The surrounding furnishings all looked quite dated. The utility poles were even older than the ones in their town, the roads weren't in great shape, but there were plenty of people around, dressed no more splendidly than they were.
This was Zhou Ping's first time in the city. After her family heard that her older sister was making money from her pastry business, they sent her to visit. Although they were from the same village, her family's situation was worse, living deep in the mountains with hardly any neighbors around.
Her grandfather had been a bandit, an outsider who had even robbed the village back in the day.
Later, when the war broke out, he couldn't leave and was forced to settle down in Lin Family Village.
She had many sisters, four in total, and only one younger brother.
Three older sisters were already married off.
Originally, Zhou Suisui had made the worst match.
But who would have thought that now, her life had turned out to be the best.
It wasn't until she came down the mountain that Zhou Ping learned about her sister's newfound prosperity. She hurried home to tell her family, and then went with her mother to visit the Lin family.
They happened to arrive just as Si Nian was sending a letter to the Lin family, and the village chief's son was reading it aloud to them.
It was then that the mother and daughter learned that the Lin family's biological daughter had actually moved to the city.
Hearing the Lin family talk about going to the city for a visit, the two of them got an idea.
The Lin family had such a wealthy relative, who was also their in-law, so of course they had to come see for themselves.
In their family, Zhou Suisui had always been the most unpromising one. Of the three older sisters, she had married the worst.
The Lin family was only marginally better off than theirs.
At least her other two sisters would send money or bring nice things home.
They couldn't expect anything from her; it was good enough if she didn't come back to the Zhou family to borrow money for the Lin family's sake.
So after Zhou Suisui married, they never visited her.
And told her not to come back either.
Zhou Ping was the youngest in the family, having just turned eighteen this year.
Her mother brought her this time, saying she wanted that Si Nian to introduce her to a city boyfriend.
So Zhou Ping had dressed up specially.
Although happy on the surface, Zhou Ping was actually jealous inside.
Her usually quiet and most unpromising second sister was now living so well—her husband drove a big truck, and her sister-in-law even lived in the city.
She had been feeling sour about it.
It wasn't until she saw the old-fashioned facilities here that she felt a bit better.
She thought to herself it wasn't such a big deal. Lots of villagers had gone to the city to work, and their conditions weren't any better.
Some were even worse off than staying at home.
Zhou Suisui was also visiting for the first time, and she looked nervous.
She hadn't expected her mother and younger sister to show up today, insisting on coming to the city and demanding that her husband bring them.
Her husband couldn't refuse. Once in the city, the two then said they wanted to come along to visit the sister-in-law's house.
They just wouldn't get out of the car.
Her husband and mother-in-law couldn't say much, as they were her relatives.
But Zhou Suisui knew her mother, a person who only cared about profit. This couldn't be just a simple social visit.
Now she was terrified they might say something they shouldn't and upset her sister-in-law.
Zhou Ping was still chattering away, pointing at everything around them, until the car drove into a residential area. Rows of luxurious little villas appeared before her eyes, and she instantly fell silent as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.
Before she could ask, Lin Xiao, who was driving, had already arrived.
Zhou Ping stuck her head out the window, staring at the villa in disbelief. "Sis, is this your sister-in-law's house?"
"Should be. It's my first time here too," Zhou Suisui said.
Lin Xiao parked the car, pulled out the keys, and started unloading the things they had brought from home.
Zhou Ping hurried after him, looking at the ornate wrought-iron gate with a large courtyard inside. The sun was out today. In the yard, there was a rockery and a pond. An enormous dog was lying by the door, making her jump.
The clean, luxurious appearance instantly made her feel like she had arrived at a mansion.
She had never seen such a beautiful house.
And it was so big, too.
She couldn't help but say, "Second Sister, is your sister-in-law's family very rich? Living in such a big house."
"Probably rented," Zhou Suisui explained. Although she was also surprised, she knew the Zhou family had money, so it wasn't that strange to her.
Seeing Zhou Ping's expression, she could tell she was jealous. Worried her family might get ideas, she added, "After all, this house looks like it's from many years ago."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping was immediately shocked. "So they'll have to go back to the countryside later?"
"I don't know," Zhou Suisui shook her head, not understanding why she was so surprised. What did it matter to her whether they went back or not?
Zhou Ping was about to say more when Si Nian came to open the door.
The children, having heard their grandparents and uncle were coming, were very happy and trotted along behind.
Grandma's family was so good to them, giving them lucky money during New Year. They really liked them.
"Grandma! Let me carry that for you."
