Chapter 58 One shouldn't be too stingy when it comes to finding fault.

“It will be a bit thicker, but not this thick, this thick, this thick.” Song Fenglan also gestured along with Qin Zihang. According to the thickness her son was gesturing, she felt that she could not lift the book. “It’s not as thick as the palm of my Zihang’s hand.”

"Isn't it this thick?" Qin Zihang thought it would be much thicker.

“Do you think the books have to be thicker for each grade higher? If they keep getting thicker like this, we won’t be able to lift them anymore.” Song Fenglan thought for a moment, then went to the study and took out a rather thick book, probably about the height of a ping-pong ball. “See? This is how thick it is. This is already very thick.”

Qin Zihang reached out; he wanted to hug the book as well.

"It's so much heavier than my books!" Qin Zihang exclaimed.

“You’re still a child, you’re not strong enough, and you have to carry a lot of books to school. We can’t just give you all thick books and make you carry them all to school, that would be so heavy,” Song Fenglan said.

You see, in her previous life, when Song Fenglan was in junior high and high school, she always kept her books in her desk drawer in the classroom, and no one would steal them. In this life, however, when Song Fenglan was in junior high and high school, she always brought her books home, carrying them back and forth, just to prevent anything from happening to them.

Before regaining her memories of her past life, Song Fenglan loved reading and never considered not studying. She also had exceptionally high grades, but unfortunately, the college entrance examination was abolished, preventing her from directly taking it and attending university. Now, things are different; Song Fenglan has been admitted to university, and she can go to college—all she wants is a diploma.

“Your small shoulders will break under the weight,” Song Fenglan said.

"It's hard for me to hold it with one hand." Qin Zihang tried holding the book with one hand and turning the pages with the other. He felt that the book was a bit heavy and it wasn't very comfortable for his small hand to hold.

“Right? When you grow up and go to university, you’ll be able to read books this thick.” Song Fenglan said.

"Mom, this book is so thick, does it mean there's a lot of homework?" Qin Zihang's first thought was about homework.

"..." Song Fenglan hadn't thought about the issue of homework. "In college, teachers may not assign homework as often. But whether you personally like to study and want to study more is another matter."

Song Fenglan said it depends on the child. When they get to university, many people will go to the library and study on their own. University really depends on the individual's self-discipline. Teachers don't supervise students too much. A large number of students think that as long as they pass, they can get their graduation certificate and degree certificate, find a job after graduation, and that's it.

"Of course I love learning," Qin Zihang said. "I want to be like my mom."

“Okay, just like Mommy,” Song Fenglan said. “Mommy is waiting for our Hangbao to go to university, okay?”

"Okay!" Qin Zihang nodded vigorously. "Pinky promise."

Song Fenglan extended her little finger and made a pinky promise with Qin Zihang, hoping her son would do better.

Since Li Hui didn't come to see Guo's mother, Guo's mother didn't go over again tonight, which left her somewhat disappointed. Fan Yani could immediately sense Guo's mother's discomfort, which was understandable. Normally, it should be Li Hui, the daughter-in-law, who came to see Guo's mother, but Li Hui had gone out shopping during the day and hadn't come yet.

"Mom, look, is there anything else we need? Is this blanket warm enough?" Fan Yani went into the room with Guo's mother. "I asked my husband to buy an extra blanket. It will be warmer to cover the blanket with this one. I saw that our neighbor did it this way before, and they said it keeps the blanket warmer than just a blanket, and the blanket won't feel too heavy."

"Warm, warm, it must be very warm," said Guo's mother.

“Just let me know if you need anything,” Fan Yani said.

“It’s fine here, there’s nothing else needed.” Guo’s mother looked at Fan Yani. “You’re so pregnant, you’re about to give birth, so don’t worry about these things. I’ll cook for you from now on.”

"Okay." Fan Yani wanted Guo's mother to come and take care of her. Her husband was often in the army, and Yue Hongwei might not have time to take care of her. It would be much more convenient with Guo's mother there. "Mom, you can stay here with peace of mind."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Guo's mother nodded.

