I'm back in 1990

Chapter 1156: Between Sisters-in-Law

The next morning, the mother and daughter went out together. Huo Miao had to go to the factory to handle some matters, so he didn't go with them.

On the way, Zeng Xia didn't forget to remind her, "When we get to your grandma's house, be a little sweeter with your words, okay?"

"I understand!" Huo Xinyuan looked out the window and responded to her mother indifferently.

Nowadays, there are more and more motor vehicles in Shanghai and Haikou. What used to be a journey of just over 20 minutes now takes more than 40 minutes.

After I rang the doorbell, the door opened shortly afterward, and it was the family's housekeeper who opened it.

The nanny had worked here for many years and naturally recognized Huo Xinyuan. Seeing her arrive, she greeted her with a smile, "Liu Jin's back! Come in, come in!"

Before entering the house, Huo Xinyuan changed her shoes at the door. After entering, she saw her maternal grandparents sitting on the sofa.

When Qian Jiazhen saw her granddaughter, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She stood up and went to greet her, saying, "Liujin! You're finally back."

He hugged Huo Xinyuan as he spoke.

This time, Huo Xinyuan also took the initiative to reach out and hug her grandmother: "Grandma, I'm back."

Zeng Jiahua sat on the sofa without moving, his expression unreadable, just watching the grandfather and grandson embrace each other.

After a while, Huo Xinyuan let go of her grandmother, came to Zeng Jiahua, and respectfully called out, "Grandpa."

Zeng Jiahua then hummed in agreement and carefully examined his granddaughter. To be honest, her appearance had changed quite a bit. She was no longer the chubby little girl she was when she first joined the army; her skin was just a little darker now.

Seeing that her grandfather remained silent, Huo Xinyuan didn't know what to say.

At this moment, Zeng Xia said, "Dad, Mom, Liu Jin brought you gifts! He bought them when he was in the army."

As she spoke, Zeng Xia placed the things her daughter had brought back in front of her parents.

Those were donkey-hide gelatin and sea cucumbers that Huo Xinyuan bought; both are famous specialties of the Jiaodong Peninsula region.

Qian Jiazhen was overjoyed to see that her granddaughter had brought them gifts.

Zeng Jiahua looked at the things his granddaughter had brought back and was very happy, but he didn't say anything and just nodded slightly.

They are still my own children. Even if I have any complaints, they all disappear when I see them.

However, Zeng Jiahua still asked, "Did you buy it for your maternal uncle?"

Before Huo Xinyuan could answer, Zeng Xia interjected, "Yes, yes, we brought them all. We didn't forget any of the elders in the family."

Hearing this, Zeng Jiahua nodded.

During lunch, Qian Jiazhen kept putting food on her granddaughter's plate, while Zeng Jiahua ate her meal at a leisurely pace, glancing at her granddaughter from time to time, but remaining silent.

Zeng Xia kept talking to her mother and daughter, trying her best to liven up the atmosphere, otherwise it would be too dull if everyone was silent.

After lunch, Zeng Jiahua and Qian Jiazhen were going to take a nap. They were getting old and their energy was not good, so they had to sleep for a while at noon. Zeng Xia and Huo Xinyuan then said goodbye.

However, before leaving, Qian Jiazhen specifically instructed her granddaughter, "Don't get angry with your uncle. He's been the best to you since you were little. Call him later, okay?"

Huo Xinyuan nodded: "I understand!"

After getting in the car, Huo Xinyuan lingered for a while before dialing her uncle Huang Xiaochuan's number.

"Uncle, I am Liu Jin."

Soon, my uncle's voice came through the microphone: "You're back!"

"Um!"

"Your mom told you, right? Come over for dinner on Saturday night."

"Yes, I know, Mom told me."

"That's settled then. I have something to attend to here. We can talk when we meet."

"Okay, goodbye Uncle!" Huo Xinyuan hung up the phone.

