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Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Weimin, You’re Back
"You’ve done so many shameless things, and now you’re suddenly concerned about dignity." Lin Fengying was frustrated yet resigned to the fact that the situation was too far gone. She took a deep breath, and then remembered Si Weimin, "Where’s your uncle?"
Si Xiaohui pouted, "Uncle hasn’t come back yet, he probably went to check on auntie."
Seeing that Lin Fengying’s anger had mostly subsided, Si Xiaohui quickly led her into the house and began to introduce the layout, "Mom, have a look, uncle’s place is quite cozy. Song Yu and I stay in this room, uncle and auntie are across the hall. Let me take you to their room, it’s nicely decorated."
As she was about to push open the door to Si Weimin’s bedroom, Tong Yao, who was standing in the hall, stopped her, "Uncle and auntie aren’t home, it’s inappropriate for you to do this, don’t you think?"
Hearing Tong Yao’s words, Lin Fengying also responded, "Yaoyao’s right, your uncle isn’t home. It’s impolite for you to open someone else’s door without their permission."
Si Xiaohui scoffed, "What’s so impolite about that? We’re just going to have a look, what, are we going to damage the floor? Uncle said his home is my home." Despite her words, she didn’t continue to open the door.
After a moment of complaining, "Auntie guards against us as if we were thieves, always locking her bedroom door when she’s not home. Uncle is so much nicer, he never shows any wariness towards us."
Lin Fengying steered away from the subject of Yuan Caizhen and advised, "If your uncle treats you well, you should behave, help out and do some work."
"I’m currently recuperating, how can I do any work?" Si Xiaohui grumbled and shifted her gaze to Tong Yao, complaining in displeasure, "Sis-in-law, you and my brother don’t care about me, and now even mom. Dumping her at my uncle’s place is too much, don’t you think?"
Holding her chin high, Si Xiaohui derived confidences from the fact that her uncle was backing her. There was a stark contrast between her current attitude towards Tong Yao and the one she held back in Li City.
"Mom came on her own, it wasn’t me who insisted on sending her." Tong Yao retorted sharply, "Don’t use this tone with me. As a daughter-in-law, it is my duty to treat mom well. But don’t use her to moralize me, after all, she only came here to take care of you, not to visit me." 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Upon hearing this, Lin Fengying awkwardly explained, "Xiaohui, your brother doesn’t know I’ve come. I asked Yaoyao to bring me here."
Si Xiaohui felt empowered to speak up in front of Tong Yao, but was speechless after the first round of argument. Hearing Lin Fengying’s words, she felt disappointed.
"What are you here to take care of? I’m perfectly fine. Plus, there are only two rooms here. There’s no more room."
With so many people coming to the house, what if uncle decides to rent a place for them to stay? What if they have to stay outside?
Moreover, the renting conditions are definitely not as good as here. Here, there’s nothing to worry about in terms of food and housing, but it wouldn’t be so easy out there.
"This..." Hearing her daughter’s words, Lin Fengying was a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t thought through the potential consequences of her decision to come.
Tong Yao couldn’t stand to hear Si Xiaohui’s obvious calculations any longer, "Do you plan on living at your uncle’s house forever?"
"Uncle said I could stay as long as I want," Si Xiaohui proclaimed proudly, tilting her chin upwards.
Tong Yao scoffed, not wanting to waste energy arguing, "Mom, I need to go back to the store, so I’ll leave first. If you need anything, give me a call."
Finished speaking, she went straight out of the house. Let Si Weimin clean up the mess he left behind!
About fifteen minutes after Tong Yao left, Si Weimin returned from his mother-in-law’s house. He hadn’t seen his wife and had been scolded by his mother-in-law, which had put him in a bad mood.
His mother-in-law made it clear that he had to find a place for his niece to stay as soon as possible. It wasn’t appropriate for her and their son to continue sharing a room. Si Weimin understood this, and decided to let Si Xiaohui rest for a few more days before finding a place for them to move out.
To his surprise, he walked into the house and was greeted by the scent of food. He looked into the kitchen and saw Lin Fengying in an apron, and he was stunned.
It felt as though he had traveled back in time to over a decade ago. But the woman before him was not the same as she was back then. The wrinkles around Lin Fengying’s eyes confirmed that those times were long gone.
Seeing Si Weimin at the door, Lin Fengying was also stunned. Time had flown by; she had aged, and Si Weimin hadn’t changed much, except for a bit of a beard. Recovering from her surprise, she didn’t know where to put her hands, "Weimin, you’re back."
"Sister-in-law." Si Weimin, too, regained his composure after an initial awkwardness, soon managing to control his emotions.
That ’sister-in-law’ brought Lin Fengying back to reality. She looked at Si Weimin, "I’m worried about Xiaohui, so I’ve come to take care of her for a while."
Si Weimin nodded, "Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were coming? If I had known, I would have brought back Caizhen today, so you two could meet."
Hearing Si Weimin mention Yuan Caizhen, Lin Fengying forced a laugh as if being reminded of something, "It was a last-minute decision. I just came to see Xiaohui."
While she kept emphasizing that she was here for Si Xiaohui, Si Weimin now felt at a loss for words to follow up.
"Mom, is the food ready yet, I’m hungry... oh, Uncle you’re back?" Si Xiaohui ran out of the hallway, breaking the strange atmosphere.
Lin Fengying quickly responded, "You should wash your hands first, the food’s ready. We’ll eat in a bit."
"Thank you, sister-in-law."
Si Weimin nodded, then turned and walked back to the hall.
Seeing him leave, Lin Fengying let out a sigh of relief and noticed that her palms were sweaty from nervousness. After a decade, Si Weimin now lived like a big boss, while she seemed more like a nanny. The gap in their status was suddenly apparent.
For the first time, Lin Fengying realized that not only societal norms, but also many tangible realities separated her from Si Weimin. Regardless of her inner resentments, she felt helpless.
"Mom, let me help you serve the food."
Lin Fengying was brought back to reality by Song Yu’s voice, and hastily removed her apron to prepare for dinner.
Whether it was intentional or not, Si Weimin chose to sit between Si Xiaohui and Song Yu at dinner, as far away from Lin Fengying as possible. Lin Fengying pretended not to care on the surface, but inside she was feeling bitter. The happy times she once had seemed like a dream now, a dream that only she remembered.
Song Yu didn’t talk much at dinner as he was afraid of Si Weimin. Lin Fengying was at a loss for words. Si Xiaohui’s chatter filled the room, with Si Weimin occasionally chiming in.
Seeing the plate of Braised Pork with Potatoes untouched by Si Weimin, Lin Fengying was somewhat puzzled, "Why aren’t you eating the Braised Pork with Potatoes? It used to be your favorite dish?"
