(Word Count: 5194)
At dawn, Hu Xialan woke up on time. She tossed and turned in bed, and didn’t want to get up. Since her son graduated from college and went out to work, this was the first time she wanted to stay in bed so much. Thinking of making breakfast for the two kids, and cooking for them every day in the future, her heart was as heavy as a mountain, and there was no place to breathe, so she was even more reluctant to get up.
With a frown, she sighed softly, when would this end? As soon as she sighed, Han Ze turned over in the quilt next to him. Hu Xialan was startled. After a long while, she finally opened the quilt, got out of bed quietly, folded her quilt, opened the door and went out. It was pitch black outside. She turned on the light in the corridor, washed up, and went to the kitchen.
Not long after she entered the kitchen, Han Ze got up. He was going to go out for exercise.
After seven o’clock, Han Shutao and others who needed to go to work got up one after another. There were only two bathrooms in the house, and Han Shutao and Han Feiyu each occupied one. When they lived outside, and there were two bathrooms in the house, so they were used to it.
Wang Peining got up and ran to the bathroom as soon as possible. Seeing that the bathroom door was closed, she ran downstairs. The door of the bathroom downstairs was also closed. She stood there anxiously.
When Liu Mingda came down from upstairs, she looked grim and said anxiously: “Mingda, I want to go to the bathroom.”
“Go. “Liu Mingda yawned, Wang Peining pouted, her face full of unhappiness: “There are people in both bathrooms, I can’t hold it anymore.”
As she spoke, she slightly bent her body, obviously she was holding it in very hard.
Liu Mingda’s face was gloomy, he walked to the bathroom door and knocked: “Who’s in there?”
Han Feiyu in the bathroom didn’t say a word. Liu Mingda knocked a few more times, and Han Feiyu said impatiently: “Why are you knocking?”
He hasn’t finished shaving yet, he will come out naturally after shaving.
Liu Mingda frowned: “Hurry up, I’m waiting to go to the toilet.”
Han Feiyu raised his eyebrows: “Go upstairs. ”
Liu Mingda was about to speak, but Wang Peining couldn’t wait any longer. She covered her stomach and ran back upstairs. She stood at the door of the bathroom upstairs and knocked hard. Han Shutao was drawing his eyebrows and was startled by her knock on the door, so that his eyebrows were drawn crooked. She pouted and ignored the knock on the door. She pulled out a cotton pad and slowly wiped off the excess, then applied lipstick, then slowly opened the door and walked out.
She glanced at Wang Peining, raised her eyebrows and said, “The toilet is not a good place. I will come out when I’m done. Why do you keep knocking on the door?”
Wang Peining’s face turned blue and she was about to burst into tears. She was both ashamed and annoyed, but Han Shutao was still there making sarcastic remarks to tease her. She had a bad temper to begin with, so she sneered, “Can’t you put on makeup in your own room? It’s immoral to occupy the toilet without taking a shit. ”
After saying that, she quickly rushed into the bathroom, without even bothering to close the door, and hurriedly took off her pants.
Han Shutao was about to say something sarcastic, but when she saw her move, she quickly dodged and stood aside. After a while, she couldn’t help it, and her face darkened and she said, “I think you are the one who is wicked. There are several grown men in my family. A woman who is visiting someone else’s house doesn’t even close the door when she goes to the toilet. Do you have any shame? What do you want to do?”
Wang Peining, who had just solved her physiological problem and was washing her hands, heard her words and was so ashamed that she wanted to find a crack to crawl in. She was too anxious just now and couldn’t wait to close the door. She knew that only she and Han Shutao were upstairs, so they would do that, but Shutao didn’t even leave her any face and yelled loudly. She didn’t know if the people downstairs would hear it. Such a sister-in-law is too terrible.
Han Shutao really didn’t want to leave her any face. Who made this woman Liu Mingda’s girlfriend? They couldn’t live in peace.
At 7:30, Han Ze came back from running, and Hu Xialan prepared breakfast and brought it to the table. The breakfast was simple, porridge, steamed buns, eggs and some pickles.
Han Shutao and Han Feiyu frowned immediately. Han Shutao smiled and said, “Auntie, we just moved back. You may not know my and my brother’s preferences. We don’t eat porridge and steamed buns in the morning. Our breakfast must include milk, eggs, fruit, and staple food. We have to buy pasteurized milk, and for fruit, I like apples or cherry tomatoes. For staple food, I like soup dumplings or oatmeal. My brother is easy to deal with, so whole wheat bread will do.”
