(Word Count: 2863)
“Brother, we are brothers from the same mother. Now we both live in the county town. No matter how many conflicts we had in the past, they should have dissipated after so many years. In the future, it is better for us brothers to visit each other frequently. Mother will be happy to know that we have a close relationship.”
Han Yang felt that the two brothers could meet in the county town, which was a sign that their relationship would improve.
Han Ze’s expression was full of confusion, his brows were tightly knitted: “Who is spreading rumors? We brothers have always been fine. When did we have conflicts?”
After a pause, he patted his forehead and said suddenly: “Yes, these years, I have been busy running a noodle shop, you have been working in the county, and your second brother is in his hometown. We have less time to meet. People who don’t know would think that we brothers have quarreled. Let’s go to the zoo first, wait for the children to see the animals, and have lunch together at noon.”
Han Yang: “…”
Han Yang was very entangled. He always thought that his eldest brother was a weird person. When he was a child, he would rather starve himself and leave food for them. He often wondered how there could be such a selfless person. When everyone is hungry, if there is a bun or something, shouldn’t you fill your stomach and then care about other brothers and sisters?
His mother colluded with Old Blind Han to deceive his family. At that time, he had no hope. He thought that his mother was desperate and tried all kinds of methods. Who would believe the words of an old fortune teller? There were those who were superstitious, but most of them believed and doubted. However, the eldest brother believed and took the initiative to support his family to give him money to find a job and support his younger sister to go to college.
Finally, because he believed what the old man Han said, he even went to get sterilized. He didn’t have a son for so many years, and he probably wouldn’t have one in the future.
He was wondering, didn’t he care about all the things his family did to his eldest brother?
He smiled bitterly and said, “Is the eldest brother still angry with Xilan?”
When Han Xilan was mentioned, Han Ze’s smile disappeared and he sighed, “Xilan is my biological sister, how could I be angry with her? It’s because I, as the eldest brother, am incompetent. If I were a little more capable, I could give her face.”
Sure enough!
Through his judgment just now, he could see that although his eldest brother had made money in the past few years, his temper had not changed. He was still the eldest brother who would give them his only steamed buns to eat. How could such an eldest brother be angry with Xilan?
However, he also saw that although his eldest brother was not angry with Xilan, Xilan’s actions made him feel very inferior.
He thought for a while and said, “Brother, Xilan is dating someone. He is her high school classmate and also a teacher. Some time ago, her boyfriend used his connections to transfer her to the county’s No. 5 Middle School to teach. Today is the weekend, and we all have a day off. Why don’t you call her over so that we can have a reunion?”
Han Ze smiled, as if he was proud of his sister: “Xilan is really promising. She has been transferred to the county to teach in just a few years…”
His expression turned gloomy and he shook his head and said, “No, I still can’t do that. You know I’m a rough guy. I don’t know how to behave or speak. Xilan’s boyfriend is a teacher and she only knows cultured people. In order to avoid saying the wrong thing in front of her and making her lose face, I’d better not go near her. If I make a fool of myself, it would be embarrassing enough.”
Han Yang: “…”
Originally, he thought that there was a gap between his brother and Xilan, and when the brothers and sisters got together for dinner, he would mediate and say good things about Xilan, so that his brother would forgive her and the brothers and sisters would get along well in the future.
He had never expected that his elder brother had never been angry with Xilan from the beginning to the end. Since his elder brother was not angry, it would be redundant for him to speak well of Xilan, and it would make his elder brother think he was inexplicable. Never mind, if Xilan really wanted to restore her previous relationship with her elder brother, she would naturally come to her elder brother. After all, it was Xilan who disliked her elder brother for not knowing how to deal with the world.
“Dad, are you done talking? I want to buy toys.” Han Xuchen’s urging voice came from the side.
Han Yang turned around, and Han Yang’s wife next to him said jokingly: “Chenchen, your uncle has made money, let your uncle buy it for you.” Han Xuchen opened his eyes wide and looked at Han Ze with expectation in his eyes. Although his uncle had beaten him once, he still loved him very much in his memory. Every time he went back to his hometown, his uncle would buy him delicious food, which his cousins didn’t have.