“Mom, are you thinking about my sister-in-law?” Fan Yani said. “My sister-in-law isn’t from the countryside, and her way of thinking is a bit different from ours. You can go see her another day, just for a visit. I told her that you can stay with me. Their empty room is filled with other odds and ends, so you won’t have anywhere to stay if you go there. Whoever you help should stay with you.”

"What a pity..." Guo's mother still thought how wonderful it would be if Fan Yani married Guo Peng.

“It’s no pity.” Fan Yani knew what Guo’s mother was thinking. “My relationship with my man is very good, very good. Mom, don’t worry, there are no other problems.”

Fan Yani didn't like Guo Peng, but the original owner of this body had heard from others since childhood that she was Guo Peng's fiancée, so she was convinced that Guo Peng was the one for her. In reality, the original owner might not have liked Guo Peng that much; Fan Yani herself didn't like Guo Peng.

“If we’re destined to be lovers but not to be together, then let’s be like brother and sister,” Fan Yani said. “Mom, when I first arrived, my sister-in-law found out I was my brother’s childhood sweetheart, and she wasn’t very happy. If you say these things in front of her again, she’ll be even more unhappy.”

Fan Yani didn't want to say it at first, but seeing how distressed Guo's mother looked, she decided to speak up anyway.

“I won’t say much, lest you think I’m speaking ill of my sister-in-law,” Fan Yani said. “There are many things involved. You’ll find out sooner or later if you stay here for a while.”

It's better for someone else to tell Guo's mother than for Fan Yani to tell her, since Fan Yani doesn't want to be the bad guy. Given what Li Hui has done, many people wouldn't want a daughter-in-law like her, but Guo Peng just happens to like her. It just goes to show that everyone has their own preferences.

"Then we'll wait until later." Guo's mother didn't want to force Fan Yani to tell her everything, since Fan Yani was her adopted daughter, and there were always some reservations about adopting a daughter.

In the capital, Qin's second brother-in-law went to work as a temporary worker at a recycling station. Qin's eldest brother had made arrangements, and Qin's second brother-in-law went directly to work and started immediately.

Qin's second brother-in-law worked there for a few days, and everything was fine.

"Are you sure there are no problems?" Sister Qin asked her husband from inside the room.

Qin Erjie's youngest son shares a room with her and her husband, while their two daughters share another room. Qin Erjie is worried that her husband might be being taken advantage of; she's unsure if her older brother will actually arrange a stable temporary job for him.

“No problem, I can do it,” said Qin’s brother-in-law. “The working hours aren’t very long, and when there’s nothing to do, we can take a short break. Overall, it’s not too bad. With a job, we can stay here.”

"Okay," said Sister Qin. "If there's anything you don't like, just tell me. If this job isn't good, we'll find another one."

"That's fine," said Qin's second brother-in-law. "It's very good, I can do it."

"It's fine as long as you can do it," said Sister Qin. "It's not that I'm afraid... This sister-in-law is indeed doing a good job of putting on a good show right now, but I don't know if there will be other things later."

Sister Qin still hoped that her husband could have a stable job with a salary, so that they could just contribute some money for food and not have to pay so much. If those people didn't ask them to pay for food, they didn't necessarily have to pay more.

Qin's parents must have some money left. They also receive a monthly pension, and they always use that money to help support the family.

Qin Erjie thought that since she hadn't received any inheritance, it wouldn't hurt for her family to eat a little more now.

"I'll be starting school in a few days," said Sister Qin.

"Do you live on campus?" Qin's second brother-in-law asked.

"We don't live on campus," said Sister Qin. "We have children; how can we live on campus?"

Second Sister Qin was worried about the children, so she rode her bicycle to and from school every day. The Qin family had bicycles, and whether her eldest brother needed one was unimportant to her. If she wanted to use the bicycle, her eldest brother couldn't very well stop her.

"Your...your sister-in-law should be starting school soon, right?" Qin's second brother-in-law said.

"She got into a good school, a very good school," said Qin's second sister. "Her college entrance exam score was also exceptionally high."

Don't be so arrogant, I'm nowhere near as good as her.

Qin Erjie felt that the Qin family members were blind; none of them knew to treat Song Fenglan better, which led to the current situation. Not to mention Song Fenglan, Qin Erjie herself didn't have a good relationship with her own family.

You Yun was discussing with Brother Qin whether they should give Sister Qin a gift since she was about to start school.

