Ji Changze has never been to his Sister-in-law’s house, but he’s no stranger to it.
Outside, Liu Huifen was still confused about how her husband had suddenly changed his temper, as the husband had very naturally moved himself to a bench and sat down, crossing his legs as if he was waiting to be served.
On the other hand, his big brother was also really nice to him, walking quickly into the house and giving him water to drink and snacks to eat.
He just sits there comfortably, and now and then says something without any sincerity. “Brother, don’t bother. We are brothers, you don’t have to be so polite to me, just give me some plain boiled water and let me sit.”
Ji Changguang found some dried sweet potatoes and put them in front of his younger brother with a smile. “You have never been here before, so I have to take good care of you.”
“By the way, I remember we have some rock sugar, it would be better to put it in water, I’ll get it for you.”
Liu Huifen watched her husband enter their house, and then took a look at her brother-in-law, who was sitting in their house looking like he was enjoying himself, and she also entered the house in anger.
As soon as she entered, she saw Ji Changguang rummaging through the rock sugar.
“Ji Changguang, what’s the matter with you?”
Liu Huifen was an only daughter, and Father Liu and Mother Liu loved her. Therefore, although she’s not very feisty, she wouldn’t keep her grievances to herself.
She directly grabbed her husband’s arm and asked, “Didn’t you go to your parents for money? Is the money coming? Why did you bring Changze back?”
Even if you bring him here, you still serve this scoundrel like that?!
She was afraid he forgot how much Ji Changze had taken from them since they got married.
Ji Changguang was looking for the sugar attentively. When he heard his wife’s words, he remembered that he had not explained the bicycle to her yet.
Although he now feels that the bicycles should be given to his younger brother, Ji Changguang wasn’t the kind of person who thinks only about his parents and younger brother, and didn’t care about his wife’s feelings. He immediately looked awkward and carefully explained it.
“Huifen, let’s not ask for this money. In fact, it’s my fault that Changze is physically weak now, and has a hard time finding a wife. Now he has found a wife, the bicycle should be regarded as a gift to celebrate his wedding.”
She almost suspected that something was wrong with her ears.
“Ji Changguang, what are you talking about?!!”
“Don’t you know how much the bicycle costs? Why should you give Ji Changze the money you have saved for so long? And it’s your fault that he couldn’t marry a wife?! It’s his own laziness and bad reputation. Otherwise, with his face, how could you still think he couldn’t find a wife?!”
Ji Changguang hurriedly said: “No, Huifen, that’s not the case. Changze is not lazy. He is physically weak, so he couldn’t work. He is diligent.”
Ji Changze, who is waiting for people to serve him like a big master outside, is diligent?!
Sure enough, Ji Changguang is just possessed, right?
“Listen to me, we misunderstood Changze before. He is a good boy, let me tell you …”
Ji Changguang’s words hadn’t finished yet, but they heard the courtyard door opened again, and then in came the voice of Father Liu and Mother Liu.
The couple had to stop the conversation for a while and go out to tell them about Ji Changze’s visit to the house.
Liu Huifen was very good at handling this problem. Although Ji Changguang lived and ate at their home now, Liu Huifen always gives him a face in front of her parents and outsiders.
Just like this time, even if she was dissatisfied with Ji Changze, she would only pull her husband into the house and talk.
Out in front of Ji Changze and her parents, she certainly won’t tear down Ji Changguang’s standing.
Ji Changze also heard the noise outside. When his older brother and sister-in-law came out, he stood up and looked like a good man.
“Dad, Mom, this is Changze, Changguang’s younger brother.”
Liu Huifen introduced him to her parents as if nothing had happened.
Ji Changze looked at Father Liu and Mother Liu.
Both of them have jobs. Mother Liu is a laborer, and Father Liu worked in a state-owned hotel, and also found a job for his daughter as a salesman in the supply and marketing agency. This family is not much in the later generations, but now, it’s said as very good.
The two people were a little surprised when they saw Ji Changze.
After all, there were no holiday visits, and the relationship between Ji Changguang and his family wasn’t so good before, especially Ji Changze, who asked for things from Ji Changguang before without any concern for face. When he suddenly came over this time, it was easy for people to think of ulterior motives for his appearance.
