Chapter 57 Selfish Fan Yani's Foster Mother

"What are you saying? Didn't I tell you? There's only so little food at home. If we don't eat it sparingly, it'll be gone in no time if you take a bite and I take a bite," said Yang's mother. "It's not like we didn't give you any. Didn't we take some out for you to eat? Did you have to eat this much when you were pregnant? Other pregnant women don't have to eat as much as you."

Yang's mother was extremely dissatisfied with Tian Kexian. The dowry given by the Tian family was too small, and the Tian family even said that if the Yang family insisted on having those things, then Tian Kexian would have to abort the child. If Tian Kexian did not abort the child and gave birth to the child, they would give the child away to be raised by someone else.

Therefore, Yang's mother couldn't say anything else, fearing that the Tian family would actually do such a thing. Naturally, Yang's mother vented her dissatisfaction on Tian Kexian.

The Yang family members didn't particularly like Yang Yaohui. He was a good-for-nothing who didn't earn much money and only knew how to spend the family's money. When Yang's mother took away the good food, no one objected. But if it had been left on the table, Tian Kexian would have eaten it all in no time.

Tian Kexian took advantage of the fact that she was pregnant to eat more.

None of the Yang family members looked at Tian Kexian; they continued eating, except for Yang Yaohui, who served food to Tian Kexian.

"Is this still New Year's Eve dinner?" Tian Kexian gritted her teeth.

"What is this if not New Year's Eve dinner?" Yang's mother said. "With so much delicious food, aren't you satisfied?"

"I……"

“That’s true. Your family members probably sneakily eat a lot of good food. Your great-uncle is a spy, so he must have given your family a lot of good things,” said Yang’s mother. “Unlike our family, we are poor.”

Hearing this, Tian Kexian felt even more distressed. Why were they talking about spies again? Tian Kexian wanted to deny it, but it was no use; it was the truth, and her family did indeed have such a person.

"Eat if you want, or get out," said Yang's mother. "Do you expect me, your mother-in-law, to take good care of you?"

"Fine, I won't eat then!" Tian Kexian put down her chopsticks and left, leaving Yang Yaohui no choice but to chase after her.

On a cold day, the couple walked down the street. Yang Yaohui wasn't happy. "Can't you finish eating before you go? Aren't you hungry?"

“Your mother has already done that, how am I supposed to stay there and eat?” Tian Kexian said. “Do you think I don’t want to stay and finish my meal? Your mother has really gone too far.”

“Mom has always been like this,” Yang Yaohui said. “We don’t have much food at home, so during the New Year, everyone eats less. But when guests come, we can still serve them what we need.”

"The baby in my belly is yours." Tian Kexian hit Yang Yaohui with her fist. "Don't you think about our child? You're only thinking about feeding others? If others eat it, will your son get any nutrition?"

"I'll go get you something to eat," Yang Yaohui said.

“Your mother looks down on us,” Tian Kexian said. “Whenever we ask her for help, she always says she’s too busy. She’s biased. But when your other brothers and sisters-in-law ask her for help, she comes running. It’s obvious that she’s bullying us.”

“Mom is too busy, so let’s not count on her,” Yang Yaohui said.

"There's absolutely no hope for us, let alone any hope." Tian Kexian was dejected; a perfectly good New Year's Eve had turned out like this.

Tian Kexian thought back to when she was still at her parents' home for the New Year, at least she could eat a few more bites, and her parents didn't stop her from eating a couple more pieces of meat. Throughout the year, she could only eat well on New Year's Eve; she never ate this well at other times.

Time passed day by day, and before they knew it, it was the eighth day of the first lunar month. Fan Yani, heavily pregnant, went to find Guo Peng and his wife and told them that Guo's mother was coming over.

"What is she doing here?" Li Hui frowned; she didn't want to live with Guo's mother.

“I’m about to give birth, and she’s coming to help me with my postpartum care,” Fan Yani said. “My mother isn’t staying with you, she’s staying with me. It’s inconvenient for me to be in postpartum care, and it’s not good for her to travel back and forth between the two places. She’s here to help me, so I can’t let you pay for her.”