"Give a gift?" Brother Qin hadn't thought of that. He had gone back to his room intending to go to sleep early, but then he heard his wife talking about the gift.

“Yes.” You Yun nodded. “Your relationship with your second sister isn’t very good. Although you’ve tried to make amends, it’s still not quite there yet. Your second sister is originally from the capital, and when jobs are assigned in the future, she will most likely be assigned to the capital as well. She’s studying at a teachers’ college and will become a teacher in the future.”

You Yun thought that they might need Qin Erjie's help with the children again in the future. Now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, everyone will only pay more attention to education, and teachers will be more respected than before. You Yun thought about how exciting it would be if her child could take the college entrance examination and get into university.

"That would be three years from now," Brother Qin said.

“Three years have passed in the blink of an eye,” You Yun said. “The baby in my belly was so small back then. In the future, we might still need to use Second Sister’s bicycle. Isn’t your bicycle a bit old? Give that bicycle to Second Sister to use.”

"If I don't have a bicycle, will I walk to work?" Brother Qin asked.

“Get up early and take the bus,” You Yun said. “I asked around, and the school my second sister got into isn’t too far from here, so it’s perfect for her to ride a bicycle. If you want to buy another bicycle, that’s fine too.”

Bicycles are considered valuable items, so they gave their old bicycle to Sister Qin, and she probably wouldn't say anything.

You Yun thought they should make a statement to let Sister Qin know that they had no ill intentions and were not thinking of getting anything from her right now.

“We can’t always think about the present; we have to think about the future,” You Yun said. Regardless of what Tian Keshu had said to Brother Qin before, she couldn’t be that selfish.

You Yun wondered, "Brother Qin has fallen out with all his brothers and sisters. What good is that for Brother Qin?"

Tian Keshu still messed things up terribly. They're all siblings from the same parents, not from different families. You Yun was still trying to salvage the relationship and didn't want things to get any worse.

“Okay, we’ll do as you say,” Brother Qin said. “Buy a new bicycle, and give the old one to Second Sister.”

"Okay." You Yun nodded. "Tomorrow, you go and talk to Second Sister. I can't always be the one to do it. Just let her know that we, as husband and wife, share this attitude, and that will be enough."

Early in the morning, Brother Qin told Second Sister Qin about the bicycle, adding that it was You Yun's suggestion, and he thought it was a good idea.

“You need to come back to take care of the children. Having a bicycle will be convenient,” Brother Qin said. “It’s too late tonight, so I’ll have my brother-in-law pick you up.”

Brother Qin didn't have time to pick up Sister Qin; those things still had to be done by Sister Qin's husband.

Qin Erjie glanced at her eldest brother several times. She had originally planned to use that bicycle, but her eldest brother had just said so.

"If you put it that way, then I'll really have to use it," said Sister Qin.

"Here's the key," Brother Qin said. "Take it and use it."

"..." Sister Qin took the key, but she still felt that something was wrong with Brother Qin.

Sister Qin didn't know how long her eldest brother could maintain this state, but since he had given her the things, she would take them.

When Qin's mother saw this, she wanted to speak, but dared not, for fear of making a mistake.

“Second sister, I’m heavily pregnant, and there are so many children in the family. Your eldest brother might not be able to take care of you. Please bear with me,” You Yun said. “If you need anything, just say so. We’re all family.”

"Thank you very much, sister-in-law." Second Sister Qin accepted this kindness.

When Tian Keshu learned that Qin Erjie had returned, she was expecting Qin Erjie and You Yun to argue, but to her dismay, they didn't. Tian Keshu went to the Qin family's neighborhood. She didn't have a job and usually cooked for her husband and stepson. Sometimes she would go to the Qin family's place to see the children and check on how the Qin family was doing.

Those two kids of hers are so stupid. You Yun is already pregnant. Aren't they afraid that their biological father will dote on the children born to their stepmother?

When Tian Keshu saw the two children, she wanted to speak ill of You Yun in front of them, hoping to get the children to deal with You Yun. However, the Qin family didn't want the two children to see Tian Keshu much; Tian Keshu was from a family of spies, and they didn't want the children to be implicated by her.

