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Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The Scheme of Mother and Daughter
Lin Fengying exclaimed with joy, "Xiaochen and Yaoyao have opened a shop in the city and they are taking Boyi to help."
Ordinarily, Lin Fengying was a modest person. When her eldest son got into university, she was pleased but she didn’t go around boasting. Now, her son and his wife are capable and have opened their own shop, she is overjoyed. Even the most discreet person can’t help but feel a little pride in their heart.
Although she was not capable or educated, and her husband died at a young age, she raised her three children. Now that her eldest son is proficient, when she goes to meet her husband in the afterlife, she can tell him with pride that she raised their children well.
"What?" Chen Jinlan’s eyes widened in astonishment, as if hearing some explosive news, "Your eldest son and his wife have opened a shop in the city? Isn’t your son working in the hospital? How did he switch to running a shop?"
Opening a shop in the city would cost at least several hundred yuan – enough to marry several wives. Chen Jinlan knew the situation of the Si family very well, apart from Si Chen’s high salary from working in the hospital, they had no significant income.
After Si Chen started working, he paid off many of the family’s previous debts. Later, his city wedding cost a lot of money too, from the banquet to the meat soup and whole chickens. It was fortunate that the Si family had few relatives, otherwise, the cost of the wedding feast alone would have definitely depleted their finances.
"Xiaochen is working in the hospital, while Yaoyao has opened a shop." The smile on Lin Fengying’s face dimmed a bit, subconsciously she did not want all the credit for the shop to be attributed to Tong Yao.
People were already saying that her elder son had married a golden phoenix and became a phoenix man. If she also praised Tong Yao as being very proficient, it would appear as if her son was living off his wife.
Every mother hopes that her child is capable. Lin Fengying is no different, her hard-raised son has finally made something of himself. She cannot let her daughter-in-law command all the attention.
If a woman is too strong, it can make the man seem useless.
"So, the shop is opened by your daughter-in-law!" Chen Jinlan showed a mysterious smile and said in a sinister tone: "Your daughter-in-law is from Kyoto, her family is rich, it must be her dowry that opened the shop. Of all the women in our village, you are the luckiest, raising a good son, marrying a wealthy daughter-in-law. You will soon be well off and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took you to the city for a better life."
In terms of sarcasm, Chen Jinlan would definitely rank first. Even though she openly stated that she admired Lin Fengying, her words also belittled Si Chen, insinuating that he had to rely on his wife to live.
Actually, Chen Jinlan was just being a sour grape.
Lin Fengying was timid, and lost her husband at a young age. She was bullied in the village for over ten years until her two sons gradually grew up and the villagers finally stopped bullying them.
Chen Jinlan was one of those who bullied Lin Fengying. When Si’s father was alive, the Si family was well off; they may not have been the richest in the village, but they were definitely amongst the top. As Lin Fengying was good-looking, she was considered a village belle. Everyone tried to get on her good side when making casual conversation. At that time, Chen Jinlan was jealous of Lin Fengying and hoped for misfortune to befall on the Si family every day.
Later, when Si’s father ran into trouble, the Si family suffered an economic downfall. It led to days when even food was scarce, and the prettiest young woman in the village became a widow. This drove the men in the village crazy and they all clamored to help with work and chores. Among them was her own man, which made Chen Jinlan mad. She caused a lot of trouble during that time and even went as far as to throw feces at Lin Fengying’s doorstep in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, Lin Fengying was a decent woman and never did anything inappropriate. It was only when those men saw that they could not win Lin Fengying’s heart that they gradually backed off.
Knowing that Lin Fengying had no one to back her, Chen Jinlan openly and secretly bullied her for several years. She gossiped about Lin Fengying everywhere, making the villagers laugh at her.
What Chen Jinlan did not expect was that Si Chen actually got admitted to Kyoto Medical University. The Si family’s feng shui seemed to be improving once again, which left a bitter taste in Chen Jinlan’s mouth.
She just couldn’t understand what was fueling the Si family’s good fortunes.
Lin Fengying smiled awkwardly, "I am heading back home to help Boyi pack."
"You go ahead!" This time, Chen Jinlan didn’t stop her, but she didn’t hold her tongue either, "With one family member’s success, even the whole family benefits. Now I understand why they say we should leave the mountains to study. Studying enables one to marry a golden phoenix. It’s a pity my son is not competent, and I don’t have your luck. I can only guard my small piece of land here, and live my life with my face to the earth and my back to the sky. Once you become wealthy, remember to visit your old neighbor."
As if she didn’t hear anything, Lin Fengying didn’t utter a word and walked away quickly.
Chen Jinlan spat in the direction of her retreating figure, "What a snob. She’s already putting on airs even before she’s entered the city. You’ll see, before long her city daughter-in-law will kick her back here!"
The more she thought about it the more unbalanced she felt. Chen Jinlan lost all interest in working in the field, she carried her hoe over her shoulder and returned home. Zhang Lijuan was hanging clothes in the yard. Seeing Chen Jinlan return, she found it strange.
"Mom, weren’t you going to the field to weed? Why are you back so soon?"
"Weeding what?"
Chen Jinlan tossed the hoe to the corner, her face as long as an old shoe sole.
"Other people’s sons are all capable and can lead their mothers to eat and drink lavishly in the city. Which one of those that I gave birth to is worth anything."
"What’s wrong with you nagging about my brother?" Zhang Lijuan was puzzled after hanging up her clothes and placing the basin in the corner, "Who gave you a reason to be envious again?"
It had been two days since she returned from the tailor shop, and Zhang Lijuan had been in the village all this while. She hadn’t heard of any big events happening in the village, so she was confused as to where her mother had heard some news and returned to vent her spleen.
"Who else could it be?" Chen Jinlan said with a grimace. "Lin Fengying’s eldest son and his wife have opened a shop in the city, and now they’ve called their younger son to help in the city too."
"Mom, are you saying that Si Chen has opened a shop in the city?" Zhang Lijuan’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked incredulously at Chen Jinlan.
"Could I make this up?" Thinking about Lin Fengying’s proud face made Chen Jinlan angry, "She just called the village chief’s house, and Boyi is now busy packing his things to go to the city. Did you not see the expression on Lin Fengying’s face? She was so smug. If any of you could accomplish something great, I, as a mother, wouldn’t have to look at Lin Fengying’s face."
The more she spoke, the angrier Chen Jinlan got. Since her son wasn’t around, she could only vent at her daughter, "You learn tailoring, but gave up after only a little study. If you had persevered for longer, couldn’t you also have opened a shop in the city?"
