TGDS Chapter 78.1

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 78.1: A Patriarchal Family (4)

The Pei family’s house has been renovated several times over the years. First, when Pei Naochun’s father was alive, it was rebuilt entirely, the original semi-wooden structure being dismantled and replaced with the then-fashionable brick, tile, and cement construction. Then, before Pei Naochun’s wedding, the house was renovated again. Although the plot of land wasn’t large, the house itself was considered one of the best in the village, the envy of many.

It was precisely for this reason that Wu Guizhi always took great care of the house’s cleanliness. In the summer, she would clean it almost every day, only slowing down the frequency in the cold winter.

Pei Xiaoping looked ahead timidly, hesitatingly glancing at her mother. In truth, she and her father were quite estranged. Since birth, she had lived with her grandparents in the village. Although her father used to come home often, he couldn’t possibly focus all his attention on his daughter. She could only exchange a few words with him at most. Especially this year, after her father quit his job and went to work elsewhere, for the past six months, “father” had become a vague, familiar yet distant figure to her.

“Your dad’s calling you! What are you doing?” Tang Zhaodi was a little anxious when she saw her daughter’s hesitant manner. Her husband hadn’t even glanced at their son when he got home, only looking at their daughter. She felt a little uncomfortable, but she could still accept it. However, since her husband had called their daughter, her daughter should go to him openly. What kind of person was she, so petty? She gently pushed her daughter, nudging her forward.

“Dad, I’m here.” She looked at her father, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. She was afraid to back down for fear of upsetting her mother, but moving forward made her nervous. She slowly shuffled to her father’s side. After being strangers for so long, she didn’t even know what to say.

“Dad brought you a gift.” Pei Naochun squatted down, his gaze level with his daughter’s. He casually pulled something behind him, rummaging through his bag, when he heard Wu Guizhi speak.

“Naochun, why are you wasting this money?” Wu Guizhi put her hands on her hips. “You’re working hard now, and life isn’t easy. Now that you have money, you should save it. Xiaoping doesn’t need anything. She has food and drink at home. Don’t worry about her.”

She arrogantly accused her son and daughter-in-law of being bad at managing a household, as if afraid her son hadn’t learned to earn money before he learned to squander it.

“Mom, these things are cheaper in S City. There’s a huge wholesale market there, much cheaper than in our city. I bought some things for you all.” Pei Naochun replied immediately. From ancient times to the present, it’s the same everywhere. Whenever you buy something, you have to learn the art of language, and add some artistic embellishment. If it costs ten yuan, you have to say it’s 30% off; if it costs three yuan, you have to say it’s a free gift. In short, you have to keep in line with the elders’ bottom line and keep talking until everyone is satisfied.

“This old body of mine doesn’t need anything. If you have money, you might as well buy more things for Zihao. He’s almost finished that can of milk powder, and he loves it!” Wu Guizhi hurriedly replied, but her eyes couldn’t help but glance over.

Pei Naochun immediately understood his mother’s intention. He magically pulled things out of his bag and distributed them. He gave his mother and wife clothes, and he wasn’t lying. There were many clothing factories in S City, and every ten days or so, you could find bargains at the factory gates, even slightly flawed items, at discounted prices. He had originally wanted to buy them the trendy trench coats that were currently fashionable, but it was quite cold at home. After thinking it over, he bought them simple, thick cotton coats and matching innerwear sets.

“How much will this cost!” Wu Guizhi exclaimed, touching the fabric with delight.

“Not many,” Pei Naochun pointed. “These clothes were made in the bulk order and are being sold at a discount. Don’t worry, Mom, they’re really not expensive.” After saying that, he continued to rummage through his bag. What he was bringing for Pei Zihao was a whole can of milk powder, which looked more high-end, with foreign words written on it. In S City these days, there were quite a few “parallel traders” who came and went, carrying these kinds of things.

“Perfect timing, Zihao needs to replenish his body. Our Zihao has lost weight lately.” Tang Zhaodi quickly took it, smiling beautifully. She put her own clothes aside. She was a little surprised and quickly patted Wu Guizhi, “Mom, look, this is even foreign goods!” She didn’t know many words, but foreign goods were very popular now. She had seen some when she was in the factory and could recognize that these words were foreign.

Wu Guizhi squinted for a while, not recognizing it: “How would I know about this? But as long as it’s good for Zihao, that’s fine. Just don’t let our Zihao get too thin from hunger.” She reached out and teased Pei Zihao, who was being held in her wife’s arms, almost calling him her precious darling. In fact, the chubbyest one in the family was Pei Zihao, who was lying in his mother’s arms, his little fists clenched, half asleep.

“Xiaoping, this is what Daddy brought for you.” Pei Naochun finally managed to pull out the gift he had specially prepared after going around in circles. At the very bottom of the bag was a brown teddy bear wearing a princess dress and a small crown, looking exceptionally cute. However, it had been pressed down for a long time and looked a little flat. With a little pinching and patting, it fluffed up again.

“Is this for me?” Pei Xiaoping took a step forward, took the teddy bear, and hugged it to her chest, feeling its soft and warm touch. “Thank you, Daddy.” She was a little overwhelmed, and couldn’t help but rub her face against the bear, reluctant to leave.

“Of course it’s for you.” Pei Naochun gently patted his daughter’s head. “Do you like it?”

