kiwanis-nylisc Chapter 365 Something's Going Wrong
Chapter 365 Something's Going Wrong
Grandma Shen looked at her third daughter's serious expression and said calmly, "When a person is dead, it doesn't matter where they are buried. They're just a handful of dust."
Auntie San wanted to argue a few more points, but Uncle San quickly reached out and pulled her arm, trying to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, we can't be with Mom all the time. It's a good thing that she has someone who cares about her, and we should be happy about that."
Shen Li raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself: This third uncle is unusually talkative today.
You see, he's always been the type who doesn't act without a reason, always calculating his own gains and losses first. This reasonableness seems a bit off—there must be something fishy going on.
Seeing that her husband had said that, even though she still had doubts, Auntie San could only reluctantly shut her mouth.
The family lunch was a joyful and harmonious affair.
Instead of chatting and exchanging pleasantries with the elders, Shen Li took her two sisters-in-law and two younger cousins from her second aunt's family to the backyard for a walk, while the children from the other families played and frolicked alongside them.
There's also Lu Nan and her two children.
There were seven or eight kids in this group, it was quite lively!
As for Lu Cheng and Lu Zhou, Shen Li didn't bother with them. The two knew the reason and would find a place to stay on their own.
In the past, when I got together with my two sisters-in-law and my younger cousin, we often couldn't find anything to talk about. But now that we have children as a common topic, we can chat quite enthusiastically.
My second aunt's third daughter is twenty-two years old this year and has just graduated from university not long ago;
The youngest daughter is twenty years old and still in college.
The two daughters from my aunt's family both inherited their personalities from my second aunt, being down-to-earth and steady, unlike the four daughters from my third aunt's family, who were all shrewd and calculating.
As they chatted, the eldest cousin's wife suddenly looked at Shen Li, her tone somewhat hesitant: "Li, may I ask you something? If you feel uncomfortable, I won't ask."
Hu Xin (the second aunt's daughter), who was standing to the side, blushed and quickly tugged at her sister-in-law, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't ask anymore."
Curious, Shen Li raised an eyebrow and said, "It's nothing, go ahead, what is it?"
The eldest cousin's wife then softened her tone and said, "It's like this, Xin'er graduated last year and hasn't been able to find a suitable job. We were thinking that you have many businesses, so we wanted to ask if there are any suitable positions for her."
In most other families, there is discord between sisters-in-law and estrangement between aunts and nephews, but my second aunt's family is exceptionally harmonious.
The two sisters-in-law and the two sisters-in-law get along like sisters, never have any conflicts, and help each other in a very harmonious way.
Looking at Hu Xin's flushed cheeks, Shen Li knew that she felt embarrassed to ask for help—after all, she was the original owner's cousin, and it was only right and proper for her to help her.
"What is Xiaoxin's major?" Shen Li asked.
Hu Xin quickly replied, "Administrative management."
After a moment's thought, Shen Li said, "I have three options: Muxi, the machinery factory, and Licheng headquarters. Which one would you prefer?"
Hu Xin quickly shook her head: "I'm fine with anything, as long as I have a job, I'm not picky."
You should know that all the jobs she found that year were temporary, she really had to find one job after another.
Looking at her earnest expression, Shen Li cautioned, "No matter where you go, the internship salary won't be high, and you'll have to start from the bottom and gradually familiarize yourself with the business. Can you accept that?"
Hu Xin nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining with joy: "I can accept it! I'm not afraid of hardship, I can learn slowly."
Shen Li nodded and replied, "Okay, go to Licheng headquarters at 10 a.m. on Monday. I'll write down the address for you later; you can just go find Qin Min."
Hu Xin nodded quickly, her voice full of gratitude: "Thank you, cousin."
"You're welcome," Shen Li replied calmly.
To be honest, she doesn't care about background when hiring, as long as people are down-to-earth, hardworking, and conscientious.
