"Change the name, you canât use this." Mei Shuqing sighed helplessly. No more sweet-talking with Chen Haichang, he commanded directly as if he were the elder brother.
"Iâm not changing it, I think itâs pretty good. What do you say, Xiao Yi?"
Han Yi saw Chen Haichang throw the pot to him again, and he coughed lightly without buying it, saying, "Since itâs none of my business, Iâll go take care of my kid, Xiao Wan canât handle it alone."
"Youâre not allowed to go. Xiao Yi, you persuade him too."
"Young nephew, youâre really not giving face, arenât you? Didnât you just hear? Is your Yangyang asleep?"
As soon as Han Yi spoke, he triggered two voices of strong rejection.
Han Yi frowned slightly, sitting helplessly to the side, accompanying them in their back-and-forth, and occasionally playing the role of a sandwich cookie.
Outside, after Lin Wan settled the child, she also went to the kitchen. It was just a few hours since they finished eating and her mom started cooking again.
"In another two days, youâre leaving, and who knows when weâll meet again. I really canât bear you guys; Iâve gotten used to being with you these days. Once you leave, I wonât even have sisters to chat with," Liang Qian spoke the truth, as she really doesnât have many friends in the Capital City.
"Thereâll always be a chance for us to meet. Since you donât work, you could follow your husband, Mei Shuqing, around a few places. Itâll be like traveling, and you can also see us."
"Though thatâs what youâre saying, seeing you all with jobs and careers, sometimes I envy you. Iâve come to understand that instead of staying at home worrying for my husband and son, I might as well find a leisurely job outside. Once you leave, Iâll have Shuqing keep an eye out for a job for me."
"Godmother, thatâs a great idea. Working women are the most attractive," Lin Wan agreed with Liang Qianâs idea. Her godmother doesnât have many friends here; once they leave, sheâd certainly be worried about Brother Junziâs lifetime affairs. Instead of fretting, itâs better to work and distract herself.
"Xiao Wan also thinks itâs good?" Liang Qian chuckled. She fervently wished she could start working immediately, though itâs been decades since sheâs worked, and deep down, sheâs still a bit unsure.
"Itâs doable. Your family isnât short on money, so finding a relaxed job wouldnât be tiring. Oh, isnât Xie Lingzhi also not working? With just Xiao Yiâs dadâs salary, can they support the whole family?" Liang Hongmei wondered.
"The old folks have retirement pensions; each one gets quite a bit of money a month. The household expenses of the eldest family are all covered by the old couple. Mei Shupingâs money, Xie Lingzhi is saving it." Liang Qian said contemptuously, obviously disagreeing with Xie Lingzhiâs approach.
"No wonder," Liang Hongmei chuckled.
"Godmother, now that theyâve moved out of the old house, are they going to leave everything behind?" Lin Wanâs eyes gleamed as she chuckled.
"I suppose so. Anyway, the furniture in this room is all new, none of the old house stuff has been touched," Liang Qian replied.
Lin Wan was delighted, pulling her godmotherâs arm, "Godmother, I particularly love the flowers on the third-floor terrace. If they donât want them anymore, can I move them to our courtyard? We could use some flowers at home."
Liang Hongmei heard and glanced at her daughter, "Weâre leaving soon, who knows how many times weâll be back this year. Why do you want those flowers?"
"I like them, I just want those flowers."
"If you like them, go ahead and move them. Once Iâm free, Iâll ask Old Mrs. Mei, if she doesnât want them, Iâll bring them to you," Liang Qian smiled.
"Hmm, thank you, godmother."
.....
Inside, Mei Shuqing and Chen Haichang talked for over an hour, with Han Yi assisting, finally making Chen Haichang relent. He didnât want to change the name but agreed to swap out a character, changing âBuâ to âShuâ. His motherâs name was also removed.
In the morning at the Mei Family, he included his motherâs name just to annoy Old Mr. Mei.
Really having his mom on the Mei Family genealogy would be an insult to her. Facing her after passing, he wouldnât be able to explain.
Now, itâs just what he wanted. He knew the way he wrote, the Mei Family definitely wouldnât agree. Mei Shuping would surely come to discuss, unexpectedly it was Mei Shuqing who came.
It seems Mei Shuping has some self-awareness, knowing heâs not liked, so he asked Mei Shuqing.
Humph, this time, giving him some face doesnât hurt.
At dinner, Chen Haichang disliked Mei Shuqing, so childishly he picked the dish Mei Shuqing picked, over and over, but Mei Shuqing didnât mind. Compared to his son Junzi, heâs already quite tolerant of this little brother and let it go just like that.
Liang Qian couldnât bear seeing her husband bullied by Chen Haichang, silently picking dishes for her husband, and after this meal, Chen Haichang went directly back with Han Yi and them.
After Lin Wan and the others returned, they started packing, just waiting for Han Yi to finish so they could set off home.
