Chapter 223: Chapter 215: Sigh
Tian Sisi woke up when the sun was high in the sky the next day. After days of train rides and the constant clatter, even as she lay in bed last night, she kept feeling the rattling noise buzzing in her ears until she finally fell asleep late into the night.
After getting up, she didn’t head straight to the Tian Family home. They had given Tian Lili the room there, and instead, she had gone back to sleep in the Princess Room at the He Family home. Tian Sisi boiled some hot water in the kitchen, took it to the bathroom, sprinkled some water on the floor, and then carried the bucket into Space. The temperature in Space was just right; there were even shower gel and shampoo available, making it much more convenient to wash up than outside.
In the He Family’s courtyard, Zhang Mingliu and Tang Tieshan were weeding the flower beds, while Tang Qiubai was doing laundry. Talking about Tang Qiubai in this life, he truly was a comrade - diligent, filial, generous, and capable. He was someone fit for both the hall and the kitchen, a model man indeed. However, Tian Sisi was still not interested in him, her politeness was only surface-level.
"Grandpa Zhang, Grandpa Tang, Brother Tang, good morning!"
"Ah Nan’s awake, go have breakfast, Granny’s saving it for you!" Tang Tieshan laughed loudly.
"I’m off to have breakfast then, see you!"
Tian Sisi quickly walked towards the Tian Family home. From far away in the Tian Family’s courtyard, she could hear the playful laughter of Zhenhua and Qinghua. As soon as Tian Sisi stepped into the yard, Xu Qianwen’s sharp voice drifted over.
"Oh my, look who’s finally up! You’re here for lunch, aren’t you?"
Xu Qianwen was wearing a green jacket belonging to Zhu Aiqing and had Granny Zhao’s apron tied around her waist. She was wiping the door with a rag. Upon seeing Tian Sisi, she started making sarcastic remarks.
Tian Sisi touched her nose, wondering what was up with Xu Qianwen today. Why was she so full of resentment this early in the morning? What Tian Sisi didn’t know was that Granny Zhao had gotten up early that morning and organized for her two daughters-in-law to do chores. Xu Qianwen was dusting the house (a big cleanup), while Zhu Aiqing helped her fold fruit wrappers.
These dusting tasks used to be done by Granny Zhao and Zhu Aiqing, but this year she deliberately let Xu Qianwen do them. Who told this woman to be idle all day long, always blabbering nonsense?
Now, Xu Qianwen couldn’t vent her frustration anywhere, and when Tian Sisi showed up, she was met with a string of sarcasm.
Tian Sisi didn’t bother with her and went straight to the kitchen for breakfast. In the kitchen, Granny Zhao and Zhu Aiqing were folding fruit wrappers. The basket was already filled with rows of densely packed, emerald-green wrappers. The Qingming grass they were using to fold the wrappers was picked last year, blanched in water, and then preserved in lime water, keeping it vibrant green even until the Spring Festival.
That’s how Sui City people preserve Qingming grass, but after refrigerators became common, everyone started to seal the blanched Qingming grass in freezer bags, tie them tightly and freeze them; this way, they could also last several months.
"Granny, what’s wrong with Third Aunt? She seemed in a bad mood this early in the morning." Tian Sisi took out the hot dish of green vegetables and rice cakes from the pot and started eating while she spoke to Granny Zhao.
"Don’t pay her any mind. As soon as she has to lift a finger, she starts making a fuss. Humph, Donghua’s Mama, you don’t need to do any dishwashing or vegetable washing in these few days; I’ll have your sister-in-law do it."
Among the three daughters-in-law, Granny Zhao only took issue with this eldest one, always complaining to the Old Man about how her eldest son had arbitrarily married such a sharp-tongued woman; as a result, she also couldn’t come to like Tian Lili, whom Xu Qianwen gave birth to.
Mainly because Tian Lili looked too much like Xu Qianwen, with that same sharp-tongued appearance, at least that’s how Granny Zhao described it. Actually, both Xu Qianwen and Tian Lili were oval-faced and quite pretty.
Zhu Aiqing only smiled and kept her mouth shut. She’d rather stay far from the skirmish between her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, choosing to remain neutral.