Hu Xialan’s breath was choked. She got up early to prepare breakfast for them, but she still disliked it. She clenched her hand holding the spoon quietly, gritted her teeth, and suppressed the surging frustration and unwillingness. With a gentle smile on her face, she said, “Okay, you guys have to bear with it today, and I’ll prepare it for you tomorrow.”
Han Shutao smiled, and she said, “Actually, it’s okay for my brother and I to eat porridge and steamed buns with you. At most, we can eat less and consider it as losing weight.”
Han Ze came out and heard her words. He couldn’t help but scold her, “You are so thin, why do you want to lose weight? Do you want to be as thin as a telephone pole?”
Han Shutao glanced at Hu Xialan, who looked tense, and said with a smile: “When my brother and I lived outside, we liked to eat eggs, milk, fruits and staple food every morning. I didn’t expect that the food at home was so simple. There are many people in the family, and it is complicated for Auntie to prepare. Let’s forget it so as not to tire her out.”
Han Ze frowned, looked at Hu Xialan and asked gently: “Xialan, the children have to go to work. If they don’t have a full breakfast, it will hurt their health. You have worked hard.”
Hard work? Hu Xialan smiled bitterly. Since he knew that she was working hard, why did he let the two children come back? However, she couldn’t object yet, so she could only smile and agree. She looked at Han Shutao and her brother in the eyes secretly, but she became more and more impatient.
Liu Mingda saw the irritability in his mother’s eyes. He lowered his head, hiding the gloom under his glasses.
Hu Xialan looked around and didn’t see Wang Peining. She asked, “Call Peining down to eat.”
Liu Mingda went upstairs. Wang Peining sat on the edge of the bed with red eyes. It was obvious that she had just cried. He frowned and asked worriedly, “Why are you crying?”
Wang Peining felt very wronged. When she heard Liu Mingda’s voice, she cried even harder. Han Shutao was too much. She complained, “Mingda, I will never come to your house for dinner again. I have never suffered such a big injustice.”
Liu Mingda frowned, sat beside her, and asked anxiously, “What happened?”
Wang Peining questioned, “Didn’t you hear Han Shutao and I quarreling just now?”
Liu Mingda shook his head. He heard the voices of the two downstairs, but didn’t hear what they were saying. Shutao followed him downstairs. He thought nothing happened between them. Peining didn’t come downstairs. She might be putting on makeup. He didn’t expect her to cry in the room.
“What’s going on?” Liu Mingda asked again.
Wang Peining said angrily: “Han Shutao actually put on makeup in the bathroom. She really didn’t want us to go to the bathroom. Only she can do such a wicked thing.”
Liu Mingda asked her: “Did you go to the bathroom?”
Wang Peining nodded. Liu Mingda breathed a sigh of relief and coaxed: “If you really don’t want to come back, let’s go back to your rented house tonight, how about it?”
Wang Peining pursed her lips, very unwilling, she said: “You just agreed to pay for living expenses last night, and you won’t come back for dinner today? The brother and sister will live here in the future. Are we not going to come back? Then why are we paying living expenses? Besides, eating out every day will also make you tired. The food outside is not as delicious as the food cooked by my aunt. Besides, we need to save money to buy a house and get married.”
She can’t cook.
Liu Mingda said helplessly: “Then what do you say we should do?”
Wang Peining bit her lip and said after a long while: “Of course we should find a way to drive the brother and sister out.”
After saying that, she felt a little guilty and had to admit that she was very resentful of Han Feiyu and his sister. Uncle Han was good in everything, and was also very good to Mingda, but why did he have two children?
Liu Mingda smiled bitterly: “Things are not that simple, Dad won’t agree.”
Wang Peining thought of the look Han Shutao gave her, so domineering, and she felt angry. She whispered: “I said to find a way. The ways are all thought up by people. How did they move out before?”
Of course, his mother found a way to encourage them to move out. He would definitely not say this to his girlfriend. He could only say: “At that time, they were young and didn’t like my mother, so they went to live with their grandparents. When their grandparents passed away, they all went to college and grew up. They had houses outside and were unwilling to move back to live with us.”
