They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 63 The Dilemma of Birthday Gifts

Liang Mingliang's eyes lit up, and he came up with a terrible idea, "How about we both pretend to be sick and not go?"

Zeng Xiaoyan chuckled coldly, "Fine, let Dad and Mom go by themselves."

As in-laws, we naturally had to attend the grand 50th birthday celebration that our father-in-law had been preparing for. So, not only were Zeng Xiaoyan and Liang Mingliang going to the banquet, but Liang Lizheng and his wife were also going.

Liang Mingliang choked for a moment, then immediately shook his head: That won't do!

If they're not around, wouldn't our parents be helpless if they were bullied?
"How about we have Dad and Mom pretend to be sick too?"

Zeng Xiaoyan laughed even louder: "Fine, go tell your parents then."

"Huh? I don't dare."

Zeng Xiaoyan said irritably, "Then why did you say that?"

The two stared at each other, both feeling deflated.

Weak, pitiful, helpless, and afraid.

Liang Mingliang sighed resignedly, "Forget it, let's all go. Just bear with it and it'll pass."

Zeng Xiaoyan: "Sigh"

if not?
After venting their frustrations, the slight rift that Cuiqiao had caused at noon completely melted away. On the contrary, because they were going to attend the dreaded birthday banquet together, they were practically brothers in misfortune and their feelings for each other improved.

Zeng Xiaoyan stood up: "Let's go, let's dig up konjac."

"Oh."

Liang Mingliang quickly followed.

The world is vast, but nothing is bigger than digging for konjac. Although it can't compare to the Zeng family's wealth and fortune, the joy of earning seven or eight hundred coins a day is something no one else can match.

Rounded up, that's a tael of silver!
One tael of silver can buy so many things.

Thinking of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and how Sister-in-law Zhichun had received a reward from the county magistrate because of them—and how the glory was yet to come, with the whole village benefiting, everyone would be in the limelight. Her father-in-law was the village head, so this glory would naturally be the first after Sister-in-law Zhichun. Hmph, she didn't believe her profit-driven father wouldn't show any appreciation!
I wonder how angry my stepmother and siblings will be then; just thinking about it makes me a little excited.

Her father-in-law had good foresight; she had privately suggested to him that they buy more land to grow sweet potatoes, and to her surprise, he was already planning to do so. It was Zhichun's sister-in-law who reminded them; she and Zhu'er's aunt were also planning to buy more land. As for the other families in the village, Zhichun's sister-in-law said she would also ask her father-in-law to remind them, but whether they would follow suit was another matter.

Zeng Xiaoyan couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth and smile as she thought about how excited and proud she was.

Liang Mingliang scratched his head, puzzled as to why his wife was so happy.

But being happy is better than being angry, so he chuckled along, not quite understanding why.

Just as the couple was about to set off to dig for konjac, Aunt Liang called out to Zeng Xiaoyan.

"Xiao Yan, what kind of birthday gifts should we prepare for your father's birthday banquet? It's okay, don't be shy, just tell us."

Zeng Xiaoyan was taken aback. "I...I don't know either. Mother, you can just prepare whatever you think is best."

Aunt Liang laughed and said, "You've really put me in a difficult position. Your family is quite different from our relatives in the past. Your father-in-law and I are a little unsure how to prepare this birthday gift."

If it were the birthday of the father-in-law of the eldest son's wife or the second son's wife, Aunt Liang would certainly know how to prepare birthday gifts.

The Liang family had never had relatives as wealthy as the Zeng family, so the old ways of maintaining relationships with relatives were definitely not suitable for dealing with outsiders, including the Zeng family.

But what exactly was different about it? Not only was Aunt Liang completely clueless, but even Village Chief Liang had no idea.

We can't just act recklessly; it would be embarrassing if we made a fool of ourselves.

Zeng Xiaoyan understood what her mother-in-law meant, and her head was spinning.

To be honest, she didn't know either. "Well, let me think about it first."

"Okay, think about it first, and tell me in the next couple of days when you've made up your mind. I still need to prepare."

"Hey"

Her biological mother died young, or if she hadn't, she was just an ignorant concubine who wouldn't have known any of this. Her stepmother certainly wouldn't have taught her about interpersonal relationships, social interactions, or managing a household. So when her mother-in-law asked for her advice, her mind went completely blank.

How can I know if I've never learned it or been taught by anyone?
Zeng Xiaoyan's only thought was to seek help from outside, so she hurriedly went to ask Xu Zhichun.

"Sister-in-law Zhichun, please help me think of something suitable to send, please!"

Xu Zhichun: "This—"

She shrugged helplessly: "I don't know anything about dealing with wealthy families."

Her harbor warehouse was indeed filled with countless valuable items, but none of them could be taken out; revealing them would cause a major incident. She dared not take the risk of dealing with a family like the Zengs.

Zeng Xiaoyan hurriedly said, "I really have no clue at all. My father knows our family's situation. We don't need anything expensive. We just need to avoid being laughed at."

Actually, she was a little unsure when she said this. Her father wouldn't laugh at her, but he certainly wouldn't appreciate the birthday gift from the Liang family. Her stepmother, stepsister, and those relatives and friends who fawned over them would also ridicule and mock her. Heh, it was really hard to say.

She was prepared to lie down and let herself be ridiculed, as long as it wasn't in front of her. But if anyone dared to make trouble for her in person, she didn't care about the birthday banquet; she would make a scene and see who looked worse.

Anyway, I'm not eating their food anymore, so who cares!

Zeng Xiaoyan meant that it was fine to just get by and make do. Xu Zhichun had his own interpretation and nodded: "Well, it doesn't have to be expensive. It's the thought that counts. It has to be thoughtful and unique, right?"

Of course, she didn't want people to look down on or laugh at her good sister. It wasn't for Master Zeng's sake, but to stand up for her good sister.

Zeng Xiaoyan didn't understand how this "thought" or "thought" could be "unique," but she thought it sounded reasonable and inexpensive, so she nodded: "Yeah, that's it, that's how it is."

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Then let me think about it."

She'll definitely find something suitable in the harbor warehouse; she can just look around.

Zeng Xiaoyan was overjoyed and hugged her tightly: "Thank you, Sister-in-law Zhichun!"

The afternoon was another busy one.

After dinner, having cooked konjac tofu and konjac noodles and cleaned the pot, Xu Zhichun began to cook braised meat.

Large chunks of meat were stewing in the pot. In addition to what she bought today, she also took a lot of pig's head meat from the fresh food cold storage in the harbor space to mix with it.

As it gradually cooked and absorbed the flavors, even after the wooden lid was tightly closed, an enticing aroma still wafted out from the gaps.

This familiar taste... it's so tempting!

Before going to bed, Xu Zhichun took a piece of pig's head meat, sliced ​​it, and brought it to Liang Mingxuan to enjoy.

"Come on, let's try it and see how it tastes!"

Liang Mingxuan also craved it for a while. The braised pig's head meat looked very tempting, and it was even more fragrant, tender and soft when he tasted it.

"good to eat!"

"It will taste even better if you cook it a little longer. Let's just leave it cooking like this, it'll be perfect for tomorrow morning."

Xu Zhichun was quite satisfied with the taste; it was a familiar taste, and from now on, he could openly and legitimately achieve the freedom to make braised meat.

Are roast duck, roast chicken, salt-baked chicken, roast whole lamb, and so on far away?
(End of this chapter)