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After sending off Ye Fanghua and Zhao Dali, Ye Fangfei had just settled down at home when Tang Zhicheng arrived with Xiao Yueyue.
Tang Zhicheng's comrade, Gu Jincheng, was taking the train today, and Tang Zhicheng had promised to see him off early in the morning. However, when it was time to leave, Xiao Yueyue insisted on going along. Not wanting his daughter to cry, Tang Zhicheng took her with him.
"How did it go? Did you see Old Gu off?" Ye Fangfei asked as she took Xiao Yueyue and helped her out of the heavy coat she wore outside.
"Yes, Old Gu asked me to pass on a message saying he misses you," Tang Zhicheng replied busily as he poured hot water for washing hands and face.
After being out in the cold, his hands and feet felt icy, and washing them with hot water would help warm him up quickly.
"Oh, there's no need to thank us," Ye Fangfei said. "He helped you so much; we just sent him some food. It’s only right."
Knowing that his wife was repaying a favor made Tang Zhicheng feel appreciated, but he still insisted, "He should be thanking you. Your fried noodles are something most people can't make."
"You have no idea how comforting it is to have a bowl of steaming noodles on a chilly day. Do you believe it? Old Gu will definitely come back asking for those fried noodles."
Ye Fangfei certainly believed it; as a modern person, she understood the appeal of instant noodles all too well. However, she couldn’t say that out loud and instead brought up Ye Fanghua. "By the way, Fanghua and her crew came over."
"You really called it; they were indeed looking to take advantage," Tang Zhicheng replied.
"As soon as I mentioned that things without tickets are expensive, they backed off immediately," Ye Fangfei continued. "I knew they would come over eventually, but I didn’t expect them today."
"What made them think of buying an iron pot?" Tang Zhicheng asked.
Ye Fangfei explained, "Fanghua said they plan to build a house and then move out to live independently."
Tang Zhicheng nodded. "Then they need to prepare pots and pans; otherwise, they won't be able to cook for themselves. Should we lend a hand?"
"I could ask someone at the factory to help us get an iron pot at an internal price; it's not a big deal," he suggested.
"No need," Ye Fangfei replied. "It's not that I don't want to help; if you assist your cousin, what about your aunt? What if others ask you for help too? Will you agree or not?
In everything, it's not about having little but about fairness; if you help her but not him, it will create problems."
"In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, let's just not bring it up," Ye Fangfei said.
Tang Zhicheng didn't expect his wife to think so thoroughly; he felt genuinely convinced. "You and I will listen to my wife," he replied.
"However, I’ve already given away the plates and bowls from the courtyard that we don’t use," Ye Fangfei continued. "I can’t let my cousin leave empty-handed after she came to visit."
The couple exchanged words while their little girl spun around them. It was at that moment that Gao Dachui and Li Xiaomei knocked on the door.
"Who is it? Someone's here." Hearing the knock, Tang Zhicheng quickly went to answer.
"Uncle Dachui, Aunt Li, what brings you here? Come in, come in!" Tang Zhicheng opened the door to find Gao Dachui and Li Xiaomei standing outside.
"Xiao Tang, are you home? Is Xiao Ye here?" Li Xiaomei asked awkwardly. "We need to talk to you about something."
"Yes, Aunt Li, please come in." Tang Zhicheng welcomed them inside.
Inside the house, Ye Fangfei heard the commotion and came out.
"Uncle Gao, Aunt Li, please sit down. Here, have some stir-fried dishes; I made them myself. Aunt Li, you should try some."
"And here are pine nuts and walnuts sent from my hometown; they’re hard to find around here. Please have some," Ye Fangfei warmly invited them.
Gao Dachui and Li Xiaomei sat nervously on the living room chairs. "Xiao Ye, don’t worry about serving us; we actually came to discuss something important with you," Gao Dachui said.
Ye Fangfei was puzzled about what they wanted to talk about but still sat down. "What is it? Just tell me."
Gao Dachui and Li Xiaomei exchanged glances before Li Xiaomei spoke up. "Xiao Ye, we heard that your brother got divorced. Is that true?"
"It is true." Ye Fangfei wondered why she was asking.
However, this wasn’t something shameful or secretive, so she decided to be honest. "But what requirements does your family have for him if he remarries?" Li Xiaomei pressed on.
Even if Ye Fangfei were a bit slow on the uptake, she understood why Gao Dachui and his wife had come to see her. However, she didn’t want to get involved in her brother's matters; she didn’t have a good opinion of the Gao family either.
"My brother’s affairs are not something I can manage as a married sister. But I did hear my mother mention that my brother doesn’t plan on looking for a partner anytime soon."
"Even if he remarries, he doesn't plan to have children within ten years," Ye Fangfei said.
"How could your brother have such an idea? Who would agree to not have children for ten years?" Li Xiaomei was surprised that the Ye family had such a notion.
"Well, my brother is just worried about my nephew being put in a difficult position. With a stepfather, there would also be a stepmother. He fears he might show favoritism, so he made this decision."
"By cutting off the problem at its source, by the time ten years pass, my nephew will be sixteen. Even if the stepmother has children then, it won't affect him," Ye Fangfei continued.
Li Xiaomei was speechless. This was not something a normal man would think of. When a woman gets married, who doesn’t want to quickly have a child to secure her position in her in-laws' family?
If she doesn’t have children and only raises a stepson, that’s definitely not acceptable. Moreover, ten years from now, how old will the daughter be? Almost thirty—whether she can still have children is another question altogether.
Having thought this through, Li Xiaomei decided not to pursue the topic further. Although the Ye family had good conditions, this requirement was truly not something an ordinary person could accept.
"Well then? Xiao Ye, we’ll be on our way," Li Xiaomei said, realizing her daughter had only a few days off and couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up to leave.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Stay a bit longer," Ye Fangfei also stood up.
"No, there are things at home. We’ll head out first," Li Xiaomei replied as she walked toward the door.
Gao Dazhu followed behind her as they exited together.
"Gao Uncle, Li Auntie, come visit us again when you have time," Ye Fangfei and Tang Zhicheng saw them off at the door.
"You two take care," Li Xiaomei waved goodbye, looking somewhat dejected.
Once the two entered the nearby courtyard, Ye Fangfei and Tang Zhicheng turned around and closed the door before heading back inside.
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