Witty Wife, Better Life

Chapter 696: Chapter 686 Borrowing a House

Pangpang and Manman weren’t particularly greedy for meat, but seeing their older brothers like this, they found it quite amusing and joined in the fray.

Shen Yunfang shook her head helplessly as she watched the children, and simply let them be, figuring they would tire of it eventually.

"Dad, have a cup, this is wine Yunfang brewed herself."

Old Li had quite an appetite and, hearing his son’s words, unceremoniously downed the cup of wine he was holding.

After a few drinks at the dinner table, Old Li let out a sigh.

"Dad, what’s wrong? It’s Chinese New Year, a time for joy. Why are you still sighing?" Wang Dan, while taking care of the kids and stuffing food into her own mouth, still managed to notice her father-in-law’s unusual mood.

Shen Yunfang glanced at Old Li, sensing that this old man was about to say something rather unpleasant.

As expected, Old Li said, "During Chinese New Year here we are, eating and drinking well, yet who knows if your mother and your brother have anything to eat inside."

At his words, Li Hongxing and Li Hongjun, his sons, immediately looked displeased. According to their father’s words, if they dared to show a hint of a smile, wouldn’t that be heartless and ungrateful?

Wang Dan didn’t care about that at all, after handing her younger son a piece of chicken, she said, "Dad, can you not talk about this kind of thing in the future? Saying this during Chinese New Year, don’t you think it’s unlucky? We should be happy celebrating the New Year, hoping for good fortune in the coming year. Bringing up mom and our younger brother now, are you trying to make it hard for your two sons?"

These words left Old Li speechless. He was never good with words in the first place and could only look towards his eldest son, hoping he would control his wife.

After exchanging glances with his father, Li Hongxing almost buried his head in his lap, not daring to contradict a single word his wife said.

Seeing the pathetic state of his eldest, Old Li knew better than to rely on him and quickly turned to look at his second son.

Li Hongjun was busy wiping his daughter’s hands and had no time to pay attention to Old Li.

Old Li smacked his lips, seeming to have tasted the bitterness, and then focused on drinking his wine, staying quiet.

Seeing her father-in-law fall silent, Wang Dan, like a victorious rooster, perked up.

"Dad, it’s not that I want to say it, but mom’s current rehabilitation in prison is a good thing, you haven’t heard what people outside are saying. Not a single person has a good word to say about mom, they’ve dug up all those old and mouldy stories to talk about again. And about Li Hongqi..."

Seeing that Wang Dan was about to continue, Shen Yunfang quickly interrupted, "Sister-in-law, let’s not talk about those upsetting things during Chinese New Year."

Wang Dan still feared her younger sister-in-law a bit, who could blame her with her better circumstances? Look at the table full of fish and meat; they couldn’t eat like this at her own home.

"Yunfang, you are really too soft and gentle," Wang Dan obediently dropped the subject at her suggestion.

Then, the three grown men of the Li family fell silent at the table, merely drinking cup after cup, while Wang Dan and Shen Yunfang started chatting.

Of course, it was Wang Dan asking about Shen Yunfang’s current situation.

Shen Yunfang gave a general rundown of things.

When it came to her current house only having two bedrooms and one living room, totaling merely forty to fifty square meters of residential space, Wang Dan curled her lip.

"Yunfang, no offense, but how can your family live in such a small place?"

"That’s just how it is in the military district. There are many considerations when allocating housing. Even someone with a rank like Li Hongjun can only live in a house this size, there’s no helping it," Shen Yunfang seemed unconcerned.

In her previous life, she had lived in luxurious villas and experienced the loneliness and cold of living alone in such a big space. Therefore, in this life, what she pursued was warmth—the warmth of a family. She would be happy as long as they were together, even if it were in a shack.

Of course, that was just a figure of speech. With her around, her family would never end up like that. As a mother, she naturally wanted to give her children all the best things she could.

Just like in the Capital, as long as it was possible, she would make sure she and her children had a better life.

Now that they had moved to the military district, the living conditions were no longer something Shen Yunfang could decide. The children were still young, and she could accept living like this for now.

"Hmm, as I said, the city isn’t necessarily better than our countryside. Look at those people, desperately trying to squeeze into the city, crammed into homes where they can’t even turn around. What’s so good about that?" Wang Dan said dismissively.

Wang Dan was quite contradictory. She felt envious when others moved to the city, but sometimes she also looked down on urban life. It was unclear whether she really thought the city was good or bad.

"Sister-in-law, you’re right. The countryside has its merits, and the city has its own issues. It all depends on one’s perspective," Shen Yunfang unexpectedly praised Wang Dan.

"See, I’m right, aren’t I?" Feelling validated, Wang Dan got cocky. "But Yunfang, now that you’ve moved to Z Province, what are you going to do with your house in the Capital?"

Old Master Li also turned his head to look at his second daughter-in-law, wanting to hear her response.

"What to do with it? The house is in my name, and there’s no problem leaving it there for now. The kids are already in elementary school. When it’s time for them to go to middle school or high school, I’ll see if they want to take the college entrance exam in the Capital. I can then transfer them to schools there. Having a house makes everything much easier," Shen Yunfang explained her well-thought-out plan.

Indeed, the children’s residency was based on their mother’s, and if a city worker married a woman from the countryside, any children they had would have rural hukou and would not have access to rationed grain.

"Wow, you’re planning way ahead. Yunfang, let me run something by you. Since the kids won’t need the house until they’re bigger, and it will just sit empty, how about you lend it to your eldest nephew for a while?" Wang Dan smiled ingratiatingly at Shen Yunfang.

"Oh, is Goudan going to the Capital? What for?" Shen Yunfang was quite surprised.

"He’s grown up now and has no interest in school. He’s a headache to have at home. Since he’s not studying, I thought it would be good for him to go out and make his own way, instead of staying home and farming with his father all his life. Given you have a house in the Capital, I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to go there and explore. He could stay in your house, saving him the trouble of finding a place to live," Wang Dan said with a mother’s tenderness.

She had hoped her son would go to college and make her proud. But looking at his grades, she knew it was unlikely. When Goudan told her he didn’t want to go to school anymore, she agreed. They had been discussing what to do about his future lately. Goudan wanted to try his luck like others, but Wang Dan was worried and had been holding him back. Now that the Li family had come back, she thought of their house in the Capital.

If she could borrow it, she would feel reassured to let Goudan go off to the Capital. She wouldn’t ask for more than a roof over his head to keep him from sleeping on the streets.

Shen Yunfang didn’t say anything, considering the matter internally.

Seeing that Shen Yunfang remained silent, Wang Dan thought it might not work and didn’t give up easily. She directly asked Li Hongjun.

"Second brother, what do you think? Goudan is your own nephew, after all."

Li Hongjun was expressionless, "The house was bought by Yunfang herself, so it’s up to her to decide what to do with it. I have no objections."