But both of them also were polite to their son-in-law and greeted him with a smile on their faces even though they had heard their daughter talk about Ji Changze’s bad reputation before.
Anyway, they only had to treat him to a nice meal.
Ji Changguang was honest, good to their daughter and good to them. Father Liu and Mother Liu were still happy to give their son-in-law this much.
As a result, after the greeting, they were greeted by the smiling spirited young man, completely unrecognizable as someone with a bad reputation. He walked over and said,
“Uncle, Aunt, actually I’ve been wanting to come and see you for a long time, it’s just that these years haven’t been very good, and the family can’t bring anything to formally visit. This is also a coincidence, I caught a pheasant and caught a fish in the river. I thought it would be a good idea to bring these things with me, and that’s why I came with my older brother.”
Liu Huifen rolled her eyes in her heart as she listened to the preceding words about not being able to come visit because they couldn’t get anything.
That’s a lie. Right now, every family is very poor. Even if he grabs a handful of wild vegetables and comes to visit, it can be regarded as bringing something, and no one would say anything.
As a result, she froze when she heard pheasant and fish.
Ji Changze has this ability?
No, even if he really had this ability, he’s such a jerk; How could he catch a pheasant and some fish and bring them to their home?
Unfortunately, Ji Changze really wasn’t lying.
He went outside, rummaged through the tricycle’s flatbed, and found the pheasant and the fish that had been plucked and cleaned.
In the not-so-warm sunshine, Ji Changze, with a fowl in his left hand and some fish in his right, stood in the courtyard and smiled at the Liu family.
“On the way here, I hid it for fear of being seen, and forgot about it.”
She’s not dreaming, is she?
Father Liu and Mother Liu didn’t know what Liu Huifen knew too clearly, and now there was a surprised smile on their faces.
Father Liu smiled and said, “We are all relatives. Why are you so polite? You can come to the house without taking anything, our family doesn’t have this rule.”
Mother Liu also said, “Yes, Changze, this pheasant and fish are valuable, take them back quickly. You are Changguang’s brother, even if you didn’t bring anything, our family would definitely treat you well.”
“How can I take it back when I’ve brought it all here.”
Ji Changze went to the kitchen and smiled at the two elders. “In fact, it’s useless to put these in our house. We all eat in the commune, otherwise we would trouble ourselves. It’s just thinking that my sister-in-law’s family is from the city? This meat is brought for you to eat, and it is not cheap out there.”
Ah, this kid is really sincere…
Father Liu and Mother Liu suddenly changed their long-standing view on Ji Changze.
There is no cooking in the villages, you had to sneak around! But it’s really not allowed. Now, you need tickets for everything you buy in the city, and meat is more expensive. There were few tickets in the first place. This pheasant and fish add up to so much meat, so if Ji Changze can exchange something with someone quietly, it can be exchanged for a lot.
But in the end, he actually brought them all directly to their house.
If he doesn’t value their home, he wouldn’t do such a thing!
For a moment, both of them looked at Ji Changze in a much more intimate way.
After a long while of protesting along the lines of “Meat is too expensive for us”, “No, uncle and aunt, this is for you”, “But your family is spending too much, and we really can’t take it”, “if you feel sorry about it, Uncle, Aunt, take a bowl and let me take some back for my parents to eat, and let them taste it”…
Ji Changze successfully accomplished the goal of “Delivering pheasant meat and fish, but walking away with cooked pheasant meat and fish”.
Father Liu and Mother Liu felt that he was an honest child just like Ji Changguang.
Look, he hunted down pheasant meat and fish, his own family didn’t even have a bite to eat, but he actually gave them all to them, whole.
Even if he only bought half a chicken, or only fish, it was a great gift.
After all, it’s too difficult to have meat these days.
Liu Huifen watched Ji Changze sit in the house and have a good talk with her father.
“Uncle, you like to play chess. Coincidentally, I like it too, but I can’t play myself. I just like to watch others. I think it is played by learned talents. Why don’t you teach me, Uncle?”
