owlsbooks Chapter 102 Finding Excuses
Chapter 102 Finding Excuses
Three hundred and eighty yuan.
This broke Wang Xiulan's heart, as she was always frugal.
Actually, this bottle of calcium tablets only costs around 60 yuan.
Chen Yuan deliberately said it was very expensive, just to get Wang Xiulan to eat it quickly.
Not only calcium tablets, but everything else was also marked up by Chen Yuan.
"This fish oil, such a small bottle costs over 300 yuan."
"The milk powder costs over 200 yuan a can. Did you see the English on it? It's all imported."
"And this too."
"And that one, it's not cheap either."
"If you leave them past their expiration date, I'll throw them all away."
Wang Xiulan couldn't help but give Chen Yuan a shove.
"Are you out of your mind, kid?"
"I'm not crazy. Anyway, if you don't eat it, you'll just throw it away, and all the money will be wasted."
It turns out.
Chen Yuan's tactic of fighting poison with poison was very effective.
Wang Xiulan was afraid that the money would be wasted, so she repeatedly assured that she would eat it every night.
That's when they stopped.
Soon it was time to eat.
Wang Xiulan kept putting food into her son's and granddaughter's bowls.
"You two should eat more. You're growing a lot right now, and you're in your prime too. How can you not eat more?"
"You're usually so busy that you probably just eat whatever you want. You've finally come back, so you should definitely eat more."
Perhaps Chen Yuan has really lost weight from exhaustion lately.
Chen Da, who has never been good at expressing himself, said.
"Yes, eat more."
Chen Yuan felt a warmth in his heart. He sat between his parents, watching his mother serving food to their child, and then glanced at his silent father.
I feel it from the bottom of my heart.
No matter how much wind and rain or how many difficulties there are outside.
Once he returns to this home, he is still that child who hasn't grown up.
"Mom and Dad, thank you both so much, you've worked so hard."
Wang Xiulan laughed and said, "You silly child, isn't this all you should do?"
Along with the words came a large, greasy chicken leg.
"You eat one, and I'll eat one."
"And these spare ribs are good too, they're from pigs slaughtered this morning, so fresh."
Chen Youyou fully utilized her talent for flattery.
They kept saying, "Grandma, your cooking is so delicious!"
"Grandma, I love your cooking the most."
"It's so delicious, Grandma! I haven't had your cooking in so long."
He had Wang Xiulan completely bewildered.
Chen Youyou was just a child, so she ate little and was full after only a few bites of meat.
Wang Xiulan took a tissue and wiped her mouth, her eyes full of affection.
"Oh, right, son, I remember now."
Wang Xiulan suddenly raised her head and said.
"I wanted to call you that day, but I forgot. Do you remember that it's your grandma's 80th birthday on the 8th of next month? The family is preparing to celebrate it properly."
"My eldest uncle and second uncle both called me a couple of days ago, saying that it's not easy for the old lady to celebrate her 80th birthday, and we should all be there."
This is a big deal.
Chen Yuan paused in his chopsticks, then spoke.
"I remember, but I don't know what to buy for Grandma. What did my cousins prepare? Can you ask them for me?"
"Don't worry about that, we'll be ready when the time comes."
"That works too. I'll transfer the money to you two later."
Done.
Wang Xiulan then took Chen Youyou to wash her hands.
Chen Da took a few sips of tea and said slowly.
"It doesn't matter what kind of gift you prepare, the important thing is that you come. You know your grandma loves a lively atmosphere."
"When the time comes, you will bring your wife and children, and all five of us will have to go back. The old folks are getting on in years and are hoping for four generations to live together."
Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and his throat felt like it was blocked by something.
Before he could speak, Wang Xiulan came out of the bathroom.
"Yes, call your wife and the kids. We all have to go. Your grandma loves children. Remember to dress the kids in some festive clothes. It will make the old lady happy."
Chen Yuan swallowed hard and forced a smile.
"Mom, I don't think it will work. She's probably still a bit busy."
"What?"
"She's been really busy lately. Didn't you notice she didn't come back with you the last two times she's come back?"
Wang Xiulan frowned and raised her voice a few decibels.
"What's there to be so busy about? How busy can a store be? Is it more important than celebrating an elderly person's birthday?"
"Yes, Chen Yuan, that's not right," Chen Da also said. "Yes, it's a newly opened shop, business is important, but celebrating the old man's 80th birthday is a big deal. How much money will we lose if we close the shop for a day?"
Chen Yuan gave a wry smile and racked his brains for an excuse.
"It's not like that with Mom and Dad. It has nothing to do with money. It's mainly...it's..."
"You guys don't know what kind of promotion her shop is running lately. You know how difficult it is to open a shop these days; which business owner wouldn't put in a lot of effort to promote it?"
"If the shop owner isn't here, things will probably get chaotic, and... she... she might have to go out of town to meet with headquarters."
Wang Xiulan was clearly not buying it and tapped lightly on the table with her hand.
"What kind of talk is that? You can order the goods in advance, and promotions won't be delayed. If all else fails, you can just ask the store staff to do it for you, right?"
"Besides, there are still more than 20 days until the meal, why can't we make some arrangements?"
Chen Yuan needed to find another reason.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Xiulan frowned and looked at the other person with a suspicious gaze.
"Something's not right. Tell Mom the truth, have you two had a fight recently? Have you had a falling out?"
Chen Yuan quickly shook his head and denied it: "No, no, Mom, you're overthinking it. We've been doing fine lately, we're just busy, he's busy, and I'm busy too."
"It's good?" Wang Xiulan narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharp.
Needless to say, Chen Da, as a veteran teacher, could tell at a glance whether a student was lying.
He had sensed something was off about this kid a long time ago, so he said it.
"That's fine. Why don't you even call me or your mom? Last time your mom called her, she was in a hurry and hung up after only a few words."
"Xiao Yuan, tell us the truth, did you two have a fight?"
Chen Yuan wasn't unwilling to admit it.
After all, one lie requires countless more to cover it up.
But he knew his parents' personalities well; both of them were staunch conservatives.
If they knew they were divorced, wouldn't they cause a huge uproar?
Helpless, Chen Yuan had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue making things up.
"There's really no conflict. It's just that there are too many things to do, and it's inevitable that she can't take care of everything. As you all know, she's actually quite career-oriented."
"Mom, how about this: I'll take the child back with me, and if he can find the time, he can come; if not..."
Wang Xiulan interrupted him directly, saying firmly.
"No!"