The younger boy, seeing Lin's mother holding eggs, rushed over to take them.
"Oh~ Good! Zehan is so well-behaved!" Lin's mother genuinely adored these three children. Seeing Zhou Zehan so thoughtful, she grinned from ear to ear.
"Mom, Dad, why did you bring so much stuff?" Si Nian looked at the family—one carrying eggs, another with a pig's trotter, and a woven plastic bag with a live hen inside—and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
They had brought the family's egg-laying hen, along with all its eggs.
Although the family business was making money now, they had suffered heavy losses before and were still very frugal.
Plus, with two younger brothers still in school, the pressure was considerable.
"My! So this is Niannian! You're so pretty! I've never seen anyone so beautiful in all the surrounding villages!" A middle-aged woman pushed forward to interject.
It was Zhou Suisui's mother.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Lin's mother hurriedly explained, "Niannian, this is your eldest sister-in-law's mother and her younger sister. They said they wanted to come to the city, so your brother gave them a ride since he was coming anyway."
Si Nian paused. She had been wondering why her sister-in-law's family had never appeared before.
So it wasn't that they didn't appear, but their appearance was just later in the timeline.
After all, in the novel, they were characters who only showed up in the later stages.
By then, Lin Xiao was already prosperous. The author probably ran out of material and dragged them out to write about.
Selfish, self-interested, fond of taking advantage.
At first, they looked down on the Lin family. Once Lin Xiao had money, they rushed to curry favor.
Of course, it was only a brief mention, and she hadn't read it in detail.
But she had a general idea.
She nodded and greeted them with a neutral tone. "So it's Auntie and little sister. Please come in and sit."
The whole group followed inside. The living room was even bigger than their entire house.
Sofa, television, dining table...
There was even a staircase inside the house, with lacquered, patterned steps.
Even if it was rented.
It was still too luxurious.
Not only were Zhou Ping and her mother dumbfounded, but even Lin's mother and Zhou Suisui were somewhat stunned.
The two children brought over stools for them to sit.
Lin's mother immediately took out candy for the two kids.
"So good, so good. Grandma bought you some candy. Go ahead and have some."
After that, she rummaged in her bundle and pulled out several pairs of cloth shoes, little sweaters, hats, and so on...
"Niannian, I made some clothes and shoes for the children and for you. Try them on quickly and see if they fit."
Si Nian poured tea for everyone. "Mom, you just made us some at New Year's. Making more now is too much trouble for you."
The family was already busy enough. After finishing their business, Lin's mother still found time to make clothes and shoes for them.
"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it, child. Are you really being so polite with me, your mother?"
"Little boss, second little one, try the shoes to see if they fit. You know, these two kids are growing so fast. They seem taller again; I should have made them a bit bigger."
"Mom, don't even mention it. I also think Xiao Dong and Xiao Han have gotten fairer."
"I used to hear that people from the village go to the city and come back fairer. I didn't believe it, but it turns out it's true," Lin's father said, quite amazed.
The two children had only been in the city for just over a month.
The change was really significant.
Si Nian hadn't really noticed this issue before, but hearing the elders mention it and taking a closer look, she had to admit, they really weren't as dark as before.
Not only were they less dark, but their skin had also become much finer.
After all, they were children. With good food and drink, their bodies just naturally absorbed it.
The second little one immediately pulled out the shoes and slipped them onto his feet.
You know, he used to dislike cloth shoes, but now they felt incredibly light and comfortable to wear.
Walking on the ground made a satisfying tap-tap-tap sound, which was quite fun.
They were also very cool to wear.
"I also brought some pastries I made, so you don't have to bother making them yourself."
Lin's mother took the mung bean cakes out of her basket.
Some were a bit crushed, but they smelled wonderful.
The three children, who hadn't had them for a long time, immediately lit up.
Lin's mother opened the bag and distributed them.
"Thank you, Grandma!" the second little one happily accepted.
"Thank you, Grandma," Zhou Zedong said politely.
"Tank oo, G'amma~" Yaoyao mimicked.
"Alright, don't eat too much, or you won't have room for dinner later," Si Nian reminded them.
"Kids can't eat that much. If they like it, let them have more."
Si Nian said helplessly, "Mom, you're spoiling them too much."
"What's that? It smells so good. Let me have a taste too."
Zhou Ping, who had been looking around the house, suddenly caught the scent and saw the children eating mung bean cakes.
Her gaze was instantly drawn to the bag in Lin's mother's hand. She walked over, pinched a piece, and put it in her mouth. "So fragrant and sweet! Auntie, why didn't you share these with us earlier? I didn't eat breakfast."