At that time, he didn’t understand the reason. Later, when he heard his mother and grandmother muttering about his uncle’s family, he realized that the reason why his uncle treated him well was because his aunt couldn’t give birth to a son and wanted him to take care of him in the future. Since his uncle wanted him to take care of him in the old age, he should buy him a toy, right?
Han Ze smiled, looked at Han Xuchen and said, “Chenchen, your uncle’s family has no son. If you want your uncle to buy you a toy, you have to be your uncle’s son. How about this? Your uncle will buy you a toy now, and you will go home with your uncle later. How about it?”
Han Xuchen pursed his lips. His uncle really wanted him to take care of him in the old age, and he actually used toys to coax him. Is he, Han Xuchen, so easy to coax? Sugar-coated bullets can’t buy him. He likes toys, but he likes his parents more. No matter how good his uncle is, he is not his father. His little head was tied tightly, and he kept shaking it and said, “Uncle, I don’t want to go home with you, I don’t want to be your son, I don’t like you, and I don’t want the toys you buy.”
Han Ze smiled and coaxed, “How about this, as long as you say you like uncle, uncle will buy you toys, how about it?”
You can not want to be his son, but how can you not like him?
Han Xuchen had a vigilant look on his face. Uncle wanted to coax him again, and said firmly, “I won’t say it.”
As long as he doesn’t say that he likes uncle, uncle should not let him be his son.
Han Ze looked at Han Yang and said with a smile, “Third brother, your son is good, he can resist temptation. He can hold on even if you coax him like this. Such a young child is really rare.”
Han Yang: “…”
Han Yang’s wife: “…”
Brat, where did your usual smartness go? Let your uncle buy the toys first, can he force you home later?
Han Ze patted Han Xuchen’s head and said, “Actually, when you said you didn’t want to be your uncle’s son, your uncle had already given up on letting you be his son. But seeing that you like your parents so much, you don’t even want toys and don’t want to leave them, you are really filial. Your uncle likes filial children, and originally planned to reward you with a toy…”
Han Xuchen’s eyes lit up.
Looking at the boy’s bright eyes, Han Ze changed the subject and said, “However, your uncle gave up this plan after thinking about it.”
Han Xuchen curled his lips.
Han Ze continued, “Because uncle found that our Chenchen is a great child who can resist the temptation of toys. This spirit of not being tempted by things is very rare. Uncle thinks that this spirit must be well protected, so he must not buy you toys. With what happened today, uncle believes that our Chenchen can also resist other temptations when encountering other temptations and become a good son that makes your father proud.”
Han Yang: “…”
Han Yang’s wife: “…”
Han Xuchen thought: Is he a good son that makes his father proud? He doesn’t know, he just wants to know whether his father will buy him toys? After all, as uncle said, he resisted the temptation in order to stay with his parents, and his parents should reward him.
Han Ze touched his cheek with regret. He didn’t expect that there would be a child who didn’t like him.
The fifth girl tilted her neck and said with a smile, “I like Dad.”
The three older girls looked at what their two younger sisters said, their cheeks all blushed, and they said awkwardly, “We like Dad too.”
“Okay, okay!” Han Ze touched the little heads of the girls with emotion. His daughters were really thoughtful. He would not change them even if he had more sons.
Han Yang: “…”
When did the eldest brother and his nieces have such a good relationship?
Han Xuchen looked at the toy reluctantly. His classmate had the same toy. He had been coveting it for a long time. He thought about going to the zoo today to ask his parents to buy him one, but he knew in his heart that there was little hope. After all, his father was going to be laid off, and the family lost half of its income. How could his parents let him buy toys and waste money? However, he just behaved so well, so his father should agree to buy him a toy, right?
Seeing his son’s pitiful eyes and looking at the toy dolls in the arms of his nieces, Han Yang smiled bitterly. He loved his son. He paid a few dollars and bought the toy that his son had been staring at. Seeing his son’s smile again, he felt that it was worth spending a few dollars.
He felt a little emotional. His elder brother was still the same elder brother. After the sterilization, he had no chance to have a son. He might have made up his mind to marry a live-in son-in-law and became extremely doting on his daughter. He was not used to such an elder brother. After all, his elder brother’s love was given to his daughter and he obviously couldn’t take care of the boys at home. Now the elder brother is so good at making money. If he could love the boys at home like before, even if he was laid off, he would have nothing to worry about.
