Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 182 - 175 has guests

The little girl was half a head taller than Tian Sisi and quite pretty. Zhou Yali dragged Tian Sisi over to the elderly lady and said, "Sister, this is the ’Ah Nan’ I told you about. Don’t you think she looks just like a doll?"

"Oh my, she does look like a doll, really pretty!"

Zhou Yali’s sister, Zhou Meili, took a close look at Tian Sisi and praised her with a smile. The little girl beside her was not pleased, pouted her little mouth, and gave Tian Sisi a disdainful glance. Tian Sisi didn’t mind either; kids, they just can’t bear to hear others being complimented.

"Mommy, Grandma, Sister, good day!" Tian Sisi greeted politely, but the little girl wasn’t receptive and hummed disapprovingly. She only reluctantly greeted after being softly reprimanded by Zhou Meili.

Tian Xinhua and the others were already back from watching the movie and gathered in the living room reading comic books. Tian Sisi gave each of them an ice cream cone, which she bought on the way. She also handed one to the little girl, and which girl doesn’t like frozen treats? With the appeal of the cream ice cream, the little girl’s mood improved significantly.

Tian Sisi bought them according to the number of people; she didn’t expect guests, so now she and He Xuewen were left without any. Zhou Meili and Zhou Yali both declined, letting the children have them.

"Sisi, where did you and Daddy go for fun? It’s a pity you didn’t go to the movie; the movie was so good." He Chengsi was relishing the ice cream, his face showing regret that Tian Sisi hadn’t seen the movie.

Tian Xinhua didn’t make a sound. Uncle He and Ah Nan surely had some secret they didn’t want others to know about, which is why he hadn’t inquired these past two days. But seeing how happy Uncle He and Ah Nan seemed, it appeared the matters must have been handled well?

"We went mountain climbing, Brother He, Brother Xin Hua, let’s go climbing again next time. I forgot to bring the camera today, we’ll take photos with it next time."

"Where did Ah Nan go mountain climbing?" Hu Weichao asked.

"It was She Mountain. The scenery there is pretty good!"

"So Ah Nan and Uncle He went to play at She Mountain, huh? That place is indeed pretty nice. I went there with classmates too. How about we also go there tomorrow and take a bunch of photos?"

Hu Weichao got excited, young boys always love to have fun, and with the addition of a camera, a fancy gadget, Hu Weichao had long wanted to take photos by himself, but his family simply wouldn’t buy one.

"Sure, let’s go to She Mountain tomorrow." Hu Weixin happily licked his ice cream, not forgetting to loudly agree.

"Weichao, I want to go too," the little girl called out from the side.

"No, you’re not coming. You always lag behind every time we go out, and I can’t carry you," Hu Weichao flatly refused without a second thought.

The little girl’s eyes suddenly reddened, and tears swirled in her eyes but, stubbornly, they wouldn’t drop. You could say that this was a skill in itself.

Seeing that no one was speaking up for her, the little girl quickly sought reinforcements. Zhou Yali immediately saw the little girl looking aggrieved and issued a command to Hu Weichao, "Weichao, take your cousin Qiqi with you to climb the mountain tomorrow, remember that!"

The little girl, Qiqi, haughtily humphed at Tian Sisi, leaving Tian Sisi bewildered. Why the humph at her, when it wasn’t her refusal to take you climbing?

"Wei Chao, today we bought a rabbit from an uncle on the mountain, we can eat rabbit meat tonight!" Tian Sisi bragged.

"Really, where is the rabbit?" Hu Weichao was instantly intrigued as the allure of meat is always irresistible.

"It’s in the yard, and there’s also a big snake, so terrifying."

"Snake! Where did the snake come from?" Zhou Yali was alarmed at the mention of a snake; she jumped up, looking tense and trembling in her voice.

"Oh my, you’re so old and still scared like a little girl, what’s there to fear about a snake? Didn’t you listen properly? Ah Nan clearly said it was bought from the mountain."

Zhou Meili couldn’t stand her sister’s antics. Her sister had always been like this – delicate and easily startled – but it was her good fortune to marry a decent husband, never having to worry in her life, and now at her age, she still behaved like a little girl.

"Let’s go have a look!"

At the mention of a snake, the boys became even more excited, swarming out to the yard. Qiqi thought for a moment and followed them. Zhou Yali said to Zhou Meili, "Sister, we’re having dinner at our house tonight. You don’t know how much our food has improved these days, all thanks to Xue Wen’s efforts."

Zhou Yali’s words carried a trace of pride. Of course, she sincerely wanted her sister to enjoy a good meal. Her sister was a retired teacher and her brother-in-law a retired bank employee who had always been frugal, not even willing to throw away a pair of old socks, let alone buy anything nice.

"This isn’t good. There’s no one at home to cook dinner, and your brother-in-law doesn’t know how to cook either," Zhou Meili disagreed.

"Ah, there’s nothing bad about it. I’ll send Wei Wen to pick up your brother-in-law, and we’ll all have dinner here together. It’s settled, don’t be polite with me," Zhou Yali stood up, ready to send Hu Weiwen to fetch him.

"What about your nephew and his wife? They’ll need to eat when they get back from work. Don’t trouble Wei Wen."

Zhou Meili stopped her sister. These days, with food not being plentiful in any household, no one would be clueless enough to invite themselves over and stay for a meal. Of course, she wasn’t one of those clueless people.

"Oh my, you worry yourself to death. Is the wife you found just for show? Have they no arms or legs? Do they still need an old woman like you to cook for them? It’s as if you can’t think straight!"

Zhou Yali was frustrated with the lack of progress, hands on hips, lecturing her sister. It was only now that she appreciated Tian Manxing’s situation – all the household chores were taken care of by the daughter-in-law, sparing her the trouble of lifting a finger.

Not wanting to talk further with her sister, Zhou Yali dispatched Wei Wen to fetch people, while she kept trying to convince her sister, "You have your own pension and don’t depend on your son and daughter-in-law for old age. What are you afraid of? Stand tall from now on, do the household chores if you feel like it, and don’t if you don’t want to. You’re their mother, not a nanny hired by them! Besides, even a nanny gets paid!"

Zhou Yali looked down on her older sister’s daughters-in-law. They were just teachers earning a meager salary. What was so great about that? Her family’s Manxing got more than eighty a month and didn’t act as if they were above everyone else.

The two nephews were just the same, heartless. After getting married, they forgot their mother, bossed her around like a nanny day in and day out. Next time she saw them, she would give them a piece of her mind, they were truly heartless!

Zhou Meili listened to her sister’s scolding with her head down, too lethargic to explain further. Each family had their own way of life; not every woman was as lucky as her sister. Moreover, her sons’ wives were quite decent. At least they contributed to the monthly living expenses. Some families in their lane depended on the old folks to support the younger ones.

(To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)