novelraw Chapter 1421 - 935: Different from the Past / Reunion
Chapter 1421 - 935: Different from the Past / Reunion
Chuxia, Yu Tao, and Zhou Xiangping were chatting and strolling when they saw Qiang Yuxian approaching from the opposite direction, and they simultaneously fell silent.
After all, Qiang Yuxian was an elder, so when they met, they took the initiative to greet her. Qiang Yuxian frowned, glanced at Chuxia, nodded to Yu Tao and Zhou Xiangping, and walked past.
"Third sister-in-law, don’t take it to heart..." Zhou Xiangping looked at Chuxia worriedly, "She’s having a tough time right now, and with her being naturally narrow-minded, it’s inevitable for her attitude to be a bit nasty."
"I know..." Chuxia sighed, "Actually, if her attitude was better towards me, I would really feel uncomfortable, and besides, I don’t find her pitiful. So, no matter how she treats me, I don’t have any feelings about it.
The reason I didn’t look good earlier was because I thought of Grandpa Ye. To be honest, I have a pretty good impression of him and feel like he has it tough, sigh..."
"Grandpa Ye indeed has it tough. When his three sons were young, they constantly worried him, and finally, when each son has his own life, he got stuck with an untroubled granddaughter.
Now, Ye family’s younger uncle has this situation, and even with his broad mind, Grandpa Ye can’t hold up. People of their age especially care about face, so no wonder he suddenly burst out.
Since Grandpa Ye fell ill, grandpa has been constantly gloomy. They started work around the same time and their achievements were always neck and neck.
When our family had trouble due to Ye Meiru, the two families barely interacted, yet Grandpa Ye secretly helped a lot. Grandpa at that time worried about implicating him, so he played dumb.
Seeing how severely ill he is this time, Grandpa feels particularly guilty. He thinks it’s because he kept talking about the accomplishments of his descendants in front of Grandpa Ye, which provoked him.
Actually..." Zhou Xiangping sighed, "Actually, when you think about it, there seems to be some truth. People, unconsciously, always compare, right?"
With her saying so, Chuxia and Yu Tao remained silent; this kind of matter truly is hard to judge.
The families living so close, with the harmonious Zhou family and the desolate Ye family, create such a striking contrast. To say Grandpa Ye feels absolutely nothing seeing this stark difference is simply impossible.
However, should the Zhou family also be desolate just because of this? Clearly, that’s impossible.
Or, because of this, should Grandpa Ye not interact with Old Master Zhou? That seems quite pointless too.
Overall, the old man is overwhelmed with family worries. That’s why he couldn’t hold out and lay down. The solution for this doesn’t lie with the Zhou family at all...
...
"What’s the matter now?"
Seeing her daughter-in-law entering the room with an unpleasant look, Grandma Ye furrowed her brow, "If you don’t want to come over, then don’t. Who are you pulling a face for?"
"Mom, it’s not against you." Qiang Yuxian quickly explained, "I ran into Xiaomi’s wife on the way here, and seeing her made me think of Meiru whose fate is unknown. In my heart..." She sniffed, looking at Grandma Ye with red-rimmed eyes, "Mom, you’re a mother too; you can understand my feelings, can’t you?"
Grandma Ye frowned at her: "So you mean that if she were sent there too, you’d feel better?"
"Not really..." Qiang Yuxian’s eyes reddened as she looked at Grandma Ye, "If it weren’t for her, Meiru wouldn’t end up like this. Anyway, I just find her irritating."
Just then, the second daughter-in-law Miao Yanlei casually glanced at Qiang Yuxian and chimed in, "Eldest sister-in-law, your words clearly imply you think Xiaomi’s wife should also be punished for you to feel better. Don’t blame me for not reminding you; this kind of talk is fine within the family, but make sure not a word slips in front of outsiders.
No matter what, Dad and Uncle Zhou are good friends and they’re on the same team. If anything comes out of your words, you’re really dragging the whole family down."
Grandma Ye sternly glared at Qiang Yuxian: "Laoer’s wife is right. You can’t just think about your little grudges right now. Your dad is sick, and regardless, we’ll only be able to rely on the Zhou family in the future. Even if you can’t stand Xiaomi’s wife, you must keep a straight face when meeting her. I don’t care whether you think you can do it, you must do it. If you really can’t accept it, then don’t come over anymore."
Of Ye family’s three sons, Ye Laoer has developed the best and moved back into their ancestral home, making Miao Yanlei look down on Qiang Yuxian.
Meanwhile, Qiang Yuxian has always held a grudge over her family being chased out, and naturally looks down on Miao Yanlei too. But after several rounds, she saw the situation clearly and worried that if she continued to be opinionated, she’d be pushed even further away, leaving her no choice but to force herself to lower her status to get along with Miao Yanlei.
But today, seeing Chuxia, Qiang Yuxian lost her sense in anger and had no intention of appeasing Miao Yanlei. Hearing Grandma Ye being stirred by Miao Yanlei added fuel to her fury, so she coldly snorted and turned her head away.