As she spoke, she grabbed another piece.
Lin's mother's expression became somewhat awkward.
This was a gift she had prepared for her grandchildren; how could she possibly have shared it out?
She couldn't even bear to eat them herself.
Zhou Suisui's face flushed bright red instantly, and she hurriedly tugged at Zhou Ping. "Xiao Ping, that's enough. That's what Mom brought for the children."
Hearing this, Zhou Ping was immediately displeased.
It was one thing not to share on the road, but now that they were here, putting it right in front of them and still not letting them have any was just too stingy.
"Sis, what do you mean? It's just a couple of cakes. Can't I even try one?"
Zhou Suisui bit her lip, unsure of what to do.
Si Nian's mouth twitched, feeling somewhat speechless.
If you said she was immature, she looked to be seventeen or eighteen.
If you said she was sensible, she was snatching food meant as a gift.
Even though she understood these were her sister-in-law's family members, and it wasn't entirely unreasonable for them to tag along for a visit, seeing this behavior still made Si Nian feel her parents were too soft-natured.
Seeing her parents' flustered expressions... Si Nian took a deep breath. "It's fine, let her eat. The kids probably can't finish it all anyway."
"Although this is a gift from you, Mom and Dad, for my children, we can't exactly refuse to share. It just shows how good your skills are, that even a grown adult would fight children for a little something like this."
Before Zhou Ping could grasp the meaning of these words, her mother's face had already darkened.
The other party was scolding them for having no manners.
The host hadn't even offered, and they were already snatching food.
She immediately slapped her daughter. "You little glutton! How dare you snatch things from children!"
Zhou Ping let out a pained "Ah—!"
She still looked resentful but was silenced by her mother's fierce glare.
"Auntie, did you come to the city for some business?" Si Nian asked.
Zhou's Mother immediately smiled. "What business? We heard your family was coming to see you, and we thought, since we didn't make it to your wedding last time, we should come visit you now. We're really quite embarrassed about it."
Si Nian's lip twitched.
Now she was putting it nicely.
The reason they didn't come to her wedding before was probably because they didn't want to give a gift, right?
Otherwise, being from the same village and being in-laws, what mountains of knives or seas of fire could have stopped them?
She immediately pretended to be pleasantly surprised and smiled. "Oh! I see. So Auntie is here to make up the gift money. Auntie, you're too kind, making such a long trip just to deliver a little gift money."
Without giving the other party time to react, she turned to the children trying on their shoes. "Xiao Dong, go upstairs and get Mom's account book. Mom needs to record the Zhou family's contribution. Otherwise, it'll be awkward when they have a banquet in the future and we go."
Zhou Zedong nodded and immediately went upstairs to get the book.
The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.
Zhou's Mother, who had inexplicably fallen into a trap and now had to fork over gift money, was also stunned.
Si Nian continued with a shy expression. "Not long after I returned to the city, relatives from the city also came to give me their gift money. You're all so considerate, it makes me a bit embarrassed."
Hearing this, Zhou Suisui looked at her mother in surprise, somewhat incredulous.
Had she misunderstood them?
Was her mother really here today to give the gift money?
For her aunt's last wedding, it was a second marriage. Many people said second marriages were inauspicious and didn't want to attend.
She had, of course, notified her family, but her parents pretended not to hear.
They didn't go.
At the time, people asked why her family wasn't there, and she was too embarrassed to explain.
She never thought her mother could be so kind one day.
Zhou Suisui was quite astonished.
The Lin family also looked at Zhou's Mother with surprise.
In their innocence, they hadn't even fully understood the previous conversation, only hearing their daughter say this.
Was this the purpose of the in-laws' visit?
If so, that would explain why they insisted on coming along.
They didn't know much about the Zhou family either; the marriage was arranged by a matchmaker. When Zhou Suisui married into their family, they gave nothing and never came to visit.
In their impression, the Zhou family was rather difficult to get along with.
They hadn't bothered to seek them out either.
It seemed now they weren't as bad as imagined.
Zhou Ping also looked bewildered. Didn't her mother say they came to ask Si Nian to help find her a boyfriend?
How did it suddenly become about giving gift money?
At that moment, everyone's gaze fell upon the petrified Zhou's Mother.
"Mom, the account book."
Si Nian took the account book and, as if not noticing Zhou's Mother's stiff expression, asked with a smile, "Auntie, how much are you giving?"
Zhou's Mother: "......"
Seeking support for love-generated electricity.
Lately, I've had no motivation, feeling completely drained of energy.
