Gu Xingye said, "They should have gotten on the car around noon."
"Ah, ah." Da Feng Xiao Shuo
Little Bai was happily eating when her grandmother suddenly stopped. The little brother beside her was eating with gusto. Little Bai, like a little bird awaiting food, opened her mouth and chirped twice, anxious.
"Our Little Bai is in a hurry. Grandma will feed you now." Li Xiulan said, quickly picking up a small spoon and feeding her a mouthful.
Chen Lishu knew that Li Xiulan said this partly to show her displeasure with Gu Xingmin and his wife's cleverness, and partly to prevent her from being put in a difficult position.
Mutual consideration was important. She couldn't possibly try to drive people away before they even arrived. So, she smiled and took over the conversation:
"Second brother and second sister-in-law are here for a rare visit, so let them stay at home for a few days. When I take fourth sister-in-law out to buy things, I'll take them to see houses and shops too. As long as they work hard, they will definitely make money."
The next day, Gu Xingye went to the station to pick them up.
"Dad!" Gu Pan saw Gu Xingye's figure and the little person quickly rushed over.
Gu Xingye quickly crouched down and picked her up. Looking at Zhang Xiaoju behind her, he said, "You must have had a tiring journey."
Although Zhang Xiaoju looked a bit weary, her gaze towards her husband was filled with undeniable tenderness.
Liu Yuemin, who came up later, saw the car behind him and said with wide eyes, "Fourth brother, you're driving a car now? That car must have cost a lot, right?"
Gu Xingmin, without putting down the things in his hands, first circled the car with admiration. "Old fourth, you're doing great now. Teach your second brother someday. This car must be exciting to drive."
"Dad, I want to learn to drive too!" Gu Ming and Gu Lin, the brothers, also chimed in.
Gu Xingye smiled and explained, "This is a company car. I drove it over because I knew you had a lot of things. Get in, Mom and third sister-in-law have already prepared dinner."
Soon, Gu Xingye put the things in the trunk. Three adults and four children squeezed into the car.
The car itself was already astonishing enough. But when the car stopped in front of a detached two-story building, everyone except Gu Xingye was stunned.
Liu Yuemin murmured, "Even the landlords in the old days didn't have this much grandeur, did they?"
Gu Xingmin said, "How can landlords compare to third brother and his wife? This is where capitalists used to live. Haven't you heard Mom and eldest sister-in-law say they even have a servant at home?"
Gu Xingye paused while carrying things upon hearing their conversation. He looked up and said seriously, "Second brother, second sister-in-law, although the turbulent times are over, it's inevitable that some people will be jealous and cause trouble. The city is not like the countryside; many eyes are watching. It's better to be careful in your words and actions, and try not to cause trouble for third brother and third sister-in-law."
Liu Yuemin pouted dismissively and muttered softly, "If they're afraid of being talked about, why be so ostentatious?"
Before long, the group entered the house. Adults and children filled the living room, making for a lively scene.
After greetings, Liu Yuemin eagerly took the three children to tour each room.
"Gu Rui, I want to sleep with you tonight!" Gu Lin saw that Gu Rui was sleeping alone in a large room and immediately ran over and hugged his shoulder.
"Brother, there's a cat!" Gu Ming, with sharp eyes, spotted the big fat cat napping under the table. With a roar, he pounced towards it.
"Da Wang" reacted swiftly. The moment Gu Ming pounced, it leaped onto the table with a "swoosh" and then, arching its back, glared menacingly at Gu Ming.
Rui Rui came over to comfort it, stroking its bristling fur, and then said to Gu Ming, "'Da Wang' doesn't like strangers touching it."
Afraid that Gu Ming, this mischievous child, wouldn't listen, he thought for a moment and added, "My mom said that if you get scratched by a cat, you have to get a rabies vaccine, and it involves several painful injections."
Upon hearing about the injections, Gu Ming immediately became more restrained.
Liu Yuemin said, "Your mom is just being meddlesome. Why keep a cat at home when there are small children?"
Hearing her mention Chen Lishu, Rui Rui felt a little unhappy and said with a frown, "'Da Wang' is usually very well-behaved. It just doesn't like strangers touching it."
Liu Yuemin turned to her two sons and said, "Since you like it, then you two can sleep with Rui Rui."
Gu Feng looked up and said, "Mom, I want to sleep with my brothers too."
Boys of seven or eight years old are in the hazy stages of gender awareness and are already consciously minding and differentiating between genders.
"This is our boys' room. Why are you, a girl, tagging along? Hurry up and get out." Gu Ming unceremoniously pushed his sister out.
Gu Feng, being rejected, immediately burst into tears with a loud "Waa."
The girl's crying was piercing. The two little ones playing happily downstairs were startled. They looked at each other, both with puckered lips, looking as if they were about to cry.
"Why did you make the child cry so soon after they arrived?" Li Xiulan patted the backs of her two little grandsons and then said to everyone, "You must all be hungry after a day of traveling. Let's eat."
Soon, everyone was seated.
After the meal, Chen Lishu began arranging the rooms.
"These two rooms were originally for Mom and Sister Xiao Yue to stay in. Second brother and second sister-in-law will share one room with Xiao Feng. Fourth sister-in-law, you and Panpan will have to make do for now and stay in another room with Mom and Sister Xiao Yue."
Many items for the new house still needed to be purchased, from bedding to cooking utensils. Therefore, Zhang Xiaoju and the children would temporarily stay with Chen Lishu for a couple of days.
Zhang Xiaoju said apologetically, "I've caused you trouble these past few days, third sister-in-law."
Liu Yuemin interjected, "Fourth sister-in-law, we are family, no need to be so polite."
Chen Lishu and Zhang Xiaoju exchanged a glance, and neither said anything further.
To make it convenient for Chen Lishu to take them shopping over the next couple of days, Gu Xingye left the car and took the bus back to the company.
For the next two days, in addition to helping Zhang Xiaoju purchase household necessities, Chen Lishu also took Liu Yuemin and Gu Xingmin to look at several shops in the market.
However, the couple remained unsatisfied.
Either they complained about the location being poor or the price being too high.
Liu Yuemin said, "This price is different from what fourth sister-in-law mentioned before. Are they taking advantage of us being outsiders and charging us a higher price? An extra dollar a month amounts to twelve dollars a year. This is too extortionate."
Zhang Xiaoju replied, "Second sister-in-law, their location is better than mine. It's normal for the price to be a bit higher since customers can see it as soon as they enter."
Liu Yuemin glanced at Chen Lishu and said reluctantly, "I think it's far from as good as third sister-in-law's shop, and the price isn't that much different."
Chen Lishu's patience had almost run out. She said, "Second sister-in-law, if you really want to rent, I advise you to make a decision soon. No matter what you and my second brother plan to sell, it's already March. In another three or four months, the vegetables in the small courtyard will be ready. These are the good months of the year. The longer you delay, the less you'll earn. Think carefully."