Rebirth Era: After the Beautiful Sister-in-law Refuses to Open Business

The atmosphere in the dining room made Chen Dongze feel extremely depressing.

"Xiao Ze, is the food not to your liking?"

Seeing her son only eat a white steamed bun and then pick up the bowl in front of him to drink porridge, Zhang Hua couldn't help but feel distressed. She said, "Tell me what you want to eat. I will make more of your favorite food for you tomorrow."

"Need not."

Chen Dongze shook his head, then he looked at the dishes on the table and said, "These dishes are good."

"then you……"

Zhang Hua frowned slightly, not quite believing what her son said. She thought to herself: If the food suits your taste, why not eat more?

"I had two boxed lunches before I got off the train, so I'm not very hungry now."

Chen Dongze explained.

"Just ask your mother to make you whatever you want to eat."

Chen Dongze was stunned when he heard Chen Changqing's words, then he said, "Thank you, Dad. But the food tonight is really good. I didn't feel very hungry, so I ate less."

His stepfather hardly spoke to his mother. Normally... Normally, he should have been used to it. But at the moment, there were only three of them at home, sitting around the dining table, each one quieter than the other. The atmosphere was really depressing and uncomfortable.

In fact, Chen Dongze thought about it more than once: since his stepfather didn’t like his mother, why did they want to form a family?

Don’t the two of them feel awkward?

They lived under the same roof, seeing each other every day, but they lived their lives without interfering with each other. He didn't know what his stepfather and his mother were thinking, but he couldn't agree with this way of getting along.

And ever since he could remember, his stepfather and his mother had always slept in separate rooms, and they didn't look like a couple at all.

Chen Changqing said "hmm" to indicate that he understood.

"Dad, is Dongxu living in the courtyard with grandpa and grandma? I didn't see him when I got home this afternoon, and I don't know if his leg injury has healed."

Chen Dongxu felt sympathetic towards what happened to him.

As a brother in the family, even if he is just the stepson of the family, he still has some feelings for Chen Dongxu.

The two words of concern for each other were not just to show off in front of my stepfather, but came from the heart.

"Ah."

Chen Changqing nodded slightly and said, "Dongxu lives in the courtyard. As for his leg injury... that's it."

Every once in a while, he would call the Red Star Machinery Factory and ask Director Zhang about the recovery of his youngest son's injured legs. Now, his youngest son's legs have recovered quite well, and if nothing unexpected happens, he will be able to stand up after the New Year.

At this rate, he will be able to walk normally in another three or two months.

He was very happy about this, but he didn't want to tell his family about it right now, for fear that his youngest son might encounter another accident.

-

Red Star Machinery Factory, old family housing area.

"Sister-in-law, I want to go back to Beijing to celebrate the New Year."

Today is the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, and in two days it will be New Year's Eve. Song Lan has noticed that everyone in the family, from her sister-in-law Qin Yaqing to the soft and tender little girl, seems to be hesitant to speak whenever they see her these past two days.

Without giving it much thought, she understood what they meant. Today, after dinner, she asked everyone, big and small, for their opinions on where they wanted to spend the New Year. The first to express her opinion was Qin Yaxin.

"I do not mind."

Qin Boyan said: "However, if we spend the New Year here, should we call Dad as soon as possible?"

"Sister-in-law, I miss my dad!"

The cute kid Xiaowu looked at Song Lan with hope in his eyes: "I haven't seen my dad for a long time, sister-in-law, I want to go back to Beijing to spend the New Year with my dad."

"Sister-in-law, I also want to go back to Beijing to spend the New Year with my father."

The sweet and soft little girl blinked her bright black eyes, and immediately expressed her wish as soon as her brother finished speaking.

"What about you, big sister?"

Song Lan turned her gaze towards Qin Yaqing, and heard her say, "I heard from my colleagues in the department that in previous years, we basically had a holiday until the afternoon of New Year's Eve, and we had to work in groups of two during the Spring Festival. So far, I don't know the scheduling situation in our department."

"It takes less than four hours to get back to Beijing from the county town by train. If you add the departure time from our current home, it will be a little more than four hours. How about this, we should leave after lunch on New Year's Eve at the latest."

Song Lan announced her decision. Qin Boyan, who was standing by, heard this and asked, "Are you waiting for your brother?"

"……Um."

After hesitating for a moment, Song Lan nodded and said, "But no matter whether your eldest brother can take a holiday on New Year's Eve, we will set off on time to return to Beijing this afternoon."

The two little ones clapped their hands happily and kept saying, "Great, great!"

"Big sister, you can talk to your director and arrange your shift to the day before the end of the holiday. Then, we can leave Beijing a day earlier."

She also needs to be on duty, but she has already agreed with Director Wang to be on duty at the hospital on time on the third day of the Lunar New Year.

I have to say here that in the 1970s, which is the era now, strictly speaking, there were no holidays during the Chinese New Year, but many units would make private arrangements based on the original Spring Festival holiday, such as taking turns to rest.

Since Song Lan had to go back to Beijing to celebrate the New Year, she took half a day off on top of the original schedule arranged by the department. Fortunately, she was able to return to her home in Beijing before New Year's Eve.

Qin Yaqing, Qin Boyan and Qin Yaxin had no objection.

"That's it, go wash up, I'm going to Uncle Zhang's house."

Having said that, Song Lan stood up.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing at Uncle Zhang's house?"

The cute kid Xiaowu asked curiously.

"There's something going on. Sister-in-law will be back soon."

Song Lan responded casually.

"You are the only one who is very curious!"

Qin Boyan tapped the little guy on the forehead and said, "You're just a kid, just mind your own business." The implication was that don't meddle in adult affairs.

"A little bit..."

Making a face at his second brother Qin Boyan, the cute kid Xiaowu left the living room with his short legs.

"Wait for me, little brother!"

The little girl chased after the boy.

"Brother, I'm going to wash up, what about you?"

Qin Yaxin stood up and asked Qin Boyan before leaving the living room.

"I'll wait."

Qin Boyan sat there without moving.

After Qin Yaxin left, Qin Boyan looked at Qin Yaqing and said, "When you get back to Beijing, don't mention your troubles to Dad. If Dad asks, just say that you broke up with that guy not long after you went to the countryside."

"I won't let Dad worry about me."

It was she who refused to listen to advice and insisted on following Wen Qiming to go to the countryside. She even gave all the money she had on her to Wen Qiming, which led to her mother becoming seriously ill and her father getting into an accident. She didn't even have money to buy a train ticket or even to send a letter or a telegram.

Based on this, even if her second brother didn't remind her, how could she, an unfilial daughter, have the face to say anything in front of her father?

"You'd better keep your word."

Qin Boyan looked straight at Qin Yaqing and said, "If Dad gets hurt because of that little thing, I will never forgive you!"

"I'm already very unfilial. I can't let Dad worry about me anymore."

Her loving mother had passed away, sick and worried about her. Unless she was a beast, she would not use her little tricks to bring harm to her father.