Upon hearing that Zhou Qiqi had arrived, Qin Peilan's face immediately lit up with a smile, and she gently nudged her husband:
"Hey, speak of the devil! Our daughter-in-law is here. Go open the door and see if Qiqi needs our help with anything."
Shen Zhenbang muttered to himself, "The door isn't latched, just let her in by herself, why be so formal?"
But his body betrayed him; he had already thrown back the covers and slipped out of bed in his shoes.
He walked over and opened the door, and saw Zhou Qiqi holding a wooden tray with two small purple clay jars on it.
Shen Zhenbang quickly asked, "Qiqi, what's wrong...?"
Zhou Qiqi smiled naturally and said:
"Uncle, Aunt, I heard you both cough during lunch this afternoon. Luckily, I had some autumn pears stored in the cellar, so I made some Sichuan pepper stewed pears. It's freshly made and still warm. Please eat it while it's hot, and remember to drink the pear juice as well. It'll help you sweat it out and sleep more comfortably tonight."
Qin Peilan heard everything clearly inside the room, her eyes suddenly lit up with an astonishing brightness, and she felt incredibly comforted.
My daughter-in-law is so thoughtful and considerate!
They even remember a cough, and late at night they specially stewed something to soothe the lungs and relieve coughs and brought it over!
She quickly called out towards the door:
"Quick, quick, Lao Shen, take it! Don't let Qiqi carry it all the time, it's heavy!"
She sat up straight as well.
Shen Zhenbang quickly took the tray and carefully placed it on the bedside table.
Zhou Qiqi stood at the door without coming in, and gave another instruction:
"Just put the jar on the outside table after you finish eating. Huaichuan is taking a shower right now. He'll take a shower when he comes out."
Qin Peilan nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, yes! He should be the one to wash!"
She saw Zhou Qiqi still standing at the door and was about to call her in to talk for a while when she heard Zhou Qiqi continue:
"Alright, you guys eat first. I'll go and take a bowl to Zhouzhou too. The little girl is so sleepy she can barely keep her eyes open. Let her sleep as soon as she finishes eating."
Qin Peilan paused for a moment, and though she was a little reluctant, she quickly waved her hand and said, "Okay, go ahead, the child's sleep is the most important thing."
Zhou Qiqi nodded, turned and left, carefully closing the door behind her.
Qin Peilan looked at the closed door with some reluctance.
Shen Zhenbang had already opened the lid of the purple clay pot, and a burst of hot air carrying the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and the sweet scent of pears wafted out.
The pear flesh was stewed until it was translucent and the broth was clear, making it look very appetizing.
He nodded in satisfaction:
"Our daughter-in-law here has absolutely amazing cooking skills! She's also very thoughtful and meticulous, she can do everything, and she's so considerate and attentive!"
Qin Peilan also came over, looking at the glistening stewed pears in the jar, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
But hearing her husband's praise, she suddenly remembered her earlier thought and sighed softly.
"Yes, my daughter-in-law is wonderful in every way, but why does it seem like she has the same problem as Huaichuan? They're not really willing to get close to us. We barely exchanged a few words before she left? And..."
She paused, her voice lowering slightly, sounding somewhat aggrieved.
"They're still calling them 'uncle' and 'auntie,' shouldn't they be calling them 'Mom and Dad' by now?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhenbang couldn't help but laugh.
He put down the lid, looked at his wife's conflicted expression, and explained:
You're too impatient! It's only our first meeting, how can we be so close already? I think Qiqi is a reserved person, just like Huaichuan. We need to take it slow and get to know her better."
He remembered what happened at the dinner table and reminded him:
"As for changing how you address someone... have you forgotten? Huaichuan brought it up at the dinner table earlier! I saw Qiqi's expression at the time, she was also ready to call them that! But what happened? Didn't Xiao He ruin it? We ourselves said later that it was fine to call them uncle and aunt first, right?"
Qin Peilan blushed, only then realizing that such a thing had indeed happened, and immediately felt immense regret.
But she refused to admit it, giving her husband a reproachful glare and stubbornly arguing:
"That's what you said! I didn't say that!"
Seeing his wife's rare display of girlishness, Shen Zhenbang felt both softened and amused, and quickly went along with her words, coaxing her:
"Okay, okay! It's all my fault! I didn't think it through! It's my fault! Is that alright?"
Seeing that Qin Peilan's complexion had improved, he continued:
"Okay, I'll find an opportunity tomorrow to bring this up with Huaichuan again and have him talk to Qiqi about it."
Qin Peilan nodded in satisfaction and said:
"That's more like it!"
Then, her eyes darted around, and she said, "This is a big deal, and we can't let the child call her that for nothing. Do this, do this, go into my bag and take out the brocade box that I prepared a long time ago. The pair of jade bracelets inside are ones I bought a long time ago. Also, take out... take out five hundred yuan. We'll give it to Qiqi tomorrow as a gift for changing her address! We can't treat such a good daughter-in-law unfairly!"
"Sure! No problem!"
Shen Zhenbang readily agreed, and then said:
"I'll go get it after we finish this stewed pear. I also need to pick up your medicine while I'm at it; we've been so happy today that we forgot to take our medicine this afternoon!"
Qin Peilan nodded repeatedly, her thoughts returning to the stewed pear.
I scooped up a spoonful and tasted it. The pear flesh was soft and tender, and the broth was sweet with a hint of warmth from the Sichuan peppercorns. It felt incredibly comforting in my throat and stomach. I couldn't help but praise it again:
"Hmm! Excellent! Perfectly cooked!"
The elderly couple hadn't eaten much at the dinner table because of He Wanrou's antics, but now, smelling this sweet aroma, they were actually quite hungry.
I ate every last bit of the pear, flesh and broth, and felt a warm sensation spreading from my stomach, making me feel comfortable all over and soothing my throat.
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