The second day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally the day for brides to visit their parents' home.
The night before, Zhou Dayong asked Li Qiuju, "When should we go back to your home tomorrow?"
Li Qiuju paused in shaking the quilt, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'm not going back this year."
Li Qiuju could still vividly recall what Old Lady Li had said in the shop that day, and she could imagine the difficulties she would face when she got back.
"Really not going back?" Zhou Dayong looked at her in disbelief.
Li Qiuju nodded firmly, "I'm not going back. It's fine at home. Our family is happy together."
She prefers to stay at home now rather than go back to her parents' home, even if it's just to do something all day.
Zhou Dayong knew his mother-in-law's temper. Every year when they went back to her parents' home, the couple would suffer. In the early years, with Zhou Dayong around, they were a little more polite.
Ever since Zhou Dayong injured his foot, Old Lady Li has treated him with contempt, saying unpleasant things to his face on several occasions.
"It's fine if they don't go back. We'll see where we're going tomorrow and ask them to take some gifts back with us." Zhou Dayong thought that if they didn't go back, that would be fine, but taking some gifts back would be a way of showing filial piety.
Unexpectedly, Li Qiuju shook her head, "There's no need to send anything. I've taken plenty of things back with me over the years."
"We didn't get anything in return. We'll just keep the little bit of food at home for the kids."
She didn't want to waste those things; it would be a waste of effort.
Zhou Dayong felt it was inappropriate and wanted to offer some advice, but Li Qiuju's mind was made up, and her attitude was more resolute than ever before.
Seeing this, Zhou Dayong had no choice but to say no more. However, if Li Qiuju were in the village the day she was going back to her parents' home, she would inevitably be asked a few questions if she were seen by someone.
Zhou Dayong didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but some people have long tongues and are always gossiping about others. He didn't want any unpleasant words to reach Li Qiuju's ears.
It seems I'll have to talk to the kids tomorrow. Even though we're not going back to the Li family home, we can't just stay here forever.
Zhou Sui had already thought about this problem: "Our family has never been to the city for shopping before."
"I heard there are dragon dances in the city. Let's go see the dragon dances, and then we'll go take a look at our newly purchased storefront."
Zhou Dayong immediately agreed to the suggestion, saying they should go sooner so they could have more time to play.
Zhou Dawu's family was going back to his wife's home, so they couldn't go together. But Old Mrs. Zhou was at home. Her family lived far away, and they had gradually lost contact in recent years. So on the second day of the Lunar New Year, she was basically at home or playing cards with the old ladies in the village.
Now that they've changed their clothes, they're going to the city with Zhou Sui and her family.
After a two-hour bus ride, they finally arrived in the city. Zhou Sui, familiar with the area, led her family toward the place where the dragon lanterns were being performed.
Everyone walked slowly along the way, especially Old Mrs. Zhou, who hadn't been to the city in the past few years.
Looking at the towering buildings and bustling traffic of the metropolis, she was somewhat dazzled.
"That building is so tall, it would take a whole day to climb it."
“Grandma, you don’t need to climb. There’s an elevator inside. Just sit in the elevator and you’ll be up in a flash,” Zhou Xu explained to her.
Grandma Zhou only vaguely understood what she was hearing, but that didn't stop her from asking questions about anything new and interesting, just like a curious child.
As they walked along the way, Grandma Zhou couldn't help but exclaim, "I've really had my eyes opened today."
"The city is so different from where we live." She felt that the clothes she was wearing today were the best, but when she looked at the old ladies passing by on the street...
She was wearing a long coat with a fur collar, carrying a small bag, and wearing lipstick.
Grandma Zhou couldn't help but laugh. "This man is so old, why is he still wearing lipstick?"
She found it very strange, but Zhou Sui told her, "Grandma, everyone loves beauty, and there's no age limit for wearing lipstick. Don't you think these old ladies look much more energetic after wearing lipstick?"
That's what she said, but Grandma Zhou kept shaking her head, clearly she couldn't accept it right away.
The family chatted leisurely and soon arrived at the place to watch the dragon lantern performance. By this time, the area was already surrounded by a large crowd, making it impossible to squeeze in.
Zhou Sui remembered that there was a restaurant upstairs from which one could overlook the situation below.
She simply took her family upstairs, found a window seat, and ordered food.
When ordering, Zhou Sui didn't show them the menu. Things in the city are naturally not cheap. If they saw the prices, they might hesitate to order, or they might want to eat something but end up ordering the cheapest one.
Anyway, she knew everyone's tastes, so she and Zhou Xu decided on the dishes.
The rest of the Zhou family were peering out the window when the dishes arrived. Only then did Li Qiuju quietly ask Zhou Sui, "Sui Sui, is everything here very expensive?"
Just walking into this store, you can tell it's not cheap.
Zhou Sui smiled at her, "Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I only order the cheaper items."
Li Qiuju was relieved this time. "That's good. The cost of this food is only so much. We can't waste money."
Zhou Sui urged everyone to eat, and as they ate, their eyes were fixed on the dragon dance in the square below. She truly felt that this was how the second day of the Lunar New Year should be spent.
Why should I go to the Li family and suffer that humiliation?
It's already midday, and I wonder what's going on at the Li family's place. I'm afraid the longer we wait, the angrier Old Mrs. Li will get.
Even before the end, by midday, Old Lady Li was already furious.
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