Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 459: Chapter 449 I also want to go to my second uncle’s house

Li Xianglian swiftly packed her luggage and said to her younger son on the kang bed, "You need to be observant when you’re at your grandparent’s place, don’t just play wildly. Keep an eye out for chores to help out, your grandparents are getting on in years."

"Mom, I want to go to my second uncle’s place, too." The little boy, Li Hongtao, nicknamed Shuanzi, looked at his mother with tears brimming, wondering why everyone was going to his second uncle’s and why he was the only one who couldn’t go. After all, his second aunt had also invited him in her letter.

"What’s the use of you going there? Your dad and I are going to help your second aunt with work. If we take you, we’ll have to look after you too..." Li Xianglian spoke without turning her head.

"You don’t need to look after me, I’m already an adult. I can help my second aunt with work as well," Shuanzi puffed out his chest.

His second sister had told him all about how great the Capital was when she came back, and he coveted the experience greatly. He even silently blamed himself, wondering why he wasn’t the one who was sick. If he had been unwell, couldn’t he have gone to the Capital like his second sister did? When he got the letter from his second aunt, he was over the moon, thinking he could finally go to the Capital, to his second aunt’s house, only to be disappointed by his mother’s decision not to take him.

"You wish, go on, get out of the way and don’t be a nuisance," Li Xianglian ignored what he had said.

"Wuwu, I’m definitely not your biological child. I’m going to find dad," Shuanzi could no longer hold back his tears and, sobbing, he turned to run out and look for his father.

Before he could run out, Liu Jianjun came back home.

"What’s this about, why the tears?" Liu Jianjun stepped into the house to find his son with a nose running with snot and tears, and joked with his son a bit.

"Dad, why can’t I go to my second uncle’s house? Didn’t my second aunt invite me in her letter? Why aren’t you taking me? I’m definitely not your biological child," the young lad cried out in distress.

"Oh my, look at your son, such a piece of work," Li Xianglian stood up straight and laughed at her son’s sulking.

"Stop crying. Didn’t you say you’re a man? Show me which man cries at the drop of a hat, hold it in," Liu Jianjun scolded with a stern face.

"I don’t want to cry either, but you’re being unfair. Why can everyone go but not me? I don’t want to spend New Year’s at grandpa’s place. I want to go with you to my second uncle’s. I can help my second aunt with work," the child was fixated on this one issue, endlessly repeating it.

Liu Jianjun found his son both amusing and exasperating but realized that, with the whole family away, leaving the child at home wouldn’t feel right.

"Can you promise that if you go, you’ll help your second aunt with work?"

"What are you doing? Didn’t we agree Shuanzi isn’t going?" Li Xianglian immediately understood her husband’s intention, seeing that he was reconsidering taking the child with them.

"Can, can, I promise I can. Those who break their promises are little dogs," Shuanzi said, breaking into a smile through his tears.

"If the child wants to go, then let him go," Li Jianjun said.

"How can that be possible? He’s grown so much, he’ll definitely need a ticket. One more person means buying one extra ticket. How much money is that? If I had the money, I wouldn’t say a word, I’d definitely take the child with us. But now, we’re so poor we can’t even afford one train ticket to the Capital. If it wasn’t for your younger sister-in-law sending us the money for the train tickets, our family wouldn’t even be able to make the trip," Li Xianglian also wanted to take her son, but the boy was over one hundred fifty centimeters tall. Even hidden under a seat, his legs would stick out, so they had no choice but to buy a ticket.

"Didn’t your second aunt send us money?" Shuanzi asked confidently.

He knew his second aunt had also sent money for his train ticket. His mother had told them countless times to remember his second aunt’s kindness.

"Can’t you save a bit for your second aunt?" Li Xianglian glared.

Shuanzi quickly hid behind his dad and said in a low voice, "Didn’t you say our family already owes a lot to my second uncle? One more train ticket for me won’t make much of a difference."

In this family, there was a kind father and a strict mother. If the children got into trouble, Li Xianglian would give them a couple of smacks. If they got into serious trouble, Liu Jianjun would step in. However, the children were closer to their father, Liu Jianjun, and were somewhat afraid of their strict mother, Li Xianglian.

Provoked by her youngest son, Li Xianglian’s temper flared and she stretched out her hand to give him a couple of smacks.

"Enough, enough, pack your things quickly. You’re leaving tomorrow; don’t delay things." Liu Jianjun blocked his wife, preventing her from hitting the child. "If you really want to go, that’s fine, but we need to make it clear first. Your brother, sister, your mom, and I are all going to help out your second aunt. If you go, you also have to help. You can’t be like at home, constantly slacking off."

"I didn’t do anything like that, I’ll definitely work hard, I promise." Shuanzi quickly denied the embarrassing thing he had just done and, hearing his dad agree to let him go, his grin nearly split his face. He turned to look at his mother, the one who really called the shots in the family.

"Just spoil him, and see what good comes of it." Li Xianglian muttered, though there was a smile in her eyes.

Although she had said she wouldn’t take her youngest son with them, leaving the child at home without her, even under the grandparents’ care, would still worry her. Now that the man had offered to take the child, they might as well all go together. As the child had said, they already owed so much, what’s one more debt? She and the child’s father could work harder, and they would be able to repay it sooner or later.

Hearing his mother’s words, knowing she had agreed, Shuanzi jumped up excitedly and shot out of the house like a bullet, cheering, "Oh! I can go to the Capital too! Brother, sister, I can go to the Capital with you all!"

"Look at this child, does he act like a big kid at all?" Li Xianglian complained from behind with exasperation.

Li Jianjun chuckled, "Alright, you stay home and pack Shuanzi’s stuff. I’ll go over to grandpa’s and let them know Shuanzi is also coming with us." Since the child was not going to his grandfather’s house, it was indeed necessary to inform them.

"Alright, go on then, make it quick. When you come back, we can pack up the rest." Li Xianglian turned and started rummaging through the cabinet, pulling open the bags she had already packed.

They would be away for a month, and both the children and the adults needed to bring at least one change of clothing each. She had stayed with her second brother before, and his wife liked cleanliness; she couldn’t let the children be dirty and provoke her second brother’s wife’s disdain.

"Shuanzi, stop running around; bring over a clean pair of your underwear," Li Xianglian shouted toward the other room.

When Liu Jianjun came back home, the couple started packing the things to bring to Yunfang.

There weren’t many valuables at home, just some peanuts they had grown in the backyard and had been too sparing to eat, leaving a small sack remaining. They planned to take the whole thing to Yunfang.

Of course, there were other things too. Li Xianglian packed some dried vegetables from the summer and some of the family’s salted eggs. There were no valuable goods, but bringing them was a gesture.

The next morning, the family of five, loaded with large and small bags, set out for the Capital before dawn.