When Aunt Qin saw Tian Keshu peeking out, she frowned and walked directly up to her. Tian Keshu hadn't expected Aunt Qin to discover her, much less that Aunt Qin would come right up to her.

“You can look after the child, but you need to know your place. The child’s father can’t get a promotion because of you. Do you want the child to be affected by you in the future?” Aunt Qin said. “My nephew will soon have another child. The other child has no blood relation to you, so naturally he won’t be affected by you. If you say something stupid to the child, your child will be ruined.”

Previously, Aunt Qin had heard that Tian Keshu had spoken ill of You Yun to her two children, and that Tian Keshu was trying to make her children cause trouble. Aunt Qin thought there was something wrong with Tian Keshu, and that the problem lay with Tian Keshu's family.

"You were once my niece-in-law, and the children you bore are my grandnieces and grandsons," Aunt Qin said. "If that's the case, think about it carefully. For the sake of the children, you should be more patient. Do you think letting your children fight with their stepmother will bring them any good? Aren't you afraid they'll be sent away somewhere else?"

“I…” Tian Keshu’s eyes widened. She never imagined that her child would be sent away.

“If you really want those two children, that’s fine. I’ll talk to my nephew and ask him to give them to you. Anyway, he’s going to have other children soon,” Aunt Qin said. “What do you say?”

"No need, no need." Tian Keshu felt a chill run down her spine just looking at Aunt Qin. Aunt Qin didn't seem angry, but what she said terrified Tian Keshu.

If the two children were to go with her, they would be ruined. That won't do!

Tian Keshu's remarried husband could not possibly support those two children; they had to stay with the Qin family.

"Then why are you still standing here?" Aunt Qin raised an eyebrow.

"I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now," Tian Keshu said, and she fled in panic.

"Heh." Aunt Qin glanced at her and knew what Tian Keshu was up to.

Aunt Qin turned around and saw Tian Keshu's two children, and she said to them.

"You all know your mother's political background is problematic, so don't listen to her nonsense."

“As long as your stepmother doesn’t make things difficult for you, you shouldn’t make things difficult for her either. You’re not that young, so don’t let your biological mother lead you by the nose.”

"People should be pragmatic and adaptable; those who are pragmatic and adaptable are the heroes."

...

Aunt Qin has always thought this way: don't be foolish enough to offend people you shouldn't. And when others are suffering, don't kick them when they're down; just keep your distance.

You Yun didn't take Tian Keshu's actions seriously at all. She wasn't worried about Tian Keshu having too much contact with the two children; they weren't her own. If the two children were led astray, they would resent Tian Keshu later. All You Yun could do was let her stepson and stepdaughter know her stance. If everyone stayed quiet, all would be well. But if her stepson and stepdaughter caused trouble, well, she wasn't going to tolerate it.

The Qin family now has mixed feelings about the two children. On the one hand, they feel that the two children are unlikely to achieve much in the future, but on the other hand, they think about how they have spoiled the two children as they grew up.

Qin Erjie stayed at the Qin family home, without calling Qin Yizhou to tell him how she was doing. She didn't expect Qin Yizhou and his wife to prepare gifts for them, but Song Fenglan and her husband still sent her some money.

Song Fenglan and her husband didn't know what kind of things Qin Erjie liked, so buying them directly might not suit her taste. They figured they'd just give her money, and she could buy whatever she wanted. Song Fenglan didn't expect Qin Erjie to give her gifts; their family was well-off, and it would be inconvenient for Qin Erjie to live with them.

Qin Yizhou was very grateful to Song Fenglan, who had been quite good to his family. Given how his own family treated her, it was surprising that Song Fenglan was still kind to Qin's second sister.

Song Fenglan was generally more tolerant of women, especially since Qin Erjie hadn't infringed upon her interests. Under these circumstances, Song Fenglan...

Lan was also willing to do a good job of putting on a good show.

That day, Li Hui and her husband bought some things and went to Fan Yani's house. They were going to cook there, not saying they would cook at their own home.

"Mom, it's not that we don't want you to come over, it's just that Yani is heavily pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to come over, so we'll cook and eat here," Guo Peng explained, afraid that his own mother would lose face.

"Eat well here, eat well here. It's the same for you all," said Guo's mother. How could she possibly say anything bad about her daughter-in-law?

