Wealthy Beauty in the 60s
Chapter 104 - 103 Discontent (Recommended tickets 3000+)

Chapter 104: Chapter 103 Discontent (Recommended tickets 3000+)

Xia Xiao had spoken with Old Man Xia and had seen Uncle Baoguo’s family return, probably because of their white-collar jobs, Xia Baoguo and Wang Jinying both had an impressive demeanor. Comparing the twins she saw now with those of Liu Haiguo and Liu Haihua, the cousins in front of her were significantly more outstanding.

"Brother Rong," Xia Kang, one of the twins, asked, "where are Brother Xiang and Sister Yan again? They’re missing."

Xia Chunrong shook his head, "I didn’t see them when I arrived either. I heard they are at Grandma’s house and will come over later."

Xia Wei muttered under her breath, "Always at Grandma’s house, why don’t they just move there permanently?"

"Brother Xiang and Yanzi both love ballroom dancing, and there’s a venue at Grandma’s place, everyone enjoys dancing there," Xia Chunrong explained.

Xia Xiao widened her eyes. It seemed she knew too little about this era and hadn’t expected ballroom dancing to still be a thing. She thought it was banned.

Observing Uncle Baoguo, his wife, and the twins, as they entered the house and took off their coats, revealing white shirts paired with sweaters, winter skirts, lace sleeves, and stockings, the family’s attire was a pleasant surprise.

Having stayed in the production team for a while, Xia Xiao had thought everyone was similar, but S city was a whole different story.

"Brother Rong, is this the girl you’ve brought back?" Xia Wei looked at Xia Xiao.

Xia Xiao was speechless, wondering why everyone thought she was her brother’s partner.

"This is my younger sister, Xia Xiao," Xia Chunrong proudly declared.

Xia Wei and Xia Kang’s eyes widened, and they exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Xiaoxiao, how is this possible?"

Xia Baoguo and Wang Jinying smiled at Xia Xiao, "Wow, our young lady has really transformed."

Xia Xiao gave a slight smile and waved at Uncle Baoguo’s family, "Uncle, Auntie, Xiao Wei, Kang."

"It really is Sister Xiaoxiao, how did you change so much?" Xia Wei and Xia Kang approached her.

At that time, there was no cosmetic surgery, otherwise, people would have definitely suspected Xia Xiao of having undergone some. Everyone still remembered her as the thirteen-year-old who left S city, so it was no wonder they couldn’t recognize her now.

"Sister Xiaoxiao, weren’t you in the countryside? How come you don’t look it?" Xia Wei sat down next to Xia Xiao, full of curiosity.

"Yeah, maybe the mountain water is rejuvenating. Also, I haven’t been home for several years, so it’s normal to have changed," Xia Xiao wasn’t just making conversation, the girls in the village really did have good skin.

"My sister came back last Spring Festival and was dark and thin, just like your old self, Sister Xiaoxiao. Horribly ugly," Xia Wei said.

Xia Xiao sweated; Xia Wei was really too blunt with her words.

"How is Xia Xiao doing there?" Wang Jinying asked.

Xia Xiao nodded, "Pretty good, living off the mountains and the waters."

Xia Wei suggested, "Mom, we should have let sister join Sister Xiaoxiao’s team, look how much better she looks than my sister."

"Xiao Wen went to the Construction Corps, their treatment is better than average for the educated youth," Wang Jinying said, then continued to inquire about the conditions on Xia Xiao’s side.

Xia Xiao simply mentioned it, and Wang Jinying said, "Xiaoxiao seems to be doing quite well here."

While speaking, Wang Jinying looked at Xia Xiao and asked, "Did Xiaoxiao use something for her face?"

"Clam Oil, but I haven’t really used it," Xia Xiao could only respond.

"Clam Oil?" Xia Wei already showed a face of disdain, "How can clam oil compare to face cream? Both my mom and I use face cream."

Xia Xiao just smiled and didn’t speak. Face cream was naturally good, but expensive and high-class, not affordable for everyone. Clam oil, being popular and cheaper, was still beloved by the masses.

Nowadays, skincare products are purely natural without too many chemicals. However, with the nourishment of Space Spring Water, Xia Xiao hardly used skincare products anymore.

"It seems the water quality is indeed better where you are." Wang Jinying said while noticing Xia Xiao’s rosy white complexion, feeling somewhat remorseful for having let her daughter join the Construction Corps, thinking it might have been better if she stayed with Xia Xiao.

"Xiaoxiao doesn’t look like she has suffered at all. Look at her hands; they don’t look like those of someone who has done labor. Who knows how Xiaoxiao has been living there?" Zhao Xiaolan said, stepping out of the kitchen toward Wang Jinying.

Hearing her daughter being spoken about, Li Wenjuan walked out unhappily and said, "Big sister-in-law has indeed suffered a lot, managing both inside and outside the home, and also having to care for the elderly. Her whole face is wrinkled from all the toil, and her hands are calloused."

As soon as Li Wenjuan finished speaking, Mrs. Xia expressed her displeasure, "Where has she suffered? Aside from her factory matters, she does nothing once back home. She doesn’t wash clothes or cook, just sleeps all day. I, an old lady, have to care for everyone at home."

"Mom, how can you say that? Isn’t it tiring working at home? If I don’t rest when I get home, how can I continue working? What if I lose my job?" Zhao Xiaolan glared fiercely at Li Wenjuan and raised her voice discontentedly toward Mrs. Xia.

"I’m not doing it anymore. It’s New Year’s Day, and everyone’s at home. You all can do it." Mrs. Xia had been holding in her frustration over having such a lazy daughter-in-law.

"Mom, please rest. Big sister-in-law, the younger sisters, and I can handle it."

As soon as Wang Jinying finished speaking, Zhao Xiaolan said to Wang Jinying, "You just rely on your smooth talk. When have you ever cooked during the holidays? You always sit and wait to eat. You didn’t even plan on getting started today—you haven’t even taken off your gloves."

Wang Jinying gave a slight smile, took off her gloves, and turned to Mrs. Xia, "Mom, you’ve worked hard these years. Whether it’s your daughter-in-law or not, you should sit. With a few daughters-in-law and granddaughters here, there’s no need for you to toil. I’ll go cook with my sister-in-law right now."

Wang Jinying called Li Wenjuan, ignoring Zhao Xiaolan, and prepared to enter the kitchen.

Old Man Xia said, "It’s the New Year, why all this quarrel? If nobody cooks, what will everyone eat? You better take a few daughters-in-law and go cook."

"I’m not going to do it anymore." Mrs. Xia remained seated and unmoving.

Mrs. Xia was not without temper, merely accustomed to a lifetime of being a housewife, always bearing hardships without complaint. Now that their sons had divided their homes, the eldest stayed with the two elders, and Mrs. Xia had always been the one to cook and clean.

But the eldest daughter-in-law often mentioned how tiring the factory work was; she would go straight to her room to sleep once home, leaving everything else unattended, either eating at the canteen or waiting to be fed.

Mrs. Xia no longer cared about these complaints, but what she couldn’t stand the most was Zhao Xiaolan teaching her grandchildren to favor her family. They always transported grain from home to their maternal home. The grandchildren would constantly run off to their external family and hadn’t come back for several days.

Today was the New Year’s Eve, and they still hadn’t seen much of their grandchildren; Mrs. Xia couldn’t hold back her anger any longer.

In-law relationships were always complicated, living together only multiplied the conflicts, and Mrs. Xia’s dissatisfaction with Zhao Xiaolan was growing day by day.