AWB Chapter 56 Fragrance from far away and smell from near
Chapter 56 Fragrance from far away and smell from near
Lin Yue had just finished tidying up the old house and everything was in order when Gong Yong came home from get off work. Lin Yue took Gong Yong and the child for a walk around the old house. They weren't exactly happy or joyful; the house held too many memories. Lin Yue said to Gong Yong, "The house is all set up. Do you think we should call my brother tonight and have him bring Mom and Dad over?" Gong Yong replied, "Let's call tonight."
To celebrate moving into their new home, a family of five decided to go out for hot pot that evening and went to their own hot pot restaurant. Gong Yong called Gong Qiang, inviting him and his family, along with his parents, to come over for dinner. Gong Qiang brought his family of four, plus his parents, to the hot pot restaurant downstairs, which was Lin Yue's.
Inside the private room, the family sat together for a meal. Lin Yue's three children ate politely, without scrambling or fighting, taking their time. Gong Qiang's two children, on the other hand, seemed starving, wolfing down their food. This made Lin Yue feel distressed; her two well-behaved children had been spoiled rotten by their mother. Gong Qiang's children, one in fifth grade and the other in second grade, had only been brought to Rongcheng, their habits and personalities already formed, difficult to correct. The little boy was often beaten by Gong Qiang for fighting at school, but this was also a result of his mother's indulgence, and Gong Qiang could only endure it.
During what appeared to be a joyous family meal, the old woman and man kept criticizing Gong Yong and Lin Yue. Lin Yue didn't respond, and Gong Yong remained silent.
After dinner, Gong Yong and Lin Yue, along with their child, led the elderly couple back to their house. Gong Qiang, his wife, and their two children also came along. They carried the elderly couple's luggage upstairs.
When they saw that the house was clean and tidy, spotless, and that two sets of clothes each had been prepared for winter in the wardrobe, complete with underwear, socks, and other essentials, and that there were even cloth shoes for seniors in the shoe cabinet, the elderly couple were quite satisfied.
The old lady opened the refrigerator and saw it was full of rice, flour, cooking oil, chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and nodded happily. When she entered the room, she found that there were no children's belongings in the master bedroom or the second bedroom, and the books were gone. She asked, "Have you moved out?" Lin Yue didn't answer, and Gong Yong said, "We moved out. We rented a new place in this neighborhood. This place is for you and Dad to stay in. The five of us have rented a bigger place outside for now. You can stay here from now on, so I can take care of you if anything happens."
Gong Qiang felt something was amiss because Gong Yong had previously given him 20,000 yuan to rent an apartment near their neighborhood. He had misappropriated this money, not to rent an apartment for the elderly couple, but instead to have them stay on the sofa bed in his living room for over a month. Therefore, the expressions on the faces of the elderly couple and Gong Qiang's wife were complex; they were happy to have a new place to live, but also somewhat embarrassed by Gong Qiang's actions.
To save Gong Qiang's face, the elderly couple didn't tell Gong Yong that they had been living on the sofa bed in the living room for over a month, though Gong Yong had already suspected it. During that month, Gong Qiang called three or four times, wanting to send the elderly couple over. Gong Yong thought to himself that he had given them 2 yuan, enough to rent a small apartment for a month or two, or even a quarter, instead of constantly sending them to him.
At this moment, his relationship with Lin Yue wasn't exactly repaired, nor was it particularly good; they were simply living together as a couple. Before, they were poor, but now Lin Yue could earn her own money. Gong Yong hadn't quit his job, but he only earned five or six thousand yuan a month, enough for his own comfortable lifestyle, and he hadn't saved much. He was still paying off the credit cards he'd used before, borrowing from here and there, and truly had very little savings. Lin Yue would occasionally deposit around ten thousand yuan into his account.
Because Gong Yong had never allowed Lin Yue to manage his money before, now that he wants to ask his wife for money, it's not that Lin Yue refuses, but Gong Yong just can't bring himself to ask. He feels conflicted and helpless, finding it embarrassing that he, as a man, is so financially passive. But facing the pressure of reality, he doesn't know what to do.
Life went on uneventfully, and Gong Yong often fell into deep thought, pondering how to change the situation and make the family more happy and harmonious.
Everyone had just sat down on the sofa when Lin Yue went to the kitchen to boil some water and brew a pot of tea. Before they even had a chance to settle in, Gong Qiang said, "Brother, where do you live? Let's go check the location so we'll know how to get home." Hearing this, Gong Yong knew he had no choice but to take everyone to the new house that night. He glanced nervously at Lin Yue, who remained silent, only saying, "Let's go then."