When Guo's mother saw Li Hui, she felt that Li Hui was too arrogant, and she really couldn't handle such a daughter-in-law. Guo's mother then looked at her eldest son, who was so sympathetic to Li Hui, so Guo's mother couldn't say anything bad about Li Hui, nor could she say that all the daughters-in-law in the village were like that.

When Fan Yani saw this, she didn't say anything.

They said they'd cook together, but in the end, it always ended up being Guo's mother doing the cooking, with Yue Hongwei and Guo Peng helping out. Fan Yani was too pregnant to go to the kitchen, and Li Hui, seeing that Fan Yani wasn't cooking, didn't want to either. Just then, Guo's mother told Li Hui she didn't need to help, and Li Hui really didn't.

Fan Yani watched Li Hui sitting beside her without helping. She didn't ask Li Hui to help. What was there to say? Even Guo's mother didn't ask Li Hui to help, so why should she?

As the younger sister-in-law, one should speak less to avoid conflicts between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Fan Yani disliked Li Hui, but she didn't want to make things difficult for Guo's mother. Judging from how cautious Guo's mother was in front of Li Hui, it was clear that she didn't want to put Li Hui in a difficult position.

The family sat down to eat together. Before Guo's mother even sat down at the table, Li Hui started eating first. Guo's mother told Li Hui to eat first, so Li Hui ate first.

"..." Fan Yani wondered whether she should say Li Hui was obedient, or that Li Hui simply didn't know how to be polite.

Well, Li Hui isn't her daughter-in-law, so let Guo's mother do what she wants. Fan Yani can't really say anything to Li Hui anyway.

After Li Hui and her husband left, Fan Yani did not speak ill of Li Hui in front of Guo's mother; she only spoke to Yue Hongwei in private.

When they were talking in the room, Fan Yani spoke very softly, afraid that Guo's mother would hear her.

“Mom, as a mother-in-law, is really being bullied by her daughter-in-law,” Fan Yani said. “I didn’t dare to say much just now.”

“Mom is with us, we’ll ask her for help,” Yue Hongwei said. “We won’t go and tell her.”

“Yes, I won’t tell,” Fan Yani nodded. “There’s no way I can tell.”

How could Fan Yani possibly explain this? That was her adoptive mother. Ultimately, it would only put her adoptive mother in a difficult position. Fan Yani knew she still needed her adoptive mother's help, so she shouldn't say anything like that. Fan Yani hadn't considered asking anyone else for help; thinking of this, she thought of Shi Guilan.

When Fan Yani arrived, she had heard about Shi Guilan's story. Shi Guilan had originally come to take care of Staff Officer Xu's wife, but later, when Xu's first wife became incapacitated and died, Shi Guilan became involved with him. This Shi Guilan was indeed capable; Fan Yani couldn't possibly become someone else's stepping stone.

The Lantern Festival arrived quickly. On the Lantern Festival, people eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls), which can be either savory or sweet.

Qin Zihang prefers sesame glutinous rice balls, but peanut ones are also fine; he doesn't like savory ones. Song Fenglan also likes sesame and peanut glutinous rice balls, while Qin Yizhou can eat both sweet and savory ones. Like Qin Zihang and Song Fenglan, Qin Yizhou eats sweet glutinous rice balls, having bought ready-made sesame ones and cooked them instead of making any separately.

My family only eats a few glutinous rice balls, not many, so we didn't make any more.

Qin Yizhou cooked the glutinous rice balls and added some sugar. Everyone ate a few more glutinous rice balls after the meal.

"Is it delicious?" Song Fenglan asked Qin Zihang.

“These are enough.” Qin Zihang looked at his mother, who had covered his bowl. “If Mom doesn’t like them, Dad can have them.”

"..." Song Fenglan fell silent. How did her son figure out that she wanted to give him the glutinous rice balls?

The glutinous rice balls in the bowl were untouched and still clean. Oh, no, there were only four glutinous rice balls in her bowl; she hadn't scooped out any more.

Even the most delicious glutinous rice balls become tiresome after eating four.

Song Fenglan always ate three or four glutinous rice balls.

"Whoever cooks it should eat it!" Qin Zihang emphasized.