Han Yang’s wife felt heartbroken when she saw that she only got such a small toy with a few dollars. That thing couldn’t be eaten or drunk. What was the point of buying it? She complained to Wu Hongmei beside her: “Han Yang only spoils the children. He might as well buy some snacks with that money.”
Wu Hongmei pulled the fifth girl and said with a smile: “The brothers are all like this. Han Ze spent dozens of yuan to buy snacks for each of the children. He also bought a toy doll. If you ask me, with that few dozen dollars, can’t I buy something else?”
A few dozen dollars’ worth of toys?
Han Yang’s wife looked a little stiff. She felt so bad that she spent a few dollars on toys for her children. But the eldest brother bought several dozen dollars’ worth of toys for the girls at one time without changing his expression. This substantial gap made her feel very uncomfortable.
When did the life of the old family become so prosperous?
A few years ago, among the brothers of the Han family, only their family lived the best. Now the old family has not only caught up with their family, but even surpassed them by a large margin. This sense of gap can’t help but make her feel lost.
Her face was complicated, and she looked at Wu Hongmei calmly. After looking at her, her eyebrows jumped fiercely. This, is this Wu Hongmei? Is Wu Hongmei so beautiful and elegant? Where did the timid, inferior and cowardly sister-in-law go?
Thinking of this, her eyes slowly moved to the girls. The girls were holding toy dolls in their arms. The girls have a lively and satisfied smile on their face. They were wearing clothes that could only be bought in the county town’s shopping malls. Their faces were white and tender. They were prettier and more beautiful than the girls in the county town. They were no longer as thin and shriveled as before.
She used to wonder what sins the eldest son and his wife had committed in their previous lives. It was not enough that they could not give birth to a son, but none of the girls were pretty. She felt that it was too difficult for the man to expect these girls to marry into the family.
Now she found that these girls were not ugly at all. They were not pretty before, probably because they were thin. They had a good foundation, and they naturally became pretty after eating and drinking enough.
Thinking of her mother-in-law who favored boys over girls, she lived with the eldest son before, but now she lives with the second son. On the contrary, the eldest son’s family has become more and more prosperous. The adults and children are all full of energy. One can tell at a glance that this family lives a very good life.
…
In a restaurant in the county town, Han Xilan kept apologizing to the girl across from her at the table, saying flatteringly: “Let’s just make do with what we have today. Next time, your brother and I will treat you to noodles from the noodle shop you mentioned. How about that?”
The girl’s name was Liu Jinyuan. She was the younger sister of Han Xilan’s boyfriend. She was in high school and was spoiled by her parents and siblings. She had a domineering and spoiled temper. She picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, curled her lips and snorted: “I use my brother’s money to eat. What does it have to do with you? You’re treating me. You and my brother haven’t married yet. Even if you are married, my brother is still my brother and he can’t ignore me.”
Han Xilan’s face turned pale and she looked at her boyfriend Liu Jinhua. Seeing that he had a smile on his face, he obviously thought the same. She clenched her fists, and she endured it. She pulled the corners of her mouth and said in an unnatural tone: “You are your brother’s sister. Of course, your brother will take care of you. ”
Liu Jinyuan curled her lips. From her expression, one could tell that she was unwilling in her heart. She snorted, “Whether my brother controls me or not is not up to you. You just need to take care of yourself.”
Han Xilan felt very aggrieved. She looked at Liu Jinhua and asked him for help. Liu Jinhua patted her hand and comforted her, “My parents are in poor health. They often go to the hospital and take medicine all year round. Their retirement salary can only meet their own needs. Yuanyuan is young and still in school. I can’t ignore her. I have to be responsible for her food, drink and expenses in the future.”
“This…”
Han Xilan widened her eyes in disbelief. Why didn’t Liu Jinhua tell her about this before? Now the whole school knows about their relationship. They have already asked the school for marriage leave and are discussing marriage. There is no room for regret.
Liu Jinhua took her hand and said with a smile, “I know that all the expenses for your schooling were raised by your brothers, so you can definitely understand this, right? ”
Han Xilan felt cold all over. She understood. What did she understand? She didn’t understand at all. Her brothers pooled money for her to go to school. It wasn’t her money that she spent. Of course, she didn’t feel anything because they were her brothers and she took it for granted that she spent the money. Now she was the one paying the money. How could she understand?
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152