Gong Yong walked ahead with his three children, followed by Gong Qiang with his two children, and the elderly couple in the middle. Gong Yong's sister-in-law suddenly approached Lin Yue and asked, "Sister-in-law, is this house really rented?" Lin Yue replied, "Yes, it's rented. It belongs to someone else; a family went abroad, and we rented it temporarily. They didn't stay long, only once or twice, and then they went abroad. We got a good deal."
They arrived at the last corner of the last few buildings in the complex, went up the stairs from one of the corner buildings to the tenth floor, and then up to the eleventh floor. Once on the tenth floor, Gong Yong took out his key, opened the iron gate, then opened another door before inviting everyone inside.
Lin Yue and Gong Yong both came from farming families, so when decorating this house, because they needed it urgently, Lin Yue asked the decoration company to design it in a minimalist style. The house looks empty and simple, with all the materials used being natural wood. Lin Yue also placed some spiritual flowers and herbs, which, in the eyes of ordinary people, are just pretty plants.
Everyone went inside for a tour. Gong Qiang and his wife walked around the building, upstairs and downstairs, finally reaching the rooftop, where they saw a row of vegetables growing around it. Gong Qiang said, "Oh, sister-in-law, this is my favorite! I love growing vegetables." Then everyone went downstairs and sat down in the living room. Lin Yue went to the kitchen and brewed a pot of tea, making a cup for everyone. Gong Qiang's son quickly rushed into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out some AD calcium milk, and shouted, "Drink up!" Lin Yue's three children, on the other hand, seemed a bit reserved, like guests. The little one went upstairs to get his snacks and put them in the living room, while the older two children quickly took out their favorite treats and placed them on the coffee table. Lin Yue also quickly took some fruit from the refrigerator, washed it, and put it on the coffee table. Everyone chatted for a while.
It was 11:30 p.m. when the elderly couple reluctantly left Gong Yong's house. Gong Yong saw them off, and Gong Qiang, his wife, and their two children also left reluctantly.
Gong Yong said, "You're welcome to come visit next time."
Gong Qiang said, "Of course, brother, I'll come here often."
Gong Yong slowly escorted the two elderly people to the building they had been to before, which was inside the residential complex and took about five minutes to walk there. Gong Qiang said, "Brother, you can drop them off here. I'm taking my wife and kids and driving back." Gong Qiang then left the complex and drove home with his children.
Gong Yong escorted the elderly couple back to their previous house, opened the door, and checked their bedding; everything was fine. He boiled a kettle of water and told the couple to wash their feet and go to bed. The couple, while soaking their feet, called Gong Yong back, as he was about to leave.
The old lady said, "Eldest son, look at your brother's house. It has two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. He has two children, a son and a daughter, and they don't even have a place to live. Look, your rented house has an extra room. Your dad and I can move into your current house, and we can live in this house. It'll be perfect for your brother. He has two children, a son and a daughter, so it would be good for them to sleep in separate rooms, right? The children are growing up and won't have a place to live. What do you think?"
Gong Yong was stunned. His father-in-law said, "Mom, the house you're living in now is mine. Lin Yue and I bought it when we first graduated from university. The property rights are split 50/50 between us. We bought it before we got married, with a single status certificate. We moved out to rent a place with our child so that you two could live here. You actually want me to vacate the house for our second child, and you two can move in with us to rent a place? Do you think that's reasonable?"
The old man said, "Isn't it true that your brother's house is too small? They can't fit in. If they come and stay in your house, we can rent a place with you, and that will be just right."
Gong Yong asked, "What about my brother's house?"
The old lady said, "Why don't you just let him rent it out?" Gong Yong was furious and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut as he left.
Gong Yong rushed downstairs, walked around the neighborhood twice to calm himself down, and then returned home. It was already one in the morning when he closed the door. Lin Yue wasn't asleep; since it was a new house and Xiao Bao was still small, they didn't have separate rooms yet, and Xiao Bao slept with Lin Yue. They had simply set up a small, portable bed next to Lin Yue's bed. The eldest and second daughters slept in their own rooms. After a while, the eldest daughter felt a little uncomfortable sleeping separately from her sister. Suddenly, the younger sister also got out of bed and ran to share a blanket with her sister. The two sisters fell asleep in the eldest daughter's room.
The two sisters were a little scared downstairs, so Lin Yue stayed with them for a long time, waiting for Gong Yong to return. Only after the two sisters had fallen asleep did Lin Yue return to her room, wash up, and lie down in bed.
