A courtyard house, equipped with a fishing system, living in an era.

That evening, Xu Pingan went out and then returned with a bicycle.

This bicycle is also a veteran.

Every time Xu Pingan was about to go on a long trip, he would first go out for a short drive and then ride his bicycle back.

Yan Bugui looked at the car with envy in his eyes.

"Your boss is so good to you, he always lends you his car... What are you up to?"

"I'm taking my two younger sisters back to the village tomorrow!"

Go back to the village?

Yan Bugui narrowed his small eyes and, upon hearing that Xu Ping'an was going back to the village, he roughly guessed why he wanted to go back.

He couldn't help but sneer inwardly, thinking, "He's just a young man, all talk and no action!"

Shouldn't we have made a trip for this before the new year?

This is the downside of not having an adult at home. I guess someone reminded me of this, so I had to find someone to fill in the gap at the last minute.

Yan Bugui glanced at the matter and moved on, but the others took it to heart.

Tomorrow is the second day of the Lunar New Year. According to Chinese custom, it's customary to visit the mother-in-law's house on this day...

This year, as the new son-in-law, Jia Dongxu not only has to go on the second day of the Lunar New Year, but also has to prepare a generous gift to give Qin Huairu face.

Of course, special cases should be treated specially.

Whether or not a generous gift is given depends entirely on Qin Huairu's position in the Jia family.

What is Qin Huairu's current status?

To be honest, it's pretty average.

At first, Madam Jia had a wonderful idea: after her son got married, she could stop worrying about things and just enjoy her retirement.

But things in this world rarely go as planned.

Take, for example, this leisurely life.

Whether in one country or one family, it's either the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind, or the West Wind prevailing over the East Wind.

As the old saying goes, even teeth and tongue can sometimes touch.

What's more, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are like family members who have only met once in life?

In the years since Old Jia died, whether it was genuine or feigned, Jia Zhangshi had already been throwing a tantrum for so many years.

This camouflage had seeped into her skin and into her soul.

Is this something that can be resolved simply by agreeing to it now?

At first, Jia Zhangshi was able to control her temper.

But as the saying goes, once you marry a wife, you forget your mother.

Qin Huairu was born in 1933, and when she married Jia Dongxu in 1951, she was 18 years old, the most beautiful age of her life.

Faced with such a beautiful wife, Jia Dongxu would almost be completely obedient to her.

The son she raised with such hardship and sacrifice is now completely subservient to another woman...

Besides, the three members of the Jia family live in just one room, which is still separated by curtains.

When they had some intimate moments at night, Jia Zhangshi could only pretend to be asleep.

Pretending to be asleep can only fool others, not yourself...

This sound was constantly bothering her, and she cursed Qin Huairu as a vixen in her heart!

More importantly, her son also lacks self-control and is no longer learning his fitter skills properly...

So, two months after Jia Dongxu and his wife got married, as December approached, things started to get unsettled in the Jia family.

Madam Jia Zhang started causing trouble, and Qin Huairu, relying on Jia Dongxu's support, was no longer so subservient.

Although she doesn't talk back, she often sheds tears to gain Jia Dongxu's sympathy.

So, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi had another disagreement about what to bring when they went back to her parents' home tomorrow.

With the door closed, the three people sat in three corners of the room.

Seeing Qin Huairu's tearful appearance, Madam Jia became furious.

"Cry! Cry! Cry! All you do is cry! You've cried away all the good fortune you have for the New Year."

Qin Huairu wiped the tears from her face with her handkerchief, her eyes red. She looked at the bewildered Jia Dongxu and then lowered her head.

Receiving a broken look from his wife, Jia Dongxu felt his heart break.

"Oh, Mom, don't say that. My new son-in-law is visiting this year, so it's only right that he brings a little extra stuff!"

Having vented her anger to a certain extent, hearing these words reignited Jia Zhangshi's fury.

Does that mean bring more things?

They practically wanted to empty the Jia family's coffers just to give her face?

Why is your face so big?

If I had known that marrying a girl from the countryside wouldn't have saved me any money, I would have just married a city girl.

