Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 699 is still about "factional strife".

The eldest and second aunts did not have a good first impression of Song Shiwei.

But this did not stop Grandma and Mao Xiaoqin from liking Sweetie.

Last time I came over for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Professor Lu was waiting outside, so Song Shiwei could only sit for a short while, and Mao Xiaoqin didn't have time to chat with her about much.

This time, given the opportunity, Dr. Mao asked very frank questions.

"Are you under a lot of academic pressure? You look a little thinner than the last time you came to our house."

Mao Xiaoqin started with daily life.

"Not much pressure, and I haven't lost weight."

Song Shiwei spoke simply, as always.

"Chen said you've become an angel investor, and you occasionally have to travel for work."

Mao Xiaoqin advised, "Take good care of yourself while you're away. Stay in a nice hotel and eat nutritious meals."

"it is good."

Song Shi nodded slightly.

Uncle Mao Zhiyuan frowned.

What kind of daughter-in-law chats with her mother-in-law like that? You ask a question, I answer, and the answers are so perfunctory.

When I spoke to the village party secretary before, he never responded like that.

"Is Xiao Song's family well-off?"

The eldest uncle suddenly asked a question, abruptly interrupting the otherwise relaxed family conversation.

Mao Xiaoqin and Song Shiwei were both stunned for a moment.

However, Mao Xiaoqin felt that since everyone present was family, it wouldn't hurt to talk about it, so she nodded and said, "Xiao Song's parents' jobs are more important than mine and Lao Chen's."

Originally, the deputy director of the emergency department of a top-tier hospital is lower than a master's supervisor in a university, and the deputy director of the policy research office at the level of a department head is lower than the executive director of CITIC Securities at the level of a bureau head.

"No wonder!"

The eldest uncle seemed to understand something, turned his head away, and hummed to himself.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Zhe didn't understand what his uncle was up to, and neither did Dr. Mao. But since it brought up the topic, Mao Xiaoqin asked gently, "Are Chairman Song and Professor Lu busy with work?"

"Mom is fine, but Dad has been busy."

Song Shiwei's answer still sounded rather grating to his uncle and the others, like a "perfunctory" response.

"Then we should remind them to get some rest."

Out of a doctor's instinct, Mao Xiaoqin advised, "Pay more attention to regular checkups, and be especially careful about liver problems if you stay up late. If you have any concerns, come to our hospital, and I'll find a specialist to help you with your consultation."

"cut!"

My second uncle, who was eating sunflower seeds, seemed to have had enough and let out a heavy sigh.

Mao Xiaoqin was quite respectful to her eldest uncle, after all, he was the eldest brother, but she was not so polite to her second uncle, who was only two years younger than her.

"Mao Hongtao, if you have nasal inflammation, go and spray some saline solution!"

Empress Dowager Mao glared at him and said, "Stop snorting and sniping around here, there's no peace and quiet!"

Mao Xiaoqin even started scolding her uncle. Her uncle thought to himself, "Mao Xiaoqin, you don't know what's good for you. We're doing this for your own good!"
If you fawn over your "daughter-in-law" like this now, what will happen when she marries Chen Zhezhen? Won't you, as her mother-in-law, be treated like dirt?
If you suffer injustice, don't you still have to rely on your older brothers and other family members to help you get revenge?
Although Song Shiwei was also completely confused, the sudden tension in the air made her feel a vague sense of doubt and unease.

"Mom, Uncle, Uncle, it's best if you brothers and sisters discuss your financial matters behind closed doors."

Chen stood up, a hint of impatience in his eyes: "Don't make such a racket in front of us younger generation during the New Year. It's so annoying!"

After saying that, Chen pulled Song Shiwei up and said without waiting for a reply, "Come on, let's go downstairs and set off fireworks, make room for the adults, and sort out their family accounts!"

Everyone reacted differently upon hearing this.

The eldest and second uncles were wondering why there was still a small ledger, since the money they borrowed from their sister to buy the house had already been paid back.

The eldest and second aunts panicked. Could it be that these two had borrowed money from their aunt's family again?
Mao Xiaoqin sighed. Although the root of all the problems was her son, his ability to adapt to changing circumstances always allowed him to find a way out of a crisis.

However, the most urgent task is to find out why the two older brothers are "acting crazy".

As the security door slammed shut, and the younger generation went downstairs, Mao Xiaoqin immediately frowned and said to Mao Zhiyuan and Mao Hongtao, "What are you doing? Did Weiwei offend you in any way?"

"She didn't provoke me!"

The eldest uncle felt he was right, so he argued vehemently, "Xiao Song is not a good match for Chen Zhe at all. She only talks to you half-heartedly, acting like she doesn't care about you. After you get married, will she still respect you as her mother-in-law?"

"no……"

Mao Xiaoqin was baffled: "How could she be ignoring me?"

“You say a lot, and she only replies with a few words. Isn’t that like offering a warm face to a cold backside? Look at Xiao Huang’s attitude yesterday. She was practically ready to tell you everything about her family.”

