Make a Fortune and Become Well-off [90] - Chapter 197

Mother Jiang couldn’t help complaining to Father Jiang when she saw it, “You can blame me for scolding her for putting a hand warmer. She knows how to stuff a hand warmer into her grandfather’s hand but doesn’t know how to stuff it under our blankets. She doesn’t even know how to do easy things. Can you blame me for calling her stupid, like she’s made of wood? And yet, she can still get first place in the county? I think all she knows is how to eat.”

Why didn’t she believe that Jiang Ning got first place in the county? She could believe that Songzi got first place in the county. Songzi had been smart and clever since he was a child. If he studied as hard as his younger brother and sister, then he would be the first in the county.

Thinking of Jiang Song, Mother Jiang didn’t care what happened to Jiang Ning and felt very unhappy.

The New Year’s Eve dinner was cooked by Father Jiang. He was always very serious about cooking, especially since it was New Year’s Eve. He was thinking that Jiang Song would come back in the evening, so he cooked a table of dishes that were quite delicious. But when Mother Jiang ate, it tasted a little bland.

Seeing Jiang Ning taking clothes to take a bath, she suddenly remembered that when she was delivering meat and lotus roots to her parents’ family two days ago, her sister-in-law gave her an old piece of clothing that her niece had worn and asked her to bring it back for Jiang Ning to wear.

Mother Jiang got up, went back to the room, took an old cotton-padded jacket, handed it to Jiang Ning, and said, “Hey, your new clothes for the New Year.” She added, “Your second brother doesn’t have any new clothes for the New Year. You’re the only one who does, and you still complain that we are partial.”

Her second cousin was so skillful that she even embroidered flowers to cover the damaged areas of the cotton-padded jacket.

People of their generation grew up wearing old clothes. The same was true for the friends around her. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with wearing old and tattered clothes, but Mother Jiang was like this. It was obviously an old dress that had been patched several times and washed until it turned white, but she always told her it was new and treated her like a fool. She didn’t care at all.

She also had that dress in her previous life and wore it until she went to college.

She looked at Mother Jiang, who spoke favorably as if it were only natural, and for some reason, it was a little funny.

Maybe she treated her like an ignorant three-year-old child, saying, “I am partial to you,” and then she really thought her mom was partial to her.

Look, even her second brother didn’t have new clothes, but she did.

She took the “new” clothes back to her room.

At that time, Jiang Bai had also finished his bath and came out, carrying a big wooden basin to pour water outside.

Since Jiang Song hadn’t come back, Mother Jiang had forgotten to buy Jiang Bai new clothes for the New Year. When she saw him coming out with the basin, she pretended not to notice and continued eating.

Jiang Ning wanted to take a bath, so she grabbed soap to wash the basin. After washing it, she filled it with boiling water.

Mother Jiang watched as she ate, keeping an eye on Jiang Ning, wondering why she was doing so many things with the washbasin.

Jiang Ning stood in the basin, holding a gourd, pouring water over herself little by little, taking a combat bath.

She kept her eyes on the door. She knew it was New Year’s Eve, and Mother Jiang wouldn’t rush in to beat anyone, but she was still afraid.

Her ears perked up, listening to what was happening outside. Father Jiang and Mother Jiang were still drinking. They were both worried about Jiang Song, and he was the topic of conversation.

“He said before that he was going to Shenzhen City, but he didn’t say where exactly in Shenzhen City.” Father Jiang sighed and said, “We will go to Shenzhen City this year to see if we can find him.”

Originally, he didn’t want to go out to work anymore and planned to get some machinery to quarry, but that required Mother Jiang’s support. Without her support, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

His eldest son hadn’t returned for the New Year, and he wanted to find him in Shenzhen City.

Mother Jiang said, “It’s okay to go to Shenzhen City. I just don’t know if we have any acquaintances there.”

They had always worked in the south, not too far from home, and had never been to a place as far as Shenzhen City. Being unfamiliar with the area made Mother Jiang feel a bit uneasy.

But she was used to being with Father Jiang. She was used to him arranging everything whenever they went out. All she had to do was follow him and lend a hand when work was needed. She didn’t have to worry about the rest.

So, when Father Jiang said he was going to Shenzhen City, she decided to follow him without too much fear or hesitation. Her only concern was that they were going to a strange place without even knowing where they would stay. They could find jobs quickly if they had connections through acquaintances.

Father Jiang said, “When Xiao Feng comes back on the second day of the new year, I’ll ask her if she knows anyone in Shenzhen City. You can also go home and ask your elder brother and little sister if they know anyone there.”

Xiao Feng was Aunt Jiang’s nickname, though her real name was Jiang Guofeng. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, all married daughters had to return to their parents’ home. Chinese New Year was Aunt Jiang’s busiest time of the year. It was expected she wouldn’t stay long at the Jiang house—just enough time to drop off things before heading back. Though Mother Jiang’s father had served as a captain in Tanshan, her family wasn’t from Tanshan, but from the neighboring town. On New Year’s day, people stayed up late. In previous years, Jiang Song and Jiang Bai would stay up, while Jiang Ning went to bed early.

She slept until midnight, when the clock in the main room chimed twelve times, and firecrackers went off outside.

Every year on New Year’s Day, Father Jiang would take Jiang Song, Jiang Bai, and Jiang Ning to Uncle Jiang’s house to celebrate. Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang would also sit at the main table together. They had lunch at Uncle Jiang’s, and in the evening, they ate at Father Jiang’s house. But that year, Jiang Song didn’t return, and Father Jiang wasn’t even interested in going to Uncle Jiang’s for the reunion dinner. He ate bone noodles in the morning and didn’t want to go.

By ten o’clock, when Uncle Jiang noticed Father Jiang hadn’t arrived, he came out with a smile and said, “Why didn’t you come? Are you waiting for me to invite you?”

Smiling, he twisted the knife in Father Jiang’s heart by adding, “Where’s Song? Why haven’t I seen him? He’s not coming back this year, is he?”