Fan Yani already knew Li Hui would be unhappy, but she still had to tell Guo Peng and his wife about this to avoid upsetting them later. Even if Guo Peng and his wife were unhappy now, it wouldn't matter; Fan Yani still needed someone to take care of her during her postpartum period.

If she could hire someone to take care of her during her postpartum period, she wouldn't need Guo's mother; she could find someone else. The key issue is that she can't hire someone like that right now. If someone finds out and reports it, things will get complicated. Having Guo's mother come is different. First, Guo's mother is Fan Yani's adoptive mother; second, Guo's mother proactively inquired about Fan Yani's situation and offered to take care of her.

In such a situation, others would only see it as care between family members.

“You…” Li Hui wanted to tell Guo’s mother not to come, but Fan Yani also called Guo’s mother “Mom,” “Did your brother-in-law agree?”

“He agreed, how could he disagree?” Fan Yani said. “He’s an orphan, with no parents or sisters, and no one to help him. He’s very happy that Mom is willing to come and help. We have rooms over there, we’ll clean them up, and we’ll have blankets and everything. It’ll be good for Mom to stay there.”

“Yeah, you guys have a bit more space over there.” Li Hui kicked Guo Peng.

“Yes, let Mom stay with you,” Guo Peng said. “Our rooms are small, and another room is still cluttered with things and hasn’t been tidied up yet.”

Guo Peng thought it was good that his mother was staying with Fan Yani, since she was there to take care of her. Guo Peng glanced at Li Hui; he hadn't told his parents yet about Li Hui's difficulty conceiving. The elderly couple might be very concerned about continuing the family line, and Guo Peng was worried about upsetting them, so he hadn't told them yet.

If his mother comes over, someone else might tell her.

Guo Peng was somewhat worried about Li Hui, and also afraid that his own mother might say something unpleasant to Li Hui. Since Fan Yani said she wanted his mother to stay with her, Guo Peng naturally had no objections.

Fan Yani thought that tidying up the room would be fine. She didn't necessarily want Guo's mother to live at Guo Peng's house, but Guo Peng needed to show some attitude. However... this might be related to Li Hui's difficulty conceiving. If Guo's mother stayed here, she might accidentally upset Li Hui, who was a very particular person. In that case, Guo Peng would be caught in the middle, making things difficult.

“You should stay at my place,” Fan Yani said with a smile. “What I mean is, when Mom comes, she can see you all. I wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t think I didn’t tell you. Mom told me to tell you. She won’t make a separate call if she needs money for the phone call.”

"Hmm." Li Hui responded. She thought that Fan Yani shouldn't have stayed in the family compound. If Fan Yani hadn't stayed to get married, she wouldn't have to face the problem of her mother-in-law now.

Li Hui was in a bad mood. She hadn't met her mother-in-law yet, and the thought of an old woman from the countryside didn't seem so appealing. Li Hui's parents lived in the county town, not in the countryside. Her initial life was much better than that of her cousin, Shi Guilan, who had been born and raised in the countryside.

When Song Fenglan returned from the research institute, she saw Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu digging a hole in the yard. Song Fenglan got off work a little late; she ate dinner at her workplace before coming home.

The lights in the yard were on, and Zhang Xiaohu and Qin Zihang were each holding a small shovel and shoveling dirt.

"Are we digging for earthworms?" Song Fenglan asked. "Or are we planting something?"

"We need to plant something," Qin Zihang said. "Spring is coming soon, so we need to dig holes first."

“The weather is still quite cold, and the seeds will freeze if you plant them,” Song Fenglan said.

"Mom, didn't you say that seeds hibernate?" Qin Zihang said. "We bury them, and after they sleep, it will be spring. When the weather gets warm, they will open their eyes and shake their leaves."

"Plant them if you want." Song Fenglan didn't stop her son. They were just some seeds; they might sprout in a while.

At this time of year, everything gradually comes back to life, and the temperature in the south is much warmer than in the north. If it were in the north, it would be freezing outside.

"Mom, we need to catch chicks," Qin Zihang reminded Song Fenglan. "Ducklings are fine too."

The chickens raised at home were eaten, so Qin Zihang thought about continuing to raise them.

“Okay, let’s catch it and raise it,” Song Fenglan said.

"I will take good care of them and fatten them up," Qin Zihang said. "I will make sure they taste especially good."