Old? Wang Peining suddenly had an idea and said, “Aunt is old, and it’s easy for her to get sick taking care of such a big family.”
Liu Mingda’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, “Do you mean to ask my mother to pretend to be sick?”
Wang Peining smiled proudly, “Uncle Han is so good to Aunt. If Aunt is sick, do you think he will be anxious? In order to make Aunt happy and get well soon, do you think he will try to please Aunt?”
Liu Mingda lowered his head and thought.
Wang Peining continued, “At this time, we will say that Aunt suffered too much when she was young and never had a rich life. As long as she is given money, she should be happy. Uncle Han is her husband and never guards against her. He will definitely give her money. When the money is in hand, we will buy a house immediately. If Uncle Han doesn’t take the bait, we will take the opportunity to tell him that Aunt can’t be too tired in the future, and can’t buy food and cook for the family. Let’s see what he will do. By then, no one will be a free nanny for Han Feiyu and his sister. Let’s see if they will still live at home.”
No matter what the result, they will not suffer.
Liu Mingda asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted Mom to buy jewelry?”
Wang Peining snorted, “I didn’t expect Han Shutao to be so excessive, deliberately occupying the toilet without doing anything. Since she is unkind, don’t blame me for being unfair. If I don’t take some drastic measures, she will still think we are easy to bully.”
Liu Mingda thought of the arrogant attitude of those two people who treated his mother as a nanny, and his mood suddenly became gloomy. He nodded gently. Not to mention for the house, even for his mother, he had reasons to drive Han Feiyu and Han Shutao out. His mother really should be sick, otherwise Dad would think that Mom is invincible.
Wang Peining pondered and said, “This plan will take seven or eight days to implement.”
Liu Mingda figured out the trick, he smiled and said, “Mom has taken care of us for seven or eight days and is tired and sick.”
Wang Peining smiled at him.
…
Before Hu Xialan could get sick, the next day, Han Shutao had submitted all the manuscripts that were due. She didn’t have to go to the magazine, so Hu Xialan went to buy groceries. The father and daughter were idle at home, so Han Ze took Han Shutao to the 4S store. Han Shutao had a favorite off-road vehicle, so she didn’t have to choose the model. When she arrived at the 4S store, she went straight to the off-road vehicle she liked.
Han Ze glanced at the price of the car, which was more than 400,000 yuan. He smiled and said, “Although it’s a little expensive, it’s not that you can’t afford it. Dad has never given you an expensive gift. Buy it.”
The old man’s words made Han Shutao’s mouth curl up slightly, but she was not very moved. After all, her father had been doing a poor job for so many years, and her heart had become cold and she could not be moved. However, she was so happy to be able to buy the off-road vehicle she wanted. This was not only the excitement of getting the off-road vehicle, but also the pride of winning the battle. Hu Xialan was not invincible. Thinking of this, she became even more excited.
The father and daughter bought the car faster than Hu Xialan bought vegetables. When the father and daughter paid the money and completed the car purchase procedures and returned home, Hu Xialan had just arrived home. She looked at the sweaty father and daughter and smiled and said, “Old Han, where have you been?”
Han Ze pointed at Han Shutao and said, “I took her to buy a car.”
Hu Xialan was shocked and looked at him in disbelief. Buying a car was such a big thing, but he didn’t even tell her. He bought the car with Han Shutao in private? Does he treat her as his wife? She asked in a lost voice, “Did you buy it?”
Han Ze looked at her and smiled, “Yes, it’s an off-road vehicle worth more than 400,000 yuan.”
At that moment, Hu Xialan felt her head buzzing and she could not hear anything. Her body swayed and Han Ze held her. Hu Xialan calmed herself down. She could not fall, she must not fall. If she fell, those two guys would be proud, so she must not fall.
Han Ze said worriedly, “Xialan, what’s wrong with you?”
Hu Xialan shook her head, her face pale, and said unnaturally, “It’s okay.”
Han Ze looked at her anxiously, “You’re so pale, how can you be okay?”
Han Shutao echoed, “Yes, Auntie, if you don’t feel well, let’s go to the hospital. We can’t avoid seeing a doctor.”
It would have been better if she didn’t speak. As soon as she spoke, Hu Xialan’s face became even uglier. She said weakly, “Old Han, I’m fine.”
Han Ze glanced at Han Shutao, “Go drive and take your aunt to the hospital.”
Hu Xialan grabbed his arm and insisted, “Old Han, I’m fine, don’t send me to the hospital.”
Han Shutao curled his lips slightly. Are you afraid that the doctor will see that you are sick because of anger? She smiled and said slowly: “Auntie, my dad is not short of money, and he still has some money for medical treatment. You really don’t have to worry so much.”
Hu Xialan shook her head and took a deep breath. She let go of Han Ze’s hand, stood up straight, and said: “Look, I’m fine. I really don’t need to see a doctor.”
Han Ze’s brows were still frowning. He looked at Hu Xialan: “You must tell me if you feel uncomfortable. You can’t bear it. You can’t fall down. What will happen to our family if you fall down?”
Hu Xialan pretended to be energetic and said: “I’m really fine.”
In the evening, Wang Peining got off work and still insisted on coming to eat. She just wanted to grab the bathroom. She wanted to see who could grab the bathroom and see who was disgusted.
Who knew that as soon as she arrived at Han’s house, she heard Han Shutao and Han Feiyu say that she bought an SUV?
She looked at Liu Mingda with a dark look. Liu Mingda’s face was of course not good. He didn’t expect his father to act so quickly. He bought the car just after mentioning it.
Wang Peining sat on the sofa and couldn’t help asking, “Shutao, how much did you buy the car for?”
Han Shutao replied with a smile, “Cheap.”
Wang Peining paused and asked, “How much is cheap?”
“More than 400,000.”
Han Shutao’s tone was very casual, as if the car of more than 400,000 was really cheap for her.
“What?”
More than 400,000? Wang Peining was shocked, her eyes widened in astonishment. She didn’t expect Uncle Han to be willing to buy such an expensive car for Han Shutao. After all, the Han family is just an ordinary family. Although it is better than hers, a car of more than 400,000 is too much for this family. She thought that they would buy a car of at most 200,000.
Liu Mingda suddenly looked up at Han Shutao, his fists clenched quietly, veins on the back of his hands popped out, and his fingertips turned white. He couldn’t even get enough money to buy a house, but Han Shutao could easily buy a car worth more than 400,000 yuan. She still said it was cheap. After all, he was not his biological son…
Han Feiyu glanced at their reactions and said with a smile: “You should have spent all of Dad’s money, right? You little girl, why did you buy such an expensive car?”
Han Shutao didn’t agree, glanced at him, and argued: “Why don’t you say that your car is more expensive than mine?”
Wang Peining was shocked. Han Feiyu usually slacked off, but the car he bought was more expensive than Han Shutao’s SUV? Does he have so much money?
Han Shutao leaned back on the sofa and said, “I earned my own money, okay?”
Han Shutao snorted.
Han Feiyu smiled and patted her head: “I haven’t finished speaking. There are only boys in our family, and you are the only girl. But a car worth more than 400,000 yuan, no matter how expensive it is, you have to buy it.”
Han Shutao was shocked. She really thought that her brother was going to settle accounts with her.
Liu Mingda’s face was gloomy. Han Feiyu said this to him.
…
It was the weekend. Liu Mingda and Wang Peining asked Hu Xialan out in the name of buying clothes for her. No one knew what they said, but Hu Xialan fell ill when she came back. If she wanted to say what disease she had, she couldn’t say it. She was just weak all over and just wanted to lie in bed to rest. She was asked to see a doctor, but she didn’t want to go.
Wang Peining said worriedly: “Uncle Han, Aunt must be tired of taking care of us every day.”
Liu Mingda felt a little nervous and a little excited, a kind of excitement that he was about to achieve his goal. Even if he couldn’t get money from his stepfather to buy a house, as long as he could drive Han Feiyu and Han Shutao out, their goal would be half achieved. He didn’t lose anything.
Hu Xialan glanced at Han Feiyu and Han Shutao from the corner of her eyes, thinking that even if she couldn’t kick them out, at least she wouldn’t have to be their free babysitter anymore and let them do whatever they wanted.
Han Ze frowned and looked at Hu Xialan who was lying on the bed and couldn’t get up. He gritted his teeth and said, “Since Feiyu and Shutao moved back, your aunt has been working hard. She has no free time to buy groceries, cook and clean every day, so I think we should hire an aunt to cook, buy groceries and clean.”
