Chapter 202
A daughter-in-law’s visit to her parental home concerns her personal freedom, but she must still inform her family members, even if she had mentioned it the night before, she must repeat it in the morning; this is a sign of respect for the head of the household and is also a matter of courtesy.
Chen Guizhi had requested that she bring some gifts, and Yang PeiMin reassured her that she had already prepared them.
She let Yang PeiGuo ride her bicycle and rode on the back herself. When they had just left the house, she noticed that her brand-new bicycle looked much older—not just from accumulated dust, but also from the scrapes it had gotten from falling over.
Before she left, the bicycle had been in good condition. The elderly Shen couple probably wouldn’t ride it since they seldom went out—if they did go to town, they mostly chose to walk or use a cart. The Shen Yiyue sisters shared a bicycle, so it was unlikely that either of them would have ridden hers.
Considering this, Yang PeiMin didn’t take it to heart, as it was normal for a family not to fuss over such things. However, Yang PeiGuo looked at it and, with surprise and concern, said, "Sister, how come your bicycle is so beaten up? Don’t you take good care of it normally?"
Hearing this, Shen Yiyue looked embarrassed and explained to Yang PeiMin, "Sister-in-law, it’s my fault for not stopping it sooner. Mom ended up lending it to the Li family’s daughter-in-law next door. She can’t ride at all. I had thought she wanted to use it to run errands or something urgent, only to find out she was using our bicycle to learn how to ride. The scrapes are all from her falls. Once I knew she couldn’t ride, I rushed to take it back. As you know, our mom is always too kind-hearted." As she finished, she sighed.
Hearing Shen Yiyue say this, Yang PeiGuo didn’t know what to say.
Yang PeiMin nodded. This was indeed typical of Chen Guizhi’s behavior, a reflection of her nature. Some people took advantage of her nature, and while it was alright for the time when she had lent things out in the past, it wouldn’t be easy for those opportunists now that she was back.