While some other children wouldn't let adults eat the pets they raised, Qin Zihang didn't. In his view, he painstakingly raised chickens for food, of course. Why would he go through all that trouble if not for food? Was he just wasting his time?

“Auntie, we have eggs at home. My mom said we’re going to hatch chicks,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

"To hatch chicks?" Song Feng

Lan was unaware of this matter.

"They're going to hatch chicks," said the plump woman who had come to check on the child, just in time to hear Zhang Xiaohu say. She had already prepared the eggs for the hen to incubate.

The plump woman shone the candlelight on the eggs to see if they could hatch into chicks. She was quite good at this; she had done similar things back in her hometown, and the elders there had taught her how to do it.

Now everyone can raise more chickens without anyone reporting them, and they've managed to raise them smoothly. Auntie Pang wants to raise more chickens, but it wouldn't be right to let others share some with her, so she'd rather hatch chicks herself.

"How many chicks do you want? Like last year, two?" the plump woman asked.

"Two or three are enough," Song Fenglan said. "Zihang likes them."

The important thing is to make the children happy. Song Fenglan doesn't have much time to take care of these small animals; she can only feed them when she has free time. Qin Yizhou feeds the chickens morning and evening, but he doesn't want Mrs. Su to always be so tired. The Qin couple does what they can themselves to avoid troubling others.

“Alright, I’ll give you three chicks once my brood of chicks hatches,” said the plump woman. “The mother hen will raise the chicks a little bit before giving them to you; they’ll be much easier to raise that way.”

“Sure,” Song Fenglan said without objection.

"Mom, how do hens incubate their eggs?" Qin Zihang put down his small shovel. "Won't the hen just sit on the eggs and break them?"

Qin Zihang only knew that hens had to sit to incubate their eggs, but he didn't know much else. He kept wondering if the eggs would get spoiled, since the hens were so heavy and the eggs were so small.

“No,” Song Fenglan said. “There’s soft straw underneath to keep them warm. The hen will take care of herself while incubating the eggs.”

"How do eggs hatch into chicks?" Qin Zihang asked. "Should we watch?"

“You wouldn’t be able to tell even if you didn’t look at it,” Song Fenglan said.

"What if the eggs go bad?" Qin Zihang had many questions.

“You and Xiaohu can take a look later,” said the fat woman. “But you can’t lift the chicken’s rear end or chase the hen out of the coop. I’ll show you before you can see it.”

The plump woman thought it wouldn't hurt to check on the two children, but the eggs needed to be kept warm, and the hen couldn't be left unattended for too long. She was worried that Zhang Xiaohu would poke the hen with a stick and force her to move. If the hen were laying eggs, that would be one thing, but now she was incubating them.

“Yes, you have to hear this, there’s a little life inside the egg,” Song Fenglan said. “They are all the mother hen’s babies, you just have to wait and see.”

"I'll listen to my mother," Qin Zihang said.

“I’ll listen to my aunt,” Zhang Xiaohu replied.

"..." The fat woman thought to herself, "Can't Zhang Xiaohu listen to me? Song Fenglan is really capable. All these children like Song Fenglan."

Fat Sister looked at the garlic on the ground. Some of them were whole garlic cloves, and one of them had been broken open.

“They want to grow vegetables,” Song Fenglan said.

"If we plant them, we'll have enough to eat for the chicks," Qin Zihang said. "We need to prepare first."

Qin Zihang didn't want to wait for the chicks to hatch unprepared. Being prepared meant the chicks could eat more later. Qin Zihang liked to plan ahead and get things done in advance, so he would have plenty of time to do other things.

“I’ll help my little brother Zihang plant them,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “In our family, Mom knows how to plant, and Dad knows how to plant too.”

"I don't have any seeds," Song Fenglan said with a smile. "Zihang's father doesn't plant many either, so we'll have to trouble Zihang and Xiaohu."

"No trouble at all," Zhang Xiaohu straightened his back. He was capable of many things. "Leave it to me."

Zhang Xiaohu said he was going to continue digging holes and planting things, because he wanted to show off.

Looking at Zhang Xiaohu, who was so obedient and sensible, and then thinking about how mischievous he was in front of her, Sister Pang realized that her son really knew how to put on an act outside.

