Chapter 459: Chapter 489: The Environment Shapes a Person
Qin Jiao tied her long hair back with a hair tie, washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and went into the kitchen.
There were about ten of them in total, so the New Year’s Eve dinner required quite a few dishes. Fortunately, the days back in their old home, when they had to scheme just to get a chicken leg, were long gone. Su Yun was in high spirits, seeing that both her daughters had grown taller and each was more radiant than the last.
Especially Xiao Shi.
Xiao Shi was a young lady now, and she was in the kitchen helping to prepare the vegetables.
She was much more cheerful than before. She had even placed first in her class on the recent final exams. She was completely different from the timid, insecure girl she used to be.
Su Yun remarked to her older daughter with a sigh, "I used to think Xiao Shi just had an introverted and shy personality. She was so listless. Who would have thought that she wasn’t born that way?"
Recalling what happened to her sister in her past life, Qin Jiao said calmly, "While a person’s innate character is important, the environment they grow up in is just as crucial. Xiao Shi was constantly being bullied and put down. Over time, she began to believe she wasn’t good enough, that there was something wrong with her, and that she just wasn’t cut out for studying."
She sighed softly. "The old adages are true—words can be fearsome, and enough voices can make anyone believe a lie. When one person after another tells you something, you eventually start to believe it yourself."
It was a form of long-term brainwashing. Sometimes, the most insidious and cruelest way to destroy a person was just like this.
Su Yun found herself admiring her older daughter more and more. Everything she said seemed to hold so much truth.
Su Yun finally said, "It’s a good thing you’re so well-read and knowledgeable. Your father and I were too careless before. We almost ruined your lives."
"No, it’s just that you and Dad are too kind. How could you have imagined that Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle would do something like that?"
Qin Jiao comforted her mother.
But Su Yun was filled with lingering fear.
’Thank goodness we moved out when we did. If we hadn’t, who knows when Xiao Shi would have ever been able to attend school? And later, when my third brother-in-law wanted to arrange that marriage swap... if Xiao Jiao hadn’t gotten into university, would she have been the one forced into it?’
’And that time Xiao Shi almost went missing?’
Su Yun was incredibly grateful that their family had left Three Families Village, moved to the town, and then, later on, come here.
Back in their old hometown, the relatives always held the status of elders. With her and her husband’s personalities, they could never have made a clean break. After all, if things got ugly, Qin Zhonghui would be the one to suffer the most.
So, in Su Yun’s eyes, moving away had been the best possible decision.
Beside them, Qin Na remarked with emotion, "Sister-in-law, you’re truly a good person. It’s a shame Mom and Dad didn’t know how to cherish a good daughter-in-law like you."
She was sensible, always saw the bigger picture, and was both hardworking and capable.
In Qin Na’s opinion, her second sister-in-law was better than her first. It wasn’t that her first sister-in-law was a bad person, but Qin Na always felt there was some distance between them.
As for her former third sister-in-law, there was no comparison at all. In Qin Na’s eyes, you couldn’t find a single good quality in Feng Lan!
Fried meatballs, braised fish, sweet and sour spare ribs, a hearty Northeastern pork and sauerkraut stew, chicken stewed with mushrooms, braised pork with green beans, and stir-fried napa cabbage with vinegar. The savory aroma of a bubbling pickled cabbage soup filled the air, and the steam that billowed out from under the pot lids seemed to drift right up to the faint smiles on everyone’s faces.
Top-quality Erguotou, Jingxian Beer, and soda were all set out on the table.
Xiao Cheng ran in from outside and asked Su Yun, "Auntie, Second Uncle and my dad are asking if dinner is ready. They’re about to light the firecrackers!"
Everyone had only had a simple breakfast, snacking on whatever was available if they got hungry. The plan was to light firecrackers at noon, and then the whole family would sit down together for their reunion dinner.
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