Chapter 45: 45 Eldest Sister-in-law

Chapter 45: Sister-in-law

"Uncle!"

Leading Qiaoqiao, Song Tan saw Song Dafang from a distance. With his hair turned gray, he was sitting at the entrance of the shop, staring unblinkingly at his phone

"Right, a 7!"

"Right, a Q!"

"Pass!"

"You're playing too well..."

Looking up from his busy task, Song Dafang was instantly surprised: "Tantan? Why are you back?"

He then glanced at Qiaoqiao: "Qiaoqiao is here too? Have you eaten—"

"Hurry up! I've been waiting until the flowers wither!" a loud voice shouted from the phone without hesitation.

Song Dafang was instantly embarrassed and scrambled to exit the game, but Song Tan stopped him: "It's okay, Uncle. We're family, we're in no rush. Finish this round first!"

After a moment's hesitation, Uncle played a card cautiously. He soon slapped his thigh in delight: "Holy cow! I finally fished out your Big Joker!"

Qiaoqiao leaned in curiously, and soon the two heads were pressed together, immersed in the world of *Dou Dizhu*.

Song Tan took this opportunity to observe the hardware store—

This shop had been taken over many years ago, and the decor was quite old. The current clientele consisted entirely of long-time customers, so the organization was exceptionally casual.

Looking at the messy piles of hardware materials on the shelves, she believed that besides her uncle, no one could find anything accurately!

Fortunately, the opponent in this round was likely too unskilled; in less than two minutes, the round ended, and the Landlord shed tears of sorrow.

Only then did Song Dafang remember: "Wasn't Tantan in Ningcheng? Why did you come back?"

Song Tan smiled: "Uncle, I resigned. I'm farming at home this year—this is the *Astragalus sinicus* (Chinese milk vetch) my mom asked me to bring. I've been selling it at the riverside market, but I made sure to save some for today!"

Qiaoqiao reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the phone. Hearing this, he puffed out his chest and once again displayed his QR code

"Twenty yuan a jin!"

Song Dafang:...

He looked at the small basket of vegetables in his hand, which probably contained about three to five bunches... Twenty yuan a jin?

This silly child, how could it be twenty?

Everyone had eaten *Astragalus sinicus* as a child; he would think it was expensive even if they were all twenty yuan together!

He picked up his phone, making a gesture to scan the code: "Oh, you silly child, don't you know how to count? Let's say two yuan a jin, hahaha! Come, come, Uncle will pay for your vegetables!"

Song Tan was instantly embarrassed.

She felt awkward about collecting money, but if her uncle actually paid two yuan a jin, it would be the two of them who would be embarrassed in the future.

With a forced smile, she quickly pulled Qiaoqiao over: "Be good, we aren't taking money right now."

"Oh."

Qiaoqiao blinked and then said: "I want to wait until the flowers wither too!"

Song Tan:...

It took her a moment to realize he wanted to play the *Dou Dizhu* game from before. She quickly pulled out her phone and loaded a single-player game.

Watching Qiaoqiao sitting on a small stool, head down and tapping aimlessly, a hint of regret appeared in Song Dafang's eyes

"Look how well-behaved this child is, and he's so handsome."

"Your parents have raised you well. These past few years haven't been easy."

Looking again at the *Astragalus sinicus* in the small basket, a wave of nostalgia washed over him: "I haven't eaten this in years... when I was a kid, we had to forage for this because we had nothing else."

Only after saying that did he remember: "What did you just say? You came back to farm?"

Before Song Tan could answer, a voice came from the side: "Who came back to farm?"

It was Song Dafang's daughter-in-law, Sun Yanyan.

Song Tan greeted her with a smile: "Sister-in-law."

Sun Yanyan's eyes lit up: "Oh, Tantan is back? See, Ningcheng really nurtures people; it's given you such great temperament and beauty! Just like a celebrity—wait, who said they came back to farm? It couldn't be you, could it? Hahaha..."

Song Tan nodded with a smile: "It is me."

Sun Yanyan's laughter froze instantly.

Song Tan was long used to this. She explained unhurriedly: "The work pressure in Ningcheng was too high; it was wearing down my health. My parents are also getting older, so I decided to come back for a couple of years to rest and accompany them."

As for whether the other party would accept this reason, that was beyond her control.

Sun Yanyan gave an awkward laugh: "That works. As a girl, you won't have a share of the family land in the hometown. And Qiaoqiao is like this, so he won't be able to manage the fields. It just so happens that when the land is divided to him, you can help look after it. It won't be a loss for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qiaoqiao suddenly looked up and glared at her, refuting: "Qiaoqiao can farm by himself! Qiaoqiao doesn't need anyone to look after him! Qiaoqiao will grow corn to feed Sister! Hmph!"

He was truly angry.

However, a mocking smile appeared on Sun Yanyan's face: "Oh my goodness, look at him! He sounds quite convincing! Tantan, when you look for a partner later, you must tell them not to be unkind to Qiaoqiao."

Though the words seemed well-intentioned, they were unpleasant to hear. In Song Tan's memory, her sister-in-law's positive traits were few and far between; she hadn't realized she was this kind of person.

Song Tan couldn't be bothered to deal with her anymore.

She nodded to the awkward, silent Song Dafang: "Uncle, we still have some vegetables to deliver to Auntie's house, so we'll be going now."

She patted Qiaoqiao's arm: "Let's go, sweetie."

Qiaoqiao had already forgotten his anger. He handed the phone back and asked: "Why didn't he say: 'I've been waiting until the flowers wither'?"

Song Tan thought to herself: *You play cards so fast the computer can barely keep up, how would you have the chance to say that?*

However, before she could speak, Qiaoqiao remembered something. He turned around, walked a few steps, and then very skillfully puffed out his chest

"Scan here! Twenty yuan a jin!"

Song Tan almost burst out laughing!

If he actually let them scan the code, her uncle would lose all face. It wouldn't come to that, it wouldn't.

After all, Sun Yanyan was Sun Yanyan, but she remembered that her uncle was good to them!

So she quickly explained: "Uncle, Qiaoqiao is just playing. But you should eat this *Astragalus sinicus* soon; it won't be fresh if it sits for too long. I really do sell it for twenty yuan a jin at the riverside market."

...

Once the hardware store returned to silence, Sun Yanyan pulled her leaning body back, acting as if she had made a major discovery

"Dad, did you see? Tantan and the others came by car today. Could that be a car the little uncle bought for himself? It doesn't look new; I hope it's not second-hand!"

Song Dafang's face darkened: "You really say everything that needs saying."

As a father-in-law, it wouldn't be right for him to criticize his daughter-in-law. But today, when Tantan came to deliver vegetables, why couldn't he say something nice? Why did she have to pick those two points?

Of course, as an old-fashioned man, Song Dafang did indeed feel that rural land wasn't for girls, but he had never said it out loud!

Besides, with his nephew being the way he was, wasn't what the daughter-in-law said just stabbing two people in the heart?

Sun Yanyan curled her lip: "Qiaoqiao has been like this for nearly twenty years, what is there to fear people saying? I'm just being kind and giving them a heads-up. Tantan is beautiful; when she finds someone with good family conditions later, it's better to say it early so they don't become too picky!"