Wang Peining: “…”
With the conditions of the Han family, she never thought about the problem of hiring a babysitter. What should she do now?
Liu Mingda and Hu Xialan froze suddenly, and the excitement and expectation in their hearts disappeared in an instant.
Han Shutao agreed, “Auntie is so tired from cooking for us that we should share the money for her cooking. She can play cards and dance with the girls in the community in the future, and she won’t have to work so hard.”
Han Feiyu also agreed, “I agree that the cost of hiring a nanny should be shared by the three of us.” Han Ze looked at Liu Mingda, and Liu Mingda’s tense face relaxed instantly. He is hiring a nanny for his mother, and his stepsiblings agreed readily. He, as his biological son, couldn’t be reluctant at all. He smiled and said, “Hiring a nanny is to reduce the burden on my mother, of course I am willing.”
But he was calculating in his heart, paying 3,000 yuan a month for living expenses, and hiring a nanny would cost at least 1,000 yuan per person. How much money would he have to pay every month?
Wang Peining was stunned, and Hu Xialan was also stunned. She pretended to be sick to ask Old Han for money, and at the very least she could drive Han Feiyu and Han Shutao out. Why did they ask Mingda to pay another sum of money? In this case, was she cheating Han Feiyu and Han Shutao or her son by pretending to be sick?
Han Ze looked at Han Feiyu, Han Shutao, and Liu Mingda with a face full of relief. He said to Hu Xialan, “Having many children is good. If we can be so united in everything, do we still have to worry?”
Hu Xialan smiled unnaturally. Of course, you won’t worry. I worry about my son. She thought so in her heart, but she agreed on the surface, “Yes, our children are all sensible.”
Yes, her Mingda and Mingkai are all sensible children. As for Han Feiyu and Han Shutao, they are simply troubled by ghosts.
It is not easy to find a nanny who suits their tastes. Fortunately, Han Feiyu’s colleagues in the company know an aunt surnamed Chen in her forties who is good at cooking. Han Feiyu talked to Aunt Chen for a while and knew that she was good at making light dishes. He called Han Ze at that time and said that he had invited Aunt Chen.
Han Ze smiled and said, “Since you think it’s suitable, tell her our address and ask her to come over.”
Aunt Chen is quick and efficient. If he was not an acquaintance, he may not have been able to invite her. After Han Ze interviewed her, he felt that she was quite good. The two discussed the salary and benefits, and both parties were quite satisfied. Aunt Chen went back to get her luggage and came to Han’s house in the afternoon.
When Hu Xialan woke up, she was shocked to find that there was a woman in the house. She said in a panic, “Who are you? Why are you in our house?”
Aunt Chen said, “You are Sister Hu, right? I am the cook invited by Brother Han. My last name is Chen?”
“What?”
Hu Xialan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Although she was sick, she still went out to buy vegetables in the morning and didn’t know about this. She didn’t expect that Lao Han would buy a car without discussing it with her. After all, the car was not bought for her. He invited an aunt to his home, but he didn’t even discuss it with her and made the decision privately? Did he treat her as his wife?
Aunt Chen looked at her in confusion. Although her attitude towards her was a little strange, she was the host, so she didn’t ask, and said, “I’ll go cook.”
When Hu Xialan heard that she was going to the kitchen to cook, she subconsciously rejected it. The kitchen was her place, but since she was the aunt invited by Lao Han, if she was not allowed to do anything, wouldn’t it be a waste of money?
She followed Aunt Chen into the kitchen like a wandering soul. She was unhappy to see her washing rice skillfully, as if she regarded this place as her own home; she was unhappy to see her use her knife; she was unhappy to see her use her pot… In short, this person, in her home, she was uncomfortable everywhere.
After the meal, Aunt Chen also noticed Hu Xialan’s dislike for her. She was unhappy and thought that Hu Xialan looked down on nannies. She planned to talk to Han Ze after the meal. Aunt Chen has been a nanny for most of her life and never thought that the profession of nanny was shameful. In her opinion, the reason why those families hired nannies was because they were in urgent need of help.
She was willing to agree to the Han family and be a nanny in the Han family because of Han Feiyu’s face. She came to help their family solve their difficulties, not to be bullied. Hu Xialan didn’t say thank you, but at least she shouldn’t look at her coldly.