Zeng Xia overheard the entire conversation between the uncle and nephew, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her mood instantly improving. At this moment, she made a suggestion.

"Darling, ask Jia Bao if she's free right now. We can go pick her up, and I'll take you two shopping to buy you some clothes. The clothes you wore at home are all too old now, you need to change them all."

Since Huo Xinyuan lost a lot of weight after joining the army, her old clothes are no longer suitable for her. Any clothes or pants she wears now are loose and baggy.

Huo Xinyuan was delighted with her mother's suggestion, and she immediately made a phone call to Wu Jiabao.

In a lane in Xujiahui, Wu Jiabao had just had an argument with her sister-in-law.

The reason is not complicated; it is a problem that plagues the vast majority of Shanghai residents: housing.

Wu Jiabao's family is large, with his grandparents still alive, along with his parents, older brother and sister-in-law, and nephew. The eight family members squeeze into three rooms of less than 40 square meters.

Grandparents have one room, parents have one room, and older brother and sister-in-law have one room—the three rooms are fully occupied.

After returning from military service, Wu Jiabao could only temporarily share a room with her parents. However, her sister-in-law was unhappy about this. The room where the couple lived was the smallest in the house, which could only fit a 1.5-meter double bed. There was no room for a wardrobe, so they had to install a few wall cabinets to store clothes and such.

The older brother and sister-in-law have a son, eleven years old. He used to sleep in the same room with his grandparents, who are Wu Jiabao's parents. But now that Wu Jiabao has come back, the child has nowhere to sleep and has to sleep with his great-grandparents. The child is unhappy about this and complains that the room smells too old and he can't stand it.

If he sleeps with his parents, he's getting old, and their room isn't very big. If this young man moves in, Wu Jiabao's brother and sister-in-law won't be able to sleep either.

So Wu Jiabao's sister-in-law, Cao Yuedi, was unhappy and made snide remarks about her sister-in-law. Wu Jiabao naturally couldn't swallow her anger, after all, this was her biological parents' home, and the property deed was in her father Wu Dunguang's name.

The Wu family's kitchen was located in the corridor on the first floor. It was a shared kitchen for five families in this Shikumen house. At that moment, Wu Jiabao was washing the dishes and chopsticks from lunch.

After two years of military training, Wu Jiabao became very efficient. Just as she was busy washing pots and dishes, her sister-in-law Cao Yuedi passed by her mother-in-law's room carrying a basin of washed clothes.

In the room, Wu Jiabao's suitcase was still on the floor. There was nowhere to put the contents for the time being, so they had to be kept in the suitcase. In addition to a large bed, there was also a single bed in the room, which originally belonged to Wu Xuanhang, the grandson of the Wu family, but was now occupied by Wu Jiabao, who had returned from military service.

Cao Yuedi hung the clothes from the basin outside the room window to dry in the alley, which was the way almost every household did.

After finishing her work, Cao Yuedi suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. She had really had enough of this life. She then took the empty washbasin and went downstairs.

He went into the kitchen, looked around for a while, and then said, "After two years in the army, you're much more diligent than when you were at home."

Wu Jiabao didn't turn her head and continued working on her tasks.

Cao Yuedi casually placed the washbasin on the cutting board, crossed her arms, and asked insincerely, "Jiabao, how long do you plan to stay this time?"

Wu Jiabao paused for a moment, then turned to look at Cao Yuedi: "Sister-in-law, this is my home."

Cao Yuedi's tone remained insincere: "I didn't say you couldn't stay. I was just asking, so we'd have a plan! You know, before you came back, Hanghang slept with his grandparents. Now that you're back, Hanghang has nowhere to sleep!"

"That's your business," Wu Jiabao said, ignoring the question.

After saying this, Cao Yuedi completely dropped her pretense.

"Take a good look at this house. Eight people are living in three rooms. Where is my son supposed to sleep? In the kitchen?"