Chapter 87: Chapter 87: New Year’s Gifts
The couple handed over the family’s affairs to Gu Xiaoying and Gu Xiaoqing, then headed out with their year-end gifts.
Sure enough, once they stepped out, they ran into Sister-in-law Gui Hua at the back door, and with a glance, she could tell the couple was heading somewhere.
She cheerfully greeted them, "Xuemei, where are you off to?"
She casually tried to lift the cloth on the basket with her hand.
Li Xuemei had nothing to hide, so she responded graciously and with a smile, "Sister-in-law, we’re heading to his grandparents’ place to deliver year-end gifts. We got ready a bit late, so we’re just leaving now."
She simultaneously covered the cloth back over.
Gui Hua inadvertently curled her lips, as she could clearly see it was a five-pound piece of pork. This year, Gu Ruhai’s family hadn’t slaughtered any pigs. In the village, everyone knows each other’s business; it’s no secret.
Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei frequently went to the town market for business and didn’t have time to slaughter their own pig, letting the pig trader take it away during the lunar month.
As a result, their year-end gift was only five pounds of pork, which wasn’t exactly generous. It was clear the couple hadn’t earned much; otherwise, why purchase just five pounds of pork?
Some villagers are quite generous with their gifts. Yesterday, Captain Gu Changhai’s family showed off for the whole village with their twenty-pound piece of pork sent to his parents.
Thus, in Sister-in-law Gui Hua’s eyes, Gu Ruhai’s modest amount of pork didn’t really stand out; it was just the most ordinary year-end gift—not special, not impressive, traditional and predictable, neither wrong nor outstanding.
"You two should hurry up; if you’re any later, it’ll be lunchtime. It’s good Xuemei is easygoing; your two daughters have grown up and can help with the labor, so you two have finally reached a time when struggles are over, haven’t you?"
Gui Hua wasn’t looking down on Gu Ruhai’s family; it’s just that this family was always unremarkable, hence the comments.
Their paths quickly diverged.
Li Xuemei tugged Gu Ruhai’s arm, and the two turned toward Mr. and Mrs. Gu’s home. They encountered many people on the way, given that it was a time for visiting relatives and delivering year-end gifts. It wasn’t only Gu Ruhai’s family doing the rounds, so the streets were bustling with familiar faces.
Thus, it became common knowledge that they were specifically delivering year-end gifts.
Behind Gu Ruhai’s back, people gossip a little, but everyone knows Gu Ruhai is an honest man, and his filial intentions remain unchanged. After all, following Mr. and Mrs. Gu’s many years’ practices, some with strong wills truly dared not recognize their parents.
Yet here was Gu Ruhai, still delivering gifts as usual. He remained straightforward.
Being used to being bullied, he didn’t even know how to get angry or resist.
But who knows what’s really going on inside?
They arrived at Mr. Gu’s door, the main entrance partly open, and Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei pushed it open while greeting, "Dad, Mom, are you home?"
White smoke curled up from the chimney on the roof, indicating someone was inside lighting a fire.
Mr. Gu’s voice came from inside, "Come in. Your mother and I are in the house."
The couple lifted the curtain and walked inside.
Besides Mr. and Mrs. Gu, Gu Rushan, Jiang Xiulan, and Gu Xiaocheng were also present. Two baskets were set on the table, suggesting they had also come to deliver year-end gifts.
Mr. and Mrs. Gu sat cross-legged on the kang. Upon seeing Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei, Gu Rushan and Jiang Xiulan quickly stood up. A surge of anger ran through Gu Rushan’s heart, but he still greeted Gu Ruhai with a smile, "Brother, Sister-in-law, you’ve come to deliver gifts to Dad and Mom?"
Though it was a forced smile, it made Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei feel uncomfortable.
Still, you can’t hit a smiling face, so the couple agreed and walked in.
"Yes, we’ve come to deliver year-end gifts to Dad and Mom."
They placed their basket on the table as well.
"Dad and Mom, how are you doing? Are your clothes still fitting?"
This was Li Xuemei asking, making sure to convey the reasons for coming.
Mr. Gu responded somewhat awkwardly, "Good, good. Your mother and I are fine. Now you can rest and tidy up the house, and have a good New Year."
Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei couldn’t understand Mr. Gu’s embarrassment, but since he phrased it this way, there wasn’t much they could say.
As juniors, it wasn’t their place to question elders.
Gu Xiaocheng, having not done farm work for a few years due to college, had fair skin, wore glasses, and had a scholarly demeanor. He greeted Gu Ruhai and Li Xuemei, "Uncle, Aunt."
Gu Ruhai responded, knowing the issues with his brother didn’t concern Gu Xiaocheng, so he treated him well.
With a kind demeanor.
"You’re back, almost graduating?"
"Yes, almost, just a few more months."
Gu Xiaocheng was somewhat reluctant to talk, not due to being naturally dull, but because he looked down on his uncle, who was uninspiring, unlike the third uncle who earned his wages in a government unit, living well. To Gu Xiaocheng, Gu Ruhai simply wasn’t someone significant to him.
Thus his response was quite perfunctory.
Seeing Gu Xiaocheng uninterested in chatting, Gu Ruhai closed his mouth, turning his attention back to Mr. Gu.
Mrs. Gu had already lifted the cloth from the basket and, upon seeing the four gifts, showed considerable disdain, frequently muttering about the impressive gifts others brought, like ten pounds of pork, or five-pound carp, and various other things.
The implication was almost explicit: this four-gift set is just that.
Gu Ruhai remained silent, but Li Xuemei struggled to keep her cool.
After all, this was their son behaving like this.
She walked over and lifted the cloth on Gu Rushan’s family basket, revealing a slim piece of pork, at most three pounds, and two carp collectively weighing maybe three pounds, clearly diminished.
The two chickens were good but lacked vigor, possibly sick.
Li Xuemei burst into laughter, covering her mouth and sitting beside Gu Ruhai.
Mrs. Gu abruptly stopped talking.
She glared at Li Xuemei with anger, wishing she could curse her, but dared not say anything aloud.
Favoritism is allowed, but not when someone bluntly exposes it.
In comparison, there wasn’t much left to say.
Gu Rushan and Jiang Xiulan felt embarrassed.
Especially Jiang Xiulan, who was furious. Covering one’s face and lifting the cloth was like slapping oneself. As a daughter-in-law, acting so brazenly before one’s mother-in-law, Li Xuemei wasn’t even close to being that kind of presence.