To put it bluntly, wasn't Jia Zhangshi's original idea simply to marry a man from the countryside and then buy him out with a dowry?

Now look what's happened; they've already received the bride price, but the relationship can't be severed.

"What? I can't even say anything about it now? Do you still respect me as your mother? Back then, your father..."

As Jia Zhangshi recounted old grievances, she complained and wept, implying that Qin Huairu had sown discord between her and her son.

Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi unleash her ultimate move, Qin Huairu knew that staying inside would be pointless.

Unable to stay indoors any longer, Qin Huairu had no choice but to run outside for some fresh air, and also to let everyone in the courtyard know that she had been tormented by her mother-in-law on the first day of the Lunar New Year...

Luo Wencui has been keeping a close eye on the Jia family lately.

There was nothing they could do. Ever since Yi Zhonghai injured his arm and was only rated as a level three fitter, the elderly couple had no sense of security whatsoever.

They now see Jia Dongxu as an ingrate destined to abandon them both.

Although Jia Dongxu has done nothing and has always been respectful to them, Yi Zhonghai can't help but test him.

A cup will definitely break if you try to drop it on the ground to see if it will break.

Because if it doesn't break, you'll keep trying until it breaks.

This is the current situation between Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu.

Yi Zhonghai felt that he had not been able to completely suppress Jia Dongxu, so he kept thinking about whether the other party had the intention of getting rid of him.

If you think about it, you will test it in your actions.

If they keep testing each other, the mentor and student will inevitably drift apart.

Of course, the master and apprentice haven't reached that point yet...

The Jia family and the Yi family lived across from each other.

The Yi family had already noticed the commotion when the Jia family started arguing.

"Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, it's still so noisy! How can anyone have good fortune with all this noise?"

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, Luo Wencui disagreed. She looked across the window with envy in her eyes.

Noisy and bustling things are what make life interesting!

Their house is quiet and peaceful, but it's as cold and deserted as an icebox.

With no work these past two days and the food at home being quite good, Yi Zhonghai, unusually, started to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

"Huai Ru ran out crying, I'll go and try to comfort her..."

Before Yi Zhonghai could reply, Luo Wencui went out to comfort and win over Qin Huairu.

The Yi couple had a clear division of labor, so they basically didn't need to discuss these things; they knew exactly what to do.

"Huai Ru, did you argue with your mother-in-law again?"

"Master's wife, I..."

"Sigh... No need to say anything, Master's wife understands!"

Luo Wencui patted Qin Huairu's hand and sighed.

"For us women, marriage is like a second chance at life; if we marry poorly, our lives are likely to be miserable! Speaking of which, Dongxu is really a good boy, it's just a pity your mother-in-law is so difficult..."

The easiest way to build rapport is to create a common enemy for everyone.

Jia Zhangshi is such a natural target, she couldn't be more useful.

Before long, the two of them had been criticizing her for a long time, sharing a common grievance.

Luo Wencui also understood the reason for performing this grand opera on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

"Your mother-in-law is really something. You didn't go back before the New Year, so how can you try to save money by going back to your parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year?"

As she spoke, Luo Wencui began to reach into her pocket.

"Take this 2 yuan. If Dongxu really can't do anything, consider it a compensation from your master and mistress."

"Master's wife, I can't accept this money!"

Despite being very tempted, Qin Huairu declined.

"Hey, take it!"

Luo Wencui stuffed the money into Qin Huairu's cotton coat pocket without any room for doubt.

Of course, Qin Huairu didn't really want to refuse; she was just half-heartedly going along with it...

"Thank you, Master's wife..."

With Luo Wencui as a comparison, Qin Huairu disliked Jia Zhangshi even more.

Qin Huairu was very satisfied, and Luo Wencui was even more satisfied.

For the Yi family, money has never been very important.

The people they value are poor, and they are very important to them!

We still need to keep Jia Dongxu in check; the Jia family can't be too rich!

Although they didn't know the saying "economic independence equals personal independence," Mr. and Mrs. Yi Zhonghai understood the principle behind it!

The two were talking in the corner when they overheard the conversation between Yan Bugui and Xu Ping'an in the front yard...