After the meal, after Aunt Chen cleaned up, she said to Han Ze bluntly: “Brother Han, it seems that I have no fate with your family. I can’t do this job.”
Han Ze was shocked, “Isn’t it cooked well? Several the praised your cooking.”
Han Feiyu, Han Shutao, and Liu Mingda have lighter tastes. They really think that Aunt Chen’s dishes are delicious. Only Wang Peining curled her lips. No matter how delicious it is, without chili, it has no taste.
Hu Xialan sat next to Han Ze, feeling a little guilty.
Aunt Chen smiled and said, “Sister Hu may want to cook more.”
Having been a nanny for a long time, she naturally has a set of skills in observing people’s words and expressions.
Han Ze looked at Hu Xialan disapprovingly: “Xialan, I know you are used to working, but your body really can’t bear the fatigue. You should understand the worries of several children for you.”
Hu Xialan glanced at Aunt Chen with dissatisfaction. When did she say that she wanted to cook more?
Aunt Chen ignored her. She realized that whether Hu Xialan was satisfied with her or not could not determine whether she stayed or left.
Han Shutao echoed: “Yes, yes, Aunt Chen’s food is delicious, we all like it. Aunt, don’t worry about it, just take care of your body.”
In front of Aunt Chen, Hu Xialan couldn’t say that she didn’t like her, she could only nod with a stiff face.
Seeing that she didn’t say anything, Han Ze thought she agreed, so he said, “There are no other rooms at home, Aunt Chen, you can live in Mingkai’s room.”
Hu Xialan’s face changed all of a sudden, and she exclaimed, “How can that be possible?”
Han Ze looked at her with a smile, “Mingkai is not at home, why not?”
Hu Xialan frowned and said, “Old Han, Mingkai is about to graduate.”
Han Ze said nonchalantly, “Let’s talk about it after he graduates. Besides, doesn’t Mingda have to buy a house? When Mingkai graduates and comes back, Mingda should have moved out. Then there will be a room at home.”
Wang Peining was slightly surprised. She thought that even if they bought a house, they would live with their uncle and aunt after they got married. Did Uncle Han still insist that they move out?
Mingda laughed at himself. Dad seemed to believe that Peining was too delicate and didn’t want to live with them.
Hu Xialan took a deep breath: “Old Han, Mingda hasn’t bought a house yet. Even if he does, he has to wait until he receives the house and renovates it before he can move in.”
Han Ze comforted him: “I know, but isn’t Mingkai back now? Your health is important, so let’s arrange it this way.”
Hu Xialan: “…”
If Mingkai comes back and the woman surnamed Chen hasn’t left yet, could she still be driven out?
…
Liu Mingda and Wang Peining sat on the bed in a trance. Hu Xialan knocked on their door gently. Liu Mingda opened the door and saw that it was his mother. He was stunned and said, “Come in.”
Hu Xialan walked in and Liu Mingda closed the door. Hu Xialan said with a sad face: “Mingda, I’d better not pretend to be sick, right?”
If she continued to pretend, Mingkai would come back and he would have no place to live.
Liu Mingda smiled bitterly and shook his head: “Mom, the nanny has been hired. Even if you are not sick, Dad will think that you are tired and will hire a nanny anyway.”
Hu Xialan glared at him and said, “What should we do? If I pretend to be sick, not only will you have to spend money to hire a nanny, but now your brother’s room is also occupied by the nanny. In the end, I didn’t cheat anyone but you two brothers.”
Wang Peining couldn’t bear to see Hu Xialan scolding Mingda, and said, “Aunt, you should think like this. You don’t have to serve Han Feiyu and Han Shutao anymore in the future. Aren’t you also benefiting?”
Hu Xialan pursed her lips. She was not sick, had no work to do, and felt that life was easy. She had nothing to do every day. Did she really have to play cards? She didn’t like playing mahjong. After sitting there for a long time, her waist was sore.
Besides, she felt like a lump in her throat when she thought that the nanny lived in Mingkai’s room. How could she be in the mood to play cards to relax?
This idea is really a case of losing more than stealing. Not only did she fail to harm others, but she also hurt herself.
Maria Lian On CFRFGC Chapter 104