A moment later, Yang Yuelan came in carrying steaming dumplings, and said with a smile, "I brought some dried shrimp from my hometown and made a bowl of seaweed soup dumplings. Do you like them?"
The plump dumplings floated in the seaweed soup, sprinkled with bright green scallions, a much better result than the dry dumplings from before.
It truly has a perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste.
"Thank you, Mom, I really like it." Xu Qingning's eyes lit up. She was really hungry, so she took the dumplings and started eating. The dumplings were made with pork and scallions, and they tasted alright.
Yang Yuelan's soup was also quite good. Although she felt a little nauseous, she still finished the whole bowl of dumplings.
"Just tell Mom what you want to eat, and Mom will make it for you if she can." Yang Yuelan's gaze fell on her flat stomach, and she sat down next to her. "Your appetite is not very good in the first three months, but it will be fine after three months."
Zhao Jingyu returned in early March, and it is now early May.
Judging by the timeline, Xu Qingning should be more than a month pregnant.
"Mom, your cooking is amazing!" Xu Qingning said with a bright smile. "I'll be relying on you from now on."
He has a good personality, is a good cook, and is good to her.
This mother-in-law is someone I can get along with.
"It's not hard work. You're my daughter-in-law, so it's only right that I take care of you." Yang Yuelan was increasingly satisfied with Xu Qingning. She never expected that the rascal would find such a good wife.
Thinking of this, she got up again, went out to get a bundle, and came back in, then closed the door.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Xu Qingning asked with a puzzled look.
"Mom doesn't have anything good to give you. These are what Grandma Jingyu left behind. When she passed away, she said they were for Jingyu's wedding." Yang Yuelan took out a square mahogany box from her bundle, opened it for Xu Qingning to see, and whispered, "I kept it at home, always worried that your two sisters-in-law would see it. Now that you're here, it's yours."
The mahogany box was divided in two, with a compartment in the middle. On one side were a gold bracelet and a gold necklace, both gleaming and dazzling.
On the other side were six small, colorful stones, which were lustrous and translucent and were probably jade.
"Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Grandma." Xu Qingning accepted the gifts without ceremony, then picked them up with great interest and examined them closely.
These two pieces of gold jewelry together weigh about fifty or sixty grams, which was quite valuable in those days.
The bracelet was the old-fashioned kind, engraved with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns. It was wide and thick, clearly the kind of bracelet an elderly person would wear.
The necklace has a gold teardrop-shaped pendant, which is quite pretty.
Those jade stones have good translucency; they are pleasing to the eye and nice to hold and play with.
Surprisingly, Zhao Jingyu's grandmother is quite wealthy.
The book doesn't provide detailed descriptions of Zhao Jingyu's mother and grandmother; they are only mentioned briefly.
It seems like this hidden storyline is like opening a blind box, which is quite a surprise.
"I'm glad you like it." Yang Yuelan breathed a sigh of relief. "You rest, I'll go wash the vegetables."
As long as her son and daughter-in-law don't mind her being treated badly, she's willing to come and take care of them.
Over the years, the guilt she felt towards Zhao Jingyu has remained unfulfilled.
"Mom, I want to wash my hair." Xu Qingning casually put the mahogany box into the drawer. She hadn't washed her hair or taken a bath since she transmigrated, and she felt that her hair was stale.
"I'll go boil some water for you right away. You can just wait inside," Yang Yuelan agreed, then added, "Don't come out to wash, you'll catch a cold."
There's no hair dryer, so after washing my hair I can only dry it with a towel.
Xu Qingning was drying her hair when Zhao Jingyu pushed open the door and walked in.
Her neckline was half open, revealing her fair neck and the delicate skin beneath her collar. He looked away without a word, closed the door, and left.
"Qingning, dinner's ready." Yang Yuelan knocked on the door. She had cooked a pot of mutton soup and made some pancakes.
The room was warm and cozy, filled with the long-lost warmth of home cooking.
"Mom, I'm not hungry, you guys eat!" Xu Qingning said cheerfully. She had just eaten dumplings and was still a little full.
Zhao Jingyu was quite surprised to hear this.
He was only gone for a short while, and she and his mother got along so well?
This woman certainly knows how to assess the situation.
The family of three was having dinner when Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei arrived, both with stern faces, looking like they were there to interrogate them.
People raise their heads to marry off their daughters, and lower their heads to take in wives.
How could they let Zhao Jingyu get his daughter, whom they raised, for nothing?
"Uncle and Aunt, you've arrived." Zhao Jingyu greeted the two of them in a lukewarm manner.
He sincerely went to their home to propose marriage and present betrothal gifts, but Xu Jianguo rejected him in a simple and rude manner, and Jiang Yumei did not offer any support.
If Xu Qingning hadn't been willing to come back with him, he wouldn't have planned to see her family again.
He knew that Xu Jianguo looked down on him.
Upon learning that they were Xu Qingning's parents, Zhao Futang immediately stood up and said politely, "Our in-laws have arrived, please have a seat."
Yang Yuelan was busy boiling water and making tea. She hurriedly pulled some pumpkin seeds out of her bundle and offered them to the two of them with a smile on her face: "We were just saying that we were going to come and see you, and you just happened to come."
"My dear in-laws, you're too kind. Our daughter is already living with you, so how could her father and I dare to hope that you would come to visit us?" Jiang Yumei glanced at the mutton soup on the table and knew what was going on.
It turns out they weren't planning to send the betrothal gifts back.
Look, he's already eating it himself.
Their family really has no manners at all.
Yang Yuelan gave an awkward laugh.
In any case, it was her son who was at fault first, so as a mother, she had no choice but to accept being scolded by the woman's parents.
“Father-in-law, this is ultimately my son’s fault. I apologize to you, but as things stand, there’s no better way than to let them get married.” Zhao Futang also felt his face burning. He quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered one to Xu Jianguo.
Xu Jianguo hesitated for a moment, but still accepted the call.
Zhao Futang personally lit a cigarette for Xu Jianguo: "We originally planned to invite you over tomorrow morning, but since you're here, let's have a proper discussion about the two children's marriage."
"Your family has already brought back the bride price, what else is there to discuss?" This was what Jiang Yumei was thinking about. Xu Jianguo originally didn't want to come, but she dragged him here.
She had heard that the Zhao family was holding a wedding banquet tomorrow.
If they don't come tonight, they'll have even less chance to ask for a bride price.
Xu Qingning was packing her luggage inside when she heard Jiang Yumei say this, and couldn't help but come out: "Auntie, I've already accepted the betrothal gifts from Zhao Jingyu. Do you want double?"
Aunt?
Zhao Futang and Yang Yuelan exchanged a glance; it turned out she wasn't their biological mother.
“Qingning, the betrothal gifts are meant to thank your parents for raising you. What’s the meaning of you accepting them?” Jiang Yumei was furious that Xu Qingning was always protecting her husband’s family. “I’ve never heard of a daughter bringing her betrothal gifts back to her husband’s family untouched.”
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