Chapter 39
There were two older children who had met Pei Ze a few years ago and wished him a happy new year. He just nodded and said "hmm" as a token of his appreciation.
"Oh, this is my niece's wife. Pei Ze, you are really good to marry such a beautiful one." Uncle Pei joked.
"Yes, my wife Zhong Miao."
Pei Ze also introduced his uncle to Zhong Miao, and Zhong Miao also wished the two elders a happy new year.
While they were talking, there were ten children in total, including An An, and some of them had climbed onto the kang. For a moment, the kang and the floor were filled with children, and there was no place to step.
An An is very outgoing and has taken the initiative to play with others.
When Zhang Weilan saw that there was no room left in the house, she sent her son and daughter-in-law back to the new house. After all, they had already met each other, so she just had to send these people away herself.
No one from her family came to her son and daughter-in-law's wedding. In fact, the mourning period had already passed by then, and they just didn't want to contribute to the wedding.
You don't need to take this kind of relatives seriously, just keep treating them decently.
Uncle Pei greeted them without saying much. His eyes moved around Zhang Weilan's wool sweater and Pei Ze's wool coat, and then he stared at Zhong Miao's small leather shoes and clothes.
An An was having a great time playing with the other kids, and Zhong Miao didn't want to take him away. Since her mother-in-law had spoken, she went back with Pei Ze first, planning to come back and check on him later.
"My God, your uncle and your younger uncle both had several children, but how could they have so many grandchildren? It's too scary." Zhong Miao sighed as soon as he walked out of the main house.
"My eldest uncle has five sons and one daughter, and my uncle has one son and three daughters. They have so many children, but my father only has me as his biological son. However, he also raised my eldest brother as his own son. If he could live a few more years, maybe he would have two more children."
"Actually, just one is fine. Too many makes me tired."
"Wife, when you graduate from college, let's have a baby, how about that?"
"I don't want to have a baby."
Zhong Miao has a fear of having children. It's not because of the shadow brought by her original family, nor is it because she is afraid of not being able to raise or educate the child well. She is just afraid of this thing. It must be so painful.
For the time being, she was lucky enough to be able to get along with Pei Ze. After experiencing her two exes, she didn't want to get involved in any love affairs. She was forced to accept marriage reluctantly, not to mention having children.
"It's okay if you don't want to have a baby. We both have An An anyway."
Pei Ze has no interest in continuing the family line. Besides, how can they enjoy their own world as a couple after having a child? Children are not as easy to take care of as An An. Someone really needs to be with them and watch over them all the time.
He and his old mother had worked so hard to raise An An until now, and he still hasn't forgotten those hectic and hectic days as a cub. If his wife likes, he will take care of the child, as he has the experience. If she doesn't want to, that's fine too.
"Ah? You really think so?"
Zhong Miao often heard gossip from Li Hongmei. If a family has been married for several years and still hasn't had a child, people will inevitably point fingers and gossip about it, and people will guess who is infertile.
Nowadays, every family has only one child, but most of them have children as soon as they get married. Or there are a few who get married because of pregnancy, but they dare not tell others about it and keep it secret.
"Well, if you want to have a baby, then have one. I can raise it and take care of it. If you don't want to have a baby, that's fine with me."
"Oh, I didn't realize you had this kind of awareness."
"There are so many things you haven't noticed."
"Heh, do you think it's appropriate for us to discuss whether or not to have children now?"
"There's nothing inappropriate about that. This is called the process of getting to know each other."
After just two words, the couple returned to their new home.
The couple sat on the kang and chatted with Zhong Ming. Pei Ze had nothing to hide, so he told his father-in-law about all the relatives in the family from top to bottom. They didn't visit each other in the past, so who would have thought that they would come again this year.
Zhong Ming didn't have any objection, but he was a little worried about his sister-in-law. Who would believe that she brought so many children to his house during the New Year and said she was not here to ask for money?
"Why didn't any of your cousins come?" Zhong Miao was curious.
"I've fought before, so I guess I'm afraid of getting beaten up when I come here."
"Okay, you are a ruthless person. Just now, mother-in-law told us to come back. If we don't obey in front of outsiders, it will seem that mother-in-law has no status at home. So, you go back and take a look, and send mother-in-law away quickly." Zhong Miao was most worried about this.
"Okay, I'll go over then."
"Yeah, if you need anything, just call me."
After Pei Ze left, Zhong Ming had a rare opportunity to have a few private words with his daughter.
"My dear, how is it? Is this uncle okay after spending so long with him? I think he is quite warm to you."
"It's okay for now. How long can the heat last? I'm not what he imagined. The contrast is too big. He's an older young man who has never been in a relationship. It's too easy for him to get carried away."
"What about you? Have you had no thoughts about him after such a long time?"
"I have some ideas. From the perspective of my family, he's actually quite good. He can work, earn money, is diligent, and doesn't have any major problems. If you need anything, just ask him and he'll get it done. But right now, I don't have the energy to care about him other than his looks, and I don't have any confidence that he can last long."
"Well, it's up to you. You don't have to feel any burden even if you're unhappy."
"I'm not unhappy. I'm doing well at home. My mother-in-law loves me, An An is well behaved, and as for Pei Ze, I don't mind him either. It's just that sometimes he puts me under a bit of pressure. At the beginning, neither of us took this marriage seriously, but he got so carried away that he wanted me to live with him sincerely, and that made me feel a bit uncomfortable."
It's like two people each have their own thoughts, and no one owes the other anything, so they can get along well. But when Pei Ze gives emotionally first and she can't respond, Zhong Miao feels out of sync.
