Chapter 120 The He Family's New Year Greetings

It's the second day of the Lunar New Year. According to custom, Shen Xu accompanied his wife back to her parents' home today.

Thinking about how the two families would have a great time together on New Year's Eve, the He family simply sent someone to the Shen family to tell them that if everyone was free, they could just go there together, as it would be more lively with more people.

The two houses were not far away, so it was very convenient to go back and forth. I simply agreed and we went there together.

While other married girls would return to their parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, He Ying returned to her parents' home with her entire in-laws' family.

The He family knew that the in-laws were coming, so they waited with the door open early in the morning. As soon as the carriage arrived at the corner of the street, the servants went in to report to their master.

Old Mrs. He, as well as Mr. and Mrs. He, came out to welcome the Shen family.

"Is Yingniang back? You look like you're five or six months pregnant, right?"

The person who was speaking was Mrs. Du, who lived next door to the He family. Her daughter was also married. She got up early this morning and waited for her daughter to come back home. When she heard the noise outside, she opened the door to see.

"It's been five months, Aunt Chen, Sister Ru will be back soon, right?"

"Yes, they sent a message yesterday saying they would come early this morning. I heard the noise and came out to see what was going on."

He's mother was inviting her in-laws into the house. When she heard them talking, she came over and said, "Runiang is marrying far away. It will take her a lot of time to get there. Don't worry. She may be there soon."

"Yes, yes. You go ahead and do your work, Pei Xin. I'll wait for you a little longer."

Chen Wenyue looked at He Ying with envy, envying her for getting pregnant just a few months after getting married. Her younger sister had been married for four years and still had not gotten pregnant because her husband's family was very unhappy.

Look at the daughter of the He family. She married a promising man. On the second day of the Chinese New Year, she returned to her parents' home with her whole family. It was lively and noisy. It was great...

"Wen Yue has a miserable life too." Madam He sighed, and while leading He Ying and Shen Xi into the house, she talked about her family's affairs, "She lost her husband at a young age, and raised a pair of children by herself, which was really a lot of hardship. A few days ago, she came to my house and asked me to give her your chopsticks for eating, which were buried in the backyard. She said she heard from a wandering sorcerer that this would help Runiang get pregnant soon."

He Ying frowned, "What kind of sorcerer is this? He must be a liar. Didn't Sister Ru see a doctor? The doctor said she was in good health. I think she should let her husband see a doctor."

He's mother glanced at Shen Yuan, patted her daughter, and indicated that it was inappropriate for an unmarried girl like Shen Yuan to hear such words.

He Ying retorted, "Mom, Manman is not a child anymore. There are some things she should know."

"Yes, auntie, I understand. It takes two people to give birth to a child. If it can't be born, then one of them must be sick."

"That's what you say, but you know the family that Ru Niang married into, right? Would they let their son see a doctor? Nowadays, there are so many families out there who can't have children or sons, and they all blame the woman."

Mrs. He was deeply moved when she talked about these things. She had only given birth to a daughter, Yingniang, and had heard a lot of gossip over the years, including that she was a fierce woman who could not give birth to a son and still controlled her husband and did not allow him to take a concubine.

When He Ying heard this, she knew her mother was thinking about the gossip outside again. "Mom, don't take what those people say to heart. So what if you don't have a son? Aren't they all your own children?"

When she was young, some nosy relatives teased her by asking her father to give her a younger brother. But she remembered that those people were scolded by her grandfather and told not to visit her again.

"Aunt, sister-in-law is right! Sons and daughters are not all human beings. Those who only like sons and dislike daughters should go to the hospital to treat their brains."

"Yes, you are absolutely right!" Mrs. He smiled and patted Shen Yuan's hand, putting those bad things behind her.

At first she got angry when she heard these words, and even became ill from anger when she was young. It was only later that she gradually came to understand that it is her own life to live, and she should not care about what others say.

Moreover, the He family is a kind-hearted family. They always told her that all sons and daughters are the same and asked her not to feel burdened.

Thinking about this, He's mother looked at her daughter's belly again, thinking that the Shen family must not be the kind of family that favors boys over girls, which made her feel relieved.

He Ying also felt very sorry for the experience of this neighbor sister. She was a plump and beautiful girl before she got married, but the last time she saw her, she found that she had lost a lot of weight. After asking her, she found out that she had been seeking medical treatment and taking medicine for the past two years, and she didn't know how many legitimate and not legitimate fertility medicines she had taken.

"Did you give me the chopsticks?"

"No, I can't give this thing to anyone casually. But she told me to wait until you give birth and let Runiang hold the baby. I think I need to ask you about this."

"Just agree to this. I also want to meet Sister Ru."

"Okay, didn't you say that Ru Niang would be back today? You two can talk then."

The imperial examination was approaching. As soon as Shen Su entered the He family's door, he was grabbed by his grandfather and taken to the study. The essay questions had been set, and after they finished writing, He's grandfather (who ranked first in the first class), He's father (who ranked first in the second class), and Shen's father (who ranked eighth in the second class) personally reviewed the papers.

Not everyone can enjoy such treatment.

"I said let brother live in sister-in-law's house. It is a great blessing to have the top scholar teach him personally."

(Shen Su: Do you want this blessing?)

Mrs. Shen nodded repeatedly and said to He's mother, "Manman is absolutely right. This top scholar can give advice on writing, which is something that people can't even ask for."

"Kang Ge'er has done well. Father has said that Kang Ge'er has studied hard and will definitely do well in the imperial examination this time."

We are all family, so there is no need to be humble when talking. He's mother was very happy to say this. Shen Su was a child she had watched grow up, and he was also her son-in-law, so she naturally hoped that he could graduate from high school.

Mrs. Shen was listening at the side, wanting to say something but afraid of being abrupt, and she felt conflicted for a long time.

Once an idea for the article comes together, it cannot be easily interrupted, so Shen Su did not come out during lunch.

He's mother had instructed the kitchen early to heat up the food for him and send it to him as soon as he was done.

After finishing lunch, Mrs. Shen pulled Mrs. He aside.

"My dear relatives, there is something..." Mrs. Shen hesitated, not knowing what to say.

Mrs. He had some guesses in her mind. Just when she mentioned her father giving Kang Ge'er advice on writing, she noticed that Mrs. Shen seemed to have something to say.

So he patted her hands and said, "We are all family, just tell me if you have anything to say."

"Then I'll shamelessly say it. The boy my Xixi is engaged to will also be getting married this year. He will also come to the capital before the spring imperial examination. So I was thinking if I could ask my father-in-law to help take a look at the articles."

After saying that, he quickly added: "These are my personal opinions. If it doesn't work, just pretend you didn't hear it. It has nothing to do with my uncle."

"I know, I know. It's all for the sake of the child. I understand your feelings. I can't make the decision about the father, but I can still speak up for you."

"It's really troublesome."

Madam Shen was very embarrassed. She also knew that people were helping their grandson-in-law to read the article because they were all family. Her Xixi's fiancé had nothing to do with the He family, so she said this shamelessly.

In the afternoon, He Ying had just taken a nap when she woke up to hear Yingchun come to tell her that Mrs. Chen from next door came to see her crying, and she didn't know what had happened.