Father Liu also has a hobby of playing chess, and his favorite thing was usually that people say he had culture, but now he met Ji Changze, and both his favorite points were tickled.
He perked up all of a sudden, laughing more than he had in three days, pulling Ji Changze inside and talking non-stop, literally wishing this was his son.
Ji Changze was fond of watching people play chess, which he knew well.
But isn’t that because all the old men in the village bet on something in chess, like peanuts or something?
Ji Changze likes to walk around and see if he can get some peanuts to eat!!
Huifen was looking at the two angrily while chopping the pheasant, when Mother Liu came in with a smile. “Huifen, Changze is not like what you said before. This child has a good heart. Just now, he taught me that washing my face with rice washing water can make my face white and smooth. Try it next time. By the way, let me tell you, this child is funny. He said, if we go out together, people will think I was his sister. Is your mom that young? Talking to this child is so funny.”
Liu Huifen didn’t miss the fondness in her Mother’s eyes for Ji Changze: “…”
Everyone in her family is crazy!
This Ji Changze was a devil, how could he bewitch people?
Liu Huifen looked down at the pheasant on the chopping board, thought about it, and took a drumstick and set it aside.
Mother Liu: “What are you doing? This pheasant is from somebody else. Later, one drumstick will be given to Changze, and the other will be taken back to your in-laws.”
The money and things she and Changguang sent to Ji’s family were enough to buy a lot of drumsticks.
It just so happened that Ji Changguang also came in with water, so Liu Huifen hastily grabbed him. “Changguang, tell me, what’s going on with Changze, is there something he’s begging you for since he’s so courteous today?”
This was a typical weasel paying New Year’s greetings to chickens!
(Tnote: weasel paying New Year’s greetings to chickens = Idiom meaning; Beware of suspicious folk bearing gifts, they are sure to be ill-intentioned.)
Now the whole family had been deceived by Ji Changze as if they were blind. She must fight for the last line of defense.
Ji Changguang’s face was full of doubts. “No, Changze has never come, so he wanted to visit.”
Who are you kidding?! Why haven’t I seen him come visit before?
Liu Huifen’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she felt that things weren’t so simple. When she thought about it, she suddenly thought of something. “Wait, is it okay on your parents’ end if these things were sent to our house?!”
She knows that her in-laws never liked her very much.
“Yes, Mom also told me to take good care of you, saying that I am burdening my father-in-law. And, it’s only because you’re virtuous that a grown man like me can live at home.”
She was shocked and even stuttered: “Mom, your mom really said that?”
No way. Didn’t her mother-in-law treat her with disdain?
Ji Changguang responded, “Yes, by the way, Huifen, I want to make an effort and see if I can move up.”
Liu Huifen asked, “Didn’t you always think it was good to stay like this before?”
She also told Ji Changguang many times before to tell him not to just mope around, but also want to think about whether to work upwards. It’s so tiring to be a worker all the time.
And Ji Changguang just won’t listen. Did he change his temperament today?
“It was Changze who told me it wasn’t okay to be like this all the time, and he told me last night to be nice to you. These days, it’s not easy to find in-laws who could be so helpful to a son-in-law like me, and Huifen, you’re from the city, and are good-looking and educated, and you have a good job, so how can I be worthy of you if I remain at the same position?”
Ji Changguang smiled and said, “Changze also said that we have been married for some time. Although it seems that the salary is almost the same, in fact, you have been working harder at home. We are going to have a baby soon. When the baby is born, it will cost more money. I have to work harder to make you and our child live a good life.”
Liu Huifen was shocked by his words.
What she fancied was that Ji Changguang was honest and kind to her.
But if Ji Changguang could earn more money, she would certainly be happier.
Ji Changguang took his wife’s hand again and said, “Huifen, really, you have worked hard.”
Liu Huifen blinked, and the ends of her eyes were a little red. She was embarrassed and turned away from him, and pushed her husband gently. “It’s good that you know.”
“In fact, I didn’t think of these things before. It was Changze who told me.”
Liu Huifen pouted. “Your brother can see more clearly than you can.”
After saying that, she took out the drumstick she kept before and put it back.
She didn’t see that Ji Changze was really sensible.