That evening, while Song Fenglan was soaking her feet, she mentioned that her sister-in-law was going to hatch chicks.

“Two or three is enough,” Song Fenglan said. “Zihang also wants ducklings, so we’ll get him two more and raise them in the yard. When he goes to bed at night, he might even hear the chickens and ducks quacking over there.”

Song Fenglan didn't find the sounds of chickens and ducks particularly unpleasant, and it was unlikely that they would be making noise all night. Besides, the sounds of chickens and ducks were natural sounds. Song Fenglan had heard chickens before, but they hadn't disturbed her sleep; she slept very well.

“It’s better for Zihang to raise these at home than to look at other people’s,” Song Fenglan said. “Yani is going to give birth in a few days, so we’ll need to buy some eggs.”

Song Fenglan is usually busy with work and may not remember these things. Sometimes Song Fenglan tells Qin Yizhou in advance that they should buy eggs early to avoid running out of eggs when they go to buy them at the last minute.

"Eggs are fine," Qin Yizhou said. "We can buy them."

“Yes, that’s true. Eggs don’t spoil as easily at this time of year,” Song Fenglan said. “When buying eggs, we should buy the better ones, the ones that aren’t broken. But it doesn’t matter, we have several eggs at home.”

"Yes, someone delivered eggs again today," Qin Yizhou said. The eggs were sent by the relevant departments for Song Fenglan to eat, along with some milk. "These things are all easy to handle. You're working so hard, don't worry about these things."

“We still need to keep in touch with each other. Yani gave our family quite a few things,” Song Fenglan said. “Although we also sent some things over, having a baby is a big deal. Since her family isn’t around, we still have to send some eggs over.”

Song Fenglan had a good impression of Fan Yani. Fan Yani wasn't the type to immediately slap others in the face; she could clearly distinguish right from wrong and didn't cause a scene. Fan Yani was also very ambitious; even though she didn't pass the college entrance exam, she wasn't discouraged and knew to focus on her health first so she could do other things later.

Previously, Fan Yani had said that if she were ever able to start a business, she would open a bakery selling cookies and cakes. Fan Yani is a very thoughtful person; she knows what path she wants to take.

Two days later, Guo's mother arrived with many bags and packages. Fan Yani's husband, Yue Hongwei, went to pick her up, as Fan Yani and her husband felt it was unnecessary for Guo Peng to do so. Guo's mother wanted to settle in at Fan Yani's house first, so it was appropriate for Yue Hongwei to pick her up.

Guo's mother brought some things, intending to share some with Guo Peng. Guo's mother was a little embarrassed when she arrived at Fan Yani's house, worried that Fan Yani might think the things were for her, so she spoke first.

“You and your brother should each have half of these things,” Guo’s mother said.

“Sure,” Fan Yani said with a smile. “It’s okay to share some more with my brother. He’s been working the night shift these past few days, which has been tough for him. I have plenty of good food here, nothing bad.”

"Half for each of us," Guo's mother said, holding Fan Yani's hand. "It's our family that has wronged you."

"No way, Mom. You raised me and didn't let me starve to death. That's more than enough." Fan Yani thought about how the original owner's biological parents favored boys over girls, and how the original owner's sisters lived much worse lives than the original owner.

Fan Yani knew about the original owner's biological parents; they lived in the next village, and many people in the village knew this. After Fan Yani transmigrated into the book, she even went to visit them.

Before, when Fan Yani read historical novels and watched period dramas, she only heard others talk about how difficult that era was. But when she actually lived through that time, she realized it was more than just difficult. Even if the original owner's sisters stayed in their biological parents' home, some didn't even grow up before they died, while others were treated like beasts of burden by servants.

Looking at the Guo family, Fan Yani felt that the original owner's life was actually quite good. If only the original owner could have persevered and been more open-minded, things would have been much better. However, this couldn't be blamed on the original owner; it was a specific outcome resulting from the particular historical context.

“My sister-in-law isn’t at work; she should be at home,” Fan Yani said. “Why don’t you have lunch here first before you go over?”

When Li Hui was home alone, she would either cook something simple or get food from the cafeteria. Fan Yani didn't expect Li Hui to cook for Guo's mother, since Guo's mother was there to help Fan Yani during her postpartum period.