Qin Zihang doesn't like eating so many glutinous rice balls, and he doesn't want his parents to serve him more.

"Eating too much will cause cavities," Qin Zihang had another reason.

“I didn’t make you eat that much,” Song Fenglan said.

"On TV, they gave the glutinous rice balls to other people," Qin Zihang said.

"..." Song Fenglan didn't watch TV with Qin Zihang all the time, so she really didn't know. But Song Fenglan knew that there was a scene in the 1987 version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" where Wang Xifeng scooped out glutinous rice balls or something to feed others.

That TV series doesn't exist yet; Qin Zihang saw it in another TV series.

“Let your father eat it,” Song Fenglan said.

“Actually, it’s okay if Dad doesn’t eat it.” Qin Zihang’s eyes darted around. “Little Tiger can eat it.”

"You're really something." Song Fenglan's lips twitched slightly. "You don't like eating so much, but does your little tiger brother like to eat so much?"

"Maybe Brother Xiaohu's family doesn't have any glutinous rice balls?" Qin Zihang said.

Qin Zihang was right; Fatty's family didn't cook glutinous rice balls. Zhang Xiaohu even mentioned it when he came to visit Qin Zihang.

"Is your brother home? Ask him to come over so we can eat glutinous rice balls together." Qin Zihang looked at the bowl; there were still more than ten glutinous rice balls in it. He wasn't going to eat so many.

Seeing his son's reaction, Qin Yizhou thought it wasn't a bad idea; he'd cook fewer glutinous rice balls next time. Around this time last year, they hadn't cooked any, as they had other commitments. This year, they did cook some, and Qin Yizhou thought he couldn't cook too few, but his wife and son each ate several. Qin Yizhou was even considering that if things got really bad, he'd just have to eat the rest. He figured the dog wouldn't eat glutinous rice balls, so he'd better not let the dog eat them.

With Zhang Xiaohu and Zhang Wen there, the problem of getting those glutinous rice balls was solved.

"You didn't cook any glutinous rice balls at home?" Qin Zihang asked again as he watched Zhang Xiaohu eat.

“My mom says it’s a waste of money. We can just eat rice, why do we need to eat glutinous rice balls?” Zhang Xiaohu said. “My mom always says we spend too much money, that we’re swallowing it all up.”

Zhang Xiaohu even imitated his mother's way of speaking, mimicking her perfectly, and also imitated Fatty's hands on her hips. Fatty had no choice; she was unemployed, doing odd jobs, and didn't have much money, so she had to be frugal.

Qin Yizhou held a high position, and Song Fenglan was no less capable. Both of them were paid employees and only had one child. Even without the dowry from the Song family, Song Fenglan and her husband could raise Qin Zihang very well.

“It’s alright, it’s the same for you to eat here,” Qin Zihang said. “My dad feeds me like a pig, and pigs don’t eat this much sweet stuff. Let’s share it and have some sweetness together.”

Qin Zihang looked at his father. It was all because his father had cooked too many glutinous rice balls. Eating too many glutinous rice balls would make him feel sick.

"Is it sweet enough? Do we need to add more sugar?" Qin Zihang asked. "It already has sugar."

As he spoke, Qin Zihang was about to scoop a large spoonful of sugar for Zhang Xiaohu. After scooping a large spoonful of sugar for Zhang Xiaohu, he looked at Zhang Wen.

"It's sweet enough," Zhang Wen said.

"Don't be shy, there's sugar." Qin Zihang added a spoonful of sugar to Zhang Wen's bowl as well. "Sesame dumplings and peanut dumplings are meant to be sweet. The soup should be sweet too, that's what makes them delicious."

"Do you want some?" Zhang Xiaohu asked Qin Zihang.

"I've already eaten, you guys eat." Qin Zihang was afraid that Zhang Xiaohu and his brother would say they didn't want to eat. "Eat what's in your bowls, don't be shy, eat more. If it's not enough, let my dad cook some more, there are still some glutinous rice balls that haven't been cooked yet."

"That's enough," Zhang Wen said quickly. He and his brother only needed a few glutinous rice balls; they didn't need to eat so many. "We've already eaten."

