The Burden of the 00s (9)

Duan Qingen, as a child, sat outside with his little cousin playing with toys.

Wang Xiuhong was talking to the old lady, while Aunt Duan was busy in the kitchen.

Although Wang Xiuhong said that she would take out the clothes for her to try, she refused.

Anyway, since these things have been brought here, they must be given to them. Isn't it different now and later?

Aunt Duan didn't treat Wang Xiuhong well before, and she didn't treat the old lady very well, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know how to behave.

Before, she didn't want to do that. Now Wang Xiuhong came back with such a good attitude and brought gifts, and said that Duan Qingen had made progress. Aunt Duan must treat them well.

Last night, the old lady did talk about Duan Qingen's book at the dinner table, but Aunt Duan didn't believe it and thought it was a lie.

Although her son came late and was young, it didn't mean that she had never seen the children of her relatives. For a child as old as Duan Qingen, she knew what he was like even if she hadn't met him.

It was just playing hide-and-seek in the mud, and at most she was a little obedient in class. No matter how smart she was, how could she be?

So Aunt Duan didn't take it seriously, but today, she believed it.

How was Wang Xiuhong like before? As a sister-in-law, didn't she know?

She must have lived a miserable life. She had been married for so long, and she couldn't even come back to her parents' home, and she had to rely on the old lady for subsidy. But now, she is wearing such bright clothes and carrying things.

Although it was not unpacked, a piece of cheap clothes is also money.

When she saw this look, she didn't believe that the Duan family had not made a fortune.

When she thought of the fact that the sister-in-law who always needed subsidies from their family before had become rich, not only did she not need the old lady's subsidy, but also let their family benefit, Aunt Duan was full of energy.

The old lady usually cooked at home because she was old, and Uncle Duan felt sorry for his mother. In addition, the old man was lying upstairs and needed the old lady to take care of him, so the idle work at home was left to the old lady, and the rest was left to Aunt Duan, and Uncle Duan went to work in the fields.

Although Aunt Duan was unhappy, she didn't say anything. After all, she wouldn't be happy even if the old lady had to work.

Although she always complained that the old lady subsidized her daughter who married out, she was still her mother-in-law after all. If she really got tired, she would still have to serve her.

To put it bluntly, it was all because of poverty.

Before, when the old lady couldn't spare any time, Aunt Duan had to cook. Every time she entered the kitchen, she had a grim face, thinking that she had to cook after working hard.

But today, she was so energetic that she fried several dishes in a row.

When Uncle Duan came back, he was not surprised at how his sister came back. Aunt Duan, who heard the noise, poked her head out and said to her husband with a smile:

"Dagang is back, go outside and catch a chicken and kill it. Xiuhong brought Qingen back today, let's kill a chicken to celebrate."

Uncle Duan looked at his wife in a daze. Although he didn't know about the lawsuit between his wife and mother-in-law, he also knew that his wife was always frugal. Not to mention killing chickens, she would complain all night if the family ate too many eggs.

Why is she so generous today?

Seeing her husband looking at her like an alien, Aunt Duan scolded him: "What are you doing? Go quickly, move quickly, I'm waiting for you to cook."

Uncle Duan reacted and nodded quickly: "Okay, I'll go now."

Wang Xiuhong: "No, no, no, no, no need to kill the chicken. Killing the chicken will be done in the evening. Qingen and I still have to go to his grandparents."

Aunt Duan smiled enthusiastically: "It's okay, it's okay. I'll kill the chicken and cook it now. We won't stew the chicken, but stir-fry it directly, and it will be on the table at noon."

Uncle Duan still didn't understand why his wife became so generous, but he was happy that his sister and nephew were back and his wife was so enthusiastic. He smiled and went out to kill the chicken.

Wang Xiuhong mainly told the old lady about Duan Qingen's book. Even though she heard it on the phone yesterday, she was still happy to hear her daughter say that her grandson was so capable today. The old lady hugged Duan Qingen and kept calling him her sweetheart.

The old man was sleeping at this time, so Wang Xiuhong didn't go up. She chatted with the old lady for a while, and then she went to the kitchen to help Aunt Duan cook, but was sent out by Aunt Duan again.

