Free Web NovelChapter 34: Chapter 34: Envy
Dinner at the Zhang family’s home ended quickly. Gu Nuan Nuan’s grandpa went right back to weaving his cattail fans.
The weather was already heating up, so fans sold exceptionally well this time of year. They were almost in short supply, so every year, Grandpa would use all his spare time, racing against the clock to weave as many as he could.
After dinner, her two uncles left the small courtyard, heading off to wander somewhere in the village. Meanwhile, Grandma directed her mother and two aunts as they divided the work of clearing the table and cleaning up.
Although her two aunts were prone to slacking off whenever they had to do chores, they still kept up appearances.
Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t try to help with the chores because Grandma wouldn’t allow it. And it wasn’t just her. Because of how much Grandma doted on her grandchildren, even her older cousins had rarely done any housework growing up.
’Spoiling children like this probably isn’t the wisest thing to do,’ she thought. But Gu Nuan Nuan had no intention of questioning her grandmother over it. Frankly, it wasn’t her place to do so.
The older she grew, the more Gu Nuan Nuan realized that even the closest, most loving families would often have disagreements, conflicting opinions, and sometimes even vast differences in their fundamental beliefs.
In truth, even a simple life with just two people requires mutual tolerance and compromise. It was far more difficult for a large, multi-generational family to live together; the number of petty issues they faced was much greater. Often, a single wrong tone of voice or a careless word could ignite a "war" without gunpowder...
It was too hard to change someone’s mind and way of thinking. Instead of wasting energy trying to force others to completely accept your views—which only led to conflict and unsatisfactory results—it was better to learn tolerance. As long as it wasn’t a matter of principle, accepting others’ ideas and not interfering allowed both yourself and those around you to live more freely and comfortably.
’After all, isn’t what people want most in life freedom? The freedom to live as they see fit, without being judged or controlled, even by those closest to them?’
Unfortunately, the hardest thing for most people was to not interfere, to be tolerant—especially of their closest family members—and to allow them to have different ideas.
That’s why the saying "loving is easy, but living together is hard" held so much truth.
The sky grew darker. After her bath, Gu Nuan Nuan began to yawn nonstop, but her eldest uncle and aunt still hadn’t returned. Seeing no alarm on her grandparents’ faces, however, she figured this must be normal.
’What a shame. I probably won’t get to see Eldest Uncle tonight.’
Without waiting to be told a second time, Gu Nuan Nuan obediently followed her mother into the room her mom and grandma had spent all afternoon cleaning—her mother’s old room from before she was married.
Lying in bed, she put on the face of a curious child and asked, "Mom, why are Eldest Uncle and his wife still not back? What are they doing at Eldest Aunt’s parents’ house?"
"Kids shouldn’t ask so many questions. Go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow." Zhang Minzhen closed her eyes, but Gu Nuan Nuan pestered her relentlessly. Opening her eyes with a helpless look, she said, "It’s because your eldest aunt’s nephew is getting married, and the bride’s family is demanding a new house be built for them. So lately, whenever your eldest uncle and aunt have free time, they go over to lend a hand."
"But their families live so far apart, and Eldest Uncle still has to work. It must be exhausting for him to run back and forth on his days off. Mom, I really feel for him. Why don’t you try to persuade Grandpa and Grandma to tell him not to go so often?"
Gu Nuan Nuan sighed inwardly. She knew her words were probably useless, but she still held onto a sliver of hope, making a small effort to get her mother to whisper something to Grandma. Maybe they could stop her eldest uncle from going to help his in-laws.
"Heh, you’re wise beyond your years, you little flatterer. You already know how to say sweet things like how you feel for your uncle." Zhang Minzhen smiled and pinched Gu Nuan Nuan’s cheek, but then her tone turned serious. "But I’m not going to say a word, and you’re not to bring this up ever again."
’Sigh, I knew it,’ Gu Nuan Nuan thought.
Disappointment showed on Gu Nuan Nuan’s face.
Seeing her daughter’s expression, Zhang Minzhen grew worried. Forgetting about sleep, she sat up straight and patiently explained in a hushed voice, "What does a child like you know? Do you think your grandma’s heart doesn’t ache for your uncle? But no matter how much it hurts, this is something that can’t be said. Your eldest uncle works at the grain station in town, leaving early and coming home late every day, but most of the money he earns goes to this family. Despite that, your eldest aunt has never complained. She serves the elders and takes care of the children with all her heart. She’s worth both your second and third aunts combined.
"Even though your uncle doesn’t say it, he knows this, and he’s always felt guilty toward your aunt.
"So now that her family needs help, he’s using his days off to travel all that way to lend a hand. He’s doing it partly to make it up to her and bolster her reputation. It shows her family how much he values her. When her parents’ neighbors see their son-in-law working so hard for them, it gives the whole family face. That’s why not only can you not say anything, but I can’t, and your grandma most certainly cannot.
"If we did, not only would it fail to stop your uncle—you have to understand, while he’s a filial son, he’s not blindly obedient. If he decides something is right, he’ll do it. So speaking up would be pointless. Worse, it would make your eldest aunt uncomfortable and cause her to hold a grudge against your grandma. Why would we want to stir up trouble like that?"
"Mom, I understand. I won’t say anything like that again."
Gu Nuan Nuan had sat up when her mother did. Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating her mother’s face. In that light, she saw a flicker of envy.
A pang of sorrow struck Gu Nuan Nuan’s heart. She knew that whenever her grandparents had needed help, her father, Gu Lihui, had never once shown up. ’So Mom is actually envious of Eldest Aunt, isn’t she?’
Her thoughts unexpectedly drifted to Luo Hongyi. In the past, whenever her mother needed anything, he would come running at a single call—often, he’d show up before she even had to ask. His attentiveness had far surpassed her own. Back then, she had mocked him, even envied how he could suck up to her mom, wrapping his mother-in-law around his little finger until she treated her son-in-law even better than her own daughter...
She held her breath, fighting back the bone-deep heartache and forcing herself to stop thinking about it. ’Anyway, in this life, I will have absolutely nothing to do with that man, no matter what...’
"Then hurry up and get some sleep, or you’ll have panda eyes tomorrow." Hearing her daughter’s promise, Zhang Minzhen finally relaxed. She had been genuinely afraid that one thoughtless comment from her daughter would make her sister-in-law—who was currently being quite polite to them—start holding a grudge.
