NOVPUB
Chapter 399: Chapter 399: What Are The Villagers Saying Behind The Back?
Tong Yao sneered, "I’m not her biological daughter, so why would I expect her to treat me like one? It would be good enough if she just stopped meddling in the younger generation’s life." Unfortunately, Lin Fengying did not understand this principle.
Zhang Lijuan awkwardly chuckled, "Sister-in-law, you think very openly. I simply can’t comprehend that. Our mom treats Lijuan better than Boyi and also treats me poorly. When I had my kid, I wanted to hire a nanny. She wouldn’t allow it, said it was a waste of money, yet she insisted on going back to the village upon hearing that my husband was getting a divorce, and in total, she didn’t look after me for that many days."
Speaking of Si Weimin, Zhang Lijuan whispered, "Sister-in-law, don’t you think Xiaohui looks a lot like our uncle?"
Zhang Lijuan wasn’t sure if Tong Yao had any thoughts on it, but she wanted to share what she’d been holding in her heart. Besides, both of them were daughters-in-law of Lin Fengying, and having fallen out with Lin Fengying, she thought Tong Yao was a great companion to gossip with.
Tong Yao’s eyes flickered as she nodded, "Yes, they do look alike. It’s pretty strange that Xiaohui doesn’t look like Boyi or Weimin, but she bears resemblance to our uncle."
As they arrived at the stairwell, Zhang Lijuan grabbed Tong Yao, stopping her from climbing the stairs and mysteriously said, "Sister-in-law, I have to tell you something. You mustn’t let it out. If Boyi found out about it, he would pick a fight with me."
"Go ahead." Assuming what Zhang Lijuan was about to say, Tong Yao intentionally acted intrigued.
There were many things she only knew a little about and was curious to know what exactly had happened years ago.
Zhang Lijuan looked around and seeing no one nearby, she whispered, "The older folks in the village know about the scandal between our mother-in-law and the uncle. The rumors were nasty, and my mom even argued frequently with my dad because of it."
Tong Yao blinked, "What was being said behind everyone’s backs?"
"Sister-in-law, how can you not understand?" Zhang Lijuan patted Tong Yao’s shoulder and whispered, "People were saying that our mother-in-law and uncle had an affair and that Xiaohui isn’t your father-in-law’s own child. At first, I didn’t believe it, but now I feel that this is true, otherwise why would Xiaohui look so much like our uncle?"
"It’s not unusual for a niece to look like her uncle. We can’t judge them based on this, right?" Tong Yao purposefully raised doubts to make Zhang Lijuan spill more secrets.
As expected, Zhang Lijuan immediately brought out more evidence when she heard this, "Sister-in-law, our home is close to theirs, and we know more than others. My mom said that before our yard was fenced, we would sleep under the trees during the hot summer nights, and often we would see the two of them coming out to bathe. My dad once asked Xiaohui who she slept with at night for fun, and she always mentioned uncle. Our mom even scolded her for talking nonsense back then, but Xiaohui was too young to remember."
Tong Yao feigned surprise, "Apart from these, is there anything else? Like something about your dad?"
"There are plenty more, let me tell you..."
Just as Zhang Lijuan began to say more, footsteps echoed from the stairwell, and she immediately stopped talking and changed the topic, "Sister-in-law, I’ll tell you another time."
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Qing walked down from upstairs. As she passed by, she glared at them, which left Zhang Lijuan feeling confused.
"What’s wrong with her! She had the nerve to glare at us, and I don’t even know her! Is she looking down on me because I’m from the countryside, or does she hold a grudge against you?"
Zhang Lijuan wasn’t foolish. Everyone lived in the same residential compound and were supposed to be familiar with each other, so it seemed strange for Tong Yao not to greet her.
Tong Yao admitted openly, "We had a little disagreement before. She doesn’t like me and talks behind my back. Just ignore her. Once we buy our own house and move out of the residential compound, everything will be fine. Let’s go upstairs! Ahchen should be back by now."
Zhang Lijuan was surprised and quickly caught up with Tong Yao, "Sister-in-law, are you planning to buy a house in Kyoto? So you’re going to settle down there?"
"Essentially, yes!" Even in his sixties in his previous life, Si Chen was still in Kyoto, and this life wouldn’t have made much difference.
"It must cost a lot to buy a house in Kyoto?" Zhang Lijuan was a little envious, "Even if Boyi and I work ourselves to death, we wouldn’t be able to afford that much. If you have a child and they are born in Kyoto, they will have a house to live in. I wonder if in the future Yuanyuan will look down on a mother like me, who is incapable."
Although Zhang Lijuan was not highly educated, she was aware that living in Kyoto would offer better opportunities than Li City, at least it was better than the countryside. In their small city, anyone from Kyoto would be considered elite.
"It would not necessarily mean that having the ability only when living in Kyoto, you and Boyi are also doing good in Li City. Nearly everyone in our surroundings envy you." After a pause, Tong Yao added, "If in the future, Yuanyuan wants to develop in Kyoto, we will also help him."
Tong Yao was not someone who would easily make promises. If she said so, it meant that she was actually considering helping Zhang Lijuan’s family.
Zhang Lijuan’s eyes lit up excitedly, "Sister-in-law, that’s wonderful! I’ll definitely make Yuanyuan study hard, to apply to Kyoto University in the future. No, I’ll make him study medicine so he can apply to Kyoto University’s Medical School."
With assurance from Tong Yao, she became more calm. She admitted that she and Boyi would never reach Tong Yao’s level in this lifetime. But if her son could succeed, that would also be acceptable.
The two of them chatted while climbing upstairs. Upon opening the front door, they found the Si brothers sitting inside the room. Si Chen didn’t look very happy, apparently, he had learned about what had happened in the morning. When they came back, Si Boyi hastily stood up to take the shopping bags.
"Brother."
As soon as Zhang Lijuan stepped inside, she quickly greeted Si Chen. Si Chen nodded in response. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
"Why did you buy so much stuff?" Si Boyi placed the stuff on the table, seeing many of the items were for children, he figured Tong Yao must have bought them.
"We got these for the child and for us thanks to sister-in-law. I tried to stop her from buying, but I couldn’t. Sister-in-law’s parents gave Yuanyuan a red packet and also packed several pounds of chestnuts. We made them spend so much on us for the trip, I feel really embarrassed." Now that Zhang Lijuan had gained some benefits, she spoke sweetly, praising Tong Yao and Si Chen over and over again.
Hearing this, Si Boyi also felt somewhat guilty. It wasn’t easy for his brother and sister-in-law to earn money. He was not good with words so he didn’t know how to express his gratitude and stood awkwardly not knowing how to continue the conversation.
Seeing this, Tong Yao turned to Si Chen and steered the conversation towards another topic, "Have you two brothers discussed when to bring mom back from uncle’s place?"
As soon as Lin Fengying was mentioned, Si Boyi’s face fell and he shook his head, "No, not yet. I was just telling big brother about what happened this morning when you two came back."