Tian Sisi laughed, feeling a sudden sense of relief. Granny was indeed so supportive, avenging her so quickly. Hmph, criticize me will you? There’s no need for this lady to lift a finger; someone else will take care of you for me!
Having had her fill at breakfast, Tian Sisi wanted to help with folding the fruits, but Granny Zhao stopped her, "Go on, off you go. We have enough help with your mama and me here. No need for you kids to do the work."
Tian Sisi cheerfully kissed Granny Zhao on the cheek and went upstairs. She wanted to change into a pair of cloth shoes. The He Family’s house had only leather shoes, but at home, cloth shoes were more comfortable.
Tian Lili wasn’t upstairs, and the quilt on the bed was left unfolded, wrinkled like dried pickled vegetables. The closet was a total mess and the neatly folded clothes she had left were all turned upside down. It was as if a thief had rifled through them.
Sighing, Tian Sisi reflected that ever since Tian Lili and her daughter returned, the number of times she sighed had multiplied. At this rate, she’d end up with depression.
Tian Sisi refolded the clothes neatly but left the bed alone. After all, she would have to clean everything once Tian Lili left. Besides, she moved some of her favorite clothes into the Space and brought a few pieces downstairs. She also took the large doll from the bed – it was the first one Daddy had bought for her, and she didn’t want Tian Lili so much as touching it.
On her way out, she made a point to visit the kitchen to tell Granny Zhao and Zhu Aiqing that she needed to move these clothes to the He Family’s house. Otherwise, after Tian Lili and her bunch got back, none of her beautiful clothes would remain intact – she had a vivid bloody lesson from the past.
Xu Qianwen was wiping the tables and cupboards in the living room. Seeing Tian Sisi carrying so many clothes and a large doll, she felt her anger flare up again. Last night, she had checked Sister Lili’s room and couldn’t believe how many beautiful clothes and shoes that Ah Nan had, even a large doll. It was like raising a Princess! If Xu Qianwen had known these were only half of Tian Sisi’s clothes and shoes, her anger would have been even greater!
Her own granddaughter Lili, the direct descendant, didn’t have such good treatment. Why should an orphan girl picked up from who-knows-where live like a Princess? Since last night, Xu Qianwen had been holding back her anger, but now it suddenly exploded.
"Ah Nan, what do you mean by taking away these clothes and the doll? Do you think of Lili as a thief?"
Xu Qianwen put down the duster and blocked Tian Sisi’s way, determined to get an explanation before letting her pass.
Tian Sisi sighed again, suppressing the annoyance in her heart, and spoke softly and gently, "Third Aunt, you’ve misunderstood. Didn’t I give up my room for Sister Lili? It’s inconvenient for me to come back here every day just to change my clothes, so I have to take a few pieces to wash and wear."
"Oh dear, it seems Third Aunt has misunderstood you, Ah Nan. But you shouldn’t take this doll along. Your Sister Lili loves this doll; she can’t sleep without hugging it!"
Last night, Tian Lili took a fancy to the doll the moment she saw it, insisting that Xu Qianwen get it for her so she could take it home. That’s why Xu Qianwen spoke like this. In her mind, the doll must have been purchased by the old man and the old woman. Hmph, wasn’t the old couple’s money the Tian Family’s money? And if the Tian Family’s money wasn’t spent on a direct granddaughter, where else could it be used?
"I am sorry, Third Aunt, but this doll is a gift from my Daddy. It wouldn’t be right for me to give it to someone else. If Sister Lili likes dolls, perhaps you could buy one for her. I think Sister Lili would be very happy."
Xu Qianwen was left speechless by the retort. She wanted to buy one, of course, but such high-end dolls were only available at the Overseas Chinese Store and required Foreign Exchange Vouchers or an Overseas Remittance Card to purchase. Moreover, the dolls weren’t cheap, costing at least several tens of yuan. She wasn’t willing to spend that much.
Granny Zhao walked out and asked authoritatively, "Did the Chinese Mother finish dusting?"
"Just a little bit left, I’ll be done soon!" Xu Qianwen was still very obedient in front of Granny Zhao. She had no choice; if she dared to be disobedient, her husband Tian Aiguo would definitely give her a stern look, and she didn’t have the guts to provoke Tian Aiguo.
Tian Sisi smiled and made a face at Granny Zhao before turning and heading to the He Family’s house.