fruit ready for Yangyang.

As for Big Brother’s family, they retrieved roasted duck, canned fruit, and canned luncheon meat from the car.

Lu Yiting laughed, "Having brothers and sisters-in-law is the best. You guys sure spoil me—visiting for dinner while bringing your own ingredients. Are you afraid of eating me out of house and home?"

Wang Xiaoxin teased her mercilessly, "Don’t flatter yourself. All of this is for Yangyang because it’s his favorite."

The group chatted and laughed their way upstairs, drawing envious looks from many in the compound.

"Lu Yiting is really blessed. It’s not just her brothers who dote on her—even her sisters-in-law treat her so well."

"She really is lucky. She just faced some trouble, and her brothers and sisters-in-law are already here to back her up."

"What do you mean by trouble? Did someone bully Yiting?"

"You haven’t been around the compound these past few days, or you’d know."

The person then animatedly recounted the gossip making its rounds over the past few days. When they finished, they added, "Oh, and by the way, that He Anmei happens to be Big Sister-in-law’s biological cousin. You wouldn’t believe how much she’s been bragging recently—only to have her face slapped so hard today."

The speaker started laughing, leaving the others puzzled. Someone was too curious to wait. "Stop laughing already—what exactly happened?"

After laughing to her heart’s content, the person finally detailed what they had witnessed earlier near the alley.

Soon, everyone had something to say.

"That He Anmei really is something else. She’s benefited from others’ generosity, and instead of being grateful, she’s gone out of her way to antagonize people."

"Well, now it’s come back to bite her. She embarrassed herself and had to give back all the benefits she took."

"I bet she won’t have the face to come around trying to take advantage anymore."

"Exactly. She used to visit the Yiting household often, always leaving with something in hand despite arriving empty-handed."

"Some people just have no self-awareness. Yiting and her husband probably put up with her for Big Sister-in-law’s sake. Looks like that’s over now."

"Alright, enough gossiping. Time to get back and start dinner before the family comes home."

By the time Kong Xiangrui returned, the shrimp, crabs, and fish had all been prepared. The crabs were steaming, the fish had been turned into a plate of steamed fish, and the shrimp were done two ways—golden butter prawns and boiled shrimp.

Setting down the ready-made food he’d brought, he grinned and said, "Well then, looks like we’re eating well tonight."

By now, most of the cooking was done, and Kong Mingyang returned home after school with other kids from the compound.

When he heard from the ladies in the courtyard that his uncle and aunt had arrived, he ran straight upstairs.

"Mom, Dad, I’m back! Are Uncle and Auntie here?"

Before he even stepped inside, his voice echoed through the house. As Kong Xiangrui opened the door, the little boy barreled in.

When he saw the guests in the room, his face lit up with joy, and he ran straight over, hugging his big uncle first, then everyone else in turn. "Uncle, Auntie! A few days ago, we went to Mount Tai, and I got gifts for my cousins."

Wang Xiaoxin teased him on purpose. "What about gifts for your uncle and auntie? Did you forget us?"

Kong Mingyang scratched his head and giggled. "I might have forgotten this time. Next time we go out, I’ll bring gifts for you both too."

Wang Xiaoxin beamed at her adorable nephew, pulling him into a big hug. "Our little Yangyang is just too sweet. Auntie was only teasing you."

Someone passed by the open doorway and sniffed the air. "Yiting, what’s cooking tonight? Smells amazing."

Lu Yiting wasn’t annoyed and replied with a laugh, "Oh, it’s just some things my brothers and sisters-in-law brought over."

When the food was about to be served, Wang Xiaoxin handed some money to her younger sister-in-law. "Here, take it. And don’t let anyone fool you again."