Chapter 46: Record of Moving to the City in the 90s 46

The house was always lively. Yu Zexiu was the same way; if he could come home, he would. Sometimes when he needed to discuss business, he would bring people straight back to the house to talk.

Eldest Brother-in-law would whip up a couple of dishes, and they would talk while they ate. The advantage was that the food was comfortable, hygienic, and clean, wasn’t it?

Yu Zexiu also asked Su Huandan, “Eldest Brother-in-law serves so many people every day. It’s too exhausting, working day and night. He can’t be doing it for nothing, right? Let’s pay for the fruits and vegetables over there ourselves. If that’s not enough, talk it over with your sister and see if we should hire a couple of kitchen assistants for him.”

Su Huandan thought Yu Zexiu was being too long-winded and pushed his large face away.

Since he was physically strong and well-built, Yu Zexiu’s face had indeed grown a size larger than before.

Yet he was still very handsome, looking much younger than others his age.

“Don’t worry about the household affairs; just handle the outside business. Didn’t Father-in-law set up a farm in the south? Whatever vegetables are in season or whatever poultry is ready, he has them flown here daily. They’re all delivered to the house across the way. Eldest Brother-in-law is in the catering business himself, so his sourcing for ingredients is better than anything we could find. Second Sister and I each give him twenty thousand yuan a month for food expenses. He handles all the food and drink, so we don’t need to meddle. If you feel bad about it, just look into buying a nice watch for him.” Men always liked good cars and fine watches.

Giving a car would be too much, and Eldest Brother-in-law certainly wouldn’t accept it. But if he bought a watch at the right price point, he would definitely take it.

Yu Zexiu nodded. Regarding his father-in-law’s household, he would follow whatever arrangements his wife made.

Spending money didn’t matter; the main thing was that his wife was happy and her family felt comfortable. If that was achieved, he had done his job.

While traveling abroad for business, Yu Zexiu did indeed look around and bought several watches.

Old Master Xiao and his grandson weren’t left out either.

In reality, the watches weren’t that expensive. Even for big brands, buying them abroad was much cheaper than in China.

The six watches combined cost less than one hundred thousand yuan.

However, if bought domestically, a single one would cost over eighty thousand.

As gifts, they were quite appropriate, weren’t they?

Su Dakui was overjoyed. He knew the third daughter and her husband were doing this to give him, the father, face by taking such good care of the two brothers-in-law.

During the day, Su Dakui was all smiles, but at night, his wife grabbed him for a lecture. “You certainly have thick skin! The eldest and second sons-in-law didn’t even want them, yet you insisted on stuffing them into their hands. Do you know how much those watches cost? Over eighty-nine thousand each. One for you, one for our son, two for the eldest son-in-law, and one each for the second son-in-law and his grandfather. That’s six watches given away. Aren’t you afraid the third son-in-law’s parents will have something to say about it?”

The eldest couple lived in the same courtyard as the old parents. Nowadays, they lived like a Pixiu¹, only taking in and never letting out. The second and third daughters each gave twenty thousand yuan a month for food. If they hired their own nannies to cook at home, they wouldn’t even spend that much. The eldest couple was making quite a bit of profit from the two younger sisters every month.

Furthermore, whenever the second daughter bought clothes, she always bought some for her eldest sister. The third daughter was the same; whenever she went shopping, she always included the eldest sister’s family.

One day the third daughter would buy two gold bracelets, one for the eldest and one for the second sister. The next day she’d buy two rings, one for the eldest and one for the second.

On the second daughter’s side, Jiang Chunhua saw this and reciprocated. She bought a jade Pixiu for the third daughter’s mother-in-law. The second daughter and her husband had gone specifically to the jade market to buy it. No one knew how much it cost, but the gesture certainly gave the third daughter face.

But what about the eldest couple?

Jiang Chunhua was calculating these matters from a financial perspective.

Su Dakui looked at his old wife with an indescribable expression.

Relational exchanges among relatives shouldn’t be calculated this way.

“You only see that the eldest couple hasn’t spent much money and has gained all the benefits. But aren’t they the ones looking after us two old folks so peacefully now?”

“Your eldest son-in-law has several of his own chain fish restaurants. He doesn’t go to his shops much anymore; he stays here to cook three meals a day for you. To put it bluntly, the eldest couple knows that if they didn’t do this, the third daughter wouldn’t be at ease.”

“Every family has a business; it’s just a matter of scale. Don’t you think the eldest couple cares about their own business? But they do this to give the third daughter peace of mind.”

“The eldest son-in-law’s braised meat has gathered many people. The house is lively and full of life. Even if it’s just superficial bustle, is it something you, Jiang Chunhua, dislike? Or do I, Su Dakui, dislike it?”

“When people get old, they fear loneliness. The house is bustling all day long. Just ask around, which elderly couple’s life is as comfortable as ours?”

“It truly is incredibly comfortable, both physically and mentally.”

“The eldest son-in-law isn’t young anymore. Isn’t it tiring to cook all day? And who was it complaining in the middle of the night that his snoring was loud enough to kill someone?”

“Just because they contribute labor instead of money, it doesn’t count as filial piety? It doesn’t count as taking care of the second and third daughters?”

“That’s not how it works.”

“Even the two nannies from the third daughter’s house often come over during the day now to help the eldest son-in-law with the washing and cleaning.”

“As a mother-in-law, you’re practically ready to work the eldest son-in-law like a donkey, but the third daughter and her husband see his hard work and help him out in various ways.”

Seeing his children get along like this, Su Dakui felt he could close his eyes in peace even if he died right now.

“So, you just live your life well. Don’t say a single word about how the three sisters interact, alright?” He wanted to prevent her from making a mess by meddling.

Although the eldest and second families weren’t as wealthy as the third, they weren’t short on money either. None of them were stingy people. Why should biological sisters calculate things so precisely?

Three years passed in a flash since the Su family moved to Beijing.

Old Master Xiao had been acting a bit unusual these past few days.

He was in his nineties now. His mind wasn’t muddled, but he could no longer eat.

They went to the hospital, but the doctor said to take him home; it was simply his time.

After bringing him back, the old man just lay in bed. The television in the room was on, tuned to the opera channel, playing traditional opera twenty-four hours a day.

Someone was always by his side. The children had grown up under Old Master Xiao’s gaze, and he had truly helped raise them when they were little. Consequently, the children weren’t afraid; they all stayed by the old man’s side to keep watch.

Whenever the old man remembered something, he would say a few words.

What he spoke of most was Xiao Jianguo, the grandson he had raised with his own hands.

He would say things like how Xiao Jianguo’s wife had worked so hard over the years, while he only focused on work and left every household matter to her, and that he must never mistreat her in the future.

His words moved Xiao Jianguo to tears several times.

After lying in bed for three days, the old man fell asleep and never woke up again, passing away peacefully without pain or illness.

Once the funeral was over, Yu Zexiu didn’t really want his parents to keep traveling all over the country anymore.

If they started taking care of their health now, perhaps they could also live into their nineties?

Yu Zexiu began to gradually take over Zhou Jing’s industries and Ms. Meng’s businesses, which meant Su Huandan became busy again.

Aside from not leaving the capital and avoiding frequent social engagements, Su Huandan spent most of her days presiding over the office at the company.

Only then did the Su family breathe a sigh of relief, feeling that their third daughter’s life had finally returned to the right track.

Translator’s Notes