However, the Zhang brothers didn't eat their fill, and sometimes they would get hungry later in the evening. Growing boys are naturally prone to hunger, and with the food lacking in oil and fat, who else would be hungry if not them?

"Eat up," Song Fenglan said. "There are still a few sweet potatoes left; you can all eat them together."

Qin Yizhou brought out the steamed sweet potatoes. Roasted sweet potatoes are always too heaty, so this time he steamed them.

Fatty didn't go next door immediately. She had overheard Zhang Xiaohu calling Zhang Wen to eat glutinous rice balls. It was one thing for a child to eat them, but adults shouldn't be so greedy and go over there at this time.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, Fan Yani had a stomachache, and Yue Hongwei quickly took her to the hospital. Guo's mother also went to the hospital with her. She stayed at the hospital for a while, then went back home to make fish soup for Fan Yani after she gave birth.

During the day, Song Fenglan goes to work at the research institute, and Fan Yani gives birth, not Song Fenglan.

Qin Yizhou took Qin Zihang to buy eggs. He helped Qin Zihang register for school, and after registering, they went to buy some eggs to deliver to Yue Hongwei's house.

The shop assistants are naturally all

After giving Qin Yizhou the eggs, as they were leaving, the shop assistant got into an argument with another person. The shop assistant had given that person broken eggs and said that person only deserved to eat broken eggs.

“Our family has already been exonerated,” the egg seller said. “Our family…”

"Give her the good eggs." These words weren't spoken by Qin Yizhou, but by Qin Zihang.

Qin Zihang overheard the conversation between the shop assistant and the woman, where they were discussing ingredients and eggs. Qin Zihang knew that his mother had also been bullied in the past because of her "bad class background."

"Give her good eggs." Qin Yizhou came over to Qin Zihang's side.

When the shop assistant saw Qin Yizhou dressed in military uniform, she didn't dare to offend him, so she took the good eggs.

"Thank you." The woman said thank you to Qin Yizhou, and also to Qin Zihang.

Qin Zihang initially thought the woman was only thanking his father, and he was about to say something when the woman thanked him.

"You're welcome," Qin Zihang said.

“You look a lot like your father,” the woman said again.

The woman noticed that Qin Zihang hadn't called him "Dad." She couldn't very well assume someone much older than her was her brother. Having suffered greatly in the countryside, and finally regaining her freedom, she wasn't looking to marry someone exceptionally well, nor was she eyeing anyone powerful or influential.

After buying the eggs and saying thank you, the woman left.

“Dad, she said I look a lot like you,” Qin Zihang said with a smile. “Many people say that, but why don’t they say I look like Mom?”

“You’re a boy, and you look just like your mother. You’re so beautiful. It’s better for a boy to be handsome,” Qin Yizhou replied.

“Dad, you’re embarrassing,” Qin Zihang said.

"If Dad wasn't handsome enough, would your mom like him?" Qin Yizhou said. "Women dress up for those they love, and so do men."

"Yue? Does it mean happy?" Qin Zihang asked. "Dad, I don't quite understand what you're saying."

"I just want your mom to like your dad, you know?" Qin Yizhou said. "Come on, we should go back now."

"I've signed up, does Mom want to sign up too?" Qin Zihang hadn't forgotten about this. "When are we going to help Mom sign up?"

"Let's go to Mom's school together tomorrow," Qin Yizhou said. "Let's take a look at Mom's school."

Qin Yizhou thought his son was always thinking about enrolling his wife in the program, so he decided to let his son go instead, otherwise his son would keep talking about it.

"Is Mom's school very big?" Qin Zihang asked. "University, primary school, big, does that mean very big?"

“Yes, it’s very big,” Qin Yizhou said. “You’ll know how big it is when I take you there.”

"How much bigger is it than our elementary school?" Qin Zihang asked again. "Does Mom have many classmates? Do those classmates do their homework well? Do they also have to read thick books? Are they smarter, or is Mom smarter? Mom must be smarter than them!"

“You already know, why are you still asking?” Qin Yizhou said.

“Listen to what Daddy says,” Qin Zihang said. “Mom is my mom, and she’s also Daddy’s wife. Daddy should praise Mom more, just like Mom praises Hangbao. Praise makes people happy.”

