Ning Xingde didn't sleep a wink that night, and as soon as it was dawn, he hurriedly called Ning Xu and his wife to go to the Ning family home to pick them up.
In fact, it wasn't just Ning Xingde; even Ning Xu and Madam Kang were getting restless. Madam Pang had been staying at her daughter's house, and the villagers had already started gossiping about her.
It's incredibly unpleasant to be secretly gossiped about as an unfilial son.
So this family insisted on taking Mrs. Pang home today.
Seeing that Ning Xingde and Ning Xu had both said this, she no longer had a stern face like before. She turned around and left, intending to go to the kitchen to get them some fruit.
After Ning Huan left, the Ning family greeted Zhou Jing'an again, and Ning Xingde also asked a few questions, which Zhou Jing'an answered one by one.
Looking at Zhou Jing'an, Ning Xu didn't see the serious illness and terminal illness he had heard about. So he said, "Brother-in-law, you look pretty good. I reckon your health will improve soon."
Hearing this, Zhou Jing'an was taken aback.
It's not really Ning Xu's fault. They didn't know anything about Zhou Jing'an's recent situation. They came to Wushan Village very early today and didn't encounter many villagers.
Ning Liang quickly reminded him, "Brother, your brother-in-law recently had surgery in town. As long as he rests well during this period, he will be fully recovered."
"real?"
"That's wonderful!"
Ning Xu quickly congratulated Zhou Jing'an: "Brother-in-law, I just arrived and didn't know about this. I didn't say anything good just now, please don't mind."
Zhou Jing'an shook his head: "No."
Ning Xu, like Ning Liang, is an honest and simple person; their character is not bad. Zhou Jing'an knew he was speaking sincerely, so naturally he wouldn't blame him.
On the contrary, because of Ning Huan, he was very polite to the Ning family.
Kang rolled her eyes, thinking that since Zhou Jing'an's health had been cured, he could continue his studies as before. If he passed the imperial examination and became a high-ranking official, she could also benefit from it.
Thinking this, she quickly smiled and agreed, "Brother-in-law is truly blessed. Once you recover, you're sure to achieve great things!"
Just then, Ning Huan returned with the fruit and, hearing the hint of sycophancy in Kang Shi's words, interrupted, "Father, brother, have you come over for dinner?"
Ning Xingde brought his family to pick up Pang Shi early in the morning, so naturally they hadn't eaten yet.
He nodded: "We came out early this time and haven't eaten yet."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jing'an said to Ning Huan, "Then let your father-in-law and uncle stay here for a meal."
Ning Huan looked at him with great surprise. She had never seen Zhou Jing'an so enthusiastic towards anyone before, and now he was showing such concern for her family.
Originally, she didn't want to pay any attention to Ning Xingde and the others. If it weren't for their sincere apology, Madam Pang would have been willing to forgive them. Let alone inviting them to stay for dinner, she would have simply seen them off after they sat down and greeted her.
Seeing Ning Huan nod in agreement and then turn to go to the kitchen with Pang Shi, Ning Xu and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Did that mean she had forgiven them?
After saying a few words inside the house, Kang realized that as a woman, she couldn't really get a word in edgewise, so she went to the courtyard.
Her eyes lit up instantly when she saw the four little dumplings, and she quickly went over to them.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "You four little dumplings are so cute!"
Originally, the four little ones didn't like Kang Shi because Ning Huan hadn't given them a kind look since she entered the house. They could tell that their mother didn't like these people, so they didn't pay much attention to her.
They even thought that Kang Shi, like her uncle and aunt Liu Shi, was a hateful and wicked woman.
Unexpectedly, Kang praised them as cute right off the bat, which was completely unconventional.
The four little ones looked at each other, but Da Bao was the first to react, bowing to Madam Kang and saying, "Thank you, Aunt."
Kang was somewhat surprised: "How do you know who I am?"
Da Bao replied, "When I came in, I heard my uncle calling you, and you called me 'sister mother,' so I knew you were our aunt."
Mrs. Kang smiled with delight: "You're such a clever little dumpling!"
She had only been married to Ning Xu for a few years, and the two of them weren't in a hurry to have a child. But now, seeing these four little bundles of joy, she was starting to have some thoughts about having a baby herself.
They are so adorable! The four little ones are so cute and fair-skinned, and they are also very polite.
She asked with a smile, "What are your names?"
Seeing that Madam Kang was genuinely praising them, the four little ones politely replied, "Aunt, I am Da Bao, and my name is Zhou Yuan."
Little Erbao stepped forward and said, "I am Erbao, Aunt, my name is Zhou Heng."
"I am Sanbao, and my name is Zhou Si."
"I am Sibao, and my name is Zhou Yi."
Da Bao said to the three little ones, "This is our aunt, we should greet her."
The three little children obediently bowed to Madam Kang and said, "Greetings, Aunt!"
"Alright, alright, you're all well!"
Kang looked at the four little bundles of joy with starry eyes. If she had known that her eldest sister Ning Huan had four such adorable babies, she would have come over long ago.
She had never seen any children more well-behaved than these four little dumplings. All the other children in the village were incredibly naughty and disobedient.
She was covered in filth, dirtier than a stray dog that no one wanted on the edge of the village. She had seen a child run away from home and roll into a mud pit after being chased and beaten by his mother for angering her.
Covered in mud, when he smiled at her, the only white thing on his body was his teeth.
The whole village is full of troublemakers. Not to mention that if the parents don't care, there's nowhere to complain. Even if the parents discipline them, it's useless. If the child doesn't listen, they'll still cause trouble next time.
This made her dread the thought of having children, but she never expected that these four little ones would be so well-behaved and obedient.
When she came here today, all she said was echoing others, or trying to curry favor with Zhou Jing'an.
But now she genuinely loves these four little dumplings.
At this moment, Ning Xu, who had been sitting inside, also came out. He couldn't quite understand what Zhou Jing'an was saying; it was all very formal and he didn't understand any of the classical Chinese phrases.
Fortunately, Ning Xingde was able to talk to Zhou Jing'an, so he decided to come out for some fresh air.
Seeing that Kang was talking to the four little ones, she walked over and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Mrs. Kang said with a smile, "The four little ones are so polite. I praised them for being adorable."
When the four little children saw Ning Xu coming over, they all bowed to him and said, "Hello, Uncle."
Ning Xu was initially quite surprised that the little ones could recognize him, but after hearing their explanation, he suddenly realized what was going on.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com