Fan Yani is due to give birth in a few days, so it's perfect time for Guo's mother to come over.

"Alright," said Guo's mother.

Although Guo's mother hadn't heard much from Fan Yani about Li Hui, she could sense that Li Hui didn't like them that much. Other families' daughters-in-law, no matter how much they disliked their families, would at least come home for the New Year to see their parents-in-law, but Li Hui didn't.

Li Hui didn't spend the Spring Festival at her in-laws' house last year, and she still didn't this year. Guo Peng also didn't go back this year.

This made Guo's mother quite uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do. Her daughter-in-law wasn't used to rural life, and since her son had already said so, Guo's mother couldn't force him to take his wife back.

At home. Guo's mother came to help Fan Yani during her postpartum period and also to see her eldest daughter-in-law.

"The room has been tidied up for a long time." Fan Yani led Guo's mother to the room. "The quilts have all been aired out."

"Okay, okay." Guo's mother nodded.

"Are Dad and the others alright?" Fan Yani asked.

"It's alright," said Guo's mother. "He helps out with chores around the house."

After lunch, Fan Yani and Guo's mother went to Li Hui's place, but Li Hui wasn't home; she had gone out. Fan Yani had no choice but to take Guo's mother home first. She had already told Guo Peng and his wife that Guo's mother was coming over today, but Li Hui still wasn't home.

Fan Yani did not speak ill of Li Hui in front of Guo's mother. Given the situation in Guo Peng's family, if there is a conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Guo's mother will be the one who suffers.

Therefore, Fan Yani didn't want to say anything bad about Li Hui in front of Guo's mother, lest Li Hui be unhappy. If Li Hui whispered in Guo Peng's ear, who knows what Guo Peng would become.

When a person has their own family, many things change, and things can never be the same as before.

Fearing that Guo's mother would be unhappy, Fan Yani also briefly introduced the people in the neighborhood to her.

“The neighbors here are all pretty nice,” Fan Yani said. “Sister Pang’s child often plays with Sister Fenglan’s child, and the two children are in the same first grade.”

"The houses here are nice," said Guo's mother.

“How could it not be good? If it weren’t good, everyone would have to move to tenement buildings and no one would live here anymore,” Fan Yani said. “I still prefer these single-story houses. Tenement buildings are nice, but you have to climb stairs.”

Fan Yani dreamed of having a bungalow with its own yard, where she could grow things. Even if she didn't grow anything, the yard would be spacious enough to store a lot of things. And if the area were to be demolished or redeveloped in the future, things would be much better.

“Some people just like living in tenement buildings. Well, they’re newly built, and many things are better,” Fan Yani said. “My husband and I live here, and we feel pretty good about it.”

As the fat woman went out, she happened to see Guo's mother.

"Auntie's here," said the plump woman.

“Yes, she’s here, she’s here.” Fan Yani said with a smile, “This is my adoptive mother, who is also my mother.”

Fan Yani specifically emphasized that she treats her adoptive mother as her biological mother. Her adoptive mother is also Guo Peng's biological mother and Li Hui's mother-in-law.

"Are you going to your brother's place?" the chubby woman asked.

“Yes, they’re not home. We’ll go later,” Fan Yani said.

"Your sister-in-law went shopping in the city with some people. She won't be back for a while, probably until evening," said the plump woman.

"They went shopping?" Fan Yani really didn't know.

“I heard them say it with my own ears. A group of them invited each other to go shopping together,” said the plump woman. “I saw them get into the car this morning. I guess they were going to have dinner in the city and come back in the evening.”

They haven't returned by now, and that's probably the case.

The fat woman thought to herself, "My mother-in-law is here, and the daughter-in-law is out shopping. I wonder if Li Hui is going to buy things for her mother-in-law, or if Li Hui dislikes her mother-in-law and doesn't want to see her."

In the evening, Qin Zihang went to the entrance of the research institute to pick up his mother.

Madam Su stood with Qin Zihang for a while, and those people, knowing Madam Su and Qin Zihang's identities, didn't say anything to them.

Song Fenglan walked out with her colleagues and exchanged a few words with them.