Even if she just thought of it as a relationship, she wanted the couple to be well-matched and both parties should make sacrifices. This was Zhong Miao's idea. She didn't want to fall in love yet. When she thought of a relationship, she would only think of a round head and symmetrical abdominal muscles, and she would lose interest immediately.
In her eyes, Pei Ze is now too enthusiastic.
"My dear daughter, don't feel pressured. You are just too considerate of others and afraid of taking advantage of them."
"Ah? Am I like this?"
"Of course, he's an adult and can be responsible for his own choices. If he's willing to pay for you, he can certainly afford the price."
"My dear, look, when a man pursues a woman, or vice versa, the one who falls in love first is naturally the one who pays more. But these efforts may not always be rewarded. Sometimes they are sunk costs. This is not just in love, but also in business. Your dad sometimes loses money too."
"Yeah, Dad, you're right. Even if you get her, you can still break up. Even if you get married, you can still divorce. There's no such thing as someone owing anyone anything. No one is forcing him. I'm just overthinking it."
"Haha, that's right. When you like him one day, you can be together. If you feel that you are not compatible and life is not going well, you should divorce. Isn't that how normal relationships are?"
"Uh-huh."
Zhong Ming thought about it and felt that he had to remind his daughter, "My dear, talking about love without material things will not have a good result. You can have feelings, but you have to be realistic about them. Your mother and I don't talk about reality, but reality will not let you go."
His heart ached whenever he thought of his ex-wife and his daughter. Their feelings had worn away in those years, not to mention that so many years had passed. How much of a lingering thought could he still have?
This is the reality. No matter how much you liked someone at the beginning, if they are not suitable, they are not suitable. Some incompatibilities can be reconciled, but Zhong Miao’s mother’s love is too selfish and can never be reconciled.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
"It's because you're so nice that you attract him to like you. This is reality. If you act like in the book, he won't like you either. On the other hand, because he's nice to you, you'll be nice to him too. If he's not nice to you, you won't care what he thinks."
"Yeah, I know. You're afraid I'll be like my mom, too idealistic and extreme."
"As long as you understand." The old father was relieved, but as a father and a mother, he also had a lot of worries. "Daughter, how are you two doing in that aspect?"
"Not yet. I don't mind, but he always stops. He probably thinks I have to be sincere with him, otherwise he'd be irresponsible to me."
Zhong Miao was not shy when talking about this with her father. A few years ago, she and her father watched idol dramas together. The father and daughter watched with great interest and analyzed the love between the male and female protagonists.
When she was in adolescence, her father bought her several books on physiology. Although he was not good at explaining it to his daughter directly, he would find ways to help her understand how to protect herself.
I have to say that Zhong Ming is a particularly good father. He paved the way for his daughter's life and also paid attention to her inner world and growth trajectory.
If she hadn't traveled through the book, Zhong Miao would have been 27 years old by this year, and in a few years she would have joined the ranks of older single women. She hasn't experienced it yet, which is a bit regrettable.
"Well, it's okay if there is none." The old father was relieved. Nothing is better than nothing. At least he didn't have to worry about his daughter getting pregnant and giving birth without any preparation.
"Dad, I found that I have changed too."
"What's wrong? What's changed?"
"I'm starting to like this family. I like my mother-in-law, and I like An An. Pei Ze is also good. Everyone is very nice, and I seem to have a sense of belonging."
"Haha, if you like it, have more contact with it, if you don't like it, have less contact with it, just let nature take its course."
Just as the father and daughter said this, they were hurried off the ground by An An's heart-wrenching cry and ran to the main house.
They were terrified. They could hear An An's crying clearly through two windows. What happened to the child?
Zhong Miao was also puzzled, because the original text did not say that An An cried.
When she opened the door, she saw An An sitting in her grandmother's arms, holding the wreckage of a toy car in her hands, crying heart-wrenchingly.
Pei Ze was also coaxing An An. Uncle Pei was holding a child in his arms. The child had a victorious look on his face and stared at An An arrogantly.
Grandpa Pei comforted his grandson, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, it's just a broken toy."
As soon as Zhong Ming entered the house, he saw children all over the floor, making a lot of noise, and he got a headache.
After hearing this, the father and daughter immediately understood what had happened.
"A broken toy? A broken toy costs ten dollars. Whoever broke it should pay for it and apologize."
Zhong Miao is not afraid of this old man, this is her home court.
"Ten dollars? Who are you trying to fool? How can your child be so petty? And you, little girl, who do you think you are to dare to talk like that? What a piece of shit."
"Hehe, you old bastards, you come to my house to bully my wife and children. If you count, it's because you are a piece of shit. I don't think your grandson is that good either. How about I beat him up for you?" Pei Ze sneered.
"What are you talking about, you little bastard?"
Uncle Pei hates Pei Ze the most. His son and daughter have often been beaten by this guy.
Pei Ze was annoyed by these relatives when he was a child. It was okay when his father was around, but as soon as his father was gone, the orphan and his widowed mother were often bullied by these two old men and their children.
Like the person you are, like the child you raise. This old man's children often bullied Pei Ze and his elder brother. Later, when Pei Ze grew up, he could fight back.
His eldest brother's surname is not Pei, and he is a tolerant person. He endures it for fear of causing trouble for his old mother, but Pei Ze cannot do that. He must beat him back.
Whenever Pei Ze beat up his cousins, he would be beaten up by Grandpa Pei. After Grandpa Pei beat him up, he would run to their village and look for opportunities to beat up his children again.
Later, Zhang Weilan learned about this and found the two village heads to mediate the matter.
Pei Ze hasn't seen these relatives since he went to college eight years ago. He originally wanted to get rid of them, but this time they can't leave easily. It seems they came to his house to bully his family. Who gave them the confidence?
"I'm talking to you, you old fool." Pei Ze never regarded them as his elders.
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