"Why do you cook when you come here so rarely? I'll do it, and you can just chat with mom."

Aunt Duan smiled as if she was the best sister-in-law in the world, especially considerate: "Okay, okay, go quickly, I can do it myself."

The attitude of changing faces before and after can't make people say that picking up money is easy, but it does make Wang Xiuhong experience what it means to have money to make the devil push the mill.

She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they came with gifts today, and Aunt Duan's attitude towards the old lady will definitely be better in the future.

Wang Xiuhong vaguely felt something in her heart, but she didn't know what to do.

Duan Qingen, who was watching her little cousin playing with toys, reminded her: "Mom, take out the clothes you bought for grandma and aunt and let them try them on. If the size doesn't fit, they can be changed."

Wang Xiuhong was reminded and hurriedly asked grandma Duan to try the clothes first. Although it wasn't her turn yet, she also took a break from her busy schedule to come out and take a look.

When she saw the dark red clothes on grandma Duan, her eyes lit up. She wiped her hands and walked forward to touch them carefully:

"Isn't this material cheap? The style looks good too. Mom looks particularly young in it."

Duan Qingen replied with a sweet voice: "Mom went to the department store to buy it. It took a long time to choose it. When I bought it, this dress was so good that there was only one piece left. If we hadn't been lucky, we wouldn't have been able to buy it. "

With that said, he stepped forward and said to the old lady: "Grandma, turn around and let me see if it looks good from behind."

"Hey, okay."

The old lady saw that his grandson was not good at kissing her, so she smiled and turned around.

As soon as she turned around, the tag around her neck fell into Aunt Duan's eyes.

Although she didn't look carefully, she could clearly see the price written on it, and the expression on her face changed: "It's so expensive."

"Is it expensive? How much does it cost?"

Grandma Duan couldn't see it, so she stretched out her hand to reach it.

Duan Qingen: "It's not much money. Don't I have royalties? My mother said that when buying clothes for grandma, you only need to look at the material and style, not the price, right?"

"Yes, yes."

Wang Xiuhong practiced with her son on the way here today, and now she doesn't stumble when speaking. She said it smoothly: "You don't have to look at the price, just like it."

She would never have been able to say this before. After all, she was the kind of person who would have to ask for half the price when going out to buy groceries.

But now that I have spoken out, looking at the old lady's expression of relief and pride, I feel that it is not that difficult.

Aunt Duan was shocked again.

She wanted to see how much her clothes cost, but she was too embarrassed to say directly. Fortunately, Duan Qingen acted like an ordinary child and urged: "Auntie, please change clothes too. Auntie has such a figure." Okay, it will definitely look good on you.”

Wang Xiuhong also asked her to change it, and even the old lady said with a smile: "Yes, let's change it and have a look. If you think it's too big or too small, you can ask Xiuhong to change it into a suitable one for you."

Aunt Duan then said, "Hey, I'm just cooking. Let's talk about it later." She took the clothes honestly and put them on herself.

Before taking it, she looked at the price again, and was shocked again.

After putting on this expensive (in her opinion) dress, Aunt Duan looked at Wang Xiuhong as if she were her own sister.

Uncle Duan finished cooking the chicken and brought it back, and she enthusiastically took the chicken into the kitchen to cook it. Wang Xiuhong, counting the time when the old man was about to wake up, took Duan Qingen upstairs to follow the old lady to watch.

The old man was paralyzed in bed due to an accident when he was young. Although he was better than other paralyzed people and could still move his upper body, because there was no wheelchair at that time and the family did not have the money to take it to the doctor, he could only stay like this. Lying on the bed.

Grandma Duan, whose surname is also Wang, is from this village. When they first got married, they were both young and capable. Logically speaking, they were both hard-working and had a prosperous life. Unfortunately, when Wang Xiuhong was still young, the old man Unexpectedly, I can't move my legs.

At that time, she and her brother were ridiculed by people in the village, and the old lady could only support the family by herself. When Duan Qingen woke up, Grandma Duan persuaded her to remarry because she didn't want her daughter to suffer the same hardships she had suffered.