"Mom, Mom!" Qin Zihang quickly waved to his mother.

"Hangbao." Hearing her son's voice, Song Fenglan quickly ran to him. "Why are you here?"

"I miss my mom." Qin Zihang said, holding his mother's hand.

“Uncle hasn’t come out yet.” Song Fenglan looked at Madam Su.

"Never mind him, let him get off work on his own," Mrs. Su said. "Let's go home first."

Mrs. Su took Qin Zihang's other hand, and they went back to Song Fenglan's house together. Mrs. Su had stewed pig's feet that day, and they would eat together at Song Fenglan's house. As for Professor Su not having finished work yet, they didn't care about him; he could eat in the cafeteria anyway.

Sometimes, when Mrs. Su was having dinner at Song Fenglan's place, and Professor Su didn't see her when he got home, he would go to Song Fenglan's place himself. This happened very rarely; Professor Su was usually working overtime at his office.

Madam Su saw Guo's mother and told Song Fenglan about her arrival. They discussed it at the dinner table, not on the way.

"You've come at just the right time. Judging from Yani's belly, she's probably about to give birth," Mrs. Su said. "It's always good to have someone to take care of you. How long can the neighbors lend a hand?"

Mrs. Su lent a hand to Song Fenglan because Song Fenglan was capable, and Mrs. Su was happy to come over often. Song Fenglan called Professor Su "Uncle" and "Aunt," and Mrs. Su also considered Song Fenglan's family as their own relatives. Fan Yani was just an ordinary military wife; she didn't have any other significant abilities. Everyone lent a hand, but it was impossible for them to visit every day.

“Yes,” Song Fenglan said. “My aunt took care of me when I was in postpartum confinement.”

Aunt Yu treated Song Fenglan fairly well; she killed several chickens for her to eat. The Jiang family members were somewhat dissatisfied, saying that Song Fenglan didn't need to eat so many chickens, and that even a proper daughter-in-law in the Jiang family might not be able to eat that many chickens. Aunt Yu did it anyway, and her mother-in-law picked out the chicken wings, feet, innards, and even the chicken blood, and cooked those for the rest of the family.

Aunt Yu's mother-in-law knew how much stuff her family had taken from the Song family, and besides, no one could be sure what would happen in the future. It was just a few chickens, and Song Fenglan had even contributed money, so why bother saying anything more? Since Aunt Yu's mother-in-law didn't say no, even if others were unhappy, they would only grumble a few words at most.

Some neighbors were practically begging for trouble between the family members, and others were sowing discord between Jiang and her husband, saying that Aunt Yu treated Song Fenglan better than Jiang, and asking how many chickens Jiang ate during her postpartum confinement. Jiang was unhappy, but what could she do? Song Fenglan was paying for it herself, and her husband was sending money back, while her own husband didn't earn as much. Jiang would just say a few words to her husband in private, and that would be enough.

It can only be said that Sister Jiang and others like her are ordinary people, but they are still considered good, not too bad.

"It's good that someone is taking care of her." Madam Su knew a little about Song Fenglan's in-laws' situation; those people hadn't genuinely accepted Song Fenglan. She wouldn't go into the details of what happened back then, and now, it was too late for them to make amends.

It's difficult to offer help in times of need, but easy to add flowers to brocade. But who wants flowers to brocade? And even if they did, they wouldn't care much about the simple act of giving.

A flower.

"Mom, when do you start school?" Qin Zihang asked, eager to send his mother to school. "Mom, can I register you?"

"Not so soon, probably after the Lantern Festival," Song Fenglan said. "Why, are you in such a hurry?"

"No, it's not that. I just want to see what university is like," Qin Zihang said. "My mom helped me register, so I can help her register too."

"You really have a knack for thinking." Qin Yizhou looked at his son, who had many amazing ideas. "Are you still planning to watch your mother do her homework?"

"No, Dad, didn't you say Mom had to do her homework in the lab at school?" Qin Zihang said. "I know that college students' homework is different from elementary school students' homework."

After saying this, Qin Zihang glanced at his father and said, "I'm not a three-year-old anymore."

Qin Zihang said he remembered those words and didn't think about watching his mother do her homework.

