Chapter 10: Why Should They Always Live with Us?
Chapter 10: Why Should They Always Live with Us?
Tian Caihua stared intently at the stack of banknotes in Zhou Mother’s hand, trying to estimate how much money it was.
Zhou Mother: "We still have twelve hundred yuan in the house."
Tian Caihua: "That’s it? So little?"
Zhou Chengxin tugged at her clothes.
Zhou Father ignored her and took the stack of banknotes from Zhou Mother: "Of this twelve hundred, three hundred goes to the eldest, six hundred to the fourth, and the extra three hundred is for the fourth to fix the house. The remaining three hundred is for me, your father, and Zhou Zhou. Do you have any objections?"
Zhou Chengxin quickly chimed in: "No objections."
Tian Caihua rolled her eyes. She did have some objections. She thought fixing the house didn’t need three hundred yuan, and the house, though old and shabby, could be cleaned and lived in without repairs.
But she had just received a new house, which had cost over three thousand yuan to build. She felt it would be inappropriate to complain, so she let it go.
She could take the hit; it wasn’t worth arguing over.
"I have no objections either," Tian Caihua said reluctantly.
Zhou Chenglei didn’t care much about this. He had plenty of his own savings.
Jiang Xia, who was just staying with them, had even less reason to object.
Zhou Father: "So, that’s how the money will be divided. The family split is settled!"
Tian Caihua panicked. Settled? It wasn’t even fully divided yet!
She blurted out, "So, you and Zhou Zhou will be living with the fourth son and his family, right?"
The room fell silent at her words.
Zhou Father and Zhou Mother were taken aback by Tian Caihua’s comment, both stunned.
Zhou Chenglei frowned. He had assumed his sister-in-law didn’t want to live with him and his wife, but he hadn’t expected her to also be unwilling to live with her parents-in-law.
What was the condition of the old house compared to the new one? The old house was dilapidated, drafty, and leaky!
Zhou Chengxin snapped, "What are you talking about? Of course, Dad, Mom, and Zhou Zhou will live with us!"
Tian Caihua immediately replied, "I also want to live with Dad and Mom, but this house only has six rooms. Wen Guang and the others are growing up. Right now, the two brothers can share a room, but as they get older, that won’t be possible. Wen Guang is already in junior high and will be getting married in a few years. And in a couple of years, Zhou Zhou won’t be able to sleep with Dad and Mom anymore. This house simply can’t accommodate so many people."
She already had four sons to take care of and didn’t want to take on a niece.
The elderly weren’t just one son’s responsibility. Why should they always live with them?
Zhou Chengxin: "You don’t need to say more. Dad, Mom, and Zhou Zhou will live with us."
Tian Caihua was angry: "I didn’t say anything wrong. Why are you getting so worked up? It makes me look like a disobedient daughter-in-law! I’ve been married to you for over a decade and have been living with Dad and Mom for over a decade, taking care of them. The elderly have more than one daughter-in-law. Did I say anything? It’s not that there aren’t enough rooms; the old house has plenty. I didn’t say I wouldn’t take care of Dad and Mom. I’m actually considering the fourth son’s future. If Dad and Mom live with the fourth son, then when the fourth son and Jiang Xia—"
Zhou Chenglei interrupted her: "Dad, Mom, and Zhou Zhou will live with me."
Only then did he realize he hadn’t asked Jiang Xia’s opinion.
It was almost time for the divorce, so whether she was willing to live with his parents wasn’t really important, but Zhou Chenglei was afraid she might cause a scene.
He turned to look at Jiang Xia.
The family split had been triggered by her, and Jiang Xia felt a bit embarrassed. When she saw Zhou Chenglei looking at her, she went along with his suggestion: "Dad, Mom, and Zhou Zhou can live with us! The old house has plenty of rooms, and they’ll fit just fine. I don’t know anything about farming, so I’ll need Mom to teach me."
She spoke sincerely, and her words were soothing, unlike her usual self. Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but look at her again, feeling a bit relieved.
Tian Caihua also breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid that Jiang Xia would cause a fuss and that her in-laws would continue to live with her. She quickly smiled and said, "Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law are thinking long-term. Fourth Sister-in-law knows nothing about farming, and having your parents around can help you a lot. Once Fourth Brother has children, your mother can help take care of them. Zhou Zhou is also a hardworking child who can help with the housework. With your parents and Zhou Zhou helping out, Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law will have an easier life."
Her sons had also been raised by her mother-in-law, who was indeed hardworking and easy to get along with. However, she was a hardworking person herself and could manage the household chores on her own.
Besides, she had been living with her in-laws for over a decade. With several sons, it was only fair that they take turns caring for their parents.
Zhou Father and Zhou Mother didn’t really want to live with any of their sons, as they didn’t want to be a burden. However, with only two rooms in their house, the eldest daughter-in-law clearly didn’t want them to stay with her. Zhou Father looked at Jiang Xia, unsure if her earlier words were sincere or not.
Jiang Xia continued, "Dad, Chenglei and I are truly sincere. We need you, Mom, and Zhou Zhou to come and live with us! I know nothing about farming, and we need your help."
Jiang Xia thought about her previous life, where she had a distant relationship with her parents and relatives.
When she was three, her father had an affair, and her mother, in a fit of extreme anger, took her father's life along with her own, leaving Jiang Xia an orphan. The family had to pay a large sum of money in compensation and lost their home. Later, when she was in junior high, her grandmother also passed away.
At that time, it felt like the world had left her all alone. The small basement where she lived, though crowded, seemed vast and empty.
She didn’t want to live alone, but no one was left to share her life with.
Now, in this new world, she had a family and parents. The morning greetings from her family members were something she had never experienced before.
She knew this family didn’t particularly like her, but feeling the warmth of having parents before the divorce was a welcome change, a way to make up for what she had missed in her previous life.
Jiang Xia’s words, "We need you," touched Zhou Father and Zhou Mother deeply.
As they grew older, the fear of being unneeded and a burden to their children was their greatest worry.
Zhou Father nodded, "We’ll stay with you two for now. Once our youngest son builds a new house, we’ll move in there and live on our own."
Jiang Xia smiled, "That’s great."
Zhou Mother, seeing Jiang Xia’s genuine smile and lack of reluctance, also felt relieved and a bit happy. Their youngest son didn’t have children yet, and she wanted to be close to him to help him out in the future.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her, and for some reason, he felt she had been a bit sad just now.
It wasn’t because she was unhappy about living with his parents, but a deeper, more solitary sadness that she had hidden so well, it was almost fleeting. Yet, he could sense her sorrow and loneliness.
It was like the grief of an orphan missing their deceased parents, but why would she feel that way? Her in-laws were still alive. Maybe he was mistaken, and she was just missing her old home?
The matter of dividing the household was settled.
Zhou Father added, "As for our living expenses, we can still work, so you don’t need to provide for us yet. When we can no longer work, you can help us then."
Tian Caihua smiled, "That’s fine."
Zhou Father continued, "Since today is the first day of the month, we don’t need to choose a specific date. Chenglei and I will go clean the old house, and Xia and you can divide the household items and tidy up. We’ll move in today."
(End of Chapter)
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