Chapter 8:

Yu Chengdao: "Hmm, Nana, come over and sleep next to your mother and me. Alright, let's go inside and get ready to eat."

Nana wasn't actually happy about it; she preferred sleeping with Youngest Aunt. But at home, she was used to obeying her father, so she pouted without saying anything.

With the family matters settled, the onlookers finally dispersed, satisfied.

As they left the courtyard, they commented, "None of them are easy to deal with!"

Yu Duo helped Yu Ling carry her luggage into the house, "Second Sister, you can settle down and come out to eat later. I need to go cook."

Yu Ling nodded, "Okay."

Yu Duo returned to the kitchen, cooked the dishes, and brought them out.

Yu Cheng sat down, frowning, "Little sister, why didn't you try to mediate earlier?"

The whole courtyard, the whole alley had seen the Yu family's embarrassment.

Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world!

If word got out that he couldn't even "cultivate himself", how could he ever hope to be promoted to a management position?

Qiu Xin Mei wasn't very smart, but his little sister was quite clever.

Yu Duo said, "Big brother, you can ask Xiao Peng if I tried to mediate."

Yu Peng nodded, "Dad, Youngest Aunt did try to mediate. She suggested that Mom and Eldest Aunt go inside to talk, or wait until you came back. But Mom didn't listen and wouldn't let Eldest Aunt in."

Yu Cheng looked around.

Both children were at the dining table. Nana was circling around her Youngest Aunt's legs, and Yu Peng got up to help serve the dishes and set the table.

Yu Ling was inside putting things away.

Qiu Xin Mei was nowhere to be seen, so he had to go inside to comfort her.

Yu Cheng and Qiu Xin Mei were middle school alumni, and he still had feelings for her.

And although she wasn't as smart or beautiful as his little sister, she did all these things for him and the children.

In all fairness, the reason she gave for not letting Yu Ling in was actually quite good.

For the sake of returning to the city, she divorced without hesitation. And after divorcing, returning to her parents' home was different from coming back from the countryside unmarried.

It wasn't unreasonable to ask her to rent a place on her own.

As for the news about the nephew, he had just found out and hadn't had a chance to tell Qiu Xin Mei.

But even if he had told her, it wouldn't have made a difference.

Who would have thought that their mother, in order to gain Yu Ling's forgiveness, would tell Yu Ling about how they had to offer that job to silence the Qiu family because they were pregnant before marriage?

And then Yu Ling announced it publicly. She had seized the handle of her ten hard years in the countryside and the job that was supposed to be hers being taken away.

It had turned into a farce, giving everyone a good show.

500 yuan, equivalent to half of the money left by the old man, was given to Yu Ling.

Yu Cheng naturally felt the pain. His heart ached!

Given the situation, it's best to think positively. Consider it as buying out that job, so she can never bring it up again.

After all, they did take her in and provided her with food and shelter during her most difficult times.

Yu Cheng went into the big room.

Qiu Xin Mei, both embarrassed and angry, was lying on the pillow, her face red with frustration.

Hearing him come in, she turned her head and said, "How could Mom do that, telling everything to outsiders. Yu Ling is even worse!"

How could she face people now? The neighbors would look at her with colored glasses.

Yu Cheng patted her shoulder, "Yu Ling also said that Mom wanted to leave a room for her. Who doesn't know that's nonsense? There are only two rooms in the house. If we leave one for her, where will our family of four live?"

When Nana grows up, she'll marry out, and the house will definitely be left for the male heir.

"Since that's nonsense, then other things can be too. We'll just insist that Xiao Peng was premature. Besides, we're not important people; no one will keep paying attention. You'll see, in a couple of days, something new will happen in the alley, and this will be forgotten. Let's go eat dinner. The food gets cold quickly in winter; we should eat while it's hot."

Qiu Xin Mei slowly sat up, "How long is she going to stay?"

The little sister is manageable; she can move out or not in a few months when her job is settled.

Once her job is settled, I can ask someone to help her find a good match.

But having Yu Ling living at home is really annoying!

Don't say she can help with housework and take care of the children.

A woman who can send her own child away is ruthless. Who knows if she would secretly mistreat our children?

Having her live at home for 20 months is really uncomfortable.

And, we have to give her 15 yuan every month. That's more than 10% of our salary.

Adding another mouth to feed and losing 15 yuan every month. Life will be tight from now on.

Luckily, the little sister should be able to earn a salary as a temporary worker in three months.

Yu Cheng frowned, "This matter is indeed difficult. She might really not find a job for a long, long time."

20 million educated youths returning to the city all at once, where are there so many jobs to arrange for them?

The Yu family is just an ordinary family in Beijing City, with no connections or networks to arrange for a job. Not even a temporary worker!

Qiu Xin Mei said unhappily, "So we're just going to support her? And, 500 yuan! The house and money left by our parents should have been ours. You're the only son of our parents, and Xiao Peng is their only grandson."

