The next morning, when Xu Qingning woke up, the blankets beside her were neatly folded, and Zhao Jingyu was no longer in bed.
The sounds of children laughing and playing came from the courtyard, while Yang Yuelan was cooking in the kitchen outside.
Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan were talking quietly outside the window, saying that Zhao Jingyu had been up for a while, but Xu Qingning still hadn't gotten up. They were surprised that someone like Zhao Jingyu was so good to his wife.
Damn it, they were brazenly cricketing at her window.
Xu Qingning glanced out the window. It felt pretty good to be envied and jealous. Oh well, let them say what they want. As long as it doesn't involve her interests, it doesn't matter.
The water in the ceramic jar on the desk was still steaming. She folded the blanket, picked it up, took a sip, calmed the churning in her chest, and took her red toothbrush to brush her teeth.
The toothbrush cup was bought by Zhao Jingyu at the department store yesterday. It's the same as his toothbrush cup. That's how men are when they buy things; they don't care about anything and bring back a bunch of miscellaneous things, like towels and soap dishes.
Smoke curled from the chimneys in the courtyard, filling the air with the aroma of food.
Xu Qingning quickened her pace and went to the public water tap to wash her face and brush her teeth.
When Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan saw Xu Qingning come out, they shut up and took the vegetables they had picked to the washing basin to wash.
Zhao Jingyu's dormitory was right next to the west wall of the tenement. In order to make braised meat, Zhao Futang built a stove next to the west wall on the afternoon of the day he arrived, as a temporary kitchen.
These past two days, I've had braised meat and stir-fried vegetables made here.
Breakfast was simple: Yang Yuelan made corn porridge, steamed vegetable dumplings, and boiled a few eggs, which they brought from home.
There were also leftovers from yesterday's dinner table, all mixed together in a bowl, along with a plate of pickled radish heads, which Yang Yuelan had pickled herself.
There are too many people, and the room is too crowded, so we eat breakfast in the yard. The tables, chairs, and benches are all borrowed from the company and haven't been returned yet.
Xu Qingning barely left the house yesterday, and today she finally had a proper meal with the family. She was feeling a bit stuffy after staying inside all day and wanted to get some fresh air.
During the meal, Yang Yuelan first peeled an egg and put it in Xu Qingning's bowl: "You didn't eat much yesterday, try an egg from our hometown."
She boiled three eggs in total.
One for Xu Qingning, and one for each of her two grandsons.
Zhao Jingyu, sitting next to her, glanced at the eggs in her bowl but didn't say anything.
"Thank you, Mom." Xu Qingning accepted it without hesitation. The egg yolk was very yellow and tasted delicious. Free-range eggs are so good—delicious and nutritious.
Upon seeing Xu Qingning, Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan both glanced at her belly. Without a doubt, she was pregnant.
Noticing their gazes, Xu Qingning remained calm, accepting the situation as it was and letting them think what they wanted.
The brothers Zhao Jingwen and Zhao Jingwu just ate their food in silence, not caring about such a trivial matter as who ate the eggs. The two brothers had talked all night and hadn't slept well, their eyes were a little red.
They had all witnessed yesterday's wedding banquet, which was very lavish, with large platters of pork and mutton served one after another. Everyone said that Zhao Jingyu was very generous.
It's better to work in the city.
The fist-sized vegetable dumplings are made by mixing cornmeal and greens together, kneading them into a dough, and steaming them in a pot. They look very tempting, but the taste is just so-so.
Xu Qingning took a bite and didn't want to eat anymore. She couldn't stand the taste of the vegetables and would spit it out if she ate any more. Not wanting to put it back, she handed it to Zhao Jingyu and whispered, "I can't eat anymore."
Without saying a word, Zhao Jingyu took it and ate it.
The two little nephews eagerly picked out meat from the basin to eat, their mouths covered in oil. Zhao Jingyu picked out a large piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and put it in her bowl: "Try this, it tastes pretty good."
"It's too greasy, I don't like it." Xu Qingning then put some food in his bowl. "I'm full, don't give me any more."
The family kept turning the pot of meat over and over with their chopsticks, and she felt like throwing up just looking at it.
Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan were completely shocked.
Their men would never eat what they left behind, especially not in front of so many people, and they certainly wouldn't serve them any food.
"Jingyu, when are you leaving?" Zhao Futang suddenly asked him, "Today or tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow morning," Zhao Jingyu replied expressionlessly.
"I'll help you pack your luggage later." Yang Yuelan peeled eggs for her two grandsons, not having had a chance to eat any herself.
"No need, I'll just bring a few clothes, I'll be ready soon." Zhao Jingyu's attitude remained indifferent. He didn't like corn porridge, so he put down his chopsticks and poured himself a glass of water.
He also poured a cup for Xu Qingning, who took it and placed it beside her. She really liked corn porridge, especially the kind cooked in a big pot, which was very fragrant.
Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan's only skill was gossiping behind people's backs; when they actually faced Zhao Jingyu, they were still somewhat intimidated.
If you anger him, he's capable of flipping the table.
But the two brothers just kept eating without saying a word.
Wu Xiufang kept coughing, and Zhou Chunyan tried to signal to the two brothers, but they didn't get any response.
It was Zhao Jingyu who took the initiative to ask them, "Sister-in-law, do you have something to say?"
Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan were stumped by the question.
I don't know how to say it for a moment.
Xu Qingning found it amusing; this was all they were capable of. Zhao Jingyu alone could handle ten of them.
"Let me first talk about the two pieces of jewelry in the rosewood box. I earned them by watching over a mine for half a year when I was in the Northwest. I used the money I earned to make a gold bracelet and other jewelry for my grandmother."
Zhao Jingyu had no interest in playing games with them and said calmly, "Grandma said she would keep it for me and give it to me when I grow up. She entrusted it to Mom when she passed away, and it's only natural that Mom gave it to my wife now, so you don't need to worry about it."
Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan laughed awkwardly after hearing this.
Zhao Lei is such a chatterbox; she must have told Zhao Jingyu that they knew about the gold jewelry.
Sure enough, this sister-in-law is no good.
"Big brother, second brother, I hope we can talk about everything openly," Zhao Jingyu said lazily, taking a sip of water. "Only by speaking out can we solve problems."
Before, he was all alone, and he didn't care what they said or did.
Things are different now. He has a wife now and is away from home most of the time, so there are some things that need to be made clear.
“Jingyu, you’ve been working ever since you came back from the Northwest, and your salary isn’t low. You’ve never given any of your salary to your family.” When the eldest brother, Zhao Jingwen, heard him say this, he simply spoke up. “It’s not that we’re after your money, we just feel that now that you’re married, you should take on this responsibility.”
“I didn’t use any of my money to support my family, but I also didn’t spend any of their money. My grandparents supported me from elementary school to high school graduation, so I took care of them in their old age and didn’t cause you any worry. Is there a problem?” Zhao Jingyu asked his older brother.
“That may be true…” Zhao Jingwen was clearly defeated, but he still argued his case, “You can’t forget the great kindness of raising and nurturing us, and you can’t abandon your parents.”
"When my parents need me, of course I won't ignore them." Zhao Jingyu's face turned cold.
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