Gong Yong took a shower as soon as he got back to clear his head and went back to bed. He was a little upset and said to Lin Yue, "Lin Yue, my mom just told me that she wants to move in with us in our old house. She wants to let Gong Qiang's family live there. I was a little angry, so I slammed the door and left."
Lin Yue listened, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Don't be angry, go to sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow." Gong Yong sighed, turned over, closed his eyes, but his mind was still in turmoil.
The next day, being Tuesday, Gong Yong took his two daughters to school, while Lin Yue took their youngest child to an early childhood education class. The couple then went about their separate tasks. Gong Yong went to work, and Lin Yue went to work as well. Lin Yue spent the day in a daze, and Gong Yong was also distracted at work.
After get off work in the afternoon, Gong Yong hurriedly picked up his two children, while Lin Yue picked up their youngest. The family of five had dinner together at a hot pot restaurant. Lao Xiao also brought Xiao Hui, her child, and her parents, and the two families ate dinner together.
During dinner, Gong Yong drank a few glasses of wine, getting a bit tipsy, and started telling Lao Xiao about what happened the night before. Lao Xiao listened attentively, and after he finished, he patted Gong Yong on the shoulder. Lao Xiao said, "Do you think you've done right by Lin Yue?" Gong Yong, still drunk, said, "I've let my wife and children down." Lao Xiao said, "Since you know this in your heart, do you know what to do?" Gong Yong said, "Although I know what to do, and I know I have to stand up for myself, the old couple's crying,闹事, and threats of suicide really hurt me. I thought my brother and I couldn't be treated equally in their eyes, but I never expected that the two of them would shove everything into my younger brother's arms."
Old Xiao said he was an only child and couldn't understand why his parents would do this. Xiao Hui said she was also an only child and didn't understand either, because her parents loved them everything. Old Xiao's parents suddenly spoke up, saying, "Because Gong Yong, you've received an education, while the second child didn't. In their hearts, they feel the second child is inferior, and you're superior, so they try to squeeze everything out of the second child. How can this be explained? People love their youngest child; that's normal." Gong Yong said, "But this isn't fair to me and Lin Yue." The villager replied, "Where in this world is there fairness? Parents' five fingers are all different lengths; parents' hearts are definitely different for each child."
Gong Yong added, "If Lin Yue hadn't earned the money, I wouldn't have such a big house. Besides, before we got married, Lin Yue and I earned this house ourselves." Old Xiao sighed deeply and said nothing more. Lin Yue remained silent; the entire room was quiet. The three children knew their father was unhappy, so none of them said a word, only comforting him that everything was alright.
A somber atmosphere permeated the hot pot restaurant. Gong Yong was filled with conflict and helplessness, while the others remained silent, lost in their own thoughts.
While Lin Yue and Gong Yong were preoccupied with trivial family matters, they were completely unaware that an invisible net was being cast upon their home. Previously, the opposing spies had failed to find a breakthrough; this time, they targeted Gong Yong's parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and children. They attempted to use Gong Yong's younger brother to extract what they wanted from Gong Yong and Lin Yue. Various parties contacted Gong Yong's younger brother, Gong Qiang.
Gong Qiang wasn't stupid; Gong Yong had previously mentioned the dangers on his end. Although he didn't know exactly what his brother was doing, he knew in his heart that if his brother had money, his parents would definitely try to get him some benefits. So, no matter how much external pressure or enticement there was, no matter how much his wife whispered in his ear, no matter how much trouble his children were being stirred up by others, Gong Qiang firmly said, "Don't meddle in your aunt and uncle's affairs; just listen."
As for Gong Yong's parents, they often strolled around the neighborhood, occasionally going out to buy groceries, and mostly interacted with other elderly women. The spies hadn't yet found a suitable person to contact the elderly couple. Lin Yue, however, frequently visited to see if they needed anything. Gong Yong also often received cash from Lin Yue, giving her a thousand here and two thousand there. The elderly couple lived there for three months, and Gong Yong gave them nearly 5 yuan in total. The elderly couple felt something was amiss; where did their eldest son get so much money? Lin Yue only said she worked as a cashier at a hot pot restaurant, earning nearly ten thousand yuan a month. Gong Yong claimed he only earned five or six thousand. The elderly couple knew the family's economic situation; Lin Yue was currently the main breadwinner. As for how much the couple actually earned, only heaven, earth, and they themselves knew; the elderly couple certainly couldn't figure it out.
Beneath this seemingly calm surface, danger is creeping closer, waiting for the right moment to erupt.
Hey everyone, please give me lots of encouragement! My motivation to keep going comes from your support! Sometimes when I'm not feeling calm, it's really tough, so my biggest way to relax is reading.
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