But even though she didn't want her daughter to suffer as she did, the old lady and the old man had a very good relationship. The old man's ability to survive these years was definitely inseparable from his careful care.

It was a little dark when we went upstairs, so Duan Qingen asked: "Grandma, what disease does grandpa have?"

"At that time, the doctor said that he was almost paralyzed and could no longer use his legs." Grandma Duan recalled: "Anyway, your grandpa was in good spirits, but he always sat and lay in the same position. He had bedsores. You It would be much better if my aunt gets married, and your aunt and I can take turns helping him turn over."

It is quite normal for patients who cannot control their bodies to develop bed sores. After all, if you maintain one movement for a long time and the weather gets hotter, your skin will be damaged.

Duan Qingen nodded and didn't ask why Grandma Duan didn't take her husband to the hospital to see what the disease was and whether it could be cured.

After all, the situation of the Wang family can be seen clearly at a glance. Although this house is a small second floor, it was built when Mr. Duan's lower body was fine. Now they don't have medical insurance or anything. It's good that the family has no debt. How can I afford medical treatment?

Even if Duan Qingen earns some money from writing manuscripts, it is definitely not enough to take the old man to a big hospital for medical treatment.

He was making some mental calculations, and it seemed that he had to write the new book as soon as possible.

Grandma Duan was still chattering to her daughter: "Your father hasn't seen you for so long. He hasn't seen Qing En since he was born."

Most people rarely go back to their parents' home after getting married, but for Wang Xiuhong, it's like never going back to her parents' home after getting married.

And it's not that she doesn't want to come back, it's that she wants to come back but the men at home won't let her.

Before, Wang Xiuhong only felt that she was miserable, but now, when she saw her mother talking lightly about her father missing her, she could only listen to the old lady talking about it. She couldn't go to see her because of her inconvenience, and her phone number was always rang at the canteen in the village. He couldn't even hear his daughter's voice, and felt sour in his heart.

For the first time, she began to question the person she once was.

She obviously makes money, and she has always taken care of the family and never slacked off. Why wouldn't she dare to go back if her man doesn't let her go back to her parents' home to see her parents?

Without him these days, wouldn't she be having a good time with her children?

Even if Qing En didn't make money by writing books, she, Wang Xiuhong, could still take care of her child with her own salary. On the contrary, her life was easier than before because she didn't have to take care of him anymore.

Wang Xiuhong was surrounded by deep guilt and reluctance to realize it later.

She thought that if she was given another chance, Qingen's father would not let her go back to her parents' home, and she would never compromise like before.

If he hit someone, she would call the police.

Qingen occasionally chatted with her when he was writing a book recently, and talked about marriage problems. Wang Xiuhong learned that it was illegal for a husband to beat his wife.

She only hated that she couldn't know it earlier, otherwise she would call the police directly, and she wouldn't have suffered so much before, and also implicated her beloved children and her parents who missed her but couldn't wait for her to come back.

Duan Qingen noticed that her mother tightened her hand, and didn't say anything, just silently looked at the surrounding environment.

The second floor was very dark, the stairs were already very dark, and the room was even darker. Grandma Duan turned on the light bulb familiarly and led them to the room.

When I got to the room, I found it was almost dark. Although there were windows in the room, they were papered, and even the white paper blocked most of the light outside, so the room was naturally dark.

A very thin old man was lying on the bed. There was an indescribable strange smell in the room. If I had to describe it, it was probably the smell of an old man plus the smell of someone who couldn't take care of himself.

If a person can't control himself, no matter how diligently his family cleans up, there will still be a smell.

The old man opened his eyes when he heard the noise, but he looked groggy, squinting slightly and looking over, without any reaction.

Grandma Duan stepped forward to help the man up, and as she helped him up, she said in a gentle voice: "Old man, wake up, Xiuhong is back with our grandson."

"Ah, ah, he's back."

The old man's eyes were a little brighter, and his face showed joy. He trembled and stretched out his hand to Wang Xiuhong: "Xiuhong, you're back."

"Dad..."

After not seeing him for so long, Wang Xiuhong didn't expect that her father's spirit was so bad. In her impression, although he was paralyzed in bed, he was in good spirits.

She held her father's hand, and tears couldn't help but fall down.