My second uncle spread his hands, looking as if to say, "The principle is that simple, how can you not understand?"

“I could roughly tell that her family was well-off.”

Uncle Mao Zhiyuan continued earnestly, "But you can't try to climb the social ladder just because of this. How did your parents teach us? Even farmers should hold their heads high. Look at the way you were just now..."

"If you can't get better, come to our hospital and I'll have a specialist help you with your diagnosis."

The eldest uncle deliberately mimicked his sister's tone with a fawning manner, then criticized, "Why must you be inferior to others?"

Dr. Mao's chest was already heaving.

In fact, doctors are generally quite well-mannered because they encounter all sorts of patients in their work, and their tempers are usually worn down.

But now, Dr. Mao felt his anger was stuck in his throat, and his temples were throbbing.

Unfortunately, the eldest and second aunts took the opportunity to fan the flames: "If we talked to our parents like that at home, not to mention anything else, your eldest and second brothers might slap us across the face."

"Xiaoqin, let it go."

Finally, Uncle Mao Zhiyuan concluded earnestly, "This girl is not the same kind of person as us."

Listening to these nonsensical analyses, Dr. Mao tried to hold back, but his tense profile and slightly twitching lips indicated that he was on the verge of exploding.

"broken."

Knowing his wife's personality well, Chen Peisong thought to himself, "My two brothers-in-law are going to get shot."

"Snapped!"

As expected, Empress Dowager Mao, who was also "soft on the outside but firm on the inside," slammed her hand heavily on the tea table and scolded her eldest and second uncles:
What kind of people are you?

"Why should Weiwei be classified as one of you?"

"Is being like you a good ending?"

“This is how Weiwei always speaks, and she’s changed a lot now. When I first met her in high school, she blushed and could only shake her head and nod!”

"What do you mean by 'climbing the social ladder'? Do you think Old Chen and I are the kind of people who would do that? Let me tell you, I was ready to break us up a couple of days ago..."

Mao Xiaoqin paused for a moment as she spoke, realizing that this was a private matter and could not be told to outsiders.

But as the conversation escalated, all that was needed to finish was a harsh remark. After holding back for a while, Empress Dowager Mao angrily shouted, "Don't judge us with your old-fashioned rural mindset!"

As the sister who is the most successful in the family and the one who has helped the hometown the most, Dr. Mao is both respected and somewhat feared by her uncles.

Seeing their sister's fury, they were filled with resentment, yet too apprehensive to argue back.

The main reason for their "dissatisfaction" was that their eldest and second uncles genuinely had no personal motives; they had seen far too many similar situations in the village.

The daughter-in-law is domineering, and the mother-in-law is forced to live a difficult life in a small shed.

Or perhaps the wife's family is prosperous, and the husband is disliked by his parents-in-law and often ridiculed in front of others.

The eldest and second uncles worried that a similar situation would occur, and in the end, it was the younger sister and nephew who suffered.

To my surprise, not only did my sister not appreciate our efforts, she even ridiculed us!
"dad."

The eldest uncle didn't dare to argue with Dr. Mao, so he turned to his maternal grandfather for help: "Look, Mao Xiaoqin has forgotten her roots. She's calling us country bumpkins."

Since the argument started, the grandparents hadn't tried to stop it. The grandfather was shelling sunflower seeds one by one, and the grandmother even got up and went back to the bedroom, I don't know what she was doing. Hearing their son's complaint, the grandfather calmly threw the sunflower seed shells into the trash can, clapped his hands, and replied steadily, "She's insulting you old-fashioned rural people, I'm a new-fashioned rural person."

"……what?"

The two uncles were a little confused. Could they really absolve themselves of this responsibility?
"so stupid!"

Grandma, standing nearby, said with exasperation, "You can't even tell people apart! I've taught you my whole life and you still can't learn. Luckily, Mao Rui and Mao Chuan aren't like you!"

My maternal grandmother was much better at judging people than my maternal uncles.

"This little girl is smart, but she has no bad intentions."

"She can quietly tend to the flowers and plants for half a day, and upon closer inspection, she even has a bit of a simple and honest charm, which shows that she can calm down and focus."

"A man who talks little but is steady and doesn't make mistakes is like an empty wormwood that just sways aimlessly all day long. What kind of full ear of grain makes a rustling sound all day long?"

At this point, Grandma tucked her hand into her pocket, as if she were holding something, but without hesitation, she gave her opinion: "She's quite pretty. Anyway, I've lived for over seventy years and I've never met anyone prettier than this girl. I'll ask her one more question later, and then..."

Grandma also fell silent.

"Mom, is there any other question?"

Mao Xiaoqin inquired out of curiosity.

"Don't worry."

Grandma was unwilling to reveal anything, and pointed to the already darkening sky outside the window: "Go cook, are you waiting for me to serve you?"

And so, a tense family meeting was averted.