"What kind of attitude is this?" Grandma Ye glared at her displeasedly, "Nobody is forcing you to come over every day. Who are you showing such a face to? Alright, go back then. We are taking care of your dad here, we don’t need you to worry."
"Mom..." As soon as the old lady issued an order to leave, Qiang Yuxian panicked and pitifully grabbed Grandma Ye’s arm, "Mom, please don’t be mad at me. I’m not targeting you; I’m just... just seeing Xiaomi’s wife and I haven’t come around yet.
Zhonghe has to go to work, and of course, as his daughter-in-law, I have to fulfill my duty to care for Dad. Otherwise, he’s sure to blame me. Mom, please don’t send me away. I promise I won’t show a bad face again. Please, are you okay with that?"
After all, so many years had been spent living with her eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law. Seeing the eldest daughter-in-law’s pitiful appearance, Grandma Ye softened and let out a noncommittal hum, saying nothing more.
Qiang Yuxian knew that Grandma Ye agreed to let her stay. Ignoring Miao Yanlei’s anger, she gratefully smiled at the old lady and rushed into the kitchen to get busy.
Regarding the old lady’s decision, Miao Yanlei was naturally uncomfortable. Her attitude had been very clear just now, yet the old lady agreed to let Qiang Yuxian stay, obviously slapping her in the face.
However, despite the discomfort, she didn’t dare to openly offend the old lady. She rolled her eyes and sat beside the old lady, massaging her shoulder: "Mom, while big sister-in-law is helping Dad make delicious food, I’ll give you a full-body massage. Massaging can activate the meridians, which will prevent disease. Prevention is better than cure. Mom, don’t you agree?"
Of course, the old lady understood her intentions and smiled, saying, "Mom’s old bones can still endure. You take care of your dad every day, you must be tired. Take a break."
"Mom, I’m not tired..." Miao Yanlei said as she pulled the old lady towards the bedroom, "Sitting isn’t comfortable. You should lie on the bed so I can give you a good massage. You can chat with Dad, so he won’t be so bored alone in the room."
In the kitchen, busying herself, Qiang Yuxian kept an ear out for the commotion outside. Seeing Miao Yanlei pushing the old lady back to the bedroom, she angrily gritted her teeth, snorted coldly, and threw the task in her hand to Auntie Li: "You take over cutting, my arm hurts."
Auntie Li looked at her with embarrassment: "Eldest Young Lady, this soup is almost ready. I need to serve it to the master."
"Even you’re bullying me?!" Qiang Yuxian felt a rush of fire straight to her head, driving her nearly crazy...
...
"Chuxia?!" Seeing the person waiting for her in the small conference room, Luo Xiaoqiong was pleasantly surprised, "I thought you’d only come back on Doudou’s wedding day."
"I have to come back to prepare, don’t I..." Chuxia looked her over, "Why do you seem thinner? Is it because work is too tiring or something else?"
"Yeah, it’s been a bit tiring recently, but I think it’s good—everything is finally becoming manageable..." Luo Xiaoqiong cheerfully looked her over, "You’ve gotten a bit chubbier, and your complexion is really good. Chuxia, you’re really beautiful!"
Chuxia smiled and pushed her: "You’re about to become a leader; you’re getting better at saying nice things."
"Not at all, I’m serious. You were always pretty, but you’re even more beautiful now..." Luo Xiaoqiong touched her own face, "Compared to yours, mine is just like a pig’s butt."
Chuxia: "..." Is that how you talk about yourself...
"Really, feel it..." Luo Xiaoqiong leaned her face over, "Doesn’t it feel rough? Feel your own face. Compared to this, mine’s surely like a pig’s butt?"
"You’ve been so busy you haven’t even had time to apply any cream?" Chuxia stared at her speechlessly, "How did it get so chapped?"
"No, I keep having to follow Director Xu out to the countryside, and it made my face like this..." Luo Xiaoqiong said while grimacing, "You should’ve seen Director Xu, she looks at least five years older."
"Is it that tough?"
"Yes." Luo Xiaoqiong nodded, "Director Xu left yesterday and won’t be back for ten days. If I had followed, I’d miss Doudou’s wedding. Knowing the bond between us, I’m specially allowed to stay behind."
"Why does your job require going to the countryside every day?" Chuxia asked with confusion.
"The province approved fifty health center quotas. Each township is competing fiercely. Director Xu is in charge and has no choice but to personally inspect each one.
We’ve already completed inspection of seventy towns, and fifty are left. Once all are inspected, we’ll decide which towns get the fifty health centers based on need.
Originally, it was a good thing, but now..." Luo Xiaoqiong shook her head, "Everywhere we go, we get welcomed warmly, but when leaving without promises, we face disappointment. People, sigh!"
"That’s a normal thing; you’ll adjust over time..." Chuxia nudged her smilingly, "By the way, being so busy, have you had time to meet with my brother?" (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read on m.qidian.com.)