Du Xia looked on, incredulous that someone could still eat so calmly at this time; she grew angrier the more she thought about it.
"What are you thinking? Can't you see what time it is?"
"Your elder brother and his family are going to move in, and your parents have always favored them."
"Now, they are moving back in directly. Who knows whose pockets your parents' money will end up lining?"
Du Xia fumed at the thought, "Really, ever since Zhang Yu went away, the ones with all the advantages seem to be your brother and his family."
"Soon, Zhang Yi will get married, and considering your brother and his wife's constantly poor-mouthing, chances are your parents will pay for his wedding dowry and even the home renovations."
The more Du Xia thought about it, the angrier she grew, "No, this cannot go on."
"Why should all of our parents' money go to that fool Zhang Yi?"
"And this so-called 'eldest grandson of the Zhang Family', they really know how to add luster."
"He's no good at his studies, and as for work—no offense, but him landing his current job is already quite good."
As for success or lack thereof, with his wimpy demeanor—"they even talk about 'the future of the Zhang Family'."
"With that kind of performance, 'the pride of the Zhang Family'? That's just laughable."
"In my view, the most promising person in the Zhang Family in the future is our Xin Xin." Du Xia was most upset that just because she had a daughter, her in-laws disliked her.
Zhang Xin ate quietly at the side, and hearing Du Xia mention her name, "Mom, I will study hard. I will definitely get into college."
To Du Xia, having parents who had attended college meant she should be able to as well.
Just get into college? After knowing how good Zhang Xin's grades were, Du Xia always had an idea, "Xin Xin, you must not only get into college, but also study abroad."
Study abroad? Du Shouhua was stunned by Du Xia's words. Although more people were studying abroad in recent years, it cost a considerable amount of money.
Even though they could earn some money by tutoring now, affording the expenses of studying abroad was no small sum.
As for studying abroad, Zhang Xin was aware that it was very trendy, but for her, it was a distant dream, something she never dared to think about.
After all, it required a lot of money, and she was well aware of her own family's financial situation, which made it nearly impossible.
"Wife, are you dreaming? Do you think our family has that kind of capability?" Du Shouhua asked cautiously.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see his child succeed, but it depended on their financial strength.
"As for that, of course I've thought it over." Du Xia certainly had contemplated before making a decision, "When the time comes, we'll get Xin Xin to seize the opportunity to study abroad."
"What will happen when we bring this up with your parents?"
"I can assure you, they will definitely not say we don't have the money to study abroad. They will support us wholeheartedly."
"And then, once she's over there, Xin Xin will call them, send her regards, and casually mention that to ease our burden, she is working abroad to pay for living expenses and tuition fees."
"I don't believe your parents won't feel compassionate after hearing this and offer to help on their own initiative."
Du Xia knew that Zhang Dagu and his wife absolutely valued their reputation. Since their child was studying abroad, they should study hard and aim to graduate as soon as possible. Regardless of whether they returned to work in their home country or not, just having this experience would be enough for Zhang Dagu and his wife to boast about.
For Du Xia's blatant scheming against Zhang Dagu and his wife, Du Shouhua didn't see anything wrong with it at all.
For him, Zhang Dagu and his wife were biased, even though, among the two brothers, he was far more promising than Zhang Guohua, and Zhang Xin's grades were so much better than Zhang Yi's.
Zhang Shouhua knew that if Zhang Xin were a boy, she wouldn't be treated this way, and Zhang Dagu and his wife wouldn't be able to ignore her.
"Yes, Xin Xin should definitely go study abroad."
"Go abroad to see the world, and if possible, stay and work overseas." That way, they could also live abroad in the future.
He also wanted to show Zhang Dagu and his wife who was really the most promising person in the family.
Du Xia was a bit worried at first, unsure what Du Shouhua would think about her calculating against his parents, but fortunately, her husband was on her and their daughter's side.
Zhang Xin was thrilled, especially when she learned she would be studying abroad, "Mom and Dad, don't worry, I'll definitely work hard."
"Once I find a job overseas, I will surely bring you both over." Zhang Xin promised to study hard and to be good to them.
Zhang Shouhua and his wife were excited about Zhang Xin's promises, for they had only one daughter and were wholeheartedly considering her future.
Once she became successful, it was only natural for her to take them both abroad, and they never entertained the possibility that Zhang Xin could be unfilial to them.
"By the way, you said your parents allowed your older brother and his family to move back in. Although we can't live there, we should still be able to go back for dinner occasionally, right?"
Hmph, it was obvious that if Zhang Guohua's family of three were to move in, they definitely wouldn't have to pay for living expenses.
"When your younger sister was contributing, she had to pay two thousand a month. I bet your older brother's family of three will move back in without paying a dime."
The more Du Xia thought about it, the more she felt this was an opportunity not to be missed, "That's right, give your parents a call tomorrow to say we'll come over for dinner."
She knew this would anger Zhang Dagu and his wife, but it was okay, she understood that on this front, they had a common ally.
Zhang Shouhua had thought of this too, "I'll call Zhang Hong."
If both their families went back for dinner, he didn't believe Zhang Dagu could still hold any dissatisfaction toward them.
"Good." Du Xia was pleased that Zhang Shouhua had thought this through, he was so much more capable than his incompetent older brother.
When Zhang Dagu first got his job, who knows how many connections he had to find, but in the end, he was just like an underachieving Ah Dou, after so many years, only managing to become a minor leader.
And the son he produced, Zhang Yi, was not good at studying, and at work, he even felt more important, truly a case of degeneration with each generation.
Watching the quiet Zhang Xin eating, Du Xia wasn't angry; although she had a daughter, she was in reality so much better than some others.
"So, should I go to grandma's house after school tomorrow?" Zhang Xin raised her head.
Du Xia hummed in acknowledgement, "Yes, Xin Xin, you go straight to your grandparents' house after school tomorrow."
Zhang Xin hummed in response, "I'll buy them a portion of their favorite pastries."
Although Zhang Xin felt discontented with Zhang Dagu and his wife, believing they were partial and preferred boys,
the moment she thought that her future study abroad expenses would come from that elderly couple, she knew she had to flatter them well.