"Mom, I'm not watching you do your homework, but you still have to work hard," Qin Zihang said. "You have to be the best college student."

"Okay, be a great college student." Song Fenglan chuckled and put a piece of meat on her son's plate. "Eat up."

"Mom, you should eat too." Qin Zihang wanted to put a piece of meat on his mother's plate, but he wasn't holding it very steadily. Song Fenglan quickly held out her own bowl, afraid that the piece of meat would fall on the table.

If the meat falls on the table, Song Fenglan can pick it up and eat it within three seconds. But if it falls on the ground, the dog Fuwangwang has to eat it.

"Auntie, please eat." Qin Zihang served food to Madam Su again.

And then, that was it; Qin Zihang didn't put any food in his father's bowl.

"Zihang, did you forget someone?" Qin Yizhou asked.

“No, Dad is tall and has long arms, so Dad can hold it himself.” Qin Zihang stretched out his own hands, wanting to compare with Qin Yizhou, “My arms are too short.”

Qin Zihang didn't compare the length of his arms with his mother and aunt; he only compared the length of his arms with Qin Yizhou.

Song Fenglan put a piece of meat on Qin Yizhou's plate, and Qin Yizhou turned his head and smiled at Qin Zihang.

"Mom." Qin Zihang held the bowl out to Song Fenglan.

"Eat." Song Fenglan put another piece of meat on her son's plate.

"Mom put it on the plate, there's an extra piece." Qin Zihang looked at his father; his mother loved him, her son, more.

"..." Qin Yizhou was too lazy to argue with his son about this, and let his son be smug for a while.

After dinner in the evening, Fan Yani didn't go to Li Hui's place again. Being heavily pregnant, she didn't want to keep going up the stairs, so she had her husband accompany Guo's mother. Before Guo's mother even stepped out the door, Guo Peng arrived.

Guo Peng heard that his mother had arrived, and also heard that his wife had gone shopping. When he returned home and didn't see his wife, he came to see his mother himself. Li Hui was still in the car and hadn't arrived at the family compound yet.

Li Hui deliberately chose to go shopping with others today, not wanting Guo's mother to come, nor wanting to entertain her. Li Hui believed that Fan Yani had deliberately invited Guo's mother over, and that Fan Yani was trying to oppose her.

“Mom,” Guo Peng said.

"You're back," said Guo's mother.

"Yes, I'm back," Guo Peng said, unsure what to say next. He added, "Li Hui has something to do and hasn't come home yet..."

"Alright, now that you're here, take your things with you, I won't go over." Hearing this, Guo's mother felt it wouldn't be appropriate for her to go.

"Want to sit down for a while?" Guo Peng asked.

"I won't go, you just got back," said Guo's mother. "I won't trouble you. You can take the things with you. My legs aren't good, and I can't climb many stairs."

Guo's mother made up an excuse for herself, an excuse she also intended for Guo Peng to hear. What would she, as the mother-in-law, do if her daughter-in-law wasn't home? She had already eaten at Fan Yani's place; would she cook for her son and daughter-in-law again?

This felt too strange. Her daughter-in-law might have already eaten out, so it would be redundant for her to cook again.

“Okay, then you stay here, I’ll take the things back.” Guo Peng nodded; he didn’t insist that his mother come to his house.

Fan Yani witnessed this scene from the living room doorway. She didn't ask Guo Peng if Li Hui had deliberately chosen this time to go shopping. It was so obvious; Fan Yani figured Guo Peng would have guessed it himself without her having to tell him.

Just as Fan Yani had thought, Guo Peng guessed it.

Guo Peng felt heavy-hearted. His wife truly showed no respect for his parents. Did she have no intention of acknowledging them as family at all?

Guo Peng sat in the living room for a while before he saw Li Hui carrying large and small bags. Li Hui had bought a lot of things, most of which were for herself, but some were for her biological parents, which she would mail back later. Li Hui hadn't thought about buying anything for her mother-in-law; a country woman like her didn't need such nice things.

"Mom's here," Guo Peng said.

"Come help me get some things and put them away," Li Hui said. "Hurry up."

Guo Peng took the items, and Li Hui put the rest on the ground. She then sat down in a chair and massaged her legs.

"I walked for several hours today, and my legs are about to give out," Li Hui said.

