“It’s not…”
Aunt Zheng, upon hearing the topic shift to herself, wanted to distance herself from it, but she didn’t know how to respond. No matter what she said, it felt wrong. Anxious, she was sweating profusely from her forehead.
On the other hand, Liu Suhe, as if nothing had happened, stepped forward unhurriedly. Then, she took out all the carefully selected and arranged items from the package and smiled openly, saying, “These are specialty products from Rongzhou, specially sent by my daughter-in-law. If my younger sister-in-law is interested, why not take some back with you?”
The contrast between the two was stark.
Yang Taoxin lifted her gaze lightly and looked toward Tian Chunying. “If your eyesight is bad, go to the alley entrance and get yourself a pair of presbyopic glasses.”
Hearing this, Tian Chunying clenched her palm tightly. She had only just turned forty—what need did she have for presbyopic glasses? This was the old lady warning her to watch her words.
But why should she?
Liu Suhe could indirectly mock her grandson’s looks, yet she wasn’t allowed to sarcastically remark about Liu Suhe’s daughter-in-law coming from the countryside? That was simply too biased!
Besides, wasn’t it the old lady herself who was dissatisfied with Zhou Yinghuai marrying a wife from another province?
Unwilling to back down, Tian Chunying called out, “Mom.”
Yang Taoxin frowned in displeasure and said coldly, “Aunt Zheng.”
Standing behind Yang Taoxin, Aunt Zheng immediately stepped forward and said to Tian Chunying, “There’s still soup in the kitchen. Shall I help you carry it to the western courtyard?”
Tian Chunying knew this was the last opportunity Yang Taoxin was giving her before she truly lost her temper. She glanced around, and upon seeing Old Master Zhou’s face already dark as coal, she ultimately did not dare to continue making a fuss. Biting her lip, she replied, “Alright.”
After the two left, the courtyard returned to silence.
Yang Taoxin placed a stack of photos in her hand onto the table, then turned to Liu Suhe, who had been standing all this time, and said, “Sit.”
Her tone was somewhat stiff, but compared to how she had spoken to Tian Chunying earlier, it was already considerably gentler. Liu Suhe did not dare to act coy and obediently sat down at once. When she saw that Yang Taoxin was about to serve soup for her, she hurriedly took the ladle from her hands, picked up a small bowl, and served a bowl for each of the three of them.
“It has been simmering all afternoon—it’s best for nourishing qi and blood. Since you’re busy with work, drink more.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
The three of them drank more than half before putting down their bowls and spoons.
Yang Taoxin wiped her mouth, and after Aunt Zheng returned to clean up the table, she casually reached out, flipped through the pile of items on the table a few times, and nodded. “At least there was some thought put into it.”
Sometimes, one could gauge a person’s temperament from the gifts they gave. This pile of things neither lacked sincerity nor value—it was comprehensive and thoughtful, leaving no room for criticism.
Although it was unclear how much of this was Zhou Yinghuai’s doing, at the very least, it showed that their granddaughter-in-law was not foolish.
“Indeed. When there’s time, should I have her give you two a call?” Liu Suhe cautiously probed.
Yang Taoxin cast a glance at Liu Suhe. The latter pursed her lips awkwardly and did not speak further.
“Suhe, since Yinghuai chose his spouse himself and they have already registered their marriage, she is now part of the Zhou family. When New Year comes, bring her back to meet us. A phone call won’t be necessary.”
Liu Suhe’s heart skipped a beat, both happy and worried. The joy was that the old lady’s words at least acknowledged Qiuqiu’s identity. The worry was that her attitude remained ambiguous—it was evident that she had not truly accepted her yet. She had only yielded because of Liu Suhe.
It seemed that Qiuqiu would have to rely on herself in the end.
The old lady was difficult to deal with, but once someone truly gained her recognition, she would protect them like a cherished treasure. She was extremely protective of her own. If, in the future, Qiuqiu and Yinghuai returned to Beijing, they would have a strong backing—no, a double backing.
After all, even though Old Master Zhou usually remained silent, whenever it came to critical moments, he always, without exception, sided with the old lady.
Far away in Ping Le village, Cheng Fangqiu had no idea what her mother-in-law had done for her.
She was staring blankly at the three electric fans, a radio, and a brand-new bicycle that Zhou Yinghuai and Zhou Yingchen had carried back.
Had these two brothers gone to the supply and marketing cooperative in the commune to restock?
In their remote mountain village, selling even one such item in a month was considered a good turnover. But here he was, bringing back so many at once.
“Hurry up and close the courtyard gate,” Cheng Fangqiu quickly instructed Cheng Xuejun, who was still dumbfounded. The latter remained stunned for a few seconds before finally coming back to his senses and shutting the gate, keeping out the curious onlookers outside.
Feeling the gazes sticking to her disappear, Cheng Fangqiu let out a breath of relief. Then, pursing her lips, she asked, “Why did you buy so many?”
“One for each room, just right,” Zhou Yinghuai answered innocently.
Although it seemed like a lot, when she counted, she realized it was just enough to meet their needs. Cheng Fangqiu nodded to herself, silently praising him for his thoughtfulness.
