He bombarded with a flurry of questions.
"Dad, tell me the truth, is Shi Shi really your biological child and I'm just the adopted one?" Second Brother said with a hint of sarcasm.
His father, impatient, replied, "Step aside, you're blocking the camera."
Second Brother nearly fainted from anger.
He had always been carefree, and his marriage prospects had been stagnant.
Every time his mother video-called him, she urged him to get married.
Now that he was thirty, he finally had a girlfriend—his senior who was five years older than him.
She was amazing!
With strong work capabilities, her income was three times that of Second Brother's.
His mother was not satisfied:
"At your age, having children will be difficult."
"And you act like a lapdog in front of her; I wouldn't dare to boss my son around like that."
Second Brother shot her a glare:
"Mind your own business! I've pursued her for years; if you mess this up for me, I swear I'll never marry."
On the day of the wedding, Second Brother couldn't stop smiling.
"This is great! My teeth aren't great, so I'm definitely going to live off soft food for life."
Sister-in-law was gentle, while Second Sister-in-law was decisive and assertive.
As their mother aged, it was Second Sister-in-law who took charge of family matters.
Gradually, their mother accepted this daughter-in-law.
She even boasted in the village:
"My second daughter-in-law spends money extravagantly; she bought me a foot bath for several thousand!"
"She got me a massage chair that cost over ten thousand."
"What do we farmers need that for?"
"She took me to buy a gold necklace; the chain was thicker than a dog collar—if I wore it around my neck, it would snap!"
"You can make money, but you shouldn't spend it like this!"
I always remind her that if this continues, no one will want to talk to her.
She doesn't care:
"They're all like this. Your Aunt Ma's daughter-in-law bought her a gold bracelet, and she bragged about it to me eight hundred times."
This is what ordinary parents are like.
They don't actually lack these things.
When their children think of them and treat them well, they feel happy.
This is also their source of pride and confidence.
Unlike my elder sister, Sister Two did not follow our mother's arrangements.
She ran off with her boyfriend and was out of touch for two years.
When she returned for the New Year with a child in her arms, our mother was furious, crying and cursing her for being unfilial and a white-eyed wolf.
But what could be done?
The child was already born.
There was no way to sell it for a good price; they could only let it go.
Our mother wanted to scrape some benefits from Sister Two, but Sister Two wasn't going to indulge her.
Their relationship was cold and distant.
However, Sister Two later settled in the Provincial Capital and started to connect with me more.
For my thirtieth birthday, Sister Two gave me a gold necklace:
"This is for you."
She had always remembered the silver necklace incident.
That day we drank quite a bit; her cheeks were flushed, and with dreamy eyes, she said:
"I have something funny to tell you."
"Ever since you got into college, Mom and Dad have said countless times that I'm disobedient and not smart."
"If I had known earlier, I would have let them send me away and kept you."
Sister Two said it lightly, but I could imagine how hurt she felt every time she heard those words.
I held her hand and said, "If I stay with the Ma Family, even if I get into the top high school, they won't let me attend, let alone go to college."
"Sister Two, you're doing well now; in fact, you're stronger than I am."
Under the brainwashing of my biological father's mother, she had not been assimilated and had always remained true to herself.
Having freed herself from them, she carved out her own space with just a middle school education.
In truth, her life was the one worth writing about.
Her mother had high hopes for Ma Qiang. She believed that if I could get into college, then Ma Qiang would surely have no problem. After all, he was the crown prince, destined to gather the essence of the world.
But Ma Qiang didn't even make it into the top high school.
His mother wanted to contribute to his tuition fees, but Ma Qiang's grades were so poor that the school wouldn't accept him. In the end, he attended a vocational school instead.
He spent his days indulging in food and fun. After starting work at a factory, he would fish for two days and slack off for three.
With lofty ambitions but little skill, he often found himself idle for more than half the year.
His mother was anxious and frustrated. But there was nothing to be done; after all, he was the crown prince of the Ma Family and needed to be supported.
When I gave birth to Jiao Jiao, Ma Qiang was still unmarried. His mother had introduced him to several potential partners, but none worked out.
Perhaps he would remain single for life. Who knows?
In any case, it had nothing to do with me.
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