By the end of it, Yuan Qionghua’s feelings had grown even more complicated.
Luckily, her own daughter had already been married off.
Otherwise, judging by what these two younger brothers-in-law were doing, her daughter really would have felt estranged and hurt.
Moreover, her youngest son had already gotten married and built a house last year.
So this year, there was no need for him to join the two younger uncles in starting construction.
Even so…
When she thought of how her husband had followed the two younger brothers without hesitation, practically taking out all of the family’s savings and even contracting an orchard,
Yuan Qionghua lost the mood to continue speaking.
An Songyu didn’t quite understand why her aunt’s mood had suddenly turned so low. She herself was also still a bit dazed and unable to fully process things.
The two of them simply stopped talking.
In fact, An Jianping’s recent busyness in the village wasn’t mainly about these houses that had only just begun construction.
But at this moment, An Songyu temporarily missed the chance to learn about it.
In the evening, after An Songyu returned home, she looked at her mother busily working in the kitchen. After hesitating several times, she still didn’t ask anything.
She felt that the decision to apply for residential land and build houses for the sisters probably hadn’t been her mother’s idea.
However, recently, everyone in the Jiang family would go to Jiang Village whenever they had time off.
Even if her mother didn’t know about it before, she would likely find out the next time she went.
She also wondered what her reaction would be then.
With such thoughts weighing on her mind, An Songyu couldn’t even wait for her father to come home.
Seeing that dinner was almost ready, she impatiently went out the door.
“Mom, I’ll go downstairs and see if Dad is back yet.”
“This child…” Bi Lizhu stuck her head out to glance at the already closed door and shook her head helplessly.
After tasting the last dish once more, she nodded in approval and turned off the stove.
Checking the time, it indeed was around the hour when her husband and daughter would be getting off work.
She quickly began carrying the prepared dishes to the table.
Only after everything had been set out did she suddenly realize—her second daughter was on vacation today and must have gone to Jiang Village.
And judging by how she had acted just now…
It seemed that on her next day off, she would need to hurry and make a trip there herself.
Last week, on Bi Lizhu’s day off, she hadn’t gone to Jiang Village because of matters back at her parents’ home.
She didn’t know how things were really progressing over there under Jianping’s direction.
An Songyu had no idea that her odd behavior had prompted Bi Lizhu to decide even sooner to go to Jiang Village and check things out.
At that moment, she was like a happy little bird, briskly racing downstairs.
She happened to see An Jianping riding his bicycle back at a leisurely pace.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that they lived in the silk factory’s residential compound and that An Jianping worked at the silk factory.
Even twenty years later, the Shuncheng No. 1 Silk Weaving Factory would still stand firm thanks to its inheritance of intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship and its ability to produce precious silk fabrics.
The entire factory grounds combined with the residential compound took up more land than some large modern residential communities.
“Dad!” An Songyu greeted him obediently, taking the leather bag from his hand so he could more easily lock up the bicycle.
“Back from the village?” An Jianping asked calmly.
Just from the look on his daughter’s face, he already knew what she was thinking.
But clearly, this wasn’t a place suited for talking about such things.
After locking the bike, An Jianping took the bag back from his daughter, greeting acquaintances who were getting off work along the way, and signaling for her to head home quickly.
An Songyu had run over excited and eager, yet hadn’t managed to say anything at all, and could only follow her father back upstairs, feeling aggrieved.
Before the two could head up, however, An Songxiang also rode her bicycle back.
The father and daughter pair stopped downstairs to wait for a moment.
Once An Songxiang had locked up her bike, the three of them went upstairs together.
Upstairs, Bi Lizhu had already served the rice and poured soup into bowls.
She looked up just in time to see the father and daughters entering together.
She glanced over the expressions of her second daughter and the others, but didn’t notice anything unusual.
So she temporarily put aside the odd feeling she’d had earlier.
After dinner, the two sisters helped Bi Lizhu clean up the kitchen.
Bi Lizhu glanced at the fruit in the house and called out,
“Ah Yu, Ah Xiang, we’re almost out of fruit. Do you want to go out with me later to buy some?”
An Songyu’s eyes lit up slightly, and she quickly refused.
“Mom, no need. You can just go buy it yourself.”
Bi Lizhu paused mid-motion and couldn’t help lifting her head to look toward the kitchen.
Normally, when she asked this, the two daughters would almost always agree.
First, they could choose fruit they liked.
Second, they could keep her company and help carry things.
Still, Bi Lizhu didn’t say much more and only instructed,
“Then wash and cut up the fruit at home. Tonight, finish off that apple and pear we still have.”
“Got it, Mom. Just go out and buy it without worry!”
Once the sound of the door closing came from outside, An Songxiang immediately put down the dishcloth in her hand and looked at her sister.
Her expression clearly said, If you have something, hurry up and explain.
An Songyu didn’t answer right away, instead urging her,
“Ah Xiang, hurry up. Let’s clean the kitchen and then go find Dad!”
An Songxiang grew even more puzzled, but still resumed working.
Soon, the sisters finished cleaning up the kitchen.
Without even taking out the trash, An Songyu grabbed her sister and headed out.
In An Jianping and Bi Lizhu’s bedroom, An Jianping was seriously writing things down in a notebook.
The sisters knocked but didn’t bother waiting for a response and barged right in.
An Jianping took off the glasses on his nose bridge helplessly and looked at them.
“Dad…” An Songyu called out, but then found herself at a loss for words.
After quite some time, she finally lowered her voice and continued,
“Dad, did you apply for residential land in the village for me and Ah Xiang too?”
“And… is the family really building four houses together this time?”
“What?!” An Songxiang cried out involuntarily.
She looked at her sister, then at her father, feeling as though she must be dreaming.
An Jianping looked at his two daughters helplessly.
So the documents he had them sign at the bank a few days ago—had they not read them at all?
Although he truly hadn’t intended to make them shoulder any of the loan burden, this still wasn’t how things should be handled!
Before An Jianping could say anything, however,
An Songxiang suppressed her voice and emotions with all her might, her voice trembling slightly as she asked,
“Dad… what Sis said—is it true? Did you… did you really apply for residential land for both of us in the village?”
Faced with his youngest daughter’s reaction, An Jianping had no way to scold anyone.
He could only nod helplessly in answer.
But in the next moment, An Songxiang suddenly burst into loud tears.
She threw herself straight into An Jianping’s arms.
It had been many years since An Jianping had last seen his daughter like this.
Flustered, he tried to comfort his youngest daughter for a good while, but nothing worked.
He hurriedly looked up at his second daughter, hoping she would help.
Yet he saw tears glistening in the eyes of his usually strong and resilient second daughter as well.
For a moment, An Jianping fell silent.
For the first time, he felt ashamed of having always gone along with his wife’s firm belief that the son would support them in old age, and that they therefore needed to give more to their son.
(End of chapter)