Yu Cheng was also very annoyed, but he could only comfort her, "Think positively, because of that job, you didn't have to suffer in the countryside. And the 500 yuan has already been earned back over these eight years."

Even in the first half year as an apprentice, he earned 15 yuan a month.

The money had already been doubled.

Speaking of this, he was also a bit dissatisfied.

Qiu Xin Mei always had money, which she used to support her parents' family.

Over time, it added up to a significant amount.

Not counting the 400 that the old father-in-law had to write an IOU for, the rest probably added up to enough for "three turns and one sound".

Should they support the little sister to go to high school? He had hesitated.

After all, she was really smart.

But at that time, her younger brother got into a fight, broke his own leg, and had to pay for the other party's medical and nutritional expenses.

It was her younger brother who was at fault and started the fight. If the other party had sued, it could have left a criminal record.

The old father-in-law had emptied his savings, and in the end, they had to bear most of the cost.

Although the old father-in-law wrote an IOU, it naturally made their finances tight.

And it was uncertain when the old father-in-law could repay the money. Her younger brother was idle and had no job.

Now he had taken control of Qiu Xin Mei's money, giving her only 5 yuan a month for pocket money.

Because of the 400 yuan matter, she had become less vocal. For the past half year, she had obediently handed over her salary.

At that time, when discussing whether to let the little sister continue to high school, Qiu Xin Mei said that finishing middle school and aiming to become a temporary worker in the Machine Factory Propaganda Department was something the little sister had planned for years.

Seeing that it was about to come to fruition, it was better to let her have it.

Their parents had passed away six years ago, and they had raised their younger sister until she finished middle school, doing their utmost.

At that time, they had just spent a large sum of money because of her younger brother, and he needed to give gifts to his master to get a certification and raise his salary, so he went along with it.

The little sister had no objections and accepted it obediently.

The little sister was manageable; at least she wouldn't bite the hand that fed her and might even give back in the future.

But Yu Ling today seemed very upset and not easy to deal with.

She harbored a lot of resentment towards them because of her time in the countryside and the job.

If provoked, she might do anything.

After all, she had nothing now. After ten years in the countryside, she had finally returned.

But with no job, no husband, and even her child given away.

If she couldn't return to this family, she might really fight to the death with them.

Those who have nothing to lose fear nothing!

That's why he had to agree today, to prevent the situation from escalating beyond control.

Yu Chengdao: "Later, you can ask her. Forget it, I'll ask her if she still wants to get married. Marrying her off would solve the problem."

Yu Ling was actually only 26 this year, but she looked like she was in her thirties.

And she was divorced and had no job.

Finding someone might only be possible with someone in poor condition, probably not a first marriage.

But as long as he could earn money, life wouldn't be bad.

Now the central authorities are in a meeting, and it's said that economic construction will be prioritized over class struggle.

It's foreseeable that those who can earn money will be the most sought after in the future.

Of course, she should find someone who can earn money, otherwise, if she doesn't live well, she might still cause trouble for them.

Fortunately, the three siblings all look good.

Yu Ling, although she had suffered, still had a good foundation. With a few months of good care and tidying up, she should look presentable.

At dinner, with four adults and two children, Yu Duo made an extra dish: three dishes and one soup. After all, it was Second Sister's first meal back after ten years away.

There were two meat dishes: one was cabbage stir-fried with cured meat, and the other had some lard residue added, giving it a bit of oil.

With growing children at home, the meals were decent. They could eat meat every three days!

After all, it was a dual-income family.

Sister-in-law gave Yu Duo 40 yuan every month to manage the meals, pay for utilities, and buy daily necessities, with every expense recorded clearly.

Yu Duo picked up her chopsticks and was about to serve herself when Yu Chengdao said, "Let me say a few words."

She and the two children immediately put down their chopsticks.

Qiu Xin Mei didn't, but she also stopped moving.

Yu Ling instinctively stopped her hand; when their father was still alive and he had something serious to say, they would put down their chopsticks and listen attentively.

She said, "Go ahead, it's mainly for me to hear, right?"

As she spoke, she picked up a piece of cured meat and put it in her mouth before putting down her chopsticks.

Yu Cheng looked at her and then said, "Starting today, we're going to live under the same roof. Even the tongue and teeth bite each other sometimes, let alone us? So, let's set the rules first to avoid chaos later. Today's incident, I don't need to say, was quite a spectacle for outsiders. I think you also don't want to live like this in the future. So, let's solve things by discussing them from now on, and not let this happen again, okay? If anyone deliberately provokes trouble, it means they're not serious about living together. Then, for the harmony of the whole family, don't blame me for being harsh."

Yu Duo and the two children quickly responded, "Understood."

Qiu Xin Mei also said, "Understood."

Yu Ling said, "So if I make a fuss again, you'll kick me out, right? As long as you don't go too far, I just want to eat a stable meal and sleep a stable night for now."

Her most urgent task now was to find a job to settle down, and she didn't have the energy to fight every day at home.

But to be clear, if this couple treated her badly, she would definitely make a fuss.