“I like it!” Pei Xiaoping answered quickly. Although it was just a bear, it seemed to instantly shorten the distance between her and her father. After peeling away the layer of unfamiliarity, the few memories of their time together gradually surfaced, making her vaguely recall the scenes of talking to her father in the past.

This not-so-small expression of liking immediately attracted Pei Zihao’s attention. Perhaps it was because of the bright pink princess dress on the teddy bear, or perhaps it was because children are naturally drawn to teddy bears, but he suddenly stretched out his fist, about to reach down. If Tang Zhaodi hadn’t held on tightly, he almost fell headfirst, scaring Wu Guizhi so much that her face turned pale.

“My little darling, don’t scare us, what’s wrong?” Tang Zhaodi was terrified and tried to comfort him.

Pei Zihao was not appeased. Seeing that he was getting further and further away from the bear, his gaze lowered. Children of this age first realize that tears are their weapon. As long as they cry, they will be held and comforted; as long as they cry, they will get milk… In short, regardless of the consequences, they cry first. The shrill cries of the child grew louder and louder, filling the entire house, while that hand continued to reach down.

“Zihao wants the bear, doesn’t he?” Wu Guizhi was both flustered and anxious. Children’s crying is terrifying; they can cry until their faces turn red, they can’t breathe, and some even cry themselves to sleep. She quickly spotted her target, reached out and pulled the bear Pei Xiaoping was holding up. She held it up in both hands, waving it in front of Pei Zihao. “Do you like this?”

Seeing his favorite thing in front of him, Pei Zihao stopped crying. Following his grandmother’s movements, he gradually smiled, giggling and saying mysterious things that were hard for normal people to understand. He kept reaching out to grab the bear.

“He’s smiling, he’s smiling,” Tang Zhaodi breathed a sigh of relief. “Our Zihao, even at such a young age, knows what good things are. He loves the bear his father bought, doesn’t he?” She didn’t forget to mention her husband’s name in front of her son.

The sudden change startled Pei Naochun for a moment. Then he watched as the bear soared into the air and appeared in front of his son. Pei Xiaoping stood there obediently, holding the bear for a while before letting go, placing it behind her back, and lowering her head again.

“Mom, Zhaodi, this is a gift for Xiaoping, how can it be given to Zihao?” Pei Naochun said with a smile.

Wu Guizhi, having forgotten her son since having a grandson, immediately glared at him: “What’s this about ‘yours’ and ‘mine’! They all belong to your sister and brother, why distinguish between ‘yours’ and ‘mine’? Besides, Zihao has been crying like this, can’t we let him play with it for a bit? We’ll talk about it after he falls asleep.”

“Yes, Naochun, look, Zihao likes the bear so much.” Tang Zhaodi’s words went a step further than her mother-in-law’s. Her thinking was quite simple: since her son liked it, she should give it to him. These days, isn’t everything distributed within the family? Her daughter is already so big; she doesn’t need to play with toys anymore.

“That’s not how it works.” Pei Naochun frowned. He could understand that adults always wanted the older child to give way to the younger one. He didn’t think it was entirely wrong. After all, how could you reason with a baby? Older children are more sensible and can understand reason, but that doesn’t mean the older one should sacrifice unconditionally. Children are born of parents, and siblings should understand each other out of kinship. But everything is inseparable from the word “mutual.” The children are still young, so how could he see the beginnings of this unconditional sacrifice?

Furthermore, it’s not simply about the difference in age.

“What do you mean it’s not logical?” Tang Guizhi realized her son was being unreasonable. “Xiaoping, tell Grandma, are you angry that your little brother is playing with this bear? You’re all grown up now, you don’t need to play with a bear.”

She always loved to say these things and deeply believed them. Pei Zihao wasn’t just the youngest in the family, but also the Pei family’s precious grandson; he naturally needed to be taken care of and enjoy good things. This argument was valid everywhere!

“I…” Pei Xiaoping looked at the bear longingly. She knew clearly how much she liked this doll. It was a gift from her father. Before this, her only toy was a beanbag that her grandmother sewed for her from scraps of cloth. But ever since her mother became pregnant with her little brother, the principles she and her grandmother had discussed had resurfaced in her mind.

“I want to let my little brother play with it too.” She answered hesitantly, her head lowered. She thought it was right to let her little brother play with it. He was young and would be the family’s support in the future; everything should be done with his needs in mind.

“Look, Xiaoping herself says so too.” Wu Guizhi returned victorious, exceptionally smug, continuing to rock her idol, coaxing her grandson. Seeing his eyes crinkle with laughter, she felt incredibly happy. Her grandson’s birth had eased the pain of her husband’s passing. With a grandson, she felt she hadn’t let down her ancestors, having ensured her daughter-in-law carried on the family line. She had no regrets.

“Xiaoping, lean on your father a little.” Pei Naochun called his daughter over, keeping their eyes level, regardless of whether she looked at him. “Your brother is too young. Dad can’t reason with him, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t understand, right? He just cries.”

“No, my brother doesn’t cry.” Pei Xiaoping responded softly. She was the one who took care of her brother the longest in the family.

“Okay, your brother doesn’t cry, but he definitely doesn’t understand what Dad says, right?”

“Yes.” That was true. She had tried reasoning with her brother before when he cried, but nothing she did could soothe him.