While Shen Xiuzhen was stir-frying sunflower seeds, Song Shulin sat in front of the earthen stove, helping her tend the fire.
Song Sihai stood at the kitchen door, responsible for providing emotional support.
“Mom, how come the sunflower seeds you fry smell so good?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I’m really blessed to have a mom who can do everything.”
As he spoke, he kept fanning the aroma from the kitchen toward Song Dabao’s room.
Shen Xiuzhen saw this and smiled affectionately, lowering her voice to say to Song Shulin:
“Sihai, this child, has a quick mind.”
Song Shulin glanced sideways at Song Sihai and scolded with a laugh:
“He’s got a good mind, but he uses it all for slacking off.”
Song Sihai shamelessly replied, “Hah, isn’t that just following the roots of our Song family? Above me, there’s my grandma; in the middle, there’s my eldest uncle and second uncle; below me, there are my cousins—which one of them doesn’t know how to slack off?”
He spoke loudly, and everyone in each room heard him clearly.
Old Mrs. Wang had already lain down, but she was so angry that she sat up again with a “whoosh.” Just as she was about to curse out the window, she remembered the words “dividing the family” and could only lie back down in a huff.
The couples of the First Branch and Second Branch also hid under their quilts, quietly cursing the Third Branch family.
Song Shulin sneered, “You’re just asking for a beating. You’re almost twenty years old and still so unreliable, even feeling proud of slacking off. It’s only because your mother and I are still young and can support you. In a few years, when we can’t work anymore or are gone, I’d like to see how you’ll manage. Surely you can’t expect your brother, your younger brother, and your sister to help you support a wife and children, can you?”
“Of course not! I, Song Sihai, would never do something so shameless.”
The father and son truly had no intention of criticizing the First and Second Branches; they were merely stating facts.
But to the ears of the First and Second Branches, it sounded like the Third Branch was picking a fight.
Song Erlin couldn’t lie still any longer. He threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and opened the door to confront Song Shulin.
“Third Brother, what do you mean by that?”
Song Dalin also came out of his room with a dark expression.
“Song Shulin, have you no conscience? If it weren’t for me and Erlin, would you have survived until now? What? Now that you’ve grown up and your wings have hardened, you don’t recognize us as your brothers anymore?”
Zhao Guifang, filled with pent-up anger, added, “Yes, Third Brother, even if you and Xiuzhen have grievances against us, your elder brother and sister-in-law, we can sit down and talk things out openly. Do you have to be so sarcastic in front of the children?”
Liu Zhaodi, unusually, remained silent, coldly observing the situation.
“What sarcasm are you talking about?”
Song Shulin threw down the fire poker and walked out of the kitchen.
“Wasn’t I just lecturing Sihai? If you insist on taking it personally, what can I do?”
Song Sihai chimed in, “Exactly, my dad was just lecturing me. Why are you, Uncle, Aunt, Second Uncle, and Second Aunt, getting so worked up?”
The four of them were fuming but couldn’t refute it.
Shen Xiuzhen scooped out the fried sunflower seeds, placed them on the cutting board to cool, and then walked out of the kitchen unhurriedly.
Seeing the First and Second Branches looking furious, she curled her lips into a cold smile.
“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Shulin isn’t wrong.
Compared to my other children, Sihai really is a bit lazier.”
Thanks to the care of Eldest Brother and Second Brother when they were young, Shulin was able to survive until now. He should serve your two families like an ox or a horse for the rest of his life—that’s what he owes you.
But Sihai is different. He has never done anything for his siblings. Instead, Dajiang, Dani, and the others have always been kind to him without expecting anything in return.
Tell me, with his current attitude, how is he supposed to demand repayment for favors in the future?
If he can’t demand repayment for favors, how will he support himself and his family in the future?”
The four fell silent again, as Shen Xiuzhen wasn’t wrong. She was simply educating her own son.
It was they who insisted on taking it personally.
“Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, we were wrong. We misunderstood what was said!” After speaking, Liu Zhaodi pulled Song Erlin back into their room.
Seeing this, Song Dalin and Zhao Guifang also returned to their room, seething with anger.
Song Sihai stood where he was, carefully pondering what his parents had said, his brow slightly furrowed.
He thought they were right. The reason Uncle and Second Uncle could afford to be lazy was because they had once raised his father, and his father was willing to support them out of gratitude.
But what about him?
He had never done anything for his siblings. Why should they support him and his family in the future?
“Sigh!” Shen Xiuzhen let out a sigh.
She had thought that, given the temperaments of the First and Second Branches, there would be another big scene tonight. That would have given them an opportunity to seek the Village Chief’s help and force a family division.
Who would have thought that both branches would choose to let the matter rest?
And Old Mrs. Wang—she was even more unusual, hiding in her room without making a peep.
The path to family division truly seemed endless!
“It’s getting late. Go back to your room and rest. I’ll clean up the kitchen!”
Song Shulin pushed Shen Xiuzhen back into their room and, under the pretense of tidying the kitchen, vented his frustration by clattering pots and pans.
Eldest Brother’s leg and Second Brother’s lungs were like two tight curses hanging over his head, never giving him peace.
After cleaning the kitchen, he filled a basin with melon seeds and carried it back to their room.
Seeing him so troubled, Shen Xiuzhen comforted him:
“Husband, don’t overthink it. What you owed them, we repaid in our previous life.”
“Yes, I know.” Song Shulin closed the door, took off his shoes, and got into bed. “It seems we won’t be able to divide the family anytime soon.”
Shen Xiuzhen stared at the ceiling and softly replied, “Hmm.”
“Lying around like this isn’t a long-term solution.”
Having worked hard for two lifetimes and finally enjoying a few days of rest, Song Shulin found it somewhat unsettling.
Shen Xiuzhen felt the same way. Suddenly remembering something, she sat up abruptly and asked Song Shulin excitedly:
“Husband, do you think the melon seeds I roasted are tasty?”
“Delicious!” Song Shulin immediately understood. “Should we try selling them in town tomorrow?”
Shen Xiuzhen frowned. “The Wu family will likely come tomorrow to discuss the marriage.”
In their previous life, the Wu family had come on this very day.
Song Shulin also remembered this and frowned.
“Let them come. The First Branch is taking a wife, and the Second Branch is marrying off a daughter. What does that have to do with our Third Branch?”
“It has nothing to do with us. I just want to teach the Wu family a harsh lesson.” Shen Xiuzhen gritted her teeth. “In our previous life, their whole family caused Dani so much suffering. In this life, I must avenge Dani and settle this score.”
Song Shulin held her hand, “Wife, don’t be hasty just yet. Now isn’t the time to cause trouble for the Wu family. We must endure.”
Even though they had been reborn, it didn’t change the fact that they were still ordinary people.
Ordinary people stood no chance against the wealthy and powerful steel mill director.
So, they had to wait—wait until they themselves grew stronger, and then find a way to take revenge on the Wu family.