Li Jie took the thermos bucket from Mrs. Zhong enthusiastically.
"No, no, I'll take it myself." Mother Zhong waved her hand, and then asked casually: "Where's Xiaoqin? I brought you your favorite pickled fresh food."
When Li Jie saw this, he didn't force it. He took a few steps back and took out a pair of slippers from the shoe rack.
"She just left and went to the hot springs with her friends."
Mother Zhong often came to the house to cook and wash clothes for her daughter. She was very familiar with the layout of the house. She put on her shoes and walked to the dining room in a familiar manner, talking as she walked.
"Then you eat it quickly. It will get cold later. Go to the kitchen and get a bowl and a spoon."
Li Jie nodded when he heard this and walked to the kitchen to get two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Although Zhong Mu was very kind and enthusiastic to him before, her tone and expression today were even worse than before.
Li Jie also knew the reason. First of all, when Zhong's mother was cleaning the house some time ago, she saw that the fish tank had been left open and wanted to close it for a while to save electricity.
As a result, she forgot to energize the fish tank, and all the fish died. She knew very well how precious her son-in-law was to the fish.
Today's enthusiasm is excessive, to the point of being a bit flattering, and there is inevitably a compensatory thought in it.
Secondly, she has another purpose for coming today.
The couple has been married for several years. Although there are inevitably some bumps in life, the son-in-law works in a TV station and is decent and stable. The daughter is also diligent in her work, so her life is pretty good.
She has always had a problem in her heart over the years, and that is the problem of her house.
This house was bought by my son-in-law before they got married. There was no daughter’s name on the house purchase contract at that time. The property ownership certificate had not been released yet, and she was too embarrassed to mention it.
The housing loan is expected to come down next year, and this year coincides with Xiaoqin's thirtieth birthday.
She discussed it with her husband and agreed that it was time to mention this matter to her son-in-law.
Mother Zhong mentioned this not because of the house, but to provide a guarantee for her daughter's marriage.
With the tie of the house, their marriage will be more stable. She understands Xiaoqin's temperament and will never initiate divorce.
If we really want a divorce, it will definitely be brought up by 'Chen Yu'. Then this house will be useful. If Xiaoqin's name is added to the house book, the divorce will definitely be half of Xiaoqin's.
In this way, the price of divorce will be high, and this will also allow 'Chen Yu' to calm down and think carefully about whether divorce is worth it.
Unexpectedly, things are unpredictable. Mother Zhong would never have thought that the two of them had divorced, and it was her daughter who first proposed it.
Of course, Li Jie would not take the initiative to reveal the divorce between the two.
He still has to keep the stove burning.
Neither the ‘frontal battlefield’ (referring to Zhong Xiaoqin) nor the ‘rear battlefield’ (referring to the mother-in-law and father-in-law) must be lost, both hands must be grasped, and both hands must be strong!
Even if it had to be brought up, it could only be brought up by Xiaoqin. He said it was inappropriate.
If he were the first to tell Zhong's father about Zhong's mother's divorce, the two elders might think that something was wrong with him.
After all, in their eyes, Xiaoqin was a good child and would never initiate divorce.
This misunderstanding broke the thread.
Now that Li Jie knows the purpose of Zhong's mother's visit, instead of letting her take the initiative to bring up the matter, he might as well take the lead and explain the matter about the house clearly.
This not only avoids Zhong Mu's embarrassment, but also makes her feel better about her senses.
Pickled Duxian, a famous dish in local cuisine, 'pickled' refers to pickled bacon, 'xian' refers to fresh meat (chicken, hoof, short ribs, etc.), and 'du' refers to small pork ribs.
It means stewed.
The method is very simple. Just put the spring bamboo shoots, bacon, fresh meat, ham and other ingredients together and simmer over low heat. Almost every household in Shanghai will make it, but each family's method is different.
The craftsmanship of the bell mother is not bad, the soup is white and thick, and it has been cooked for at least three hours. The meat is soft and melts in the mouth. The spring bamboo shoots are fragrant and crispy, without losing the umami flavor and not being over-cooked. It can be seen that it has taken a lot of effort.
Kung fu.
The two of them were chatting about home affairs while eating. Zhong's mother saw that the fire was almost done and was about to talk about the house. Unexpectedly, she heard what she wanted to hear most from Li Jie's mouth.
"Mom, Xiaoqin is thirty years old this year. We have been married for several years, and I haven't given her any decent gifts."
"I think back then, when I got married, because I had just bought a house and I was tight on money, you and Dad were very concerned about me when it came to wedding gifts and wedding banquets. You also bought a car for Xiaoqin and me."
After hearing this, Mother Zhong already guessed what her son-in-law meant, and the smile on her face couldn't help but become even brighter.
'Okay! Okay!'
'As expected of my chosen son-in-law!'
'Chen Yu did a great job! I will leave the old man alone later and praise him in front of the neighbors!'
'Xiaoqin, although you two have some minor conflicts in your life, Chen Yu still loves you very much. I didn't even say anything, but he took the initiative to give you half of the house.'
Li Jie saw the smile on Zhong Mu's face and laughed too, and then continued.
"No, the house book will be released next year. I thought it was time to give Xiaoqin a decent gift. When the house book comes out, I will go to the housing management bureau to add Xiaoqin's name."
When Zhong's mother heard these most crucial words, she suddenly felt elated and overjoyed. She held Li Jie's hand with a glowing face and kept saying yes.
"Okay! Chen Yu! Okay!"
This situation is exactly in line with the old saying, the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more satisfied she becomes.
Speaking on your own and your son-in-law taking the initiative to speak are completely different things. Speaking on your own will inevitably have the meaning of 'hijacking'. If your son-in-law can't think about it and doesn't agree, where will you put your old face?
It couldn't be better for 'Chen Yu' to take the initiative to bring up this matter.
How could Zhong Mu be dissatisfied? She was already satisfied and couldn't be more satisfied.
'You can take the initiative to praise Chen Yu in front of Xiaoqin later.'
'In addition, we have to remind her to be more sensible.'
'I'm thirty, it's time to grow up, it's time to learn to take care of myself, my husband, and this family.'
Then the two chatted for a while. Under Li Jie's deliberate efforts to please her, Mother Zhong became even more happy and her mouth never closed.
Before leaving, she had forgotten about the last time her son-in-law bumped into her. (Chen Yu was shunned again because he killed the fish. He was in a very bad mood at the time, and ended up getting angry with his mother-in-law.)
On the way back, Mother Zhong became more and more happy as she thought about it. What happened today really made her so happy that she couldn't wait to get home. She couldn't wait to take out her mobile phone and called her husband halfway.
On the phone, she told her husband the good news and praised her son-in-law in every possible way.
After calling my wife, she still had her fun. She called her daughter again, but she couldn't get through.
Then, Mother Zhong remembered that her son-in-law had just said that Xiaoqin's cell phone was broken, so she gave up.