"..." Qin Yizhou looked down at Qin Zihang. Was Qin Zihang sure he wasn't bragging?

Qin Yizhou was really embarrassed to talk about Song Fenglan like that in public. He always said his wife was amazing, and people would say he was too narcissistic and talking nonsense. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but that's not how it works.

If he always praises people, others will feel that it's not genuine and will think that Qin Yizhou is lying.

“Mom must have praised Dad too,” Qin Zihang said. “Dad, you can’t be stingy with your praise, you have to say it. Only when you say it will Mom know what you’re thinking.”

“Okay, your mother is very smart. In your father’s eyes, your mother is the best of the best,” Qin Yizhou said.

"Yes, Mom is the best, the very best," Qin Zihang said with a grin.

Passersby were used to seeing Qin Yizhou and his son say such things; Qin Zihang always liked to praise his mother. At first, people thought Qin Zihang was joking, like when he said his mother would get into the best university. Yes, Song Fenglan wasn't going to the best university in the country; she was going to the best university in the province, but her scores were high enough to get into the best university in the country.

They no longer thought Qin Zihang was just bragging; who knows, one day Song Fenglan might actually make his promises come true. They all felt that Song Fenglan doted on Qin Zihang, and that she always tried her best to make his words a reality, so others wouldn't laugh at him, but would only think he was amazing.

Other mothers find it difficult to do this. They think Song Fenglan is too amazing and that they shouldn't compare themselves to her.

At the hospital, Guo's mother gave the stewed fish soup to Fan Yani.

"I picked out some of the thorns, but I don't know if I picked them all out," said Guo's mother. "You should be careful when you eat it, just in case some were picked out."

"Let me see." Fan Yani held the bowl and drank the fish soup, which had little flavor.

Fan Yani had just given birth, and Guo's mother did this on purpose.

"It doesn't smell much, but that's how you have to sit during postpartum confinement," said Guo's mother. "Just bear with it."

"Mm." Fan Yani nodded. She was a time traveler; in her previous life, information was abundant and the internet was highly developed. Fan Yani had seen other people's postpartum confinement, which involved various customs and traditions. Fan Yani herself didn't really understand those customs and didn't remember much about how postpartum confinement should be done. With Guo's mother taking care of her, she felt much more at ease.

"It's a boy, that's good." Guo's mother looked at the child and thought that it would be wonderful if Li Hui could get pregnant.

Over the past few days, Guo's mother had heard from others that Li Hui had difficulty conceiving and was infertile. They asked if Guo's mother knew anything about this. Guo's mother didn't dare ask Li Hui directly; instead, she asked Fan Yani, who said she had only heard it herself and didn't know if it was true.

Guo's mother was afraid of affecting the relationship between Li Hui and Guo Peng, but she didn't dare to ask Guo Peng, fearing that Li Hui would be unhappy if she found out. Guo's mother also thought that Li Hui and Guo Peng hadn't been married for very long, and they could wait a few more years; who knew, Li Hui might get pregnant by then.

Many couples conceive several years after getting married, rather than in the first year of marriage.

"Boy or girl, it doesn't matter." Fan Yani doesn't really care about the gender of her child.

“Boys are better,” said Guo’s mother. “They can take care of you in your old age.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Boys…” Fan Yani originally wanted to say that boys might go astray in the future, or that boys would listen to their daughters-in-law, but then she thought of Guo Peng and Li Hui, and decided against it, not wanting to upset Guo’s mother too much. “Boys will need more dowry when they get married. Girls are better; we don’t need to prepare as much dowry.”

"Either is fine, either is fine, just drink your soup quickly," said Guo's mother.

“This soup is very good,” Fan Yani said.

"Drink more," Guo's mother said. "Giving birth is tough on a woman's body, so she needs to eat more during this month."

In the evening, Song Fenglan returned home and saw Qin Zihang holding a piece of cloth. Qin Zihang stared at the cloth for a while, wanting to make a new schoolbag for his mother, but he didn't know how. Qin Zihang held scissors, but dared not cut randomly, afraid of cutting the cloth into pieces.

"Mom, I'll give you my new schoolbag. I'll use the old one," Qin Zihang said. "I asked Dad to make you a schoolbag, but he just took a piece of cloth. He doesn't know how to make one at all!"