It's naturally easier to hire your own family members; the worst kind is the kind who doesn't know what's good for them and takes advantage of you.
The thought had barely formed in his mind when he saw his third aunt leading her daughters into the courtyard.
At this moment, everyone was sitting around in the courtyard, drinking fruit tea and chatting, while four children were chasing and playing nearby.
Third Aunt walked straight up to Xiangxiang, her tone carrying a hint of familiar intimacy, but her eyes revealing a casualness: "Oh my, this second son is really pretty, like a little girl."
She was born with exquisite features, her eyes and brows naturally exuding a charming innocence, making her even more delicate than the average young girl.
As Auntie San spoke, she reached out to pinch Xiangxiang's cheek.
But just as her hand reached for Xiangxiang, a clear cry suddenly burst forth: "Wah—"
Song Zhaodi reacted quickly, pulling Xiangxiang into her arms and patting his back anxiously, "What's wrong? Did you suffer some injustice?"
Auntie's hand froze in mid-air, her face full of astonishment, and she kept thinking to herself: I just touched her face! I didn't even have time to make a move!
Xiang Xiang buried her face in Song Zhaodi's neck, sobbing as she complained, her voice soft yet clear: "This old woman is mean, she tried to pinch me."
Song Zhaodi's face instantly tightened, and she looked at Shen Sangu with hostility in her eyes.
"No, you all saw it! I really haven't touched the child yet!" Auntie hurriedly explained, her tone tinged with panic.
Shen Li beckoned to Song Zhaodi and said gently, "Bring the child over here, let Mom take a look."
Just imagine when she was carried to the baby, her face was still wet with tears, her eyelashes were drooping, and her little face was all scrunched up. She looked so pitiful.
Shen Li had seen clearly that her third aunt hadn't actually touched the child, so she didn't blame her too much. She just looked at her third aunt calmly but with an unquestionable tone: "The child is shy and doesn't like strangers touching him."
The second aunt's family was stunned when they saw this, and secretly thought to themselves: This child is too clever!
Before, I could tease and touch anyone here. I was well-behaved and cute. Nothing like this ever happened before. How come I suddenly know who I am and who I am close to now?
These words immediately put the third aunt in an awkward position, her face flushing red and then pale. She stubbornly argued, "What stranger? I'm his third aunt, a proper relative!"
Shen Li curled her lips into a slight smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "We are familiar with each other, but the child doesn't know you. Aunt, are you really going to hold a grudge against a child?"
Auntie San was speechless, opening her mouth but unable to utter a single word for a long time.
She paused, remembering the important purpose of her trip, and suppressed her displeasure. She turned to glare at her four daughters beside her, her tone filled with a disappointed reproach: "Can't you four learn from your second aunt's daughters, Xiaoxin and Xiaorong?"
"Look how well they know how to get along with people, always keeping in touch with Xiao Li. You guys, on the other hand, are all like blockheads, so clueless."
As she spoke, she raised her voice meaningfully, "Make sure you get along well with Xiao Li. Your cousin is now in charge of a large corporation; what kind of good position doesn't she have?"
"We're all family. If she wants to arrange a few positions for you, it's just a matter of a word."
Shen Li didn't respond to her words at all. She just lowered her head and gently comforted Xiangxiang in her arms, wiping away the tears on his face with her fingertips, and said softly, "It's okay, it's okay, don't cry, Mommy's here."
The courtyard fell into a deathly silence. No one dared to speak, and the atmosphere was so awkward it was almost palpable.
Auntie's face flushed red, both ashamed and angry. She glared at Shen Li, her tone accusing, "Li, so now that you've made it big, you look down on your relatives?"
Shen Li raised an eyebrow and looked up, her eyes clear and bright, her tone blunt and unforgiving: "Is that so? Third Aunt seems to have misunderstood me. I don't look down on relatives only because I've become successful. When I wasn't successful, I still looked down on clueless relatives."