booktalesy Chapter 1145: Each with their own thoughts
Chapter 1145: Each with their own thoughts
Zeng Lijuan didn't sleep well all night after arguing with her husband the day before, and she got even angrier the next morning, Sunday.
She gave the housekeepers a day off. Since none of her children were coming home that day, and it was just her and her husband at home, she figured she might as well give the housekeepers a day off to rest and let the old man go hungry for a day to see if he still had the energy to argue with her.
Old Huang was completely unaware of what was happening. He only realized after getting up that he was all alone at home, and there wasn't even breakfast. That old hag! She really holds a grudge!
Old Huang immediately guessed that this was Zeng Lijuan's doing, and it wasn't the first time.
After giving the nannies a break, Zeng Lijuan didn't stay at home; instead, she went to her younger brother Zeng Jiahua's house alone.
Seeing that Zeng Lijuan had come alone, Zeng Jiahua casually asked, "Sister, where's my brother-in-law?"
"Don't mention him, just thinking about him makes me angry," Zeng Lijuan said angrily.
Upon hearing this, Qian Jiazhen glanced at Zeng Jiahua, and the couple immediately guessed that their elder sister and brother-in-law had quarreled again.
The couple quickly made Zeng Lijuan sit down. They knew that what followed was Zeng Lijuan's rant, and they couldn't refuse to listen.
Sure enough, after Zeng Lijuan sat down, she brought up what had happened yesterday afternoon again. After she finished, she asked her younger brother and sister-in-law to judge who was right and who was wrong.
What are Zeng Jiahua and Zeng Lijuan supposed to say?
As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. However, Zeng Jiahua was on the side of his brother-in-law, Lao Huang, on one point: the marriage of their grandson should naturally be left to the parents to handle, and it was best for the grandmother not to interfere.
But he couldn't say this to his own sister. He knew that if he did, his older sister would definitely say that he wasn't on her side as a member of her family. Well, just wait and see; she would never stop nagging him.
Therefore, Zeng Jiahua wisely chose to remain neutral to avoid getting burned.
Zeng Lijuan talked on and on for almost the entire morning. Qian Jiazhen couldn't keep up anymore, so she made an excuse to go to the kitchen to help the nanny. Anyway, it was better than listening to her sister-in-law complaining.
But Zeng Jiahua couldn't leave. He could only patiently stay with his older sister and listen to her rambling. Since their mother passed away, his sister was the closest blood relative to him in the world, so he couldn't just ignore her.
Around 11 o'clock, the doorbell rang.
Zeng Wentian has returned. Since he came to Shanghai to study, he has come every two weeks. Firstly, this was instructed by his mother, Zhang Yun. Secondly, since he is in Shanghai, he cannot not come, after all, he bears the responsibility of continuing the Zeng family line.
When Zeng Lijuan saw that the person who came was Zeng Wentian, she was taken aback for a moment, because she really didn't know that this Singaporean grandson was in Shanghai. Her youngest son had never told her about it, and her younger brother Zeng Jiahua had never mentioned it either.
The reason Zeng Jiahua didn't tell was because his nephew Huang Xiaochuan had told him that Zeng Wentian was his adopted grandson, or in name, Zeng Jiahua's grandson. Therefore, there was no need to tell his sister about his trip to Shanghai immediately.
After all, there are still many things involved. We should try not to involve my sister Zeng Lijuan or my brother-in-law Lao Huang, so as not to let my nephew's wife Yu Xiang find out and further escalate the family conflict.
Zeng Jiahua knew that Yu Xiang was quite hostile towards Zhang Yun and her two children. Over the years, the two had never met, and even when Zhang Yun took the initiative to show weakness, Yu Xiang insisted on her own way.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back."
As soon as he entered, Zeng Wentian greeted Zeng Jiahua and Qian Jiazhen warmly, but he was immediately stunned when he saw Zeng Lijuan sitting in the living room.
The situation was somewhat awkward. Zeng Wentian didn't know how to address Zeng Lijuan. Calling her "Grandma" seemed inappropriate, but calling her "Great-Aunt" might upset her. He was caught in a dilemma.
Zeng Jiahua noticed his predicament and immediately came to his rescue: "Kid, what are you standing there for? Don't you recognize your great-aunt?"
Zeng Wentian then called out, "Grandma!"
At this moment, Zeng Lijuan stood up, looking at her eldest grandson with mixed feelings. This was her own grandson!
That call of "auntie" broke her heart.
But she could only suppress her discomfort and nod in agreement: "Yawen! When did you come to Shanghai?"
Zeng Wentian first looked at his grandfather Zeng Jiahua and grandmother Qian Jiazhen. After seeing his grandfather Zeng Jiahua nod slightly, he said, "Grandma, I am now studying at Hudan University."
"Ah!" This news caught Zeng Lijuan off guard. She did not expect that Zeng Wentian was also studying at Shanghai University. Wouldn't that mean he was in the same university as her other grandson?
She glanced at her younger brother, Zeng Jiahua, and noticed that his gaze was somewhat evasive. She guessed that her youngest son must know about this, but he was keeping it from her, which made her a little angry.
However, in front of her grandson, she didn't say anything, but instead pulled him to her side: "Yawen, come and sit down. Grandma hasn't seen you in a while. I didn't expect you to have grown so tall!"
Zeng Lijuan held her grandson's hand tightly, reluctant to let go. Qian Jiazhen saw this and felt a little jealous. After all, Zeng Wentian had been adopted by their Zeng family and was now the eldest grandson of the Zeng family. Zeng Lijuan had agreed to this back then, so what was going on with this?
This inevitably reminded Qian Jiazhen of that old incident, the matter of wanting to adopt her nephew Huang Xiaochuan back then.
Having been husband and wife for a lifetime, Zeng Jiahua noticed Qian Jiazhen's expression. He quietly nudged his wife with his hand and gave her a look, telling her not to take it to heart.
Qian Jiazhen then gave up and made an excuse to go to the kitchen to check on the dishes.
"Yawen, are you getting used to the food at the school cafeteria? If you don't like it, just call Grandma and she'll cook for you." Zeng Lijuan held her grandson's hand and showered him with concern, which made Zeng Wentian feel a little uncomfortable.
However, he quickly adapted: "Auntie, the food at our school is pretty good. There are many kinds of dishes. We can choose a few each time, and we won't have the same thing twice in a month. Besides, we can occasionally go out to eat with our classmates to change things up."
Zeng Lijuan inquired in detail about Zeng Wentian's situation at school. Afterward, she opened her bag and rummaged through it. She wanted to give her grandson some money as a token of her affection as a grandmother. Unfortunately, she didn't know beforehand that her grandson was studying in Shanghai and hadn't made any preparations, so she didn't bring much money with her. There were only a few thousand yuan in her bag, which was hardly enough for her to give away.
In the end, she gave up the idea for the time being and planned to find another opportunity to give her grandson some pocket money. In her opinion, it was only natural for a grandmother to give her grandson pocket money.
At noon, Zeng Lijuan naturally had lunch at her younger brother's house. The old man at home left her alone, figuring she wouldn't starve if she missed a meal or two.
Zeng Jiahua and Qian Jiazhen naturally couldn't very well tell Zeng Lijuan not to stay for dinner; there was no reason for that. So, the closest of friends ate the meal with their own thoughts in mind. Zeng Wentian, of course, sensed this too. After dinner, he made an excuse to leave. Otherwise, he would have stayed there until after dinner before returning to school.
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