Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Girls Have to Learn to Work.

After dinner, Xu Su dutifully gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen.

She heard Chen Shulan in the living room, coaxing Xu Yang to quickly change his shoes and go out.

With the New Year approaching, even though Xu Weiping wasn’t on holiday yet, he no longer had to work overtime in the evenings. The couple went out together, taking Xu Yang to buy new clothes for the holiday.

Although their family wasn’t well-off, they were always willing to spend money on their only son. Other families might buy clothes a size up for their children, so they wouldn’t outgrow them too quickly after just a few wears.

But Chen Shulan and her husband could never bear to see their son go without. Xu Yang had never worn ill-fitting clothes in his entire life.

Every change of season, or for any festival or holiday, they would without fail buy one or two new outfits for their son.

The family of three went out shopping animatedly, and no one came to ask Xu Su, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, if she also needed new clothes for the New Year.

Xu Su wasn’t bothered. She finished washing the dishes, wiped away all the grease, and then returned to her room.

The lock on her new room’s door was intact. As soon as Xu Su went in, she locked the door from the inside.

She started to explore the new phone’s features but got bored of it after a few moments.

Phones from this era could only connect to the internet using GPRS. For Xu Su, only the texting, calling, and alarm clock functions were practical.

On the evening of the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, Xu Su got her older cousin Chen Le’s phone number from Chen Shulan. After graduating from high school, Chen Le had gone to work in Peng City, and he was already using a cell phone when he came home for the New Year this year.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Xu Su quietly made the call from her room. After greeting a string of relatives on her grandmother’s side, she repeatedly confirmed that Grandma Xu was in good health.

This year, just like in previous years, she was spending the New Year at her two sons’ homes. Both uncles were extremely filial, so Xu Su had nothing to worry about.

When Chen Le asked if she wanted him to get her grandmother to the phone, Xu Su hesitated for a few seconds before declining. A call with her grandmother wouldn’t be over quickly, and her family would be waking up soon.

Xu Su told Chen Le that he could reach her at this number and to call it if there was an emergency.

After Xu Weiping and Chen Shulan were both up, the family got dressed and prepared to go to the old Xu family home.

Xu Weiping carried a box of fruit, and Chen Shulan held a bag of cigarettes and liquor as gifts. Besides the young Xu Yang, even Xu Su was carrying a large, full bag of New Year’s goods.

Xia Sheng Road was less than a twenty-minute bus ride from their new home.

As soon as they entered, her younger aunt, who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, heard them and came out, greeting them cheerfully.

Grandma Xu also came out of the kitchen and took the things from their hands, saying with a tone that was outwardly complaining but inwardly pleased, “You’re all too polite, never coming empty-handed. Just keep the good stuff for Yangyang to eat. Your parents are old; what can we possibly eat?”

Xu Weiping chuckled. “I brought two bottles of good liquor this time. Dad loves a good drink. If not for the New Year, when else would he drink it?”

As the ’most’ successful son in the family, he was always willing to splurge whenever he returned to the old family home. He couldn’t find this sense of importance outside, but at home, he was the highly accomplished ’son’ and ’older brother’.

In the main hall of the old house, the brothers Xu Weiguo and Xu Jianbang were chatting with Mr. Xu. A brazier had been set up, and gathered around it were Xu Weiguo’s two sons. It was a lively scene with three generations of grandfather and grandsons.

As for Xu Xiaogu, she wouldn’t return to her parents’ home for the New Year itself. She would wait until the second day of the Lunar New Year to visit with her husband and child.

Seeing Xu Weiping’s family arrive, Mr. Xu’s smile grew even wider. He pulled a handful of milk candies from his pocket and coaxed his little grandson, who was dressed in new clothes, “Come here, Yangyang. Come to Grandpa.”

As the youngest grandson of the Xu Family, Xu Yang was the treasured darling of the entire family. Mr. Xu pulled him into a hug and affectionately planted a few kisses on him.

Xu Su stood to the side and watched for a moment, just as she was about to find a stool to sit on.

Chen Shulan pulled her back and said, “Come on, go help your mother in the kitchen. Girls have to learn how to do chores.”

“…”

Xu Su had no choice but to follow Chen Shulan into the kitchen.

She was then assigned the task of washing vegetables.

Back then, not many families had 24-hour hot water; at least, the Xu Family didn’t.

Looking at the icy water, Xu Su wanted to find a pair of gloves, but Chen Shulan scolded her for being delicate. “What do you need gloves for? Nobody in this family uses them. It’s only a little cold when you first put your hands in. You’ll get used to it. Hurry up and wash; we’re waiting to cook and eat.”

And so, the men of the Xu family sat in the main hall chatting about everything under the sun, while the women bustled about in the kitchen, preparing fine food and wine for them.

It had been like this for all these years. It was just that before, it was the two daughters-in-law and Grandma Xu, their mother-in-law, who were busy. This year, the granddaughter, Xu Su, had been added to the group.

Lunch was served promptly at noon. Before they started eating, a string of firecrackers was set off at the courtyard gate.

At this family reunion, the men and women were again seated at separate tables. The women sat at a smaller table, where the amount of food was half that of the men’s table.

Xu Su had grown quickly this year, especially in the second half. In her past life, her final height was 1.68 meters, which she had reached during her first and second years of high school.

She ate a lot during her growth spurt, and she figured that after working all morning, she deserved to eat as much as she wanted.

Without any hesitation, she ate a large bowl of rice, followed by a full twenty dumplings, and finished with a bowl of bone broth before finally putting down her chopsticks.

Just as she was about to clear the dishes, her younger aunt, Yang Yun, stopped her. “Your mother and I can handle things here, Susu. Auntie has a favor to ask you. Could you go tutor my eldest with his homework? He was fine in elementary school, but ever since he started middle school, he hasn’t passed a single exam. If he doesn’t start studying properly, I’m afraid he won’t even get into high school.”

This was clearly not a spontaneous idea. The moment Yang Yun finished speaking, Xu Weiguo, who was drinking at the main table, overheard with his sharp hearing.

Xu Weiguo slapped Xu Hao on the shoulder. “Go! Have your cousin teach you. Ask her about any problems you don’t understand. If you bring home another test score in the single digits next year, I’ll beat you to death!”

After the hard slap on the shoulder from his father, Xu Hao, who had been looking resentful, immediately became obedient. He shot Xu Su a dirty look. “Let’s go. Getting out of washing dishes, you got off easy.”

Xu Su, who had inexplicably ’gotten off easy’: “…”

The old Xu family home had a total of four rooms: one for the old couple, one for the eldest uncle, Xu Jianbang, one for the younger uncle, Xu Weiguo, and his wife, and one for Xu Hao and his younger brother.

Their room was extremely messy. The old house didn’t get much light and had poor ventilation. Coupled with the recent stretch of dreary, rainy weather, Xu Su smelled a musty odor the moment she walked in.

The desk against the wall, however, was properly arranged with many books, making it look like a student’s room.

As soon as Xu Su came in, Xu Hao turned on the light, then closed and locked the door from the inside.

After doing all this in one smooth motion, Xu Hao sat on the bed and looked at her with a face full of disdain. “Just pretend to be helping me. I don’t need you to teach me. Don’t go telling on me to my dad, or else…”

Xu Hao raised his fist.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep