Zhou Nianmei returned with her child on Friday, and Zhang Xuemei picked up her nephew and headed to her elder brother's house.

If it weren't for school today, Xu Dingwen would have wanted to stay home and wait for his mother and sister. It took her a lot of persuasion to convince him to stay, and she promised to take him home as soon as school was over. Now, he has packed his things and is really eager to go home!

As soon as he arrived at his doorstep, Xu Dingwen couldn't wait to insert the key he had been holding. Before he could even turn it, the door opened from the inside.

Zhou Nianmei hugged him tightly and said happily, "Xiaowen, Mom is back! Let Mom see if Xiaowen has grown taller."

Buried in her mother's arms, Xu Dingwen couldn't help but cry, sobbing softly, "Mommy, Mommy, I missed you so much! Why did you only come back now, boohoo~"

Standing behind her, Zhang Xuemei couldn't help but tear up. No matter how sensible she was, she was still just a child. How could she not miss her mother?

With red eyes, Zhou Nianmei patted her son's head and whispered to comfort him, "Xiaowen, don't cry. Mommy's back. I'll never leave you again. Do you want to see your little sister?"

Xu Dingwen, who was still crying, immediately stopped crying when he heard the words "sister". He peeked out from his mother's arms, wiped the tears from his face, and mumbled, "Mom, where is my sister? I want to see her."

Zhou Nianmei smiled and said, "My sister is sleeping in her room. Please come in quietly." Then she looked at Zhang Xuemei and said, "Xuemei, please come in quickly. It's been more than a year since we last saw each other."

Zhang Xuemei followed her in, smiling as she said, "Yes, sister-in-law, you look great. You must be doing well over there!"

Zhou Nianmei poured Zhang Xuemei a glass of water before sitting down and replying with a smile, "Everything else is fine, but I'm really not used to the food. Luckily, my aunt cooks for me, but the pork there isn't very good; it has a strong odor."

"Oh, really? So you didn't eat any meat during your pregnancy?" If you don't eat meat while pregnant, you won't get enough nutrition.

Zhou Nianmei shook her head and said softly, "How can I not eat meat? I can manage, but the baby can't. Even if I can't eat pork, I can still eat some chicken and fish. Besides, I also ate beef and mutton. I don't know if it will affect the baby."

Zhang Xuemei then remembered that pregnant women in their area are not allowed to eat beef or mutton. It is said that if they eat mutton, the child will get epilepsy, and if they eat beef, the child will become mute. So it is generally considered very taboo.

However, after being informed by doctors in her previous life, Zhang Xuemei knew that eating more beef and mutton during pregnancy was not only harmless, but also good for both the mother and the child, and better than pork. Just like Panpan in her previous life often ate beef when she was pregnant, beef is also a good source of iron!

Seeing Zhou Nianmei's worried expression, Zhang Xuemei smiled and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, those are all rumors. I remember that people in the border provinces eat beef and mutton, and their children don't seem to have any problems. Besides, doctors say that eating beef is good for pregnant women and babies, so don't worry!"

"Right, I heard it from the doctor there. He said I was lacking something and told me to eat more beef, so I couldn't resist and started eating it. After eating it, I became worried..."

"No, that's not true. Pregnant women eat it and their babies are all healthy. What are you afraid of? But don't tell Mom. The older generation tends to overthink things, and you don't want any problems to be blamed on this later."

Zhang Xuemei knew that her mother-in-law's generation was very superstitious about pregnant women eating beef and mutton. She remembered that there was a pregnant woman in their village who had a sweet tooth. When she saw someone eating braised rabbit, she couldn't resist and took a bite. No one could stop her.

Later, when both her husband's and her own families found out, they forced her to have an abortion. The baby was already five months along and fully formed. It was such a tragedy! Back then, the village elders all said that if a pregnant woman ate rabbit meat, the baby would have a mouth like a rabbit's, so everyone was afraid!

Zhang Xuemei knew, of course, that this was all nonsense, but this idea was deeply ingrained in the minds of the older generation. They didn't believe in science and just thought that the old sayings were always right.

“I know, I just wanted to tell you. I haven’t even told your older brother.” Zhou Nianmei mainly wanted to talk to someone, otherwise it would be quite uncomfortable to keep it all inside. She thought that someone could tell her that this was the right thing to do. She knew that Xuemei knew a lot and would definitely understand her.

"Yes, I know. By the way, has your sister-in-law named the baby yet?"

When Zhou Nianmei mentioned her daughter, she softened and replied with a smile, "We named her Xu Xinxin, after Panpan and the others."

“Xin Xin is doing well, sister-in-law. This is a gift from Ming Han and me for Xin Xin. We didn’t have a chance to see her when she was born, so we made her a pair of silver bracelets. You can put them on her when she’s a little older.” Zhang Xuemei said, taking out a red cloth bag from her purse. Inside the bag was a pair of small silver bracelets.

"No need to go to such lengths, it's not necessary at all. Look at this, I've never given any to Panpan and the others, how can I accept yours..." Zhou Nianmei quickly pushed it back, she genuinely felt embarrassed to accept it.

Zhang Xuemei smiled and placed the bracelet on the table. "Sister-in-law, why are you being so polite with me? Besides, only Xinxin can wear such a small bracelet. You can't expect me to have another one, can you? And when Panpan and Linlin were born, we didn't have such good conditions. Xinxin is just lucky to be born at such a time. Please accept it!"

Zhou Nianmei could not refuse and could only accept it with a smile, thinking that when the child grew up, she would tell her that it was a gift from her third aunt and that she should treat her third sister-in-law well in the future.

After seeing that her sister-in-law had accepted the bracelet, Zhang Xuemei prepared to go home. "Sister-in-law, I'll go home first and come see the child again in a few days."

"Okay, once everything's settled at home, I'll invite you all over for dinner. I really need to thank you properly."

Zhou Nianmei had a plan in mind. She thought that Xue Mei and Ming Han had helped her take care of her son for a year, so she should thank them properly. She knew that the couple would not accept money, so she decided to ask Panpan and Linlin for help. She would prepare a gift for the two children, and of course, she couldn't forget Xiao Kai.

Hearing the commotion of his aunt leaving, Xu Dingwen, who was in the room, quickly ran out and grabbed Zhang Xuemei's hand, saying, "Auntie, I didn't have time to say goodbye to Panpan and Linlin before I went home. I'm afraid they'll be sad if they don't see me tonight. Could you please tell them that I'll visit them in a few days? Or, Auntie, could you bring your two little sisters to my house to play? That way, they can see the little sister my mother gave birth to for me. She's so small and cute."

Zhang Xuemei looked at Xu Dingwen, who was beaming with joy, and said with a smile, "Third Aunt will definitely pass on your message."