Chapter 164: Chapter 164

Gong Tao quietly drove the cart, with Gong Dajiang sitting beside him, and neither father nor son said a word.

Gong Tao also didn’t feel like talking, because talking to Gong Dajiang would just lead to unpleasant words, so it was better for everyone not to get upset.

Gong Tao could keep quiet, but Gong Dajiang felt uncomfortable, yet he wondered why he had to speak first.

For a while, the scene was deadlocked, with only the sound of the ox cart breaking the silence.

Just like that, the two of them reached the county town and sent a telegram. "Let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some snacks for the children."

Gong Dajiang thought that perhaps they had gone a bit too far before and wanted to make amends in small ways.

Buy some snacks? How come the old man suddenly thought of it, but it’s not easy to buy snacks. "No need, Ni Zi and the others are not used to it."

"Besides, if Mom sees it, she’ll make a fuss." Just a little food could stir up a storm and be brought up for decades, just thinking about it makes one feel bad.

"Your mom..." Thinking of the old lady’s fussiness, Gong Dajiang could only stay silent; when his wife was unreasonable, she was really unreasonable in every way.

Buying snacks for Gong Xiaoyu posed no issue, but doing so for Gong Ruini would definitely cause a fuss.

"Actually, your mom is a good person." Gong Dajiang still planned to make a small amend for Zhang Lan.

A good person depends on whom. Gong Tao smiled, "It’s okay, both big brothers and little brothers are good guys, all filial sons."

"I’m just the useless one, always embarrassing the Gong Family, the unfilial son." Gong Tao very calmly said these words. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelꜰire.net

Now trying to ease the relationship just sounded fake, "By the way, Dad, you might as well buy some dried goods on the way, at home we don’t need much with porridge, but you need dishes with meals."

"At home, it’s all just pickled vegetables." After all, the two elders have the money, why not let them spend it.

Is he intending to draw a clear line between them? Gong Dajiang’s chest was heaving fast, and his face was getting red, but he tried hard to suppress his anger.

"Dad, it’s not that I’m stingy, but we really don’t have any, you know my family’s financial situation." Gong Tao added a sentence, which was that they had no money.

"We came here in late September, and the vegetables were all harvested, it’s not even possible to dry some vegetables."

He was telling the truth, but Gong Dajiang didn’t believe they used to live .

In response to Gong Dajiang’s doubts, Gong Tao was quite straightforward, "To shamelessly scrounge food and drink, but now with six people, how could I have the nerve."

"I can’t possibly take three generations of grandchildren to scrounge for food and drink, not to mention that as soon as Mom arrived, she offended Zhao Gang and the others." Gong Tao was immensely relieved that Zhang Lan’s temper remained the same as ever.

Gong Dajiang could only sigh, having already offended people, it was impossible to ease relations now, and with no long time before they’d go home, Gong Dajiang didn’t think it necessary to spend money and effort to ease relations with Zhao Gang.

Isn’t it just buying some vegetables, how much could that cost, Gong Dajiang calculated and still thought he should buy vegetables.

The problem was that Gong Dajiang found even with money he couldn’t buy any, buying things required tickets, which he didn’t have.

Gong Dajiang could only turn to Gong Tao for help, hoping he could assist.

Gong Tao looked to the sky, he was also an outsider with hardly any trips to the county, how could he know where to get vegetables without tickets.

"Do you think there would be anyone in the village with some?" Gong Dajiang thought for a long while and could only try to dig into the villagers.

Of course, villagers would have stock, but Gong Tao was unwilling to step up, otherwise, Zhang Lan might think he was colluding with outsiders to scheme for the old couple’s money.

Gong Tao shook his head to signal he didn’t know, "I have no money, I won’t ask."

"But at this time, there might not be much stock left." Even if there’s a lot, dried vegetables eaten from October to March, how much could be left.

If it wasn’t winter and they had green bean sprouts, soybean sprouts along with green vegetables, who knows the dried vegetables might be almost gone.

Gong Dajiang was truly speechless with this son, how could he be unaware of the situation, "You intend to stay here a long time, how come you don’t get to know the situation."

In similar situations, look at how well Zhao Gang is doing, the more he thought of Zhao Gang’s connections around, the more he disapproved of Gong Tao.

Gong Dajiang didn’t want to think about how long Zhao Gang had been mixing around here, not to mention the relationship with Zhan Jing, he only saw Gong Tao’s shortcomings.

Quite disappointed in him, Gong Tao was relieved, actually, he was worried that Gong Dajiang would think he was capable and would keep wanting him to do this and that.

After buying the rice, Gong Dajiang quickly went home, he didn’t want to spend more time with Gong Tao, unable to tolerate his incompetence any longer.

Gong Dajiang angrily carried the rice back home, originally expecting a warm kang and a meal waiting for him, but he saw a cold kang and an empty house instead.

Gong Dajiang was furious, "Men work outside, and you, a woman at home, aren’t working."

"You’re even lying in bed, what are you doing," how could anyone live these days, with everyone thinking of rebelling?

Zhang Lan was shivering from the cold, but hearing Gong Dajiang’s words, she immediately got out of bed, crying uncontrollably.

Zhang Lan poured out all the grievances she suffered during the day, "Old man, I thought I’d never see you again."

What, the daughter-in-law was so heartless? Gong Dajiang turned and was about to find Gong Tao to have him properly educate his wife, how could she treat her mother-in-law .

"Mom, you were the one who said yesterday to start eating separately today, and also agreed that everyone would cook their own meals."

"There are sweet potatoes at home, if you don’t cook them."

"Didn’t you always say that cooking was something you’ve done since childhood, that you could cook for a whole family by yourself, and now you’re cooking again."

"But Mom, you filled the house with smoke, it wasn’t habitable, so I took Zhan Jing outside, and I did ask you to go outside for a while, you refused."

"Afterwards, I was going to warm your kang, but you didn’t want it, and you cursed me away." Cai Meina was also quite aggrieved, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to do it, but this mother-in-law wouldn’t allow it.

Zhang Lan listened to Cai Meina’s complaints, and was surprised, as the previous Cai Meina never did this, how come she could retort and complain now.

Even though Gong Dajiang was furious, after hearing Cai Meina’s well-founded retort and seeing his wife being dumbfounded, how could he not understand.

"Don’t be mad at your mom, she’s also upset." Gong Dajiang understood that his old wife’s old issues flared up again.

Gong Dajiang really didn’t understand why Zhang Lan insisted on doing this, knowing she’d suffer the most from the cold.

"Dad, I’ll warm the kang for you." Cai Meina obediently offered, "Dad, later you should take a hot bath, you must be cold from the journey."

Cai Meina disliked the Gong Dajiang couple, but she couldn’t always go against their wishes, she had to earn some goodwill from Gong Dajiang occasionally.

It must be admitted Cai Meina’s tactics were good, Gong Dajiang was quite satisfied in his heart, leaving Zhang Lan full of complaints, but even Gong Dajiang agreed with Cai Meina, how could she turn things around.