These past few days, Chen Haichang has been staying at the restaurant as if thereâs something there that needs fixing. He hasnât had the chance to come to their house to scrounge a meal.
The day after Lin Wan returned from the compound, Old Mrs. Mei, missing her little great-grandson, came to their house with her caregiver. Before coming in, she let the caregiver come over to check things out.
Shen Qing immediately understood what was going on. "Hmph, after all these years, she finally has a little self-awareness. She knows she did wrong and doesnât dare to face me."
"The way she treated you back then, sheâs definitely in the wrong now. Now that youâve given them such an outstanding grandson like Xiao Yi, youâre basically smacking her in the face. It would be weird if she actually dared to face you. Anyway, we donât bother with old folks, letâs go buy some groceries." Liang Hongmei said, pulling Shen Qing along as they headed out.
Shen Qing wasnât giving up and told Lin Wan, "Xiao Wan, as a great-grandmother, she didnât even prepare a gift when the child was born, just offering empty words doesnât count. If she comes in without bringing anything, just call the kiosk in front, your mom and I will be waiting there and see if I donât make her look bad."
Lin Wan quickly reassured her mother-in-law, "Got it, Mom, donât be angry, itâs not worth it. Weâre leaving the day after tomorrow, anyway. How about we have Peking duck for lunch today?"
"Okay, Iâll buy one back later." Shen Qing agreed to Lin Wan while carrying a handbag and heading out with Liang Hongmei.
As Shen Qing left, she intentionally glanced around and didnât see Old Mrs. Meiâs car, seems they were hiding well enough.
After Shen Qing left, not even two minutes later, Old Mrs. Mei came in with her caregiver. Lin Wan suddenly realized that during her postpartum days, it wasnât because Old Mrs. Mei was physically unwell that she didnât visit, but she probably didnât want to see her mother-in-law.
"When are you leaving?"
"Ai Yi said weâre leaving the day after tomorrow morning, weâve already finished packing."
Old Mrs. Mei nodded, looking at her great-grandson in the car. She took out a gold necklace and a pair of golden bracelets from her pocket and gave them to Lin Wan. "These are for my great-grandson, I forgot about it the other day when you visited."
"Thank you, Grandma." Lin Wan accepted the items with a smile on behalf of her son. She understood why it wasnât given the other day, likely out of concern for Xie Lingzhiâs feelings. Today, Old Mrs. Mei came specifically to give this gift, she guessed.
"By the way, Grandma, since you moved out of the old house, do you still want the plants on the third floor? If not, Iâd like to bring some back to decorate the yard."
"Donât want them, donât want them, I donât like those plants, it was your grandpa who used to care for them, and for years he didnât even touch them. Weâre too old to move them, so theyâve always been left up there. Originally, I wanted to make a small tea room on the third floor, but your grandpa insisted on planting evergreen shrubs, not even many flowers, itâs so ugly. I couldnât argue with him, so I left it alone for years, fortunately, we no longer need the third floor."
"Grandpa had a good eye, those little trees are evergreen all year. If you take good care of them, they need watering only once a year and still thrive. Thatâs exactly why I want to bring some back."
"If you like them, feel free to take them, I wonât tell your grandpa. After living together for so many years, the one thing Iâm most dissatisfied with is those things he put up there. Perfect, while he doesnât know, itâs better to just get rid of them."
Lin Wan covered her mouth and chuckled at Old Mrs. Meiâs words, wondering if she would be furious if she knew what had been thrown out.
After seeing Old Mrs. Mei off, Lin Wan couldnât wait to call Han Yi. Han Yi laughed and said, "Wait, tomorrow morning Iâll go and move them for you."
"Mm-hmm."
Right after Lin Wan hung up with Han Yi, she received a call from her godmother, saying she ran into Xie Lingzhi today. She asked if she still wanted the plants from the old house, if not, her godmother would take them.
"Xie Lingzhi didnât even hesitate to agree, worried theyâre so tall and heavy, nobody would move them."
"Really?" Lin Wan laughed and told her godmother what Old Mrs. Mei had just said; Han Yi mentioned he would go pick them up the next morning.
Feeling great today, Lin Wan went shopping in the afternoon after leaving the baby at home. She bought some gifts for both her mother-in-law and grandma, making sure to bring a few roast ducks for her grandma.
In the evening, after Han Yi returned home, Lin Wan was excited in the room for half the night. Han Yi hugged her with a smile and said, "Tomorrow Iâll move everything you want back and set it all up, how about that?"
"Mm-hmm, weâll take them with us, itâs safer in my study."
"Okay. Whatever you say."
"Ai Yi, when you bring them down, just keep a few âgood onesâ and give the rest to godfather and godmother."
Han Yi playfully pinched her nose, "So generous?"
"Weâre not greedy, theyâre just things from outside."
"Mm, youâre right, as long as weâre comfortable. Weâre not chasing after riches and honor."
The next day, Han Yi got up early, rented a tricycle, and went to the compound alone to move all those flower pots from the old house down.