"Are you sick? Why do you look like you're sick?"

The old lady's eyes were also red; "Nothing, it's just that your brother and your sister-in-law and I are busy recently, and we don't have time to talk to him. He is alone in the room, so he's a little silly."

Duan Qingen watched his mother and grandfather cry.

He felt that on the one hand, no one talked, and on the other hand, the room was too dark.

An old man, who can't turn over on his own in bed, and no one comes to accompany him, the room is dark and airtight.

It's almost like a small dark room.

Over time, it will have some impact.

Grandpa Duan was not in a good mental state. He fell asleep again after talking for a while. Wang Xiuhong's eyes were swollen from crying.

As she cried, she felt that she was unfilial.

If she had known it would be like this, she would have come back to see him even if she was beaten to death by the man.

After going downstairs and eating, Wang Xiuhong was still not in a good mood.

The fair-skinned boy came to his mother and whispered his analysis to her mother.

Wang Xiuhong thought it made sense, but she didn't know how to deal with it. After all, the houses in the Wang family were all like this, with paper-pasted windows.

You can't just poke the paper directly, what if he gets frozen in the cold weather? The old man can't stand it.

Duan Qingen: "You can buy glass windows."

Wang Xiuhong was stunned at first, then her eyes lit up. Yes, you can buy glass windows.

But then she hesitated again. For glass windows, the installation fee and the price must cost a sum of money. If she said An now, the old lady and brother would definitely have no objection, but she was afraid that her sister-in-law would have an objection.

But if she paid, she would have no problem paying for it herself, but because the man loved drinking and entertaining before, the family didn't have much savings, and it had been almost spent for so long, and her salary hadn't come down. If she spent it, it would be Duan Qingen's royalties.

Wang Xiuhong would definitely be happy to pay for her son, but she felt uncomfortable spending her son's money.

Seeing this, Duan Qingen stretched out her little hand and tugged at her mother's sleeve: "Mom, don't worry about the money. Grandpa is your father, and we should be filial to him."

Wang Xiuhong: "But that's what you earned with hard work..."

"I can still earn more, and isn't my money your money? Before I didn't make money by writing books, didn't you also support me with your salary? Grandma also often gives me money. We are a family, all the same."

Wang Xiuhong's eyes that had not cried just now began to shed tears again.

She hugged her son and kept touching his head.

"How can mom be so lucky? How can I give birth to such a good child like you."

The mother and son discussed it and went to the town together. Because they were worried that the old lady knew that they were going to buy glass windows for the old man, they were afraid of spending money, so they didn't say they were going to buy glass windows, but just said they were going to go shopping.

Not long after they left, Aunt Duan's sister-in-law heard that Wang Xiuhong was coming, so she ran over on her own.

Before, every time the old lady went to visit Wang Xiuhong, Aunt Duan would complain along with her sister-in-law, and her sister-in-law just loved to hear these things. To be precise, she just loved to hear about other people's misfortunes. She felt happy when other people were not living a comfortable life.

This time when he knew that Wang Xiuhong was coming back with his son, he thought that Aunt Duan might not be able to show off to this sister-in-law, so he came here with the mentality of watching a joke.

When she came over, the old lady was taking care of the old man upstairs, and Aunt Duan was in a good mood in the kitchen, washing dishes while humming.

The door was also open. She went straight into the kitchen and shouted in a loud voice: "Why are you so happy today! I heard that your sister-in-law is back. What? She won't help you wash the dishes?"

It was a provocation from the beginning, but unfortunately Aunt Duan didn't think about it like she did before when she mentioned Wang Xiuhong.

Instead, he raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Xiuhong finally came back, why did she wash the dishes? My mother didn't let me do it when I got home."

This sister-in-law's surname was Niu. When she heard what her sister-in-law said, she couldn't help but curl her lips.

Yes, if you don't let your daughter do it, isn't it like letting her, the daughter-in-law, do it?

It is rare in this village for a sister-in-law and a sister-in-law to have a good relationship. At least this Niu sister-in-law secretly dislikes Aunt Duan, a sister-in-law, but she can't show it on her face.

To put it bluntly, it’s jealousy.