“But we don’t have that many places to plug them in.”
Cheng Baokuan scratched his head. He initially wanted to say that they never used fans and didn’t need so many. But then he remembered that not long ago, his daughter had scolded them about learning to accept things, so he swallowed his words and instead raised a practical concern.
“That’s a small issue.” Zhou Yinghuai pulled out the tools he had bought, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.
“Father, don’t forget—Brother-in-law is a technician.” Cheng Xuejun said this as he excitedly followed behind Zhou Yinghuai, acting like a little tail.
Being ridiculed by his own son, Cheng Baokuan felt a bit awkward and touched his nose before following along to help.
Since the men had gone off to join the commotion, Ding Ximei seized the opportunity and grabbed Cheng Fangqiu, who was about to join them as well. “Qiuqiu, come here. I need to talk to you.”
“Huh?” Cheng Fangqiu was a little confused, but she obediently followed Ding Ximei into the room.
Once inside, Ding Ximei shut all the doors and windows to ensure no one outside could hear them. Then, acting all secretive, she pulled Cheng Fangqiu to sit on the bed.
“Mother, what do you want to talk about?”
She had clearly planned out what to say, but now that she was alone in the room with her daughter, Ding Ximei suddenly didn’t know how to begin. After hesitating for a moment, she lightly coughed and slowly asked, “Qiuqiu, have you and Yinghuai already…”
She chewed on the next few words for a while before finally spitting them out: “Consummated the marriage?”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu, who had been at ease just moments ago, was instantly startled, her eyes widening in shock. A flush of red immediately spread across her cheeks and quickly climbed to her ears and neck at a visible speed.
Even if someone beat her to death, she never would have expected that this was what her mother had dragged her into the room to discuss!
Before she could even figure out how to respond, she heard Ding Ximei continue, “I can already tell. That wound on Yinghuai’s hand wasn’t from work, was it…”
Clearly, Ding Ximei was also embarrassed to talk about this. Her face was nearly as red as her daughter’s, and instead of finishing her sentence, she quickly changed the topic. “I don’t mean anything by saying this, just that you and Yinghuai should be more careful in the future. If someone else sees, it won’t look good.”
During this time period, relationships between men and women were still quite conservative. Even married couples had to maintain appropriate boundaries in public. If someone noticed any traces of intimacy, it could damage one’s reputation—especially for women, whose reputations were more vulnerable to criticism.
Cheng Fangqiu, now as red as a boiled shrimp, nodded fervently. “We’ll definitely be more careful in the future.”
Seeing her daughter practically trying to bury her head in the ground, Ding Ximei gently patted her head. “I should have talked to you about this earlier. It was my oversight, but at least it’s not too late now.”
“Mother.” Cheng Fangqiu, like a little bird, dove into Ding Ximei’s embrace, rubbing her head against her like a spoiled child.
After discussing such an embarrassing topic for a while, Ding Ximei suddenly thought of something and asked, “Have you two thought about having children?”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu answered honestly, “We haven’t talked about it. I just want to let things happen naturally, and I think he probably feels the same way.”
“Mm, these things can’t be rushed. Letting things happen naturally is the best way.”
Hearing this topic, Cheng Fangqiu instinctively placed her hand over her lower abdomen. It was still flat at this moment, but just thinking about the possibility that, in the future, a child of hers and Zhou Yinghuai’s might be nurtured there made her feel a faint warmth within, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.
Having a child? Saying she wasn’t afraid would be a lie. After all, in her past life, countless great mothers around her and on the internet had told her about the potential negative effects of childbirth—pain, becoming unattractive, aging…
But everything had two sides. While part of her feared it, another part couldn’t help but look forward to seeing what her baby would look like. She was so beautiful—surely her child wouldn’t turn out ugly, right?
Just imagining a soft, chubby little bun resembling her, calling her “Mommy” in a sweet, tender voice, was enough to make her heart melt.
Moreover, she considered herself and Zhou Yinghuai to have good temperaments and personalities. Their financial conditions were also more than sufficient to provide their baby with an excellent growth environment.
Everything was perfect, except…
Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but internally scream: Why hasn’t the world developed a technology that lets people become mothers painlessly?!
“The days you weren’t here, I washed all your blankets and even took them out to sun-dry from time to time. You can sleep in them directly tonight,” Ding Ximei pointed to Cheng Fangqiu’s bed and then roughly measured it with her hands before slightly furrowing her brows. “Isn’t it a bit small? Can you and Yinghuai fit?”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu turned to glance behind her. Indeed, it was a bit small. It was more than spacious for her alone—she could even roll around on it—but Zhou Yinghuai was tall with long legs. He would definitely find it a bit cramped.
“We’ll make do for tonight.” It was already late, and they had to head to the provincial city tomorrow. There was no time to fuss over this.
Ding Ximei obviously thought of this too and said, “After you come back from the provincial city, I’ll have your father find a carpenter to make you a new bed.”
“Alright. Let’s go see if they’re done.” Staying in the room for too long was making it a bit stuffy. If Zhou Yinghuai and the others had finished setting up the fan, they could finally enjoy some cool air.