That winter, Wang Xiaoqin finally bought a new quilted jacket for her daughter. All these years, her daughter had almost always been wearing old clothes. The last time Li Qinglang visited the Han family, he bought her new clothes. She then excitedly hugged the clothes to sleep for several days.
Even now, she could not bear to wear them.
Now that she had money, she must treat her daughter better.
But there was still Han Chuanzong, so Wang Xiaoqin bought him a set too.
That year, she bought some new year’s goodies and then went to the rented house to look for her husband, Han Shu.
!!
Once Han Yu started her winter break, Han Shu came to the city and found a job. After that, Wang Xiaoqin moved out, and she and Han Shu rented a house together.
It had a small courtyard. But it was very tiny, with only three rooms. It was not large at all.
Han Chuanzong and Wang Xiaoqin lived in the slightly larger room. The other two rooms were prepared for Han Yu and Han Chuanzong.
Han Yu was his daughter. Han Shu would certainly keep her with him. But the moment he brought his daughter over, he knew that Han Chuanzong would certainly follow. Otherwise, his parents would create havoc.
So be it! Anyway, if Han Chuanzong could shape up, as his elder brother, he would be glad.
By the time Wang Xiaoqin finished packing, Han Shu had just gotten off work.
“Is everything ready?”
“Um! Just about. We can go back tomorrow. See if we need to add anything?”
Han Shu came over. He glanced over the items and nodded. “That’s about all. Put it here! We’ll go back to the village tomorrow.”
Wang Xiaoqin said hesitantly, “We said we would buy new clothes for Father and Mother. Will it be all right to not buy them after all?”
At first, Han Shu agreed to buy Mother and Father a set of new clothes each. But later on, Father and Mother Han tried their best to persuade him to let Han Yu drop out of school so she could wait on them at home. This angered Han Shu.
Now that it was time to shop for the New Year, Han Shu didn’t allow Wang Xiaoqin to buy new clothes for the old folks. He only bought new clothes for the two children.
“It’s fine. We can’t spoil them too much. They’re not that old. In other families, the parents are still helping their children and grandchildren. But what about them? It would be good enough if they can take care of themselves, much less help us.
“Now, as our parents, they boldly hand Chuanzong over to us to support, but they want Yu’er to drop out of school to wait on them. That’s going too far!”
Wang Xiaoqin pursed her lips. She was very angry too.
She might be a girl, but she should not be treated like a cow or a horse. Her daughter was not a servant.
No new clothes then. At most, they would suffer a scolding. Anyway, she had suffered plenty of scoldings over the years.
After suffering through the few days of the New Year, she could come back to work next year. She would not have to see them.
Han Shu looked at his wife and said, “Why don’t you go and buy some new clothes? Do you have enough money?”
Wang Xiaoqin’s heart melted. “I have enough. I saved quite a lot of my salary! I don’t need to buy anything. I still have old clothes that can be worn.”
Han Shu took some money out. “Here is this month’s salary. I haven’t been working for long, not even a month. So I only have 20 yuan.”
“Let’s go buy you some clothes.”
“No… no need!” Wang Xiaoqin hurriedly pulled him back. “I’m already very happy that you think of me. But if you buy clothes for me and not your parents, then… why not buy clothes for yourself! You’ve worked so hard all these years!”
Han Shu laughed. “I’m fine. Why would a grown man like me want new clothes? You’ve been with me for so many years, but you’ve seldom had new clothes.
“Let’s go! Buy new clothes for the New Year, but… don’t bring them back. When the New Year is over, you can wear them here. Just don’t let them catch sight of the clothes!”