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Chapter 398: Chapter 398: Do you also wish for me to find a companion?
Si Weimin didn’t make it too explicit, but Lin Fengying could discern the rejection concealed within his words.
Lin Fengying, embarrassed and unwilling to concede, stiffened her expression before eventually saying: "Weimin, I mean nothing else by this, I just want to take care of you and Xiaohui. We are getting on in age, why should we care what others think? Besides, as long as you call me by my name from now on, we would seem like a family of three in the eyes of others. Who would dare gossip about it?"
Back when they were together, Si Weimin never called her ’Sister-in-law’ in private. He always called her by her name.
Si Weimin’s face grew gloomy. He glanced unconsciously towards Si Xiaohui’s bedroom. Seeing the door shut, he said, "Things are not as they were before. If you feel lonely, seek a companion. Xiaohui mentioned to me once, Boyi and Xiaochen have no objection to you finding a companion. I believe it’s not a bad idea."
Regardless of their past relationship, Si Weimin now found Lin Fengying undesirable.
Yuan Caizhen was beautiful, virtuous, and educated. His friends and business partners admired him for having such a wife. It was something he took pride in. If he were seen with Lin Fengying, he would be ridiculed and he could not stand it.
Based on appearance alone, nobody would question if someone said there was a generational gap between him and Lin Fengying.
"So you also want me to find a companion?" Lin Fengying’s eyes reddened instantly. Being rejected to her face not only made her feel upset but also furious and embarrassed. She stood up and said: "Fine, introduce me to a companion then. Show me who is suitable for me. As long as they don’t despise me, I will accept."
With that, she went back to her room. She had never imagined that Si Weimin could say such a thing. Were their feelings in the past all false?
Does Si Weimin not harbor any lingering affection for her? Or was it because she had aged and lost her youthful beauty, causing Si Weimin to disdain her?
Si Weimin inhaled deeply. His face remained gloomy for a long time, making no further gestures. He knew Lin Fengying was upset but certain things needed to be said clearly. He could not let Lin Fengying hold onto illusions.
Their children had grown up. If the past was disclosed now, not only would their children be humiliated, but so would they.
Such an unbearable past should be buried and should not be repeated.
If it weren’t for those past events, he wouldn’t have been rendered speechless by Tong Yao today, and he wouldn’t have had to tolerate when Si Xiaohui was being bullied.
Thinking of Tong Yao, Si Weimin frowned. This niece-in-law had quite shrewd, which wasn’t suitable for Si Chen...
"Achoo..."
Tong Yao, who was cooking in the kitchen, rubbed her nose and muttered to herself, "Who’s gossiping about me? I have sneezed quite a few times in a row."
Zhang Lijuan, who was washing vegetables by the sink, looked up and asked, "Do you have a cold?"
Tong Yao nodded, "Maybe! It has been very cold these few days because of the overcast sky. It seems like it’s going to snow." Tong Yao added, not explicitly stating that she knew from the kitten that it was going to snow tomorrow night.
Zhang Lijuan grumbled: "I was hoping to stay a few days since we made the trip here, but now that it may snow, I think we should return home early! It’s more troublesome once it starts to snow. Kyoto is much colder than Li City. I am barely tolerating it, Yuanyuan would definitely struggle. It’s almost the New Year, and we cannot afford to get sick."
Perhaps it would be better to return in summer next year. Kyoto’s summer isn’t as hot as in Li City, making it a perfect getaway from the heat.
In the past, Emperors would love to go to their summer resorts to avoid the heat. She thought she might as well try and have a taste of the Imperial treatment. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
"After dinner, I’ll take you both out for a stroll! Since we’re here, we have to go out and take a look." Tong Yao didn’t insist otherwise. The upcoming snowfall would be substantial. If Zhang Lijuan didn’t leave now, they would have to stay in Kyoto for at least a week before they could depart.
With the snowfall, they wouldn’t be able to go out and stroll either. It would be more comfortable to return and stay in Li City instead.
"Sure." Zhang Lijuan was also eager to go out and take a stroll. She cheerfully said, "After we finish dinner, I’ll prepare some milk in a bowl. Boyi can feed the baby when he gets hungry."
It wasn’t convenient to take the child out when it was cold. It would be better to leave the baby at home, to avoid inconvenience for the adults and suffering for the child.
Tong Yao nodded with a smile. Thinking that she should prepare an envelope and buy some children’s clothes and accessories for Zhang Lijuan to take home. After all, they had made this long, nerve-wracking journey here, which was somewhat related to her.
For lunch, Tong Yao cooked four dishes and a soup. Among them, apart from spicy and sour cabbage, the rest were all meat dishes. Si Boyi and Zhang Lijuan were genuinely starving. They both had good appetites - not a single grain of rice or piece of food was left.
Si Boyi took the initiative to clean up the dining table while Tong Yao took Zhang Lijuan out shopping. The entire afternoon spent shopping wasn’t wasted. They bought many things and even visited the branch store to see Tong Yaohui and Wen Yun.
Upon seeing Wen Yun and Tong Yaohui, Zhang Lijuan felt like a countrified bumpkin arriving in the city. She thought to herself how pretty Tong Yao was and then appreciating Wen Yun and Tong Yaohui. Despite their age, they still maintained good looks and temperament.
No wonder Tong Yao is so beautiful. Her parents looked like bosses, while her parents were working in the fields. Surely, she couldn’t compare herself to others. The difference was evident from birth.
Thankfully, she was now leading a decent life, or else she would have died from jealousy.
Wen Yun and Tong Yaohui were very welcoming to Zhang Lijuan. Not only did they give her a red envelope, but Wen Yun also packed three to four pounds of stir-fried chestnuts for her.
"The weather is cold now and these won’t go bad for a few days. You can take them on the road. Do visit us in Kyoto with your children whenever you can."
Zhang Lijuan didn’t expect Wen Yun to be so generous. She was delighted and couldn’t stop smiling. She kept nodding her head in gratitude. Even after returning home with Tong Yao, she couldn’t stop praising Tong Yaohui and Wen Yun.
"Sister-in-law, I really envy the fact that you have these parents. They don’t favor sons over daughters. They treat you as well as they would treat a son. They help in your store and handle chores, always thinking of you. Honestly, my mother-in-law can’t compare to your parents. You treat her so well yet all she cares about is urging you to have kids. She has never treated you with genuine kindness," Zhang Lijuan said.
She couldn’t understand the rationale of city folks. They had such a good life, yet they didn’t desire more children.
No matter how capable Tong Yao was, she was still a woman. Now, not only did she give all the money she earned to the male family members, but everything from the Si family was also handed over to the male side. What were they thinking?
If she had a girl first, she would certainly rush to give birth to a boy.
For instance, at present, despite having a boy, she still felt it was insufficient. She still wanted to have two more sons. She didn’t care about having more daughters; she just liked boys.
Subconsciously, having boys meant she was capable.
At this moment, Zhang Lijuan didn’t realize that she, who complained about her parents favoring boys over girls when she was young, had the same mentality as her parents now.