"Buying so much stuff?" Guo Peng asked.

“Not much,” Li Hui said. “I haven’t been home for several years, and you haven’t come back with me either. When we got married, my parents sent us a lot of things. We have to send something to my parents; we can’t just take the things and then ignore them.”

“I told him my mom was here,” Guo Peng repeated.

"You're here, you're here. Didn't I say you'd stay with your sister Fan Yani, not with us?" Li Hui looked at her face in a small mirror. "So, your mother's going to stay with us?"

“No,” Guo Peng said. “Mom is still living with Yani.”

“That’s fine then. Your mother isn’t staying here for just a day or two; she’s going to stay for many days,” Li Hui said. “If you didn’t see her today, you can see her tomorrow. She just arrived today and traveled such a long distance; let her rest well. In the next day or the day after, you can have her come over for a visit.”

Li Hui didn't think she had gone too far; she just didn't want to see her mother-in-law because she was afraid her mother-in-law would find out she couldn't get pregnant. Li Hui felt her mother-in-law would find out eventually; it was just a matter of time. Those people couldn't possibly not tell her mother-in-law; they loved gossip too much.

“Mom’s coming over today, but nobody’s home,” Guo Peng said. “That’s my own mother, your mother-in-law, you…”

“I didn’t say she wasn’t my mother-in-law,” Li Hui said. “Yes, she is my mother-in-law, and I am her daughter-in-law. I had already made arrangements with her long ago, and I couldn’t just stand her up and make her think I was a faithless person. Does meeting your mother have to be today?”

Li Hui looked very impatient. "Your mother just arrived, and you're already yelling at me. If she stays a few more days, are you going to divorce me? Guo Peng, I'm a person too. Can't I go out for a walk?"

Guo Peng looked at Li Hui, his feelings mixed. He really wanted Li Hui to show some respect for his mother. His mother wasn't staying here permanently; she was only helping Fan Yani during her postpartum period, and she would be going back home after Fan Yani finished her confinement.

"Forget it, let's wait until tomorrow," Guo Peng said. "Tomorrow evening, we'll make some food at home, something nice, and invite Mom over for a meal, and also invite Yani and the others over."

“Fan Yani is about to give birth, and we have to climb stairs here. You dare to let her come over, but I certainly don’t.” Li Hui didn’t want Fan Yani to come to her house. “If she suddenly goes into labor, she’ll be upset, let alone if we upset her. If it’s really necessary, you can buy some good food and go to Fan Yani’s place. We can go together and cook there, isn’t that fine?”

"..." Guo Peng remained silent.

"Don't always think about coming over here; it depends on whether it's convenient for you." Li Hui looked at the things she had bought and held up her new clothes in front of her. Li Hui loved buying new clothes and spent a lot of money. Sometimes, before the end of the month, she and her husband would be eating nothing but steamed buns. While other families could afford meat, Li Hui and her husband could only eat vegetables, and even then, there wasn't much to eat.

Unlike Li Hui, Fan Yani was more organized and didn't spend all her money on pretty clothes. Few people around her wore new clothes all the time, and if she wore new clothes too often, people would say she was wasteful; she'd be better off spending her money on good food.

“Your mother is here to take care of your sister during her postpartum period. It’s not appropriate for your mother to come while your sister is heavily pregnant. She might only be here for a short while, because something might come up for your sister,” Li Hui said. “One shouldn’t be too selfish; one should consider your sister. Your sister was originally your childhood sweetheart, and your mother liked her so much that she even let her come and marry you. Your mother must also want to take good care of your sister.”

"..." Guo Peng felt uncomfortable hearing this, but he didn't want to argue with his wife, so he could only pretend he didn't hear it.

exist

After Mrs. Su returned home, Qin Yizhou went to clean up the dishes, while Qin Zihang took out his books. He would have new books for the new semester.

"Mom, what kind of books will you have in college? Do you need book covers?" Qin Zihang asked. "I can help cover the books, any size is fine. Are college books bigger than elementary school books? Are they really, really big? Are they also very thick? Elementary school books are a little thicker than kindergarten books, you know."

Qin Zihang gestured over there, even jumping up and down, "So thick, so thick? Or this thick?"