Although Aunt Duan's husband's family is poor, who's husband is not? Look at her, her husband loves her, no matter what she says, her mother-in-law was such a fierce person when she was young, but she seems to have lost her temper when it comes to this daughter-in-law, and she tolerates everything. , she can even bear to look down on her own daughter. Of all the daughters-in-law in the village, who can do it as smoothly as she does.

So every time Aunt Duan complained to her because Wang Xiuhong was angry, Sister-in-law Niu was very excited, and she felt so happy in her heart.

As a result, Wang Xiuhong went home today, and she was still not angry?

Sister-in-law Niu thought of the big and small bags placed in the yard, and asked tentatively: "Your sister-in-law brought something back? Are they the ones in the yard? What is there? I'll go and take a look."

"Don't go. Those are things Xiuhong brought to Qingen and his grandparents. Don't let others tear them apart. The things she brought us are all in the house. I'm telling you, sister-in-law, Xiuhong bought me one." It’s a beautiful coat, but the price is also very expensive. Oh my, I was wrong about this Xiu Hong. She is actually quite nice.”

"And there is also Xiuhong's son, named Qing'en. My nephew is amazing. He has written a book at such a young age. He is very well-behaved. When he came, he took my child to play with him. He has a sweet mouth. He is good-looking and can make money at a young age. I thought, let my family learn from his cousin, and maybe he can write a book or something in the future. "

Aunt Duan had been holding it in for a long time, and now she let it out happily.

"Xiuhong is very wealthy now. She also bought a dress for my mother-in-law. Gee, sister-in-law, you really need to take a look at that style. My dress is so valuable. I have never worn such an expensive dress in my life. "

Aunt Duan showed off like this, and Sister-in-law Niu, who originally wanted to watch the joke, didn't look so good.

She wanted to see how Aunt Duan was angry and aggrieved, but not to see her feel proud.

Sister-in-law Niu could only stiffen her face and reminded: "Didn't you used to be annoyed by your sister-in-law? Why are you still praising her now?"

"Really? Have I ever been like this? No, Xiuhong has such a good temper and gets along well with me. Why would I bother her?"

Sister-in-law Niu: "..."

Sister-in-law Niu: "...haven't you always said that your mother-in-law always helps your sister-in-law?"

Aunt Duan looked generous: "My biological mother and daughter, what's the matter with helping me? Doesn't my mother always bring me things? Sister-in-law, look at you, you are too small-minded."

Sister-in-law Niu: "???"

Is she petty? ? ! !

If Aunt Duan hadn't spoken in the same tone as before, she would have suspected that this person had been replaced.

She took a deep breath and said without giving up: "You were bought by someone else after buying something. You said before that if your mother-in-law interacts with your sister-in-law again, you will stop taking care of the house."

Aunt Duan's face was full of surprise: "Am I like this? No, sister-in-law, don't take your angry words seriously. My mother-in-law is so kind to me. We are as close as mother and daughter. By the way, you can eat here tonight. Wait until I My nephew is back, just take a look at him, this kid is really obedient, eh, it would be great if this kid was mine."

Sister-in-law Niu: "...Didn't you just tell me before that this child is a dragster? If he is sent here, you will definitely throw him out???"

Aunt Duan was once worried that Wang Xiuhong would remarry and Duan Qingen would be sent to their home to be raised, but she often complained to Sister-in-law Niu.

Aunt Duan directly erased this memory at this moment.

His face was not red, he was out of breath, and he said confidently:

"No way!"

"Qing'en is a very good child. If he is really sent to our home, I will definitely treat him as a little ancestor. He will be well fed and served. Hey, it would be great if Xiuhong really gets married again. Then I can tell my mother-in-law and ask her to take Qing En over, and I will treat her as my own."

Sister-in-law Niu: “………………”

She was in a trance.

She just hasn't been here for a few days. Yesterday, just yesterday, didn't her sister-in-law meet her and scold her? ?

Why is it only one night? What happened to her? ?

Little did she know that Aunt Duan was getting more and more happy the more she thought about it, and she just wanted to let Duan Qingen live in her home in the next second.

This isn't a drag, it's clearly a golden doll! !