Of course, my uncles were still not convinced, after all, it's not so easy to convince an adult.

However, dinner was prepared by my eldest and second aunts again; they embody all the advantages and disadvantages of middle-aged rural women.

The downsides are that they are talkative, shallow, petty, uncultured, stubborn, and argumentative.

The advantages are that they are filial, efficient, enthusiastic, and forget about arguments relatively quickly.

Mao Xiaoqin went back to her bedroom, intending to change her clothes and also go to the kitchen to lend a hand, but she bumped into Old Chen standing at the door.

"Well……"

Chen Peisong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Mao Xiaoqin furrowed her brows!
Old Chen immediately said, "I'm not saying you should talk to Xiao Song right now, after all, it wasn't appropriate to argue like that earlier. What I mean is, you can find an opportunity to talk to him after dinner."

"Oh……"

Empress Dowager Mao still had a lingering anger in her chest, and when she saw her husband "stroking the tiger's whiskers," she felt as if she thought, "You've come at the right time."

As it turned out, Chen Peisong was too slick; realizing the situation was not right, he took the initiative to back down.

Dr. Mao suddenly felt powerless, as if he were punching cotton.

"Have you swept up the sunflower seed shells outside?"

Dr. Mao suddenly asked.

"It's been swept, and it's just been cleaned."

Chen Peisong answered quickly and steadily.

Where are the clothes in the washing machine?

Mao Xiaoqin then posed another question.

"I had already finished preparing when you and your uncle were arguing."

Chen Peisong continued to handle the situation calmly.

"The living room floor..."

Dr. Mao was still somewhat unwilling to give up.

"The mop is soaking, and I'm about to mop it."

Old Chen has even learned to answer questions quickly.

After searching for a reason for a long time without finding one, Dr. Mao could only stomp on her husband's foot and say irritably, "Chen is as reliable as I am, and all that cleverness of his comes from you!"

"This……"

Old Chen shrugged. "If it's good, so be it; if it's bad, blame me."

But if a man doesn't have a bit of wit and use harmless resourcefulness to buffer all possible bumps and bruises, how can he maintain the stability of his family?

……

Unlike the various arguments among the elders upstairs, the younger generation setting off fireworks downstairs was quite harmonious.

The five people automatically split into two and a half groups.

Why is it said to be two and a half factions? Chen Zhe and Song Shiwei are one faction; they are actually waving fairy wands.

Mao Chuan and Mao Rui were on the same side; they had already played it once last night and had lost all interest now.

That "half" refers to Mao Xintong, who shuttles back and forth between two factions, sometimes going all the way between them.

"Brother Chuan."

Looking at the romantic atmosphere of the "other side" from afar, Mao Rui asked, puzzled, "My cousin just spent yesterday setting off fireworks with Sister Can Can, and now he's with Sister Xiao Song. Why isn't he tired of it?"

"Forehead……"

Mao Chuan scratched his head and thought for a moment: "I don't know either, maybe it's different for people in big cities."

"Ok?"

Mao Rui frowned: "It sounds like you said that yesterday."

"Really? You forgot!"

Mao Chuan stamped his foot listlessly: "I don't play Iori Yagami, how about we go to Xinhua Bookstore to play King of Fighters?"

In one sentence, it covers all three key points.

"Brother Chuan, I think you've become smarter since you came to the provincial capital."

"Get out of here!"

……

After the two brothers disappeared, Sister Mao also vanished without a trace. Although she most likely went home to sneak some fried yellow croaker, the timing of her disappearance was perfect.

Some people can turn appearances and disappearances into just the right amount of blank space; that's a kind of "cleverness."

So, in a quiet corner of the neighborhood, only Chen Zhe and Song Shiwei remained, immersed in the romance of the fireworks.

Sweetie held a lit sparkler in her hand. Unlike others who waved it in circles, she simply held it quietly, gazing intently at the cluster of sparking silver flames.

A faint smile played at the corners of her lips, and the light shimmered and flickered on her exquisite face, like the wings of a butterfly resting in the evening breeze.

Upstairs just now, Song Shiwei also wondered if Uncle Chen disliked her, which was why he acted so strangely.

Chen later said that they had some financial disputes as siblings, and their conversations were often heated.

So, Sweetie understood.

Even her mother, Professor Lu, would occasionally complain about her uncle or aunt, saying that they valued money too much.

This doesn't seem to be an isolated case; rather, it's a common kind of wrinkle in everyday life.

The fireworks hissed and burned, and Chen watched quietly from the side without disturbing them.

In that fleeting moment of brilliance, Sweetie's eyes were filled with scattered gold, like a miniature galaxy fallen to earth.

The man's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Let me take a picture of you."

Song Shiwei was taken aback: "You can take pictures?"

The scoundrel thought to himself, "Who do you think you are? I was just disciplined yesterday."

······
(I hosted two friends on Saturday, and fell asleep when I got back that night. I typed this when I woke up.)
(End of this chapter)