bestfiction Chapter 128: Mr. and Mrs. Zhuang are going to treat everyone to a meal?
Chapter 128: Mr. and Mrs. Zhuang are going to treat everyone to a meal?
As evening approached, Huang Ling and Song Ying walked into the courtyard, chatting and laughing all the way.
Song Ying pouted, her face full of displeasure, waving her handkerchief as she walked. "Sister Ling, you know that girl, when she saw the two of us, she turned around and left. Humph, she thinks nobody wants to talk to her."
Huang Ling smiled slightly, gently patted Song Ying's hand, and then looked outside warily before lowering her voice: "She's probably upset because she didn't get the better deal. I'm used to her like that. Go home and cook, your Dongzhe must be hungry again."
Song Ying nodded and echoed, "Sister Ling, I really envy you. Teacher Zhuang is on vacation at home and can help you with the housework, which makes things much easier for you."
At this moment, Huang's mother seemed to hear Ah Ling's voice inside the house. She was sitting in a chair organizing the local specialties she had brought for Ah Ling and Chao Ying when she suddenly perked up, quickly stood up, and hurried out.
"Ah Ling!"
Huang Ling was chatting enthusiastically with Song Ying when she heard her mother's voice. She was taken aback at first, as she had thought her parents wouldn't be back for a few more days. "Mom?"
Before they could finish speaking, the mother and daughter embraced tightly.
Huang's mother's eyes reddened slightly. She held her daughter's shoulders tightly with both hands and looked her over carefully: "Hmm, Ah Ling, you're still the same. I'm relieved to see that you haven't lost weight."
Huang Ling released her mother and turned to introduce her to Song Ying. "Song Ying, this is my mother!"
Song Ying greeted her politely with a smile. "Hello, Auntie!"
Mrs. Huang smiled and nodded, saying, "I know, you are Song Ying, Ah Ling's neighbor. Ah Ling mentioned it when she went back before, saying that your family is very kind and takes good care of Ah Ling and Chao Ying. Thank you so much, Auntie!"
Song Ying waved her hand: "Auntie, Sister Ling and Teacher Zhuang have taken good care of us. We're all neighbors, so it's only right that we help each other out." After saying that, she looked into the house and called out in a louder voice: "Lin Dongzhe, go home! Don't bother Aunt Huang."
Back in the house, Huang's mother looked at Song Ying and said, "It's no trouble at all. I quite like Dongzhe, he's very interesting and has a sweet tongue."
Hearing Huang's mother's words, Lin Dongzhe proudly raised his head and said, "Mom, look, I'm very popular."
At this moment, Mr. Huang came out of the small house and was overjoyed to see his youngest daughter, whom he had not seen for more than a year.
He stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching Ah Ling, thinking to himself: Hmm, not too fat, not too thin, and looks good. The young couple must be living a good life.
He took the opportunity to go to the bathroom to check the kitchen and discovered that they had bought a refrigerator.
He secretly opened the refrigerator and found that it contained meat and eggs, a fairly plentiful amount of food.
The two families shared a kitchen, and he wasn't sure which one was Ah Ling's rice container, so he looked at both containers and found that they were both full.
Now he and his wife could finally relax.
Old people, to put it bluntly, are just being unreasonable. They're always worrying about their children, afraid that they're not doing well, and they can't stop thinking about it.
The eldest daughter lives in Changcheng, which is close by, so we can see each other occasionally. But the younger daughter lives in Suzhou, which is far away, so we can only see each other once a year. Fortunately, Chaoying is a caring son-in-law.
He and his wife only have two daughters. The money they have saved up is of little use to them, so they might as well give it to their two daughters while they are still alive, which can help them improve their lives.
As Mr. Huang was thinking, Mrs. Huang came over and gently touched him: "Look at Ah Ling, doesn't she look better than before?"
Mr. Huang lowered his voice: "Yes, I just went to the kitchen and checked Ah Ling's refrigerator. It was full. It seems she's doing well."
They knew this trip was worthwhile. Before, Ah Ling and Chao Ying would always go back and only report good news, never bad. Now that they had come in person to see that their daughter and son-in-law were doing well, they were at ease.
,,,,,,,
On the other side, the old house of the Zhuang family.
As usual, Mrs. Zhuang slowly went out to buy groceries with her basket in hand. Just as she reached the alley entrance, she saw an elderly woman with curly hair walking towards her. "Sister-in-law Zhuang! It really is you, Sister-in-law Zhuang."
Mrs. Zhuang stopped and looked the person in front of her up and down: "Who are you?"
“I’m Xiao Zhang from Workshop 3. Look at you, you’ve already forgotten me. Brother Zhuang even helped me fix my chimney. I live in the alley three streets away from your house.”
Then it dawned on Zhuang's mother: "Oh my! Little Zhang, what's wrong?"
"Sister Zhuang, congratulations! Your eldest grandson got into Tongji University, and he's the second in Suzhou. It was even in the newspapers! That's amazing! Sister Zhuang, shouldn't we congratulate him on such a joyous occasion?"
Mrs. Zhuang was completely bewildered, thinking: What? Tu Nan got into Tongji University or is he second in Suzhou?
They didn't tell us about such a big thing, but then again, it makes sense. The eldest son has had a falling out with the family, and he only comes home once a year for Chinese New Year. We hardly ever see him at other times.
However, she quickly pretended to know as well, and said with a proud expression, "Oh my, my eldest grandson is so smart, he's loved learning since he was little!"
Mrs. Zhang linked arms with Mrs. Zhuang and said, "You two are really going to have a good time now. It's so enviable to have such a successful grandson."
Mrs. Zhuang smiled and nodded, but her heart was filled with mixed feelings as she walked towards the market.
When she arrived at the market, she lost all interest in buying vegetables. She simply bought a bunch of greens and went home with a heavy heart.
The eldest son has completely lost touch with our family. No matter how hard I try to get some money from him to help Ganmei and Zhendong and Zhenbei, it's impossible.
When she got home, Mrs. Zhuang went straight to the small room and saw Mr. Zhuang lying on the bed, fanning himself and resting with his eyes half-closed. "Old man, did you know that Tu Nan got into Tongji University?"
Mr. Zhuang, who had been lying comfortably, suddenly sat up abruptly upon hearing Mrs. Zhuang's words, his eyes widening instantly: "What did you say?"
Zhuang's mother raised her voice and repeated, "Tu Nan got into Tongji University!"
Father Zhuang got off the bed: "Such a big thing, and the eldest son didn't even tell the family. What a tragedy! How could he raise such a son? Tu Nan is still a member of the Zhuang family. We'll be proud of him if word gets out. Here's what we'll do: give the eldest son's family a call. After all, we're Tu Nan's grandparents. Tu Nan getting into university is a great joy for the Zhuang family. We can't pretend we don't know. We have to invite them to dinner and celebrate properly."
Seeing her husband's anxious expression, Mrs. Zhuang said, "Do you think the eldest son and the others will come? Their relationship has become so strained over the past few years."
Mr. Zhuang frowned and paced back and forth in the room: "No matter what, we have to show our appreciation. This is our way of showing our love and support. You should call and ask first."